More February Fun in Kindergarten

February has been an exciting month of learning.  Students have loved the math games and shared reading we have experienced together.  It always makes me smile to observe the class during play time at the end of the day.  Many students choose to read and write as their free choice, and this brings joy to my heart!

These next few pictures show students sharing features of non-fiction text.  We learned that real pictures, labels, and close ups are all features we will find in non-fiction books and magazines.

Penguins and Non Fiction

We enjoyed our nonfiction study of penguins.  Together as a class we passed the pen during our interactive writing time and wrote about the many facts we learned through our reading.  We LOVED reading nonfiction books.  The students were able to compare nonfiction with fiction as we read some Tacky the Penguin books, and recorded our learning in our Thoughtful Logs.  Here are some pictures of our work.  

Illustrator: Calvin Tamblyn

Illustrator: Elli Incha

Illustrator: Andi Spies

Illustrator:  Bernardo Perez

Illustrators: Kyle Wipperfurth and Brian Palacias Perez

These were added to our Thoughtful Logs as a record of our learning

 This big book about Penguins was a wonderful source of information for the class.  We also found books in our classroom library about penguins.  The students love to add these books to their Read to Self book bin so they may enjoy reading them during Reader's Workshop each day.

We also added our Penguin Poem to our poetry books

Live, Love, Kindergarten

Valentine's Day in kindergarten was busy and fun!

We started our day with math centers which included sorting, graphing, number writing, and pattern blocks.

We decorated hats.

 Students have been playing "Under the Bowl".  This game begins with a fixed number of cubes.  Students take turns placing some cubes under the bowl and some cubes on top.  They take turns guessing how many are hidden under the bowl.  Students record the addition equations.

During writer's workshop, students wrote acts of kindness to give to someone special on Valentine's Day.

Students decorated a cover for their writing samples to share with parents at conferences.  They enjoyed writing about everything they love.

We used a heart shaped cookie cutter and biscuit dough to make a Valentine snack.

Read to Self and Buddy Reading are favorite activities for all kindergartners!!

While our snack was baking we played a game called Who Do You Love?
Just like musical chairs, the game starts with one less chair.  The person in the middle asks a friend who they love.  Whoever they describe has to stand up and find a different seat.  It was fun when someone said "I love everyone who likes to watch movies!"  Ha...there was lots of movement and fun!  The person left in the middle continued the game.

We decorated our biscuits with strawberry or whipped cream cheese and fresh strawberries.

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

I LOVE kindergarten!