Happy Halloween

A look at our learning...

Fundations: we learned the name, sound and correct formation for lowercase p and j.  

Please use the verbal prompts below:

p-dow...n, up, around

j-dow...n, curve up, dot

We had so much fun celebrating these letters with a grade level pj day on Thursday!

By the end of 1st trimester, which is now, your child should be able to:

*identify 40+ letters of the alphabet (uppercase and lowercase combined)

*name at least 10 letter sounds correctly

Writing Workshop: we are learning about where writers get ideas and how to put those ideas down on paper.  Right now "writing" is in the form of drawings and we are writing about everyday things that we do (riding our bikes, going to Level Up, going to the park, etc.)  This is why we have spent so much time learning how to draw people (not stick people), backgrounds/settings and 3 start coloring.  The students tell a story through their drawings and labels at this point in the year. 

Shared Reading and Spelling: this week we read the books I see Halloween and Who do you see?  Both are Halloween books that feature our new spelling word, the.  We worked on pointing to words when we read, monitoring on known words (being able to locate and read spelling words quickly that are in text, even if we don't know all the words in the text) and making connections to what we read, specifically sharing about our own Halloween costumes and plans. 

In the photos below, students are highlighting known words (word wall words) in the books mentioned above to help them when reading. 

Next week's spelling word:

like

Due to multiple short weeks in a row, we will introduce the new word, like, on Wednesday, November 6th.  We will have our next spelling check on Thursday, November 14th. I encourage you to begin practicing the word like over the next 5 days off of school, as it is our first 4 letter word.  I also encourage you to practice any words your child has missed on their spelling checks over the past couple of weeks. 

Read to Self: check out your students being readers, yes readers!  From learning letters to letter sounds to word wall words....putting all these skills together to be able to read familiar texts!  Every day we have a "read to self" time, which is a quiet 15-20 minute time after lunch where we independently read to ourselves.  We dim the lights and turn on lamps and it's a wonderful way to calm down after lunch and recess. 

Math: we worked on showing numbers in multiple ways, learning how to write numbers 0-10 with correct handwriting formation and measurement with non-standard objects (a popsicle stick).

Craft & Science: this week we made bats!  A fun way to incorporate Halloween and our living vs. non-living science unit! We also watched a cool Mystery Science video about bats!

Fall Parties: we had at a blast at our Fall Party today! The kids have been looking forward to their first school party of the year! Thank you to our room parents for organizing and to all the parents who sent in supplies or volunteered to help at the party!  We enjoyed yummy snacks, decorated pumpkins and had fun with our classmates!  We were so excited to wear our costumes and show them off during a school-wide parade.  Grades K-2 walked through the halls in our costumes while grades 3-5 cheered us on.  This was a student and staff only event that we hope becomes a new tradition! Here are a few photos.  Check our class Facebook page for more!

Also, check out the amazing door decoration that two of our wonderful class parents, Heidi Clements and Amanda Alexander, created!  The kiddos love it and we have received so many compliments!  How lucky we are to have so many amazing families at BEU! 

Library Check-out: due to no school on Tuesday, our next library check out time will be on Tuesday, November 12th.  Please remember to have your child keep their library books in their backpack at all times, unless reading.  

More fun at school, including a friendly game of arm wrestling with Mr. Foulk at lunchtime...

Kindergarten learning

A look at our learning...

Fundations: we learned the correct name, sound and letter formation for lowercase r and e this week. 

Please use the following verbal prompts (and make sure your child is saying these verbal prompts as well) when practicing at home:

r-down, up, curve

e-across, over, around, open

Shared Reading/Spelling: we've enjoyed some Fall and Halloween books and poems over the past couple of weeks.  This week, we read the book I see Halloween and the poem Pumpkins.  Both featured our word wall words a, I and see. They are also still loving our Five Little Pumpkins poem from last week! Ask them to sing it to you! It's too cute!

Next week's new spelling word:

the

Our test will be on Thursday, due to no school on Friday

Writing Workshop:  we are continuing to work on adding words, in the form of labels, to our stories.  We are writing about real things that we do at home or school.  I am so proud of the students for being brave and working hard on stretching out/sounding out words and writing the sounds they hear to add a label to their story (picture)!  This is hard work, and they are embracing it!

 

Check out some of our amazing writers below!  Are all words spelled correctly? Nope, but we don't expect that and neither should you (unless it's a Word Wall Word)!  We expect them to try and do their best!  We aren't perfect, nor do we expect them to be! Baby steps! At this point in the school year, if they have a beginning and an ending sound that's amazing!  For example: bs for bus or cr for car. 

Check out this cute writing activity they also completed!  It's on the bulletin board outside our classroom.  They all made suggestions on what I should be for Halloween!

Literacy Workstations: look at how focused our class is during literacy workstations!  Every day, they work with a partner and rotate through various literacy workstations.  These stations focus on a variety of things: letter names and sounds, practicing correct letter formation, practicing word wall words, writing, reading, rhyming, fine motor and more!  While they work with a partner at their stations, I am able to work with students one-on-one or in a small group on literacy skills at my teacher table. 

Math: we focused making combinations of 10 using a ten frame, shapes and are beginning to learn correct handwriting formation for numbers 0-10.  We discovered that if we can write those numbers, you can write any number in the whole entire world! They thought this was pretty cool!  

At the end of 1st trimester (October 31st), your child should be able to do the following:

*Count by 1's to at least 30

*Recognize numbers 0-10 (out of order)

*Write numbers 0-10 in order 

*Identify square, rectangle, triangle and circle

Can your child do these things? If not, they are great things to practice at home. 

Class goal: Last Friday, we celebrated making good choices with a substitute teacher with a pajama day.  We now have a new class goal.  We are working on earning class compliments from our specials teacher (music, art, media, P.E., library and counselor).  We are learning that it is important to listen and make good choices for ALL teachers, not just Ms. Concannon.  Every time they receive a whole class compliment from specials, we earn a leaf on a tree (see below).  Once we earn 10 stickers, they decided we'd celebrate with popsicles! Unfortunately, they only received one class compliment this week.  I am hoping this will motivate them to make good choices, even if I'm not with them.  I appreciate you talking with them about this at home.

October Reading Log and Sneaky Reading Challenge:  October reading logs can be turned in on Thursday, October 31st since the students will be off of school from November 1st-5th.  A reminder that reading, recording on the reading log and turning it in every month is a BEU school wide expectation.  K-1 students should be read to/read for at least 15 minutes/4 days a week.

This month's Sneaky Reading Challenge was "read before school."  I'd love to see more family participation with this! There is one week left to post the October challenge!  The challenge is shared every month on a note attached to the reading log.  You can post your child's photo on our class Facebook page at any time!  You do not need to wait for me to make a post!  Just snap a picture when you catch them doing the challenge and post!  Show your child you are posting the picture!  This is an easy way to promote reading and literacy, which is key in your child's education.  Thanks to those who have shared photos the past two months.  It warms my heart to see them! 

Craft: today we made these cute Candy Corn Bandits! We are so excited for Halloween and our Fall Party next week! 

Packmate of the Month: Yay Kimball!  He was chosen, by his peers, as our October Packmate of the month!  Our character trait this month was "Respectful." All K-5 winners were celebrated today at an assembly.  

Sadly, we were not reigning attendance champs, so our banner and flag will be leaving our classroom and going to Ms. Williams room, as her class had the best attendance in all of Kindergarten for the month of October! 

More fun and learning from this week...