Sunday, September 30, 2012
All About Pumpkins
In preparation for our field trip on Friday, we focused all of our attention on pumpkins. We introduced our unit of study with the book Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington.
Through beautiful expression and detailed illustrations, this book taught the life cycle of the pumpkin and how each step of the cycle occurs in sequence. As a class, we recorded the life cycle of a pumpkin step by step based on the story by Titherington.
I then illustrated the cycle so that the students were able to see that a cycle is continuous - the seeds will continue to grow and the pumpkins will continue to be picked.
We made our own pumpkins in class that included the life cycle sequence hanging on a pumpkin vine - seed, sprout, plant (vine), flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin.
The most exciting lesson from our unit involved a real pumpkin - and a BIG one at that. We observed our pumpkin - touched it, picked it up, rolled it around.
Based on our observations, we made predictions about whether or not our pumpkin would sink or float. We also estimated how many seeds we thought were inside.
How many seeds did we count?
We went to Thompson Farm prepared to share our knowledge of pumpkins! Pictures from our field trip to follow!
I then illustrated the cycle so that the students were able to see that a cycle is continuous - the seeds will continue to grow and the pumpkins will continue to be picked.
We made our own pumpkins in class that included the life cycle sequence hanging on a pumpkin vine - seed, sprout, plant (vine), flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin.
The most exciting lesson from our unit involved a real pumpkin - and a BIG one at that. We observed our pumpkin - touched it, picked it up, rolled it around.
Based on our observations, we made predictions about whether or not our pumpkin would sink or float. We also estimated how many seeds we thought were inside.
- Out of 15 students - 10 thought it would sink, 5 thought it would float
- The seed estimations ranged from 5 seeds to over 1 million seeds.
How many seeds did we count?
Our final results? The pumpkin floated and we counted 652 seeds inside of the pumpkin!
We went to Thompson Farm prepared to share our knowledge of pumpkins! Pictures from our field trip to follow!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Our Math is Colorful
Using color always makes an activity more exciting. We utilized this strategy during our math lessons this week. We made colorful number chains to represent our "tricky teens." Each chain showed that all teen numbers were made up of 10 and ___ more.
11=10 and 1 more
12=10 and 2 more
13=10 and 3 more
You get the idea. The kids LOVED seeing the colorful chains hanging in our classroom afterwards.
We also embraced our love for color by decorating ourselves in homemade necklaces - but not just any homemade necklaces - patterned necklaces. Using various pasta noodles dyed in an array of colors, each student created their own pattern that they strung together to make a necklace. The finished pieces were AWESOME!
Isn't every subject more fun when combined with art? You may be sensing our theme...
11=10 and 1 more
12=10 and 2 more
13=10 and 3 more
You get the idea. The kids LOVED seeing the colorful chains hanging in our classroom afterwards.
We also embraced our love for color by decorating ourselves in homemade necklaces - but not just any homemade necklaces - patterned necklaces. Using various pasta noodles dyed in an array of colors, each student created their own pattern that they strung together to make a necklace. The finished pieces were AWESOME!
Isn't every subject more fun when combined with art? You may be sensing our theme...
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Art of Symmetry + Weekly Update
I apologize for my late update this week. I was out of town for a funeral this weekend and did not make it back until Tuesday.
As you know, we will be heading to Thompson Farms on Friday for our first field trip. All permission slips and money need to be turned in by Thursday! We will depart promptly at 9:30 am and return to school by 2:30 pm. Remember that all lunches need to be disposable if you are sending one with your child, otherwise the school will provide a bagged lunch.
Things got a little messy today as we summoned our inner artists. We learned about symmetry, discussing what made a picture symmetrical. We looked at each others' faces and studied various pictures to decide what was symmetrical and what was not. To put our ideas to the test, we made our own original art piece by painting on only one half of a piece of paper and then folding it over to see what the paint would leave on the other side.
Our results? We discovered the art of symmetry.
This week we celebrate Avery Brantley as our Star Student. Avery has a carefree attitude that enables him to enjoy his peers and the activities we do in the classroom. He works hard every day and almost always finds himself on green or above as a result. Congratulations to Avery for a job well done!
As you know, we will be heading to Thompson Farms on Friday for our first field trip. All permission slips and money need to be turned in by Thursday! We will depart promptly at 9:30 am and return to school by 2:30 pm. Remember that all lunches need to be disposable if you are sending one with your child, otherwise the school will provide a bagged lunch.
