Peek at the Peeps: September 2016

Friday, September 30, 2016

Weekly Report

We've had so much fun listening to tales of The Turnip this week! We've learned about Habit #6: Synergize. "Synergize" means work together. As we've now finished 30 days of kindergarten, we're learning more and more about how to work together all of the time!

You will find October reading logs in your child's binder today. Please take a moment to set a goal of at least 10-20 books with your child. We're learning how to set a goal and try to reach it! MANY of you met or exceeded your September goals...way to go!! (I'm saving all of your reading log pages in your child's reading workshop folder. The Peeps like to look back at the books they've read and the stickers they've earned!)

During our shared reading lessons, we've read books with sight words this week. We've noticed the parts that repeat. We can make the words match what we say when we read very beginning level books together. We've enjoyed Spring and Fall, and High and Low.

During our independent reading time, we've been re-reading our "old favorite" storybooks. These are books that can have lots of text on a page, but we know those stories so well that we can retell them and read from our memory! We are learning how to point to the parts where we know exactly how the words go. We've had fun making some new books "old favorites." We LOVE the book We Are Growing by Laurie Keller...it's as exciting as watching grass grow! (That's what it's about!)

As we go through our writing mini lessons each day, there's a new focus. (A mini lesson is supposed to be short...about 5-10 minutes.) At the end of the lesson, I usually say, "You can go back through your older stories and see if you'd like to try this!" In my experience, most children usually start a new story. But not these Peeps! I have never had a class as proud of their work as these children. They go back through their stories carefully, and add new things, and make changes. I am amazed at how they remember what their stories are about! (It's very easy to forget sometimes!) We went through our folders today, sharing our favorite writing pieces. We'll be starting a new unit next week, all about writing personal narratives! I can't wait to see what the children come up with next! Writing Workshop is one of my favorite parts of the day!

I'm cleaning out the folders, but I'm going to make books from these early writings. They are priceless! I can't wait to share them with you during our fall conference time!

"Pull the line down, then go around. The number 6 we have found!" That's the rhyme we learned when we practiced writing number 6. We know how to show six in many different ways. We've learned all about hexagons, too! In addition to writing number 6, we've continued working with sorting, patterning, number words, and color words. The Peeps love to explore manipulatives during our Math Workshop time. We can make hexagons out of trapezoids and triangles, and create and extend patterns. We are also using our practice packs (DVD cases) to practice writing numbers correctly, too! Many of the children can remember all of the number rhymes we've learned!

We've read different versions of The Turnip this week, and had fun acting out the story of the characters working together to pull up an enormous turnip! Today was the last day of September, so we read Big Pumpkin, which is a Halloween variation of the same story. Earlier this week, we read Swimmy, where a little black fish is able to save a school of red fish by teaching them how to swim together and scare the bigger fish. We used a straw to stamp "fish" on a paper, and make a big fish out of them! Synergizing is when we work together!

Monday is A Day - Art

Tuesday is B Day - Music

Wednesday is C Day - P.E./Health Be sure to wear tennis shoes!

Thursday is D Day - Library/Technology Be sure to wear tennis shoes!

Friday is E Day - (Custodian's Day) Library/Technology Remember to put your library book in your backpack! (Mr. Powell is having surgery on Friday, and I'll be out all day with him. Mrs. Barber will be here with the Peeps.)

Click here to view our lunch menu.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Friday, October 14: Half-Day of School (Record Day for teachers)

Wednesday, October 19: Early Release Day--that means it's Show and Tell Day for the Peeps!

Monday, October 24 and Wednesday, October 26: Parent/Teacher Conferences (more information will be coming home soon)

Sunday, October 30, 4-6 pm: Trunk or Treat

Monday, October 31: Halloween Parade (1:40), Halloween Party (2:00-3:00)

Have a great weekend!

Pictures of the Peeps

Last week, the habit that we focused on was putting first things first. As a part of our writing workshop this week, we wrote about how we can put first things first. Some friends thought about how they put on pajamas before they go to bed, or wash their hands before they eat. Others thought about how they unpack first when they come into the classroom. Still others thought about ways they help at home before they play...they feed their dogs, they practice their sight words, and more! I was so excited about the careful thought that the Peeps put into their work! We turned that writing into a frog. The character Froggy has to put first things first in his books, too!

Here are some of the Peeps, working hard on their "Put First Things First" frogs!

We're really excited about wrapping up our first unit in writing! We know all about being writers: we can use our tools and paper correctly, we get started right away, we draw pictures to share an idea, we use more than one color, we add details, AND we can dictate or write a sentence to go with our idea! On Friday, the Peeps went through all of their writing, and put gold stars on their favorite pieces! We are going to start a new unit (Personal Narratives) next week!

We like to practice writing numbers on our practice packs!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Weekly Report

We've had lots of sniffles and coughs this past week in our classroom, but we're still working hard! Today we're ready to start a new week with everyone being well! Last week, we used the Froggy books by Jonathon London to talk about the habit, Put First Things First. Froggy is so silly; at some point in his books, he's in his underwear (having forgotten to put his pants on)!

In our Shared Reading lessons, we've been reading big books together. We loved Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? It's very predictable with lots of repetition, and has words we know! Several of the boys and girls have been reading it during center time. They point to each word as they read. During our workshop mini lessons, we're retelling storybooks that we know. This past week, we talked about using the same words each time we read the book. (The words don't change.) When we know parts of a story, we can use what we know about letters and sounds to be sure the words match what we say. (For example, we can find the "trip trap, trip trap" part of Three Billy Goats Gruff.)

