Winter Party

We had a wonderful time at our Winter Party! Thank you so much to the parents who helped! Many kindergarteners told me this was "The best day in the whole world"! I hope you have a wonderful winter break and enjoy your time with your lovely children! School resumes January 3rd! Enjoy the pictures from the party!

5 Senses

It's been another busy week in room 222! We had the opportunity to learn from all the Kindergarten teachers and rotated classrooms to learn new math games and to complete science experiments using our five senses!

In Mrs. Richardson's room we played a game called "Roll a Snowman." The students worked in pairs to roll dice and add the dots (numbers) together. The sum gave them a picture to add to their snowman. In Ms. Mehwald's room we played the game of "double compare" which was adding 2 numbers together and writing the corresponding math equation on paper! In Mrs. Ottis's classroom, we played the game "Roll and Record." We worked on "counting on" from the bigger number! For example if a student rolled a 6 & 3, they would point to the 6 and say SIX...then point to the 3 dots and count on 7, 8, 9! The student would then record the number 9 on the chart! In our classroom we played the game "Race to 100." In this game students learned to "count on." They used a 100's chart and rolled a dice...they would color the number of squares that they rolled...then the second time around, they would "count on" from the current number! It was a race to get to 100! We had a great time working with partners and learning from all of the kindergarten teachers!

In the afternoon, we rotated to learn about the 5 senses! Mrs. Richardson taught us about the sense of touch! We learned that we can "feel" with our skin! We can feel smooth, bumpy, hot cold, soft and hard! We had to grab inside a bag and guess what it was! In Ms. Mehwald's room we learned about the sense of sight! She would put things on the table...then we would close our eyes and she would take one away...we would have to guess which one she took away! In Mrs. Ottis's room we learned about the sense of sound. We had 5 containers that were BLACK...each container had different things inside...we had to shake it, listen to the sound and guess what it was! In our classroom we learned about the sense of smell! I gave the students baggies containing different smells. We had to smell them and guess what it was! In our classroom we also learned about the sense of taste. We learned that the tip of our tongue tastes sweet things, the sides of our tongue tastes sour and salty things, and the back of our tougne tastes things that are bitter. During our taste test we paid close attention to where we were tasting on our tongue! THANK YOU to all of the parents who dontated items for our taste test. Please enjoy the pictures below!

Next week's schedule:
Monday-A-day
Tuesday-B-day (field trip to Kaleidoscope in the morning)
Wednesday-C-day
Thursday-D-day
Friday-A-day (POPCORN day)

We're also assessing on our ribbon goals for the 2nd quarter report card! Thank you for working with your child at home!

Needs and Wants

We have spent this week discussing needs and wants! It has been fun listening to the students justify why we "need" certain things! You need a phone in case of emergency...you need a car to go to the doctor! I enjoy listening to their minds think! We've discussed things we NEED in order to live...and things we want or would like to have! This week the kindergarten teachers took turns observing each other's classrooms in the morning for reader's workshop...the students had a great time working with partners from another kindergarten class. It is always fun to have someone else to read with!

In writer's workshop we have been busy creating nonfiction books! The students are really enjoying writing facts and are very proud of their work! In math we have been busy making and interpreting graphs.

We ended the day today with our 3rd grade buddies! We had so much fun teaching them how to learn and play at centers. Enjoy the pictures below!

Next Week's Schedule:
Monday-D-day
Tuesday-A-day
Wednesday-B-day
Thursday-C-day
Friday-D-day

Tonight is PTA movie night...bring your pillow/blanket and enjoy a movie for free with your family. The movie starts at 7:00! Popcorn and water will be on sale!

2nd Quarter Midterm Celebration!

We have been busy celebrating our success this week! English Landing Kindergarten students got together on Tuesday for our second quarter midterm ribbon ceremony! Our students were very proud of the ribbons they earned! Please take note of the areas where your child needs extra practice and spend time practicing at home! My goal is for all Kindergarten children to earn the yellow ribbon (recognizing all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters), the black ribbon (producing 42 Jolly Phonics sounds), the blue ribbon (counting to 100), the red ribbon (identifying the numbers 0-31), and the orange ribbon (reading all 31 Kindergarten sight words) by the end of 2nd Quarter! Keep up the hard work!

