A look at our learning...
Fundations: this week we learned the name, sound and correct letter formation for lowercase v and w. They are "slant down" letters. The "slant down" can be a bit tricky for kids. When practicing at home this weekend, watch and see if they are slanting down the correct way.
Please use the following verbal prompts for correct formation:
v-slant down, slant up
w-slant down, slant up, slant down, slant up
Shared Reading & Spelling: we read the silly poem "Turkey, Turkey", which is set to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and all about telling a turkey to go hide out in the woods and we'll eat pizza like we should! Ask your child to sing the song to you! It's super cute!
We also read the book Who is in the tub? A fun book by Joy Cowley that featured our new spelling word is on every page and was all about washing farm animals in a tub.
We will not introduce new spelling words next week, due to the short week. We will resume spelling words when we return from Thanksgiving break. I encourage you to review the 10 words previously learned during our time off. Write them down on flash cards and have your child read them to you every night before bed. Practice writing them in fun ways: with markers, chalk on warmer days, get out some shaving cream and let them write their word in the shaving cream with their fingers, use bath crayons and have them write the words while taking a bath, so many options! When visiting with family, have your child "show off" how they can write their spelling words! I'm sure grandparents will be impressed!
Writing Workshop: we are moving further along in the writing process. We have moved from telling a story through pictures, to adding labels, to now writing a "story." In Kindergarten, a sentence is a story at this point in time. We are learning the writing process you see in the picture below. Students are expected to spell word wall words correctly and sound out/stretch out non word wall words. Look at how hard they are working!
Math: we learned a new game called "Roll & Record" that helps us with identifying numbers and forming them correctly, positional words and learned how to access games in the CPS Portal under the ConnectEd app. We focused on a game called "Number Line Squeeze" that works on greater than/less than, but they were also able to explore other games. You can access this at home by visiting the CPS website, having your child log-in with their username and password (sent home several weeks ago on a keypad for them to practice) and going to the ConnectED app. They loved it!
Counselor: this week they listened to the book Bear Says Thanks and discussed things they were thankful for. We will continue activities like this on Monday and Tuesday in our classroom in preparation for Thanksgiving.
Library: the library will not be doing whole class library checkouts next week since school is only in session two days. If you are traveling during the holidays, we ask that you please keep their library books at home in their backpacks and do not take on your travels. This will help ensure they return to school and are not lost. Thank you for your help with this.
During our library time this past week, they listened to the story A Good Place and shared and drew their happy place They are displayed in the hallway by the library. Check it out the next time you are at school! Ask your child where their happy place is!
Packmate of the Month: yay Arya! She was chosen, by her peers, as our November Packmate of the Month!
Lunch with the Principal: yay Calvin! He was chosen to have "Lunch with the Principal" for the month of November with these other Kindergarten friends and Mrs. Isenogle!
Disguise a turkey: we had so much fun sharing the "disguise a turkey" family projects over the past few weeks! I hope you enjoyed this special time with your child! Thank you for encouraging and embracing their creativity! We will proudly display them through the end of November and return home in December.
Class goal: we earned 10 compliments from our specials teachers and celebrated with a popsicle party on Tuesday.
We are going to continue to work on earning compliments from specials. When we earn our next 10 compliments, they decided they wanted their reward to be some 5th graders coming to read to us! They came up with this idea all on their own and I think it's so sweet! Several of them have 5th grade siblings and are so excited to have them come to our classroom! We have earned 2 of our 10 so far this week.
Next week: a reminder that Columbia Public Schools IS in session on Monday and Tuesday. Thanksgiving break is Wednesday-Friday. Attendance at school is so important and I hope to see everyone during those two days of school. Thank you for helping your child arrive to school on time and allowing them to stay all day. It's helped us earn the grade level attendance award twice this year!
I hope all of you have a wonderful, safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving! I am very thankful to you for sharing your kiddos with me each and every day and the support you give me as their teacher. I love my job and what I do!
One final cute photo for the week. These sweet boys twinning!
