The students were very excited to see snow this morning!
Mrs. Abbey re-read Our Special Sweet Potato Pie, and the students helped retell it. We made a list of foods that the students would like to eat at a special dinner. We then practiced writing, "We like to eat _____." Those writing samples were made into a class book, which the students will take turns bringing home to read to their families!
In PE, the students played a race car game. Ask your child about it!
Mrs. Abbey worked with guided reading groups while the rest of the class worked at literacy stations, worked on writing, or read books. Next week we will be introducing some new literacy stations! The kids are very excited about this!
This Thursday, your child will be bringing home a bag of 2-3 books that are at their reading level. The "instructions" and recording sheet are in the bag with the books. Please help your child with this weekly assignment. Return the books every Wednesday--new books will be sent home on Thursdays.
Book orders are going home tomorrow. In order to receive the books in time for the holidays, please submit your order online (or return your check and order form to school) by Tuesday Dec. 7.
Also due December 7, are 2-3 favorite family recipes. A note regarding this assignment is going home tomorrow in your child's folder.
Tomorrow is the first day of December! Please return your November reading logs as soon as possible. New logs go home tomorrow! Thank you for doing such a good job reading to your kindergartener!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday November 29, 2010
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I'm sorry I was unable to be here that last day before break, but 2 of my children came down with the flu in the night. So, you are getting your Thanksgiving gift today! The children enjoyed making their handprint turkeys for you!
We had a great day today! Overall, the students did a good job listening, were hard workers, and helped our new student feel at home.
We are continuing our theme of food, and will do so until Winter break. Mrs. Abbey read, Our Special Sweet Potato Pie, which is a fantasy book about a special pie. We talked about things in the story that were fantasy/make-believe, and also about things which were realistic and could have really happened. We also practiced making a list, by listing all of the things the family had for dinner.
Back at our tablespots, the students practiced the skill of real vs. fantasy by doing a turkey paper. It's coming home in your child's folder today. They did a very good job of distinguishing between what a turkey can do, and what a turkey cannot do in real life.
In handwriting, the students reviewed writing O, o, D, d, and A, a.
The students worked in pairs using math buckets to practice basic addition.
Reminders:
•Please send your child's portfolio (3-ring binder) back to school this week, so that I can continue adding work samples. You may keep the report card at home.
•Reading logs for the month of November are due tomorrow. Please send them in if you have them completed! New reading logs will go home on Wednesday.
•Since the weather is starting to get colder and more unpredictable, I want to remind you that if the weather is bad and school is late or canceled, there will be no half-day kindergarten.
We had a great day today! Overall, the students did a good job listening, were hard workers, and helped our new student feel at home.
We are continuing our theme of food, and will do so until Winter break. Mrs. Abbey read, Our Special Sweet Potato Pie, which is a fantasy book about a special pie. We talked about things in the story that were fantasy/make-believe, and also about things which were realistic and could have really happened. We also practiced making a list, by listing all of the things the family had for dinner.
Back at our tablespots, the students practiced the skill of real vs. fantasy by doing a turkey paper. It's coming home in your child's folder today. They did a very good job of distinguishing between what a turkey can do, and what a turkey cannot do in real life.
In handwriting, the students reviewed writing O, o, D, d, and A, a.
The students worked in pairs using math buckets to practice basic addition.
Reminders:
•Please send your child's portfolio (3-ring binder) back to school this week, so that I can continue adding work samples. You may keep the report card at home.
•Reading logs for the month of November are due tomorrow. Please send them in if you have them completed! New reading logs will go home on Wednesday.
•Since the weather is starting to get colder and more unpredictable, I want to remind you that if the weather is bad and school is late or canceled, there will be no half-day kindergarten.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday November 22, 2010
We continued talking about food today, answering the question, "What is a food that you know how to make?" Many students thought that they had never helped make something in the kitchen--so here's some homework--get them involved in a cooking project and have some fun! Kids love measuring, pouring, and mixing to create a special treat the entire family will enjoy!
Mrs. Abbey read Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation, which showed us what life was like back in the time of the first thanksgiving. We compared the foods that they ate at the feast back then with the foods that we eat at our Thanksgiving feasts.
In handwriting, the students practiced making the lowercase "d". This letter, like the "a," is challenging for students to make correctly.
We practiced solving story problems using math manipulatives.
The students created a bar graph of Thanksgiving foods, and used the graph to count how many of each food there was.
Tomorrow is the last day of school for the week. Enjoy the Thanksgiving Break!
I will see many of you at conferences tonight! If you arrive early, take a few minutes to look through your child's handwriting book and science notebook. Your child's "I am Thankful for...
" turkey is also hanging outside our room.
Mrs. Abbey read Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation, which showed us what life was like back in the time of the first thanksgiving. We compared the foods that they ate at the feast back then with the foods that we eat at our Thanksgiving feasts.
In handwriting, the students practiced making the lowercase "d". This letter, like the "a," is challenging for students to make correctly.
