Weekly News (Apr. 25-29)

Take a peek to see what we have been learning this week!

Math

This week we revisited coins and introduced the quarter. We practiced naming each coin and counting a small collection of coins. We also reviewed how to solve addition number stories. Students rolled two dice and counted the dots to find the sum. Then students drew a picture to match their number sentence.

We also spent some time reviewing 2-D and 3-D shapes this week as we created prisms and cubes using toothpicks and marshmallows. Some students loved this activity so much that they made some 3-D creations of their own at home!

We played a game called "Dice Addition" where students rolled two dice--one regular die and one die labeled with the numbers 1, 2, and 3. Students rolled both dice. Then they named the number they rolled (either 1, 2, or 3) and then practiced counting on from that number using the dots from the second die. The player with the larger total earned a chip, and the first one to get 5 chips was the winner. The class LOVED this game, and it was a great way to help prepare them for using the counting on strategy for addition!

Reading Workshop

This week we wrapped up our poetry unit and practiced finding the "big" idea or the message of a poem. After reading the poem My Bed, we used the strategies shown below to help us figure out the real meaning of the poem. We learned that the poem wasn't just about a boy pretending his bed was a race car or a rocket ship. It was about being lost in our thoughts and using our imaginations to create dreams for ourselves and our lives.

Writing Workshop

The children continue to do a great job adding writing pieces to their writing folders during Writing Workshop time and using our rubrics to reflect on their writing. It's great to see so many of the students choosing to write during our "free choice" time!

All About Me

The class loved learning all about Izabela this week! We learned that Izabela is a great ice skater, and she has earned several badges for the levels she has completed. Her favorite color is red, and she loves to do crafts, play with her dolls, and cuddle with her stuffed animals. Izabela enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and she LOVES to ski! 

Weekly News (Apr. 18-22)

Happy Earth Week! Keep reading to see what we've been up to in kindergarten!

Math

This week in math we revisited the concept of measuring time and talked about different tools we could use to keep track of time like timers, stopwatches, and clocks. We learned that these tools help us measure time with a steady beat. We looked at our class clock and saw how the second hand on the clock helps measure time in seconds. We also played a game called "Pass the Beanbag" where we listened to music and passed the beanbags to the beat of the music. 

Playing Pass the Beanbag 

We learned how to use symbols to keep track of movement patterns such as clap, clap, stomp, and we also practiced exchanging pennies, nickels, and dimes while playing "Money Exchange Bingo."

Playing Money Exchange BINGO

Reading Workshop 
This week we learned how to use context clues to help us understand the meaning of new or unfamiliar words. Using the poem Houdini, we were able to use some clues to help us understand the meaning of the words wriggles and slats. 

We also reviewed the literary devices we learned during our poetry unit and spent some time learning how to make text-to-text and text-to-self connections. 

Writing Workshop

The children were excited to share their inspiration books and used them this week during writing workshop time. It was exciting to see all of the different topics students chose to write about. We also practiced using our rubrics to do some self-reflecting on our writing. Later in the week we wrote about different ways we could help protect our planet in honor of Earth Week.

Sharing our inspiration books

Using our writing rubric for self-reflection

Learning about ways to protect our planet

All About Me
We loved learning all about Angelina this week. We learned that Angelina is a great artist, and she loves making crafts. She enjoys writing stories and playing with her My Little Pony dolls. Angelina likes to collect Beanie Boos, and her favorite color is purple. She likes to dance and play with her sister, Jessica. The class loved learning about Angelina's visits to Bulgaria, and they thought the T-Shirt she wore when cleaning up her neighborhood was pretty neat!

Science

Be sure to check out what we have been learning in science by clicking the Plants and Animals tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.

Centers

The children continue to do a great job working on different independent activities while I meet with guided reading groups. This week they worked on sorting pictures by different phonics sounds or vowel patterns. Students also work on the iPads, the computers, and had time to work at the writing center. We had time for free choice centers this week as well, which the class loved!

Walk to School Day

Spring is here!

Have a great weekend!
Thanks for reading!

Weekly News (Apr. 11-15)

Spring is finally in the air!! Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. Take a peek below to see what we have been learning this week.

Math
This week we practiced solving comparison number stories using ten frames. For example, in one problem, we tried to figure out the answer to this number story: "Mr. Riesing was hungry and ate 6 cookies. Mrs. Riesing had 4 cookies. How many more cookies did Mr. Riesing eat?"

Solving number comparison stories

Click HERE to play this number comparison game.

We also practiced our counting skills this week. We reviewed counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's, and then we introduced counting by 2's. We talked about when it might be useful to count by 2's and named items we might find in pairs such as socks, mittens, and shoes. Then we practiced counting collections of items by 2's.

Click HERE to practice counting by 2's

We introduced the concept of fractions by dividing objects or a group of objects in half. Students talked with partners about the meaning of the word "half" and came up with these great ideas:

Sometimes I split my cookie in half and share it with my sister.

The halves have to be the same or it's not really fair.

You can divide things up and say, "One for you. One for me. One for you. One for me."

We used the example of a cookie and talked about how both parts must be equal or the same size when dividing an object in half. Then partners worked together to divide a collection of counters into two equal groups. As we were dividing our collections, we learned that numbers that can be divided into two equal groups without any leftover are called even numbers.

