Friday April 29, 2011

What a beautiful day! I hope you are able to get outside and enjoy it!

The students worked hard on our literacy stations...next week they get changed to new stations for the final time in our kindergarten year. The students are excited for the change!

We will also begin writing in our new May journals. I will send their April journals home on Monday.

We have started the end-of-the-year testing. The students decided that they would like to spend the next 3 weeks working really hard, so that they can celebrate and have some extra choice time during the final week of school! Sounds like a great plan! Today the students did a writing assessment about dinosaurs.

The students saw the new worms today. Next week, they will get a chance to investigate the worms, check out the similarities and differences between the red worm and earth worm, and touch and hold them if they would like. We will also continue our seeds/plants unit. Today we saw the root growing out of Roger's bean seed, which had popped out of the surface of the soil. We're hoping the plants start growing soon!

Many students have overdue library books. Your child will have a note in their folder/backpack if their book is overdue. Please search your house for these books and return them on Monday. Thank you!

Mrs. Abbey read Tyler Goes to the Library, a book about a boy who wanted to learn about dinosaurs. We talked about how great libraries are, and also discussed getting a library card. Many of the students already have a library card, but if your child doesn't, they may want to get one after today! You need to be 5 years old to get your own card.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday April 28, 2011

You child's backpack is probably full of the stuff that they have created at the writing table. This has been accumulating in their folder over the past month, and we have decided to clean out our folders and start fresh. The students seemed to have forgotten that the writing table is a place where they practice their writing. Many students did not have any letters or words on any of their papers. We talked today about using their time at the writing station to write lists, make little books, write stories, label drawings, write facts, practice writing the alphabet, etc.

In handwriting, the students practiced the lowercase "y."

We saw the chicks for the last time--they are going home to their farm tomorrow. It was difficult for the students to say good-bye but they are in for a treat, as new creatures have entered our room which they will meet tomorrow...worms (both earth worms and red worms)! The students are going to love investigating the worms and learning all about them over the next 1-2 weeks!

We are still waiting for our seeds to sprout! It may not be for a few more weeks, but the students keep checking each day. Mrs. Abbey read Carrots Grow Underground, which helped explain the life cycle of a seed, and taught us about root vegetables and which foods grow underground.

The final book order of the kindergarten year went home with your child today. If you would like to order books, please submit your order by Tuesday May 10. Thank you!

Also, a reminder that the March reading logs can be turned in tomorrow.

If your child has not returned their Wednesday reading bag in a while, please return them (even if you have not read the books) so I can get the books back to the library. Other teachers are waiting for some of the books that we currently have out. Thank you!

Wednesday April 27, 2011

Today was another busy day!

The students are working hard to finish up their chick journals and seed notebooks. The students will be bringing those home as soon as they are done!

In computer lab the students used kidpix to draw a picture of the parts of a plant. They also labeled the parts of their plant.

Mrs. Canada talked about how to give and receive compliments during guidance class.

Today was secretary appreciation day. The students created pictures and cutouts using construction paper and had fun delivering them to our two secretaries in the office!

Mrs. Abbey read Animals in the Garden, where we learned that there are some animals that are good for the garden and some that are pests.

In handwriting, the students practiced writing the uppercase "Y."

In their journals, the students wrote about holding the baby chicks. It was fun reading what they had written! Having a daily journal this month has really helped the students understand the importance of writing, using spaces, punctuation, and writing so that others can read it. I think you will definitely see a progression in their skills and abilities throughout the month of writing! Those journals will be coming home at the end of the week! Look for them and have your child share some of their favorite entries with you!

Upcoming:
•May is a very busy month with end-of-the-year assessments. (Your child will probably start talking about "hallway work" and "privacy folders.")
•Thursday May 5 is the night of the art show. All students will have art hanging throughout the school. Come visit anytime between 5-7:30 that night!
•Monday May 9 Mrs. Abbey will have a sub. During that morning, I will be at school pulling students individually to test reading levels. Please help your child get enough rest the night before and a good breakfast that morning, so that they are able to focus and do their best work!
•Thursday May 12 is field day. Remember to apply sunscreen before sending your child to school and also send a water bottle with your child for them to drink from throughout the day. A sack lunch is also needed if you did not order a school lunch. The students stay all day long that day, so there is no 11:35 bus running. Please schedule alternative transportation for your child.
•Report cards will be sent home with your child on the last day of school, May 27. Half-day kindergarten runs on a normal schedule that day, dismissing at 11:35.

Tuesday April 2, 2011

Today was a science-filled day!