We practiced solving story problems using math manipulatives.
The students created a bar graph of Thanksgiving foods, and used the graph to count how many of each food there was.
Tomorrow is the last day of school for the week. Enjoy the Thanksgiving Break!
I will see many of you at conferences tonight! If you arrive early, take a few minutes to look through your child's handwriting book and science notebook. Your child's "I am Thankful for...
" turkey is also hanging outside our room.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Friday November 19, 2010
A great big thank you to our hero, "Uncle Joey", for coming to read to the class today! Joey is Kassidy's uncle who is in the air force. He read an informative book about jets. The kids really enjoyed having a guest reader!
Mrs. Abbey read an article called, From Strawberry Field to Strawberry Jam. We then tasted homemade strawberry jam on crackers, thanks to Anita's mom! All of the students tasted the jam...and many of them loved it! There were some who knew they wouldn't like it, but ended up thinking that they would have to tell their mom to buy some at the store! It was good!
We also read, The Goat in the Chile Patch, which is a folk tale about a goat who gets into a garden and eats all the chilis. Ask your child how they finally got the goat out of the chili patch. Also, see if your child can tell you the setting and some of the characters from the story. We have been working real hard on this skill! The best part for the children was acting out the story...7 students volunteered for the roles, and the rest of us were the audience. It was really fun to watch, and it looked like it was really fun to be actors & actresses too!
Since we had so much snack mix left over, the students mixed up another batch to have while doing their handwriting lesson. We learned how to write the uppercase "D" today.
Thank you to Elijah's mom who played an initial sounds game with the students!
A reminder...many of you have conferences with me on Monday. Conferences are scheduled every 20 minutes, so please be considerate and arrive on time. I will do my best to keep conferences on time, although there is a lot to cover in 15-20 minutes worth of time!
Enjoy the nice weekend!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday November 18, 2010
What a fun fall celebration we had today!
The students loved making and eating the snack mix...thank you to all families for sending in something for us to mix in. Once combined, we had so much snack mix, that we will get to have a little snack each morning for the next couple of days!
Thank you to our two mom's who volunteered this morning--Ella's mom helped the kids with a painting project and Blake's mom helped with a voice recording project. We really appreciate your time!
Mrs. Abbey read a few Thanksgiving themed books today: Thanks for Thanksgiving, This Is the Turkey, and Over the River: A Turkey's Tale.
The students rotated through 5 fun stations:
(1) write-around-the-room using clipboards
(2) listening to a book-on-tape (Franklin's Thanksgiving)
(3) drawing a picture of something they are especially thankful for
(4) making a small Thanksgiving book
(5) playing Roll-A-Turkey (a dice rolling math game)
In handwriting, the students practiced writing the lowercase "a". They learned that in this handwriting curriculum, writing the "a" may be different than they had learned. When writing lowercase "a", they keep their pencil on the paper the entire time, without lifting it up. ("Circle back all the way around; push up straight. Pull down straight.")
We read a Time Magazine article about Edel Rodriguez, an artist. The students attempted a dot-to-dot on the back of the article, but it was pretty challenging for many of the students who have difficulty identifying numbers up to 30.
Eating lunch in the lunchroom was definitely the highlight of the day!
Regarding conferences for next week: It is encouraged (for this first conference) that parents attend without their children. It is easier to talk candidly about student behavior and concerns when it is just the parents and teacher. That being said, if you are unable to find childcare for your child, you may bring them along. At the 2nd conference (in February), we encourage the student to come and help "lead" the conference.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wednesday November 17, 2010
Visiting the book fair was so much fun! The students got a chance to look through books they like, and wrote down a few titles of their favorite ones. Books can be purchased any day the book fair is open. Parents can come in and browse the book fair anytime, although the hours during conferences are the most popular!
In the computer lab, the students used KidPix to paint a picture of their favorite foods. We printed the pictures and the students labeled their foods.
The students concluded their Too Good For Drugs program in guidance today. They are bringing home their workbook and a certificate.
Tomorrow is an exciting day! (we will enjoy a celebration of fall and will eat lunch in the lunchroom). We also have a hero coming to read to our class! Please remember to send your contribution for the snack mix tomorrow. Also, if you have not purchased a lunch from the lunchroom, please send a lunch and drink for your child.
Thank you for sending the pickup procedure sheet for tomorrow's early dismissal back so promptly! We have the last lunch of the day (12:00), so if you are picking your child up in the classroom, we may be a few minutes late. Feel free to go into our class and look around.
Hours of the bookfair are:Mrs. Abbey read Pizza, Please!, a story about how a pizza is made--the dough is made from grain, the sauce is made of tomatoes, and the cheese is made of milk. We talked about our favorite pizza toppings, and pantomimed making our own pizza, putting it in the oven, setting the time, etc.
