Birthday thanks

A look at our learning...

Fundations: we continued our work on digraphs and fluently reading sentences.  We are learning that when we read, we want to sound like we do when we talk and not like robots (word by word).  

Shared Reading & Spelling: this week we read the Big Books Polly Gets Out, They Are On, and They Look.  They especially enjoyed Polly Gets Out, which is about a parrot who escapes from her cage.  Ask them to retell the story for you!  Being able to read is great, but being able to comprehend and retell stories we read is just as important!

I've noticed a steady decline in spelling test scores over the past few weeks. As we approach the end of kindergarten, the words we are learning will only become more challenging. It's more important than ever that students are regularly practicing at home. 

I understand that spring brings busy schedules with sports and other activities but establishing a consistent routine for spelling practice—just a few minutes each day—can make a big difference. By the end of kindergarten, it's essential that students are able to confidently read and write these foundational words to set them up for success in first grade.

Thank you for your continued support!

Next week's new spelling words:

he

his

Writing Workshop: students are enjoying our informational writing unit and learning about penguins.  Before we can become expert informational writers, we have to do the research!  We have read several books this week about penguins, as well as used resources such Pebble Go and Mystery Science to fill our brains with knowledge about penguins. We are taking notes that will help us when we go to write our informational books in the coming weeks. 

Math: this week we worked more on addition within 10, how teen numbers are a group of 10 and some left over and 3D shapes.  In the photos below, students are playing a 3D memory match game and taking a survey on who likes cats or dogs and making a graph from their findings. 

By the end of Kindergarten, all students should be able to identify the following 3D shapes: cylinder, sphere, cube, cone, pyramid.  A great way to practice these at home is by making flash cards!  Do a quick google search of images, print them out and practice them each night! 

Science: next week Mrs. Fitch will be joining us for several hours each day for a weather science unit.  While attendance is always important, you will especially want to make sure your child is at school every day, all day next week so they do not miss out on this fun, co-teaching unit of learning! 

Thank you: Thank you to our class room parent, Heidi Clements, for coordinating many special surprises for my birthday on Monday.  I loved the yummy cupcakes made by Carter's mom, the sweet cards that many students made for me and am so grateful for the generous gift card to Sake that many families contributed to.  Your kindness does not go unnoticed.  Thank you for making my special day such a great one!  If you want to feel loved on your birthday, an elementary school is definitely the place to be!

New Friend: we have a new friend!  Her name is Amaya!  We are so excited to have her as a part of our classroom family!

More fun from our week