We turned the grow light on for our seeds and watered each cup of dirt. In our science journals, the students drew a picture of what they cup of dirt looks like now, and wrote about what kind of seed they had planted. The students are very anxious for the seeds to sprout!

We talked about all the materials that are needed in order to plant a garden (shovel, dirt, seeds, watering can or hose, rake, gardening gloves, etc.). Mrs. Abbey read Tools for the Garden.

The students worked at literacy stations while Mrs. Abbey worked with the students in guided reading groups. We introduced "silent e" today, which is a hard concept at the kindergarten level where we usually use the short vowel sound to sound out unknown words. It's challenging to make that switch from the short vowel to a long vowel sound in your head!

After PE, the baby chicks came to our room for a visit today! Each student had an opportunity to hold one of the chicks! While waiting their turn, the students rotated between various science stations: investigating the worm, labeling chick body parts, writing in their seed notebooks, learning about the life cycle of a plant, and working at a plant discovery center. There were lots of giggles and screams coming from the worm station!

Monday April 25, 2011

What a fun day! The Old Creamery Theatre group came to Horizon to show the students some shorts skits and songs about the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. The students really enjoyed watching the actors!

Patrick is the Star of the Week! Thank you for bringing your favorite stuffed squirrel to share with the class today.

This week we are focusing on plants, seeds, and gardens. Mrs. Abbey read the book, Growing a Garden. Thank you to Blake's mom for coming in and helping the class plant seeds. The students had a choice of which seeds they would like to plant: cucumbers, squash, beans, marigolds, or zinnias. We put the cups under our grow light and are anxiously awaiting the day that we can see the stems sprout up through the dirt!

Tomorrow is PE. Please remind your child to wear their tennis shoes tomorrow.

Last week, your child brought home a Field Day permission slip. Please return this as soon as you can so that we can make plans for this special trip. The students stay all day with the rest of Horizon, eating lunch and playing games at Cottonwood! It's a very fun day!

Also, a reminder to complete your April reading logs and return them at the end of the month.

Friday April 22, 2011

Thank you to Kaylee C's dad for coming to talk to the class about his job as a graphic designer! The kids loved seeing the photos and video clips he brought to show them on his computer!

We went to check on the baby chicks again today. Now there are 5 baby chicks! The students are excited because they get a chance to hold the chicks next week before they head back to the farm.

In library, the students got to read inside a tent! How did a tent get in the library?...it's a mystery!

Mrs. Abbey read Welcome to the Rainforest, a nonfiction article that talked about the 4 layers of the rainforest and the animals that live there.

Many of the students got a chance to read in the big chair again today! They are working hard on learning all of the kindergarten sight words and applying them in their reading.

We talked about Earth Day and made a list of things we can do at home to help the Earth:
(1) recycle
(2) clean up trash
(3) conserve water
(4) use less electricity
(5) plant trees

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Thursday April 21, 2011

Three eggs have hatched! The chicks are adorable, and the kids would all like to bring one home in their backpacks! We journaled about the chicks in our long-forgotten science journals, and read a book called Chick Life Cycle.

Kaylee C., our Star of the Week, brought her grandma to school today! She read a Fancy Nancy book, talked to the students about some superb vocabulary words, and colored butterfly pictures together.

We decided to jump ahead and introduce our final four kindergarten sight words today! Many of the students already know the words, and this gives us more time to practice them before heading off for summer. The new words are: "me," "my," "with," and "where."

Tomorrow we finish our week of talking and reading books about dinosaurs. Next week we are going to focus on plants: reading books about plants and gardens, planting seeds, and playing games to help us understand the life cycle of a seed. If your family has any books about gardens, seeds, or plants that you would let our class borrow next week, please send them to school! Thanks!

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Thank you to Kaylee C.'s mom for coming in to read one of their family's favorite stories to the class: The Big Tidy Up. She also played a game with the students focusing on rhyming and word opposite skills!

In handwriting, we practiced the uppercase and lowercase "V, v".

Mrs. Abbey read a non-fiction story called Powerful Plant-Eating Dinosaurs. The students learned some new bits of dinosaur information, including the fact that the brontosaurus has rocks in his stomach to help him digest his food! Amazing! Thank you to Jasmine for bringing some small dinosaurs to share with the class.

All students have now had a chance to sit in the big chair and read! (This chair is in the 2nd grade community and is over 6 feet tall!)

If the students can contain their silliness tomorrow, we are going to walk down to the kindergarten community to check on the chick eggs. If everything is ok, they should be hatching any day now. It is rather concerning that nothing seems to be happening. We'll keep hoping that they'll start the hatching process soon!

