K-2's Weekly News (Apr. 22-26)

Earth Day
We kicked off the week with some earth day activities.  We read a cute story called Earth Day Birthday about a monkey who shares his birthday with Earth Day.  While monkey is trying to celebrate his birthday, all of his jungle friends are finding ways to help the earth--recycling, composting, and using cloth bags at the market.  The children loved the pictures and the rhyming pattern of this book!  We talked about the different ways we can take care of our planet Earth, and then the students wrote about one way they can help.

Math
This week in math we used paper "graham crackers" to review the concept of half.  We used the analogy of sharing a graham cracker with a friend, and we talked about dividing the cracker into two equal parts so that each friend gets the exact same size cracker.  

The students also worked to create a class book of addition and subtraction number stories.  We listened to several different number story examples, and we talked about some of the phrases we hear to help us know if we are adding our numbers together or subtracting--"How many in all?" helps us know we are adding and "How many are left?" helps us know we are "taking away" or subtracting.  The children did an outstanding job writing their stories and including a number model (3 + 2 = 5) to show their thinking.  Our number story book is a new class favorite!

The children had a GREAT time this week building both 2 and 3-dimensional shapes out of marshmallows and toothpicks.  It was a great hands-on activity to review the difference between 2-D and 3-D shapes. 

Teamwork in action!

Building a cube!

Voila!  A cube!

The children continue to do a great job with their problem solving homework each week where they have to draw a collection of animals and circle the one that doesn't belong.  We spend a few minutes talking about the different animals that the students circled, and the children are always amazed at how many different ways you can think about the same problem.  It's great critical thinking practice for them!

Literacy and Science
This week we introduced a new theme in our Treasures reading program--interesting creatures.  This week we focused on interesting insects.  We read a nonfiction book about beetles, and many of us learned that a ladybug is a type of beetle.  We also learned about the life cycle of a ladybug, and the students completed an activity to sequence the events of this cycle.  The students brought home a new sight word book this week, and we learned two new sight words-- he and she.  During our guided reading time this week, I worked with students one-on-one to reassess their individual reading growth.  It's amazing to see how much they've grown!

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

K-2's Weekly News (Apr. 15-19)

All About Me
This week it was Sergio's turn to share his "Me Box."  He did a great job sharing some of his favorite things.  The class LOVED Sergio's photos, especially the one of his baby brother!  Sergio's toy cars and mini skateboard were a huge hit and his Scooby Doo DVD's too!  Thanks for sharing Sergio!

Math
This week we introduced the concept of the word "half."  Students gave examples of where they have heard the word half--half of a cookie, 6 1/2 years old, half of a circle, half of an apple, 1/2 cup, halftime.  What a great list!  Then we practiced dividing groups of students into two equal groups, or two halves.  We then worked in our math journals to divide 8 circles into two equal groups.

We also reviewed counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's and practiced using the calculators to skip count by 2's.  We also reviewed patterning by using our bodies to create movement patterns, and we recorded one of our favorite patterns in our math journals.  We reviewed the concept of attributes as well by playing a game called "Read My Mind."  We spread out our collection of attribute shapes sorted by color, size, and shape.  Then students had to ask yes or no questions to figure out what shape was in my mystery bag.  The class LOVED this game!!  We played again and again all week!


Literacy
We finished Unit 8 in Treasures this week by taking a closer look at sunflowers.  We read a beautiful story called the Sunflower House about a boy who creates a summer playhouse by planting sunflowers in his yard in a big circle.  When the flowers grow big and tall, the boy and his friends play in the "house" all summer long.  They pretended they were knights in a castle, animals in the jungle, and they even spent the night outside in their sunflower house!  After listening to the story, the students created their own mini books showing how a flower grows.  We even made our own sunflowers!  We completed our workbooks and added a new sight word book to our collection as well.  The students worked hard during Writer's Workshop this week writing about the things they like to do in the spring and their favorite rainy day activities.

