Week of December 9-13

We had dreams about snow in the Youngest Friend's room this week! This week was the perfect week to read Dream Snow by Eric Carle. When we came to school there was real snow, not just dream snow! Our week was just like the book!

In Reading this week we practiced retelling stories, guided reading strategies, and began learning about the -at word family. Our sight words this week were can and big.

In Writing this week we practiced making our stories the best they can be. We talked about how good writers take their time to tell and write their very best stories. We practiced writing with "stamina" this week and did a great job doing our personal best!

Go Fish with sight words!

Fun with word families!

In Math this week we practiced adding and subtracting with numbers 1-10. We continued to use pennies to practice making numbers. On Friday we played bingo with Ms. Brook while practicing number recognition!

In Handwriting this week we learned the Frog Jump letters F and E. We practiced writing these letters in our workbooks, on chalkboards, iPads and white boards. Frog Jump letters always begin at the top and then "jump" back to the top to finish the letter. Ask your child to show you how at home!

In Social Studies this week we continued our farm projects and prepping to make our big poster maps to show what we have learned about the farm. This week, students will be working in groups to create their final maps and presenting on Thursday to each other!

Love these penguins and how we are all different!

Notes/Reminders:

-please send tour child to school with proper winter attire. Extra socks/slippers are nice to have in case we get snow in our boots!

-Learn to be Fit is on Wednesdays. Please send your child with shoes they can run/jump in on Wednesdays.

Have a great week! 

Monica

Week of December 2-6

Parents!

As the snow fell this week we "waddled" into winter and had so much fun together!

Our penguins have speech bubbles just like we learned in writing!

Making snow angels!

In Reading this week we read Mrs. Wishy Washy's Christmas. We had fun making text-to-text connections, retelling the story and stretching out words. We learned two new sight words this week: it and see. We practiced our sight words in our sight word center and during guided reading.

Mrs. Wishy Washy's sight word center!

Retelling the story with picture cards!

In Writing this week we learned about speech bubbles. We learned that stories are even more fun to listen to when the characters are talking. We practiced labeling the people in our stories and adding speech bubbles to show they were talking. We had a blast finding speech bubbles in books and on signs as well!

Playing Mrs. Wishy Washy in the creative play area.

In Spanish this week we learned the song "Feliz Navidad." We reviewed colors, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, the family members and the animals. We will continue reviewing these things this week along with some fun holiday vocabulary and songs!

We did a great job reading the color sight words in Spanish!

In Social Studies this week we continued our project on the farm. Now that we have been to a real farm, we are really excited about our project! The end in mind of this project is for students to create poster maps in groups of a real farm, including labeling everything they draw. Students will also be presenting these posters maps!

Frog Jump letters with the chalkboards!

In Handwriting this week we practiced making the Matman with the wooden pieces, writing our letters on chalkboards and writing letters on the iPads. Next week, we will begin to learn the Frog Jump letters. We always start our letters at the top, but the Frog Jump Letters jump back to the top again. These letters are F,E,M,N,R,B,P and D. In Handwriting we begin with learning the uppercase letters first.

Making our pages for the class book!

"Buttering" our sight words!

In Math this week we practiced finding groups of ten and counting groups of ten with pennies. We practiced circling groups of five and learned that two groups of five make ten. We practiced making a variety of number groups with pennies. We also practiced writing our numbers and learned a number rhyme to remember how to write each number!

Making number groups with pennies.

Notes/Reminders:

-Class Dojo will no longer be used. This week, we will begin earning fish to fill our fishbowls. Students can earn fish by filling someone's bucket, using the 7 habits, being a leader and many other positive things. Once fish are earned, they will not be taken out. Once 5 fish are earned, kiddos can choose a prize from the prize box!

-Sight words will be checked on Mondays. Your child's just right sight word list will be coming home on Tuesdays.

Have a great week!

Monica

Week of November 18-22

Greetings parents! We had so much fun this week! With our Thankful Synergy Day, Coach Stop Farms and Pete the Cat book we had a blast!

Our Pete the Cat Bulletin Board

So excited to explore the farm! Check our this video from our field trip:
http://animoto.com/play/dMNXnxJ4iqoSzOcavmAWUw

In Reading this week we read Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes. We learned a few color sight words: red, yellow, blue, green, purple, pink and orange. In small lit groups this week we practiced guided reading, or reading in small groups. We practiced pointing to the words as we read, stretching words out and looking for sight words.

Personalizing our shoes!

Playing our color sight word game!

In Writing this week we practiced stretching the words out in our stories. We listened for the beginning, middle and ending sounds in words. We tell ourselves to stretch words out like rubber bands so we can write down all of the sounds we hear!

Using iPads to practice handwriting!

In Math this week we practiced equations with addition and subtraction. We also practiced using and naming different types of shapes. Ms. Kelli's friends helped us complete an assessment this week and we worked on the iPads together!

Making cards during our Synergy Day!