Reading Workshop
During reading workshop this week, we learned how we use our senses to help us visualize, or make pictures in our minds, so that we can better understand a poem or story. Using the poems How Do You Like to Swing? and Liberty, we practiced closing our eyes and using all of our senses and our own connections to paint a picture of the poem in our minds. Then we recorded our ideas in words and pictures using our "Stop and Sketch" chart.

Closing our eyes and thinking about all of our senses
while listening to the poem Liberty.

Writing Workshop
This week the students made personal goals for their writing. After looking over our writing rubric and thinking about their own writing, students selected which item on our rubric they wanted to focus on for their weekend writing. Then students were able to reflect back on their work and share it with a partner.

Science
The children were excited to begin our study of animals this week. Please be sure to check out the new Plants and Animals tab at the top of our webpage or click here to see what we have been learning during our new science unit.

All About Me
We loved learning all about Connor this week! We learned that Connor is a big baseball fan, and he likes the color orange. He loves his lion stuffed animal, and his favorite super hero is Captain America. Connor also enjoys playing outside and spending time with his brother Ryan.

Thank you for a great read aloud Mr. and Mrs. Sheehan.
We LOVED listening to Mr. Tiger Goes Wild!

Connor's brother Ryan (also a former student of mine) visited our class this week
for a read aloud as one of the ABC/25 raffle winners. He did an amazing job reading
Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Thanks Ryan!

LMC
The students were able to watch each other's videos from last week's Duck Rabbit activity. We used tallies to record our votes, and rabbit was the winner!

Art Appreciation
This week the children learned about the famous Spanish artist, Joan Miro. We learned about his use of color and interesting shapes in his paintings. It was so interesting to learn how one of Miro's art teachers used to blindfold him and put objects in his hands. He would feel the objects and then draw what he had felt. This helped Miro learn how to use his imagination, feelings, and emotions when creating his works of art. Thank you Mrs. Barbieri for a great lesson!

Learning about Joan Miro

Using our sense of touch and our imaginations to prepare for our artwork

The big reveal--what was actually in the box--a horse!!

It was so fun to see many of you at the Orbit Family Skate Night.
Mr. Riesing, Kate, James, and I had a blast skating!

Have a great weekend!
Thanks for reading!

Weekly News (April 4-8)

It's been a great week learning and growing in kindergarten! Here's what we have been up to this week.

Math

This week in math, we learned more about the dime and reviewed how to count by 10's when counting a collection of dimes. We also played a new math game called "The Money Exchange Game." We practiced making equal coin exchanges using pennies, nickels and dimes. We learned how to exchange 5 pennies for 1 nickel and 10 pennies or 2 nickels for a dime. One student even noticed that we could exchange 5 pennies and 1 nickel for a dime!

We explored the concept of time this week as well. We clapped out the number of beats it took to walk across the room, tiptoe across the room, and do the crab walk across the room. We recorded and compared our results in our math journals, and then we talked about how our results would change if we clapped faster or slower. We decided that it was important to keep a steady beat when counting.

Our "Hello Helper" doing the crab walk across the room 
as we clapped a steady beat.

Reading Workshop
This week during reading workshop the children reviewed the two literary devices we learned last week, repetition and onomatopoeia, as we read The Frog on the Log and found examples of each device throughout the poem.

Then we learned about a new literary device that poets often use called alliteration. The children had fun finding examples of alliteration in the poem Ten to One, and they LOVED coming up with alliterations using their own names.  "Timmy has a tiger on his tail" had them cracking up!

We listened to the soothing rhythms of lullabies this week as well. Students had time to read independently this week too, and many students picked new books for their book bins. Students who didn't get to "shop" for books this week will have an opportunity next week! 

Writing Workshop
We did our weekend writing this week as well as our monthly writing in our kindergarten journals. The children have been focusing on using lowercase letters when writing and listening for vowel sounds in their words.

Guided Reading
The children continue to blow me away with their progress! They continue to do a great job during our small group reading time and are always eager to get a new book. Thank you all so much for your continued support at home. I can tell the children have been practicing their sight words and sounds and reading their books at home. Keep up the awesome job K-2!

Free Choice Centers/Indoor Recess
The children were thrilled to have a chance to self-select their centers during free choice time and indoor recess. They have become so independent and great problem solvers over the course of the year. It's exciting to see!

LMC
This week in the LMC the students listened to the story Duck Rabbit by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, which is a sweet story that introduces students to the concept of an optical illusion and encourages them to recognize others' viewpoints. The students had to decide if the illustration of an animal in the story was a duck or a rabbit. Then students illustrated their animals and used the SeeSaw app to explain why they thought the animal was a duck or a rabbit. 

Guest Reader
We had a special guest reader this week. First grader and former student, Sophie, was the winner of our Kindergarten ABC/25 raffle prize and was able to come in and read one of her favorite stories to our class--Bailey. She did an unbelievable job reading, and the kindergarteners LOVED it! Thanks Sophie! 

Crazy Hair Day
I was sad to miss seeing all the crazy hair styles, but Miss Lange did a great job capturing some of our crazy looks!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thanks for reading!