In December we have many exciting and fun events planned for our kindergarteners!
On December 20th, we will have our first kindergarten field trip to Heritage Square. We will not return to school until 12:15, so be aware that the kids will need to be picked up a little later than usual. Please contact your daycare to inform them of the later time if you use that service.
We also have our holiday party on December 21st. The party will start at 11:00 and end at 11:45. All are welcome to come help us celebrate!
Yesterday the class visited the gym to watch the 6th graders' musical Dear Abby. I was really proud of how patient, polite, and quiet our kids were while watching. The musical was just over one hour, so I was really impressed! We even received a compliment from a 6th grade teacher because our class was so well behaved. I gave the class an extra 10 mins. during recess as a reward.
This month, we will continue our learning in letter formation, sounds, and word families. We will be looking closely at the letters P, J, V, W, Z, and Q. When we reach the end of the month, we will only have two more letters to learn in January and our alphabet will be complete! We also learned how to tap our words using our fingers. This will help kids hear all the sounds in a word, especially those tricky middle sounds, as well as learn to spell. Have them practice tapping out CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words at home.
In writing, our kids have been working hard at "How to" writing (ex. "How to eat a cupcake"). This is quite a lot of writing for our kindergarteners, as each piece could have 4-5 sentences. We plan by first drawing and labeling all the steps, then think of a topic sentence (this is very difficult and will be a goal for all our kids most of this year), and finally write a sentence for all the steps. At the end of this month, kids will pick their favorite "How to" piece to revise and create as a book to take home.
In reading, we continue to work on decoding and comprehension strategies. We have been practicing how to chunk big words, say the first sound and slide into the word, say the first sound and look at the picture for something that starts with that sound (then checking it with the word), among other decoding strategies. As for comprehension, we have been working on retelling the story when we finish, discussing the characters and setting, making connections to the story, as well as trying to think of the main idea.
In math, we will introduce addition and subtraction through concrete activities (like using a pocket to add or take away objects, discussing the change). We continue to work on number formation through homework and matching the written number to number of things on cards. We have started skip counting with 5's and 10's. This will take some practice, so please do this at home with your child. I've also noticed that many of our kids need practice with teen number recognition. As you get teen number homework, please make flash cards to have your child practice at home. We will also introduce the basic language of probability, discussing what is certain, possible, or impossible, as well as continuing practice with patterns, estimation, and number stories.
I hope you all have a great holiday season with your friends and family, and I look forward to the new year coming up with our awesome kindergarten class!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
October
During this month, we will continue to work on letter sounds and how to blend those sounds into words. We will work on the letters C, A, I, R, O. One letter a week and we really practice the formation of the letter, what it sounds like, and words we hear beginning and/or ending with that letter. Vowel sounds are always tricky with kids, so when we are working on vowels, it would be great for kids to practice the sounds at home! :)
In our literature groups, we will be creating and reading Fall themed emergent readers for kids to take home and add to their libraries. These books are really important for kids to keep in a special place to read with and to their families. They will build confidence as a good reader by being able to share these books with you, so set aside a good place at home for them to have their libraries. They will get many books to take home and keep to read! Some of these books will work on sight words, like the Sight Word Readers that go home weekly in their folders, as well as themed books connected to the month. We will always introduce them in group, discuss the books, retell, and practice reading them so that when they go home, the kids should be excited to share them with you!
During writing, kids are working on completing once sentence describing an object. I try to connect the topics to our letter of the week, and we really work on hearing the first sound in words. As we begin sentence writing, we will be talking about what makes a sentence. Depending on the needs of the writing groups, some kids may expand and begin writing two sentences, while others will need more time to really practice one. it all depends on the needs of the individual child and what they are ready for. :)
In math, we will continue number formation and number sense activities. We will introduce graphing, sorting, looking at attributes, patterns, and shapes. We will be very busy in October!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
September
As we begin our first full month together, I wanted to again say how happy I am with our class this year. We are all learning how to be good friends and helpers to everyone in the class!
In the month of September, our theme will be apples so many activities will be based on this delicious fruit. We will read stories like 10 Apples Up On Top, graph our favorite colored apples, count apples, and learn about Johnny Appleseed (among many other fun things!).
We will look closely at the letters T, B, F, N, M (in that order, one letter/week). Kids will learn how to write the letters correctly using our lines taught in Fundations, the sounds these letters make, and words that start with the current letter. As we begin our exploration into letters, it's very important to work at home with your child to support our learning in the classroom. When work goes home and you see that your child worked on a letter, help them find objects at home that start with the letter, make the letter out of spaghetti noodles, be creative! If you see that your child can't recognize that particular letter yet, capital and lower case, make flash cards and spend time daily practicing. We are partners in your child's education, so please give them opportunities at home to practice and learn with you! :)
In math, we will be looking at the numbers 1-10 closely. There will be counting activities so that we can work on the one-to-one matching, listening to the sound of items I drop in a cup, and practicing how we write our numbers. It's always a good idea to have your child count as much as possible at home! When eating a meal, have them count their goldfish crackers, count plates, put candy in a small cup and have them see how many fit, etc. Kids love to count! It's also important for kids now to start matching the written number to the actual number of things. For example, use index cards to write the numbers 1-10 (or higher if your kid needs a challenge!). On another set of cards, do dots and have your child match the number to the right amount of dots.
