I enjoyed meeting with all of you for parent-teacher conferences, and I hope you all have a fun and relaxing spring vacation! See you back at school on Tuesday, April 3rd!
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Weekly News (Feb. 20-March 2)
Wow! How the days are flying by in kindergarten. I can't believe it's already March! Take a peek below to see what we have been learning.
Math
This week we wrapped up our shape unit as we focused on identifying and searching for 2D shapes, creating pictures with shapes, and using shapes to create and extend patterns. Students went on a shape hunt in our classroom to find various shapes, and they used the iPads to scan QR codes to learn about shapes that we can see in the real world. Students also followed a set of clues to color a shape picture, and then they created their own unique designs using 2D shapes. The students also practiced using a collection of shapes to create and extend patterns.
Literacy
Reading Workshop
The students continue to learn strategies to use when listening to or reading nonfiction books. Students learned how good readers STOP and THINK before, during, and after reading. We practiced how to confirm our predictions and identify new information we learned by saying things like, "Yes! I knew that!" or "Wow, I never knew that!"
We also spent some time learning how to use different text features to understand the meaning of the bold words found in nonfiction books. We practiced studying the photographs, reading the labels, and using the glossary to help us learn the meaning of new words. The students had time to explore books in their book bins to find examples of these features, and they were excited to share their findings with their partners!
Guided Reading
You may have noticed that your child did not get a new book in their blue book bag these last two weeks. I have been pulling students one-on-one to do some assessments for report cards, and now that those are just about wrapped up, I will begin meeting with guided reading groups again next week. The students LOVE their small group reading time, and they are always so eager to get a new book! Thank you so much for your continued support at home working with your child and encouraging them to read their books and practice the items in their bags. It truly does make a difference! I can tell the students have been practicing their sight words. Keep up the great work!
Writing Workshop
We have recently been doing some goal setting during writing workshop time. The children have been working on individual goals for their writing and reflecting on their progress toward their goals. We have also been transitioning from writing one sentence on a topic to two or more sentences as they become ready for this step. The children continue to grow and develop as writers, and it's amazing to see how far they have come since the beginning of the school year! I can't wait to share their writing journals with you at conferences!
Handwriting
We continue to teach formal handwriting skills using the Handwriting Without Tears program. We have finished our work with the uppercase letters, and we will spend the remainder of the year working to learn the lowercase letters. The children also continue to practice their name writing skills so that they are able to write both their first and last name using good letter formation and upper and lowercase letters appropriately. The students continue to make progress with this skill each week!
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
What a great way to welcome March! This week we enjoyed learning all about the life of Dr. Seuss! I loved listening to the students' conversations about their favorite Dr. Seuss books and how they love how his books rhyme. It was also fun to see the students' reaction when they learned that Dr. Seuss was a real person---not the cat wearing the red and white striped hat! They were surprised to learn that his real name was Theodore Seuss Geisel and that he wrote over 40 books! We even spent some time rhyming and transforming ourselves into cats wearing red and white striped hats too!
We also loved learning all about Kevin this week! We learned that Kevin enjoys playing with Playdoh and his racecars. He also likes the movie Peter Rabbit, and he is a big fan of Spiderman too!
Thanks so much for reading!
Math
This week we wrapped up our shape unit as we focused on identifying and searching for 2D shapes, creating pictures with shapes, and using shapes to create and extend patterns. Students went on a shape hunt in our classroom to find various shapes, and they used the iPads to scan QR codes to learn about shapes that we can see in the real world. Students also followed a set of clues to color a shape picture, and then they created their own unique designs using 2D shapes. The students also practiced using a collection of shapes to create and extend patterns.
Going on a Shape Hunt
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| I found a triangle! |
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| I found a rectangle! |
Shapes in the Real World
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| Scanning a QR code to reveal a real-life 2D shape! |
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| Look what we found! |
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| Look what we found! |
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| Graphing our results |
Shape Pictures and Patterns
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| Creating a pattern |
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| Check out our patterns! |
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| What comes next? |
Literacy
Reading Workshop
The students continue to learn strategies to use when listening to or reading nonfiction books. Students learned how good readers STOP and THINK before, during, and after reading. We practiced how to confirm our predictions and identify new information we learned by saying things like, "Yes! I knew that!" or "Wow, I never knew that!"
We also spent some time learning how to use different text features to understand the meaning of the bold words found in nonfiction books. We practiced studying the photographs, reading the labels, and using the glossary to help us learn the meaning of new words. The students had time to explore books in their book bins to find examples of these features, and they were excited to share their findings with their partners!
