Weekly News (Apr. 9-27)

Spring has finally sprung! Looking forward to more warmer days ahead! Take a peek below to see what we have been learning in kindergarten.

Math
We finished Chapter 8, which focused on numbers up to 100 and place value. We introduced the "100 Chart," which is a great tool to help students see patterns and relationships in numbers. Students brought home their own laminated number charts with suggestions for how to use the chart at home. The suggested games and activities will help your chid continue to develop a good number sense.

This week we also began Chapter 12, which will focus on laying the foundation for addition and subtraction. Students have been learning strategies for counting on and counting back from a given number, and they have also been learning about number pairs that make ten--such as "8 and 2 make 10."

Literacy
Reading Workshop
During our reading workshop time, the students have been learning about different literary devices poets use to make poetry memorable and fun to read! We learned about repetition and onomatopoeia, as we read "The Frog on the Log" and found some examples of each throughout the poem. We also learned about alliteration and had a great time as we found examples of alliteration in the poem "Ten to One." We also had fun coming up with examples of alliteration using our own names.

The students have also been learning how we can 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 our senses and our own connections to paint a picture of the poem in our minds. Then we read "Kids Rule!" and recorded our mental pictures after listening to the poem. They did a terrific job with this activity and loved sharing their ideas with each other!

Writing Workshop
To support our poetry unit and to encourage Mother Nature to send some warmer weather our way, the students worked on writing acrostic poems about spring. We think she may have heard us! :)

Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, we read the book 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World and wrote about the many ways we can make a difference in our world. Check out some of our ideas below!

Art Appreciation
The morning class loved learning all about the Spanish painter Joan Miro and his painting Women, Bird, and Star. The students explored the concepts of color and shadow, and they even had time to create their own surreal works of art. Thank you Mrs. Nierman for a great lesson!

Volunteer Breakfast
A HUGE thank you to all of the parents who have volunteered their time this year to help the students and staff at Dryden. We truly appreciate all you do1

Kindergarten Musical Reminder
Just wanted to send along a friendly reminder about our upcoming Kindergarten Musical on Friday, May 4. All students, both morning and afternoon kindergarteners, should arrive by 8:55 and line up in our normal spot. The students will rehearse together, and then the doors will open for parents to come into the gym at 10:00 am. The show will begin at 10:25. We will have refreshments in the gym after the show, and then everyone is welcome back in our classroom after that. The morning ends at 11:50, but students are welcome to go home with families before then. We will have sign-out sheets available for you to sign your child out before you leave. We are looking forward to a great show!

Thanks for reading.

Have a GREAT week!

Click HERE to see some recent photos!