Thank You! Thank you for all of your donations to our spring celebration and snack. We are always in need of snacks for the class. If you prefer to send a snack in for just your child, you are welcome to do that. Thank you for your help! ScienceWe have begun exploring force and motion with our unit titled Push, Pull, Go! We have discussed the terms: force, motion, push, pull, and gravity. It has been interesting to hear our class' ideas on these concepts. My favorite is how many of them relate force to Star Wars. "May the Force Be With You." ;P So far in this unit we have worked with partners to build ramps and swings and experimented with the force used for each to work. More recently, we worked with dominoes and have played with forces with them. The class LOVES when I go over the day with them and mention a Push, Pull, Go lesson! This is a fun unit that incorporates a lot of hands on learning. Perfect for our young minds! MathematicsThe focus of our number talks has shifted to place value, addition, and dot images. We have been working to recognize that the number 14 really means 1 ten and 4 ones. Recently, we are pushing our thinking to recognize that the number 141 does not necessarily mean 1 hundred, 4 tens and 1 one, but can also be looked at as 14 tens and 1 one. We have continued playing addition games, such as Double Compare, Racing Bears, and Roll and Record 2 which practice readiness skills for addition. To practice additiat home, Just this week, I have begun introducing open ended, numberless story problems to children. These are very thought provoking, real life situations that require students to really direct the information they are given, decide what information they need, and then determine what may be asked of them with the information. Then, we've had students choose a number they are comfortable with, and to set up their own problem with it. It has been fun and engaging, and is a great way for students to differentiate their own work! I have been able to provide relevant extensions for students without providing them more problems to work through! An example of one such problem is: Mia brought in grapes for snack. She wants to share some. We discuss what we do notice about the story, what we wonder about it, what we think might be a question asked from the story, and what information would be useful to have for this story. Then students pick their number and represent their story on the paper. What fun! ELAOur overall sight word development continues to amaze me! Your hard work with our sight word book is showing! The ability to read sight words (or Power Words) at flash speed is essential to building reading fluency and comprehension. Please spend a few minutes each night working on these words. Students word blending skills are also soaring, and their sponge-like minds have been soaking up concepts briefly mentioned in mini lessons. So many of them are ready to practice basic books! You may find that books are sent home with your child in the near future. It’s very important that these books are cared for and returned, as they are important tools for others in the class and for future classes. While reading, continue to ask your child questions to ensure they are comprehending the stories. Is it fiction or non-fiction? Who are the characters? Who is the main character? What is the setting/conflict/resolution? How do the pictures help you understand the story? What connections can you make? Practice with these skills will be beneficial to their reading success in the remainder of Kindergarten as well as in their future schooling. In terms of units of study, we are working in the unit titled Ready, Set, Grow! In this unit, students will explore living vs. nonliving as well as how plants grow. The real life application of this unit makes it fun and engaging! Please consider using the reading journal sent in your child's folder as a tool for success! Writing*Work from top to bottom and left to right. *Start sentences with a capital letter. *Use punctuation marks to end sentences. *Use the word walls to spell. *Use finger spaces in between words. Odds And EndsSHOES: When dressing your child, please remember that we do go outside for recess most days. Proper footwear will help prevent injuries! In addition, we have gym Mondays and gym shoes are necessary. If rain boots are needed, please send in a spare pair of shoes to change into.
CLOTHING: As the weather gets warmer, we will be using the air conditioner in the building. Tank tops and sleeveless shirts are not always warm enough. Please consider sending in a sweater each day with your child, or leaving one here with them in case. WATER: As the weather gets warmer, I will encourage you to send a water bottle in with your child. The screw tops are ok, but not preferred as they tend to get spilled often. Also, please stick with water because juices are very sticky when spilled. Please look at the calendar sent home a few weeks ago with the schedule for star student. We don't want to have anyone miss their turn! Also, the ABC countdown calendar was sent home this week. Please try to participate to make it fun for everyone!Thank you! THANK YOU! I want to express my appreciation for your generosity over the past few weeks with the 100th day, Valentine’s Day, everyday snacks, and various other supplies. Your supplies and treats have helped to make this time of year special. ScienceWe have been finished our unit on Wood and Paper! It was so much fun to see the children explore the properties of wood and paper and to make connections between the two items and items we use in our everyday lives. Throughout the remainder of the year, we will be working on various constructions using wood and paper such as paper mache, paper weaving, and wood stacking. Next up, we will be exploring force and motion with Push, Pull, Go! Social StudiesWe spent a lot of time focusing on the presidents and the role of presidents in the United States. Your children have taken a strong interest in this area-namely the lives of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Ask them about it! More recently, we have begun a unit on Economics. So far we have discussed Wants vs. Needs, Goods and Services, Human Resources, and Scarcity. We use familiar songs and picture books to help make connections. It is such an interesting unit that children can really relate to. I love introducing young children to this study! MathematicsWe have been playing games such as Toss the Chips, One More, One Fewer, and Double Compare, which all practice readiness skills for addition, number sentences, and fact families. Our number talks have been a great way to enhance understanding of the composition of numbers, as we talk about what numbers look like in different forms, how we make them, and ways to use them. At home, ask your child ways to make numbers and to tell you stories about making numbers. For example: 6. Six looks like two rows of three dots on a dice, it’s five tally marks and one more, it’s three and three more or 2 and 6 more, and if I had 1 gum ball and my sister had 5 gum balls, we have six gum balls. We have recently moved on to a deeper study on shapes. At this point in the unit, students should be identify the basic 2D shapes: square, rectangle, circle, triangle, oval, and hexagon, as well as their attributes. We talk a lot about how changing the position of these shapes does not actually change the shape. This week we will talk more about 3D shapes: sphere, cylinder, cube, and cone. Students must be able to identify these shapes for their report card. ELAThank you for all of your work with our weekly sight word practice. It’s amazing how many sight words the class is reading right how! The ability to read sight words (or Power Words) at flash speed is essential to building reading fluency and comprehension. Please spend a few minutes each night working on these words. Students word blending skills are also soaring, and their sponge-like minds have been soaking up concepts briefly mentioned in mini lessons. So many of them are ready to practice basic books! You may find that books are sent home with your child in the near future. It’s very important that these books are cared for and returned, as they are important tools for others in the class and for future classes. While reading, ask your child questions to ensure they are comprehending the stories. Is it fiction or non-fiction? Who are the characters? Who is the main character? What is the setting/conflict/resolution? How do the pictures help you understand the story? What connections can you make? Practice with these skills will be beneficial to their reading success in the remainder of Kindergarten as well as in their future schooling. In terms of units of study, we are completing our unit My Shadows. In this unit, students have explored how shadows are made and what is needed to make a shadow. We need 1. light, 2. something to block the light, and 3. a place for the shadow to land. We have explored how shadows move and change according to the position of the light source and the distance the blocking object is from the light source. It has been a lot of fun! (And walking outside has taken quite a bit longer as our curiosity has gotten the best of us!) ;P Good Readers |
AuthorMrs. Johnson Archives
January 2018
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