Just a reminder that registration packets for the 2010-2011 school year are due this Friday. Please turn them in at the office of the school your child will be attending next fall. Thanks!

Tuesday April 19, 2011

We continued to talk about dinosaurs today. Mrs. Abbey re-read the story, If the Dinosaurs Came Back, and the students discussed what they thought the dinosaurs would look like if they were here with us. The students had many imaginative ideas!

The chicks should be hatching any day now! The students are working on their Chick journals during extra time they have (when they are done early with their other work).

We worked on odd and even numbers today. This is a very hard concept for many of the students, but I wanted them to be exposed to it before moving on to first grade. It is not a skill that we assess at the kindergarten level, so don't worry if your child does not seem to understand it. We talked about "even" numbers being numbers that can be paired up. An "odd" number is a number that has one extra when pairs are made. We practiced counting and making pairs with animal manipulatives, shared numbers aloud that we thought were odd and even, and worked on deciding if a number was odd or even with a worksheet.

Thank you to Erin's mom and grandma for coming in to play word blending and sight word games with small groups of students today!

In our journals, the students wrote using the prompt, "If you could make the best umbrella, what would it look like?" The students are doing a good job using spaces between words, which makes it easier for them to read back to the teacher and share with the class.

Thank you Kaylee C., our Star of the Week, for sharing some of her favorite stuffed animal blankies today!

Please send back your child's book bag, if they have practiced reading the books. If you feel the books are at a level that is too easy or too challenging, please let me know in the comments section of the recording sheet. Thanks!

Monday April 18, 2011

What a fun field trip day! The students survived the "long" bus ride. I think I was asked "Are we there yet?" about every 30 seconds!

The play was wonderful--it was a musical based on the story Click Clack Moo. Very entertaining and fun! The students also enjoyed eating lunch in the hallways of the auditorium. Thank you for sending lunches in paper lunch sacks--that was very helpful!

While in class we talked about dinosaurs. Kaylee C., who is the Star of the Week, brought a cute dinosaur stuffed animal to show the class. Mrs. Abbey read, If the Dinosaurs Came Back. The students all had an idea of which dinosaur they wanted to come back.

Tomorrow is PE day. Please make sure your child wears their tennis shoes.

Friday April 15, 2011

Good job to all the kindergarteners for a wonderful concert last night!

We finished up our week talking and reading books about ocean animals. Today, Mrs. Abbey read two poems about the sea, Sea Animals and I Don't Suppose. The students helped located the rhyming words in the poems. We also read a fairy tale from Germany called The Fisherman and His Wife. In this story, a magic fish makes a fisherman and his wife's wishes come true, until they get too greedy. Ask your child what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

We walked down to the kindergarten community to check on the chick eggs. They should start hatching early next week! We talked about the brooder, where the chicks are kept after they hatch. The students will work on chick journals next week.

In math, we practiced writing numbers 1-30. At this time, some of the students are still using clues from our classroom (the calendar, the 100's chart, and our number cards) to complete this activity. By the end of the year, the students should be able to write the numbers 0-30 without any help. If your child is having trouble with this skill, please help them practice at home.

We talked about our field trip, which is on Monday! The students know that they are supposed to wear their green frog t-shirts and bring a lunch in a disposable bag/container. We do not want the students to be responsible for carrying lunch boxes around!

Have a great weekend! Sounds like the students have many fun plans!

Thursday April 14, 2011

The students practiced their songs for the concert on stage this morning! Some were excited and some were nervous but the practice today really helped calm some nerves and got them all ready for the concert. Just to warn you...it is adorable! As a reminder, please make sure your child uses the restroom before lining up in the kindergarten community. We would like all students lined up at 6:15. After the concert, please pick your child up at the entrance to the 2nd grade community (the all-day kdgn classes will be going back to the kdgn community). This will help with some of the crowding when all the parents are trying to get to their children at the same time!

We continued talking about the ocean today. We reviewed what we had learned from the book, Fish Faces before reading an African tale called When Water Came to Visit. Ask your child how this author decided to explain how the moon and sun got to be in the sky! Thank you, Kaylee, for bringing in a variety of stuffed crabs and a great book!

Reminder...Monday is our field trip to Click, Clack, Moo. If you are sending a sack lunch with your child, it would be very helpful if you would pack it in a disposable bag so that the students don't have to be responsible for a lunchbox after lunch. Thank you! Also, please have your child wear their green frog shirts on field trip day! It's going to be a great trip!

Wednesday April 13, 2011

What an exciting day!

•We found 2 baby snails in our snail's aquarium! They are so tiny!

•Ryan, the Star of the Week, brought his puppy to show the class! They loved her!

