We had a wonderful time at our holiday party! Thank you so much to Mrs. Mueller for planning and organizing, and to all of our parents who sent items in or came to help!
Friday, December 18, 2015
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Baseball Season??
We were all ready for our Holiday Party on Thursday, and also ready for a visit from Fredbird and Al Hrabosky
from the St. Louis Cardinals! All over the school, hallways and classroom doors were decorated! The assembly
was lots of fun, and some of the Peeps even won prizes!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Polar Express Day
The Peeps had a terrific time counting, sorting, and graphing marshmallows during Math Workshop!
Center time activities look so relaxing in our pajamas!
The boys and girls loved looking through holiday catalogs and writing down some things that they want for Christmas! It's so much fun to read the names of our favorite toys!
We were so comfy watching The Polar Express!
We loved having hot chocolate and cookies, too!
Friday, December 11, 2015
Weekly Peep Report
Happy Friday, Kindergarten Families!
It's hard to believe that there are only a few days left of the first half of Kindergarten! I see so much progress...even in the few weeks since progress reports went out. It's obvious that you're working hard at home reinforcing our learning at school. Thank you so much!During these next few days, please do the best you can (on school nights) to stick to your usual family routine. We've had much more trouble this week following directions, listening the first time directions are given, and keeping hands to ourselves. The unseasonably warm weather has made us extra energetic, too!
This Wednesday is Polar Express Day! Your child can wear comfortable pajamas. We will be doing Polar Express themed lessons in math and reading, and watching the movie during an extra-special long rest and recharge time. Be sure your child wears tennis shoes to school for recess time. It's just fine to send slippers and a stuffed animal in backpacks for rest time.
Kindergarten Weekly Report
December 11, 2015
ABC's and 123's
Reading and Writing
Our focus this week during reading and writing has been on vowel sounds. We've been singing the "Vowel Sound Samba." Several of the reading groups have been working on race car blending, where we use a race car to help us as we put sounds together in words that have a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern ("cat," "pin," "rug").
We're trying hard to put vowels in our words when we write stories. We stretch words out and write a letter for each sound that we hear. It takes lots of concentration during Writer's Workshop! I'm very proud of the effort that I'm seeing from the boys and girls! Many of them have completed two stories already since Thanksgiving!Keep working on sight words at home to be sure that they are automatic. We need to know these words as soon as we see them. There are 24 words from the first semester:
First quarter: the, see, I, a, can, is, the, he, she, look, at, me, my
Second quarter: like, am, and, of, we, said, it, here, you, up, to
Please keep reading at home as often as you can. Point out sight words when you see them.We've had lots of fun reading different versions of the Gingerbread Man. We've learned about quotation marks, characters, and making predictions. Sometimes the gingerbread character gets eaten by a tricky fox! Other times, he survives! (It was so much fun to read a version that the children didn't know...they would hold their hands to their mouths, worried about the fate of the gingerbread man!)
Math:
We're getting very good at counting! Most of the children can count to at least fifty with few errors. Please continue to practice with your child at home...repetition is the key! We're working with a hundreds chart at school to learn to recognize those big numbers that we can count to. It's easy when you go one at a time in order, but when skipping around, it's very challenging! Most of the children have yet to discover the patterns that are in a hundreds chart. The numbers repeat in a very predictable way, but recognizing numbers beyond 20 can take a while to master. We will be working on this next week, and reinforcing throughout the rest of the year. Our purpose in kindergarten at this time is to introduce the hundreds chart to the children, work on orally counting to 100 (50 at this point in the year), and learn to recognize numbers from 1-20 even when they're mixed up. We've also been working hard on filling in missing numbers from 1-20. We're using the number chart to help with this.
A Peek at Next Week:Monday: D Day (P.E.)
Tuesday: E Day (Library/Technology)
Wednesday: A Day (Art) POLAR EXPRESS DAY (wear pajamas)
Thursday: B Day (Music) Holiday Party 2:00-3:00
Friday: No School for Students
Have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, December 4, 2015
Weekly Peep Report
Happy Friday, Kindergarten Families!
