December 23, 2016

Hi Fish Families.

I put some photos of buddies and winter wonderland in P.E. on our FLICKR page. Be sure to check them out. Enjoy the vacation week and I look forward to all that 2017 will bring!

Up-Coming Events:

• December vacation- 12/26-1/2  See you on January 3rd!
• Handwriting- lowercase o,c, and s
• Word of the Week- it
• Lively Letters- sh
• No School- 1/16/17

Ho Ho Ho!

Kristen

December 16, 2016

Hi Fish Families!

We have been busy little elves this week, and our classroom is full of energy! We did reading "selfies" for the first time today. We are working out the glitches, but I hope you enjoy watching their first video.

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- Review of Uppercase letters
• Word of the Week- the 
• Gingerbread Decorating Party- 12/22 at 2:05 
• Wear your pjs to school- Friday, 12/23
• Winter Vacation- 12/26/16-1/2/17

Enjoy the weekend!

Kristen

December 13, 2016

Hello Fish Families.
I can't begin to express how humbled I am by all of your generosity. The Sign Up Genius I sent out for the local family's wish list was filled up in a day. I am so excited to think of Christmas morning for those lucky children. Thank you fish families!

Here's a QUICK look into our week in the Fish classroom:

Literacy: Our shared reading book this week was Our Grandad. We did lots of thinking about what we know about grandfathers (schema) and made text to self connections. Readers think about what they read and we are working on that important skill. 

Books We Have Read: Happy Pig Day, Llama, Llama Mad at Mama, Llama, Llama Holiday Drama, The Gingerbread Bear, Georgie the Gingerbread Fairy, 

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- I, T and J (These are our final uppercase letters!)
• Word of the Week- am
• Phonics-s and z 
• Gingerbread Decorating Party- 12/22 at 2:05 
• Wear your pjs to school- Friday, 12/23
• Winter Vacation- 12/26/16-1/2/17

Fondly,

Kristen

December 5th, 2016

Hello Fish Families.

The snowy season has arrived! Please send your child to school each day with LABELLED snow pants, boots, hats and gloves/mittens. We go outside as long as it isn't rainy or dangerously cold. Children who aren't prepared for the winter elements still go outside for recess, but have to remain on the paved area of the playground. Thanks for your support with this.

Here's a glimpse into our week in the Fish classroom:

Visual Arts: We are making lots of gingerkids using various art supplies to go along with our study (comparison) of the various versions of the gingerbread man folktale. We also used simple shapes to make winter trees and snowpeople. 

Readers' Workshop:  We are working on developing our snap words (high frequency words that we don't sound out). Keep practicing those words of the week we have covered so far this year (an, he, at, a, and, no, I, in,, is, so & see). The children learned about sound power where they "put the first sound of a word in their mouth and get ready to read" the word.  

Writers' Workshop: The children began writing list books. Their "just right" reading books follow a list pattern, so they are grasping the formula of list books quickly. They are writing I Can..., I Like..., I See...books. They can make their books a 'list with a twis't by altering the last page to break the pattern (ie. I like...I like... But I Don't Like...)

Literacy: Our shared reading book this week was The Tree House. The class made a version of this book which will come home in our fish of the day bag. 

Math Workshop: We wrapped up Unit 3 this week. I am finishing up the end-of-unit assessments and will send them home Friday. The children used 2 colored beans and ten frames to show combinations that add to 10. We did a problem solving math activity where the children had to represent a number 4 different ways. They used tallies, drawing of fingers, 10 frames, and dots to show numbers many different ways.  

Books We Have Read: The Gingerbread Man (2 versions), The Nijabread Man, The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- G, S and A
• Word of the Week- and
• Phonics-u 
• Gingerbread Decorating Party- 12/22 at 2:05 
• Wear your pjs to school- Friday, 12/23
• Winter Vacation- 12/26/16-1/2/17

Have a great night.

Kristen

November 18, 2016

Hello Fish Families.

Here's a glimpse into our week in the Fish classroom:

Visual Arts: We have been busy making all kinds of turkeys using paint, feathers, markers and lots of googly eyes! We can't wait to show everything to you next week!