**We have scheduled our kindergarten field trip to Kaleidoscope for Tuesday, December 11th...9:00-11:30 a.m. (we can have as many chaperones as we want...so everyone is welcome, however, chaperones will need to transport themselves). More information will be coming home on Monday, November 26th...but I wanted to let you know of the date/time in case you'd need to mark it on your calendar.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday-C Day
Tuesday-D Day
Wednesday-A Day
Thursday-B Day
Friday-C Day

Thanksgiving

Our Kindergarten students have been learning about the first Thanksgiving this week! We have made a lot of text-to-self connections comparing the first Thanksgiving to our own Thanksgiving celebrations! We also compared and contrasted the lives of the Pilgrim children to our own lives. We all agreed that we are happy to be children in 2012 instead of 1620! Have your child share his/her knowledge with you and challenge him/her to read his/her Thanksgiving books to you!

We have been learning how to make and interpret bar graphs in math! The students have been very successful in mastery of this concept!

Our Kindergarten class was very sad to say good-bye to our student teacher Ms. Drake! We learned so much from her and know her future students will be very lucky to have a her as a teacher! Enjoy our class picture with Ms. Drake!

Our students made a "Sight Word Gobbler" to help us practice Kindergarten sight words! On Monday, Kindergarten midterms come home! Please refer to the areas where your child needs extra practice! Please remember that I would like all Kindergarten students to be able to read all the sight words fluently by the end of the semester! Please click on the link on the right to find a list of sight words!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday-A Day
Tuesday-B Day
Wednesday-Friday-No School Thanksgiving Break!

Family

We have been busy learners in Kindergarten! In writer's workshop this week we have been working very hard to write a book. Our students made books with a title page, a beginning, middle, and end. We will be publishing our stories early next week! I know our students will be very excited to share their books with you!

In reader's workshop our students have been busy reading and writing words with digraphs (two consonants put together to make a new sound). We are also learning how to identify story elements (characters, setting, problem, and solution) during read alouds and when we are reading independently! We have also been working hard to read new books with a partner! In fact, on Thursday we worked so hard during our partner reading time that our WHOLE class received an Eagle Excellence Award. The picture on the blog this week will be shown to the whole school during morning announcements. Way to go Kindergarten!

This week we learned about the election and even had the chance to vote for president! We learned about the president's job and what he does for our country!

In math we played a lot of really fun pattern games! The students are creating and naming some very complicated patterns! I am very proud of our hard work!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday-D Day
Tuesday-A Day
Wednesday-B Day
Thursday-C Day
Friday-D Day

Fall Fun

The Kindergarten students have been so busy learning this week!  We have FNISHED our Jolly Phonics program!  Continue to review the Jolly Phonics sounds (especially the double letter sounds) periodically at home.  Our students are working very hard to earn the black sound ribbon (producing all 42 Jolly Phonics sounds).  We have been learning about story elements this week!  We learned that characters are the important people, animals, or things in a story.  We have been identifying the characters in the books we are reading in class.  The students have also been working hard to retell the story in order.  I am proud of their hard work.

Writer's Workshop is becoming a favorite part of our Kindergarten day!  We have a lot of amazing authors in our classroom.  The students brainstormed a list of ideas that we can use when we are stuck and don't know what to write about.  The students have learned how to write a title for their stories.  We have been working hard to write a beginning sentence that tells who, where, and when.  The students are having so much fun creating books!

The Kindergarten kids have been working very hard to create and extend patterns.  We have learned how to make many different kinds of patterns.  The students have learned how to name patterns using letters and numbers!  We have enjoyed making patterns with M & M's, candy corn/pumpkins, and other fun snacks!

One of our favorite activities of the week was making words with letter Cheeze-its!  The students worked hard to make three and four letter words.  Enjoy looking at the pictures below of this fun activity!  THANK YOU to all of the paretns who donated fun snacks for us to use this week while learning!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday - C Day
Tuesday- D Day
Wednesday-A Day
Thursday- B Day
Friday-C Day

Scarecrows

Today your Kindergarten student is bringing home his/her first quarter report card!  Our students have learned so much during their first quarter in Kindergarten.  Please take some time to celebrate with your very special Kindergartner with a RED PLATE dinner!  I am so proud of our hard work and the growth we have made this quarter.  We had our "ribbon ceremony" today and had fun celebrating with our friends who have met Kindergarten goals!  Don't forget to sign and return your child's report card envelope!