We've had another great week in Kindergarten! There is a fine layer of glitter coating everything in the classroom this afternoon, but that's the way it should be this time of year! We've completed our travels around the world learning about different holiday traditions. The boys and girls know that America is a big "melting pot" of different cultures...and each group of people who settled in the United States brought different traditions with them. So there are many different ways to celebrate the holidays. And "different" is OK!
ABC's and 123's
Reading and Writing
This week, we've been thinking about the difference between books that teach us how to read because they're written with a predictable pattern, and books that really tell a story. When we read in our Guided Reading groups, we read lots of books with a pattern that helps us read better. In our writing during Writer's Workshop, though, we're writing stories that have a beginning, middle, and ending, and are written across several pages. It's challenging work, because we are not writing predictable pattern sentences...we're writing to tell a story! I'm so proud of the way that the Peeps have been noticing the way books are different, and working hard to tell stories. They are very smart!
We have also been learning all about punctuation and capitalization. We know that names begin with capital letters, and the first letter should be bigger than the other letters in a name. In the big books that we read, we are looking at all of the punctuation marks that writers use. We know that quotation marks tell us when someone is speaking. That can be helpful when you want to change your voice for the different characters when you read!
Keep working on sight words at home to be sure that they are automatic. When children have mastered sight words, they can focus on the unknown words in a story.
Please be sure to take time during these busy holidays to read and practice school skills. Even five minutes counts! (Thank you to those who have set reading goals and started reading for December already!)
Math:
We're practicing counting to 50, and we're focusing on those numbers between 10 and 20. At home, you can help by counting with your child often. If your child can count to 50, practice counting to 100. If your child can count to 100, practice how to count to 100 by 10s, and then 5s. We have also been working on telling the difference between "teen" numbers, and numbers like 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, and 91. We've continued our study of shapes by learning about cubes!
The boys and girls were excited about the 70th day of school, but then Mr. Schoenekase burst into the classroom on Thursday to say that Zero the Hero had arrived. The children were absolutely shocked when Zero the Hero came into the classroom with Mr. Schoenekase. You see, they were all absolutely convinced that Mr. Schoenekase was Zero the Hero...and to see them both in the same spot was just crazy! (I'm not kidding...the kids were shocked. They usually greet Zero with cheers and high fives. On Thursday, they just sat in their seats with their mouths hanging open. Then they started telling Zero the Hero that he was too skinny and didn't sound right. It was SO funny! One friend said, "You just need to leave." But then Zero the Hero got out his "zero bites" to pass out to the children, and all was well.)
Social Studies:
We had a wonderful time in Mexico this week, and also Germany, Israel, Africa, and India! We learned how poinsettias come from Mexico, and decorated Christmas trees come from Germany! Many of the traditions we have in the United States come from other places...just like all of the people who live in our country. It's a wonderfully diverse place! On Wednesday, we traveled to Israel to learn all about Hanukkah. Then on Thursday, we learned about Kwanzaa as it's celebrated in the United States. Kwanzaa celebrates African cultures. Then today, we traveled to India to learn about Diwali. Each of the children has a suitcase full of souvenirs to show you! They were so excited to use their passports and travel to a new country each day!
The next two weeks of Kindergarten are going to fly right by...we have lots of new skills that we're going to be working on! Be sure that your child gets plenty of sleep, in the midst of the holiday fun!
A Peek at Next Week:
Monday: E Day (Library/Technology)
Tuesday: A Day (Art)
Wednesday: B Day (Music) EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal at 1:40)
SHOW AND TELL
Thursday: C Day (P.E.)
Friday: D Day (P.E.)
Have a great night, and enjoy your week!
Kelley
We've had another great week in Kindergarten! There is a fine layer of glitter coating everything in the classroom this afternoon, but that's the way it should be this time of year! We've completed our travels around the world learning about different holiday traditions. The boys and girls know that America is a big "melting pot" of different cultures...and each group of people who settled in the United States brought different traditions with them. So there are many different ways to celebrate the holidays. And "different" is OK!