Nov. 17 9:00am-3:00pm
Nov. 18 9:00am-8:00pm
Nov. 19 9:00am-3:00pm
Nov. 22 9:00am-8:00pm
In the computer lab, the students used KidPix to paint a picture of their favorite foods. We printed the pictures and the students labeled their foods.
The students concluded their Too Good For Drugs program in guidance today. They are bringing home their workbook and a certificate.
Tomorrow is an exciting day! (we will enjoy a celebration of fall and will eat lunch in the lunchroom). We also have a hero coming to read to our class! Please remember to send your contribution for the snack mix tomorrow. Also, if you have not purchased a lunch from the lunchroom, please send a lunch and drink for your child.
Thank you for sending the pickup procedure sheet for tomorrow's early dismissal back so promptly! We have the last lunch of the day (12:00), so if you are picking your child up in the classroom, we may be a few minutes late. Feel free to go into our class and look around.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday November 16, 2010
What an exciting day! By the way, the kids looked great in their Team Abbey t-shirts today!
We reviewed the book, Apple Farmer Annie, using retelling cards. Then the students sampled some Applesauce Cake that Mrs. Abbey had baked. Many of the students thought it was pretty good, although there were a few that didn't like it because it had raisins in it. Here is the recipe in case you'd like to make it at home.
Today was our day to do a lesson from "Being a Writer," our writing curriculum. Mrs. Abbey read, Red is a Dragon, which is a story about colors. We learned a new sharing technique, called "Think, Pair, Share". During writing, the students each chose a color that they wanted to write about, and drew pictures of four things that are that color. They then labeled the pictures, writing all the sounds they could hear in each word.
In handwriting, the students learned how to correctly make the uppercase "A", using the lines we've already learned: "slant, slant, horizontal".
Another bit of exciting news that I shared with the students today is that we will be getting a new student in our class next week! We talked a little bit about ways we can make him feel welcome.
A note went home in your child's backpack regarding early dismissal pick-up procedures. Please fill out and return to school tomorrow, if possible. Thanks!
Also, our Fall Festival snack mix will be made on Thursday. Please send in your contribution for our mix in the next couple of days. Thank you!
We have been talking about eating healthy breakfasts in our class, in PE class, and in guidance class. Please help your child determine what is a healthy breakfast to eat in order for their brains to be ready to work and learn in school each day!
We reviewed the book, Apple Farmer Annie, using retelling cards. Then the students sampled some Applesauce Cake that Mrs. Abbey had baked. Many of the students thought it was pretty good, although there were a few that didn't like it because it had raisins in it. Here is the recipe in case you'd like to make it at home.
Applesauce CakeThe book fair was being set up today, so the students are very excited about that! We watched a 10-minute video which highlighted some of the authors and books they can find at the book fair. Tomorrow, the students will have a chance to browse and look at books at the book fair!
1/2 C. butter 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. sugar 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs 1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/4 C. flour 1 C. applesauce
1/2 tsp. baking soda 2/3 C. raisins
1/2 tsp. salt
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, bakins soda, salt, and spices. Add to creamed mixture alternately with applesauce, beating after each addition and blending well. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into a 9" greased pan. Bake a 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned. (Toothpick inserted into cake should come out clean.) Cool and enjoy!
Today was our day to do a lesson from "Being a Writer," our writing curriculum. Mrs. Abbey read, Red is a Dragon, which is a story about colors. We learned a new sharing technique, called "Think, Pair, Share". During writing, the students each chose a color that they wanted to write about, and drew pictures of four things that are that color. They then labeled the pictures, writing all the sounds they could hear in each word.
In handwriting, the students learned how to correctly make the uppercase "A", using the lines we've already learned: "slant, slant, horizontal".
Another bit of exciting news that I shared with the students today is that we will be getting a new student in our class next week! We talked a little bit about ways we can make him feel welcome.
A note went home in your child's backpack regarding early dismissal pick-up procedures. Please fill out and return to school tomorrow, if possible. Thanks!
Also, our Fall Festival snack mix will be made on Thursday. Please send in your contribution for our mix in the next couple of days. Thank you!
We have been talking about eating healthy breakfasts in our class, in PE class, and in guidance class. Please help your child determine what is a healthy breakfast to eat in order for their brains to be ready to work and learn in school each day!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday November 15, 2010
Your child went home with two important notes today...
(1) a reminder that tomorrow is our Team Kindergarten t-shirt day.
(2) a note regarding snacks for our Fall Celebration this Thursday.
Also of importance is the fact that this Thursday is our 12:35 dismissal day. The regular bus route will not be running after class. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up. I will be sending home a sheet tomorrow...please return it on Wednesday or Thursday showing what arrangements you have planned.
Today we started our food theme in literacy! We read Apple Farmer Annie, which is an informational fiction book about a farmer that grows apples. An informational fiction book is one that gives real information about something, but the events in the story did not really happen. There were recipes at the end of the book so Mrs. Abbey is going to try to make one of them--apple cake--and bring it in for taste testing tomorrow! We learned a new sight word: "to" and are focusing on the /n/ sound this week.