The children continue to make great strides with their reading.  I am currently reassessing the students to see how the students are progressing.  It is AMAZING to see how much they have grown since the beginning of the year!

K-2's Weekly News! (Apr. 8-12)

All About Me
This week it was Anthony's turn to share his "Me Box."  We had a great time learning all about Anthony's favorite things.  It was easy to see that Anthony LOVES Legos!  He is quite the builder!   The class also loved Anthony's Beyblade, and Yoda's light saber was a HUGE hit!  Thanks for sharing Anthony!  

Math
We took a closer look at the dime this week and practiced counting by 10's.  We also practiced making money exchanges.  For example, we practiced exchanging five pennies for one nickel, ten pennies for a dime, and two nickels for a dime.

We also completed another addition math facts "Hidden Picture" practice page.  The students are becoming more and more confident with their facts each week.  I always provide manipulatives for the students to use to help them keep track of the numbers they are adding, and each week fewer students are needing the manipulatives to help them solve the problems.  It's great to see them developing strategies for addition!

This week we also practiced comparing numbers using the terms "more than" and "less than."  We used a variety of manipulatives to compare two numbers and worked together to identify the larger number.  We also used our manipulatives to answer the question, "How much bigger?"

The students were also introduced to counting by 2's this week.  This is a skill we will continue to practice.

Literacy
We continued the theme of plants in our Treasures program this week by learning more about seeds.  We read a book called Seed Secrets, which helped us learn about different types of seeds and the way they spread and grow.  On one page of the book there was a beautiful picture of a dandelion blowing its seeds in the wind, and one student commented, "Those are my favorite flowers because you can make a wish when you blow on it."  It was the perfect connection for a dandelion craft we made this week.  Using construction paper and cotton balls, the students created beautiful dandelion pictures and then recorded a wish on our computer microphone.  We created QR codes and attached them to the students' pictures.  So if you're in the building feel free to scan your child's code to listen to their wish!

The children also listened to several stories by Dan Yaccarino who was featured in one of Time for Kids magazines this week.  He is an American author, illustrator, and television producer.  He has written and illustrated dozens of books.  He is also the producer of the television series Oswald and the creator for the characters on The Backyardigans.  It was neat to learn about his life!

The students also practiced our Bus Evacuation Drill and learned about bus safety.  The students practice this drill twice each year--once in the fall and then again in the spring.

Another busy and productive week in kindergarten!

Thanks for reading!

K-2's Weekly News! (Apr. 2-5)

All About Me
We had a great time learning about Uzair and some of his favorite things!  Uzair loves to play games--especially cards and dominoes.  He also loves spending time outside in the sun and playing with some of his toys.  We loved his superhero mask too!

Math
This week the students learned about several 3D shapes including: spheres, cylinders, cones, cubes, and rectangular prisms.  We played I Spy in the classroom spotting 3D shapes and completed a sorting activity as well.  We also talked about the difference between two and three-dimensional shapes--2D shapes are flat and can be drawn on paper whereas 3D shapes are solid and can be held in our hands.  

We also revisited the concept of measurement this week by taking a look at how we measure "time."  We clapped a steady beat and counted how many beats it took to walk, tiptoe, and crabwalk across the classroom.  Then we clapped again using a faster beat and counted again the number of beats it took to move across the room.  The students quickly realized that the speed of our claps changed the number of beats it took to get across the room, which led to a discussion of how clocks help us all keep track of time using the same beat!

This week the first set of addition flashcards was also sent home.  As part of the new Common Core Standards for math, the expectation for kindergarten students is to be able to fluently add numbers with sums up to 5.  Several sets of flashcards will come home over the next few weeks.  Please keep adding to your collection of flashcards with each new set that comes home.  Feel free to keep them in a plastic baggie, attach them to a ring, mount them to notecards, or even laminate them.  Whatever works for you!  We will be learning and reviewing the facts at school, but additional practice at home is extremely beneficial.  The support you provide at home is always valued and makes a big difference!