Kindergarten Weekly Report
December 4, 2015
ABC's and 123's
Reading and Writing
This week, we've been thinking about the difference between books that teach us how to read because they're written with a predictable pattern, and books that really tell a story. When we read in our Guided Reading groups, we read lots of books with a pattern that helps us read better. In our writing during Writer's Workshop, though, we're writing stories that have a beginning, middle, and ending, and are written across several pages. It's challenging work, because we are not writing predictable pattern sentences...we're writing to tell a story! I'm so proud of the way that the Peeps have been noticing the way books are different, and working hard to tell stories. They are very smart!
We have also been learning all about punctuation and capitalization. We know that names begin with capital letters, and the first letter should be bigger than the other letters in a name. In the big books that we read, we are looking at all of the punctuation marks that writers use. We know that quotation marks tell us when someone is speaking. That can be helpful when you want to change your voice for the different characters when you read!
Keep working on sight words at home to be sure that they are automatic. When children have mastered sight words, they can focus on the unknown words in a story.
Math:
We're practicing counting to 50, and we're focusing on those numbers between 10 and 20. At home, you can help by counting with your child often. If your child can count to 50, practice counting to 100. If your child can count to 100, practice how to count to 100 by 10s, and then 5s. We have also been working on telling the difference between "teen" numbers, and numbers like 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, and 91. We've continued our study of shapes by learning about cubes!
The boys and girls were excited about the 70th day of school, but then Mr. Schoenekase burst into the classroom on Thursday to say that Zero the Hero had arrived. The children were absolutely shocked when Zero the Hero came into the classroom with Mr. Schoenekase. You see, they were all absolutely convinced that Mr. Schoenekase was Zero the Hero...and to see them both in the same spot was just crazy! (I'm not kidding...the kids were shocked. They usually greet Zero with cheers and high fives. On Thursday, they just sat in their seats with their mouths hanging open. Then they started telling Zero the Hero that he was too skinny and didn't sound right. It was SO funny! One friend said, "You just need to leave." But then Zero the Hero got out his "zero bites" to pass out to the children, and all was well.)
Social Studies:
We had a wonderful time in Mexico this week, and also Germany, Israel, Africa, and India! We learned how poinsettias come from Mexico, and decorated Christmas trees come from Germany! Many of the traditions we have in the United States come from other places...just like all of the people who live in our country. It's a wonderfully diverse place! On Wednesday, we traveled to Israel to learn all about Hanukkah. Then on Thursday, we learned about Kwanzaa as it's celebrated in the United States. Kwanzaa celebrates African cultures. Then today, we traveled to India to learn about Diwali. Each of the children has a suitcase full of souvenirs to show you! They were so excited to use their passports and travel to a new country each day!
The next two weeks of Kindergarten are going to fly right by...we have lots of new skills that we're going to be working on! Be sure that your child gets plenty of sleep, in the midst of the holiday fun!
A Peek at Next Week:
Monday: E Day (Library/Technology)
Tuesday: A Day (Art)
Wednesday: B Day (Music) EARLY RELEASE DAY (Dismissal at 1:40)
SHOW AND TELL
Thursday: C Day (P.E.)
Friday: D Day (P.E.)
Have a great night, and enjoy your week!
Kelley
Scenes From Our Week
We packed up our suitcases full of souvenirs from our imaginary field trips this week! We're ready to bring them home to show you!
But we had to test our maracas first! (These were SO LOUD! It was awesome and awful at the same time!)
Here are some earlier scenes from the week:
Everyone was very busy working on making rangoli for Diwali, the "festival of lights" in India. (These were not dry enough to come home today, since India was the country we visited today. Look for them next week.)
The 70th day of school was Thursday. What a surprise it was to see Mr. Schoenekase and Zero the Hero in the same place at the same time!
One of our new math targets this week is "I know teen numbers." Here we are, looking for them!
We painted ornaments to see sight words magically appear in a new literacy station!
We discovered that the tradition of decorating Christmas trees started over 500 years ago in Germany. Those trees were decorated with apples and cookies! We made three-dimensional Christmas trees, and decorated them with sparkly sequins. At home, you can stand them up, and they could even be a centerpiece!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)