Field Trip, Dr. Suess, Geometry, Amazing Animals!

We had a great trip to the Museum of Natural History on February 25, 2015. It was a long and bumpy ride down to D.C., but once we got there, everyone was so excited to explore. The children enjoyed learning about mammals, rocks and gems, insects, mummies, and so much more. We had a lot of chaperones who were able to attend with us, so many thanks again to all of the parents who were able to ride the bus with us, or meet us there. 

Dr. Seuss' birthday was on March 2nd, so we have been spending some time exploring his books and the concept of rhyming words.  Our literacy centers are all "Seuss" themed, and we are trying to find as many words that rhyme as we can in the books we listen to each day.  We've been to the computer lab twice lately.  The first time we explored www.seussville.com and played some fun and cool games there, while also learning about the different characters Seuss created.  Today we played rhyming games from pbskids.org. 

In writing, we are keeping up with our weekend journals, and we practiced writing words and sentences that rhyme.  We continue to work on writing conventions, such as using uppercase letters to begin sentences, lowercase letters throughout the rest of our writing, and periods at the end of each sentence.  I'm so proud of how far the children have come this year with their writing.  It's amazing to think back to the beginning of the year when they were just drawing and labeling pictures.  Now, they can write more than one sentence, and usually an adult can read it and understand what they are trying to write!   Next up, we will be writing "how-to" books! 

In math we are wrapping up our unit on geometry.  Students are learning the names and attributes (or ways to describe) both 2D/flat shapes and 3D/solid shapes.  We have new math zones with games and activities to help us understand the differences between all of these shapes!

 

Soon we'll switch gears back to numbers and begin basic addition and subtraction!  I know many of you (and your children) have been patiently waiting for this unit to arrive.

We finished up our study of animal external features by learning about animals with amazing beaks.  You'll see an example of each amazing animal feature coming home soon.  We're on to social studies next with a look at natural and capital resources, wants vs. needs and goods and services. 

Feelings, Shapes and Farewell to our Beetles

We had a great week last week! Thanks to everyone who donated snacks or supplies for our Valentine's Day celebration.  The kids enjoyed passing out cards and playing some fun games and eating delicious treats.  

In reading and writing last week we focused on feelings.  We read books about feeling happy, sad and angry, and then wrote about a time when we experienced those feelings.  The children are really growing in their abilities to write sentences with word wall words.  We are working on making sure to include spaces between words, check the word wall for correct spelling, and using uppercase and lowercase letters correctly.  We also make sure to end each sentence with a period.  I have a nice big bundle of your child's writing from the past quarter that will come home Friday.  You'll be amazed at all we have done!  

In math we learned about plane shapes for two weeks, and we increased our vocabulary of different shapes including square, rectangle, circle, oval, trapezoid, rhombus, and triangle. We identified attributes of these shapes and compared them. We played a fun game with pattern blocks called Fill the Hexagons and explored a lot of math materials to try to combine and build shapes.  Continue our exploration at home and in the community by pointing out shapes and their attributes all around you!  We're moving on to 3D shapes next!  Each child can bring in an object to represent the 3D shapes next week.  See the flyer in your child's folder for more information on what to bring each day.   

It's almost time for us to bid farewell to our beetles, and we are studying animals will amazing external features like tails, feet, tongues, and more!  

Jan Brett, Decomposing and Life Cycles

For the past two weeks, we read books by Jan Brett for our author study. If you're not familiar with her work, it is certainly worth checking out at the library. A lot of research and detail goes into each book she writes.  Visit the website www.janbrett.com for more information.  On Friday, we watched a video of her teaching us how to draw a hedgehog! Each day, we wrote to express our ideas after the story.  For example, on the day we read Hedgie Blasts Off, we wrote about what we would see if we visited another planet.  On the day we read The Hat, we wrote about how we can keep warm on a cold day.

