Word Work Practice

Today with our Boulan Buddies we practiced our sight words.  We started off the morning cutting up our individual word cards and putting them in a bag. Each bag had 24 words in it that we could practice!  We then took our bag of words around to differnt practice stations that were set-up in the cafeteria. We were able to practice in so many different and fun ways. 

Some examples of  practice stations were:

• white boards
• stamps
• salt trays
• stringing words on necklaces
• stringing words on pipe cleaners
• typing them
• chalk boards
• bumpy boards
• swatting them on shower curtains
• wikki sticks

We also practiced sorting them in many different ways. Thanks to our Boulan Buddies who helped us too!  Please see the photo link for pictures from this morning.

Literacy Stations

Today was a very exciting day for the Kindergartners because today was the first day of Literacy Stations! Literacy Stations is about 30 minutes each day 3 days a week. That equals out to 2 stations per day your child will be going to. During this time your child will be going to a specific station to work on specific targeted tasks. Literacy Stations is an opportunity for your child's needs to be met at their own level. Children can use this time to challenge their own learning. A brief description of the stations is below. Be sure to ask your child what stations they went to today.
1.Writing Station-Children will be practicing a handwriting, personal narratives, letters, post cards, lists,etc. This can be an extension to what we are working on in Writer's Workshop or also allows children to practice their handwriting skills.
2. Word Work Station-Children will be working on different word work skills such as word families, rhyming, sounds, sight words, etc.
3. Bookmaking Station- At this station children will be making a book to add to their book box. These books highlight sight words we are practicing. When children are done making the book they may read out of their book box until time is up.
4. Library Station-At the library station children practice different skills such as working with fiction/mom-fiction books, finding specific words, reading specific themed books. They will also be using different fun tools to help them read such as fun glasses, pointers, etc. Today we read in partners and individually and searched for punctuation.

5. Listening Station- At this station children will be listening to a story on CD and then doing a response to it. For example, this week children are listening to a story and then drawing and labeling the characters from the story.

6. Read and Write the Room-At this station children will be going around the room with specific tasks that will be asking them to either read or write words they see in the room. For example, their task may be to go around and make a list of all the 3-letter and 4-letter words. Or they may be asked to use pointers to find specific sight words and read them. Today children used clipboards and walked around the room and recorded words they found.

There are a few photos in the class photo link.  i noticed that if you scroll all the way to the bottom you will find the photo journal for Literacy stations and also from the The Mitten Retelling in case you missed it.  Also please note I don't have a photo up of every child from stations this week. Some children were up and around and working. Be sure to ask you child about stations today!

Mitten Retelling

This past week we have been reading one of my favorite stories by the author Jan Brett, The Mitten.  We have also read a few other versions of the tale.  As a class we had many discussions comparing the different stories and also practiced our retelling skills.  On Thursday we used puppets and yarn on the floor made into the mitten to retell it as a whole class.  Then on Friday the kids made their own characters and mittens out of paper and practiced retelling the story in pairs. See our class photos for some pictures! They had a lot of fun!   They should of came home on Friday so that they could retell it at home. Jan Brett is one of my favorite authors and illustrators and she has a wonderful website that features coloring pages, games, activities,printable flashcards and other fun things.  www.janbrett.com

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!