This week we turned into writers!! I LOVE the writing process in kindergarten. Our writing at this point of the year is made up of the high frequency words that we are learning and inventive spelling. In kindergarten, we write words the way that they sound...which is perfectly okay! We practice stretching out the words to hear as many sounds as we can in each word. At the beginning of the year, teachers rotate around the classroom and help students to stretch out the words that they need to sound out. Soon, their confidence as writers will grow and they will begin to stretch and sound words out on their own. This week we wrote every morning and you can already see a difference! We discussed the difference between words and letters, why we need to use spaces between words and using an ending mark like a period. This week each kindergartner began writing their own "I Like" book. Check out these examples of kindergarten writing in October...
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| I like cookies. |
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| I like teddy bears. |
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I like pizza.
It's hard believe we are starting our sixth week of school! As part of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching, the first six weeks of school are spent laying the groundwork for a year that is productive and full of learning. The thought is that by slowing down and taking the time to build a strong foundation in the first six weeks of school, the class will be able to move through the school year with increased motivation, cooperation, responsibility and self-control. It certainly feels like the sixth week of school in our classroom. There is already a strong sense of community where students and teachers respect each other. Many new friendships have formed and everyone has a clear understanding of the classroom expectations.
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Henry and Samantha work together and sort animals during center time.
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Sadie and Joseph play a game on the iPad together.
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| Lucas L. gets ready to paint. |
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| Alice shows off her painting at the easel during learning centers. |
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Josh found stars inside some apples at his house. He was kind enough to bring
them to school and we stamped with them in the writing center. |
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We had three salamanders visit our classroom. We learned some
interesting salamander facts before letting them go near the vernal pool. |
The rain didn't stop us from enjoying the 3B's celebration on Wednesday! We had a great time marching in the 3B's parade with the rest of the school. It was an event to celebrate the signing of the 3B's contracts...Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible!
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| It was good practice making a pattern on our bee headbands. |
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| Kindergartners are hard at work making their headbands. |
Each Friday Mrs. Kleiner, our school counselor, visits our classroom for a Second Step guidance lesson. This week we discussed things that make us feel angry. Mrs. Kleiner and our kindergartners shared ideas on what to do if you feel angry.
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| Students pass the angry frog around the circle as they share things that make them feel angry. |
One of the highlights of the week was visiting the computer lab. Once a week, usually Fridays, we will work on a project in the lab. Today we were introduced to Kid Pix. Students learned how to log in, open the applications folder and find Kid Pix. Everyone used the program to draw an apple and type their name in a text box. We learned how to use the shift key when typing our name and how to print our picture. Next week we will write sentences on these pages and turn them into a book. It was very tricky using the mouse!! Most students were used to working on an iPad or a laptop without a mouse. Next week, we will continue to practice using the mouse, the proper way to hold it and where to click when using it.
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| Kindergartners work in the lab for the first time. |
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| Charlie uses the mouse to make his apple. |
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| After Joe made his apple, he used his free time to create a Jack O Lantern. |
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| Summit used his free time to draw a person pulling a wagon. |
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| Lia explores with stamps and a paint brush on Kid Pix. |
After sitting or working for longer amounts of time, we like to move in kindergarten! We can always tie our movement into learning. One of our favorite movement breaks is letter aerobics. Kindergartners put their hands on their hips for letters that sit on the line (letters like a, m, w, z), put their hands in the air for tall letters (letter like b, d, k, t) and touch the ground for letters with a tail (letters like, g, j, p, q). Here we are this morning taking a movement break after writing in our "I Like" books and learning how to make the number six. The video is a little grainy but it is still pretty cute!