In Social Studies this week we jumped right in to our project on the farm! This year Innocademy is starting to use something called Project Based Learning, where students learn by completing a project. They begin with a Driving Question and investigate and collaborate in groups. It is so much fun! Our DQ is: What does a farm look like? What kind of animals and things do we see on a farm?

Shopping at the Marketplace!

In Spanish we wrapped up learning about La Familia. Your child should be able to name the mom, dad, brother, sister and baby in the family. We also learned the words for grandma and grandpa!

Learning colors in Spanish!

Notes/Reminders:

-please return growth portfolios this week
-sight word lists will be sent home this week
-please continue to read your child's JRL book each night. If you do not know where it is please let me know! Lost JRL books are $4 to replace. I can help with this if it is an issue

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of November 11-15

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom what a fun week in the Youngest Friend's room!

Excited to break open the coconut! 

Breaking open the coconut!

So cool!

Most of us did not like the coconut milk but we tried it!

This week in reading we read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. We read this as a celebration of finishing learning the alphabet!

Yummy Chicka Boom Boom soup!

In writing this week we practiced telling our stories across our fingers. We imagined each finger was a page. We planned our stories across fingers with a partner. The kiddos did so well with this!

A fun craft to go with our book of the week.

In social studies this week we began our farm project. Even the little ones at Innocademy can learn through project based learning! In groups we made maps of what we think is on a farm, including animals and other different things. Our field trip next week will help us learn how a farm works and what we might see on a farm!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom math!

In math this week we continued to learn about shapes. We learned about a hexagon, triangle, circle, square and rectangle. We counted sides, traced shapes and even made pictures out of the shapes we traced. On Friday we had fun in math centers working on rolling dice and counting numbers, shape pictures, and math equations with Ms. Brook.

In handwriting this week we practiced forming the uppercase letters with wooden pieces. This week, we will try using chalkboards to write the uppercase letters. Once children have learned to write uppercase letters they will already be able to form more than half of the lowercase letters correctly!

Notes/Reminders

-field trip to Coach Stop Farms will be this Wednesday from 9:30-11:30. Kiddos should be dressed warm and should be wearing boots. Look for more info to come!

-growth portfolios will be coming home on Friday

-please send a snack with your child every day, even if they are getting hot lunch

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of November 4-8

Hello parents!

Have you filled a bucket today? That's the question we have been asking one another in our room this week! This book talks about caring for others and treating each other nicely. It's a great book for the family if you ever get a chance to read it!

In Reading this week we finished the alphabet as we learned letters Q and Z! We worked on beginning sounds as we practiced breaking words apart and listening for sounds during our small reading groups.

We love the iPad center!

In Writing this week we began learning about how to write stories! We learned that good writers always practice telling a story before they write. Before we began writing our stories across pages, we told our stories to a partner. You can help your child with reading and writing simply by practicing storytelling at home with one another!

Telling stories in partners.

In Math this week we practiced writing math partners with dominoes while practicing addition. We also began learning about different shapes and did a fun math activity with foam shapes! We are loving being mathematicians this year!

Fun with shapes!

In Social Studies this week we continued to learn about different holidays. This week we learned about the Fourth of July. We learned why we celebrate this holiday and that many people celebrate it in different ways!

Mathematicians hard at work.

In Spanish this week we continued to learn about La Familia. We drew pictures of our families and labeled them in Spanish! We also played with little people and practiced the family members while speaking Spanish!

Notes/Reminders:

-Please send in any magazines you may have at home
-Field trip to Coach Stop Farm is Wednesday, November 20. We are still in need of drivers. More details to come!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, something smells good in the Youngest Friend's room!

To celebrate completing the alphabet, we will be reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom this week. On Friday, we will be trying real coconuts and making Chicka Boom Boom Soup! If you have any canned goods or yummy soups to contribute, please send them to school with your child. We will just combine everything in the crock pot. This is a tradition I do every year and the kids love it!

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of October 28-31

We had another wonderful week in the Youngest Friend's room and ended with a great day at the Harvest Celebration!

In Reading this week we read the book If You Give a Pig a Party. We had fun making text-to-text connections with If You Give a Pig a Pancake as we compared the two book. Our sight words this week were and and like. We learned the letters p,v and y this past week. Next week we will finish the alphabet as we learn q and z.


In Writing this week we learned how to use the tools around us while writing at all times. We practiced keeping our zoo friend alphabet paper next to us while writing in case we forget a sound a letter makes. We learned to use the word wall as well when writing which has all of our sight words listed.

In Math this week we practiced addition and subtraction using math stories. We made counting books and practiced writing numbers 1-10. We had so much fun at our harvest centers!

In Handwriting this week we learned a few songs to help us learn and built the matman out of wooden pieces! This week we will begin letter formation and start getting into our workbooks.

In Social Studies this week we continued to talk about different holidays that are celebrated around the world. The kiddos are having so much fun learning about different cultures!

