Click here for New Berlin's Kindergarten Website

http://teacherweb.com/FL/NewBerlinElementary/Kindergarten/apt1.aspx
- View Upcoming Events
- Download Newsletters and Homework
- Print Poems
- Get Updated Sight Word Lists

Friday, December 12, 2014

Home Learning

Looking for some fun ways to help your child practice their reading and math skills at home?
Check out these great websites!

Don't forget to have your child access iReady reading and math lessons from home as well.
Just remember, they need to complete these lessons independently, without help from a parent or sibling!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Turkeys and Thank Yous!

As the autumn leaves continue to change, so do the students in my classroom. We've only been in school for 68 days, yet these 'speed racers' have learned so much! With Thanksgiving just a few days away, we've been participating in several turkey related activities.
Yesterday was no exception as the students were read to by a real author. His name is Chris Francis and he lives in Canada. Through video, the students listened as Chris read us one of his books titled, Mr. Pancake Turkey. It was a great book and inspirational to my class since we just wrapped up Narrative Writing where we learned all about the elements of a good story. It was so nice of Chris to take the time to share the story with our class! You can check out more of Chris' work at http://www.francisart.com/
We also decided to try a bit of turkey drawing ourselves and use our pictures for functional writing. Check out these super gobblers by clicking here!

Thank you so much to all the families who came to visit with us today! The students really enjoyed sharing pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving cards, and our video with you. Our class does have much to be thankful for and if you weren't able to join us this afternoon, you can still check out the video below. I hope each one of you has a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable break. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Click here to see the video of things we're thankful for!

Friday, November 14, 2014

3D Shapes

Early next week the students will be having a shape recognition test over the following six 3D shapes: sphere, cylinder, cube, cone, rectangular prism, pyramid

Though we have been discussing these in class, several of the students could use a little more practice remembering the names. Please work with them daily so they will be ready for the upcoming test.
Later next week the students will again be assessed on the 3D shapes. This time, the test will cover the shape attributes. They will need to answer questions like: which 3D shapes can be stacked, which 3D shapes can roll, which 3D shapes have flat surfaces shaped like 2D shapes (the sphere is tricky because it looks like a circle on paper, but in reality, it has no flat surface shaped like a circle), etc…?

Click here to practice the 3D shapes I know song with your child!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Diamond D Ranch

Thursday was our first field trip of the 2014-2015 school year. The students excitedly boarded the bus, dressed in their new, grey shirts, bursting with anticipation. Diamond D Ranch held many surprises and adventures for the students. One of the top activities was a wagon ride into the cow pasture where the students fed the cows and felt their long, rough, slobbery tongues. Throughout the day we fed goats, took care of a pony, had fun on the bouncy houses, went on a barrel ride, took a lunch break, rode horses, and fed some very hungry fish. The students were exhausted after the long day and the bus ride back to school was quiet as most of the students drifted off to sleep.
Thanks to all the chaperones who came to help keep our class safe and enjoyed the fun day with us!


Click here to see more pictures of our fun field trip!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Fall is in the Air!

We have been very busy these past few weeks with all kinds of events, from the school's Literacy night to our classroom Fall Festival, and we are excited to share some of these moments with you!

Let's start by taking a look at Olaf the Pumpkin which won first place during Literacy Night! A huge thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Jarrett for helping our class win this fun project!


Next we wanted to show you some of the fun things we do during math centers time. The students get to rotate to a different math center each day of the week. Sometimes the center activities cover concepts we are currently learning, other times they help us review things we've learned in the past, and occasionally the centers challenge the students by giving them problems to solve and ideas to process that we have not spent much time learning as a group.


Another thing we want to share with you is a fun storyboard activity we did in Reading with The Three Billy Goats Gruff. After reading the story as a class and answering questions about the characters, setting, and plot, we set out to make a storyboard that would help us as we retell the story at home with our families. The students loved using the little Billy Goats and walking them across the bridge on their papers as they retold the story!


The students have also been excited about science as we spend more time diving into the process of science and learning about things like hypothesis, experiments, and conclusions. As we learn more about what scientists do, the students take a larger role during science so that they become the leaders of the experiment, the generators of the ideas, and the masterminds behind completing projects and finding answers to our greatest kindergarten science questions!


Click here to see more pictures of our math centers, reading, and science projects!

Finally, we were so excited to have some of our parents come in as volunteers and help us with our Fall Festival. The students rotated through four different stations and had the opportunity to make an edible turkey craft (who knew turkey's could taste so sweet?), create a silly pumpkin with crazy hair and a painted face, make an owl with big, googly eyes and long, silent wings, and practice their sight words while they colored a fall picture complete with pumpkins and the cutest kittens.


Click here to see more pictures of our Fall Festival!

We have many more events coming up and we can't wait to share them with you too!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Wonderful Writing

Today we read a story by Ursula Dubosarsky called Rex.  In the story, students get to take turns taking home a class pet - a chameleon named Rex. Each student in the story does something different with Rex, like taking him to the movies or the pool, and each student in the story has to write about what they did with Rex on the evening they brought him home. The story ends with a question, "What would you do if you took Rex home for a night?"
So, we used our imaginations and shared ideas of what we would do with Rex. Then we went to our seats to write about it. Take a look at what wonderful writing is beginning to happen in our classroom!
Brooks wrote that he would take Rex to the pond. He used phonetic spelling to describe where they would go and he is beginning to add details to his picture so that it matches his writing, like drawing the pond with the murky color that he sees when he looks at it at home.
Keith liked the teacher's idea of taking Rex to the beach, so he practiced writing by copying what he saw and remembered from the teacher's example. Then he worked on a picture that showed him and Rex on the sand.
Josiah said that he would take Rex with him to LegoWorld. He used phonetic spelling, sight words, and spacing between his words while working independently. He then began to draw a picture that told more about what would happen using details with his shapes and colors.
 Hollie wrote that she would take Rex with her to play at the park. She used phonetic spelling, like 'prc' and included details in her picture that would tell about where she and Rex played at the park.
Zayne used his imagination to draw about where he would take Rex. He also included letter strings to tell his story and is beginning to add sight words and some beginning sounds to his writing.

