This week, the students began writing their very own Elephant and Piggie adventures. The stories they are creating are full of detail, vibrant pictures, and many elements found in the series by Mo Willems. The kiddos are incredibly enthusiastic about their books and cannot wait to share them! Our author study is fully underway; we have many exciting projects on the horizon!
Math:
· Comparing Containers – At this station, the kiddos filled 2 containers of different sizes with cubes. Next, they had to determine which container held more and which held less cubes. After they labeled the containers with more, less, or same cards, they recorded their results using our “alligator” symbols.
· Combo Toss, Part 2 – This game provides a visual display of the number combinations that make up each sum from 1 to 10. With a partner, a cherub rolled 2 number cubes and built two stacks of cubes to match the numbers rolled. He/she then placed the two stacks in a column of the game board according to the sum of the numbers rolled. For an extension, as the students built their sums, they wrote down the corresponding number sentences! An extra challenge that the Kindergartners were excited to face!
· Dr. Seuss Addition Mats – Using animal manipulatives, Room #7 mathematicians created various addition number sentences!
· Tell Me Fast – This station encourages instant recognition of quantities to ten. The boys and girls of Room #7 were asked to use their subitizing and number combination skills to discern how many dots were on each card. The kids absolutely loved stating the number as quickly as they possibly could!
· 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!
· 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!
· Hiding – Working 1:1 with me, children showed me their Math fluency skills, letting me know how many more cubes they would need to add to the container to equal five! We have lots of mathematicians in Room #7!
As we delve into our Community Helper unit, students are learning about interview questions. On Monday and Tuesday, the boys and girls brainstormed and wrote 2 different types of questions to ask their specific community helper: a school question and an “I wonder” question. The groups discussed together what they each wanted to ask, making sure to “rock, paper, scissor” each other if and when 2 kiddos wanted to ask the same question. Next, they recorded their inquiries and practiced reading them to be prepared for the upcoming interviews! Groups interviewed Ms. Breslin, Ms. Salvucci, and Mrs. Knight all week and did an amazing job gathering pertinent information from each individual, learning how these women contribute to our Hastings community!
Room #7 is learning how to be problem solvers! Oftentimes, children can bicker over small problems or tattle on one another when something goes wrong. In order to help the cherubs learn how to resolve conflicts independently, we went over new lingo: “a bug and a wish”. When a problem arises between kiddos, the child who is bothered by something can say: “It bugs me when you ______________. I wish you would _____________.” This surprisingly simple dialogue hones in on the key point(s) of the argument and prevents it from going further. Moreover, because it’s easy to remember, the children can do this fairly independently (some adult intervention is needed while first beginning this strategy)! Try it at home for added practice!
The children 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 difficult 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.
Practice at home by challenging your cherubs to identify middle sounds while having conversations!
Happy Weekend!