Please remember to write your child's last name on his/her coats, hats, gloves, etc.  Lost items are placed in our school's "Lost and Found".  Unclaimed items are kept in Lost and Found for one month.  After one month these items are donated to charity.  If your child's name is on your lost item, it will NOT be donated!  Help your items find their way home by writing your name!

The students had a great time at our Fall Festival Party!  Thank you to all of the parents who donated items, prepared for the party, and helped today!  It was AWESOME!
Next Week's Schedule:
Monday-C Day
Tuesday-D Day
Wednesday- A Day 
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Thursday- NO SCHOOL
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Friday-NO SCHOOL

Fire Safety

This week our Kindergarten class has been busy learning how to stay safe around fire.  We learned to call 911 when there is an emergency.  We learned to stop, drop, and roll if our clothes catch on fire.  We practiced a fire drill at school.  Please take some time this weekend to talk with your family about your fire safety plan at home.  What is your family's meeting place?  This is also a good time to practice your address and phone number with your child.  It is very important for your child to know this information in an emergency.  Jeremy O'Brien (Justin's dad) is a firefighter.  He came to our class and taught us how to be safe during a fire emergency.  He dressed in his firefighting gear so we could see what a fireman looks like and would not be afraid if a fireman was helping us.  Enjoy looking at the pictures from his visit!

We finished our 6th Jolly Phonics sound book (y, x, ch, sh, and th).  We only have ONE sound book left to go!  Continue to practice reading and writing words with the sounds, especially the double letter sounds!  Please remember to help your child complete the Word List homework!  Completing this homework is very beneficial for helping your child GROW as a reader!

We have been very busy learning how to "stretch out our sounds across our fingers" to write words to label pictures during writer's workshop!  We are very good at writing 3 letter words but writing longer words can be very challenging!  Next week we will learn and practice writing sentences in our stories.

In math we continue to study 3D shapes!  The students are really beginning to identify these shapes in their environment.  Continue to practice identifying these shapes at home!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday- NO SCHOOL TEACHER WORK DAY
Tuesday-C Day
Wednesday- D Day
Thursday- A Day
Friday-B Day

Fall

The students have been learning that during the fall seasonvthe weather turns cooler, the leaves begin to change colors, animals find food and eat a lot to prepare for winter.  The students have had the opportunity to experience these fall changes this week!  Brrrr....it is cold outside.  Please remember to dress your child appropriately for recess!  I suggest leaving a jacket and a hat in your child's backpack so he/she is always prepared for cool weather.

The students are working so hard to learn Jolly Phonics sounds!  We are ALMOST finished with our Jolly Phonics program.  PLEASE continue to practice the sounds every night at home.  This week we learned the sounds for oo, y, x, and ch.  The students learned that ch is a part of the "h" brother family and is the VERY noisy brother!  We have been busy reading and writing words with these sounds.  I am so proud of the hard work students are doing at home practicing blending sounds on Word List homework!  Please help your child "blend" the sounds together and read the words on the word lists.  Don't forget to sign your name to the list and return it to school.

We have really jumped into work in Writer's Workshop.  This week we focused on drawing detailed pictures.  We visualized the picture we wanted to draw in our minds and tried to see what it looked like in real life.  Then, we tried our best to draw the picture.  We didn't give up even if the picture was hard to draw.  We worked really hard to draw people with arms, bodies, legs, hands, feet, and all the facial features.  We used words to label the items in our picture to help our readers know what we were writing about.

In math we have been busy learning 3D shapes.  The students have been exploring their environment and looking for spheres, cylinders, cones, cubes, rectangular prisms, and pyramids.  We have been comparing and contrasting the shapes by looking at the "faces" and the "edges".  We ended the week playing the "Game of Compare" with our third grade buddies.  We worked on number identification while playing this fun game with a third grade friend.

Our schedule for next week:
Monday - B Day
Tuesday- C Day
Wednesday D Day
Thursday- A Day
Friday- B Day

Seasons

Our Kindergarten students have been very busy learning this week! We have been working on our fifth sound book and have learned the sounds for z, w, ng, and v.  The students have been busy "blending" the sounds together to read words and "segmenting or stretching the sounds out" to write simple words.  The students have also been practicing reading Kindergarten sight words!  The students were very excited to practice putting these skills together to read BOOKS during our guided reading groups! The students have been practicing reading independently during our "Read to Self" time and have also been learning how to read with a partner during our "Read With Someone " time.  The students have learned to sit EEKK (elbow to elbow, knee to knee, book in the middle so we both can see) while reading with a partner!  The pictures for today's post show our students sitting EEKK practicing reading!.