Readers' Workshop:  We are in the middle of my favorite reading unit to teach, Super Powers! The children are using their strategies (pointer, partner, re-read, sight word, and picture power) to read!  

Writers' Workshop/Science: The children have been working on writing during our science time these past two weeks. We are exploring with ramps and balls in the block area. They learned that scientists write sketches and label their work and are doing the same with their structures.

Math Workshop: We continue to practice number writing in our handwriting journals during math time. The children did some measuring this week focusing on using key vocabulary (longer, shorter, length, compare, same length) as well as making sure that ends match when measuring. Their big challenge was to line up by height and they were successful! We continue to work on 1-1 correspondence when counting by playing math games.

Guidance: Mrs. Griffith came in to talk about tattling vs telling.  The students watched a video and discussed specific situations that are telling and tattling.  They learned a mental checklist they could use before they seek help from an adult: 
                   Is someone in danger?
                   Is someone hurt?
                   Did I try to solve the problem on my own?
                   Am I minding my own business? 

Books We Have Read: The Silly Turkey Party, Giving Thanks-A Native American Good Morning Message, Who Will Carve the Turkey This Thanksgiving?, Hibernation Station, Circus Shapes, Rosie's Walk, The Shape of Things, So Much!

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- C, O and Q
• Word of the Week- so
• Phonics- l and r 
• Family Breakfast- Tuesday, 11/22 from 8:00-8:25
• Thanksgiving Break- 11/23-11/25
• Gingerbread Decorating Party- 12/22 at 2:00 *More info to follow
• Winter Vacation- 12/26-1/2/17

Fondly,

.

Kristen

November 10, 2016

Hi!

Progress reports were sent home in folders today. The purpose is to report attendance and to provide you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the document. We don't fill out progress reports for kindergarten students until the January marking period. Please sign and return the envelopes. The progress report is for your records.

I'm hoping to turn dramatic play into a maker space for the next month or so. We are looking for paper towel rolls, aluminum foil, paper clips, small boxes, egg cartons, toothpicks, pipe cleaners, tape, nuts and bolts, string or yarn...Please don't shop for this. Send in any miscellaneous items you might have laying around the house that the children can make something with. Dramatic play will become a true inquiry area of our classroom with your help.

Enjoy the long Veterans' weekend. Thank you to all who have served or are presently serving our great country.
Kristen



Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- X, Y and Z (continued)
• Word of the Week- I (continued)
• Phonics- m and n (continued)
• No School- 11/11
• Family Breakfast- Tuesday, 11/22 from 8:00-8:25
• Thanksgiving Break- 11/23-11/25

November 4, 2016

Hello Fish Families.

Here's a glimpse into our week in the Fish classroom:

Visual Arts: Our Halloween projects are coming down from the walls. We are beginning to replace them with turkeys. We painted and decorated some turkeys and began to work on our Thanksgiving themed sun-catchers. 

Readers' Workshop:  This week was spent putting all of the Unit 1 reading work together to read storybooks. We are ready to begin Unit 2: Superpowers. Our focus will be on reading strategies (pointing to each word, using the picture to help, etc.). 

Writers' Workshop: The children selected pieces to "publish" this week. They thought about the 'big idea' of their stories and made front covers. We edited/fancied up our pieces and plan to celebrate our hard work with our buddies next week by reading the stories to them. The children are feeling quite proud! We will turn our focus to writing like scientists next week.

Math Workshop: We worked on graphing this week. There was a lot of math vocabulary! The children learned row, column, most, & least/fewest. We also revisited shapes. We are describing attributes and comparing/contrasting circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. End of Unit 2 assessments will be sent home next Thursday.

Literacy: The children made a class book entitled Fish Class, Fish Class, What Do You See? 


Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- X, Y and Z
• Word of the Week- I
• Phonics- m and n 
• No School (Teacher Workshop)- 11/8
• No School- 11/11
• Family Breakfast- Tuesday, 11/22 from 8:00-8:25
• Thanksgiving Break- 11/23-11/25

Happy "Fall Back" Weekend

.

Kristen

October 28, 2016

Thanks for all your support and all of the donations today. The children had a great time celebrating Halloween! I put some pictures on FLICKR.

