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Weekly Newsletter

Kindergarten News

Jack o lanterns

October 14th- 17th

Dear Parents,

Below is what we have been working on the past two weeks:

Morning Meeting- We have a morning message to outline each day's activities. We had various greetings as we were getting to know each other's names: Some of these were a pinky greeting, rock star greeting and cuckoo greeting. Since last Tuesday was National Frappe day, we  shared if we would rather have a milkshake or a scoop of ice cream. This week we shared if we would rather have a bunny or a turtle for a pet.

Writing: We wrote in our journals about our weekends. In our Being a Writer Program. we heard the story, Red is a Dragon. We made a list of all the colors we knew. Then I modeled writing about things that were all about the same big idea. I chose a color and wrote about all things that were that color (red). Then everyone chose a color and drew and wrote about it.  Everyone is labeling by writing beginning and ending sound next to each object in their picture.

Being a Reader Program-The last two weeks in reading, we read the book,  Hands Can. We discussed what the children in the story could do with their hands. We shared some things we can do with our hands. Everyone wrote about something they could do.  We chorally read some songs and poems (The Ants Go Marching, 1,2,3,4,5 Once I caught a Fish Alive, and Just Three). This week we read When Sophie Gets Angry. We made a text-to-self connection and shared with our partner a time we were angry, like the girl in the story.   We learned our first 4 vocabulary words that pertained to the story (furious, snatch, welcome and comfort).  
 
Handwriting- We started our handwriting program in Being a Reader. We learned the proper grip for a pencil or dry erase marker. We learned how to write on a whiteboard. We learned some basic strokes (vertical line, horizontal, slanted and curved).  We also practiced this type of line in our handwriting books. Next week we will learn our first 3 letters.
 
 
Heggerty Phonics- This is a ten-minute phonics drill that has the kids listening for sounds and manipulating words around. We listened for rhyming words, beginning sounds of words, ending sounds of words. We put syllables together to make new words ( sum-mer=summer).  We also added endings to words play-ing=playing.  We changed parts of words: if the word is suntan and we change tan to screen, we have sunscreen.

 

Independent Work-The children worked in 3 centers this week: read to self, writing and word work. In the word work center, everyone worked on beginning sounds. We did this through games as well as some fall worksheets. In writing, we wrote about our favorite part of our field trip and we labeled a fall picture.  Everyone also read library books.

Math-  This week we worked on greater than and less than. Everyone learned that when we compare 2 sets of objects, the one that you count more of is greater. The class learned that the higher up you count, the greater the number.  We practiced this with five frames, counters and drawings. We acted out stories that have one more than a number. We worked in small groups. One group played a Halloween Roll and Cover game. One group worked at the tables on a greater than worksheet and one group worked at the teacher table on a math lesson in their books.

Science/Social Studies

The past two weeks in Kindergarten we have learned all about pumpkins. We read the book Pujpkin Circle. We learned how it starts as a seed, then a stem and leaf grow, then a flower buds and blooms, then a pumpkin grows. Then the pumpkin rots and goes back into the ground, seeds and all. This starts the cycle all over again. The children made a mobile of the cycle. They are hanging up in school. We heard a story called, Spookly the Square Pumpkin. Then they made a square pumpkin.  We worked with our table group to create a poster of the four seasons.  We also went on our field trip to Ort Farms. We had a gorgeous fall day to go on a tractor ride, pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and feed some animals. They sent us home with cider, apples and donuts. We had a great experience!

It was a great week in Kindergarten!  

Sincerely,

Mrs. Fishelman & Mrs. Keirstead