Word Work

Greetings!

This week we are focusing on our fluency in sight words. A lot of the literacy station work this week will be focusing on strengthening and improving our skills in this area. Students were given their first set of word ring cards today. Students have three words on them this week. I will be adding three to four new words at the beginning of each week. I will be sending home a new sight word list today, please take some time this week to review it with your child.


Students are also hard at work incorporating sight words into their journal writing. Students utilize tools in their literacy folders as well as our word wall to include more words in their sentences. Students are also being encouraged to write their sentences based on the sounds they hear in a word as opposed to copying a word. This helps give students practice identifying phoneme sounds within a word. If you are looking to provide more opportunity for written expression at home it would be great for students to start their own journal where they can express their thoughts, ideas and feelings from the day.

Class Pets

Hello everyone,

Since almost the beginning of the school year students have been campaigning for a class pet. For the present time being this is not an accommodation I can make. However, I have implemented an alternative that has helped to satisfy their request. In a previous school I worked in a colleague opened my eyes to the benefits of a virtual class pet. Ms. C. would upload a webcam of Decorah Eagles during snack and students could observe these creatures in their natural habitat.

Inspired by Ms. C. I have continued this idea in our classroom. We are experimenting with a couple of different webcams right now, which enables us to observe penguins in the San Diego Zoo as well as Great White Sharks in the Pacific! It isn't quite the same as having a pet rabbit or turtle in the room, but not many students can say they have penguins as their class pet either!

In your spare time it might be neat to research some webcams of your own. These are a great opportunity for studnets to utilize technology to observe animals and parts of the world they may not otherwise see. In our own classroom these webcams have sparked a curiosity amongst students about these animals. Many have been taking explore time to learn more about them through National Geographic, books and computer research.

Beginning, Middle & End

Greetings!

This week we began our focus on the beginning, middle and end of a story. Students have been working on identifying elements of a story including plot, setting and characters. This week we are building upon that knowledge and using our understanding of those elements to help us clarify the beginning, middle and end.

This identification also builds upon our skill of successfully retelling a story. Today, students did this with Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students created beginning, middle and end bracelets to use when retelling a story. These bracelets serve as a visual guide in recalling a story. Students built the bracelets using pipe cleaners and beads, students were directed to use one color bead for each section. We decided as a class that we would use one bead to represent the beginning and end, but that we would use three beads to represent the middle. Students discovered through class discussion that the middle is where the bulk of the story takes place.

For now these bracelets will stay at school, however they are easy to recreate at home if you are interested. In your own story times at home this week ask your child to retell or read a familiar story to you. Take some time to discuss and identify story elements for extra practice!

*Photos to come, my camera is again experiencing some import problems, I will have them up ASAP!

Projects

Hello everyone,

Each day in Kindergarten we use different tools to illustrate our ideas and create new ones. To me, helping students learn to express their creativity and encourage their imagination is one of the important skills we work on. In our class we have many great artists with mediums ranging from painting to construction. Watching these skills grow and develop is such a wonder to observe each day, I hope you all are getting to enjoy the progression as much as I am. Have a great week!

Forming Opinions

Hello everyone,

This week we have been delving into some new writing concepts such as narrative and opinion based writing. This week and next we will be spending time examining what an opinion is, and how we can understand the difference between an opinion and a fact. Students were told a story this week that gave pros and cons as to whether a dog or a cat made a better pet. Students were asked to take "think time" to reflect on this and form an opinion. After taking time to pair share students were instructed to illustrate and narrate their opinions. We came together to discuss our opinions and we modeled how to share our opinions in a way that is respectful, even if we disagree with another.

Students have been continuing survey work this week as well to strengthen their understanding of opinions. Each morning students read a question and use a tally mark to cast their vote. This week's opinion topics have ranged from best cake, best color, best place and best pet. As you all know your children have many great opinions to share, feel free to spark up opinion based conversations at home! Students will be welcome to share this home practice at snack, morning meeting or writing workshop, to strengthen understanding and brainstorming in the classroom. Heres to having independent thought!

Four Winds !

Greetings,

This past week we were so lucky to have our second Four Winds session. The Four Winds volunteers led the lesson with a humorous play about the food chains and eco-systems that exists in our nearby forests.  The weather was perfect for exploring the nearby woods and its inhabitants. Students were taken to the woods to notice, observe and make inferences about their surroundings.

There were many fabulous activities, but one of my favorites was when our parents had students lie on a tarp on the ground and experience what it was like to be a part of the forest floor. Students were given a chance to share how that felt and what they observed. We then examined some insect cards that introduced us to some of the many species of insects that were living right below our feet! 

Students worked independently and in small groups to collect specimens. Some of these included millipedes, centipedes, worms and spiders! Students were then given the choice to continue collecting and making verbal observations or to record in their Four Winds journals. Thank you so much to our parents Karen and Jessica for making this such a wonderful experience, I LOVE integrating nature trips in our day whenever possible! 

Wrapping Up

Greetings,

Today we had our last round of guidance workshops. For the past six weeks our guidance counselor Ann Fisher has been coming each Wednesday to work on many skills including solving conflicts as friends and working on recognizing and extending empathy. We have learned many great tools that I will continue to display and model in our classroom. Ms. Fisher will be coming in to see how we are from time to time and give us some tips, we look forward to seeing her!

Today we also finished reading E.B. White's Charlottes Web. We had some great discussion about the stories themes which include friendship, farming and growing up. Students gave a unanimous vote of "double thumbs up," which in our room means we "loved" it. I would encourage you all to ask your child about this story at home and discuss it with them. They have many great and insightful things to say about the story. We made our own webs this afternoon to celebrate the end of the book. E.B. White's story will continue to be analyzed and discussed in the coming weeks. We will also be calling upon passages to help inspire and guide us in our narrative and opinion writing units.