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- V and W
• Word of the Week- so
• Phonics- Superstar o
• Early Release for Conferences-  Wednesday, 11/2
• No School (Teacher Workshop)- 11/8
• No School- 11/11
• Thanksgiving Break- 11/23-11/25
• Family Breakfast- Tuesday, 11/22 8:00-8:25 am *more info to follow

Have a SpOoKy Weekend!

Kristen

October 21, 2016

Hello Fish Families.

Here is a snippet of what we did in kindergarten this week:

Visual Arts: The children painted witches and finished up their spiders for our spooky spider web.

Readers' Workshop:  We used the exact words of characters when acting out/retelling familiar stories. The children selected their own books today for reading next week. I introduced "just right" and "interest" books for them to choose from. This process/routine will be a focus for a few weeks as the children get used to caring for the class library.

Writers' Workshop: Our big focus this week was that writers can use word wall words in their writing. We used our word of the week, see to make I see... books. The children did a great job making these predictable pieces that follow a concrete pattern.

Math Workshop: Counting collections was a big focus during math this week. The children counted sets of objects arranged in lines and scattered. We discussed how counting scattered objects in trickier and I demonstrated how to organize scattered sets to count accurately. We also did some Halloween patterns, and began to work with number stories. I will be assessing our Unit 2 math skills next week. 

Literacy:  We sorted objects by beginning sound, worked on handwriting, and did activities to help us learn the word see. 

Some Books We Read: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?, Pumpkin Circle, Ten Red Apples, Ten Little Fish, The Roly-Poly Spider

Up-Coming Events:

• Handwriting- U and L
• Word of the Week- an
• Phonics- a (we refer to vowels as superstars)
• Halloween Celebration- 10/28
• Early Release for Conferences- 10/26 & 11/2
• No School (Teacher Workshop)- 11/8
• No School- 11/11
• Thanksgiving Break- 11/23-11/25

Have a great weekend.

Kristen

October 20, 2016

We enjoyed this beautiful fall day by spending some time in the SMS garden. We planted crocus bulbs, sampled some cherry tomatoes, carrots and green beans and had our readers workshop on the picnic tables in the sun. 

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Kristen

October 14, 2016

Hi Fish Families!

Here is a glimpse into our week in the fish class:

Readers' Workshop:  Our work this week has been around storybooks. We are using familiar stories to look at the pictures, remember, and read! (The children are using their own words to tell the stories using the pictures as guides.) We are working hard to make sure the words we "read" match the page we are on. 

Writers' Workshop: This week each student kept a piece of writing or 2 to continue working on and I added the rest of them to a writing file. The folders were getting so full of writing that we needed to clean them out! We are using writing partners to make our pieces even better! We are beginning to teach the children how to ask and answer questions to add more to our writing. Revision is an important part of the writing process and we are beginning to attempt it in kindergarten! Many of the "edits" this week were around adding more color and details to the writing pieces. Some children even labeled their pictures to help a reader understand the piece more. 

Literacy Centers:  We have been working on our "spelling" sorts. This word work is the beginning stage that will lead to word study work. All of the children have been doing concept sorts (shapes, animal/not an animal). Beginning next week, the children will be matched to sorts that meet them where they are as writers. Some children will continue with concept sorts, some will be sorting pictures by their initial sound, and others will begin sorts with short vowel sounds (word families). We continue to play rhyming games, sort objects by beginning sounds, read books with our sight word in it and do other fun activities reinforcing our phonics, handwriting, and sight word work. 

Math Workshop:  This week we worked on sorting. The children learned the math vocabulary attributes, same, different, group and sort. I will get some pictures into FLICKR next week! 

We also continue to work with ten frames and forming sets of object within 10.

Visual Arts: We finished our monster sun catchers this week and have been creating Halloween themed things with playdough. The children also finished up a Sparky the Fire Dog art project. 

Some Books We Read: Kitten's First Full Moon, There Was an Old Monster!, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pumpkin Pumpkin, 

Apps We Used:  Number Sense (HD)

Donation Requests: Rice for our texture table 

Up-Coming Events:

• Word of the Week- see
• Handwriting- H & K
• Lively Letters-th
• Halloween Celebration-10/28 
• Early Release Days- 10/26 & 11/2 *Parent/Teacher Conference Days
• No School (Teacher In-Service Day)-11/8
• No School-11/11 

Fondly,

Kristen

October 7, 2016

Hi Fish Families!

