I missed your kindergarteners OH SO much over break, and I was so happy to see them all this week! Here’s a snapshot into our new year of learning!
OUR LEARNING:
Popcorn Words – Our popcorn words this week were “was,” “at,” and “that.” We practiced these words during literacy centers. In lit centers this week, we also started learning about “magic e,” which is a special letter that comes at the end of some words…it makes the vowel say its name and makes a whole new word! (For example: cap –> cape) We are also practicing writing our first AND last name independently by the end of the year! AND….we got out our journals to start some journal writing, too!
Math – We started a brand new way of learning math this week: MATH ROTATIONS! In math rotations, students are split into groups and they rotate between multiple stations each day (my teacher table, independent practice, math games, etc.) This model allows me to teach every student exactly what he/she needs! During math rotations this week, we learned about number partners, which are two numbers that work together to make a bigger number (ex: 2 and 4 are partners of 6). We also started learning about teen numbers (11-20).
Writing – We began a new writing unit this week: SMALL MOMENT WRITING. For this unit, students write a story about one small moment from their lives. To start, we learned about the difference between a watermelon story (a big story with lots and lots of events happening in it, like winter break) and a seed story (a little story about one event, like opening a present). We learned to tell these stories in three parts using the words FIRST, NEXT, and LAST. For now, we are practicing these skills as a whole class. Soon, the kindergarteners will begin writing their own small moment stories!
Reading – In reader’s workshop this week, we learned about even more of our READING SUPER POWERS! Our powers help us read tricky words and stories. Here are the powers we have “activated” so far: Pointer Power: We point to each word as we read so we don’t miss any words. Re-Read Power: We “rewind” and go back to reread a sentence once we’ve figured out the tricky part. Partner Power: Our partner can help us read tricky words together. Picture Power: We look at the pictures to give us clues about what the words might say. Snap Word Power: We find words in the book that we can read in a “snap” (like popcorn words).
CELEBRATIONS:
Top Frog – Christian will be our next top frog this coming week!
Birthdays: We loved celebrating Jayce’s and Elise’s birthdays this week, too!
Happy New Year: On our first day back from break, we learned all about the new calendar year – 2019! We even wrote our own New Year’s Resolutions for things we’d like to really do better this year. With the new year, some special new perks came to our classroom: sand table, trampoline, fidget tools, a magnetic marble track, and INDEPENDENCE! My biggest goal is to foster independence and self-responsibility within your kindergartener in the coming months. This means he/she is responsible for making their own lunch choice, packing their own frog folder and backpack, etc. I can’t believe how much they’ve grown already!
Notes for Parents:
- Take-Home Book Volunteers: If you are able to help weekly in our classroom for 45 minutes-1 hour, please sign up to be a take-home book volunteer! Our program begins on January 21 and we are still in need of more volunteers to make this possible. Please pass this along to grandparents or other family members who may be willing to help as well! Thank you for supporting our little readers by signing up on this site!
- Mystery Readers: If you would like to be a mystery reader in our classroom, please sign up on this site.
- Winter Gear: Please make sure your child is all bundled up and ready for the cold winter weather! We play out in the fields, and our playground does not get plowed, so please make sure to send your kindergartener in snow pants, boots, mittens, a hat, and a coat on cold winter days! Thanks for your help. 🙂
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday, January 14 – STEAM
- Tuesday, January 15 – Music, Library
- Wednesday, January 16 – P.E.
- Thursday, January 17 – Art
- Friday, January 18 – STEAM