We have been busy learning about the four seasons!  The students have learned how the change of the seasons affect people (we dress differently, our activities change, etc.), plants (we learned how trees change throughout the year), and animals (hibernating, birds migrating, etc.).  Quiz your child at home and see if he/she can tell you the four seasons and how the weather changes during each season.

In math, the students have been identifying 2D shapes.  We have been using attributes to compare shapes and describe how the shapes are different.  We ended the week working with our 3rd grade buddies to use 2D shapes to make an Angry Bird!  Ask your child to identify 2D shapes (square, rectangle, circle, triangle, and rhombus) and describe at least one attribute for each shape!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday- A Day
Tuesday- B Day
Wednesday-C Day
Thursday- D Day
Friday- A Day

Apples

We are working on learning the sounds in our fourth sound book (ai, j, oa, ie, ee/or).  This sound book is challenging and features double letter sounds.  We learned the rule "when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" to help us remember the double letter sounds.  Learning and applying these sounds is very difficult for our Kindergarten kids!  Please practice producing the sound when shown the letters, writing the letters when given the sound, and blending words that contain these sounds (pie, tie, train, boat, goat, bee, see, fort, etc).  It is very important for students to begin to apply this letter/sound knowledge when reading unknown words. 

Our class has been reading nonfiction and fiction stories around an apple theme!  We have been making mini-books that contain our Kindergarten sight words and have been practicing reading these stories to ourselves and to a partner!  We are working on reading with a "reading finger" and pointing to the words as we read. The Kindergarten students are so excited to be able to READ these stories!  Continue to practice the 31 Kindergarten sight words at home.  The more fluent our students become with these words, the better reader he/she will become!  The students really enjoyed making homemade applesauce and eating it on Wednesday,  (Recipe for Applesauce: 20 sliced and peeled apples, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of Red Hots.  Cook in a crockpot on HIGH for 5/6 hours, mashing the apples several times while cooking).  Ask your child if he/she enjoyed our homemade applesauce!

We are continuing to build our number sense.  We have been focused on the numbers in the teens!  We have practiced identifying the numbers, writing the numbers, ordering numbers, and playing fun math games to help us manipulate the numbers.  Continue to practice number identification at home!

Schedule for Next Week:
Monday - D Day
Tuesday- A Day
Wednesday - B Day
Thursday- C Day
Friday- D Day

Ribbon Ceremony

Today we celebrated Kindergarten success by holding our first Ribbon Ceremony! We celebrated in the cafeteria with ALL the Kindergarten students at English Landing! Students were recognized for meeting one or more of our eight Kindergarten "ribbon" goals (naming the uppercase and lowercase letters, counting to 100, recognizing the numbers 0-31, producing all 42 Jolly Phonics sounds, reading all 31 Kindergarten sight words, reading at a level 4, identifying the coins and their values, and earning an Eagle Excellence Award for good behavior)! It was so exciting to see ribbons on our classroom ribbon bulletin boards! We discussed the need to work hard and practice learning goals at home in order to meet Kindergarten goals and EARN ribbons!

Schedule for next week:
Monday-C Day
Tuesday-D Day
Wednesday-A Day
Thursday-B Day
Friday-D Day

Feelings

The Kindergarten kids have learned so much in this short week! We have finished the second Jolly Phonics sound book (s,a,t,i,p,n,c,k,e,h,r,m,d)! The students have been learning how to read simple three to four letter words made from these sounds (pat, hit, man, set, pant, and many more)! We have also been working hard to "stretch" out the sounds to write simple words! Please continue to practice these skills at home! We have also learned six Kindergarten sight words (a, I, me, my, and, can). Please practice these words at home!

We have been building our number sense and working on identifying numbers! Next week we will really focus on numbers in the teens! Have an amazing weekend!

Our schedule for next week is:
Monday- B Day
Tuesday- C Day
Wednesday- D Day
Thursday- A Day
Friday- B Day