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

Week of October 7-11

Pajamas, popcorn and pancakes oh my! Make sure to check out the video I made for this week!

http://animoto.com/play/aPzAMWUverZsTD28Ih4eew

We had such a fun day on Friday! To celebrate filling our marble jar we wore our pajamas to school, ate chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and had popcorn in the afternoon. What a day!

Getting ready to make our pancake breakfast!

In the past two weeks we have learned about two of the Seven Habits: be proactive and begin with the end in mind. 
We first read about Sammie Squirrel who could not find anything fun to do. He was asking all of his friends what to do and still could not find anything to do. We talked about being the leader of ourselves and doing things for ourselves rather than relying on others.
This week we read about Goob the bear and Jumper rabbit. The two characters ran a lemonade stand and earned some money. Goob began with the end in mind by making a list of all the things he wanted to buy with the money he saved. Jumper did not begin with the end in mind and he spent his money carelessly. We talked about making a plan before we do things without thinking.

In Reading this week we read the book If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff. We also learned the sight words me and I this week! 

In Writing this week we practiced turning our writing into books and scrolls. We talked about how we are real authors and sometimes when authors run out of room on their paper they have to add more pages. We had so many writers stapling pages and turning their writing into real books! It is so exciting watching these writers improve and get excited about writing.

Working hard during writing time!

In Math this week we practiced counting, making our own dot to dots and math stories with addition and subtraction. On Friday we did math centers for the first time! Ms. Brook set up a shape station, a cheerio counting station with pipe cleaners and math game stations. It was so much fun!

Cheerio math!

Math on the iPads

Shape sorting center

In Social Studies this week we talked about the seasons of the year and the differences between them. Ask your child to sing you our seasons poem. We did some fun lessons on the SMARTboard that helped us separate the differences between spring, summer winter and fall.

Seasons on the SMARTboard!

In Spanish this week we continued to learn about Los Animales. Ask your child to tell you how to say elephant, giraffe, bear, lion and tiger in Spanish! You can also practice counting and singing the says of the week or months of the year song. Just ask your child to sing them to you!

We began Handwriting this week! Ms. Brenda came in to help and gave us some handwriting bracelets to help. We learned the correct way to hold a pencil and practiced  using our new bracelets!

Ms. Brenda shows us how our new bracelets can help us.

Notes/Reminders:

-we are in need of a math center volunteer from 1:05-1:45 on Fridays
-we are in need of an ELA center volunteer on Thursdays from 11:30-11:55


Thanks and have a great week!

Ms. Monica

Week of September 30-October 4

Hello Parents!

We had a great week! In Pod this week we were able to Skype with the mayor of Grand Rapids. It was awesome!

Skyping with the Mayor!

In Reading this week we read the book Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm. We made text-to-text connections with the book Mrs. Wishy Washy using venn diagrams. This week we learned the words I, a and the. We reviewed the letters a,m,t,d,o,r,g,l and h. Look for more upcoming sight words and letters this week!

In Writing this week we focused on small moment stories and staying focused in the moment rather than different moments all together. Students are doing a great job stretching words out and using their letter sounds. It is so fun to watch them progress as the year goes on!

Fun during choice time!

In Math this week we continued to practice math stories with addition and subtraction. We also are comparing numbers using our new vocabulary more and less. On Friday we were able to work on the iPads and explore different math apps!

iPads during Math!

In Social Studies this week we discussed needs and wants and the difference between the two. We used the SMARTboard to sort needs from wants. We also talked about homes: what is a home? Do people live in different kinds of houses or the same? Each student drew a picture of where they live and wrote words to describe their home.

Fun at recess!

In Spanish this week we began learning about the animals in Spanish. Each day we continue to practice colors, numbers, days of the week, months of the year and the weather. Spanish is taught with no English for 30-40 minutes per day. The kiddos love it and are picking it up quickly!
Here is some Spanish vocab to practice with your child at home:

el leon-lion
el oso-bear
el gato-cat
la vaca-cow
el perro-dog
la jirafa-girrafe
el caballo-horse
el elefante-elephant

Notes/Reminders:
-if you are interested in helping out during Centers please let me know! I need one volunteer every day from 11:30-11:55.
-if you are interested in helping Ms. Brook with Math please let me know! She needs 1-2 volunteers every Friday from 1:05-1:45.

Have a great week!

Ms. Monica