We started new guided reading groups last week, and I'm sure you'll be proud of your child for all of the progress they have made so far this year.  I have completed my testing, and if you'd like more information about their reading level or reading performance, please feel free to contact me and I can share that information via email, phone, or we can set up a meeting in person.  Please remember to return all guided reading books and library books every Monday.  Check out these readers makig and confirming predictions.

 

In math, we are wrapping up our unit on decomposing.  We know how to build a number with two or three other numbers.  For example, you can make 10 in many ways including 6 and 4, or 3 and 3 and 4.  The visual of a number bond, as well as using manipulatives such as links, blocks, or even something edible like goldfish crackers, really helps make the concept concrete.  

In science, we've been stuyding the life cycle of our class pets, the mealworms.  By now almost all of our mealworms have turned into a pupa.  We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the darkling beetles. We even can compare the life cycle of a mealworm to other animals, such as the frog, and the butterfly.  

Happy New Year!

This week we had our first snow day, and first 2 hour delay!  How exciting!  I hope you either enjoyed some time outside sledding, making snow angels, building a snowman, or stayed cozy inside by the fire drinking cocoa!   

This week in reading we participated in another Junior Great Books lesson.  The story this week was The Shoemaker and the Elves. We read several versions and focused on new vocabulary in the story, and asking and answering questions about the text to build comprehension.  In writing we wrote to describe some of our fanciest shoe creations, we wrote about what we would do to thank the elves, and wrote about how the shoemaker and his wife probably felt when they first saw the elves.  We're also almost done with our second quarter weekend journals.  Writing bundles are coming home soon, so you'll be able to see all of the great writing your child has been doing in class.  I think you'll be very proud!  

In math, we started something new called "decomposing".  Basically what this mean is that we try to find ways to make a certain number with other numbers. This week we focused on making 5, 6, and 7.  We played a game called "Shake and Spill" to discover ways to make five.  We put five two colored beans in a cup and when we dumped them out, we recorded how many were white and red.  You can play this at home with heads/tails on a coin!  The next day we used two color tiles to record ways to make six.  For seven, we worked in three rotations.  We played "Shake and Spill" again to see how many ways we could make seven, pulled cubes out of a bag to make a number rod, and used Bingo markers to make two colored caterpillars.  Today we realized that there are 6 ways to make 5, 7 ways to make 6, and 8 ways to make 7.  Pretty cool stuff!  The students are beginning to understand the commutative property of addition, without even knowing it!  We call them "flip-flop-facts". Next week we will find ways to make 8, 9, and 10.  We'll also explore the possibilities of making a number with three parts.  

You might have heard about our new class pet.  When I announced that we would be taking care of a pet, we had endless speculation about what it might be.  I'm hearing from a few of you that this was discussed at home too!  We determined which of our ideas wouldn't be possible (no giraffes, sharks or flamingos), and some options that were doable (fish, hamster, and rabbit).  I revealed our new pet on Wednesday.  We have mealworms!  We will learn about what they need to survive, and watch their life cycle right in the classroom.  Soon they will become a pupa, and then a beetle!  Don't worry, they won't come home with your child at the end of the unit.  

Can you believe it's already the middle of the year?  I'm currently completing reading assessments on each child.  I listen to them each read several books independently, and ask them questions to guage their comprehension.  I also will test some foundational skills, such as sight word recognition, letter sounds, and more.  While testing is going on, you won't see a new book coming home in your child's reading bag on Fridays.  I hope to finish testing soon, adjust groups as needed, and begin new guided reading groups soon.  I'll share some of the testing data with you as well once it has been completed.  From what I've seen so far in the testing that I've completed, these Kindergarteners are making SO MUCH progress!  

Flora M. Singer has an amazing opportunity for dads!  It's called the Watchdog program.  Read more about it here:  

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/singeres/counseling/watchdogs.aspx

If you are able to spend the day at Flora Singer, we'd love for you to sign up! You'll get to spend time in different classrooms, at lunch and recess, and you'll even be introduced on Turtle TV, our live morning announcements program.  

