font-family: 'Shadows Into Light Two', cursive;/ Life in Kindergarten: September 2013

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Ready for Buddy Reading!

The children have been learning and practicing the expectations and routines for read-to-self time since the first week of school.  Last week, the children were ready and excited to begin buddy reading!  We launched buddy reading on Tuesday.   Different children modeled what it should look like and sound like when reading with a buddy.  Here is what we learned about reading with a buddy:
  • sit EEKK! (elbow to elbow and knee to knee)
  • do rock-paper-scissors to decide who will choose the first book
  • keep the book in between both readers
  • take turns reading (I read a page then you read a page)
  • buddies can read a story by pretending to be the characters in that story





Last week during Reading Workshop we also learned that we can tell how a character is probably feeling by looking at that character's facial expressions and body language.  The pictures can tell just as much, and often times more, than the words!

Last week during Writing Workshop we:
  • learned that writers can write labels in their pictures and they can write sentences below their pictures.
  • learned that writers leave finger spaces between words so that readers can tell where one word ends and the next word begins.
  • started writing in booklets!  I taught the children that just like the authors of the books we've been reading write stories across many pages, they can, too!  
  • started Fancy-Up Friday.  On Fridays, children can add color to their illustrations.  They use pencil the rest of the week.



Last week during Math we:
  • learned about "taller than," "shorter than," and "equal to" by comparing the height of ourselves to different objects in our classroom.


  • learned how to play Number Top-It, a partner card game that requires children to compare numbers.


  • made shape collages for squares, rectangles, circles, and triangles.
On Friday, we took advantage of the beautiful day and spent some time outside learning about trees. We visited two different types of trees, a broadleaf and a conifer, and I taught the children about the different parts of these trees.  The children then had time to go on a nature scavenger hunt.  They worked with a buddy to fill a baggie with pieces from nature.  We will use these for a sorting activity during math this week.









And even with all the learning we did last week, we still had plenty of time for play!





It looks like we have another beautiful week ahead of us!  Let's hold onto it for as long as we can.

Warmly,
Katie 

Friday, September 20, 2013

We Can!

This week we have been trying to get in the habit of saying "I think I can," instead of "I can't" when we encounter something new or challenging.  We began using this phrase after we read and discussed The Little Engine That Could.  "I think I can" is the new motto in our classroom!

During Word Work this week, we practiced ordering and writing the letters in our name while building a "name train."


We also:
  • Learned more about each others' names (number of letters, names of letters, size of letters, sounds the letters make...) and added four names to our word wall.  We will add the rest of our names next week.
  • Learned the following letters and the sounds they make: r, b, s, and m (both uppercase and lowercase).
  • Learned about rhyming words.

During Reading Workshop this week we:
  •  started reading books from our own book baskets!!


  • learned that when it is our first time seeing a book, we need to take our time and get to know the book by looking closely at the pictures.
  • created expectations for Read-to-Self time.
  • learned that when we read words, we point once under each word and then hop to the next word.
  • learned that when we read the pictures in a book, we connect one page to the next by using transition words such as then, next, and after that.
This week in Writing we:
  • learned the phrase "When you're done, you've just begun!"  I use this phrase when children tell me they are finished writing, but writing time is not yet over.  Children can either add more to a story they are working on or they can start a new story.
  • learned that when writers want to write a word, they stretch out the word like a rubber band.  They say each sound and put a letter on the page for every sound they hear.
This week in Math we:
  • practiced finding and showing the numbers one and two.
  • learned about sorting.  We sorted ourselves by the type of shirt we were wearing and then by the type of shoes we were wearing.  Then, all the children worked with a buddy to sort a pile of buttons.


  • learned about patterns.  We spent two days learning about patterns.  The first day, we practiced sound and motion patterns.  The second day, we practiced building color patterns.