•Our new books arrived from Heartland AEA, so we have new things to read!

•The students got to watch a video about hurting other's feelings during guidance!

•We had an extra music practice today to prepare for our concert!

We are learning the words: "look" and "has" this week. We are also focusing on the sounds: /x/ and /w/. Thank you to Jasmine who brought in a stuffed whale and book about ocean animals!

I forgot to remind the students, but tomorrow is scheduled as a Team Kdgn. t-shirt day.

Tuesday April 12, 2011

The students were very busy today, finishing their paper investigation and journals. Today we used eye droppers to drop water onto different paper samples. The students sorted the papers into two piles--if the water soaked into the paper or if the paper resisted the water. The students recorded their results in their journal. On the last page of the journal, the students stapled their homemade paper sample, and two paper folding activities that they did (a cup and an envelope). They are excited to bring this journal home to share their investigations with you!

In PE, the students played a zoo game. Ask your child to tell you about it!

We worked on phoneme deletion this morning...where we say a word, then say it again without one of it's sounds.

Ex. cat--(without /c/)--at
Ex. pine--(without /n/)--pie

We were a little slow pokey today, so we didn't get to our story, the calendar, weather, fishbowl, etc. The students were pretty concerned! It's a busy time of year and there is a lot going on right now that isn't usually in our regular schedule (paper investigation, chicks, plants, snails, extra music practice, etc.) It's hard to fit everything in!

If you have not sent back the brown paper with the picture of a cow on it (it talks about transportation choices for our field trip day), please send that back by Thursday April 14. Thank you!

Monday April 11, 2011

The students did a very good job of listening and talking when it was their turn to talk!

This week we are talking and reading books about animals that live in the ocean. If your child has any ocean books, stuffed animals, plastic animals, etc. that they would like to bring in to share with the class, we would love to see them! Mrs. Abbey read Fish Faces, a nonfiction book about different types of fish. The students talked in pairs about animals that live in the ocean and how some fish are different than others.

In music class, the students worked on preparing for their music concert. They are excited (and a little nervous) to perform for you!

In science, we continued our work in our paper unit. Today, the students investigated which papers were easy to fold and which papers were difficult to fold. They recorded their results in their paper journal.

Friday April 8, 2011

Thank you to Elijah's dad for coming in to read a funny rhyming book to the class! He also got to work with small groups on a dice adding activity.

Today we had a practice tornado drill. The students did great with the alarm and knew just where to go to stay safe. We will be working real hard on listening when a teacher is talking and talking at appropriate times next week, as this week has been a very talkative week for the class.

In handwriting, we reviewed how to correctly form the letters: R, r, N, n, and H, h.

Mrs. Abbey read a folk tale from Thailand called The Rabbit and the Elephant. Ask your child how the elephants helped the bees, and how they ended up with long trunks.

New books are coming home in your child's book bag today. Happy reading!

Monday April 11 is our snow make-up day. We will be having school!

Upcoming:
•Thursday April 14...wear your orange "Team Kdgn" t-shrit to school!
•Thursday April 14...music concert at 6:30. Students need to arrive (dressed as something they want to be when they grow up) in the kindergarten community at 6:15 in order to line up for the concert. Please make sure your child uses the bathroom prior to lining up. After the concert, please pick your children up outside Mrs. Abbey's classroom door in the 2nd grade community.
•Monday April 18...wear your green frog kindergarten t-shirts for the field trip!
•Monday April 18...students stay all day at school for field trip to see Click, Clack, Moo. Remember to send a sack lunch and drink with your child if they did not order a school lunch.

Thursday April 7, 2011

Thank you to Elijah for bringing yummy birthday star cookies!

Upon arrival, the students wrote an entry in their journals. They wrote about their favorite animal.

We talked about tornado drills and practiced how to stay safe in our classroom. We will have a school-wide practice tornado drill soon!

Mrs. Abbey read The Ant and the Grasshopper, a story about a grasshopper who decided to play instead of do his work (gathering food for winter). The students then talked about times when they have to do work/chores first before they can play. They made some very good connections between the text and their own lives.

We made a list of possible names for our snails. They have been very active snails, which surprised me! They move a lot and are fun to watch!

In art, the students choses two colors and glazed their pots!

To tie in with our paper theme, Mrs. Abbey read Let's Reduce Garbage. This book taught us the importance of recycling as well as using products with less packaging. We also worked on making a creation out of paper: envelopes! The students cut out the shape, following the marked lines. As a group, we practiced listening, watching, and following directions to make an envelope. It was pretty challenging, but everyone finished it!

I did not have time to refill your child's bag of books. I will send new ones home tomorrow.