Guided Reading
You may have noticed that your child did not get a new book in their blue book bag these last two weeks. I have been pulling students one-on-one to do some assessments for report cards, and now that those are just about wrapped up, I will begin meeting with guided reading groups again next week. The students LOVE their small group reading time, and they are always so eager to get a new book! Thank you so much for your continued support at home working with your child and encouraging them to read their books and practice the items in their bags. It truly does make a difference! I can tell the students have been practicing their sight words. Keep up the great work!
Writing Workshop
We have recently been doing some goal setting during writing workshop time. The children have been working on individual goals for their writing and reflecting on their progress toward their goals. We have also been transitioning from writing one sentence on a topic to two or more sentences as they become ready for this step. The children continue to grow and develop as writers, and it's amazing to see how far they have come since the beginning of the school year! I can't wait to share their writing journals with you at conferences!
Handwriting
We continue to teach formal handwriting skills using the Handwriting Without Tears program. We have finished our work with the uppercase letters, and we will spend the remainder of the year working to learn the lowercase letters. The children also continue to practice their name writing skills so that they are able to write both their first and last name using good letter formation and upper and lowercase letters appropriately. The students continue to make progress with this skill each week!
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
What a great way to welcome March! This week we enjoyed learning all about the life of Dr. Seuss! I loved listening to the students' conversations about their favorite Dr. Seuss books and how they love how his books rhyme. It was also fun to see the students' reaction when they learned that Dr. Seuss was a real person---not the cat wearing the red and white striped hat! They were surprised to learn that his real name was Theodore Seuss Geisel and that he wrote over 40 books! We even spent some time rhyming and transforming ourselves into cats wearing red and white striped hats too!
Art Appreciation
A big thank you to Jake's mom for teaching our morning class about the French painter Edouard Manet. The students learned about Manet's life and took a closer look at his painting The Fifer. They listened to fife music, and they even created their own instruments and played them as they paraded around the room!
All About Me
The morning class loved learning all about Skylar. We learned that Skylar loves to wear headbands, and her favorite game is Pop the Pig! She enjoys playing with her Barbies and dressing her baby dolls, and she also likes to draw and color. She likes many colors, including pink, and she also likes to play catch!
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| A big thank you to Skylar's mom for coming in to read an Elephant and Piggie book. We always love Mo Willems! |
We also loved learning all about Kevin this week! We learned that Kevin enjoys playing with Playdoh and his racecars. He also likes the movie Peter Rabbit, and he is a big fan of Spiderman too!
Welcome Cody!
Our afternoon class was SO excited to welcome a new student this week. Welcome to Dryden Cody. We are so happy you are here!
Hope you have a GREAT weekend!
Click HERE to see more pictures.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Weekly News (Feb. 5-16)
It's been an exciting two weeks in kindergarten! Celebrating the 100th Day of School, participating in Global Play Day, and having our Valentine's Day party were just a few of our highlights!
Global Play Day
The children not only LOVED playing on Global Play Day, they also loved the freedom and independence that came along with deciding what and how they wanted to spend their time playing. This unstructured playtime was a great opportunity for students to work through challenges, to learn how to compromise, and to strengthen friendships. Take a peek at us in action below!
100th Day of School
The class was excited to celebrate our 100th Day of School! We used dot paint to create a collection of 100 gumballs and wrote about what we would do with $100. So many clever ideas! We used a highlighter to find the number 100, and we shared our collections of 100 items. We organized our bottle collections from least full to most full, and the children were amazed at how different 100 items could be!
Valentine's Day
A big thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to help at our Valentine's Day parties! The kids had a great time passing out their Valentines Day cards, making love bug crowns, and playing a few different games. Click on the links below to see some photos from our parties! Thank you class photographers!!
Global Play Day
The children not only LOVED playing on Global Play Day, they also loved the freedom and independence that came along with deciding what and how they wanted to spend their time playing. This unstructured playtime was a great opportunity for students to work through challenges, to learn how to compromise, and to strengthen friendships. Take a peek at us in action below!
100th Day of School
The class was excited to celebrate our 100th Day of School! We used dot paint to create a collection of 100 gumballs and wrote about what we would do with $100. So many clever ideas! We used a highlighter to find the number 100, and we shared our collections of 100 items. We organized our bottle collections from least full to most full, and the children were amazed at how different 100 items could be!
Valentine's Day
A big thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to help at our Valentine's Day parties! The kids had a great time passing out their Valentines Day cards, making love bug crowns, and playing a few different games. Click on the links below to see some photos from our parties! Thank you class photographers!!
