Gingerbread Shared Writing

Over the past 2 weeks we have read many different versions of the Gingerbread Man.  We have talked about the similarities and differences in all of the stories and how they connect.  Last week read a story about a gingerbread that went to a school and we thought about what it would be like if a gingerbread man came to Bemis.  We decided that we wanted to create our own version of the Gingerbread Man and so came the story, "The Gingerbread Man and Bemis School."  Next we brainstormed all the places and people we would want him to go and meet and also how we wanted it to end.  We learned from the other stories that in some stories he gets eaten and in others he doesn't.  We put all of our ideas together and wrote the story as class.  Today our job was to illustrate.  Before we started we talked about how the pictures needed to match the words and also that we needed to make sure we followed our coloring three star rubric.  Children worked in pairs to illustrate one page of the book.  They were so excited and took total ownership in the page they were helping to create.  We will be sharing our story with Mrs. LaTarte's class at a later date.  Please take a look at our photo link to see your kiddo working!

Gingerbread Science

Today we did a very exciting science experiment with Mrs. Summers kids. We have been reading many versions of the Gingerbread Boy. We noticed that in many of the versions, the gingerbread cookie comes to a river. At the river he meets a fox. The fox knows that the cookie cannot go in the water and tricks him into climbing onto his back so he can take him across. The trusting cookie climbs onto the foxes back and the fox jumps into the water. The gingerbread cookie is then eaten by that tricky fox. This led us to wonder what would happen if the gingerbread boy had tried to cross the river himself. We set up an experiment where the children needed to make predictions about what might happen when the cookie went in the water. Many predicted that he would crumble, get soggy, sink to the bottom, fall apart, etc. We then placed a cookie inside a tub of water. After ten minutes we came out and had a discussion about our observations. We noticed that they were soft looking and wiggly and had gotten larger. We then left them in the water for 20 more minutes. When we came out to check on them, they had both floated to the top. When a kiddo tried to pick one up out of the water, the cookie completely fell apart. We talked about why this happened and drew many conclusions about cookies and liquid. Some children made the connection with what happens when they dunk oreos in milk. Our discussion led us to think about what the gingerbread could have done differently in the story so that he didn't have to choose between the fox and the river! Please talk with your child about what we did today- I am sure they will have lots to say.

Step Inside a Snowman

Today with our Boulan Buddies we did an art project and we also took a "step inside a snowman."  Before our buddies came we read the book Snowmen at Night.  It is a story about what all of our snowmen do at night while we are sleeping.  As a class we pretended to step inside a snowman body and think about what a snowman hears, may feel and sees.  Some of the kids came up with:

A snowman sees...

• children playing
• children wearing winter coats
• sky, moon
• trees
• snow
• cars going by in the road
• a house
• children making snow angels

A snowman hears...

• children laughing
• doors to the house open and shutting
• garage door going up and down
• snow crunching as people walk on it
• cars zooming by
• animals running by

A snowman feels...

• worried they may melt in sun
• lonely because they don't have friends
• happy because someone made them
• sad an animal ate their carrot nose

After their discussion they recorded their thinking and then made a snowman out of a coffee filter.  See our photo link for a project sample and also pictures of the kids in action.

Math Workshop

This week we began a new routine in our classroom. The boys and girls have started Math Workshop. Children are broken into groups of 3-4 and are responsible for independently working at different math stations. The work or tasks at each station are concepts that are review for the students. Eventually, while the students are working at their station, I will pull groups of kids over to work with me on concepts that they need more practice in or that they need more challenge with. Right now we are focusing on getting started right away, working the whole time, interacting with other group members appropriately and using our math thinking. As of right now, Math Workshop has been a hit with the kiddos and they love getting to work in small groups! Ask them to tell you about some of the math jobs they have been to. Please see the photo link for pictures!

Election Day

Today was a very important day here at Bemis school, as it is for our country! In the morning we made Uncle Sam hats with our buddies and also made a book about what we would do if we were president.  Bemis students  also got to participate in an election to vote for the presidency.  All students received a voters registration card, and a ballot.  Students went into a private voting booth to make their choice and then recieved a "I Voted" sticker and sucker after the election.  We also have been reading many books about the election and have had many discussions about it.  What a great opportunity your kiddos had today!  Please see the photo link for pictures from our Boulan buddies and also the Bemis election.  There are 2 photo journals showcasing today's happenings.  Please ask your kiddos who won the mock election at our school today!

