Guidance Class Update

This week we learned a two step decision making and problem solving model called: Think and Choose.  We read a short story about a boy who is trying to decide what to bring to share at school.  We played a game of "Puppy Hide and Seek".  Students brainstormed three safe locations to hide our puppy puppet and then took turns trying to decide where he was hiding.  We highlighted some strategies students used to try and figure out where he was hiding.  We then drew pictures of three choices students have during their recess time.  You can reinforce this learning at home by encouraging your child to think of choices when faced with a problem or decision.  This helps them to develop mental flexibility and problem solving skills

Music Class

A message from Mrs. Zamore . . . .

 

Kindergartners learned a Jingle Bell dance and played jingle bells this week.  We imagined a sleigh coming closer as the bells were played softly and gradually got louder.    They also listened to The Nutcracker and looked at Mrs. Zamore's nutcracker doll.   Happy Holidays!  

A Pound of Rice

 We worked together today to find objects around the classroom that are lighter than, the same as or heavier than 1 pound. We then compared and sorted the items on a chart. The first time we did it, everything was lighter than 1 pound. The second it was a different story with things being in all three categories. This activity involved the following skills and concepts:

• compare and order objects according to weight
• use nonstandard units to explore the measurement concept of weight

Reindeer in the Kindergarten

Guest Reader

Thank you Windy for coming to our class today to read one of your family's favorite holiday stories.

Holiday Decorations

 We had a special guest, book and project on Friday! Ember (one of our Grandmothers) came to read one of her favorite winter books: The Mitten by Jan Brett. After that we made a special decoration to take home. The decoration was made to look like holly, but we also were able to see real Holly from Claussen's Nursery. This was the same decoration that Ember's son made when he was a student at Folsom in 1991! Thanks for coming and working with us Ember!

Writing Workshop

We have been so busy in writing workshop! Since we are so good at stretching words out to hear the sounds in the word, and then writing down the letters, we have switched our focus . The last few weeks we have been talking a lot about different forms of writing. We used books from our own classroom library to gain an understanding that stories have a beginning, middle and end. We found out that we had been writing mostly summaries instead of stories. Now we have booklets, with 4 pages and a cover, to write our own stories as an additional paper option. A few days later we learned that there are so many possibilities for writing including lists and letters. Again, more paper options and a lot more purposeful writing were a result! Yesterday, the focus of our mini-lesson was real-world purposes for writing. I modeled how I had already used writing that morning. I showed them the lesson plans I wrote for the day, a letter to Mrs. Hayes requesting books about family traditions, and a memory book I made for my mom for Christmas. It was fun and our students are writing like crazy!!!!

Hat Day, Kindergarten Style!

Puppet Show

 We went to a puppet show today to learn about keeping Lake Champlain clear and blue. Ask your child to tell you about planting trees along stream banks, what a watershed is, how phosphorous causes algae to grow, how dangerous plastic is to wildlife and what a steward is.

PE with Mr. Gove

How is this for a PE class?! In this activity, called Scooter Runway, kids work together to move each other from one end of the gym to the other using a jump rope,  scooter, and a whole lot of energy! They even gave me a turn, which was a little bit scary because they can go very fast. I wish you could have seen the smiles and heard the laughter coming from the gym :)

Guidance Update

For the past three weeks we have been focusing on feelings in guidance class.  Students have learned the four main feelings groups: happy, upset, suprised, and calm.  We have practiced recognizing feelings reflected in our bodies.  Students have learned how feelings are constantly changing.  We read the book Big Al to show how feelings can change.  We made feelings wheels which students brought home.  This week we read the book I Was So Mad. We have discriminated between mild and strong feelings and identified three calming strategies (put your hand on your belly and say "Calm Down", take deep breathes, and slowly count out loud.)  Next week we will continue to practice calming strategies as well as sharing feelings.

Community Service

Snowflakes!

 As part of a community service project the kindergarten created and donated holiday decorations to the South Hero Volunteer Fire Department. We then walked to the fire station and decorated for their holiday tree lighting held last weekend. Prior to this project we learned about volunteering and all the fire department does for us and our community. To give back, we decorated as a thank you to the department. We had a nice walk, a fun time decorating, and were treated to a "helping hands" cookie from Kim. :)

Santa Stars and Snowflakes!

Talking about where to hang our decorations.

"Helping Hands" Cookie from Kim

My son Landon came with us :)

Free Choice Time

Art Center

Dramatic Play

A Message from Mrs. Hayes

Before Thanksgiving, I read More by I.C. Springman and illustrated by Brian Lies. This book incorporates informational text in a story – an exciting mix! The Common Core is requiring us to read more informational text to our students. Studies have shown that American students struggle with informational text, especially when they reach high school and college. So, we are starting early!

More tells the story of a crow who starts with “nothing.” He and his friend mouse then start collecting. First, they have “something”: a marble. Then they add a Lego brick and a coin – “a few.” Suddenly, they have “several”: a coin, a Lego brick and a marble. They add “more, more, more.”

This student shares a favorite scene, as the crow is filling up the nest with treasures.

This child shares a favorite character from the book.

This student shows the crow and adds the words – “more, more” as crow is collecting.

This student shows Crow and Mouse and adds the words “more,” and “too much.”

One student pointed out that the message of the story is that you can collect too many things and then before you know you have too much stuff. In the story the crow’s tree limb is breaking from the weight of a nest overfilled with treasures. “Enough!” Mouse says.

Several of the words from the book – enough, few, several, less, plenty – were added to our kindergarten Word Wall in the Community Room. Kindergarten words are in blue. I am encouraging the students to use these words in our writing and speaking. The other teams have words, too. Come check them out!



Reading Buddies

 We are lucky enough to have two eighth graders come read with us two times a week! These students CHOSE to work with us as part of their eighth grade exit goals. They each read two books to 2  kindergarten students with the goal of helping us learn how to read! Currently, they are focusing on Concepts About Print, which includes knowledge of  things like understanding that the print contains the message, which way to read (left to right and top to bottom), return sweep, etc.

Thanksgiving Poem

This is a poem we read together in Music class with Mrs. Zamore:

Thanksgiving

Thank you for all my hands  can hold,

Apples red and melons gold.

Yellow corn both ripe and sweet,

Peas and Beans so good to eat!

PBIS

We have counted our stars and have earned a class reward!!! We voted and the reward with the most votes was "Movie Matinee!" So, on Friday, we will watch a movie on the projector in our classroom, complete with popcorn! Great job Folsom Kindergarten!

Beginning Sounds

 We are listening and identifying beginning sounds with this picture sort game. Here are the student directions:

1. Lay out the letter strips.
2. Choose a picture. Say the name.
3. Listen for the beginning sound. Put the card next to the correct letter.
4. Match all the pictures to the correct letters.
5. Turn over the pictures to check your answers.
6. Complete the activity sheet.

This cooperative activity provides us with the opportunity to learn and practice the following common core standard:

RF.K.2d: Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in CVC words

Smile!

Pattern Block Quilts

 We used technology today with our exploration of pattern blocks. Technology connections are computer activities that reinforce and extend some of the lessons and activities in Bridges (our math program). These computer activities enable kindergartners to handle pattern blocks and simple quilt blocks that aren't possible with physical manipulatives.