Whittier Kindergarten

Whittier Kindergarten

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Sunday Post

 
Happy Sunday Families!
A sunny weekend was long overdue!  I hope that everyone has had time to enjoy the sunshine!  Come on spring time!  I am excited for a full week of learning.  I will be out on Monday afternoon…just a heads up.  I’m having some trouble uploading pictures today.  Stay tuned…hopefully it will work this week.  I have many pictures to share.
ü Monday we have a library lesson
ü Thursday evening from 6-7 is literacy night!
ü If your student is getting close to filling their homework journal, please send another journal to school.  We have used our other journals for poetry and math.  Thanks in advance.
ü We will visit the computer lab this week to explore a new program called Pixie.  It is like an ActivInspire for children.  Students are able to draw, type and use various stickers/labels.  We will practice this a few times as a class, then they will hopefully be able to use it independently in the classroom (during center time).
ü My goal this week is to finish calling families about current reading levels.  If I don’t catch you….please feel free to call back before or after school (the snow days have made this difficult).
ü March 12th book swap—each student will get to choose a used book to keep.  If you have any used books that you are willing to donate, please send them to school.  There are collection boxes when you enter the school building.
This week…
Sight words: saw, went, they
Poem: Feelings Poem
Reading:
RL4 understand relationship between words and feelings
RL3 identify characters, setting, and major events in a story through use of dramatization, puppets, discussion, developmentally appropriate writing, drawing, etc.
Last week, we discussed emotions and feelings in books we read.  This week we are going to discuss them more in the context of story elements.  We will use a tool called a “feeling tracker” to track the characters feelings throughout the story.  We will also discuss other words we can use to describe feelings like “happy” or “sad.”
Writing:
In Writing, we are describing our emotions within a small moment story.  We have discussed that we are the authors of our own writing pieces.  The friend/teacher/parent who reads our writing is the reader.  Our job as the author is to make the reader feel like they were there while this story took place.  One way to do that is to describe our emotions.  I had the students close their eyes and I read them a few of my stories.  After each story I asked if they could imagine what happened in their brain.  It was a very fun activity!
Science:
We will spend the week working on our science fair project.  We still have not picked a topic.  We are exploring several ideas and discussing the scientific process.  My favorite idea is creating an egg that looks and feels like a real penguin egg.  We would research how penguins are able waddle with the egg on their feet.  The students would get to try walking with the egg. Fingers crossed that this is the project they choose!!
The science fair is March 20th.  Please come and check out all of the students’ hard work!!
Math:
We are working on rote counting, number patterns and ordering numbers. We will play a card game where students have number cards 1-20.  In pairs, they will put the cards in order 1-20.  One student will pull a card and the other students will ID the missing numeral.  Students will use the same number cards to pull and numeral and 2 more.  Using Popsicle sticks with numbers 1-20 and play dough snake, students will stick the numbers in order from 1 – 20.  On Thursday and Friday we are going to explore the 50s chart.
 
Have a super week!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Superbowl Sunday!


Hi Families!

Since today is Superbowl Sunday, you will get an early post!  I’m rooting for the Bronco’s, seeing as the Seahawks have a reputation for knocking the Redskins out of the playoffs.  GOOOOOO BRONCOS!!  I hope everyone has fun watching the game with family and friends. 

Well, I’m seeing snow in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday.  Fingers crossed that we are not super affected by this.  We are out of snow days and it’s looking like February is going to be very snowy month!

This week is SPIRIT WEEK, always a fun week at Whittier:

-Mad Hatter Monday (wear a hat)

-Snooze Day Tuesday (PJ day)

-Whacky Wednesday (be creative, wear mismatch and whacky hair)

-Sports Wear Thursday (represent your favorite team)

-Freedom Friday (red, white and blue – Whittier colors)

·       I will be out all day on Tuesday. Just a heads up so you can talk with your student about this.

·       Well, now that I think about it, I would like it to snow on Monday so that I will not miss the 100th day celebrations!

·       The 100th day of school is Tuesday.  On Monday we will send home a note and a gallon size baggie.  We are asking that students bring in a set of 100 objects.  Please be creative with this!  Ideas:

o   Crayons

o   Noodles

o   Bows

o   Marbles

o   Pennies

o   It just needs to fit inside the bag

·       The 100th day of school will be a day of celebration!  Your students have worked so hard the past 100 days.  I have watched them learn and grow, and I couldn’t be more proud!  Celebration activities:

o   100 cup stacking challenge

o   Fruit Loop necklace (10 sets of 10)

o   Using the numeral 100 to make a picture

o   Sharing their sets of 100 objects

o   100 day poem

·       If we have snow on Monday or Tuesday, the 100th day will just be pushed back.

A quick academic update:

Whole Group Reading:

We will make predictions about a text by examining the cover, title, illustrations/photographs/text and familiar topics.  We will use the same fiction book all week and focus on a different purpose each day. 

We will discuss….

·       How good readers choose a book

·       How to take a picture walk and examine the title, cover and illustrations…How can this help the reader?

·       How to make and revisit predictions

·       How to ask questions about the text

·       Where to find the answers

Math:

On Monday and Wednesday we are going to work with 2D and 3D shapes.  We will explore tangrams (a set of 2D shapes that make a square).  Using the manipulative tangrams we will explore ways to make other shapes/pictures.  I will also give them the challenge of making a square, which is always tricky for me!  Someone surprises me every year though!  Students will then cut out paper tangrams to make an animal.  Wednesday we are making 3D shapes with playdough and marshmallows/toothpicks.  The students will bring on home their marshmallow/toothpick structure.  Tuesday, of course we will be celebrating the 100th day of school!  On Thursday and Friday we are working with the 50s chart.  We will look at number patterns and discuss how this can be a resource we use during math time.

If you have any questions, Please ask!

Enjoy the pictures…

The Kids Valentine's



My little Emma resting by the fire!


Brain Break Dancing



We have been using GoNoodle at school for brain breaks.  They have Zumba, Olympic events and many more movement activities!  Check it out...its FREE



3D shape hunt


















Sharing Writing...









Morning reading time...







Center room






























 
Mathematician of the day!

 
Shaving cream writing!