Dear Families:
We are having a fun week in kindergarten and here is what you can look forward to...
Math: Kindergartners continue to learn about addition. We are using manipulatives to make numbers and break them apart to see the number partners that make up numbers through 10. This is also used to teach the associative property of addition. We are also moving into the teens and how to make these numbers with our hands and money.
Reading: This week students will continue working on reading books in their small groups, as well as working on word work and sight words. Students will also begin working on comprehension and vocabulary skills with narrative read-alouds.
This week is also Teddy Bear Week! On Wednesday please have your child bring a teddy bear to school along with a teddy bear book. We have many fun activities planned for this day. If you child does not have a teddy bear they can bring a different stuffed animal.
Continue sending those pictures for our alphabet book. This is really an important exercise that helps reinforce the sounds our characters teach.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Week of October 17-21
What a busy week we have had! Your students are learning so much, I hope they are coming home to share this with you. If not, here is a summary to fill in the gaps!
Animated Alphabet - Students learned two new characters this week: Farley Fox and Baby Barnaby. I still have only about 25% of students returning pictures the following day for our alphabet book. Let me know if you need help obtaining magazines and I will get some for you!
I know is seems hard to believe, but your children have already learned 16 characters! This means that there are many words that they should be able to sound out and read. Look for those words in your shared reading and have them read to you. Also, we have learned many sight words. Memorizing the sight words is an important piece to reading. A parent volunteer and myself have been working on sight word books for your child to have at home and practice with. These will be sent home next week. It would be best practice to run through these every night and until you feel they have them under control. Once they have them down, bring your cards back to school and we will check them at school. Once they know a word they will get their card punched. I am hoping this a fun motivational way to keep kids accountable for learning their sight words. Look for those next week and let me know if you have any questions.
Math - In math this week we have worked with coins (pennies and nickels). We have used coins and tiles to make addition sentences. We have also done dot-to-dots, worked on creating and naming patterns, and making up story problems to go along with pictures. Making up math story problems in your everyday life is a great way for your child to work on counting, addition and subtraction. Try this while riding in the car, or when you have some down time, like waiting rooms. You will be surprised what a difference this effort can make.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are getting closer.I still have 6 families that need to sign up for a conference time. You can do so by contacting the office anytime. If you do not pick a time, one will be assigned to you. I will also be sending reminders about your conference time soon.
Next week I will also be sending home a blank copy of the report card so you will see what kinds of things we will be assessing this trimester. I have already begun to do some of these assessments, as they are very time consuming at a kindergarten level due to the fact that most have to be done one on one.
Animated Alphabet - Students learned two new characters this week: Farley Fox and Baby Barnaby. I still have only about 25% of students returning pictures the following day for our alphabet book. Let me know if you need help obtaining magazines and I will get some for you!
I know is seems hard to believe, but your children have already learned 16 characters! This means that there are many words that they should be able to sound out and read. Look for those words in your shared reading and have them read to you. Also, we have learned many sight words. Memorizing the sight words is an important piece to reading. A parent volunteer and myself have been working on sight word books for your child to have at home and practice with. These will be sent home next week. It would be best practice to run through these every night and until you feel they have them under control. Once they have them down, bring your cards back to school and we will check them at school. Once they know a word they will get their card punched. I am hoping this a fun motivational way to keep kids accountable for learning their sight words. Look for those next week and let me know if you have any questions.
Math - In math this week we have worked with coins (pennies and nickels). We have used coins and tiles to make addition sentences. We have also done dot-to-dots, worked on creating and naming patterns, and making up story problems to go along with pictures. Making up math story problems in your everyday life is a great way for your child to work on counting, addition and subtraction. Try this while riding in the car, or when you have some down time, like waiting rooms. You will be surprised what a difference this effort can make.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are getting closer.I still have 6 families that need to sign up for a conference time. You can do so by contacting the office anytime. If you do not pick a time, one will be assigned to you. I will also be sending reminders about your conference time soon.
Next week I will also be sending home a blank copy of the report card so you will see what kinds of things we will be assessing this trimester. I have already begun to do some of these assessments, as they are very time consuming at a kindergarten level due to the fact that most have to be done one on one.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Week of October 10-13
Just a few quick reminders and notes...
