Mrs. Johnson read the Polar Express to Kindergarten in the library. She even wore her PJs!
Second Stop. . .
Back to our Pod to travel from room to room to complete some winter activities. Thank you parent volunteers! We really appreciate all of your time and assistance.
Last Stop. . .
The Gym opened it's doors to Kindergarten to try out their obstacle course. It was a BLAST!!
What a Great Ride!
Read on to learn more about our week. Click OLDER POSTS to see the Winter Wonderland Post
Ms. Greene showed us a video of the Waiting Game featuring the Cookie Monster. Waiting can be a challenging skills for young students. She talked to the students about strategies for what to do when you have to wait. For example, counting in your head, singing a song, or even bringing a toy to play with. After the break she will talk to the students about what to do when a teacher or an adult ask you to wait.
Addition
The students were introduced to adding/joining groups this week. We talked about using different strategies to add, such as using counters, counting on your fingers, or even using knocks and claps. We explored different strategies to find out which strategy works best for each student. We learned how to write an equation with the plus and equal sign too. When we return from break we will jump right back into addition and even New Years themed math center tubs! Check out some photos from this week's math centers. The students had a blast with their winter cocoa centers and see count graph.
Holidays Around the World
Winter is filled with holidays and family traditions. We used Google Earth to travel to Israel to learn about Hanukkah, Africa to learn about Kwanzaa, and India to learn about Diwali. Mr. Chinni came to our classroom to talk about Diwali and their family traditions. Diwali is similar to Fourth of July in that they both light fireworks and sparklers to celebrate. Mr. Chinni gave the students print out of one of their Diwali mascots to color and take home.
Thank you Mr. Chinni for coming in to teach us about Diwali!
Emergent Readers
Even with a busy week, we were able to read and practice our emergent reader. Please continue to practice these books at home on Thursday nights.
Teacher Talk. . .
Thank You!
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you for your generosity this holiday season. We are SO fortunate to have an active involvement of parents in our classroom. It truly makes an impact in our students' school experience. Thank you to those who donating tissues and hand sanitizer. We are ready to fight back against the cold season. Thank you to those parents who made themselves available to come into the classroom and helping our class with fun activities! The kids look forward to these days and they are only possible when we have extra hands. Finally, I want to say a special thank you for your generous holiday gifts. The students were overjoyed to come into the classroom and give out gifts to their teachers. They loved seeing our reactions to these personalized gifts. You all know me SO well!
Again, Thank you!!
New Year...New Beginnings
When we return from break we will celebrate the New Year and review classroom procedures and routines. It will be a great way to restart and refocus. We will discuss resolutions, classroom promises, and become more goal orientated. This is also the time of year when we begin guided reading groups, sight words, and the "I Can Club". It's a great time of year! Keep a close eye out for handouts and blog posts for more information.
Mystery Reader
In January, I send home a notice about volunteering to be a mystery reader in our classroom. We welcome parents, grandparents, or aunts/uncles to come into our classroom to read a favorite book to the class. The best part about this activity is the MYSTERY! The students are given 5 clues about the mystery reader, which are provided by you or the reader, right before you arrive. The students try to guess who they think it might be. Then we open the door to reveal the mystery reader. The look on the child's face as their mother or grandfather coming into the classroom is PRICELESS! Keeping the secret is certainly hard but a wonderful experience!
It's the perfect opportunity for those who may not have been able to volunteer in the classroom yet or have time constraints because being a mystery reader takes no longer than 20 minutes. I will send home a hand out with available dates/time and more information. There are dates from January all through the end of the school year. If you do not see a date/time that works for you please let me know and we can set something up.
Snowball Fight
Room 5 greeted our classmates with a snowball fight in the classroom! The students wrote their name on a piece of paper, crumbled it up, and threw it around the classroom like a real snowball fight! I am happy to report...there were NO injuries and the kids were able to handle this exciting event with calm bodies. Great job Room 5!!
If You're a Kid
Shake breaks are a great way to get out our wiggles and refocus before our next lesson. This week we followed the If You're a Kid, Christmas edition. Many parents saw this in real time during our Polar Express day but it's really fun to catch them when they think no one is watching!! =)
Upcoming Events. . .
January 3rd. . .Back to School
(January 6th we will watch the ball drop in RM. 5 and countdown to the New Year!)
January 16th. . . Martin Luther King Jr Day. . .NO SCHOOL
Hero Assembly. . .January 20th
Mrs. Johnson will hold an all school assembly on Heroism and Heroes. In preparation for this event we will read some books and discuss some characteristics of Heroes. If you or someone in your family is interested in coming in or talking to our class about their experiences of heroism, please let me know. This can include, but not limited to, someone in the armed forces or community helper such as a firefighter or police officer.
