Thank you to everyone who was able to attend Curriculum Night on Thursday! It was so wonderful to see you all and be able to discuss more fully your children’s days. In addition, I still have volunteer sign-up sheets if anyone is interested in adding your John Hancocks. Lastly, if families are able to contribute certain consumables that the class uses every day, please take note of the tree full of apples outside the classroom that lists what is needed. Thank you.
Room #7 Kindergarteners are busy as always! We will begin our Job Chart next week which will rotate every two weeks, and I introduced our first circle (sight) word (the word “I”) on Monday! It is currently our password to get into Room #7. The students not only need to read the word but also have to spell it: “I, uppercase I.” The kiddos are loving it! Every week, I will introduce a new circle word and send it home so that you, the families at home, are aware of the new word! Have fun! Read on for some snippets of our week!
On Monday, Room #7 had its very first Writing lesson! The class and I discussed how writing begins with pictures! I explained to the class that I know that they are experts on SO many things, so before beginning our writing, Room #7 writers brainstormed a list of things they know. They thought of activities they know how to do, people, and places they know. What a list! Next, I modeled how drawing our picture really gets our brain ready for writing. I drew a picture of all the things I know about swimming. Then, as an extra challenge, I labeled items in my picture with the beginning sound. We discussed my picture, and the writers noticed that it was bigger than my hand; I used more than 5 realistic colors (no green hair there!), and I incorporated a background so that readers knew what was happening in my story. Next up, the boys and girls picked something that they know about and got to work. During our first whole-class sharing, 6-7 cherubs revealed what they have been working on, and the rest of the class listened and observed their detailed drawings with background! What an awesome way to start, boys and girls!
I was very impressed with all the details the class chose to include in their very important stories!
On Thursday, we read the story, How Full is Your Bucket? It is a wonderful narrative about a little boy named Felix. This charming book explains to children how being kind not only helps others but also helps themselves. As he goes about his day, Felix interacts with different people. Using the metaphor of a bucket and dipper, Felix’s grandfather explains why positive interactions with others make Felix feel good while negative dealings leave him feeling bad. The grandfather also shows Felix how he himself is affecting others, whether he means to or not. This beautifully illustrated story contains a powerful message: that the way we relate to others has a profound impact on every aspect of our lives. The students of Room #7 discussed this concept and thought of ideas on how to fill each other’s bucket. It was quite touching to hear all the ideas the students had to help one another be safe and happy. To bolster this discussion, we now have a class bucket. Throughout the year, as people fill each other’s bucket, we will add pompoms to it! We already have quite a few! Room #7 is full of Bucket Fillers!
The students have worked hard at making our second class book! It is a BINGO type book that has everyone’s name spelled out with stamps, an activity completed in our Writing Center during Choice Time. Once everyone has finished, we will be able to read it together and sing the modified song! What fun!
We are continuing to focus on our counting skills and one-to-one correspondence in Math. The boys and girls worked on the following stations this week:
- Cover the Dots - Given mats with different amounts of black dots on them, students practiced their 1:1 correspondence and counting skills by covering these dots with double-sided counters. This is a skill the Kindergartners will continue to hone for weeks to come!
- Brown Bear Roll and Count – Each Brown Bear animal was labeled with a number, a replication of one side of a die. When the cherubs rolled that number, a marker was placed on that specific animal. The students continued to roll the die until an animal “won”. This activity was a class favorite!
- Foam Ten Frames – Using our foam ten frames, the cherubs were able to manipulate the pegs to represent a given number. To begin, we chatted about how each ten frame has five spaces on the top and five spaces on the bottom, with a total of 10 spaces. The kiddos and I also discussed how you always start by filling up the top frame first and then move onto the bottom frame for higher numbers. Everyone loved manipulating the foam pegs to show the different numbers! This was definitely enjoyed by all!
- Creation Station - At this repeat station, cherubs concentrated on reproducing various items (table, dog, robot, giraffe) using Unifex cubes!
- Pattern Block Number Cards – While at this station, the students used pattern blocks to create numbers zero through twelve. Before building their number, they had to announce what it was!
- Geoboards – Using rubber bands and various-sized geoboards, the mathematicians of Room #7 loved creating different shapes and designs. They had so much fun exploring this new Math tool.
The class is doing an outstanding job with all of the Math stations. Moreover, we also talked about making sure to participate in new stations before returning to previous ones, and everybody is working on doing exactly what’s expected and following our important routines! Way to go Room #7!
Important Notes:
School Picture Day: Friday, September 30th. Rain date is Thursday, October 13th.
P.E.: Please remember to send your child with sneakers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Please also separate your child’s snack from his/her lunch to avoid any confusion as to what he/she should eat at which time. Additionally, if you can review with your child which bag is which (snack or lunch), this will help avoid any misunderstandings! Thank you!
Please continue to remember to check your child’s folder each day.
Again… Please send a note whenever your child has a change in dismissal plans.
****PLEASE send in a picture of you family ASAP if you have not done so. Next week we will continue learning about each other and I would like each child to be able to share a picture of his/her family. If you do not have a recent picture, you can take one and email it to me and I will be happy to print it out!****
Enjoy the fall weather this weekend!