The students played a fun Thanksgiving game in music class today.
In handwriting, we practiced making the uppercase and lowercase "O,o". (backwards circles)
We practiced problem solving using pictures with basic addition facts 0-5. The students are getting better at solving these as a class, but it gets a little tricky when they have to draw it on their own.
The students finished up writing what they were thankful for and making their turkeys. They will be hanging up outside our classroom during conferences!
(1) a reminder that tomorrow is our Team Kindergarten t-shirt day.
(2) a note regarding snacks for our Fall Celebration this Thursday.
Also of importance is the fact that this Thursday is our 12:35 dismissal day. The regular bus route will not be running after class. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up. I will be sending home a sheet tomorrow...please return it on Wednesday or Thursday showing what arrangements you have planned.
Today we started our food theme in literacy! We read Apple Farmer Annie, which is an informational fiction book about a farmer that grows apples. An informational fiction book is one that gives real information about something, but the events in the story did not really happen. There were recipes at the end of the book so Mrs. Abbey is going to try to make one of them--apple cake--and bring it in for taste testing tomorrow! We learned a new sight word: "to" and are focusing on the /n/ sound this week.
The students played a fun Thanksgiving game in music class today.
In handwriting, we practiced making the uppercase and lowercase "O,o". (backwards circles)
We practiced problem solving using pictures with basic addition facts 0-5. The students are getting better at solving these as a class, but it gets a little tricky when they have to draw it on their own.
The students finished up writing what they were thankful for and making their turkeys. They will be hanging up outside our classroom during conferences!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday November 12, 2010
We finished up our unit on transportation and started a unit on Thanksgiving. Our literacy unit which we will be starting next week is about "food", so that will fit in nicely with the Thanksgiving holiday that is coming up. Today we talked about what we are thankful for and made a list as a class. The students came up with some wonderful things to be thankful for: mom, dad, pets, house, our life, clothes, food, water, car, toys, friends, grandma, grandpa, brothers, sisters, our world, etc. Later in the day, the students started a turkey activity, writing something they are thankful for on each feather. We will finish them up next week and hang them outside our classroom for you to see at conferences!
Mrs. Abbey read, The Singing Wagon, which is a Pueblo folk tale about an old black beetle who has an adventure while pulling a wagon. Ask your child to tell you what happened when the old black beetle asked for help to pull the wagon full of sticks.
In handwriting, we reviewed the three letters we have learned to write so far..."L/l", "I/i", and "T/t". Have your child show you how nicely they can write these letters!
At library time, the students passed their slider tests! That means that they can now use a book slider to check out books from anywhere on the shelf! (Up until now, they were limited to choosing a book from a collection off of the library shelves.) Congratulations, students!
If you have any children's books about food, please send them in for our class to read over the next couple of weeks! Thanks! Also, if you or anybody you know makes strawberry jam, our class would like to try some when we read a story about how jam is made next Friday-Nov. 19. Please let me know if you are able to help us out!
Next Thursday (Nov. 18, which is our 12:35 dismissal day), we are planning to have a "fall celebration". We are planning to create a yummy snack mix, where each child will bring in something to add to the mix! Details will go home on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Abbey read, The Singing Wagon, which is a Pueblo folk tale about an old black beetle who has an adventure while pulling a wagon. Ask your child to tell you what happened when the old black beetle asked for help to pull the wagon full of sticks.
In handwriting, we reviewed the three letters we have learned to write so far..."L/l", "I/i", and "T/t". Have your child show you how nicely they can write these letters!
At library time, the students passed their slider tests! That means that they can now use a book slider to check out books from anywhere on the shelf! (Up until now, they were limited to choosing a book from a collection off of the library shelves.) Congratulations, students!
If you have any children's books about food, please send them in for our class to read over the next couple of weeks! Thanks! Also, if you or anybody you know makes strawberry jam, our class would like to try some when we read a story about how jam is made next Friday-Nov. 19. Please let me know if you are able to help us out!
Next Thursday (Nov. 18, which is our 12:35 dismissal day), we are planning to have a "fall celebration". We are planning to create a yummy snack mix, where each child will bring in something to add to the mix! Details will go home on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday November 11, 2010
Yeah! The sillies were left at home today! And everyone was a great worker!
We had a very good morning! The students worked with math buckets creating their own story problems or solving basic addition problems.
We talked about ways that we get to school, and Mrs. Abbey read a magazine article called, How Do You Go to School?. We read the labels, which helped us match words to pictures in the article. Then buddies chose another thing to label in our own classroom. The kids love labeling things!
In handwriting, we worked on writing the lowercase "t".
As a baseline assessment, the students practiced writing the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Many students had difficulty with this task. The students can recall how to write the uppercase letters of the alphabet much easier than the lowercase letters. Their confidence and skills in this area will increase as we continue through our handwriting curriculum.
Tomorrow is the final day to order kindergarten t-shirts. They are green with a black frog and lettering. Please send $5 if interested.
