As
I write this post, I actually have my fireplace on. Can you believe it?
Last week temperatures were close to 80 degrees, and this week they are
in the mid fifties. I also predict
a few indoor recess days this week due to the weather. We shall see.
Math:
In
math this week, we are continuing to work on writing numbers, matching numbers
to sets, sorting shapes, and describing shapes by our sense of touch. During our circle time, I polled my
classes to see who played outside this past weekend and who did not. I recorded the data on a chart using
tally marks. I explained that
tally marks stay together in groups of 5.
Tally marks stand straight like a stick, but the fifth one always
leans. We even pretended we were
tally marks. Maybe you can find
things to count around the house and represent the number with tally
marks. My son has a mini
basketball hoop on our playroom door.
Every time he makes a basket, he records his points using tallies on a
small dry erase board.
Language
Arts:
In Language Arts, I have introduced 9 letter
sounds from our Lively Letters Program.
The sounds are /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /f/, /v/, /k/, /g/, and /qu/. We will also learn /th/. We will
spend a lot of time reviewing each sound this week and sounding out words that
begin with these sounds. Here are
some questions you can ask your kindergartener at home:
Who is the character
that makes the quiet tongue dancing sound?
(Answer: /t/ is the
Quiet Tongue Dancer)
Who is the character
that makes the noisy tongue dancing sound?
(Answer: /d/ is the
Noisy Tongue Dancer)
Who
makes the quiet choking sound?
(Answer:
/k/ he is going to a wedding and his mother
tied
his bowtie too tight. It made him
choke a little, so
now
he makes a quiet choking sound)
Who
is the /k/ sounds noisy partner? Hint: she gulps
grape
juice.
(Answer: /g/ she is the
noisy girl who gulps grape juice.
When
she gulps, she holds her glass under her head just
like
the hook on the letter “g”)
What
sound is made of 2 letters?
Why
do these letters always stay together?
(Answer:
/qu/ the q looks like the momma duck, and the
u
looks like the baby who always rides on her mother’s
back)
In
reading, I am excited to say we are diving into the “Daily
5”.
Below is a link that will give you information about this
Literacy
framework.
The
first reading habit we teach is Reading to Self. This
week,
we are learning the 3 ways to read a book. I hope the sheet attached to the homework packet was a
helpful visual. On Monday, we
learned how to read pictures.
Reading the pictures is an effective strategy for emergent readers to
fluent readers.
We
read the pictures in the book No, David! By David Shannon. What a perfect text to teach reading
the pictures. It sparked so many
conversations about feelings, expectations, and cause and effect.
When
you are reading at home, encourage your kindergartener to read the pictures to
tell what is happening in the story.
This
week, we will learn two more ways to read a book: reading the words and
retelling the story.
Writing:
In
writing, we are going to be reading mentor texts to learn about what writers
write about. We will learn that
writers write about things they know, care about, and favorite things. We will make lists of ideas we want to
write about this year. Eventually,
students will create heart maps.
Heart maps are graphic organizers that writers use to jot down ideas
about all of the things they love.
The organizers are kept in their Writer’s Workshop folders for the
future. They will then have ideas
to write about.
F.Y.I
Some
finished/corrected work will be sent home this week. Please take a look.
Information
on the Halloween party will be coming tonight. Stay tuned!
Concepts
for the Car ride:
Rhyming
continues to be one of those things that kids lose when they don’t use. Please emphasize ending sounds with
your kindergartener.
Looking
for sight words everywhere is a great way for students to learn them.
Thinking
of words that begin with the sounds we have learned.
Talking
like robots to review syllables.
“I
Spy” focusing on shapes, colors, sizes, and things that rhyme.
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