Life in Kindergarten

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