I am planning some new literacy stations for the students to use at the beginning of December. If you would have time to trace, cut, or assemble materials over the Thanksgiving break, please let me know and I will prepare some work for you! Thank you!
Tomorrow is library day. Please send your library book back if your child would like to check out a new one.
We had a very good morning! The students worked with math buckets creating their own story problems or solving basic addition problems.
We talked about ways that we get to school, and Mrs. Abbey read a magazine article called, How Do You Go to School?. We read the labels, which helped us match words to pictures in the article. Then buddies chose another thing to label in our own classroom. The kids love labeling things!
In handwriting, we worked on writing the lowercase "t".
As a baseline assessment, the students practiced writing the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Many students had difficulty with this task. The students can recall how to write the uppercase letters of the alphabet much easier than the lowercase letters. Their confidence and skills in this area will increase as we continue through our handwriting curriculum.
Tomorrow is the final day to order kindergarten t-shirts. They are green with a black frog and lettering. Please send $5 if interested.
I am planning some new literacy stations for the students to use at the beginning of December. If you would have time to trace, cut, or assemble materials over the Thanksgiving break, please let me know and I will prepare some work for you! Thank you!
Tomorrow is library day. Please send your library book back if your child would like to check out a new one.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday November 10, 2010
We continued our talk about transportation, focusing on trucks today. We discovered that some trucks can be small and some can be big. Some can even have more than 4 wheels! We read about 4 kinds of trucks: off-road dump trucks, logging trucks, car carriers, and snowplows. Ask your child what facts they can remember from our picture cards. We alos learned a new word today--"massive"--which means really large and heavy.
In order to complete a few of our assessments, it is important to go to a room that doesn't have posters of the alphabet and pictures of numbers and words put up all over the walls. So, today we took our pencils and writing boards down to an empty hall to show what we can do without any help from posters and charts! The students thought it was pretty neat to go out of our room to do work!
Many of the assessments we are doing right now are not reported on the report card during 1st trimester. They are used as a baseline to see how much progress students make throughout the year, and to help me better plan for large group and small group instruction. The first trimester report card is fairly short--only reporting on social behaviors and pre-literacy skills. During 2nd and 3rd trimester we start reporting on math, science, and more in-depth literacy skills the students have acquired.
During handwriting, the students learned how to correctly write the uppercase "T".
We did not have time for computer lab today, so we will see if we can squeeze it in at the end of the week.
p.s. Please remind your child to keep their "goofies" at home. We have had quite a few instances of acting goofy or crazy at school this week. Thank you!
In order to complete a few of our assessments, it is important to go to a room that doesn't have posters of the alphabet and pictures of numbers and words put up all over the walls. So, today we took our pencils and writing boards down to an empty hall to show what we can do without any help from posters and charts! The students thought it was pretty neat to go out of our room to do work!
Many of the assessments we are doing right now are not reported on the report card during 1st trimester. They are used as a baseline to see how much progress students make throughout the year, and to help me better plan for large group and small group instruction. The first trimester report card is fairly short--only reporting on social behaviors and pre-literacy skills. During 2nd and 3rd trimester we start reporting on math, science, and more in-depth literacy skills the students have acquired.
During handwriting, the students learned how to correctly write the uppercase "T".
We did not have time for computer lab today, so we will see if we can squeeze it in at the end of the week.
p.s. Please remind your child to keep their "goofies" at home. We have had quite a few instances of acting goofy or crazy at school this week. Thank you!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday November 9, 2010
The students used retelling cards to help retell the story of Duck on a Bike. They did a good job of summarizing the story, and could even remember some specific details!
Mrs. Abbey read, City Signs, which is a book of photographs. Instead of a story, it uses words to label, or name, things that we see outside, such as Fire Department, ambulance, STOP, pizza, etc. The students enjoyed "turning to their partner" to talk about different parts of the book, and to discuss signs that they have seen. The students worked with partners to look around the room and agree on something they wanted to label. The labels we made and hung up today were: locker, alphabet, folder basket, books, and family pictures. We will continue labeling things in our room over the next couple of weeks!
For our writing time, Mrs. Abbey demonstrated drawing a picture of a room in her house, and labeled all the pictures with their initial sound/letter. The students each made one of their own, choosing any room in their house, and labeling the pictures they drew. The students are getting to be very good at identifying initial sounds in words! Way to go!
The students were exhausted when I picked them up from PE. Very sweaty, very thirsty, and very tired.
Thank you to Ryan's mom for helping the students work on writing sounds they hear in words!
Mrs. Abbey pulled groups of students to read into the whisper phones today, and also pulled students individually for trimester assessments. I can't wait to talk with all of you at conferences!
Mrs. Abbey read, City Signs, which is a book of photographs. Instead of a story, it uses words to label, or name, things that we see outside, such as Fire Department, ambulance, STOP, pizza, etc. The students enjoyed "turning to their partner" to talk about different parts of the book, and to discuss signs that they have seen. The students worked with partners to look around the room and agree on something they wanted to label. The labels we made and hung up today were: locker, alphabet, folder basket, books, and family pictures. We will continue labeling things in our room over the next couple of weeks!
