Newsletter 9/13/19

In Reading Workshop this week, we learned how to read privately, and with a partner.  When we read with a partner, we sit hip to hip and hold one book in the middle.  We take turns sharing our books.  While sharing we can "see-saw" read and/or share "WOW! Moments".  Everyone is doing a great job as a partner.  We'll be working on partnering skills all year. 

We read The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Caps for Sale in a whole group, many times this week.  Ask your child to tell you about those stories.

In Writing Workshop, we learned a saying that will stay with us through elementary school: "When I'm done, I've just begun!".  What can we do if we think we're done writing?  We can add to the picture, add the the words, or start a new piece.  Everyone is in a different place in the process, and that's ok!  Writers are the bosses of their own pieces, and we don't all complete pieces at the same time.  We're learning the routine. 

In math, we worked with numerals 0-5.  We met Zero the Hero who holds a space, so all the other numbers can stay in their place!  We matched numbers, counted objects and worked a bit on numeral formation.

In our social studies lessons, we learned our Listening Rules:  eyes watching, ears listening, voice quiet, body still.  The students also generated a list of classroom rules that we all decided we would try to follow.  We also practiced a fire drill.

In our handwriting lessons, we used our wooden pieces to build alphabet letters.

We became scientists this week and observed and recorded the tree outside our window from our "Observation Station".  We'll be observing it periodically all year, noting how it may stay the same, or change. 

Matching amounts in math lessons

Reading Workshop:  Partners side by side with the book in the middle

Building letters with wooden pieces

Newsletter 9/6/19

Hello and welcome to our newsletter!  This weekly note will help you know what we've been up to in KH.

In Reading Workshop this week, we learned that WE ARE READERS!  If we look, and think carefully about words around us, we can read many things!  Sometimes, we can even learn from them.  We looked at nonfiction ("read about the world") books and learned new information, just by looking at the pictures.  We are also listening to emergent story books.  This week we studied The Carrot Seed and began Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Ask your child about these class favorites!

In Writing Workshop, we learned about "Kindergarten Spelling".  We don't need to spell correctly, we just need to try our best.  We wrote about our hopes for the school year, and we began our first piece of writing!

In our math lessons, we focused on numerals one and two.  We counted groups, read and wrote numerals.  We also learned where our math workbook is kept and how to find the page we're working on.

In our phonics lessons, we learned the letter stories for letters, Tt, Bb and Ff.  We also wrote a sentences and counted words in each sentence.  We noticed that sentences begin with a capital and end with a period.

We met Mat Man in our handwriting lessons!  He is made up of big lines, little lines, big curves and little curves.  Everyone finished the week able to draw Mat Man.  Now, when we draw people, we don't need to make stick figures.

In our social studies lessons, we read a book called What If Everybody Did That?  It was a story about communities with no rules/guidelines.  It was very funny.  We also made goals for the year and wrote about them.

News and Notes:

• 9/25 is Picture Day at Ox Ridge!

Welcome

Welcome to our classroom blog!  Be sure to check it at the end of every week for our newsletter.

Newsletter 6/7/19

Oh my goodness, we're getting excited!  We visited First Grade this week and were so glad to see that so many things look familiar in those classrooms.  We met each teacher, got to ask our questions and everyone became a bit more comfortable with the idea of moving up.

Field Day was a blast!  Thank you to all the family members who could cheer us on.

We began our Character Clubs in Reading Workshop this week.  Our club members all read books about the same character.  We had private reading time to get to know our characters by examining the pictures, what the character says and does.  Then, our club met as a group to compare our findings. 

We did a short math unit introducing subtraction this week.  Please see the note sent home for more information.

In Writing Workshop, we're enjoying time writing fiction!  We are using all that we've learned from our other units, and from mentor authors, to write a short story about a make-believe character.  First, we make up a character, then we place it in a setting, give it a problem, and then solve it!  We do all of this, while remembering language conventions, too (spacing, periods, etc). 

Our apple tree has lost its blossoms and the small, green apples are beginning to grow!  Your young scientist was so excited to observe it!

News and Notes:

• make sure to check our theme days each day next week!
• Kindergarten show and celebration: Friday, June 14th 9:30-10:30(ish)  
• Please let me know if your child will not be in school through June 18th

Add caption

Moving Up Day!

Character Clubs

Newsletter 5/31/19

We began our last unit in Reading Workshop this week:  Character Studies.  We read some of Amelia Bedelia, but before we read, we spent a long time looking at the pictures.  A reader can learn a lot about a character by just looking at the illustrations.