* Book Order this Week! The packet was sent home on Tuesday and they are due on Thursday (since we have no school Friday). Remember, there is no obligation to buy, but this really helps build our classroom library, particularly the listening library. I am able to purchase books on CD at great prices!
* Fire Safety Week: This week we have been learning about fire safety. Students learned how and when to dial 911. This would be an extremely important conversation to have at home. Make sure your students know how to use the phone (especially if all you have is a cell phone), as well as your address.
We also learned about stop, drop and roll, as well as getting low and crawling out of a burning building. Talk about escape plans at your house tonight!
* Keep those pictures coming for the alphabet book!
* Don't forget, no school Friday!
* Book Order this Week! The packet was sent home on Tuesday and they are due on Thursday (since we have no school Friday). Remember, there is no obligation to buy, but this really helps build our classroom library, particularly the listening library. I am able to purchase books on CD at great prices!
* Fire Safety Week: This week we have been learning about fire safety. Students learned how and when to dial 911. This would be an extremely important conversation to have at home. Make sure your students know how to use the phone (especially if all you have is a cell phone), as well as your address.
We also learned about stop, drop and roll, as well as getting low and crawling out of a burning building. Talk about escape plans at your house tonight!
* Keep those pictures coming for the alphabet book!
* Don't forget, no school Friday!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Playing Catch-Up
Dear Families,
I know I am a little behind with my blogging, so I am going to get you up to speed with what has been going on at school and what you can expect in the future.
Animated Alphabet - We continue to learn about two characters a week. This week we learned our first character that is not a letter: Arnie Aardvark. He teaches us the AR sound combo. We looked for him in words like arm, park, art, bar.
I also wanted to remind you about sending pictures with your students each day after we learn a character. I have not been receiving very many and our book is looking a little weak. Searching through magazines and talking about sounds in pictures is a great pre-reading skill that you can reinforce at home.
Reading groups - In reading groups we have been working on hearing the different sounds in words, what letters make those sounds, character review, vowels and consonants, and reading books we put together.
Math - This week we will be taking our math test over Unit 1 and starting Unit 2. I will save those math tests to share with you at conferences, but if there are glaring problems you will be alerted ahead of time.
This week in Kindergarten is apple week. We will be tasting apples and apple products, learning about the sequence of an apples life, graphing apples, and reading apple books.
Also, last week you received a calendar with Animated Alphabet characters and activities. These activities will help reinforce what we are learning at school. Do them in any order you wish. When students have completed all the activities, sign and return the calendar to school for a sticker on the chart. The calendar should take you about 4 weeks to complete if you do one activity a day.
I know I am a little behind with my blogging, so I am going to get you up to speed with what has been going on at school and what you can expect in the future.
Animated Alphabet - We continue to learn about two characters a week. This week we learned our first character that is not a letter: Arnie Aardvark. He teaches us the AR sound combo. We looked for him in words like arm, park, art, bar.
I also wanted to remind you about sending pictures with your students each day after we learn a character. I have not been receiving very many and our book is looking a little weak. Searching through magazines and talking about sounds in pictures is a great pre-reading skill that you can reinforce at home.
Reading groups - In reading groups we have been working on hearing the different sounds in words, what letters make those sounds, character review, vowels and consonants, and reading books we put together.
Math - This week we will be taking our math test over Unit 1 and starting Unit 2. I will save those math tests to share with you at conferences, but if there are glaring problems you will be alerted ahead of time.
This week in Kindergarten is apple week. We will be tasting apples and apple products, learning about the sequence of an apples life, graphing apples, and reading apple books.
Also, last week you received a calendar with Animated Alphabet characters and activities. These activities will help reinforce what we are learning at school. Do them in any order you wish. When students have completed all the activities, sign and return the calendar to school for a sticker on the chart. The calendar should take you about 4 weeks to complete if you do one activity a day.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Week of Sept 12-16
What a fun week we have had here at school!
We started off our week taking great school pictures. I am sure you are all anxious to see how they turned out! Kindergartners also really enjoyed Spirit Week here at school. They had a lot of fun with their hats and pajamas. Today we celebrated Constitution Day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the Star Spangled Banner at the flag pole with the entire school.
