font-family: 'Shadows Into Light Two', cursive;/ Life in Kindergarten: September 2017

Friday, September 29, 2017

From Caterpillar to Chrysalis

We have had a very busy couple of weeks here in kindergarten.  The children have been so excited about our butterfly unit.  So far, we have watched caterpillars grow and then build their chrysalises.  The children are patiently awaiting the arrival of butterflies.  Hopefully, the butterflies can wait to emerge until we are back on Monday.  I know the children would love to see this in action!  Once the butterflies have a couple days to dry their wings, our class will go outside and release them to nature.







During Reading Workshop, we have continued working on telling stories from the pictures and retelling familiar stories.  I also taught the children that they can read words in a book, and the children had the opportunity to try this out with simple shared books and poems.  The children all have their own book baskets that they read from daily (most days right now).  Next week, I will introduce them to buddy reading.  They are really looking forward to this!

During Writing Workshop, we have been learning to write personal narratives.  The children have learned that when they want to write a word, they can say the word slowly (we use our hands to model stretching out the words) then write a letter for each sound they hear.  In addition to stretching out words, I taught the children to stretch out a story.  Instead of telling the whole story on one page, writers can stretch out their stories across multiple pages.

During Math we:

  • have spent time reviewing numbers and their values.  To enrich this experience, I used a tool called Cuisenaire Rods to model showing different ways to make a number (for example, 3 + 2 = 5 and 4 + 1 = 5). 
  •  played a couple of card games with our quick-look dot cards.  I taught the children Memory and Top-It.  With Top-It, the children practice comparing numbers. 
  • looked at shapes and described different characteristics we noticed.
  • learned about repeating patterns and growing patterns.
  • started our math stations!  Most days, children will go to one math station.  Right now, I circulate the room during station time while children are still learning about this routine and expectations.  Eventually, one of the stations will be to work with me.  During this time, I will be able to differentiate math instruction to meet the needs of learners.


     



During Word Work time we have been learning/reviewing the following letters and sounds: t, b, f, m, and n.  Next week, we will learn i and u.

Information/Reminders
  • No School for Students: Friday, October 6
  • Fire Prevention Week: October 9- October 13
    • We will visit the Yarmouth Fire Station on Tuesday, October 10
    • The smoke trailer will visit Rowe School on Wednesday, October 11
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  I hope you all enjoy this beautiful fall weekend with your families.
Best,
Katie


Monday, September 18, 2017

We are off to a great start!  Your children have been very busy making new friends, learning rules and routines, and exploring our classroom and school.  While this does not cover everything (the list would go on and on!), here is a snapshot of what we've been up to:
  • We started our Reading Workshop routine.  Every day, Reading Workshop begins with a mini-lesson, then the children have time to read-to-self.  Soon, buddy reading will become a regular part of Reading Workshop, too.  Last week, I taught the children that even when they don't know how to read words, they can still read a book by telling the story through the pictures. They can also retell a story they have heard before.  The children had many opportunities to practice these two types of reading.  I was impressed with how engaged the children were with their reading!


  • We also started our Writing Workshop routine.  Writing Workshop follows a similar format to Reading Workshop in that it begins with a mini-lesson, then students have time to write independently.  Many days, we end Writing Workshop with a share.  Last week, I taught the children that they can write a story through pictures.  I also taught them how to stretch out a word and write a letter for the sounds they hear. 
  • During Math we:
    • learned about length and practiced comparing the lengths of different strips of paper. 
    • explored pattern blocks.


    • learned about tagging-and-dragging as a strategy for counting how many objects are in a group.  
    • learned about subitizing (being able to tell how many are in a small group without counting...think of how you know exactly how many dots are on each side of dice.).
    • learned that numbers are all around us.  We went on a number hunt through our school to see how many numbers we could find.  The children loved this activity!




  • We spent a lot of time enjoying the playground with our new friends.  We also started Free Exploration in the classroom, a time when the children get to choose what they would like to do (sandbox, puzzles, legos, coloring, foam blocks, etc.).










Dates to Remember:
  • Wednesday, September 20: Book orders due
  • Monday, September 25: Parent Night (for parents only) 6:00 PM
  • Tuesday, September 26: School Picture Day
  • Friday, October 6: No School for Students 
I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend!
Katie