Wow - I can't believe it is already October! What another busy and fun week we had in Kindergarten. Enjoy the pictures and summary of the week. Please make sure to see the reminders and action items at the end of the post - Spirit Week and Field Trip info!
Let's take a look at the week...
Fundations:
The children continued to practice writing "sky line" and "plane line" letters by participating in class skywriting activities, writing on their writing tablets, and drilling sounds with Echo the Owl. This week we introduced "i" and "u." We discussed how these letters are special because they are vowels. The kids were taught that vowels are special because there needs to be at least one vowel in every word. Now that vowels have been introduced we are ready to start writing CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. We only practice writing the letters that have been formally taught. I encourage the kids to say the word slowly to hear all the sounds. I also model "tapping" out each letter - this strategy will be taught to the kids later in the year.
The children also took turns narrating the story, "Echo Finds Dinner" while I acted it out using baby Echo. The children retold this familiar story in their own words based on the motions made by Echo. I loved listening to their stories and I was amazed by how accurate their retellings were!
Math: Look for Small Groups
This week during math, we focused on recognizing and naming groups of up to 4 objects and images without counting. This skill (subitizing) is essential to students’ number work. Although some students may count to determine how many, the focus of this lesson is on recognizing groups of objects without counting. The children practiced recognizing small groups of objects in picture books and in our classroom environment (such as 2 scoop chairs or 3 plants). When students use number names to describe groups of objects in the classroom, students are relating quantity to physical objects.
The kids also worked in math centers this week working on Stage 1 and Stage 2 of connecting cubes, pattern blocks, geoblocks, and picture books.
Journals: Habit #2
This week during morning meeting we had many conversations about Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. This habit is all about having a plan and setting goals. I asked each of the K kids to come up with a goal. Many of the kids said they wanted to learn how to read or cross the monkey bars.
Phonics:
Every day during morning meeting we spend about 15 minutes working on phonemic awareness, using the Heggerty curriculum. The lessons are engaging and fun! We use "choppers" to chop out syllables and clap to make compound words. The class favorite has been the nonsense words with various categories - names, colors.
D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read)
Every day the children spend quality time with books. They are encouraged to engage with the books in many different ways. They can choose to go on picture walks, look for small groups, identify letters, read, etc. They are encouraged to swap out the books in their bins as often as they would like.
Morning Work
When the kids enter the classroom each day they know to change into their school shoes, sanitize hands, and get started with their morning work. Morning work is typically phonics/word work or a review of something that we have been working on in class. This is a great opportunity to see how the kids engage with the work and if they are able to complete the task independently or with teacher support.
STEM Challenge: Create a Styrofoam Structure
Have you ever used Magic Nuudles? They are non-toxic/biodegradable and let kids build and build without tape or glue. Simply moisten them with a little bit of water and they will stick to just about anything! The kids watched a short video for inspiration and they got right to work building their styrofoam structures!
PE:
PE class starts with a student-led warm-up followed by many fun gross motor games including Sharks & Minnows, Red Light Green Light, Stock Pile Volleyball, Freeze/Melt Noodle Tag, and Builders & Breakers! On occasion, the kids get to experience free choice in the gym where they can freely explore scooters, pool noodles, and balls.
Recess:
Free Choice & Other Pics:
Reminders & Action Items:
-It's Spirit Week next week so show your school spirit!
Monday: Fandom Day
Tuesday: Mismatch Day
Wednesday: Roycemore Day
Thursday: Pajama Day
Friday: Beach Day
-Please send $10.00 in with your child to cover the cost of our bus for the field trip. You can send cash in an envelope with your child's name and "Mrs. Aksimitowski".
Comments