A look at our learning...
Fundations: we have begun our final Fundations unit in kindergarten. Please look through the parent packet sent home today for ways to help your child end the school year successfully and for ideas on how to support learning at home.
Our focus has been on building sentences. I say a short sentence, such as “The cat is on the bed,” and students repeat it, count the words, and help write it. If a word is not on the word wall, they tap it out to determine how to spell it. We also make sure to begin each sentence with a capital letter and end with appropriate punctuation. Once the sentence is complete, we practice reading it fluently. This work supports students in becoming more independent writers during writing time as well.
Next week's new spelling words:
are
has
Science: Mrs. Canepa, one of our media specialists, visited our classroom Tuesday through Friday this week to co-teach a science unit on weather. She was with us each day for the entire morning. While our schedule may not have been typical and included a stronger focus on science, it also incorporated meaningful reading, writing and math components.
We learned about the sun’s warming effects on the Earth and how it influences our weather. Over the past month, we observed daily weather and collected data, which we then used to identify patterns and make predictions about upcoming weather.
Students also worked collaboratively to design a structure that would protect our pretend characters, Milo and friends, from the sun. They were excellent engineers this week!
Here are a few photos from our week and the final project we completed today. You can find even more on our class Facebook page!
Math: we are currently learning about 3D shapes. Students are exploring and identifying shapes such as cubes, cones, spheres, cylinders, pyramids, rectangular prisms, and triangular prisms. By the end of kindergarten, students are expected to independently identify all of these 3D shapes, along with the 2D shapes they have already been working on and should have mastered on the last report card.
We are building this understanding through hands-on activities, discussions, and real-world connections to help students recognize these shapes in their everyday environment. Please check your child's Friday Folder for the Math Parent Packet and how to help extend their learning at home.
Friday Craft: students had the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to create a lion or a lamb. This activity connected to our March Calendar Time/Number Corner, where we learned the phrase “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb,” discussed its meaning, and tracked whether each day of March was more “lion-like” or “lamb-like” in its weather.
Since we transitioned from March to April in the middle of the week, this craft was a fun and meaningful way to wrap up our learning. We also read a matching book to further reinforce the concept and bring the saying to life for students.
April Fools' Day: teachers and staff at Beulah Ralph Elementary definitely know how to make April Fools’ Day fun! 😂
In our classroom, I told the kids I wanted to give them a little extra treat and handed out “brownies”… keeping the most serious, straight face I could.
Meanwhile, they were all staring down at their “brown e’s” with the most confused, puzzled looks ever! 😂 It took a minute, but once it clicked, the reactions were priceless. I seriously wish we had recorded it!
Don’t worry—I had real brownies hidden and ready to go. I’m not that mean! 😂
Several classrooms planned their own little pranks, but the best one of all was a school-wide surprise led by our office staff. Over the intercom, they announced it was time to practice a flash flooding drill—something we’ve obviously never done before. It worked out perfectly with the rain today! The confusion was immediate and hilarious! I didn’t catch the very beginning on camera, but trust me, it was so good. I ran from my spot across the room and jumped on my table and they just followed suit, no questions asked lol! Some classes even had their kids doing swimming arm motions… I really wish I would’ve thought of that! 😂
After a minute or two, the office came back on and said the drill was over—and oh yeah… Happy April Fools!
Check out a few of the funny photos below! Even more, and a video, are on the class Facebook page.
Planetarium Field Trips: Kindergarten will be visiting the planetarium at Rock Bridge High School on April 9th and 10th. They will learn about all things space! This trip is for students and teachers only. We will leave around 9 a.m. and return for lunch. Please make sure your child arrives at school on time on their scheduled day.
April 9: Concannon & Creasy
April 10: Croom, Imler, Williams
