OUR LEARNING:
Popcorn Words: This week the words ‘said’ and ‘make’ popped in to our classroom. We practice these words during literacy centers each week! The word “make” was a super special one for us because it has a “magic-e” that makes the vowel say it’s name.
Math Stations: We had a second incredible week of math stations! This week, we learned how to make teen number displays (drawing dots to represent teen numbers….15=10+5). We also explored shapes and saw what can happen when we put multiple shapes together. For example, two triangles can make a diamond, a bigger triangle, a square, or a parallelogram. We also sorted shapes and objects by various attributes, including size, shape, and color.
Reading Workshop: During this week of reading workshop, we explored some ways to “rev up” our brains to read the tough words we don’t know in a book. We practiced looking at the first letter of the word and using other clues (the pictures, other words, etc.) to think of words that might “fit” starting with the given letter.
Writing Workshop: WOW! These writers are blowing me away with their small moment stories. We wrote one more book together as a class about a special event in our classroom before I gave the kindergarteners a chance to start writing their OWN small moment books! We learned about the steps a writer takes when making a book: picking a topic, drafting a plan, writing, and then editing. The Scholastic Magazine all about the author Mo Willems helped our little writers to tangibly understand the steps in the writing process. I can’t wait to read the stories they’re currently writing!!
CELEBRATIONS:
Dr. MLK Jr. Day: : On Monday, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. In our class, we read a Scholastic magazine about Dr. King’s life, which sparked some great class discussions about treating others equally. We especially looked at his quote….”Let us not judge them by the color of their skin, but by the content of their CHARACTER.” Our kindergarteners learned what it means to show character in practical ways: respect, trustworthiness, responsibility, caring, and more. We then made a craftivity about ways we can show good character at school or at home. These are posted on our hallway bulletin board for other Georgetown students to see!
Birthdays: We’ve celebrated quite a few birthdays in the Frog Room these past few weeks! The week before last, we celebrated both Lyla‘s and Sophie‘s 6th birthdays…and on Friday of this past week, we celebrated with Eilley for her birthday! These kindergarteners are growing up so quickly!!!
Top Frog: We loved having Emerson as our Top Frog this week! Drew will be our next top frog.
Mystery Readers: We were lucky enough to have TWO mystery readers this week! Nora’s mom came to surprise us on Monday afternoon. She read us two books about snow and winter – what perfect timing! Then, on Friday, Finn’s dad came and read us one of Finn’s favorite stories: You Are Special. Thanks again to our two mystery readers from this past week!
Lunch Buddies: One of my favorite parts of the day is when I get to take the time to talk with my sweet kindergarteners! With this in mind, I started a special event in our classroom: Lunch Buddies. Each day, one kindergartener gets to have lunch with me and a friend (if they want to). I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending this quality time swapping stories and laughing with these friends!!
NOTES FOR PARENTS:
Take-Home Books: Take-Home Books will. be coming home with your child TOMORROW, MONDAY JANUARY 22. Please take the time to read the “instruction” page in your child’s book baggie. This is a critical part of your child’s reading growth this year. If you have any questions, please contact me!! If your child still has one of the old book baggies, please return it to school as soon as possible, as our take home books will be replacing this system.
UPCOMING DATES:
- Monday, January 22 – Music., Take-Home Books coming home
- Tuesday, January 23 – Art, Library Books due
- Wednesday, January 24 – STEAM, Homework Due
- Thursday, January 25 – P.E.
- Friday, January 26 – Music