Reader's Workshop

We have been learning that there are 3 ways to read.
1. Read the pictures
2. Read the words
3. Retell the story

Today for the first time we went to our reading spots with our book boxes.  Our book boxes contain books we have made in class and also other interest books.  We are working on building reading stamina for reading as many minutes as we can. 
When we are at our reading spots we have to:
1. Get started right away
2. Read quietly
3. Read the WHOLE time
4. Stay in 1 spot

There are a few pics in the class phot link of the kiddos in their reading spots.  By the way we read for 8 minutes without stopping! We are going to keep working on building stamina! Out goal is 20 minutes of Independent Reading Time.

Upland Hills Farm

Friday we had our first field trip to the Upland Hills Farm in Oxford. Even though it was a bit chilly and muddy, the kiddos had a fantastic time! We got to watch a farm show and see different animals that live on the farm and what kind of food they give us. We also got to take a bumpy hayride through the woods and go on a storybook forest walk. The kids had lunch under the pavilion and got to explore the farm a bit.  They played on the playground, saw horses, bunnies, pigs and other animals. We all got to pick out a pumpkin to take home. Thank you so much to those parents that braved the cold and wet to come along with us! We really couldn't do it without you! Enjoy the pictures of our farm adventure!  If you didn't ahve a chance over teh weekend you can find the pictures under our Class Photo Link.

Sink or Float

  Today with our 5th grade buddies we put our scientist hats on to compare leaves and also to experiment how many pennies it took to sink them.  The kindergartners made predictions whether the leave would sink or flat when put in water and then predicted how many pennies it would take to sink it.  After they completed their predictions they tested their theories.  After they finished experimenting they did leaf rubbings and discussed how they were similar and different.  The 5th graders helped them record their answers. 
   When they were finished they made their own Black Cat Black Cat book which is modeled after Eric Carle's Brown Bear Brown Bear book.  We had a lot of fun being scientist and illustrators today!  The class photo link offers a few pictures from our meeting.

Jog-a-thon Assembly

Today we had our jog-a-thon assembly to find out our prize winners! It was so exciting to learn that as a school the students helped to raise a little over $38,000 for our school! Wow! Thank you so so so much to all of the parents that made our jog-a-thon such a big success! Paws from the Detroit Tigers even came to our school assembly! The kids were thrilled. Leo from our class was the big lap winner for the WHOLE kindergarten and Jack was our top money raiser in our classroom. As the top lap winner, Leo will get his name on our school plaque and Jack will have a pizza lunch for him and a friend on a special day. Way to go boys! All boys and girls are going home with a free ice cream coupon (Monday) and of course they already took home their t-shirt and sports bag! In the Favorite Pictures link are a few fun pictures from the assembly today. Have a great weekend!

Jog-a-thon

What a fun day at Bemis! Today was our Jog-a-Thon and the boys and girls had a blast! We got our green shirts on and headed to the track around 10:00. The other kindergarten classes participated at the same time as us. We ran around and around for 15 whole minutes! It was hard work but the kids did great. When we came back in we got super cool blue jog-a-thon bags as a prize. We want to thank all of the parents that worked hard to put the Jog-a-Thon together, it is a lot of work and they did such a fantastic job! If you came and cheered our kiddos on today- it was great to see you there! One of the things that we will be using the jog-a-thon money for is expanding our Kindergarten playground. The money raised will put up a fence around a larger area for our kids to play. We are also hoping to get some playground toys. Click on our Favorite Photo Link and you will find our Jog-a-thon album. Enjoy the pictures!

*** PAPER

Today at school we talked about what made a ***Paper  when it came to coloring.  We used the rubric below to guide our discussion to see what they noticed about the different pictures that were colored.  We talked about how it is important to stay in the lines, use colors that make sense and to not leave white space.  Using this rubric really helped children to see what their work should look like when they are done coloring pictures for their book boxes, story sequencing, writer's workshop like when completed.   After we went over the chart we did a story sequencing of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme.  Students had to number the out of order pictures into order, color them and then cut them out.  Even though MOST children did not finish coloring (which was fine) my main objective besides the story sequencing was to get them to slow down and color using our ***Paper rubric. Please show the picture below to your child and ask them to tell you about it today. Please also ask them to explain the different faces and their meanings.   The Jack and Jill story sequencing is coming home in your child's folder today. Please go over the rubric and ask to tell you whether they thought they had a***Paper with what they colored and why.  Possible follow-up at home would be to have them finish the remaining pictures and using our rubric.
Hopefully seeing this rubric will help you discuss future with your child.