For our writing time, Mrs. Abbey demonstrated drawing a picture of a room in her house, and labeled all the pictures with their initial sound/letter. The students each made one of their own, choosing any room in their house, and labeling the pictures they drew. The students are getting to be very good at identifying initial sounds in words! Way to go!
The students were exhausted when I picked them up from PE. Very sweaty, very thirsty, and very tired.
Thank you to Ryan's mom for helping the students work on writing sounds they hear in words!
Mrs. Abbey pulled groups of students to read into the whisper phones today, and also pulled students individually for trimester assessments. I can't wait to talk with all of you at conferences!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday November 8, 2010
November is a really busy month for the students! In addition to our regular literacy lessons, specials, math activities, etc., we are adding end-of-the-trimester assessments every day.
This is our final week of our transportation theme in literacy. We are focusing on things that have wheels this week. Mrs. Abbey read Duck on a Bike today. The students talked about the characters of the story, as well as discussing the plot. They then sequenced the events of the story. This project is coming home today...have your child retell the story using the 4 events that they sequenced.
During guided reading groups, we used a fun, new device to help the students listen to what they are reading. They are called "Whisper Phones," and they hook over the student's ears like sunglasses. The kids loved trying them out today!
We have been doing a lot of work looking at writing, specifically our morning message. The students help find words that rhyme, look for spaces between words, and identify letters at the beginning and end of a word. We are also working hard on blending sounds to make words.
Thank you to Blake's mom for working with the students on a chalkboard writing activity which focused on writing the sounds they hear in CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
Keep practicing letter sounds and number identification at home!
There will not be a class book order going home this month, as we encourage families to purchase books from the book fair instead.
Upcoming:
•T-shirt orders are due this Friday (Nov. 12) if you would like to order one.
•Students can wear their "Team Abbey" shirts of Tuesday Nov. 16.
•Our 2nd "early" dismissal will be Thursday Nov. 18. Students will be dismissed at 12:35.
•Conferences will be held on Monday Nov. 22.
•There is no school Wed. Nov. 24-Fri. Nov. 26. Happy Thanksgiving!
•Please return your child's November reading log by the end of November.
This is our final week of our transportation theme in literacy. We are focusing on things that have wheels this week. Mrs. Abbey read Duck on a Bike today. The students talked about the characters of the story, as well as discussing the plot. They then sequenced the events of the story. This project is coming home today...have your child retell the story using the 4 events that they sequenced.
During guided reading groups, we used a fun, new device to help the students listen to what they are reading. They are called "Whisper Phones," and they hook over the student's ears like sunglasses. The kids loved trying them out today!
We have been doing a lot of work looking at writing, specifically our morning message. The students help find words that rhyme, look for spaces between words, and identify letters at the beginning and end of a word. We are also working hard on blending sounds to make words.
Thank you to Blake's mom for working with the students on a chalkboard writing activity which focused on writing the sounds they hear in CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
Keep practicing letter sounds and number identification at home!
There will not be a class book order going home this month, as we encourage families to purchase books from the book fair instead.
Upcoming:
•T-shirt orders are due this Friday (Nov. 12) if you would like to order one.
•Students can wear their "Team Abbey" shirts of Tuesday Nov. 16.
•Our 2nd "early" dismissal will be Thursday Nov. 18. Students will be dismissed at 12:35.
•Conferences will be held on Monday Nov. 22.
•There is no school Wed. Nov. 24-Fri. Nov. 26. Happy Thanksgiving!
•Please return your child's November reading log by the end of November.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Friday November 5, 2010
The students were very hard workers today!
Mrs. Abbey read Timimoto, a folk tale from Japan. We used our map of the world to locate Japan. The students learned that good readers make predictions while they are reading, so we practiced predicting what will come next while reading the story. Practice predicting when reading books together at home!
We practiced blending sounds to make words with Happy the dog. One game my youngest daughter likes to play in the car is the sound blending game. I say the sounds of a word, and she guesses what word I'm making. She enjoys it so much that now she says sounds, and I blend them together to make a word. It's a great time-filler game to play while waiting in line or driving!
We started adding flowers, inner tubes, and airplane pictures to our number chart. Keep practicing number identification with your child. Next week, we will assess again to see what additional pictures we can add to our poster!
In handwriting, we practiced the letter "I/i", both uppercase/captital and lowercase.
The students went to library today. If your student did not return their library book, they may exchange it any day next week. You do not have to wait until Friday for your child to check out a new book...they may do it as often as you would like.
The students practiced their fine motor skills, by doing a shape cutting activity. This will be in their portfolio at conferences.
Thank you to Elijah's mom for helping us out with an alphabet writing assessment today!
