Week Seven: September 25th-29th

Happy Friday!  I hope you all had a great week.  I can't believe it is almost October!  We have so many fun activities in October that we are excited for! Be sure to mark your calendar for the following dates:
October 4th: Walk to School Day! Meet at the Roosevelt Wilson Park playground at 7:30 and walk to school with other classmates!

October 11th 10:00 AM Fairy Tale Play: Come and see our fairy tale play about the 3 Little Pigs, the 3 Bears, and the 3 Billy Goats Gruff!  This will be in our classroom with refreshments to follow.
October 12th and 13th: No school....Optional Parent Conferences
October 18th Field Trip to Aw Shucks Farm: Come on our first field trip with us to the farm!  More information to come about chaperones.  We are checking on how many chaperones we can have attend.  If you are a chaperone, you will need to drive yourself and your child and meet us at Aw Shucks Farm because of limited space on the bus.  
October 19th: CSD Festival and Kickball Tournament 4:00-8:00 PM

October 24th 1:00 PM Pumpkin Carving with Dad: Students will bring their own pumpkin and get to carve it!  We love for Dad's to come to this but it is totally okay if you can't!  If Dad cannot come, a grandfather, uncle, mom, or aunt is welcome to come! Please bring your own carving tools.

October 31st Parade of Fiction 8:30/8:45 AM: Students get to dress up as their favorite fictional book character!  Children will need to have the book (his/her character is from) with them to carry in the parade.  No scary costumes and no weapons of any kind (guns, swords, knives, bow and arrow, etc.)  

Math Workshop:

       

        
This week in math we continued to focus on the numbers 11-20 and also learned about "counting on."  Counting on is when you start counting at a number other than zero.  This is such an important skill that will help them when learning to add numbers!  We practiced this by using dominos.  The student would count the dots on one side of the domino and then put that number in their head.  They would then "count on" the amount of dots on the other side of the domino.  For example, a domino has 5 dots on one side and 3 dots on the other side.  They would count the 5 dots and put that in their head and then "count on" the other dots and say "6, 7, 8."  Dominos are a GREAT and easy way to practice this skill at home!  We used dominos that added all the way up to 20 to differentiate for the various levels in our classroom.

Reader's Workshop:

 

This week in reader's workshop, we focused on letter identification, letter sounds, matching upper case and lower case letters, writing letters, and sight words.  As students were rotating through the different centers, I was pulling small groups to work with children on letters, sounds, or reading.   I typically introduce one or two new activities into our centers each week.  Lila was our Marvelous Me for this week and we learned all about her and how to write her name!  Above are the activities that we did to practice. 

Thematic Centers:

We finished learning about the Three Billy Goats Gruff this week and finished up the centers from last week including marshmallow bridge building, torn paper trolls, troll grass heads, and a mini book!  We have also been practicing our play during this time and the kids are doing great! They are very excited to share it with you. :)

Science:

Kerri Barnett, a previous mom of a student in my class, volunteered to do our Sci-Fri this week!  She is going to do an experiment on different materials dissolving and will tie it into Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and their porridge. :) 

Love,
Mrs. James

Week Five: September 11th-15th

Happy Friday! In kindergarten, we had a week full of learning, fun, and a few new things!  We had Book Buddies with Mrs. Godwin's 2nd grade class for the first time!  Our kids LOVED it!  Each child has one or two book buddies who they get to read with each week!  We have book buddies every Thursday from 8:30-9:00 AM.  Yesterday, the students got to meet each other and ask "get to know you" questions.  They also got to read books together!

September 18th: CSD Community Support Cards due!  These were given to you at Covenant Conferences.
September 21st and 22nd: No school!
September 28th: Our first class walk to the park!  Come join us and walk to the park with our class. :) A sign-up will come the Friday before.

October 11th 10:00 AM Fairy Tale Play: Come and see our fairy tale play about the 3 Little Pigs, the 3 Bears, and the 3 Billy Goats Gruff!  This will be in our classroom with refreshments to follow.

October 24th 1:00 PM Pumpkin Carving with Dad: Students will bring their own pumpkin and get to carve it!  We love for Dad's to come to this but it is totally okay if you can't!  If Dad cannot come, a grandfather, uncle, mom, or aunt is welcome to come! 

October 31st Parade of Fiction 8:30/8:45 AM: Students get to dress up as their favorite fictional book character!  Children will need to have the book (his/her character is from) with them to carry in the parade.  No scary costumes and no weapons of any kind (guns, swords, knives, bow and arrow, etc.)  