We finished up our persuasive writing this week.  The students wrote one last persuasive piece suggesting a place where the Henry Family should go out to dinner!  The most popular was Shake Shack, with Post Corner following.  Students really tried to convince me to take my kids out!

In math, we are finishing up a quick unit on addition stories.  Look for more information coming home today.

We were out three times observing living things this week!  We are such amazing scientists.  We observed where animals were hiding and wondered why they were hiding there.  We looked at what animals were doing, and wondered why they were doing it.  Lastly, we joined our 5th Grade buddies in the garden for one last nature study.  Together, we used our five senses to examine the environment.

News and Notes:

• FIELD DAY is on Monday from 1:30-3 pm.  Please dress your child in his/her color (see note coming home today) and sneakers.  Students should also bring a water bottle labeled with your child's name.  Please put sunscreen on your child before school, but better yet, stop by and apply a fresh coat in the afternoon.
• All book sleeves are due on Monday. The book room will be closed for inventory.
• Please let me know if your child will not be in school through the half day on 6/18.  I want to make sure to pack everyone up and get everything home.
• The first class to return all of their library books will win a prize!  Please send all books back ASAP!

Scientists making observations in nature

Nature Walk #2

Addition games

May's wonderful weather

Buddies in the garden

Newsletter 5/23/19

We continued being avid readers of nonfiction texts this week, but we did something new!  We formed book clubs based upon our interests!  We learned how readers can teach others about their topics, using fancy vocabulary and sounding like an expert.  We shared our WOW moments and questions with these clubs as well.

The Darien Library librarians visited this week and told us all about their summer reading program.  EVERYONE wants to participate!  Notices were sent home today with information.

We will see a presentation by Shakespeare on the Sound on Friday that will share a bit about the play, "Twelfth Night". 

We are working on writing full sentences in our phonics lessons.  We need to remember to start with a capital letter, use spaces and punctuation and spell correctly.  We can do it!  See the photo of our dictation time below.

In Writing Workshop, we learned that persuasive writers can also include their emotions in their writing.  We all wrote letters to Mrs. Meno asking for help solving a problem on the playground.  We got a checklist to use as a reference so we can see if we've included everything we know in our pieces.

Our math lessons were on measurement this week.  See the Chapter 14 note sent home.  We measured length and height, and we measured ourselves, too!  We've done some serious growing this year! 

Science is happening right outside our window!  Mrs. Robin's eggs have hatched and she is busy flying back and forth, feeding her babies.  She is also chirping really loudly, to protect her nest.  We read a book called The Salamander Room, and discussed how the character gave his salamander everything it needed to survive. 

News and Notes:

• No School Monday.  Enjoy the long weekend.
• Book sleeves are due on Tuesday.  Tuesday will be the LAST DAY that we will bring books home from the book room.
• Please make sure that you've received the Save the Dates email/note home for June

Excited for summer reading with the Darien librarians

Dictation during phonics lessons

A "Growing Things" book club

A book club studying animals

Making accurate measurements and comparing 

Newsletter 5/17

In Reading Workshop we learned how we can be avid readers of nonfiction texts, too.  When we look at nonfiction books, we can't imagine what the character is feeling, and it's sometimes it's hard to act it out.  Instead, we can highlight things that make us think: WOW!  and we can ask questions.  We pointed out WOW moments with our groups and discussed our questions together. 

We've been writing so many persuasive letters in Writing Workshop!  This week, we added even more tools to our writing toolbox.  Persuasive writers are polite.  Persuasive writers think of a strong ending to their letter.  Sometimes, a persuasive writer can write a new letter to another person to solve the same problem.  See the photo below for our complete anchor chart.

We did two Exemplars in math this week and we have been working on the concept of combining sets (adding) and counting on.  Please note that we don't do any formal equations at this time (1+3=4), but we're using common vocabulary instead (1 and 3 make 4).  More formal vocabulary is coming, though! 

We learned about living things that have super powers this week!  Animals have amazing adaptations that help them get what they need to survive. 

News and Notes:

• Book Sleeves are due on Monday.  We will go to the book room 2 more times this year.  No books will be sent home in June.

Hunting for digraphs within words

Reading poetry about flower parts

If I have a party with 9 people, how many more sandwiches do I need?

Animals with super powers!

Our Persuasive Writing Toolbox

Using a number line to help us count forward to find a difference