Tomorrow is library day. If you think your child has already returned their book, I do have a small stack of books in the classroom that students have returned this week that we haven't had time to return.

Wednesday April 6, 2011

Wow! What a busy day we had today!

Ryan Sloth, a local author and football player, came to talk to the students and to read them his book, Sammy Sloth. An order form is in your child's backpack in case you would like to order his book. He will personalize it and send it to school next week, if your order is returned to school by Friday April 8.

In computer lab, the students created an insect using Kidpix. The students used the knowledge they had about insects to make these pictures--insects have 6 legs and 3 body parts. The pictures are in your child's folder. Ask them about it!

Mrs. Canada talked to the students about using "I Care language," which included "I Messages." The students practiced some "I Messages" in class.

Thank you to Elijah, our Star of the Week, for bringing his special soccer trophy and medal to share with the class!

The students had an extra music practice today to prepare for the concert. Being half-day kindergarten students, they get half as much music class as the all-day kindergarten students, so these extra couple of practices over the next week will help!

The Scholastic book order for April is due tomorrow. I had trouble logging in to place an order online. If you have the same trouble, please let me know. Thanks!

April 5, 2011

Today was a science-filled day!

The students finished recording the results of their writing on paper investigation. They each chose 3 papers that they thought were easy to write on and 3 papers which they thought were difficult to write on.

In literacy, Mrs. Abbey read a non-fiction article called Insect Hide and Seek. This article was about 4 different kinds of insects that are good at hiding in leaves, plants, and trees. We learned about thornbugs, walking sticks, the praying mantis, and katydids.

We walked down to the kindergarten community to check on the chicken eggs that are in an incubator. They should start hatching in about 2 more weeks!

Three water snails arrived in our classroom today. We will be naming them later this week. Tomorrow the students start writing in their new journals. They will be drawing a picture of the snails and listing some possible names for them.

The students tried folding paper today. We worked as a large group, going slowly step-by-step to fold a paper cup. The students even got to try drinking out of it! After they dry, we will be sending them home in the students' paper discovery journals.

Tomorrow is a very busy day...Ryan Sloth, a local author is coming to speak to the students about his book. We also have computer lab, guidance, and an extra music practice to prepare for our concert. We may come home pretty tired!

Just a reminder...if you would like to order books from the Scholastic book order, please place your order online or send payment to me on or before Thursday April 7. Thank you!

Monday April 4, 2011

This week we have started a new literacy unit. Over the next three weeks, we are going to be talking and reading books about amazing creatures. This week we are talking about insects!

The students learned that insects have 3 body parts and 6 legs. We found out today that spiders are not insects, because they have 8 legs!

Mrs. Abbey read a non-fiction book, Beetles, which taught the students many facts about beetles...what they eat, what colors they are, if they can fly, where they live, etc.

In science, we investigated what type of paper is easy to write on (with crayons, markers, and pencils) and what kind of paper is difficult to write on. We will finish recording our results tomorrow.

Elijah is the Star of the Week this week! He brought in his baby book to share with the class today. The students really enjoyed seeing pictures of Elijah from when he was a little baby!

In music class, two of the kindergarten classes practiced together in preparation for their concert next Thursday (April 14). We will have an extra music practice this Wednesday too!

Tomorrow is PE! Please wear appropriate shoes.

Friday April 1, 2011

Happy April Fools Day! The students were full of funny jokes, especially ones that included spiders! Enjoy being fooled tonight!

Today, the students made paper. After ripping toilet paper up into tiny pieces, we added water to the jars of paper bits and the students shook the containers for what felt like a very long time...it was probably 3 minutes! They took turns dumping their pulp and squishing the water out of it with wire screens and a sponge. A big thank you to Erin's mom for helping the students with that step!

We read a book about dollars. Our unit on money identification is nearly complete! Keep practicing the names of the coins and the amounts they are worth at home.

Mrs. Abbey read The Rabbit and the Elephant, a folk tale from Ghana in which a rabbit and an elephant each want their neighbors to help them make a garden. Elephant, who is very bossy, learns how to be nice to his neighbors so that they will help him just like they helped Rabbit.

Alex, our Star of the Week, brought a dinosaur to share with the class that made some very realistic growls!

The students practiced deleting sounds in words today. Try a few words a home!

ex. Teacher: "Say bus."
Student: "bus."
Teacher: "Now say it again but don't say /b/."
Student: "us."

A few things went home in your child's folder today...
(1) Registration materials for next year!
(2) A book order...orders due Thurs. March 7.
(3) April's reading log.

Have a wonderful weekend!