Reader's Workshop

Our class has added reader's workshop to our routine. Each child has their own reading box and periodically they get to go shopping to fill their box with books.  They get to choose 3 "just right" books and 3 free choice books from: nonfiction, picture books, math books or current topic books.  Their box may also have some poems or books we have worked on in centers.
During reader's workshop the children may read independently or back to back with a partner. They may "buddy" read sitting knees to knees as they take turns reading to each other. Sometimes we will partner read where each child helps hold and read the same book to each other.
The kids love to go book shopping!  They are learning many strategies that "good readers" use to decode words and understand what they are reading.  One thing they can do even with a free choice book which is usually above their level, is to look for "snap" words. Snap words are words you can instantly read without sounding them out or using the picture for clues. These are sight words or frequently  seen words.
This morning we worked in our journals to see how many "snap" words we could write and spell correctly. It's amazing how many words they know!
Here are some photos from today.

Science Go Round Pictures

Sign up for Green food donations for Monday, Feb 28th

Please click below to access list of needed green food and to sign up. Thanks!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BO0li36aSaUz6CqAioq583laSGifT15UUln7tVMHpxg/edit?hl=en&authkey=CI33q4EH

Feb. 23rd Newsletter

     Science Go Round          
A big thank you to Kelly Miller for planning and conducting a science go round program for kindergarteners on healthy eating! The children learned about the food pyramid, food groups and making healthy choices. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave of their time to help Kelly. In addition to learning about healthy eating, the kindergarten classes: learned about dinosaurs, saw real animals and learned about aeronautics.

Weather Wizards Photos

We are currently finishing up our IB unit "Change, Change, Change" and have learned a lot about weather. Next week we will complete a one week weather journal. If anyone has a large, inexpensive, outdoor thermometer that I can tape to the outside of our window, please send it on Monday.
This week we learned about the first president and our current president.  We worked on the letter sounds: ch and wh. Last week we worked on sh and th. In math, we worked on identifying numbers to 30, comparing equal/more/less using numbers, sets, tally marks and ten frames. We are also learning to "fair share" which is being able to divide a set of items equally between two people or more.  At the writing center the children completed a book called "Have" that works on number words and writing sentences. Using the poems "Mix In" and "Can you guess" the children worked on the sight words in and what. In readers workshop we learned that good readers get their mind ready to read  by first reading the title and examining the cover to think about the book before starting to read. We also worked on naming the important characters and events in a story.

During the month of March we will study our next IB unit "Rhyme Time". Our "Rhyme Time" unit is a study of authors and how we can express ourselves through writing, art, puppetry and drama.
 We will study a new author each week. The first week (Feb. 28th-March 4th) we will study Dr. Seuss. Monday we will read "Green Eggs and Ham". Everyone needs to wear green. Tuesday wear crazy/mismatched socks because we're reading "Fox in Socks". Wednesday wear something to school that shows us who you are, what you like or something you like to do. We will read "The Sneetches". On Thursday bring 1 baby picture to share with your classmates. We will read "Horton Hatches the Egg". On Friday wear a hat. We will read "The Cat in the Hat".       All week we will work with rhyming words, creating our own characters and stories.

During the second week of March we will study the author Eric Carle. The third week we will study the author Laura Numeroff who wrote all the If you give a ___ a ___ books. Then during the last week we will study the author Doreen Cronin who wrote "Click Clack Moo" and other fun stories.

Next week (Feb. 28th-March 4th) if you have any Dr. Seuss books, games or stuffed characters, please share with us. Be sure to label items sent with your child's name. We will also do a green food tasting activity on Monday afternoon. For this activity we will need 24 slices or pieces of green food for the kids to taste and graph. I will put a sign up list on the blog tomorrow.

It has been exciting seeing how much the children are growing in their reading and writing skills since the holidays. Thank you for all your help with homework and volunteering in the classroom. Your help makes a huge difference!

                    

Valentine's Day is Coming

Next week we will be decorating our valentine bags. (Thank you Pooles) Students can start sending in their valentines on Monday. Please print the first name of the student that the valentine is for and rubber band or put them into a ziplock bag . We will let each child read and put their valentines into the bags. Here is a list of students:

Rocco                                Franklin                                Cole                         Malija

Orlando                             Embree                                 Noah                       Hannah

Jack                                   Eliza                                     Kennedy                  Sidney

Ava                                    Madison                              Haley                        Abigail

Kyla                                  Garrison                               Eunice                       Delaney

Joe                                    Luke                                    Wesley                      Camarria

Today we had groundhog cupcakes- thank you Lemanskis and Tacketts.  We made groundhog puppets, listened to nonfiction and fiction books on shadows and groundhogs, watched a video on the famous Pennsylvania groundhog and learned that he predicts spring will be here soon. Wally, the Raleigh groundhog says we'll have six more weeks of winter! Who will be right? The class thinks Wally will be right. I guess we'll have to wait and see who's right.

February 11th- early release (no center helpers needed)

February 18th- Science-go round, students bring bag lunches/drinks, no center helpers, although Garrison's mom may need help with a k-science activity she's working onl

February 21st- No school, teacher's workday

Reading Bags

• will come home about 3 times a week
• when they come home have your child read to you and ask them some of the retelling questions (that are on the front of your homework journal) These are oral questions- sorry for any confusion :)
• then have your child draw a picture related to the book and write some sentences. Use the pattern sentence from the book. These predictable, patterned sentences include lots of our sight words. Can your child think of another word to insert into the pattern that wasn't in the book? After correctly writing the pattern, ex: I like to eat ______. They can phonetically spell a new word for the blank.
• Please teach your child the habit of putting the book, journal, reading log back into the reading bag as soon as homework is completed and into their bookbag. It's important that these come back the next day. We have told the class to not take the reading bag out at afterschool, daycare, carpool line etc. but to wait until they are home with you. We want you to hear them read and assist in writing sentences. Thanks for your help.