It is AMAZING to think that we have only been in school together for one short month! In that month strangers have turned into fast friends and it is hard to imagine a time when we didn't know each other. We kicked of Kindergarten with an amazingly warm and positive spirit and knowing there's no turning back we are really in the groove!
We kicked off the year by getting to know each other and our school! We went on a hunt for Pete the Cat who was lost in our building! He conveniently stopped at some of the most important places in the building like the lunchroom, nurses office, music room, gym and more to leave us clues. We didn't find him, but he left us a fun coloring page and a lot of awesome memories.
In room 4 the children are already becoming lead learners each day! They have taken charge of the calendar and classroom routines with jobs they are assigned each day. It is impressive to see the 4 and 5 year olds that not so long ago were apprehensive about coming to school, get up and lead their classmates in different ways each day!
In September we began Reader's Workshop, a special time each day when we learn about reading and practice it independently and with partners. We are learning that readers "read the world." When asked if they knew how to read, many children in our class answered "no" or "not yet" and yet it wasn't long until they realized that they are already readers. Although many of them are not reading books, they can read the outside of their snack and know that there are Cheez-Its inside, or pass Target and know they can go there for some great shopping! We established that readers read much more than books. We practiced "Looking, Thinking, Reading and Learning." We can read the walls of our school building, our snacks, store signs, and so many more words! We continued reading "Learn About the World Books" and learning the importance of using more than just the text to learn new information. We practiced reading we partners by sharing a book in the middle, see saw reading (taking turns) and talking about what we are reading! We can't wait to continue reading Learn About the World Books and move forward into reading some of our favorite story books!
In the Cantiague Science Lab with Mrs.Vernon we have participated in some fun and exciting scientific explorations. We began the year by learning about our 5 senses. We practiced listening, looking, sorting and touching through different activities that showed us how our senses of sight, touch, smell and sound work! We didn't get to taste anything yet, but we know we use that sense every day in the lunch room!
In writing we are learning that writers can use pictures and some words to tell about the things they know and love. We spent time brainstorming about things that we love, created folders with some of our favorite things, and created teaching stories. We learned that WE are authors with so much to say and we look forward to continuing to write many stories and publish books throughout the year. We also began a writing activity that we will do every Monday throughout the school year, Weekend News! During this time the children choose one thing that they did over the weekend to write about. This can be as exciting as a trip to the pumpkin patch, or as simple as eating dinner with family. I encourage you to brainstorm with your child on Sunday nights to choose something to write about for Weekend News in school.
In Math the children are learning all about the numbers 1-5. We have used manipulatives, drawings, images and even our own bodies to help us count, compare and explore these numbers. The children have been learning to explore numbers in many ways! We are working on our number formation, counting, matching comparing and drawing to match numbers. We feel grown up each time we take out our math workbooks and practice our skills independently, and also have many math conversations to learn about these numbers in a deeper context.
This is just a small piece of all of the amazing things that we have done together as a class this year! We are learning and growing with every moment, and it is amazing how far we have already come! I look forward to continuing the watch the Kindergarten magic unfold with the coming months and look forward to sharing as often as I can! Please remember to follow me on twitter (@AGrossman10) and instagram (@MissGrossmansClass) to see more about what we do each day! Thanks for helping and supporting us through an amazing start to Kindergarten...we couldn't have done it without you :)
Peace, Love, and Kindergarten,
Miss Grossman
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea for parents to stay in the loop and see what their child is learning and all the activities they are doing! Lindsey came home and told us that she is a bucket filler- and was super excited to be a leader! The pictures are absolutely adorable- Thank you