Free Choice

As I interviewed students prior to conferences, I learned that many students LOVE a variety of activities we do in kindergarten.  Of course, "Free Choice" is a favorite.  Last week, I watched the choices that students were making and found many of them were playing teacher and teaching each other.  This warmed my heart.  I also saw students reading, listening to reading, and coloring!  Here are a few pictures to capture these precious moments!  

iPad in Our Classroom

Students have LOVED using the iPad in our classroom.  We have been able to use an iPad for two weeks! It is amazing to see how powerful this technology can be for student learning.  Currently, we are on a rotating basis with other classrooms to use the iPad.

Thanksgiving/November Poetry

NOVEMBER...it's been FUN!!

Our class made a graph of favorite Thanksgiving foods.

Our class LOVED sharing all the unique and creative turkeys they made with their families.

We read our November Poem each day during calendar time.

Science Update - Paper Investigations

As we continue our study of wood and paper in science, our focus will be on investigating different types of paper.  

Students discovered that some paper is easier to fold than others.  We also discovered that some paper is easier to write on and others can be very difficult.  

Students went on a paper hunt in our classroom.  Each student received a piece of paper.  They had to find the match to their particular paper hidden around the room. After they found their match, we discussed the unique characteristics of each type of paper we used in the hunt.  

Writing Pencil Rubric

This is our writing pencil rubric.  Students use this rubric to self-check their writing.  Students use the sun to make sure their picture matches their words.  They will use the finger to help remember finger spaces between their words.  Spaces make writing easier to read.  The "Go" sign reminds students to begin each sentence with a capital letter, and the "Stop" sign reminds them to end each sentence with the correct punctuation.  The outstretched hands will remind students to stretch out their words when writing and use lots of details.

Math Centers

We have been learning lots of new math games for our center activities.  

This is a game called Clear the Board. Each student places ten cubes anywhere on their board.  They roll the dice and add the number together.  If they have a cube on that number, they are able to remove a cube from their board.  The player who clears their board first is the winner.  

This game is called More or Less.  Students first decide which color is Color #1 and which is Color #2. They then reach into the bag and grab a hand full of cubes.  Students separate the colors and record how many of Color #1 and Color #2 they picked.  After writing the numbers, they circle which was more.  

More or Less

This game is called One More.  Students roll a die and add one more to whatever they rolled and place a cube on that number.  The player with five cubes in a row is the winner.

This game is called Count and Color.  Students roll two dice, count, and color the number. First player to color their board is the winner.

Count and Color

More of Less

Clear the Board

One More

This game is Bump.  Students roll two dice, add the number, and place a cube on that number.  If another player rolls a number with a cube on it, they can bump that cube off.  If a player rolls the same number twice, they can place another cube on top of their original cube and lock the number. If a number is locked, it can no longer get bumped.  The first player to use all ten cubes is the winner. 

Getting Ready for Parent/Teacher Conferences

Kindergarten students worked on folders to give to their parents at conferences.  The folders would contain some of the stories they have written during the first quarter of school.  They wrote many of the words they know and decorated the folder with watercolor paints.  

We want to thank all the parents who were able to come to conferences!  The home/school connection is so important.  It was exciting to celebrate how students are learning and growing.  

Science Update

We continue to study Wood and Paper.  Our focus these past two weeks have been on how particleboard and plywood are made.  Our classroom of scientists enjoy beginning each lesson with a question. Together the class makes a hypothesis, and uses hands on activities to test their ideas.  We conclude the lesson by recording our observations in our Science Journals.  

Making Particleboard

 Making Plywood