Well, Room #7 is officially finished with learning Alphafriends! The cherubs are Alphafriend and Super Star vowel experts! Yahoo! Now, we can use that time for writing! In Kindergarten, the kiddos are at the moment the teachers as they work hard to write how-to stories. This week, I introduced a variety of mentor texts of different real-life examples of how-to stories. We read a few short recipes demonstrating how to cook various foods; we studied articles on how to create different types of jewelry. The kiddos even read a book about a baby learning how to walk! Then, they dove right in and started their own how-to stories. It was amazing to see how much excitement and eagerness the kids displayed, and they were totally motivated to start writing! They wanted to show all their expertise! Although we are in a different genre, the children learned the still important rule of planning out their books by touching and telling what each page will say. I also noticed many of our Kindergartners using informative labels to help their readers understand what they were teaching! Way to go, everyone!
We began discussing the importance of employing a standard measurement tool in order to determine an object’s length. After reading How Big is Your Foot?, the students figured out why it is necessary to utilize a ruler as opposed to an arbitrary object for measuring purposes. To emphasize this point, we traced the students’ feet and used them as tools to measure objects around the classroom. The kiddos soon discovered that using one’s foot as a measurement device was not consistent because everyone’s feet are different sizes. Keep reading to discover what other math concepts we honed in on this week!
Stations:
· Dozen Domino Dilemma – An oldie, but a goodie! This partner game gets the kiddos comparing numbers to determine which is greater, less than, or equal! Each partner was assigned a title: Dominos less than 6 and dominos greater than 6. Each person then chose a domino and determined who should get it. First person to accumulate a dozen dominos won!
· 10 Frame Numeration Boards – Using fun 10 frame manipulatives, groups worked on a variety of skills: comparing numbers to determine greater than and less than (and then saying the number sentence), writing teen numbers as a ten + ones = the teen, AND creating a variety of number sentences to 10 – all on a dry erase board! This was certainly a fan fav!
· Tub Game – At this center, students received practice describing a number by its parts. This week, the students worked with the number 10! This was a challenge, but a fun one, where they had to figure out how many cubes were underneath the tub! They then said the corresponding number sentence. For example, if I put 5 cubes under the tub, they had to discern how many more would equal ten. Lastly, they named the corresponding number sentence!
· Number Arrangements – At this station, the boys and girls explored various designs they could make using around 10 toothpicks, depending on each student’s individual skills and comfort level. After some experimenting, they then glued their creations on to a piece of paper. Finally, they subitized and wrote down the groups they recognized. So fun!
· Comparing Lengths – Using different sized string and cubes, students measured the various sizes of 2 pieces of string. Next, they compared the two sizes and wrote which was greater than, less than or equal to!
· Chicken Little Tessellation – To go along with our chick unit, we read the book, Chicken Little. Using Pattern Blocks, students made this loveable chicken and then counted how many of each block was needed. Lastly, they counted the total.
· Order of Daily Events - At this station, students brainstormed various events that occur daily. Then the challenge was to order those events onto a piece of paper, ensuring they were in the appropriate morning, noon, and night category!
During Daily Five this week, Room #7 discovered the final center within this workshop: Read to Someone (Buddy Reading)! Everyone was beyond excited to learn about this new activity. To start this venture, the class and I talked about partner etiquette! We discussed how to sit (EEKK – elbow to elbow, knee to knee) so that both Kindergartners can each see and hear the book, how to read (a whisper or 2 inch voice!), and how to take turns when reading with a partner. We will officially begin this new way of reading next week as well as exploring what it means to “Check for Understanding” to ensure that both partners are listening to the content of each other’s books! The kiddos are super excited to begin!
The boys and girls have been listening carefully to all parts of words, which helps them learn how to compare words and connect letters within the words. We’ve been working on hearing and saying the middle sounds in words; for example, a in cat.
Sometimes the vowel sounds within words are a challenge to hear. That’s why the class keeps practicing. As the children listen, they’re learning that:
• We can hear and say the sound in the middle of the word.
• Some words sound the same in the middle.
• You can match words that sound the same in the middle.
This is awesome practice for writing and reading! Everyone loves to practice this skill during Word Work in Daily Five because they use an iPad app to help them! So interactive and so much fun!
In Superflex the last few weeks, the boys and girls have been working on reading the room. In order to do this one needs to STOP and observe:
S: the space
T: the time
O: the objects being used
P: the people
The cherubs have really done an awesome job practicing this new skill! Moreover, Mrs. Grubbs even taught them a song to go along with it! See below and practice at home! The tune is to "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Have your cherubs teach you the movements! Stay tuned…we will be performing this at All School Meeting!