Red Wings Assembly

This afternoon we had some coaches from the Red Wings visit Bemis School to bring us their message about the importance of eating healthy and exercising.  They also talked about the importance of education, dedication, setting and reaching goals.  Some students participated in some trivia questions and mini-teacher versus students hockey shootout.  The Red Wing Foundation also donated a hockey net, sticks and goalie equipment to  Bemis School.  Everyone had a lot of fun hearing this important message!  By the way all the kids looked great in their RED!  Have a great weekend!  Checkout some photos from the assembly on the Class Photos Link under Favorite Links.  

Here is a the link to the article regarding the assembly.

http://troy.patch.com/articles/photos-red-wings-school-assembly-program-visits-bemis-elementary#photo-11530324

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Math Stations

 

This morning the boys and girls participated in Math Stations. They used pattern block stencils to create pictures, used pattern blocks and templates, created numbers with bendaroos, put paper plate numbers in order from 1 to 50, addition and subtration memory, number writing on the white boards, geo board numbers and domino number match.

 

 

Boulan Buddies

Today we met our Boulan Buddies for the first time.  Our buddies are part of an Effective Teens class at Boulan Middle School.  The middle schoolers are learning how to work with the kindergarten kiddos with their teacher Michelle Slaviero.  She does a wonderful job with her kids and we love having them in our classrooms.  We use our buddies to work closely with the kindergarteners on learning games, art projects and reinforcing skills we are learning in the classroom.  With these buddies they are able to get small group guidance and it also helps build our school family and community on a larger scale.

Ipads With Our 5th Grade Buddies

Today we met with our 5th grade buddies and we got to use the Ipads!  Together with their buddies the kindergartners are making their own ABC book in Keynote.  We will be working on this project over our next few visits.  We had so much fun! 
On the left side of our blog you will see a "Favorite Links" list.  Please click on the "Class Photos" link and it will take you to our 5th grade buddies album.  Enjoy!

Name Stations

Friday afternoon, the boys and girls participated in Literacy Work Stations. I set up 7-8 different literacy stations and the children went to each for 5-7 minutes. They were able to pin prick thier names, use geo boards to make designs and letters, smack thier names on a shower curtain with letters, and use magnetic letters to spell thier names and other familiar words. We also wrote on white boards and used letter beads to string our names and words we know. The boys and girls had a lot of fun trying new things and making choices in their learning. We will be doing some Math Work Stations next week.

The 2012-2013 school year is off to a great start! The boys and girls are becoming fast friends and having lots of fun in Kindergarten. We are learning new routines and becoming familiar with other teachers and special classes. Kids are learning how to use their manners in our classroom and around the school. Ask your children to tell you how they are being kind and filling their friend's buckets.

This blog will be updated often with pictures and information about our daily classroom life. I hope that you find this a fun way to stay informed with what your child is learning and experiencing in Kindergarten! I know in past years, the kids were always excited to check the blog each week and see pictures of themselves and their friends. It is also nice to share with other family members that might live far away. This blog is a great tool for getting your child to talk about school. Often when you ask them about school, they have a hard time recalling things they are learning. This blog will give you ideas for things that you can talk to them about! See you soon!

Those families that have chosen to not allow their child's picture on the Internet will not be featured in any of our class pictures or activity pictures.  This does not mean they didn't participate. 

The End of a Great Year!

 As the year comes to an end, this will be our last blog post. It has been a wonderful year in Kindergarten! The kids have shown tremendous growth throught the year and have accomplished so much! They are now ready for first grade and we are excited to watch them grow!

This week, we have had many fun events! Here are some pictures from our week!

Monday was our Pajama Day! Everyone wore their PJs to school! We were comfortable all day and we saw some fun pajamas. We got to read books during rest time as well.

On Tuesday, we met with our Boulan Buddies for the last time! We set up our favorite games and rotated through the centers. We played board games, played with stuffed animals, cars, puzzles, and legos! It was a great way to end our Boulan Buddies!

Wednesday was our last day with our 5th grade buddies. We had popsicles on the playground.

We have enjoyed getting to know Mr. Cottone's class and working together with our friends. The buddies have played outside, used the Ipads, read books, and created crafts! We always have a great time with our 5th grade buddies and will miss them next year!

It has been a great year of fun and learning! Thank you for all of your support and hard work!