Wednesday we had a great time learning about our Five Senses. Several moms volunteered their time to come in and run stations where they students could learn with hands-on activities about each sense. We had a tasting station, which was a big hit, along with a "Guess that Smell" station, which was also a lot of fun. In the listening station students got to put their hands on objects that made different sounds and listen to recordings to try and identify different noises. The visual station was fun for students to look through different objects, have a chance to really examine their eyes up close and also look at optical illusions. The touch station had students classify objects by how they felt and guessing what they were touching in a bag. We are continuing to learn about our senses through out the next couple of weeks.
In math we have been working on writing our numbers. This is something you can reinforce at home when kids have a few spare minutes. We have also been talking about shapes and learning the difference between a circle and sphere. Help you child pick out the difference in objects at home. Kindergartners also made their first graph this week. We colored an "eye" to match their eye color talking specifically about the pupil and iris. We have a considerable amount of blue eyes in here!
We learned two new characters in the Animated Alphabet: Actress Annie and Daisy Dragon. Keep those pictures coming. I have a couple of moms working on the Alphabet book and the students are really enjoying seeing the book come together.
Library - This was the first week that students could check out books from the library. Our library days are on Tuesday, please help your child remember to bring their book back by Tuesday so they can check out a different book on each visit. Thanks!
Thanks for all your support at home!
We started off our week taking great school pictures. I am sure you are all anxious to see how they turned out! Kindergartners also really enjoyed Spirit Week here at school. They had a lot of fun with their hats and pajamas. Today we celebrated Constitution Day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the Star Spangled Banner at the flag pole with the entire school.
Wednesday we had a great time learning about our Five Senses. Several moms volunteered their time to come in and run stations where they students could learn with hands-on activities about each sense. We had a tasting station, which was a big hit, along with a "Guess that Smell" station, which was also a lot of fun. In the listening station students got to put their hands on objects that made different sounds and listen to recordings to try and identify different noises. The visual station was fun for students to look through different objects, have a chance to really examine their eyes up close and also look at optical illusions. The touch station had students classify objects by how they felt and guessing what they were touching in a bag. We are continuing to learn about our senses through out the next couple of weeks.
In math we have been working on writing our numbers. This is something you can reinforce at home when kids have a few spare minutes. We have also been talking about shapes and learning the difference between a circle and sphere. Help you child pick out the difference in objects at home. Kindergartners also made their first graph this week. We colored an "eye" to match their eye color talking specifically about the pupil and iris. We have a considerable amount of blue eyes in here!
We learned two new characters in the Animated Alphabet: Actress Annie and Daisy Dragon. Keep those pictures coming. I have a couple of moms working on the Alphabet book and the students are really enjoying seeing the book come together.
Library - This was the first week that students could check out books from the library. Our library days are on Tuesday, please help your child remember to bring their book back by Tuesday so they can check out a different book on each visit. Thanks!
Thanks for all your support at home!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Week of August 29 - September 2
Dear Families:
Thanks for such a great turn out at Parent Information Night. I really appreciate all the people who signed up to help out in the classroom and with various jobs. No one signed up to work on the Alphabet Book, so if you didn't get a chance to sign up and would like to help out let me know.
Don't forget we do not have school Monday (Labor Day) and Tuesday (Professional Development). Enjoy that extra long weekend with your kiddos!
Also, don't forget about Grandparent's Day, Friday, Sept. 9 at 11:10-11:45. If you have not sent back a note letting who will be here for your child please do so this week.
Something else I wanted to talk about at Parent's Night and didn't get to...Your child is welcome to bring a water bottle to school. Just make sure it is marked with their name and will not easily spill or leak.
Here is what we did this week...
Animated Alphabet: This week students learned Ollie Ostrich and Mimi Mermaid. We read two new sentences and learned more popcorn (sight) words. Help your child practice these sight words. The faster they learn their sight words, the easier it will be for them to start learning to read simple sentences. Don't forget to keep sending those pictures for our alphabet book.
Math: This week students learned about graphing numbers and the purpose of graphs. We also learned how to classify items as alike and different.
Handwriting Without Tears: Students learned how to use their handwriting book pages this week and practiced writing letters P and U. In a couple of weeks we should be able to catch up with our characters and practice writing a letter each time we learn a new character. When your children practice writing letters at home please have them use a pencil and help remind them of how to correctly hold a pencil and how to hold the paper still with their other hand.
