Merry Christmas!

We wish everyone a wonderful and happy Christmas!

Pomegranate Party

After making our Christmas tee-shirts we celebrated by sampling a pomegranate. The kids talked about how we are eating the seeds of the fruit.  Then we loved how the juice surrounding the seed just squirted right out!  We spent our afternoon reading "Reindeer Reindeer What Do You See,"  and then we made cinnamon applesauce ornaments.  The kids were surprised how we changed the texture of two substances when combining them.

Polar Express and Reindeer Names

 We made reindeer headbands today and then picked a reindeer name to replace our first names and then used our last names to tell one headband from the other.  I was pleasantly surprised to see so many kiddos writing their last names already!

We read The Polar Express today as well.  The kids wrote words from the Polar Express using the first and last sounds, and some kids even used vowels!  We also made a graph of dice rolls with Polar Express objects.  We talked about how a die is a three dimensional shape called a cube.  Then during indoor recess the kids made a Polar Express train track out of blocks.

Everyone has been reading the book Christmas Friends and have taken the books home.  Please remember to send in a white tee shirt tomorrow if you haven't done so already, we are making a Christmas craft in the morning.

Number Line Hop

We started working with adding and subtracting on a number line today.  Each child got to start at zero, then see how many hops it took them to get from one number to another until they reached fifteen.  Then we started at a number and hopped backward.  This activity is getting the kids ready for addition and subtraction.

Your child has selected ten writing samples to bring home to share with you.  Everyone is learning how letters make the sounds that make up our words.  They are also learning that their pictures can help tell the story they are writing.  I encourage you to look at their journals and see how much they have already learned to write!

Please read your notice coming home today.  We are going to paint on white tee-shirts next week.  I need everyone to bring in a white tee shirt with their name on the back.  As for a Christmas party we will spend next Friday morning reading Christmas stories and snacking on cookies and clementines.

Early Release Day

Just a reminder, tomorrow is an Early Release day.  The class worked on sorting words with ending sounds today.  I was so proud of the kids as they started sounding out words.  We also wrote the beginning, middle and end of "The Hat."  We are all working on retelling stories, and right now the favorite way is to act out the plot of the story.  Ask your child to tell you the beginning, middle and end of the stories you read at home.

Sharing the Seasons

We talked about how the seasons change and how we change with the seasons today.  We are also reading several Jan Brett books about winter clothing.  The class enjoyed acting out The Hat this morning as we retold the story.  Then we enjoyed checking out our Learning Wall to see all the Common Core standards we covered.  Mr. V came in and fixed our bean table, thanks Mr. V!

Everyone contributed to making a season poster and then shared their work with the class.

November Letter

Dear Parents,

The month has just flown past.  Kindergarten is getting exciting and the kids are ready to start reading and writing!

Here’s how you can help at home.

I will be sending home one or two books a week.  These are photocopied books that you can keep.  Try to find a special place to keep these books, perhaps a shoebox or something similar.  These books will seem easy to you, with just one sentence on a page and a repeating pattern.  Here are some tips to try as you read these books with your child.

*Encourage your child to point to each word.

*Ask your child to find specific words on each page.

*Ask your child to tell you what the book is about.

*When your child gets stuck on a word, look at the first letter and ask him or her to tell you the sound.

When you are reading your child’s favorite books at home, ask your child to retell the story, or talk about his or her favorite character.  Talk about how the pictures help tell the story.  Pay attention to who the author and illustrator are, and try reading some books by the same author or illustrator.

Encourage your child to write the names of family members, or help with a grocery list, telling you the sounds in the words he or she hears.

If you would like more hints or ideas, let me know.  Enjoy this exciting time in your child’s life.