Check out the happenings going on in Kindergarten this week:
Thank you Parent Volunteers!!
Upcoming Events & Teacher Tidbits. . .
-Friday will be our library day next week. Sorry for the inconsistency but we will get back to a regular routine soon!
- Tuesday November 8th, Thursday November 10th, AND Friday November 11th there will be NO SCHOOL for students.
- Birthdays are an exciting celebration in Room 5. If your child would like to make a birthday poster to share they are more than welcome! If you need more information please let me know. Information was given at orientation.
- A new class book has been made called the Scribble Monster. Look out for it in your child's folder in the next couple of weeks. Sometimes it takes awhile to get through the whole class.
-November Scholastic Book Orders will go home next week. This is a PERFECT holiday gift! If you are interested in purchasing books as a gift please let me know and we can arrange a secretive delivery to you.
Our phonics program began last week. Students are introduced to 2-3 letters a week. The program focuses on the sound, formation, and recognition for the letters of the alphabet.
Meet Mama Echo and Baby Echo
Our Fundations mascots have helped us learn the letters T, B, F, M, and N.
Did you hear we are even learning sign language?!
A big thank you to Ms. Beauchesne who has helped to teach our class how to sign the letters as they are introduced.
Next week we will learn our first two vowels!
Greater Than, Less Than
We are wrapping up our unit on comparing groups in Math. Students have knowledge of identifying groups which are equal, greater than, or less than. We will continue to reinforce these skills in future topics. Please help your child use these phrases when comparing objects and numbers. Playing a simple game of "I'm thinking of a number that is greater than ___ but less than ___" is a great reinforcement to our learning in the classroom.
Here's a photo of us playing a Halloween themed greater than/less than game:
Spiders & Bats
We continue to explore themes and topics using our schema maps. This week we researched Spiders and Bats. We used resources such as books, videos, and prior knowledge to help us build NEW learning. We are becoming experts, so please ask your child what they've learned thus far! We even sorted out some information that were misconceptions. Misconceptions are not always mistakes, but an opportunity to confirm true information.
Would You Want a Pet Spider?
After reading the funny story Arraghh! Spider!
We created a class graph to see which option resulted greater and which option was less than.
Check out our results:
There's a Spider on the Floor!
Raffi's catchy song was a hit this week! Have your child use their hand puppet to act out the song.
Bus Safety
Burlington Police Department's Safety Officer came to Fox Hill to teach us about Bus Safety.
In the event of an emergency, students will exit out the back of the bus.
Teacher Talk. . .
Library
This Monday, students attended the Fall Book Fair during our library time. Next week we will return to our regular library schedule. Students will be able to select a new book Monday. Please remind your child to return their book to school if they haven't already.
Student Work
What's coming home in my student's folder?
You may have noticed name practice pages, Fundations formation papers, and even some recording sheets coming home in the last couple of days. A large focus in our classroom is for students to be engaged in active learning. This means less paper/worksheets and more meaningful activities. Center Tubs are a great example of this philosophy. Students are playing educational activities, moving around the classroom, and being an active member in their learning. This means there is less busy work and less being sent home. Please know just because your child may not have papers in their folders does NOT mean they haven't been working hard all day. Recording sheets indicate your child has completed a center tub during center time or a write around the room activity. Fundations papers are used to practice formation of letters properly and help with letter recognition and first sound fluency. The name practice pages are a quick activator for students to get their minds ready for school to begin. Math papers will usually be sent home daily unless an assessment, topic opener lesson, or other happenings going on in the classroom. Please Note, the directions at the bottom of your child's page are not always what is asked of your child to complete. We try to differentiate each child's lesson to be tailored to their needs and therefore what is written on the bottom of the paper may not be the NEED for your child. The most important part of the math paper is the I CAN statement. This is the goal of the lesson and the outcomes we are looking for. If you have any other questions or conerns regarding curriculum or student work please feel free to contact me.
Upcoming Events. . .
-Halloween Celebration will take place on Friday, October 28th from 9:30am-11:00am. If you'd like to volunteer during our festivities please contact me via email or phone.
- November is a "short" month for school. There is NO school on November 8th, November 10th, and November 11th.
Check out some of our curriculum focuses for the week
Syllables
Syllables are ways to split words into speech sounds. We naturally speak using syllables. When we learn to read, and encounter more difficult words, we may need to decode a word. When we are able to break the word into parts, or syllables, it can help us read the word. Students can clap the syllables or another strategy is to put your hand under your chin and each time your chin touches you hand that counts for one syllable. Try it! To practice this skill we used a morning greeting called Hickey-Pickety- Bumble-Bee. The catchy song helps students easily break their name into syllables. Ask your child how many syllables are in their name or your name. We also played some games and used Jack Hartmann's syllable song to help us practice too! Check it out below:
Narrative Writing
Did you hear Room 5 is filled with writers and newly published authors?!
It's true! This week the students were introduced to narrative writing. Our focus was based on our field trip to Parlee Farms. The students brainstormed, drafted, and illustrated their own pages to complete their beginning, middle, and ending to their very first book. We cannot wait to share these with you soon!!
Fire Safety
In preparation for our first fire drill, we learned about fire safety and the job of our firefighters. We watched a short video, read books, and even made our own fire hats! Thursday the fire alarm went off and Room 5 completed the drill with ease! Ask your child about fire safety and develop a plan for your own fire drill.
Teacher Talk. . .
- Centers will start next week! Students will work independently on differentiated skills during our ELA block. This will be the time when students are pulled for small group work with the teacher for skill practice and reading. Check out Read to Self and Write Around the Room. . .
Students get to walk around the classroom to find, read, and write content and sight words. It's like a scavenger hunt!
Community Circle:
-We've been practicing the act of giving compliments to one another and building on our use of kind words. Mrs. Johnson touched upon some of ideas during our first community circle.
Upcoming Events. . .
-Fall Book Fair will take place on Monday, October 17th at 9:00am. Flyers and notices went home this week. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Keep in mind this is completely optional! More information can be found on Mr. Murphy's Blog
- Keep an eye out for information about student sharing. It will be an opportunity for students to have a moment in the spotlight to share a story or important object of their choice.
-A Notice about Halloween will go home next week. We are looking for volunteers to come into the classroom to help with activities on Friday, October 28th from 9:30-11:00am. We look forward to a fun filled day!