In your child's backpack is a green kindergarten t-shirt ordering sheet. This t-shirt is optional. Orders are due Friday Nov. 12 if you would like to get one.
Thank you for all of the plastic bags that were brought in to school over the past several weeks! We will let you know the results of the contest!
Also, thank you for returning the conference time reminders. Having that scheduled really helps me out a lot!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Abbey read Timimoto, a folk tale from Japan. We used our map of the world to locate Japan. The students learned that good readers make predictions while they are reading, so we practiced predicting what will come next while reading the story. Practice predicting when reading books together at home!
We practiced blending sounds to make words with Happy the dog. One game my youngest daughter likes to play in the car is the sound blending game. I say the sounds of a word, and she guesses what word I'm making. She enjoys it so much that now she says sounds, and I blend them together to make a word. It's a great time-filler game to play while waiting in line or driving!
We started adding flowers, inner tubes, and airplane pictures to our number chart. Keep practicing number identification with your child. Next week, we will assess again to see what additional pictures we can add to our poster!
In handwriting, we practiced the letter "I/i", both uppercase/captital and lowercase.
The students went to library today. If your student did not return their library book, they may exchange it any day next week. You do not have to wait until Friday for your child to check out a new book...they may do it as often as you would like.
The students practiced their fine motor skills, by doing a shape cutting activity. This will be in their portfolio at conferences.
Thank you to Elijah's mom for helping us out with an alphabet writing assessment today!
In your child's backpack is a green kindergarten t-shirt ordering sheet. This t-shirt is optional. Orders are due Friday Nov. 12 if you would like to get one.
Thank you for all of the plastic bags that were brought in to school over the past several weeks! We will let you know the results of the contest!
Also, thank you for returning the conference time reminders. Having that scheduled really helps me out a lot!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday November 4, 2010
We continued talking about travel today. The students discussed where they would tell a friend to go traveling. We talked about bike riding, and read a poem, My Bike. We learned that some poems rhyme and some can have have marching or clapping rhythm.
We talked about the 3 lines in handwriting...the blue solid top line, the blue dashed middle line, and the red solid bottom line. We learned how important it is to practice our writing slowly and carefully. We practiced the lowercase "l" and reviewed uppercase "L" today.
In art, the students are working on making leaf prints. They are looking wonderful!
The students learned how to solve story problems using drawings (instead of manipulatives) today. As a group, we practiced with drawings of fish, candies, rockets, and books.
Thank you to Ella's mom who worked with the kids on counting today!
Reminders:
•If you have not already done so, please send back your purple conference sheet tomorrow.
•Friday is the last day to bring in plastic bags.
•Keep reading together every night and work daily practicing numbers! At conferences, I'll give you some more ideas of skills you can work on with your child in the afternoons!
•Tuesday November 16 we wear our "Team Kindergarten" t-shirts!
We talked about the 3 lines in handwriting...the blue solid top line, the blue dashed middle line, and the red solid bottom line. We learned how important it is to practice our writing slowly and carefully. We practiced the lowercase "l" and reviewed uppercase "L" today.
In art, the students are working on making leaf prints. They are looking wonderful!
The students learned how to solve story problems using drawings (instead of manipulatives) today. As a group, we practiced with drawings of fish, candies, rockets, and books.
ex. Emma went to the library and picked out 1 book. (draw one book) Then Emma decided to pick out 3 more books. (draw 3 books) How many books did Emma check out? (count and answer "4").After watching and counting along, the students got a chance to try one independently. They did a great job (this being their first time trying!).
Thank you to Ella's mom who worked with the kids on counting today!
Reminders:
•If you have not already done so, please send back your purple conference sheet tomorrow.
•Friday is the last day to bring in plastic bags.
•Keep reading together every night and work daily practicing numbers! At conferences, I'll give you some more ideas of skills you can work on with your child in the afternoons!
•Tuesday November 16 we wear our "Team Kindergarten" t-shirts!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wednesday November 3, 2010
Happy 50th Day of School! We now have 5 big paper fish in our fish bowl. The students have been taking turns counting the fish by tens and ones. It's great counting practice!
Today we made a chart to show how each of the students gets to school in the morning. We learned about tally marks and how to record information using the tally marks. Of the students in school today, 5 rode the bus to school and 5 rode in a car.
We talked about going on a trip/vacation/journey and what we need to pack. Mrs. Abbey read The Two Frogs. The students helped explain what happened at the beginning of the story, during the middle of the story, and at the end of the story.
In computer lab, the students used stamps in KidPix to create patterns. I will share these with you at conferences.
During guidance, the students colored pictures of Tuggles. They should tell you all about Tuggles and what they are learning with Mrs. Canada and Mrs. Russell.
In handwriting, we practiced the uppercase L. We need to review slowing down, taking our time, and doing our personal best work, as many of the students rushed to "get done first."
If you have not returned the purple conference time sheet, please do so over the next couple of days. Thank you!
Friday is the final day to turn in plastic bags. Currently, our school is in 2nd place.