Thanks again for your involvement. Don't hesitate to contact me questions. I'm enjoying all your children this year. Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Minor
Thanks for such a great turn out at Parent Information Night. I really appreciate all the people who signed up to help out in the classroom and with various jobs. No one signed up to work on the Alphabet Book, so if you didn't get a chance to sign up and would like to help out let me know.
Don't forget we do not have school Monday (Labor Day) and Tuesday (Professional Development). Enjoy that extra long weekend with your kiddos!
Also, don't forget about Grandparent's Day, Friday, Sept. 9 at 11:10-11:45. If you have not sent back a note letting who will be here for your child please do so this week.
Something else I wanted to talk about at Parent's Night and didn't get to...Your child is welcome to bring a water bottle to school. Just make sure it is marked with their name and will not easily spill or leak.
Here is what we did this week...
Animated Alphabet: This week students learned Ollie Ostrich and Mimi Mermaid. We read two new sentences and learned more popcorn (sight) words. Help your child practice these sight words. The faster they learn their sight words, the easier it will be for them to start learning to read simple sentences. Don't forget to keep sending those pictures for our alphabet book.
Math: This week students learned about graphing numbers and the purpose of graphs. We also learned how to classify items as alike and different.
Handwriting Without Tears: Students learned how to use their handwriting book pages this week and practiced writing letters P and U. In a couple of weeks we should be able to catch up with our characters and practice writing a letter each time we learn a new character. When your children practice writing letters at home please have them use a pencil and help remind them of how to correctly hold a pencil and how to hold the paper still with their other hand.
Thanks again for your involvement. Don't hesitate to contact me questions. I'm enjoying all your children this year. Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Minor
Friday, August 26, 2011
Week of August 22-26
*DON'T FORGET PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT IS TUESDAY FROM 6-7PM. WE WILL MEET IN THE CLASSROOM.
Dear Families:
We survived our first week of school! Great job getting your kiddos here on time and with bright smiles on their faces. They were all definitely tired by Friday and this is completely normal. It will take them a few weeks to build up their school stamina!
Every week I try to blog about what we have been doing in class, about some of the things to look for in the next week or so, and how you can support the curriculum at home. I will send out an email letting everyone know when I have updated the blog so you can check it out.
Animated Alphabet - This week your students learned their first two characters:Polly Panda and Uncle Upton. They also learned how to read the words pup, the, and is. Please make sure you are keeping all the character pages as they come home, as well as the sentences/drawings we do in class. You can use these as review all school year and summer.
Also, I hope you found the note yesterday about sending pictures to go along with the A.A. characters. I will talk more about this at parent night on Tuesday.
Handwriting Without Tears - This is the name of our handwriting program. This week we started several activities to prepare students to begin to learn and write their letters. We explored wood pieces and made letter and shapes. We also had students color with crayons. Coloring with crayons is an important developmental tool for building hand strenght. If your child struggles with fine motor skills they should be coloring (with crayons) and cutting at home often to build that hand strength.
Math - In math this week we have been working on number identification, and making groups of numbers. This has been done through math trays, drawing scences (which we are saving to put into a book), and movement.
Here are some important reminders to help you start your year off great:
* Read each night to your child before bed. This is an extremely important habit that should be carried out until they will no longer let you do this (i.e. middle school).
* Remember to send your child's backpack and take-home folder each day.
* Look in the take-home folder each night for their day's work and important notes.
* Grandparent's Day will be Friday, September 9 at 11:10-11:45. If your child's grandparent is unable to make it you may come as their guest, or another family member, or special friend (neighbor). Just make sure you return the note and let us know!
* SCHOOL PICTURES WILL BE MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12! See backpack for a note coming home today!
Dear Families:
We survived our first week of school! Great job getting your kiddos here on time and with bright smiles on their faces. They were all definitely tired by Friday and this is completely normal. It will take them a few weeks to build up their school stamina!
Every week I try to blog about what we have been doing in class, about some of the things to look for in the next week or so, and how you can support the curriculum at home. I will send out an email letting everyone know when I have updated the blog so you can check it out.
Animated Alphabet - This week your students learned their first two characters:Polly Panda and Uncle Upton. They also learned how to read the words pup, the, and is. Please make sure you are keeping all the character pages as they come home, as well as the sentences/drawings we do in class. You can use these as review all school year and summer.