The Teddy Bear Picnic!

The Teddy Bear Picnic! 

Graphing gummy bears to practice more and less and counting! 

The Bears played with our learning stations. It looks like they had fun with our blocks, Legos, building logs, dinosaurs and play kitchen food! 

A Beary Fun Week!

It's bear week in Kindergarten!! 

Linus' mom was our mystery reader Monday. She brought a bear story! 

Juniper's Duke cheerleader bear and my Terps cheerleader bear measure each other up. They decide to be friends since they aren't in the ACC together anymore. 

We gave the bears class numbers and lined them up. 

They came to Media Center and did research with us about polar bears. 

They made a mess with math materials when we went home for the night! 

They read quietly in cubbies the next night. 

Sonora's mom was a mystery reader Wednesday and she brought two bear books to share!!

We went on a bear hunt around the school using position words as clues to look for bears! 

 While we were at an assembly, the bears went to literacy centers without us!! 

We played a game called Teddy Bear Compare in math!  

We can't wait for tomorrow's teddy bear picnic!! 

Landforms, Planting and More Measurement!

This week we read and wrote about landforms and bodies of water.   We studied mountains, canyons, caves, oceans, lakes, and rivers.  We used both print and the online resource Pebble Go to gather our information.  

We had THREE mystery readers this week.  It was so exciting.  On Monday, Madeline's dad came, on Wednesday Andres' dad was here, and on Friday, Ava and Mr. Ramienski came to read their favorite books.  

Giuliana was the star of the week! We interviewed her and she shared some family pictures with us. We got to meet her stuffed Panda too! 

This week in math we had fun with measurement. We measured height, length and weight! We used non standard units to measure, like linker cubes. We measured the length of our shoes, the height of our classmates, and compared weights of classroom objects. We used a balance scale to compare weight. 

In science we started a new unit on living things. First, we did some sorting to figure out what things are living and what isn't.  Next we brainstormed things that all living things need. Then, I showed the students some materials (rocks, seeds, soil, cups, lamp) and we started to plan and implement our experiment. It was interesting to hear the children's ideas about how and where to put each item and why. We planted some seeds, made predictions and asked questions. So far, much to the students dismay, nothing has happened. But...today we talked to our seeds and gave them a pep talk since they won't get much water and sun this weekend. Do you think they will grow?  We will keep you posted on our findings. 

Scholastic Book orders came home this week. If you're thinking about ordering and want the books before the Winter Break, please order ASAP and let me know so I can expedite the shipping.  Each student was given a free book voucher this month for a free five dollar book if you spend 10 dollars.  

Our school is participating in a pajama drive for needy children.  This is one of my favorite projects because I believe every child deserves a good night's sleep. Your donation of a cozy pair of pajamas paired with a book donated by Scholastic can really help a local child this year.  Thank you in advance for your donations! 

Next week is one of the most exciting weeks in Kindergarten.  It's Teddy Bear week!  Students can bring a teddy bear to keep at school all week.  Everything will be bears, bears, bears all week!   On Friday, we will have a teddy bear picnic with our bears. If you'd like to donate any bear themed snacks, please let me know! 

With the colder weather here and Winter just around the corner, I'd appreciate it if you could send an extra set of cold weather clothes for your child's cubby in case of an accident or spill. Most of the clothes we have are t shirts and shorts! Thanks for your help with this! Please label your child's clothes and place them in a ziplock bag.

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving last weekend.  In the craziness of baking, cooking and preparing for time with family, I didn't get the chance to let you all know how thankful I am that I can work with your children each day.  Please know that I love each of them dearly and I'm so proud of how much they have learned in just the past few months. I feel so lucky to be able to have a job where I can have this much fun and enjoy so much time with some really awesome kids.  

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope that you find these emails helpful and informative. 😃