Things got a little messy today as we summoned our inner artists. We learned about symmetry, discussing what made a picture symmetrical. We looked at each others' faces and studied various pictures to decide what was symmetrical and what was not. To put our ideas to the test, we made our own original art piece by painting on only one half of a piece of paper and then folding it over to see what the paint would leave on the other side.
Our results? We discovered the art of symmetry.
We are still working extremely hard to learn new sight words to help us become strong readers. We are adding four new sight words a week which is quickly filling up our word wall.
Open House
Thank you to those parents and family members who attended our Open House event last week. For those of you who were unable to attend, you missed out on a fun game of "Guess Who?" Each student drew a self-portrait of themselves and left clues for their family members to guess which one was theirs. Our parents clearly knew their own children because everyone guessed correctly! :)
Each child gave a student led tour around the classroom explaining to their family members what we do and where we do it. Every student had the opportunity to play one of our math games with their family as well.
In addition, each student signed a poem that they left for their families on their desks to designate their "home away from home" - aka their desk.
Thank you again for making our Open House a success and we can't wait to have you visit again!
Each child gave a student led tour around the classroom explaining to their family members what we do and where we do it. Every student had the opportunity to play one of our math games with their family as well.
In addition, each student signed a poem that they left for their families on their desks to designate their "home away from home" - aka their desk.
Thank you again for making our Open House a success and we can't wait to have you visit again!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Weekly Update
I hope to see everyone at our Open House tomorrow night (Tuesday) from 5:30 pm - 7 pm. The event is "drop by" style, so feel free to come by at your convenience during that time. Refreshments will be served in the cafeteria and all classrooms will be open so that you have the chance to visit your child's teachers and take a look around the school.
Please remember that Friday, September 21st is a teacher workday. There is no school for the students.
Congratulations to Ambrielle Johnson, this week's Star Student. Ambrielle is a bright girl and loves to tell stories. She is a wonderful helper in class and gets along with all of her classmates. Yay to Ambrielle for a well deserved honor.
And just a few pics of some of our outside play...
Please remember that Friday, September 21st is a teacher workday. There is no school for the students.
Congratulations to Ambrielle Johnson, this week's Star Student. Ambrielle is a bright girl and loves to tell stories. She is a wonderful helper in class and gets along with all of her classmates. Yay to Ambrielle for a well deserved honor.
And just a few pics of some of our outside play...
Number Writing Fun
Number writing practice can become extremely boring for kindergarteners, especially when a pencil and paper are the only materials involved. Last week we made it a little more interesting by utilizing a few non-traditional tools.
We set up four rotating stations so that everyone had a chance to practice writing their numbers in four different ways.
Station #1
Shaving Cream
The kids practiced writing numbers with their finger in the shaving cream on the table. Their favorite part was "erasing" as it allowed them to get thier hands messier and messier. Our room sure did smell nice and clean for the afternoon however.
Station #2
Paint Bags
Zip Lock bags filled with finger paint allowed students to write on top of the bag and see each stroke clearly until they mixed the paint up again. They used a q-tip as a writing instrument which provided a sturdier point to press down on.
Station #3
Salt Trays
Four trays, with an even layer of salt in each, were placed on the table for each student. They practiced writing each number in the salt with their finger. Practicing the correct strokes is extremely important in each of these activities.
Station #4
Dry Erase Boards
While this station is a bit more traditional, the kids loved to write and then erase the boards so it certainly kept their interest.
We have worked our way up to the 20's - everyone seems to really love numbers!
We set up four rotating stations so that everyone had a chance to practice writing their numbers in four different ways.
Station #1
Shaving Cream
The kids practiced writing numbers with their finger in the shaving cream on the table. Their favorite part was "erasing" as it allowed them to get thier hands messier and messier. Our room sure did smell nice and clean for the afternoon however.
Station #2
Paint Bags
Zip Lock bags filled with finger paint allowed students to write on top of the bag and see each stroke clearly until they mixed the paint up again. They used a q-tip as a writing instrument which provided a sturdier point to press down on.
Station #3
Salt Trays
Four trays, with an even layer of salt in each, were placed on the table for each student. They practiced writing each number in the salt with their finger. Practicing the correct strokes is extremely important in each of these activities.