Jolly Phonics
The students continue to do a great job writing their sentences each week, and it's exciting to see how their sentence writing skills continue to grow each week!  Keep up the great work!

Literacy/Science
We began a new unit in our Treasures reading program this week which focuses on the theme of plants, and this week we took a closer look at how trees grow.  We read a nonfiction book called The Oak Tree that explained the different stages in the life cycle of an oak tree.  The students created a flip book showing the different stages, and they even wrote several sentences explaining the stages using the sentence starters--First, Then, Next, and Last.  They did an awesome job with their writing!  I was so impressed!

A new sight word book was also sent home along with flashcards for our two new sight words--little and said. 

Working on our flip books!

Working with iPads during guided reading/center time!

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week! 

K-2's Weekly News! (Mar. 11-15)

All About Me
This week it was Jadynn's turn to bring her Me Box, and we loved learning about all of her favorite things!  Jadynn loves to listen to music, play with her Barbies, and spend time with her cousin and her family.  She is also a cheerleader, and she loves to accessorize!!  

Math
This week we worked to combine our graphing and tallying skills.  Earlier in the week the students drew a picture of their favorite pet.  We then graphed and tallied our results.  Dogs were the clear favorite followed up by fish!  Later in the week as we were gearing up for some of our St. Patrick Day activities, we talked about some of our favorite green foods.  We narrowed our choices down to four green foods--green apples, artichokes, broccoli, and kiwi.  We drew a pictures of our favorite foods, graphed our results, and drew tally marks to represent our totals.  Green apples came out on top!

As we have been learning about tally marks, we have been using rhymes and visuals to help us remember how to draw tally marks to make groups of 5.  Below is the rhyme we have been practicing.

This week we have also been learning more about our number grid that shows the numbers from 0-100.  The number grid will be a tool that the children will use often in first grade, so in kindergarten we are working to help students begin to see the relationships among the numbers on the grid and to develop their number sense.  Below are a couple of the activities we did this week to become more familiar with the number grid.  

We highlighted to show that each row is a new count by 10.

We used blue chips to show counts by 5 and then placed red chips on our counts by 10.  Since our counts by 10 already had blue circles, when we placed our red chips on the 10's, they magically changed to purple!  You should have heard the ooh's and ahh's!  It was a great way for students to visually see the relationship between counting by 5's and 10's.

Using our number grid, we also played "Guess My Number" where a number on the number grid was hidden, and the students had to guess that number.  We played an "I Spy" game as well where students were told a number, and they quickly had to find that number on the grid.  Earlier this week a packet was sent home with a 100's chart and some games for you to play at home.  Please play these number grid games with your children at home often.  It's a great way to really build that understanding of numbers and how they relate to each other.

We finished the week creating our own leprechaun number stories.  Students rolled a die to "get some gold."  Then they rolled the die again to get some more gold and then counted how much gold they collected in all. They created some "gold coins" to show their gold and wrote a number sentence to match. These will be on display in a class book at conferences!

Literacy/Technology
This week we continued the theme of weather with a focus on seasons.  We worked in our workbooks, read a new sight word book, and introduced two new sight words--and and what.  The children have learned quite a few sight words up to this point, and many of these words cannot be sounded out.  That's why students need to be able to recognize them "on sight," so continued practice with these words at home is very helpful!

We read a story called In the Yard about a girl helping take care of her family's yard throughout each of the four seasons.  This story provided great practice for the students with inferencing.  The author of the story never mentioned the names of the different seasons, but through the use of pictures and descriptive words, the children were able to uncover the message the author was trying to convey.

We continued our exploration of the different seasons with an exciting research project that the students completed this week.  Each student chose their favorite season and did some research about that season in the computer lab using a kid friendly researching engine called Pebble Go.  Then the children chose three reasons why they love that season.  After illustrating and writing down their three reasons, I recorded each student reading their sentences.  Using a program called Chirbit, I was able to create a QR code for each student's recording.  I printed out the QR codes and attached them to their work, which you can see below.  These will be on display for conferences, so if you don't already have a QR Code Reader app, feel free to download one and  bring your favorite device (iPad, iPod Touch, smartphone) to listen to your child's voice.  If you can't download a QR reader app, I can let you know at conferences how to find your child's recording online! 