Math Workshop:

This week in math we focused on learning to read the numbers 10-30.  We mainly focused on the numbers 11-19 because those are more difficult to remember the names of.  We then practiced the numbers 20-29 and learned that when a "2" is the first number you see, you say "twenty" and then the next number that comes after it.  We played a familiar game called "Roll and Record" but instead of just doing the numbers 1-6, we went all the way up to 12.  We have these cool dice that have 12 sides and the kids loved rolling them and recording what they got.  This was a good way to practice learning to read the numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 that are not normally on a die. 

Reader's Workshop:

Above are pictures from our reader's workshop time!  Some involve working on letters and sounds while others work on sight words.  We are working towards all students knowing their letters and sounds so that we can begin blending the sounds together when reading!  Here is the link to the song that we practice multiple times a week to learn the sounds!  We would love for you to practice at home with your children also. :)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3S3OX6HQm4

In HWOT this week, we learned the letters P and B!  We learned that we used a long line and a small curve to make a P and a long line and two small curves to make a B.  Below are the activities that we did to practice Aria's name this week for Marvelous Me. 

                                      Bumpy Writing                             Pokey Names

                                     Playdough Snakes                          Playdough Names

Thematic Centers: 

We finished up our centers on The Three Little Pigs and began our centers on Goldilocks and The Three Bears!  We have already read multiple different versions this week and will continue to next week.  Below are the four centers that the students are rotating through:

1. Story sequencing: We are working on the concept of a story having a beginning, middle and an end  The students have to cut, order, glue, and color the pictures of the story.

2. Puppet making: Students cut and color finger puppets for the characters in the story and then act out the story with their friends!

3. Mini-book: Students illustrate each page of the book based on what is happening in the story and have to copy the words "big" "medium" and "little" onto different pages in the book.

4. Goldilocks "Wanted" poster: Students create their own "Wanted" poster for Goldilocks.  They illustrate a picture of her and also get to come up with their own "reward money" amount.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Mrs. James 

Week Four: September 5th-8th

Good afternoon kindergarten families!  We had a great short week together and learned many new things.  Read below to find out what we learned in each subject and also for some important dates and announcements.

September 13th 10:45-11:15 AM "Kindergarten Chat": with Joy about the future plans of CSD.  In Mrs. Robinson's room (room 112)
September 15th: CSD Community Support Cards due!  These were given to you at Covenant Conferences.
September 21st and 22nd: No school!
September 28th: Our first class walk to the park!  Come join us and walk to the park with our class. :) A sign-up will come the Friday before.

October 11th 10:00 AM Fairy Tale Play: Come and see our fairy tale play about the 3 Little Pigs, the 3 Bears, and the 3 Billy Goats Gruff!  This will be in our classroom with refreshments to follow.

October 24th 1:00 PM Pumpkin Carving with Dad: Students will bring their own pumpkin and get to carve it!  We love for Dad's to come to this but it is totally okay if you can't!  If Dad cannot come, a grandfather, uncle, mom, or aunt is welcome to come! 

October 31st Parade of Fiction 8:30/8:45 AM: Students get to dress up as their favorite fictional book character!  Children will need to have the book (his/her character is from) with them to carry in the parade.  No scary costumes and no weapons of any kind (guns, swords, knives, bow and arrow, etc.)  

Math Workshop

This week during math we continued to focus on counting!  I introduced two new games into our math workshop tubs.  One is called Roll and Record and the other is called the 123 Game.  When students play Roll and Record, they roll a die and color in the corresponding number on their graph. They continue to roll and color until their entire sheet is full.  This game helps with their understanding of a graph and also being able to look at a die and knowing what number it is right away.  In the 123 Game, students have to match up a picture of a specific number of animals to the corresponding numeral, die, and fingers (finger counting).  Once students match them together, they put the cards in order of 1-10.

                                       

Reading/Writer's Workshop

During reader's workshop this week, we learned how to properly write the letter "D" using a big line and a big curve.  We also rotated through all of our literacy centers to continue practicing our letters and sounds.  We also had our first writer's workshop where each student got their own blank book to write and illustrate in.  The topic that each child wrote about was their favorite thing they did this summer.  I kept these books to show you all at conferences. :) We learned that we can write a story by just drawing pictures, by adding one word per page, or by writing multiple words/a sentence.