Today was fire safety day for the kindergarten and first grade students. I put lots of pictures of our day on FLICKR. Be sure to check them out. I'm hoping your children can tell you something they liked and something they learned today from one of the fire safety centers we visited.

Readers' Workshop:  This week the children learned that they can read both the pictures and words in books. We used a familiar text and letters that we are familiar with to begin searching for a few words on a page. The children also practiced sounding like a "teacher" when reading non-fiction (learn about the world) books. 

Writers' Workshop: Our focus this week was on writers planning out books before beginning to draw/write. They are beginning to go back to past writing pieces and are adding labels. We will be doing a few labeling activities next week to further reinforce this skill. 

Math Workshop:  We have been busy playing "Top-It" (formerly know as war) with dot cards. I can tell these fish are used to playing dice games. Thank you! They are seeing dot cards and can identify how many dots there are, often without counting. We represented the numbers 0-10 using counters on a number board. As the numbers increased, the children began to notice the pattern of one more counter in each row. Lastly, we spent some time getting to know the circle. The children searched for circle in magazines and made a class circle collage.

Visual Arts: We painted pumpkins & ghosts, drew monsters and began to make our spooky sun catchers to hang in the windows. 

Some Books We Read: Alphabet Rescue, Pattern Fish, No Dragons for Tea, Fresh Fall Leaves, The Carrot Seed, Little School of Fish, Stop, Drop and Roll, Fall Mix Up, Go Away Big Green Monster

Apps We Used:  Alphabet Monster and Number Monster

Donation Requests: Rice for our texture table and Dixie cups(small bathroom size)

Up-Coming Events:

• Word of the Week- at
• Handwriting- N & M
• Lively Letters-qu
• No School Monday, 10/10
• Halloween Celebration-10/28 *more info to follow
• Early Release Days- 10/26 & 11/2 *Parent/Teacher Conference Days
• No School (Teacher In-Service Day)-11/8
• No School-11/11 

Wishing you a fabulous 3 day weekend!

Kristen

Dear Fish Families:

I added some pictures to our FLICKR account. You can access them by clicking on the FLICKR tab at the top of our blog page.

Thank you to our field trip volunteers! What an amazing show we got to see. I hope your children told you all about it.

Here is a glimpse into our week:

Literacy Centers:  We worked on our third sight word this week. We used David Shannon's book  No, David! to do a lot of our work. The children learned the correct way to write D & P. We are focusing on starting our letters at the top when writing. We continue to play rhyming games.

Readers' Workshop:  We have been working on how readers connect the pages of a book by using linking works like "and then." This reinforces the concept that the pages in a book go together and helps readers retell a book.  We talked about how readers read to think. The children used Post-It notes to mark a place in a book that made them think. Many of them marked pages that reminded them of their lives which is perfect! We sketched quick pictures of our faces and called it "adding a pinch of you" to a book. They then shared their thinking with partners. 

Writers' Workshop:  Like Lois Ehlert, your writers are beginning to label their writing. This week we began to take our pages and make them into books. Our reading work is helping to reinforce that pages should go together in a book. This is a concept some writers are beginning to grasp and other will be working on more in the weeks to come. 

Math:  It's hard to believe we are already working on our 2nd math unit. This week we matched dot cards showing equal numbers of dots in different arrangements. This focuses on Common Core Standard K.CC.4B (understanding conservation of number).  We spent some time learning about the triangle. Some of the children were tricked when I turned a triangle upside down and asked if it was still a triangle. They now know that it is!  We searched for triangles in magazines and cut them out for a triangle collage. I am finishing up our end of Unit 1 assessments and will be sending the results home by the end of next week.

Visual Arts:  We made Pete the Cat from various shapes this week.

Song of the Week:  Freeze Dance

Some Books We Read:  Growing Vegetable Soup, Class Clown, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes, Actual Size 

Up-Coming Events:

• No School-10/10
• Word of the Week-in
• Phonics- k & g
• Handwriting- B and R 
• Early Release for Conferences-10/26 & 11/2

Wish List:

• Rice (an inexpensive kind for our texture table)

Fondly,
Kristen