This is what a QR code looks like!

In the spirit of seasons and crazy weather, we read a very imaginative story called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs about a town called Chewandswallow where it rains orange juice and hails pancakes.  Yikes!  After reading the story, the children practiced sequencing the events in the story and identifying the main ideas by drawing pictures to represent the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The children added labels to their pictures as well! 

We continue to develop our writing skills during Writer's Workshop.  We are now working to write multiple sentences when expressing our ideas and to extend our ideas using details!  This week we wrote about some of our favorite green foods!  Wow, what a busy and productive week! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day from K-2!
Looking forward to seeing you all at conferences!

K-2's Weekly News! (Mar. 4-8)

All About Me

We had a great time learning about Dawson and some of his favorite things!  Dawson enjoys playing cards, and as you can tell from the photo below, Dawson LOVES sports!  He shared his soccer trophy with us and talked about playing T-ball.  The class loved Dawson's Beyblade, and we were blown away when we learned that Dawson's family makes their own chocolate--Droste Chocolates!  Wow!  So neat!

Math

This week we introduced the concept of counting by 5's, and we practiced using tally marks to show our counts by 5.  Please continue to practice counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's at home as these patterns help form the foundation for many math concepts such as--telling time, counting coins, and understanding place value. We also reviewed identifying and naming the teen numbers, and we also reviewed the concept of estimation--making a "thoughtful guess."  The children also worked with a partner to make some measurements using their own feet as measuring tools. 

Literacy

Our new Treasures unit focuses on weather.  After working in our workbooks and introducing our new sight words (this and do), we read a story called A Rainy Day and did some visualizing to think about what the sky might look like on a gloomy day.  We also did some writing about our favorite rainy day activities, and we painted our own rainbows.  The students also rotated through a series of centers thtis week which included: painting, Dr. Seuss stories on the iPads, creating stick patterns, sight word practice, and practice reading "Just Right" books. 

K-2's Weekly News (Feb. 25-Mar. 1)

All About Me
This week it was Jack's turn to bring in his Me Box and share some of his favorite things with the class.    Everyone loved seeing Jack's pictures from Taekwondo, and we were all very impressed with the board Jack showed us that he broke during his testing for his green belt!  We also learned that Jack is a big hockey fan, and he enjoys spending time with his family.  He loved showing us a piece of a Christmas tree that he and his family cut down.  What a wonderful family tradition!

Math

This week the children spent some more time exploring calculators.  We practiced using the +, -, and = keys and worked on adding numbers up to 10 and subtracting down to 0.  We also used paper feet to practice measuring different items around our classroom.  We recorded some of our measurements in our math journals.  

This week we also introduced counting by 5's.  The children are really getting into the rhythm of counting by 5's as we chant through the numbers.  Any practice you can do counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's at home will really pay off later when students begin to learn concepts like drawing tallies, counting coins, telling time and many other math concepts.  These counting patterns form the foundation for many future math concepts.  If your child can already count by 1's, 5's and 10's up to 100, try counting by 2's! :)

Jolly Phonics

The children continue to impress me with their sentences each week!  They are doing a nice job beginning their sentences with a capital letter, leaving spaces between words, using lowercase letters and an ending with a period.  If your child is up for the challenge, see if he or she can write more than one sentence!  A new list of words will go home on Monday!

Literacy

This week the children loved listening to the rhymes in many of our favorite Dr. Seuss books.  After reading Green Eggs and Ham,  the students thought about a time when they tried a new food.  Then they did some writing about how they felt before and after they tried it!  At the end of the week after reading several Seuss stories, the children chose their favorite book, and then they wrote why it was their favorite.  We even made our own Cat in the Hats!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!