Reading Stations

 We have reading stations on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  The kids work in groups of 3 and do 7 stations each day.  The work at most of the stations reinforces a skill that I have taught the class and sometimes we have a station that is just for fun.  Each group will work with me for 1 station.  This is where I teach reading skills and the kids read to me.  We also practice sight words and letters and sounds.   

 These girls are working on our letter of the week.  They are practicing handwriting and beginning sounds. 

 We always have a block station.  I like to use that one because the kids have to use communication skills and cooperate with each other in order to build something.

 This is a number station.  Today they were rolling a cube and then graphing the number that was rolled.

 This is an alphabet station.  These students are stamping the missing alphabet letters.

 This station works on rhyming words and of all the stations they did today, this is the only one I took a grade on.  Each station lasts 10 minutes and many times that is not enough time to completely finish something.  When I absolutely want something finished, I will make sure the kids know that and make sure it is something that can be finished in 10 minutes.  I'm telling you this because I don't want you to worry about work that looks unfinished.  If there is not a grade on it, then it was work done during stations to reinforce a skill.

 Each day a different student is the leader and the leader gets to use the Ipad.

The students not on the Ipad go to the computer. 

I hope this helps explain a big part of our day and why you see unfinished work coming home.

Reading Practice

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted on the blog.  I use my phone to take pictures and I got a new one a few weeks ago.  I can't get my computer at school to download the pictures and videos.  I haven't had a lot of time to mess with it but it is very aggravating.  I have a video demonstration of how we do our Reading Practice but I can't get it to post so I'll try to explain.

You will start to see a paper that looks similar to this one come home once a week.  When the kids read the words to me, I have them say the sounds first and then I tell them to pull the sounds together and say the word. 

If there is a check mark beside the word that means your child was able to say the sounds and tell me the word without any help.  If there is no check mark then your child could be saying the sounds correctly but is not able to tell me the word or they may not know the sounds well enough to be able to say them. 

Usually I will write a note to you to let you know what your child is having trouble with.  This is a very good thing to practice at home.  Everyone needs to be able to do this.  We work on these skills at school every day but if your child is struggling, please give them some extra help at home.  When they master this skill, they will be very close to being able to read on their own.  A good goal to have in mind is to be comfortable sounding out words by Christmas break.  January is when I will let the ones who are ready start checking out AR books and earning those points.

Making Applesauce

 We made applesauce today and it was very yummy!  The kids helped which make it taste even better.  Some of them said they wanted to try it at home so here are the instructions. 

You need apples, cinnamon (Not cumin which is in the above picture.  It was very early this morning when I grabbed the ingredients.  Thank goodness, I read the label before using it.), brown sugar and lemon juice.

 You will probably not have this much help at home but I think you can do it.

 Cut up the apples and put them in a crock pot.

 Add 5 tablespoons of brown sugar.

 About 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  (Not pictured because I didn't have any.)

Cook in the crock pot until the apples are soft.  Mash the apples or use a blender until you get the consistency you like.

 Dish it up and eat it!

The kids ate almost every bite.

Fun Fridays

 Fridays are so much fun.  Our schedule is different and filled with activities that we only do on Friday.  In the afternoon the kids get to rotate to each teacher for a different class. Mrs. Brown teaches Spanish.  Mrs. Price takes them to the computer lab and Mrs. Bonstead lets them do free centers.  In my class, we have an art lesson.

 We have learned that we can all be artists and we can turn anything into a piece of art, even something that started out as a mistake.

 We are working on fall leaves right now.  They started with tissue paper and watercolor.

 Then they cut out the leaves and are making a border with a pattern.

 They are beautiful! 

Reading Folder

The students will bring home a blue reading folder for the first time today.  This will come home every Tuesday and Thursday. The books we use in school are in color but the one the kids bring home is black and white. 

The first few books have no words.  They are just pictures that tell a story.  In class today, we practiced looking for details in the picture and making up a story to go with it.  There is no right or wrong way to do this, just encourage your child to talk about the picture. 

You may keep the book but I need the blue folder back the next day.  Sign the paper in the front of the folder by the name of the book. 

You will also find a list of sight words in the folder.  You may keep this at home also.  We have not started working on sight words in class yet but if you would like to start at home, then it will be much easier for your child when we do get to it.  Flash cards are a good way to practice and when you see one of the words in a book you are reading to your child, ask them if they can read it to you. 

The class is excited about reading and it won't be long before they can read all by themselves!  I love this part of teaching Kindergarten.  It is so exciting to see the transition from non reader to reader. 

Have fun with it.  I hope you get excited about it too.

Homework and Library Books

 Today the kids will bring home their first homework paper.  I will send it home on Monday but it is not due until Friday.  If your child finishes before Friday, go ahead and send it back to school in the red folder.  On Friday, I give a sticker to everyone who has turned in their homework. 

I've made an example of the finished homework.  I want them to write their first and last name.  Each capital and lowercase letter should be written 5 times each.  Make sure your child can tell you the name of the letter and the sound it makes.  Practice writing the numbers and on the back, they will write the color words 3 times each.  We've been working on recognizing the color words in class.  The color words are not included in our sight words but it is very good for the kids to know them.

If you have your child do a little each night, it should be very manageable.  I don't want anyone to stress out over homework.  If you feel your child is overwhelmed, please let me know. 

Library books will come home on Friday.  The book that your child brings home is for you (the parent) to read to your child.  It is crucial that your child hears good stories with rich language at this stage in their development.  Please make this an enjoyable part of your day that your child will look forward to.  You are building a love for reading even before they can read. 

In January, I will let kids who are ready start bringing home books that they can read themselves.  That is when we will start AR testing.  I will explain that process then. 

Thank you so much for your help.

A Little Brag About My Class

 In 4 days, we have come a long way.  The class is learning the routines and rules and I'm so proud of the way they are paying attention and making good choices.

 We've been able to start having stations already.  I love doing stations because it keeps them busy and they have lots of opportunity to move around.  They are getting along with each other and learning how to cooperate. 

 These guys built a really cool tower together.

 They got to paint a little today.  Everyone painted 2 paper plates, one red and one black.  Tomorrow we will use them to make ladybugs.  Our letter this week has been "L", by the way.

 We sing songs every day.  Every time we come to the carpet, I have them sing 1 or 2 songs. It helps them calm down and get ready to listen.

In our math class, we are making a book about bugs in a box.  They will be excited to read it to you when we are finished. 

A Great Start

 We were so busy yesterday on the first day of school that I completely forgot to take any pictures.  I couldn't believe it.  So, I'm sorry I missed the first day but here is day 2. 

Yesterday, I read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" to the class then we learned how to use the crayons correctly. They practiced by coloring a bear.  I wanted them to use lots of color so when you see your child's bear today, it will not be brown.  . 

 Today we took the bear pictures and cut them into pieces and glued it back together like a puzzle. 

 Some of these kids are experts with scissors and glue.

 We will be using our names a lot this week for our lessons.  Everyone got to decorate the first letter of their name and then they were displayed in the classroom. 

This is a group of hard workers and I can tell they like to stay busy.  If they come home exhausted at the end of the day,  it's because they have worked really hard. 

Thank you to all the parents.  Everyone brought the supplies they needed and your kids are ready to learn.  It makes my job so much fun to have a classroom full of excited learners.