Today we made a chart to show how each of the students gets to school in the morning. We learned about tally marks and how to record information using the tally marks. Of the students in school today, 5 rode the bus to school and 5 rode in a car.
We talked about going on a trip/vacation/journey and what we need to pack. Mrs. Abbey read The Two Frogs. The students helped explain what happened at the beginning of the story, during the middle of the story, and at the end of the story.
In computer lab, the students used stamps in KidPix to create patterns. I will share these with you at conferences.
During guidance, the students colored pictures of Tuggles. They should tell you all about Tuggles and what they are learning with Mrs. Canada and Mrs. Russell.
In handwriting, we practiced the uppercase L. We need to review slowing down, taking our time, and doing our personal best work, as many of the students rushed to "get done first."
If you have not returned the purple conference time sheet, please do so over the next couple of days. Thank you!
Friday is the final day to turn in plastic bags. Currently, our school is in 2nd place.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday November 2, 2010
The students were wonderful workers today!
We did a writing lesson from our Being a Writer Curriculum. Mrs. Abbey read the story, When I Get Bigger by Mercer Mayer. The students practiced "turn to your parter" to discuss parts of the story, and to talk about things they want to do when they are bigger. The students then drew pictures and wrote about one thing they want to do when they are bigger. Their writing has come so far over the past month! Students are working hard to write the beginning sounds of words, and many are starting to hear and write more than the initial sound in each word! Way to go! I will be sharing this writing sample with you at conferences, in addition to some of your child's writing samples from the beginning of the year. What a difference!
The students did the parachute in PE today!
We had a special station day today...students could choose to work on our current literacy stations, math buckets, or our ABC literacy stations from the beginning of the year. They loved the change! While students worked, Mrs. Abbey pulled students individually to assess skills for the report card.
Your child is bringing home 2 important things in their folders today:
(1) a small envelope of number cars. Attached to the envelope is a note which lets you know what numbers your child knows and which numbers to work on. Thank you so much for helping your child learn these numbers at home!
(2) a purple conference sheet. Please look over the date and time, fill out the bottom of the sheet, and send it back. (Your child earns a "bonus ticket" for returning it this week.) If you are unable to make the conference, please list a few alternate days or times that may work for you on the bottom of the purple sheet and I will try to reschedule. Thanks!
We have an apple tree outside our classroom door. This is a place for me to post items that our class could use. If you would like to purchase any of the items, we would greatly appreciate it! Currently, the items on the tree include: washable ink pads, magnifying glasses, tempera paint, stickers, popsicle sticks, small legos, hand-held pencil sharpeners, portable CD players with headphones, and any type of manipulatives (ex. 100+ seashells, 100+ buttons, 100+ plastic ants, etc.). Thank you so much for all of your help and support! We couldn't do it without awesome parents like you!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Monday November 1, 2010
It sounds like everyone had a fun weekend!
I'm sorry that there was not time for a blog post last Friday. We had a very fun day! The students really enjoyed going to eat with the kindergarteners in the lunch room! My daughter, Hailey, visited us from 5th grade to show the students some string games (we had read about them earlier in the year). The students each brought home a loop of yarn to practice with! We read, The Rabbit and the Turtle, did a maze during handwriting, went to art class, worked at literacy stations, read a Time Magazine, and learned about pumpkins.
Today, we talked about vacations and where each of the students likes to travel. Mrs. Abbey read the book, On the Go, a non-fiction story that tells about different ways that people travel. After reading the story the students helped make a 3-part list where we sorted the vehicles into 3 categories based on where they are used: on the land, in the air, or on the water. The monorail stumped us, since it's not really used on the ground or in the sky!
We practiced using "privacy folders" today. We use our privacy folders while doing assessments. We will have many small assessments over the next few weeks, as we prepare for report cards and conferences. Today we worked on number identification, counting by 10's, and matching numbers to sets.
A new reading log for the month of November was sent home in your child's folder today. If your child completed their October log, a Clifford Goes to School book was their reward. Keep reading together!
Number cards, which I mentioned a week ago, go home with your child tomorrow. A note will be attached to the envelope to inform you of the numbers your child consistently can identify, and the numbers which are causing some difficulty. Please work with your child to help them learn the numbers 0-30. We have a new poster hung up where students can add pictures when they have mastered different numbers (a flower for #s 0-10, an inner tube for #s 11-19, and an airplane for #s 20-30). The students are pretty excited that they get to add pictures to the poster as they learn their numbers!
Upcoming:
•This Friday, Nov. 5, is the final day to send in your plastic bags, or have Horizon be credited for using your reusable bags at the store.
•Thursday Nov. 18 is another early out/"late dismissal" for us. We will eat lunch at school and dismiss at 12:35.
•Monday Nov. 22 are conferences. A note regarding your time will be sent home later this week. Please let me know if you cannot make the scheduled time and we will reschedule.
•There is no school Wednesday Nov. 24-26 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
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