In Spanish this week we completed our unit on Los Animales, or The Animals. For the month of November we will study La Familia, or The Family. We will continue to review the days of the week, months of the year, colors, weather, and numbers. We will learn numbers 20-30 this month.

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is an online behavior management system that I will begin using this week. We will only be focusing on positives within the classroom. Please look out for an email with your child's login code. When you receive the login code you will be able to view your child's positive behavior progress each day! Your child will be able to change their avatar at home if they would like.

Notes/Reminders:

-please send your child's growth portfolio in if you have not already

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of October 21-25

Hello parents!

We had a wonderful week in the Youngest Friend's room! The snow was so fun to play in at recess, we can't wait for more!

Playing in the snow!

In Reading this week we read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. This is a story of friendship and the importance of treating others nice and sharing.

We made our very own Rainbow Fish!

We learned the letters p, v, and y this week. In our fix-it this week we practiced fixing the beginning of the sentence by making the first letter an uppercase letter. We have also learned what a period is and an exclamation point, or an excite mark. Our sight words this week were we and see. So far we have learned the following sight words:

me

we

to

go 

the 

I 

a

see 

We love to write the room and search for words with the magic reading glasses!

In Writing this week we wrote in booklets for the first time! We are now beginning to stretch our small moment stories across pages like real authors. We also practiced slowly stretching out our words so that we could hear every sound as we write. During writing we use the ABC banner, our Zoophonics paper and the word wall to help us!

Conferring in partners before we write!

Yummy Rainbow Fish math!

In Math this week week worked on the number 8 using addition and subtraction stories. We practiced writing the numbers 1-10 in order. This Friday we had fun during math centers as we sorted shapes, counted rainbow fish crackers and worked on the iPads! Here are some cool apps to try at home:

Kindergarten Math-drills in adding, subtracting and comparing

Splash Math Kindergarten

10 Frame Fill

Ocean Life Dot-to-Dot

Dino Dot-to-Dot

Sorting shapes!

In Social Studies this week we continued to learn about the holidays Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Cinco de Mayo and Chinese New Year. As we get closer to Thanksgiving we will do some more in depth learning about the first Thanksgiving.

Writing about our favorite holidays we learned about!

In Handwriting this week we learned more about the Mat Man and the importance of detail when drawing and writing letters. We also learned the difference between right and left and how to shake someone's hand with your right hand. We had so much fun!

Coloring at recess!

In Spanish this week we practiced counting to 20, the days of the week, months of the year, the weather and the colors. For the month of October we have been studying "Los Animales." We had so much fun learning! Ask your child to tell you the animals they know in Spanish, you can practice with any stuffed animals you may have at home!

Notes/Reminders:

-if you have any snacks you would like to donate it would be greatly appreciated!

-please send your child to school with proper outdoor attire

-please send an extra pair of shoes or slippers to be kept at school to change into when wearing boots

-please send a new change of clothes to school for the colder months along with a few extra pairs of socks

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of October 14-18

We had a very busy week in the Youngest Friend's room!

In reading this week we read The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle. We practiced retelling the story and sequencing the events in the correct order with a reader's theatre on Friday!

Kiddos in character for Reader's Theatre!

At our word sort center, students matched the character picture with the character word. The words are broken up into sound boxes to help kiddos with breaking apart words when reading.

Working hard in the word sort center!

This week we learned the letters n, k and e. We also learned the sight words go and the. We were able to practice using our new words and letters during centers this week!

Thank you to our helpers Hannah and Elizabeth Voss!

In writing this week we practiced writing about one small moment rather than lots of moments in one story. This week students will begin to write in booklets as they learn to stretch their story across several pages.

Playing letter swat!

In math with Ms. Brook we practiced writing the number 6, addition and subtraction stories, counting pennies and making our own dot to dots! We had centers on Friday and had a blast as we practiced what we had learned this week!

Searching for sight words with our star pointers and magic reading glasses!

In social studies this week we began learning about holidays. We talked about Chinese New Year, The 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We learned that people all over the world celebrate different holidays at different times of the year. We practiced singing the months of the year song in English and Spanish as we learned when these holidays take place.

Speaking Spanish during creative play!

In handwriting this week we practiced tracing letters on the iPads and learned who the Mat Man is. Mat Man helps kiddos as they learn to hold their pencil. He helps children learn body awareness, sequencing and organization. First, the kiddos drew their own Mat Man. Then, I went over how to draw a person, going over all the steps and details. The before and after drawings were amazing!

Mat Man drawing before and after!

Notes/Reminders:

-please send in your child's growth portfolio

-please send in a morning snack with your child even if they are ordering hot lunch

-if you have any extra magazines laying around, please send them in for Ms. Brook for math time

-your child should have come home with a yellow math folder. Written on there is a note  from Ms. Brook on what your child should be working on

-I am still in need of a volunteer Thursdays from 11:30-11:55 if you are available!

Thank you and have a great week!

Ms. Monica