Also, I hope you found the note yesterday about sending pictures to go along with the A.A. characters. I will talk more about this at parent night on Tuesday.
Handwriting Without Tears - This is the name of our handwriting program. This week we started several activities to prepare students to begin to learn and write their letters. We explored wood pieces and made letter and shapes. We also had students color with crayons. Coloring with crayons is an important developmental tool for building hand strenght. If your child struggles with fine motor skills they should be coloring (with crayons) and cutting at home often to build that hand strength.
Math - In math this week we have been working on number identification, and making groups of numbers. This has been done through math trays, drawing scences (which we are saving to put into a book), and movement.
Here are some important reminders to help you start your year off great:
* Read each night to your child before bed. This is an extremely important habit that should be carried out until they will no longer let you do this (i.e. middle school).
* Remember to send your child's backpack and take-home folder each day.
* Look in the take-home folder each night for their day's work and important notes.
* Grandparent's Day will be Friday, September 9 at 11:10-11:45. If your child's grandparent is unable to make it you may come as their guest, or another family member, or special friend (neighbor). Just make sure you return the note and let us know!
* SCHOOL PICTURES WILL BE MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12! See backpack for a note coming home today!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Important Info
* Look for a bright orange note coming home today about the upcoming field trip!
* Still need some snacks. Don't make a special trip to the store tonight, but put it on the list for your next trip. Thanks!
* There will be no school for Kindergartners April 21 and 22 due to Kindergarten Round Up.
* Also, I am looking for a volunteer or two to tear out math book pages. This does not have to be done at school. You can take them home and bring them back. Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks!
* Still need some snacks. Don't make a special trip to the store tonight, but put it on the list for your next trip. Thanks!
* There will be no school for Kindergartners April 21 and 22 due to Kindergarten Round Up.
* Also, I am looking for a volunteer or two to tear out math book pages. This does not have to be done at school. You can take them home and bring them back. Let me know if you are interested.
Thanks!
Animated Alphabet Party
We had a fantastic time celebrating the completion of learning all of our Animated Alphabet characters. Thanks for sending such great costumes! Here are some pictures I wanted to share.
Parading through the second grade classroom.
Enjoying our Alphabet Cookie Snack!
Watching "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" - a special treat!
Shh! We're practicing our Alphabet Yoga.
Parading through the second grade classroom.
Enjoying our Alphabet Cookie Snack!
Watching "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" - a special treat!
Shh! We're practicing our Alphabet Yoga.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Week of March 14-18
Yeah! Spring Break if finally hear! Since I know you are all anxious to get your vacations started I will start with the important announcements first...
- We need snacks!
- Animated Alphabet Character Party and Parade Wednesday, March 30.
- There will be no more show and tell after Spring Break.
- There will be no school April 21 and 22 due to Kindergarten Round-Up.
- We will be going on our field trip to the farm Wednesday, April 27. More info to follow!
Animated Alphabet - We learned our last character this week. Keep all those papers and review them on a regular basis. Look for the letters and ask children to identify the characters that go with the letters and sounds. For example, today in class we did a sheet looking for long e sounds, spelled with ee. We referenced this to Leaping Eve as the character that teaches us this sound. This would be great to do when trying to read everyday print, labels, signs, etc. or when trying to sound out easy words in books.
Daily Five - We practiced Read to Someone this week and worked on building our stamina. Keep this up with your child over the break. Make reading a priority in their day!
Math - This week we learned to measure in inches and centimeters with cubes. We also had a lesson which was an extension of the calendar work we do every morning. Lessons were also done using vocabulary like heavy,heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest, taller, shorter, longer. Students took a Unit 6 test today and I will grade those over break and send them home next week so you can see how they did.
Plus lots of St. Patrick's Day activities!
Have a fun, safe Spring Break and keep those kiddos reading. I can't wait to hear the stories next Monday!
- We need snacks!
- Animated Alphabet Character Party and Parade Wednesday, March 30.
- There will be no more show and tell after Spring Break.
- There will be no school April 21 and 22 due to Kindergarten Round-Up.
- We will be going on our field trip to the farm Wednesday, April 27. More info to follow!
