Worms Galore!

Science

This week we have had fun exploring and learning about our new classroom visitors - earthworms and red worms!  We had many opportunities for guided explorations and free learning time.  It has been very fun handling the little critters and observing their structure and behavior.  We also compared earthworms to red worms and looked at their many similarities and differences.   It has tied in nicely with our non-fiction reading and writing workshop.  We read lots of non-fiction books this week that taught us some interesting facts about worms.

We concluded our week with a visible thinking routine called, I used to think, now I think…Here is a list of the fun facts we came up with this week as we explored & learned about worms:

·         Worms lay eggs

·         Worms have segments on their bodies

·         Worms live in damp, dark places

·         Worms do not have teeth, eyes, arms or legs

·         Worms do have a mouth

·         Worms do have a head and tail

·         Worms move by stretching their bodies

·         Worms eat dirt, leaves, oats and paper

·         Worms are great for our garden

·         Worms make tunnels

·         Worms come out then it rains to get wet.

 

 

Reading and Writing Workshop

Hooray for Earth Day!

Reading and writing workshop revolved around Earth Day this week.  The kindergartners continue to explore the features of nonfiction and identifying what they can learn from non-fiction books.  They have also been using our comprehension strategies like MAKING CONNECTIONS to information the students already know, WONDERING about topics they read about and RETELLING.

We celebrated Earth Day by talking, reading and writing about ways we can take care of our planet.  We started our week with a visible thinking routine called, See, Think, Wonder, about a picture of a polluted lake.  We had many conversations about caring for our Earth and things we can do to keep our planet nice for everyone. The children learned the importance of clean water, clean air, and planting new trees.

 

We also talked extensively about recycling... what it means to recycle, what happens to garbage after we throw it away, what happens to our recyclables after they are picked up.... SO much discussion and SO many questions from those inquisitive little kindergartners!

 

 

 

Math

We continued our Earth Day theme during math centers.  We also spent time on number formation.  It continues to be a focus in kindergarten.  Please remind your child to start their numbers at the top and take their time.

 

Thank you TFEE for our classroom grant...BLOCK PLAY IS IMPORTANT!

 

 

 

Math Minds

Math Workshop

We are seeing the wonderful spiraling effect of our math program.  I am so impressed with the math minds in this classroom! The children continue to grow in their understanding of mathematics everyday!

 We will be revisiting numeracy, measuring, patterning, telling time, and addition and subtraction over the next couple of months.

 We especially continue to focus on “mental math.” When they are adding two sets of objects together, we are encouraging them to “count on.”  They grab the bigger number (or put that number in their head), then begin at that number to count on to the total.  (Ex.  If they have 5 red chips and 3 yellow chips, they would grab the 5 and count on the next 3.  They would say, “5…6 – 7 – 8” to arrive at the total.) Counting on is a skill that allows kids to be much more efficient with their counting, and as a result, often more accurate than if they drop back to 1 and count every object

They have also done an incredible job of completing their homework this year.  It has helped reinforce a lot of math skills.  Thanks so much for your support!

 

 

Reading & Writing Workshop

 

We continued to focus on non-fiction reading and writing this week.  As we wrote our “How To” pieces, we listening to the beginning, middle and ending sounds when we wrote words.  This helps us become better spellers and readers!    We worked on correct pencil grips again this week, too. 

 Our reading keeps getting stronger every day!  This week in reading workshop, we practiced the reading comprehension strategy of “Questioning” - helping students clarify and deepen understanding of the text they are reading.  We learned that…

·        Before we read, we often use questions to activate prior knowledge (what we already know) and make predictions. 

·        During reading, we form questions to clarify meaning.

·        After we read, we use questioning to locate information, understand and remember events, and characters. 

 So we practiced asking a lot of “I wonder…” questions before and after we read.  This is a great thinking skill you can practice at home too!

 

Science

We have concluded our fish, guppies and snails portion of our science unit, Animals 2x2.  Our next set of visitors arrived on Wednesday.  We now have red worms and earth worms. The children loved setting up their habitats this week.  We are looking forward to learning about worms next week!

Odds and Ends!

We do not have a kindergarten report card for this marking period.  If you have any questions or concerns about your child, please let me know.

 

Please join us for a “Mother’s Day Tea” in honor of all our amazing kindergarten Moms!  We will be performing and presenting you with tokens of our love!   It would be wonderful if all moms could attend.  Although I understand schedules don’t always permit.  If you are unable to come, please try and send another adult (grandma, aunt, godmother, etc.).  I usually get 100% participation.  If you are unable to come or send someone, please let me know, I will make accommodations for another adult in the building to sit with your child. 

Happy April!

Happy April!  It’s so hard to believe that April is here.  Our kindergarten year is flying by!   In the spirit of spring, the kindergartners are going buggy!  We have been making ants, bees and ladybugs. They will be on display in the centrum.

Non-Fiction Reading and Writing Workshop

Non-fiction reading and writing fills our lives. Everywhere we look there are newspapers, magazines, directions, street signs, recipes, letters, maps, menus, e-mails, Internet sites, and so on.  As writers, we make lists, craft letters, send e-mails, provide explanations, and jot notes. As non-fiction readers and writers, our youngest learners are become thoroughly engaged in identifying and using nonfiction text features such as labels, bullets, arrows, graphs, and bold words.  They are aware of the table of contents and glossary.  We have immersed ourselves in non-fiction literature!

 Our kindergarten writers continue to write “How To” books during writing workshop.   I have been amazed at their topics…How to build a snowman, how to brush my teeth, how to play Candy Land, how to be a good friend, how to play soccer, etc. 

 

 We are on our way to becoming non-fiction experts! During our Visible thinking routine we made a CLAIM: Non-fiction books are different that fiction books. The kids had to show me their EVIDENCE to convince me.  Once again, I was amazed by their thinking!

 

 All of this learning is laying the foundation for children to be successful in school, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. 

Math               

We are continuing to learn about 3D shapes.  Ask your child about sorting and eating their 3D shape snack on Thursday!  We have also been learning about odd and even numbers.  We know that even numbers have partners. 

 

SAVE THE DATE!

 May 10, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.

Please join us for a “Mother’s Day Tea” in honor of all our amazing kindergarten Moms!  We will be performing and presenting you with tokens of our love!   It would be wonderful if all moms could attend.  Although I understand schedules don’t always permit.  If you are unable to come, please try and send another adult (grandma, aunt, godmother, etc.).  I usually get 100% participation.  If you are unable to come or send someone, please let me know.  I will make accommodations for another adult in the building to sit with your child.