Kinder News!: Kinder News!

Take a peek below to see what we have been learning these last few weeks!

Welcome Miss Gries!

We are very excited to have Miss Gries join our kindergarten class as a student teacher. She will be working with both our morning and afternoon classes. She is off to a TERRIFIC start!

Math

We completed a short unit on measurement. During this unit, students engaged in many hands-on experiences that helped them understand the concepts of length, size, and weight. Students were also able to see and feel these differences, which helped them compare and order objects based on attributes. Students also had opportunities to use some of their new math words as they explained their thinking to the class such as: bigger, smaller, shorter, taller, longer, lighter, and heavier.

Comparing the weight of a kiwi and an orange

Comparing the weight of a stapler and a piece of paper

Ordering objects by size

Ordering objects by weight

We also began our next math unit, which focuses on composing and decomposing numbers. We learned that numbers can be made up of two smaller numbers, and then we practiced decomposing the number 5.

Reading Workshop

We continue to learn about all the good things readers do to help us enjoy and learn from books. We learned about the different types of books in our classroom library and that these books fall into two categories--FICTION and NONFICTION. The students learned about the different features of fiction and nonfiction books, and then they worked together to sort a collection of books.

We also learned that authors use special marks to help readers know how to read their work. Using the poem My Big Book, we practiced "reading" the punctuation marks to help us read with good expression. Then we practiced looking for these marks in our own books.

We transitioned into our fiction unit and spent some time learning how to retell a story using connecting words like once, next, then, after that, and finally. Then we practiced sequencing the events in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Finally, we learned how to identify the problem and solution in a fictional story. We learned that the main character or characters in a story often face trouble or have a problem to solve. By paying close attention to these problems and how the characters solve them, we can learn how to solve similar problems in real life. We also learned that the main characters are usually introduced at the beginning of the story and that traditional tales often have a villain or bad guy.

Zones of Regulation

In our last two lessons, the students learned more about solving problems. We learned that problems come in all sizes. Small, simple problems can usually be resolved quickly, while bigger problems can take longer to solve and may involve many people. When working to solve a problem, we learned that it's important to keep our emotions in line with the size of the problem--little problem should evoke a small reaction, while bigger problems can evoke a larger reaction. We also learned a strategy called "Stop, Opt, and Go" that helps us stop and think about a solution that will help us get back to the green zone.

Veterans Day
Our Veterans Day Celebration is always such a special day at Dryden. It's a meaningful day for students, families, and especially our great veterans. A special thank you to our guest veterans and to everyone who helped make this a special day!

All About Me

We always love learning about our classmates! The morning class loved learning all about Dominik and his favorite things. We learned that Dominik is a big fan of Pokeman, and he loves Pikachu! He also likes to play board games and build with his Legos. His favorite color is red, and he loves to eat oranges and steak!

We loved learning all about Rocco too! We learned that Rocco is also a huge Pokemon fan, and some of his favorite characters are Pikachu and Charmander. He also enjoys collecting Pokemon cards and researching different characters. Rocco is also a fan of Spiderman, and he likes to play Roblox too!

It was fun learning all about Andrew too! It was easy to see that Andrew is definitely an animal lover! He is a dinosaur expert, and he loves reading and learning about these amazing creatures. He also loves to draw and color and solve math problems on his calculator. He is a healthy eater, and he loves to eat tomatoes. He also enjoys his furry collection of stuffed animals and spending time with his family!

In the afternoon class, we enjoyed learning about Santino. We learned that Santino is also a huge Pokemon fan, and his favorite character is Pikachu. He also loves to build with Legos and play with his huge car collection. Santino also likes to play Minecraft and spend time outside, especially with his family!

We had fun learning about Sara too! We learned that Sara enjoys playing with Barbies, and she is a big Disney fan. She also enjoys swimming and spending time with her sister. Her favorite color is yellow, and she likes pizza!

Shane wrapped up November by sharing some of his favorite things too. We learned that Shane loves spending time with his family, especially outdoors. He also enjoys drawing and doing craft projects, and his favorite color is blue. He is a big sports fan, and he also likes to help clean around the house!