Animated Alphabet - We learned our last character this week. Keep all those papers and review them on a regular basis. Look for the letters and ask children to identify the characters that go with the letters and sounds. For example, today in class we did a sheet looking for long e sounds, spelled with ee. We referenced this to Leaping Eve as the character that teaches us this sound. This would be great to do when trying to read everyday print, labels, signs, etc. or when trying to sound out easy words in books.
Daily Five - We practiced Read to Someone this week and worked on building our stamina. Keep this up with your child over the break. Make reading a priority in their day!
Math - This week we learned to measure in inches and centimeters with cubes. We also had a lesson which was an extension of the calendar work we do every morning. Lessons were also done using vocabulary like heavy,heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest, taller, shorter, longer. Students took a Unit 6 test today and I will grade those over break and send them home next week so you can see how they did.
Plus lots of St. Patrick's Day activities!
Have a fun, safe Spring Break and keep those kiddos reading. I can't wait to hear the stories next Monday!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Week of March 7-11
Are you finding yourself drumming the "Wee Willie Winkie" song on your desk today? What a great concert! The kids did fantastic and looked great too. We had 100% participation. Thanks parents.
Animated Alphabet: We learned two new characters this week, Zack and Zena Zebra and Huey the Mule (long u sound). Only one more character to go. Don't forget to start talking with your child about the characters and what they would like to do for the Animated Alphabet party/parade on Wednesday, March 30.
Math: This week we have learned a lot about the parts of the clock, telling time on the hour and half-hour. Please work on this at home with both digital and analog clocks. Point out the times they get up, eat, leave the house, come home, go to bed. We have really tried to reinforce counting by 5s with the clock. You can help with this at home.
Handwriting: As we wind down with our Animated Alphabet at school we are starting to really work in our Handwriting books. If you did not get a letter sheet from me at conferences let me know and I will send one home. This should be your guide to helping students write their letters correctly at home.
Daily 5: Having worked up to 9 minutes of "Read to Self" we started working on "Read to Someone" this week. Have your child model this for you at home. This is a great way for you to work on reading with your child. Choose very simple books that they can sound out and be successful at!
Next week will be our last week of Show and Tell. We will not resume this after Spring Break.
Have a great weekend!
Animated Alphabet: We learned two new characters this week, Zack and Zena Zebra and Huey the Mule (long u sound). Only one more character to go. Don't forget to start talking with your child about the characters and what they would like to do for the Animated Alphabet party/parade on Wednesday, March 30.
Math: This week we have learned a lot about the parts of the clock, telling time on the hour and half-hour. Please work on this at home with both digital and analog clocks. Point out the times they get up, eat, leave the house, come home, go to bed. We have really tried to reinforce counting by 5s with the clock. You can help with this at home.
Handwriting: As we wind down with our Animated Alphabet at school we are starting to really work in our Handwriting books. If you did not get a letter sheet from me at conferences let me know and I will send one home. This should be your guide to helping students write their letters correctly at home.
Daily 5: Having worked up to 9 minutes of "Read to Self" we started working on "Read to Someone" this week. Have your child model this for you at home. This is a great way for you to work on reading with your child. Choose very simple books that they can sound out and be successful at!
Next week will be our last week of Show and Tell. We will not resume this after Spring Break.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Week of Feb 28- March 4
What a fun busy week we have had in kindergarten! Celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday sure was fun. Thanks to all the parents who volunteered to come in and read. This will make great memories for your kiddos!
Reading - This week we learned two new Animated Alphabet characters: Joy's Noisy Toy and the White Whistling Whale. With only 3 more characters to go we are nearing the end and would like to celebrate with an Animated Alphabet party and parade. A bright orange note will be in the backpacks today! This is coming March 30th!
We also had a great time this week reading Dr. Seuss, rhyming words and eating Green Eggs and Ham. After graphing the results, it turns out that their are only 2 kindergartners who do not like Green Eggs and Ham! Mrs. Minor must be a great cook!
Students also really enjoyed sharing their favorite book during show and tell time this week. Thanks for helping them pick out such good books.
Math - In math this week we started a new unit on money, time and measurement. We are really focusing on coin identification and counting my 5s and 10s. Please pull out some real coins at home for your child to work with and practice counting.