Writing will begin with your child practicing writing their name the "kindergarten way." Which means, starting with a capital and the letters written using the lines taught in Fundations. Kids will also create color books and counting books for them to take home. We will also start work describing objects and matching the letter to the object. When ready, students will try to put the first and last letter in that describing word, and finally use that word in a sentence. We use "baby" steps in kindergarten so that kids enjoy writing and build up that confidence.
In reading, I will be working on letter names, sounds, and/or sight words with groups. As always, these groups are differentiated, which means that what kids do in groups will look different from what other groups do. All groups have different goals and activities. We started work in our Sight Word Readers. These are books that your child will practice with me in group, learn how to write the sight words, and learn the words "by heart" (I call them our Heart Words). After we practice, copies of these books go home for your child to keep. It is our goal for your child to build their library with books they feel good about reading with you!
As always, please help your child finish their homework! Like I said above, we are partners in your child's education so what we learn in school HAS to be supported at home. If you see your child struggling with a particular homework assignment, or you know they could use extra practice, please let me know and I will send something home! Homework goes home EVERY Friday with the intent of it being finished on the weekend and returned on Monday. This keeps their homework current to what they are learning in the classroom.
In the month of September, our theme will be apples so many activities will be based on this delicious fruit. We will read stories like 10 Apples Up On Top, graph our favorite colored apples, count apples, and learn about Johnny Appleseed (among many other fun things!).
We will look closely at the letters T, B, F, N, M (in that order, one letter/week). Kids will learn how to write the letters correctly using our lines taught in Fundations, the sounds these letters make, and words that start with the current letter. As we begin our exploration into letters, it's very important to work at home with your child to support our learning in the classroom. When work goes home and you see that your child worked on a letter, help them find objects at home that start with the letter, make the letter out of spaghetti noodles, be creative! If you see that your child can't recognize that particular letter yet, capital and lower case, make flash cards and spend time daily practicing. We are partners in your child's education, so please give them opportunities at home to practice and learn with you! :)
In math, we will be looking at the numbers 1-10 closely. There will be counting activities so that we can work on the one-to-one matching, listening to the sound of items I drop in a cup, and practicing how we write our numbers. It's always a good idea to have your child count as much as possible at home! When eating a meal, have them count their goldfish crackers, count plates, put candy in a small cup and have them see how many fit, etc. Kids love to count! It's also important for kids now to start matching the written number to the actual number of things. For example, use index cards to write the numbers 1-10 (or higher if your kid needs a challenge!). On another set of cards, do dots and have your child match the number to the right amount of dots.
Writing will begin with your child practicing writing their name the "kindergarten way." Which means, starting with a capital and the letters written using the lines taught in Fundations. Kids will also create color books and counting books for them to take home. We will also start work describing objects and matching the letter to the object. When ready, students will try to put the first and last letter in that describing word, and finally use that word in a sentence. We use "baby" steps in kindergarten so that kids enjoy writing and build up that confidence.
In reading, I will be working on letter names, sounds, and/or sight words with groups. As always, these groups are differentiated, which means that what kids do in groups will look different from what other groups do. All groups have different goals and activities. We started work in our Sight Word Readers. These are books that your child will practice with me in group, learn how to write the sight words, and learn the words "by heart" (I call them our Heart Words). After we practice, copies of these books go home for your child to keep. It is our goal for your child to build their library with books they feel good about reading with you!
As always, please help your child finish their homework! Like I said above, we are partners in your child's education so what we learn in school HAS to be supported at home. If you see your child struggling with a particular homework assignment, or you know they could use extra practice, please let me know and I will send something home! Homework goes home EVERY Friday with the intent of it being finished on the weekend and returned on Monday. This keeps their homework current to what they are learning in the classroom.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
First Week Back!
Hello Kindergarten families!
We had a great week in the classroom learning routines and rules. All the kids were very patient and are catching on very quickly on how to behave in school. We talked about what it means to be a Leawood Lion and ways we can be safe, responsible, and respectful at school and at home. We will continue to work on laying this groundwork so that all students have a successful year in kindergarten. :)
Thanks to all the parents who signed up to be a classroom volunteer! I will put out a Volunteer Calendar in your child's first Friday Folder. As the children adjust to being in school and what our days look like, we do a lot of whole group activities. But after Labor Day, I will be needing your help during our Literacy Block when we start small group work. As always, if you can't donate some time right now but things change and you can later in the year, please let me know and we will get you in! I'm always flexible on days/times parents are able to volunteer.
Assessment days are coming up on August 23 and 24. This is a time for me to sit one-on-one with your child and get a sense of where they are starting in reading and math. I will talk to you after each assessment briefly to let you know how your child did on the different assessments. Keep practicing those letter names and sounds at home! We will start formally teaching letters next week beginning with Tt. After that, we will be learning about a letter a week. Be sure to ask your child what letter we are working on in the classroom to provide extra support at home.
