Pictures

Last week we celebrated all our hard work in writing.  We had a publishing party and shared one piece that had been "fancied" up.  We did a gallery walk and shared with elbow buddies.  When we were finished we had an apple juice toast!  

Pictures 10-7 -10-11

Literacy Centers:

I have more pictures but for some reason google is not allowing me to add them....stay tuned for more photos!

Sunday Funday!

 

Hi Families,

What a rainy weekend!  I Hope we have a beautiful sunny day for the pumpkin patch this Tuesday.  The weather channel says 71 and sunny!  A couple notes before we talk about this week....

-On Friday, we celebrated our writing pieces that the students have worked so hard on during writer’s workshop.  We celebrated with a gallery walk, share time and APPLE JUICE.  The students enjoyed this...pictures to come!

-Tuesday, October 15 we are going to Gaver's Pumpkin Patch.  We will leave the school at 9:30 am and arrive back to school around 2 pm.  

-If your student is packing a lunch please send it in a disposable bag.

-Please dress your students in comfortable, weather appropriate clothes.  Sneakers will be best...we will do a lot of walking. 

-Each student will bring home a medium size pumpkin of their choice!!

-Thank you to the parents that have donated their time and are attending the field trip.  We will have two adults with every group of 4-5 children.  This is wonderful and helps to ensure safety for all students.  If you are a parent chaperone...please send in $7 for your ticket.  This applies to parents who are meeting us at the pumpkin patch too.  We can only take 4 parents on the bus.  We appreciate your understanding in this matter.  

-If you have extra plastic grocery bags could you please send them to school.  We will use grocery bags for each student to carry their pumpkin home. 

-We will have a book exchange tomorrow (Monday).  Please send your students to school with their library book.  Also, can you please be on the lookout for Put me in the zoo, one of my students is missing this book.  Thank you!

-Tomorrow I will be at school but we will have a substitute for the majority of the day.  I will be pulling students to complete quarter 1 assessments during this time.  Thank you for your understanding!  Assessing is much easier when it is done one-on-one.  

-Please remember to send student reading baggies to school each day.  The little books, word rings and any other puzzle/activity is needed during reading group time. Thank you!  Also, be on the lookout for an extra word ring.  One of my students is missing a sight word ring.

-We are working on ordering more durable bags for reading group.  In the meantime, we will use gallon size bags.  

-Thank you for working with your students on homework and reading baggie activities.  I have been so impressed with the work that is coming back to school in student journals!

-I sent homework journals home on Friday this week because I had them ready!  Thank you to my Friday parent volunteer!

 Morning meeting:

• Poem: I'm a Little Pumpkin 
• choral read the poem
• identify rhyming words
• identify sight words

•  Poem: I'm a Little Acorn Brown 
• Identify rhyming words
• Identify and define new vocabulary
• act out poem
• identify sight words
• identify beginning sounds
• identify number of syllables

• Weekly sight words: we, my, you

Math: 

Standards - 

Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger.  

Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length, or weight.  Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.  

Ask your student about the "One More Game".

Ask your student about describing the measurable attributes of a pumpkin.

Ask your student about the shake and spill game. 

Science: 

This week the students will have Science with Ms. House

Essential Questions-

Where is the strongest part of a magnet?

How can an object become a temporary magnet?

How can we tell and object is magnetic, just by touching it?

Writing: 

Students will learn how to stretch a small moment story over a sequence of pages.  We will look at examples from our favorite authors.  We will discuss how this makes our moment feel more important and interesting. 

We will write about our favorite thing we did at the pumpkin patch. 

We will participate in an ELA (English Language Experience).  We will cut open a pumpkin and explore the pulp and seeds inside.  We will describe and write about how the pumpkin feels. 

Reading:

Students will respond to questions about text by speaking, dramatizing, or writing. 

Questions: 

-What is the problem in the story?

-How did the character try to solve the problem?

-What was the solution?

-Beginning, middle, end?

-What do you think the most important part of the story is?     Why?

-What did the author mean by these words_______?

-What lesson do you think the author wants us to learn? 

