In reading, it is amazing to see that every single child in our class is officially a READER! It boggles my mind that many of them came to Kindergarten with little to no reading skills, and are now leaving having discussions about books and thinking about what they are reading. They have been working on becoming "avid" readers. The discussions have involved knowing that avid readers read everywhere, don't want to stop reading and always have a book waiting for them. Our discussions after reading workshop have been sharing favorite books, and reacting to books as well as jotting things down while they read so they don't forget what to discuss with a partner. This is the beginning of building the habits to create readers who develop a life long love of reading!
In writing we just wrapped up our favorite and best writing unit yet! We completed a persuasive writing unit. We did an author study of (in our humble opinions) one of the greatest current children's book authors, Mo Willems. The children did a wonderful job of exploring the characteristics of Mo Willems's books. They also laughed a lot at the silliness of his books and characters. They've learned the power of persuasion and that we can use words like magic wands to change someones answer or opinion from no to yes. The children made lists of things that they may have wanted and then chose one to focus on. They chose and audience and developed sound reasons based on the audience they were trying to convince. They then wrote books in the style of Mo Willems with them as the main character, persuading their audience! I think some of you may be need to prepare yourselves for some very persuasive children that want IPhones, Trips to the Candy Store and Toys R Us, New Toys, More TV Time, Robots and so much more! Good luck saying no :)
In science the children have truly enjoyed learning all about the life cycle of a butterfly. We were so fortunate to get three caterpillars in our classroom. Over the course of several weeks we watched as those caterpillars grew and eventually formed a chrysalis. Inside their chrysalis they went through metamorphosis and we watched as they hatched into beautiful butterflies. All along we learned many different facts about caterpillars, butterflies, their habits, life cycle and even some fun facts. The children were incredibly engaged in sharing facts and opinions, observing and recording in their Caterpillar Journals and discussing their predictions about the insects. Eventually we released our stunning colorful butterflies hoping that they would find some nectar and use their proboscis to drink it. It was a happy send of as we knew that eventually they would fly south, and begin the life cycle all over again.
We officially kicked off our ABC Countdown for the final 26 days of school in the middle of the month. We're a little less than half way through the fun and exciting activities each day brings. The countdown is such an awesome part of the year because the children come to school with a different kind of excitement each day. It's also great to see how the children in Kindergarten through 5th grade love to participate in all of the fun together!
We kicked off the countdown with Cantiague's second annual Innovation Day. Innovation Day was developed to give children an entire day that involved choice, passion, creative thinking and distruption from the norm. The children had an absolute BLAST this year on innovation day when they got to choose 4 out of 5 workshops led by our Kindergarten Team with the help of several other teachers. They chose from Learn A New Language- where they got a chance to work with Mrs. Ostroff, our FLES teacher to learn some Italian; Become a Character- the children's bodies were traced and they used paint, markers and imagination to turn their outline into any real or made up character that they wanted; Build a Special Place- the children used frosting, graham crackers and other yummy treats to create and build a special place; Create with Clay- not only did the children get to play and create with clay but they made the clay from scratch; and Yoga and Exercise- the children practiced Yoga as well as positive self affirmations to build self esteem. They also made a calming relaxation tool! All in all it was one of the best days of the year for kids and teachers a like.
Personally Field Day is and always has been one of my favorite days of the year! While I was never a real athlete, I have (and continue to be) a life long camper and to me, all of the wonderful elements of camp get to come alive in school on this special day. Last year Cantiague made some changes to field day that included having an entire class be on the same team. It has helped to make the day even more about camaraderie, spirit, friendship and supporting your team! All in all this year did not disappoint. Although it was hot the kids had a BLAST being outside, participating in events and cheering on their classmates. We may not have won field day, but we certainly had a great time!
The ABC Countdown continues to excite and motivate us to come to school every day! We also like to use some of these days as an opportunities to collaborate with Kindergarteners from the other two classes. As the students prepare for first grade with new friends, its nice to build a comfort level and connections with children outside their own class. So far it has been a hit!
It's hard to believe we are counting down our final days of Kindergarten together in our last month of school. We can't wait to celebrate with you on June 17th as we celebrate the year and get ready to move up to first grade! Click the link below to rewatch our invitation and make sure you know all of the details!
See You There!
Peace, Love and Kindergarten,
Miss Grossman
Thank you for sharing this outstanding update with us Ms. Grossman - it is clear that kindergarten is the perfect balance of hard work and loads of fun!!! I am so proud of the children's growth, which was particularly evident to me through their latest writing unit - they definitely persuaded me! These munchkins are definitely ready for first grade thanks to your passion, enthusiasm and hard work ethic!
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Dr. Sinanis