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...

A special visitor

A look at our learning...

Fundations: this week we learned the letter name, sound and correct formation for lowercase s and d.  We discussed how b and d look similar, but b is a sky line letter and goes down first when we write it and d is a plane line letter and goes over first when we write it.  It is common for Kindergarteners to confuse b and d and is nothing to worry about at the moment.  Reversals at this point are developmentally appropriate. The goal is to have them mastered by the end of FIRST grade, so they still have time.   

Please use these verbal prompts when helping your child form their letters:

d-over, around, up, down (or we learned we can also say "c turns into a d" because if they can write a c, they can turn it into a d)

s-over, around, curve

Shared Reading: we read the poem 5 Little Pumpkins  and the Big Book Fire Truck this week.

Shared Reading is an interactive reading experience that occurs when students join in or share the reading of an enlarged text (big book) or poem.  Students observe their teacher modeling expert reading behaviors such as reading with expression and fluency. They see how print works, get the feel of reading and begin to perceive themselves as readers.  After practicing the above mentioned poems and books for the entire week, and becoming "experts" with those texts, they add their own smaller copy to their book box and poetry folder for independent reading.  Many of our books and poems also feature the new spelling word of the week for extra practice. 

Students are "buddy reading" in the photos below.  On Thursdays, after we have had several days of good practice with our Big Books, they are given their own copy to put in their book box as a familiar reading book.  They practice reading with a partner before adding to their book box.  I love listening to them become readers! 

Spelling Words: I have been very impressed with the first two spelling checks!  I appreciate your support at home and can tell many students have been practicing!  Keep up the great work!

Here is a picture of our Word Wall that you often hear me mention.  Once we have a learned a spelling word/word wall word, they go on this wall as a point of reference.  If a word is on this wall, it means we should be able to read and write it "quick and fast!" 

Next week's new spelling word:

see

Writing Workshop: we are learning how to add words, in the form of labels, to our stories. To adults, it might be confusing as to why labeling is important, but it is a stepping stone to writing sentences and stories!  First, a child must be able to verbally tell a story (which they can all do), then they must be able to legibly draw a picture to match their verbal story (still working on this) and labeling comes next.  The labels help tell the story.  Once they are experts at this, we can move onto actual sentences.  Even a sentence in Kindergarten is considered a "story." Some students are already writing a sentence and that is great! However, they will still add labels to their picture in addition to their sentence.

Math:  this week we worked on shapes, addition and subtraction number stories and did a fun Halloween graphing activity that they were also able to eat!  Learning with food is always fun!  This paper is coming home in their folder today, ask them about it!

I want to give my class a special shoutout!  On Wednesday, 15 principals from around the district came to observe select classrooms at Beulah Ralph.  They came in 3 groups of 5 and each group observed for 5-7 minutes.  The groups included elementary, middle school, high school and even the career center principals!  They were blown away with the amazing learning they saw in our classroom during math time!  I'm so proud of my class and I know they felt pretty special as well hearing the rave reviews we received!  So awesome! 

Special visitor: we are so blessed to have Monica Naylor, Beulah Ralph's daughter, come speak to Kindergarten every year and tell us all about her special mother that our school is named after.  We heard a funny story from when she was a little girl and learned that she began the Home School Communicator program for CPS.  Monica and her mother are both amazing women. Ask your child all about the visit and to tell you the story they heard. (Hint-it's about how she used to like to play school as a child and tried to get her farm chickens to be her students).  

A copy of the story will come home with your child next week for you to enjoy together. 

Library: this week students were able to check out two library books!  They were so excited!  Please remember to keep library books in your child's backpack unless reading.  As the year goes on, we notice more and more students not having their books on library day.  We want you enjoying them at home, but put them right back in their backpack when finished.  Please don't leave on a nightstand, special shelf or basket, couch, etc.  Thank you for your help with this!  They are only allowed to check out books if they return the ones from the previous week and it is much more helpful if they can check them out during our actual library time on Tuesday's. 

Friday Craft: we read the book Frankenstein doesn't wear earmuffs! and made our own Frankenstein!

Morning Work:   on Tuesday, Mrs. Fitch visited us from the media center and we were able to make buttons during our 8-8:20 morning work time.  The students designed their own button with crayons and scissors and used her cool machine to turn it into a button!  If they were at school that day, they wore one home on their shirt or backpack!  So fun!

Pajama Day: I am so proud of how well the students did when I was absent on Monday.  Mr. B gave them rave reviews and we had fun celebrating with a pajama day today as a reward!  There aren't many things cuter than kinders in pj's! 

More fun at school