January Fun

We have been so busy since we've returned from the holidays!  Our writing continues to focus on informational reading and writing.  We have been practicing making wonder statements to help our reading have purpose.  Good readers ask questions before, during and after reading to help improve comprehension. Each student is now familiar with the app Draw and Tell.  Below is an example of a wonder statement.  Unfortunately, we've had a hard time getting the wonder statement off of the iPads to share with you.


                                                                          I Wonder...

We had a great time welcoming our new friend Helena to our class and celebrating Makayla's birthday.

So much fun in kindergarten!

Kindergartners predict which balloon will freeze first.

The balloon that was not insulated in the snow froze first.

Checking out the ice from the balloon buried in the snow.

As the day went on, the ice melted and left a shell that looked
just like a bowl.

Our class has been learning about 3D shapes. Here we used a ramp and a Venn diagram to sort out shapes that stack and shapes that roll. This week we will work in math teams to complete our own stacking and rolling experiments.

A sphere rolls. A cylinder and cone can stack and roll. A cube and a rectangular prism stack.

It's been so much fun being able to play outside.  The warmer weather has softened up the snow on the playground so it is not so slippery.  Thanks for making sure your kindergartner has plenty of warm clothes for the playground.  Think snow...this group is really excited to snow shoe this year!

Climbing the rock wall...

and collecting ice crystals.

So much fun in the sun!

December Fun and a Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break and enjoyed the holidays.  Our class had so much fun leading up to vacation.  A huge thank you to all of the parents who sent in treats and donated supplies.  It really is a magical time in kindergarten. 

We hope you enjoyed our gifts. Look at how different
each reindeer is.

We stayed busy in the days leading up to vacation.

We made reindeer food....

...and practiced making patterns.

The Polar Express was lots of fun...and tasty too.

Our classroom bakery was very busy.  The phone would
not stop ringing.

We practiced taking orders and sent then back to the kitchen!

Bakers were hard at work getting treats ready for costumers.

With that being said, it will also be wonderful to get back into our normal classroom routine.  We didn't waste any time getting back to work this morning.  During the second trimester, our writing focus will shift from narrative writing to informational writing. Some examples of what informational writing in kindergarten can be: labeled pictures, writing directions and recipes or writing facts about a favorite animal.  In science, we are about to begin a unit on winter animals.  Our lessons will integrate a lot of informational writing .

Kindergartners are learning how to label their drawings.

In math we are making sure our numbers to 20 are solid before we begin our trickiest chapter, numbers to 100. In our phonics programs, we are learning how to blend sounds together and how to tap out words. Stay tuned for information about our first field trip! It's so hard to believe we are approaching our half way point of the school year?! Happy New Year!