Today we also started learning how to tell time. We looked at all the parts of the clock, digital and analog. This will be something we will be working on the next week or so, so please help your child start being aware of time and how to read the clock!
Next Week...
DON'T FORGET THE MUSIC PROGRAM THURSDAY! It starts at 6:30 and students need to be here early. A note will come home Monday from the music teacher.
Also, I will be gone Tuesday for a Math training at the ESDC.
Reading - This week we learned two new Animated Alphabet characters: Joy's Noisy Toy and the White Whistling Whale. With only 3 more characters to go we are nearing the end and would like to celebrate with an Animated Alphabet party and parade. A bright orange note will be in the backpacks today! This is coming March 30th!
We also had a great time this week reading Dr. Seuss, rhyming words and eating Green Eggs and Ham. After graphing the results, it turns out that their are only 2 kindergartners who do not like Green Eggs and Ham! Mrs. Minor must be a great cook!
Students also really enjoyed sharing their favorite book during show and tell time this week. Thanks for helping them pick out such good books.
Math - In math this week we started a new unit on money, time and measurement. We are really focusing on coin identification and counting my 5s and 10s. Please pull out some real coins at home for your child to work with and practice counting.
Today we also started learning how to tell time. We looked at all the parts of the clock, digital and analog. This will be something we will be working on the next week or so, so please help your child start being aware of time and how to read the clock!
Next Week...
DON'T FORGET THE MUSIC PROGRAM THURSDAY! It starts at 6:30 and students need to be here early. A note will come home Monday from the music teacher.
Also, I will be gone Tuesday for a Math training at the ESDC.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Past, Present, Future
Dear Families:
What a crazy month of January we had. Hopefully Feb. will be a little calmer with more routine! I have broken up this blog post into three sections: past, present, and future.
Past
We had a great time at the end of January attending our first play and field trip at the Lied Center. The play was an amazing puppet adaption of three books by the author Leo Leoni. The kids loved the show - however, I am pretty sure the bus ride was the highlight of their day!
We also celebrated Kansas Day at the end of January. Students learned all about the state symbols, where Kansas is located in the United States, and the animals that are indigenous to our state.
At the beginning of Feb. we finally were able to celebrate the 100th day of school! We had a lot of fun making headbands, counting math manipulatives to 100, making and eating our 100 stew, and collecting 100 stickers.
Present
Currently the Book Fair is going on at Langston Hughes. I took the class the library today to preview the book fair and make their wish lists. These should be in the back packs tonight. You still have one more day to make it to the book fair! Don't forget about the pancake feed tomorrow night. This is a great way to socialize, support the PTO, and buy some great books at the fair!
Friendship Week is also taking place this Tuesday through next Monday. A pink flier went home today in the folders about what kids should wear to participate each day.
This week students also began learning about the Daily 5 and how this helps them learn to read. We began practicing "Read to Self" where students are expected to sit in one spot, and "read" for an extended period of time. We began workiing on this Monday and have built our reading stamina up to 3 minutes today! The other four parts of Daily 5 include: Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, and Word Work.
Future
Our Valentines party is coming up next Monday. If children would like to bring Valentines cards for their classmates they may begin doing so this Thursday. We will make bags for students to collect their cards in Wednesday. Don't worry about students writing their friends names on each card, just have them write their own name so we know who the card comes from. This also saves us from having to find each students bag! We are very much looking forward to the party!
Read Across America Week! This is coming up February 28 - March 4. We are planning some fun activities to promote reading. We are asking for volunteers to come in and read each day to the class. This won't take long (10-15 minutes max). This would be a great opportunity for moms and dads who don't often get a chance to visit the classroom. Pick a book that you loved as a child or one that you like to share with your child at home. Let me know if you are interested and I will put you on the calendar!
What a crazy month of January we had. Hopefully Feb. will be a little calmer with more routine! I have broken up this blog post into three sections: past, present, and future.
Past
We had a great time at the end of January attending our first play and field trip at the Lied Center. The play was an amazing puppet adaption of three books by the author Leo Leoni. The kids loved the show - however, I am pretty sure the bus ride was the highlight of their day!
We also celebrated Kansas Day at the end of January. Students learned all about the state symbols, where Kansas is located in the United States, and the animals that are indigenous to our state.