At home, please continue working on sight words. The children should know:

the a I can see my me

This week, we'll be adding:

is he she

The children who know all 10 of these "Level 1" sight words can work on Bonus List 1, and Level 2!

It was a BIG week in Writer's Workshop! We started using what we know about letters and sounds to put words with our stories! At the beginning of the week, we started thinking about an idea that could go on the page. The children each kept their idea in mind and practiced it, so that when I wrote it on the page, they could easily read it back. (That's a little different than if I would ask, "Tell me about your story," and they just talked as I wrote. The idea is to practice exactly what the page should say.) It was great to have me write the sentence on the page, but it's also hard to wait a long time for your turn! So we decided that we could start stretching words to write the sounds we hear, and write our sentences all by ourselves! You have to be very brave to try that, but we ARE very brave!

"Number 5 has a big fat tummy; with his hat he looks SO funny!" That's the rhyme we learned when we practiced writing number 5. We know how to show five in many different ways. We've learned all about trapezoids, too! We've explored making numbers and designs out of pattern blocks, too! This week, we'll be learning about number 6, and hexagons!

We met Jumper Rabbit, a puppet to represent Habit #4: Put First Things First. In his story, Jumper Rabbit can't play basketball with his friends, because he can't find where he put his tennis shoes. Putting things in their place when you take them off is part of "putting first things first." Take a minute to put things away, and it's easier to find things next time! We talked about other ways to put first things first, too...we practice every day when we unpack and turn in our binders!

We've also talked about ways to keep from spreading germs, and how to stay well! In our "Let's Find Out" magazine, we even talked about all of the tools that doctors use when we go for a check up.

Monday is A Day - Art

Tuesday is B Day - Music
Please return all fundraiser envelopes today, if you have not already.
(I'll be at a training session for Reading Workshop in the morning. The children will have a sub. I'll be back in the afternoon.)

Wednesday is C Day - P.E./Health Be sure to wear tennis shoes!
Picture Day!

Thursday is D Day - Library/Technology Be sure to wear tennis shoes!

Friday is E Day - Library/Technology Remember to put your library book in your backpack!

Click here to view our lunch menu.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Have a great evening!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Kindergartners At Work

The "Let's Find Out" was perfect this week...all about how to stay well! Poor Peeps...we've been passing around lots of germs. Hopefully everyone will be healthy again soon.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Weekly Report

I'm really impressed with how well the children have learned our school routines after only four weeks of Kindergarten! We celebrated the 20th day of school on Thursday! These Peeps know exactly what to do when they get to school, they consistently show wonderful listening behaviors, and they are contributing great ideas! Show and Tell this week was a lot of fun, as we got to know each other even better by seeing some of our favorite things. Thank you for sending items in!

This week we've learned how to turn a book into an "old favorite." If you enjoy a story, read it again, and again, and again! Soon you'll know it by heart, and it will be a story that you can "read" to yourself! Even though we're not focused on reading all of the words on a page word by word, the Peeps are busy building very important reading skills. They are using storytelling voices to sound like fluent readers. (This will give them a frame of reference later when they are reading word by word and their reading sounds choppy.) We are having lots of fun using character voices when reading The Three Little Pigs, The Little Red Hen, and Bark, George! We have lots of "old favorite" books in our classroom!

No more potato people! No more stick people! We've been adding lots of details to our drawings, making sure that the characters in our work have the details they need. We've been drawing animals, and adding backgrounds to the pieces in our writing folders. We're developing our planning skills by discussing with a partner what we'll add to our writing, and then adding it. I'm very excited by the careful work I'm seeing during Writer's Workshop. The children will have a very nice collection of pieces to share with you by the end of October when we have conferences.

As we've focused on number 4 this week, we've reviewed writing numbers 1, 2, and 3. We've learned how to play "Connect Four" and develop our strategies for winning the game! We've learned all about rectangles, too. This afternoon, the Peeps made pizzas to go with the story The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza. We graphed the toppings that went on the pizza, and had a lot of fun painting the sauce and gluing the toppings on! Even though they aren't real, those pizzas sure do look tasty!

The Little Red Hen is a character who knows how to Begin With the End in Mind. That's habit #2! This week, we met Tagalong Allie Mouse, another character from 7 Oaks. (She's a puppet that many of the children have had fun using to retell her story!) We read When I Grow Up, and talked about all of the things that we'd like to do when we grow up! The Peeps have some amazing and impressive plans!

Monday is B Day - Music

Tuesday is C Day - P.E. Be sure to wear tennis shoes!
Tuesday and Thursday are coupon days for the fundraiser; return coupons to school so your child can earn more emojis!

Wednesday is D Day - P.E./Health Be sure to wear tennis shoes!

Thursday is E Day - Library/Technology Remember to put your library book in your backpack!

Friday there is no school; it's a Professional Development Day for teachers.

Click here to view our lunch menu.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Friday, September 23: No School (Professional Development Day)

Wednesday, September 28: Picture Day

Friday, October 14: Half-Day of School (Record Day for teachers)

Monday, October 24 and Wednesday, October 26: Parent/Teacher Conferences (more information will be coming home soon)

Sunday, October 30, 4-6 pm: Trunk or Treat

Monday, October 31: Halloween Parade (1:40), Halloween Party (2:00-3:00)

Have a great weekend!