Marvelous Me

Our first name that we studied this week was "Anna".  We are going from the shortest names to the longest (just for the ease of learning letters).  I told the kids that I was picking randomly out a hat so that no one gets sad if they will be towards the end. :) We do four activities to practice writing and spelling their name each week.   Below are the four that we did this week!  Ask your child what each one is to find out. :)

1. Playdough snake writing

2. Bumpy writing

3. Playdough toothpick writing

4. Pokey names 

Thematic Centers

This week during our thematic center time, we learned about The Three Little Pigs!  We read six different versions of the story and compared and contrasted all of them.  The students then rotate through four centers during the week.  Each student does one center per day. Below are the centers that the students completed.

1. Muddy Pigs: Students cut out pig ears and a face out of construction paper and used it to make a pig.  The students then got to use brown paint to finger paint on the pig's belly and they practiced writing the word "pig" in the paint. This was a great fine motor skill center!

2. Three Little Pigs Sequencing: Students cut apart pictures and had to put them in the order that they occurred in the story.  We talked about the beginning, middle, and end of the story and how to look at the pictures to tell what is happening. 

3. Three Little Pigs Mini-Book: Students colored and helped illustrated a mini-book withe the story of the Three Little Pigs.  They also had to write the words "straw", "stick", and "brick" in the book.

4. Students created their own tri-fold booklet with a straw house, a stick house, and a brick house.  They had to trace the houses, write which kind of house it was, and then use specific materials to create their house (straw, toothpicks, or red construction paper bricks).

Science

Mrs. Sue is coming to do our third "Sci-Fri" experiment this afternoon!  We are so excited to have her!  If you would like to come in and teach science/do a science experiment with our class, sign up on the Sign Up Genius for next week.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Mrs.  James

Week Three: August 28-September 1

Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for making it a priority to come to Curriculum Night on Wednesday.  It was great to see all of you and give you all of the information you need for a successful kindergarten year! :) If any questions came to mind afterwards, do not hesitate to email me.  Below is a review of our week and important upcoming dates:

 

September 4th: No school! Happy Labor Day!
September 7th 9:00 AM Parent Volunteer Training: In the elementary music room
September 13th 10:45-11:15 AM "Kindergarten Chat": with Joy about the future plans of CSD.  In Mrs. Robinson's room (room 112)
September 15th: CSD Community Support Cards due!  These were given to you at Covenant Conferences.
September 21st and 22nd: No school!

***Volunteering in our classroom will begin next week!  I will send out a Sign Up Genius today with the days/times that we need help.  You must have filled out the volunteer paperwork and turned it in before volunteering in our classroom.

Math:

This week in math workshop we began "counting collections".  This is explained in the article I gave you at curriculum night and why it is so important in the beginning of kindergarten.  We spent most of our math time learning about our math manipulatives (unifix cubes, pattern blocks, attribute blocks, C-rods, etc.) and also counting collections.  We are focusing on teaching the children one-to-one correspondence, how to sort/group objects, and how to count them in different ways.  We added a new game into our tubs called "Roll and Cover" and next we will add one called "Roll and Record"!  In the game "Roll and Cover", students roll a die, look at the number they rolled, and cover that number on a gameboard with a circle chip.  The continue to roll and cover until the game board is full!

Literacy:

This week in reader's workshop we learned how to properly write the letters "F" and "E" using big lines and little lines.  We learned that we ALWAYS start our letters at the top.  We will learn more "Frog Jump Capitals" next week.  We also began literacy centers that include ABC puzzles, an upper case/lower case letter matching game, SWAT with letters, and crayon rubbings with letters.  The game "SWAT" is a really fun game that you can easily make/play at home!  We have all of the letters of the alphabet written on index cards.  Three students play and one is the "caller" who calls out the letters and two students are the "swatters" and they have a fly swatter.  The caller calls out a letter and the swatters try to find the letter first and hit it with their fly swatter.  The person who hits the letter first gets to keep the letter!  They continue to play until there are no more letters.  This can be adapted for any level because the student can say the sound that the letter makes or you can write sight words on index cards. 

Thematic:

We finished up our nursery rhyme unit today!  We learned about rhyming words through our nursery rhymes and practiced making up our own rhyming words.  Your child should have many nursery rhyme mini-books at home that they can read with you!  We begin our fairy tales unit on Tuesday and will start with the 3 Little Pigs.  Beginning Tuesday, students will rotate through four thematic centers (one each day) that will involve art, reading, writing, math, or science.

Science: 

For our Sci-Fri today, we are reviewing Humpty Dumpty and are experimenting with a hard boil egg and a raw egg.  We will take the eggs outside and have each egg in it's own plastic container.  We will drop the container off of a brick wall and observe the differences between the two eggs when dropped.

Have a great, long weekend!
Love,
Mrs. James