I'm so impressed with the kids so far that I'm very excited about the 2012/2013 year! I know that we will be partners in your child's learning with all of us working towards having a successful year together! :)
We had a great week in the classroom learning routines and rules. All the kids were very patient and are catching on very quickly on how to behave in school. We talked about what it means to be a Leawood Lion and ways we can be safe, responsible, and respectful at school and at home. We will continue to work on laying this groundwork so that all students have a successful year in kindergarten. :)
Thanks to all the parents who signed up to be a classroom volunteer! I will put out a Volunteer Calendar in your child's first Friday Folder. As the children adjust to being in school and what our days look like, we do a lot of whole group activities. But after Labor Day, I will be needing your help during our Literacy Block when we start small group work. As always, if you can't donate some time right now but things change and you can later in the year, please let me know and we will get you in! I'm always flexible on days/times parents are able to volunteer.
Assessment days are coming up on August 23 and 24. This is a time for me to sit one-on-one with your child and get a sense of where they are starting in reading and math. I will talk to you after each assessment briefly to let you know how your child did on the different assessments. Keep practicing those letter names and sounds at home! We will start formally teaching letters next week beginning with Tt. After that, we will be learning about a letter a week. Be sure to ask your child what letter we are working on in the classroom to provide extra support at home.
I'm so impressed with the kids so far that I'm very excited about the 2012/2013 year! I know that we will be partners in your child's learning with all of us working towards having a successful year together! :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
100th Day!
Happy 100th day of school, kindergarten families! Kids today are going to share a snack made up of groups of 100 yummy things as well as share collections they brought in. We will be making a special 100th Day necklace that the kids can keep to remember their first 100 days in school. Among other 100th Day activities, we are going to have a fun day!
Next week is Valentine's Day. Please have your child bring in a box or bag that they can use as their mailbox to collect valentines. We have 27 students in the class so be sure to have your student bring in enough valentines so each kid gets one from every student.
We have been hard at work on letter sounds and how to make words using these sounds. Have your kid practice making simple CVC words at home by saying the word and stretching out the sounds for them. When you stretch out all the sounds, it's easier for them to hear the sounds and connect them to the letters.
All students can improve on retelling stories. After you read a story together at home, have your student practice retelling the story to you. Have them tell you what happened first, next, and last. This connects well to what we have been doing during our writing time. We are working on the recount genre. Students recount an event that happened to them by putting events in order.
Have a great weekend families and see you next week!
Next week is Valentine's Day. Please have your child bring in a box or bag that they can use as their mailbox to collect valentines. We have 27 students in the class so be sure to have your student bring in enough valentines so each kid gets one from every student.
We have been hard at work on letter sounds and how to make words using these sounds. Have your kid practice making simple CVC words at home by saying the word and stretching out the sounds for them. When you stretch out all the sounds, it's easier for them to hear the sounds and connect them to the letters.
All students can improve on retelling stories. After you read a story together at home, have your student practice retelling the story to you. Have them tell you what happened first, next, and last. This connects well to what we have been doing during our writing time. We are working on the recount genre. Students recount an event that happened to them by putting events in order.
Have a great weekend families and see you next week!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Winter Fun
Hello kinder parents and families! I hope you are all having a safe and fun winter. I know that the kindergarten kids are having a great winter and working hard in the classroom.
We have finished up introducing all the letters of the alphabet. Please practice the letters with your child at home using flashcards and fun activities. "Find the spice that starts with P." is a fun activity to play in the kitchen when your child helps you cook or bake. A great resource for worksheet activities and coloring pages is http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/. Check it out!
Kids have also been working on listening to words and hearing the sounds, beginning, middle, and end, in one syllable words. Practice this at home so that your child improves on hearing the sounds.
In math, we have been working on number sense with a fun game called Roll a Number. Children roll two dice and add up the dots. Then they add an X to the matching number column on a number grid paper. Kids also created shapes using their bodies and string. We also introduced the calculator to the kindergarteners so that they will be familiar with it in later grades.
In writing, we are working on a new genre where kids tell about an event. They write what they did first, next, and last. We have been working hard on a piece of writing that is also a craft project to go in the hallway dealing with what they like to do in the winter.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great weekend kindergarteners!
We have finished up introducing all the letters of the alphabet. Please practice the letters with your child at home using flashcards and fun activities. "Find the spice that starts with P." is a fun activity to play in the kitchen when your child helps you cook or bake. A great resource for worksheet activities and coloring pages is http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/. Check it out!
Kids have also been working on listening to words and hearing the sounds, beginning, middle, and end, in one syllable words. Practice this at home so that your child improves on hearing the sounds.
In math, we have been working on number sense with a fun game called Roll a Number. Children roll two dice and add up the dots. Then they add an X to the matching number column on a number grid paper. Kids also created shapes using their bodies and string. We also introduced the calculator to the kindergarteners so that they will be familiar with it in later grades.
In writing, we are working on a new genre where kids tell about an event. They write what they did first, next, and last. We have been working hard on a piece of writing that is also a craft project to go in the hallway dealing with what they like to do in the winter.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great weekend kindergarteners!
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