Books we will read: 

The Lion and the Mouse

Lily's Purple Plastic Purse

Owen 

If you have questions about individualized reading groups please call or email me.  

Pictures to follow!  Have a great week!

Fire Safety

The Month of October is fire safety month! On Wednesday, October 23rd firefighters from station 1 are coming to speak to our Kindergarten students about how we can be safe in the event of a fire.  This will be a very exciting morning!  They will bring the fire truck and an ambulance to school.  The students will be able to look at their equipment and explore the inside of a fire truck.  Last year, they gave goodies to our kids.  Be on the look out for a goodie bag.

Monday Update

Hello!

I am sorry that you didn't get an update yesterday.  I had a very busy weekend.  A couple quick notes....

• We will not go to media center this week due to the Book Fair.  
• On Tuesday, October 15th we are going on our field trip to Gaver's Pumpkin Patch.  If you have not returned your students permission slip with $7, please do so.  I would like to notify chaperones of their transportation.  Thank you in advance!
• Reading groups and literacy rotations are in motion!  Please remember to send your students book baggie and everything that came home with it, back to school every day.  We use these materials each day in reading group.
• I am so impressed with the students ability to navigate and utilize technology.  We will continue to make a weekly visit to the computer lab.
• In writing we are writing letters to friends and family.  If you would like to donate envelopes to our classroom that would be fantastic.  Some families donated envelopes a couple weeks ago...but those donations went to our application center room. 
• I had the students homework all ready to go home and I forgot to give it to them!  I will send this home tomorrow...teacher brain : ) 

Morning Meeting:

WEEKLY SIGHT WORDS: so is see 

POEMS: 
Five Little Pumpkins 
Pumpkins
I'm a Little Pumpkin (tune of I'm a little teapot) 

Students will....

• act out each poem
• focus on return sweep 
• identify rhyming words
• identify beginning sounds 
• add poems to poetry journal 
• pointing to each word while we read

Ask your student to act out these poems.

Math: 

We will focus on...

• when counting objects, say the number names in standard order, pairing each object with one number name and each number name with one and only one object.  

Ask your student about the Smash the Pumpkin Game

Social Studies: 

Essential Questions....

• How can you tell if someone is listening to you?
• What can you do to be a good listener? 
• face the speaker
• be still 
• listen carefully
• don't interrupt 

• What does it mean to take turns?
• Why is it important to take turns?
• What does it mean to make a good choice?  Poor choice?
• How can you make a good choice?

Ask your student about the getting along quilt.

Writing:

Students are working on many different pieces this week.  Some students are finishing up their booklets.  Others, are working on making lists with picture clues.  Today, I introduced how and why to write letters.  Some students are working on writing letters.  Students are going to learn how to "publish their work."  In other words, they are going to practice editing or making their writing "FANCY."  

At the end of the week we are having a publishing party!

Read Aloud: 

We are reading information text about pumpkins.  

The students will focus on...

1. using before, during and after reading strategies while reading informational text. 
2. participate in discussions about the information derived from details in the illustrations/photographs in an informational text. 
3. participate in discussions about how these details contribute to the understanding of informational text. 

I am going to wait to add pictures until this weekend.  I would like to get some pictures of students working at literacy centers.

If you have any individualized questions about groups, please call or email me. 

Thanks and have a great week!
Ms. Grimes 
 
 

Sunday...

Hi Families,

I hope you had a fabulous weekend.  It was a little too hot for me...especially in October!  My Sunday post will be on Monday evening.  Thank you for understanding.  

Ms. Grimes

P.S. There will be no book exchange tomorrow because of the book fair.

PJ Day!!

Hello Families,

Today, the students filled their Warm Fuzzy Jar!  They are very proud of their positive behavior.  I am impressed with our class as a whole.  They are an extremely kind, respectful and bright bunch of students.  As their reward the students would like to have a pajama day on Thursday, October 3^rd.  If you would like your student to participate, please send them to school in weather appropriate pajamas.  We also ask that students do not wear slippers for safety reasons.  If you have any questions please call or email me. 

Thanks,

Ms. Grimes