At the beginning of Feb. we finally were able to celebrate the 100th day of school! We had a lot of fun making headbands, counting math manipulatives to 100, making and eating our 100 stew, and collecting 100 stickers.
Present
Currently the Book Fair is going on at Langston Hughes. I took the class the library today to preview the book fair and make their wish lists. These should be in the back packs tonight. You still have one more day to make it to the book fair! Don't forget about the pancake feed tomorrow night. This is a great way to socialize, support the PTO, and buy some great books at the fair!
Friendship Week is also taking place this Tuesday through next Monday. A pink flier went home today in the folders about what kids should wear to participate each day.
This week students also began learning about the Daily 5 and how this helps them learn to read. We began practicing "Read to Self" where students are expected to sit in one spot, and "read" for an extended period of time. We began workiing on this Monday and have built our reading stamina up to 3 minutes today! The other four parts of Daily 5 include: Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, and Word Work.
Future
Our Valentines party is coming up next Monday. If children would like to bring Valentines cards for their classmates they may begin doing so this Thursday. We will make bags for students to collect their cards in Wednesday. Don't worry about students writing their friends names on each card, just have them write their own name so we know who the card comes from. This also saves us from having to find each students bag! We are very much looking forward to the party!
Read Across America Week! This is coming up February 28 - March 4. We are planning some fun activities to promote reading. We are asking for volunteers to come in and read each day to the class. This won't take long (10-15 minutes max). This would be a great opportunity for moms and dads who don't often get a chance to visit the classroom. Pick a book that you loved as a child or one that you like to share with your child at home. Let me know if you are interested and I will put you on the calendar!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Week of January 10-14
What a short week! The snow has been fun and we have learned a lot about the snow and done a lot of reading and activities that have to do with the snow.
In reading this week....
We learned two new Animated Alphabet characters this week: Ike's Night Bike Ride (Leaping Eve's brother!) and the Grouchy Owl. These characters deal with the long I sound and ow sound. As you are reading with your child point out the letter combinations in simple words and how they make those sounds.
This week we also read a Scholastic magazine about making things in the snow and made a booklet that is also about snow activities. All kindergartners should be able to recognize some of these words now! Remembe to keep these little books and have the kids practice reading them to you and themselves.
In math this week...
We worked on adding numbers (10 + x) to make teen numbers, creating patterns, adding numbers to five-groups to make numbers 6-10, and numbers that equal and not equal. Look through backpacks to see what those worksheets look like and how you can support this at home.
Upcoming Events...
January 27th - We will be taking a field trip to the Lied Center to see a play. Look for a flier to come home next with with the details about the play. This trip will take place entirely during school hours, so no need to make special arrangements.
January 28th - 100th Day of School and Celebrate Kansas Day!
Due to snow days, these two events happened to fall on the same day. So...we will celebrate both of these event with fun centers and activities. If you would like to volunteer for this day please let me know. I will need about 5-6 parents from 9:00-11:00.
Book orders are due Wednesday, January 19.
NO SCHOOL MONDAY, January 17!
In reading this week....
We learned two new Animated Alphabet characters this week: Ike's Night Bike Ride (Leaping Eve's brother!) and the Grouchy Owl. These characters deal with the long I sound and ow sound. As you are reading with your child point out the letter combinations in simple words and how they make those sounds.
This week we also read a Scholastic magazine about making things in the snow and made a booklet that is also about snow activities. All kindergartners should be able to recognize some of these words now! Remembe to keep these little books and have the kids practice reading them to you and themselves.
In math this week...
We worked on adding numbers (10 + x) to make teen numbers, creating patterns, adding numbers to five-groups to make numbers 6-10, and numbers that equal and not equal. Look through backpacks to see what those worksheets look like and how you can support this at home.
Upcoming Events...
January 27th - We will be taking a field trip to the Lied Center to see a play. Look for a flier to come home next with with the details about the play. This trip will take place entirely during school hours, so no need to make special arrangements.
January 28th - 100th Day of School and Celebrate Kansas Day!
Due to snow days, these two events happened to fall on the same day. So...we will celebrate both of these event with fun centers and activities. If you would like to volunteer for this day please let me know. I will need about 5-6 parents from 9:00-11:00.
Book orders are due Wednesday, January 19.
NO SCHOOL MONDAY, January 17!
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