Afternoon Class Photos
All About Me
The morning class loved learning about Ryan and Hailey! We learned that Ryan loves waffles, and he is a big fan of monster trucks. Ryan also loves the color blue, and he likes playing with his action figures. He also loves building with Legos, but he likes making Lego people the best--especially Star Wars characters!
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| We LOVE Mo Willems! Thank you so much to Ryan's mom and brother A.J. for coming in to read! |
The morning class loved learning all about Hailey too. We learned that Hailey enjoys playing with her Barbie collection, and she loves to read "Little Miss" books. Hailey also likes to swim, and she enjoys getting her nails done. Her favorite colors are pink and purple, and she loves to dance! Hailey also enjoys spending time with her family and her dog Gunner at her family's lake house!
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| Two GREAT stories!! Thank you so much to Hailey's mom and brother Tyler for coming in to read! |
The afternoon class loved learning all about Sarah and Noah! We learned that Sarah loves Disney characters, especially Cinderella and Daisy Duck. She also likes to color, and her favorite colors are orange and purple. Sarah likes to play with her stuffed animals and her toy train, and she likes to wear fun hair accessories. Sarah also enjoys swimming and spending time with her family!
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| A big thank you to Sarah's mom and her sister for coming in to read a sweet story titled Peck, Peck, Peck! |
We also loved learning all about Noah. We learned that Noah was born in Scotland, and he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. Noah is very creative and enjoys making arts and crafts. His favorite color is orange, and he enjoys his stuffed animal collection. Noah also likes to support good causes like "Red Nose Day!"
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| What a great story from Scottish author Julia Donaldson! We loved Jack and the Flumflum Tree! Thank you to Noah's mom for sharing it with us! |
Hope everyone has a great week!
Thanks so much for reading!
Click HERE to see all the photos from the last couple of weeks!
Thanks so much for reading!
Click HERE to see all the photos from the last couple of weeks!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Weekly News (Jan. 22-Feb. 2)
Math
This week we finished our unit on numbers 0-20 with a focus on teen numbers. Next week we will begin our shape unit that will focus on the features of 2 and 3-dimensional shapes. The students will learn about the similarities and differences between squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. They will also terms such as corner, edge, and face to help describe and name different shapes.
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| Sequencing Numbers AM |
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| Sequencing Numbers PM |
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| Groundhog Day Roll-and-Cover |
Reading Workshop
This week during reading workshop, we revisited the book How Bees Make Honey to help us learn strategies to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Using some of the strategies from our "S-T-O-P-I-T!" chart, we were able to better understand the meaning of the words--cells, mate, and nectar.
We also read the book Healthy Habits and learned how to identify key details that support the big idea of the text. While listening to the book, the students acted like detectives and used good thinking skills as they worked to figure out how all the facts fit together to support the big idea--there are many things we can do to keep our bodies healthy every day. After examining the table of contents, reading the headings, and thinking about the big idea, the students were able to identify the following habits we should do everyday to stay healthy:
1. Eat good foods like fruit, eggs, and nuts
2. Drink plenty of milk and water
3. Clean and protect our skin
4. Brush and floss our teeth
5. Play hard for exercise
6. Get lots of sleep
Writing Workshop
The children continue to gain confidence in themselves as writers every week. They are working hard to match up letters with the sounds they hear, and they are beginning to include the following elements in their writing:- Capital letter at the beginning of each sentence
- Spaces between words
- Lowercase letters throughout each sentence
- Period at the end of each sentence
Groundhog Day
In honor of Groundhog Day and as a math extension, we made predictions about whether or not Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow on Groundhog Day. We graphed our predictions and then watched Phil as he came out of his hole to see if he saw his shadow. Looks like there will be six more weeks of winter!
All About Me
The morning class loved learning about Jessica and all of her favorite things. We learned that Jessica enjoys playing with her Shopkins and her Peppa Pig figurines. She also likes soccer, and she is a big fan of all things Disney. Jessica also enjoys coloring and spending time with her family!
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| Thank you to Jessica's mom for coming in to read a fun Dr. Seuss story! |
We had a great time learning all about Samuel too. We learned that Samuel enjoys drawing and coloring, and his favorite color is yellow. We also learned that Samuel enjoys building with Legos and spending time with his family!
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| Donald Duck Buys a House--What a fun story! Thank you to Samuel's mom for coming in to read to us! |
We had a great time learning about Ainsley and all of her favorite things too! We learned that Ainsley is a big fan of Dr. Seuss, and she enjoys playing games like Bop It! Ainsley also likes playing with her Shopkins, and her favorite color is red. She likes to dance and spend time with her family too!
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| Thank you to Ainsley's mom for coming in to read Harry the Dirty Dog--such a cute story! |
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