  • did lots of counting!
We also started our science tree unit on Friday.  The children loved hearing that they are scientists!  We visited the tree that we will be following throughout the seasons this year.  The children drew a sketch of the tree to show what it looks like in summer.
our little scientists

As you can see, we had a very busy week!!

Until next week,
Katie

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Dear Families,

I enjoyed seeing so many of you at Parent Open House.  Thank you for attending.  I hope you found the information presented helpful!

It always amazes me how quickly children learn the expectations and routines at the beginning of the year, and the start of this school year has been no different.  The children have transitioned well into their new school and classroom!

Here is a snapshot of last week in our classroom:

     During Math we:

  • learned about the words "longer" and "shorter" by comparing lengths of paper.  Each child was given a strip of paper and had to find the other child in the classroom who had the same length paper.  
  • had guided discovery with pattern blocks.  Through the use of pattern blocks, children learned the names of the following shapes: square, rhombus, triangle, hexagon, and trapezoid.
  • practiced counting a collection of objects.
  • practiced counting backwards from 5 with the use of the book, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.
     During Reading we:
  • learned that one way we can read is to read the pictures.
  • learned that when we read we look closely at the pictures and tell out loud what we see.
  • learned that we can pretend to be the characters in our books.  We can look at the pictures and talk like we imagine the characters would talk.
     During Writing we:
  • started using our writing folders to keep our writing organized.  The inside pockets of our folders have a red dot on the left side for stories we have finished and a green dot on the right side for stories we are still working on.
  • learned that there are many different ways we can write.  When learning to write, different writers write words in different ways.  Writers might draw marks to represent letters, write random strings of letters, write a letter for each sound they hear, and eventually writers begin to spell words conventionally.
     During Word Work we:
  • have been learning to read the names of all the children in our class.  
  • have been spelling and writing our own names.
  • learned and read the poem, "Rain, Rain, Go Away" and inserted our names into the poem.

What a busy week we had!!  I have been enjoying this beautiful weekend, but I am excited to see all the children tomorrow and get back to our learning.

Sincerely,
Katie


 

Sunday, September 8, 2013

A Great Start!

Dear Parents,

The children had a great first week in kindergarten!  We were very busy learning about our school, classroom, routines, and new friends!

Most weeks I will post pictures of the children learning and playing at school.  Once I receive a list of students whose pictures can/cannot be posted on our blog from Mrs. McGilvery, I will begin posting pictures.   Stay tuned!

So, I'm sure you are wondering what we did all last week.  Here is a brief overview:
  • We began each day with Morning Meeting.  We will begin every school day in our classroom with Morning Meeting.  During Morning Meeting, we greet each other, engage in an activity, share something about a predetermined topic, and read a morning message together.
  • On day two, we began Reading Workshop!!  We really did!!  I taught the children that they can read a book even if they can't yet read the words.  They do this by reading the pictures.  After we practiced together with Froggy Bakes a Cake, the children read pictures in books by themselves.  I was amazed at how focused and engaged the children were!
  • I introduced a few of our daily math routines: counting the days we've been in school with the use of straws, determining the date and writing it on the next calendar piece, and collecting data about the weather.
  • We started writing workshop on Friday!  I taught the children that just like the authors of books we read, they are authors, too.  When we write, we can think of something we've done, draw it, and then add words.
While we did begin some academics last week, the majority of our time was devoted to learning and practicing routines, establishing rules and expectations, guided discovery of materials in our classroom, and making new friends on the playground. 

Through guided discovery, I introduce a material/object to the class, we discuss what you can do with that object and how to use it appropriately and safely, and then children have time to explore that material.  We had guided discovery of pencils, crayons, books, foam blocks, trucks and cars, glue sticks, scissors, and the playground equipment.  We will have more guided discovery time this week.

I hope this information gives you a little peek inside your child's first week in kindergarten.  I look forward to seeing all of you at Parent Open House this Thursday, September 12 from 6:00-7:00 pm!

Warmly,
Katie