Station #4
Dry Erase Boards
While this station is a bit more traditional, the kids loved to write and then erase the boards so it certainly kept their interest.
We have worked our way up to the 20's - everyone seems to really love numbers!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Weekly Update
You should've received this week's homework packet, field trip information and your child's interim report, as well as DIBELS results in agendas this afternoon. Please note...
HOMEWORK - Keep homework packets at home so we can avoid them getting lost to and from school. They are to be turned back in on Friday. If your child is not completing his/her homework, they are not getting the practice they need to reinforce skills and concepts being learned at school. Please make sure you are reading every night with your child and practicing their weekly sight words as well. Learning is a team effort between each child, their teachers and parents.
FIELD TRIP: We are taking our first field trip on September 28th to Thompson Farms. Please review all of the information sent home and return money and permission slips by Thursday, September 27th.
INTERIM REPORTS: Because the first few weeks of school are primarily dedicated to procedures, you will notice that most of the skills are marked as developing. This simply means we are still working on said skills and your child has not yet reached the point of mastery. In four weeks your child will receive his/her first report card. This will be a better reflection on where your child stands in certain areas.
DIBELS - The results form sent home indicates the expected goal for beginning of the year and how your child scored in comparison. The skills tested were letter name recognition (being able to recognize letters and name them) and first sound fluency (being able to provide the first sound in each given word). If your child scored below the expected goal, it is important that you are aware of what skills they should be working on at home.
We celebrate James Gregg this week as our STAR Student. James has the best smile and always has it on display. He has wonderful manners and exhibits great citizenship. Congratulations to James!
HOMEWORK - Keep homework packets at home so we can avoid them getting lost to and from school. They are to be turned back in on Friday. If your child is not completing his/her homework, they are not getting the practice they need to reinforce skills and concepts being learned at school. Please make sure you are reading every night with your child and practicing their weekly sight words as well. Learning is a team effort between each child, their teachers and parents.
FIELD TRIP: We are taking our first field trip on September 28th to Thompson Farms. Please review all of the information sent home and return money and permission slips by Thursday, September 27th.
INTERIM REPORTS: Because the first few weeks of school are primarily dedicated to procedures, you will notice that most of the skills are marked as developing. This simply means we are still working on said skills and your child has not yet reached the point of mastery. In four weeks your child will receive his/her first report card. This will be a better reflection on where your child stands in certain areas.
DIBELS - The results form sent home indicates the expected goal for beginning of the year and how your child scored in comparison. The skills tested were letter name recognition (being able to recognize letters and name them) and first sound fluency (being able to provide the first sound in each given word). If your child scored below the expected goal, it is important that you are aware of what skills they should be working on at home.
We celebrate James Gregg this week as our STAR Student. James has the best smile and always has it on display. He has wonderful manners and exhibits great citizenship. Congratulations to James!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Welcome Back
Welcome back from our first holiday weekend!
Please look for the new school agendas coming home today. I will be sending home classwork throughout the week so please be sure to remove these papers. You will also begin seeing a weekly sight word booklet. These are the "words of the week" that your child should be practicing at home. Use the booklet like flashcards and quiz your child from time to time. The more they are seeing these words, the easier the words will be to recognize when they are reading.
We have begun planning our fall field trip to Thompson Farms. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know. We will need two chaperones per kindergarten class. We are trying to secure Friday, September 28th, but I will let you know once we have something confirmed.
This week we honor Maci Long as our Star Student! Maci brings big personality to the classroom is very friendly with her classmates. She does a great job following rules and procedures and really cares about doing well in class. Congratulations, Maci!
Please look for the new school agendas coming home today. I will be sending home classwork throughout the week so please be sure to remove these papers. You will also begin seeing a weekly sight word booklet. These are the "words of the week" that your child should be practicing at home. Use the booklet like flashcards and quiz your child from time to time. The more they are seeing these words, the easier the words will be to recognize when they are reading.
We have begun planning our fall field trip to Thompson Farms. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know. We will need two chaperones per kindergarten class. We are trying to secure Friday, September 28th, but I will let you know once we have something confirmed.
This week we honor Maci Long as our Star Student! Maci brings big personality to the classroom is very friendly with her classmates. She does a great job following rules and procedures and really cares about doing well in class. Congratulations, Maci!
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