All of these students are at various stages in the writing process but are each doing their very best! We will continue to work on wonderful writing and soon you will see your child becoming a master at storytelling! :-)

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Week one, already done!

This first week of school has zipped right by! Our class has 18 wonderful students who are learning so much about how to be responsible kindergarteners and how to have fun while still following the rules. Please take some time to talk with your child and have him or her share our classroom rules with you. The more they talk about them at home, the more likely they are to remember them at school.
We began practicing our color coded behavior chart this week as well. Starting Monday, the students' behavior will be recorded from the chart daily and will make up a percentage of their conduct grade.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in supplies, offered to help out in the classroom, and continues to check and sign the agenda daily. You are an awesome pit crew! :-)

Click here to see a few pictures of our race team working hard during the first week of school.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Hello and welcome to my classroom blog! I hope each of you had a fantastic summer.

It's hard to believe that another school year is already beginning. Your children are going to set out on a journey that will forever change who they are. From practicing in the classroom to racing around the playground with imaginations running wild. We will take risks, work hard, try new things, and (of course), have fun!  :-)

See you soon!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Goodbye Kindergarten!

Today our class celebrated the end of the year with a rock star color party. Our day was filled with so much fun. We took pictures, painted, listened to books read by celebrities, had extra recess time, played board games that the students brought in, ate chicken nuggets, and had an ice cream sundae party with our families while we watched a slideshow of the school year! *whew* You can view pictures of our party by clicking here!
 
If you were unable to join us today, check out the slideshow on DVD that each student took home with them in their summer gift bag today! :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to making this year a success. From helping with classroom supplies to working with your children at home, you have helped turn these kindergarteners into first graders! I hope each and everyone of you has a relaxing and fun-filled summer vacation! Remember, the last day of school is Friday, June 6th, and dismissal is at 11:30am. Goodbye Kindergarten - Hello Summer!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Yummy Owls!

Today the students took to functional writing by creating a yummy snack! After learning how to make a "yummy owl", the students went back to their seats to practice what they learned. When their owls were complete, they had to write about how it was made, making sure to use the transition words first, next, then, and last. The best part about this writing? It was so yummy!
Challenge your children at home to practice using their creativity to make things out of food, write about what they did, then eat it! It's a fun and delicious way to practice writing.


To see more pictures click here.
 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Egg-stra Fun!

Today our class went on a short field trip to Sheffield Regional Park, located just a little walk away next to New Berlin. The students were eager to get there because they were very excited about getting started with math! That's right, math! Yes, it may have been disguised as a fun filled Easter egg hunt, but this trip was all about showing off math skills. :-)
At the park, the students were given instructions about our egg hunt. They had to find 15 eggs, and not just any 15, but the 15 eggs with their name on them. There were also a few extra smiley eggs, hidden a little more for whoever was able to find them first, and 1 shiny golden egg that was the hardest to find and gave one student a trip to the classroom store to get whatever they want! The students had a great time running around, searching for their eggs, and helping their friends find others. The golden egg was hidden up in a tree branch and the students ran by it several times before it was found. We practiced our counting and adding over and over as each one of the students checked their bag to see how many eggs they had and how many more they needed to reach 15.
When all the eggs were found, the students played a hula-hoop relay to see which group could get the hoop all the way around the circle first. They loved this game and were very excited to cheer each other on. The wind stopped us from having a spoon and egg relay, so we decided to have a hula-hoop-off instead. The kids came up two at a time and showed off their skills to see who could hula hoop the longest. We've got some talented hula-hoopers!
Before we headed back to the school, the students had some free play time and they ran around cheering with their friends and letting their imaginations run wild. 
Thank you for sending in so many eggs and helping to make this trip egg-stra fun!
Click here for more pictures of our egg hunt.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Marvelous March

We are now officially in our last quarter of the 2013-2014 school year! It's amazing to see how much the students have grown and are continuing to grow - both physically and academically. Some of these little guys are going to be taller than me in a few years!

March was a busy month for us. The students enjoyed a long spring break and came back with marvelous stories of all the fun adventures they had while away. We practiced hard for our kindergarten PTA performance where the students melted our hearts with their cute little bunny ears and precious renditions of spring songs. One of their favorites was the "dip the egg" song. Check out pictures of these talented spring singers from our Kindergarten PTA Performance here.

The last day of the month was a fantastic adventure to the nature center at the Amelia Island Plantation. The students spent the day learning about reptiles, sea turtles, and beach life. We started our day with a presentation about reptiles and learned the differences between turtles and tortoises and reptiles and mammals. We even got to meet and pet quite a few of these critters. One of their favorite things to pet was the luscious and soft fur of Speckles the rabbit. The students were also very brave as they felt the scales of the corn snake!
Shortly before lunch, two curious and hungry ducks made their way over to our tables and hung out with us for the rest of the afternoon. We also had visits from a few squirrels, birds, and a great blue heron.
After lunch we walked down to the beautiful sandy shores of the beach where the students participated in a scavenger hunt for things like shells, shark's teeth, sea stars, and coral pieces. While at the beach, we were visited by a small group of dolphins who waved at us with their fins as they swam by! You can see more of our adventure to Amelia Island by clicking here.

As we move into these last few months of school, I encourage you to keep practicing with your child at home. The goal is for students to be reading at an independent level E by the time they leave kindergarten. This requires them to have mastered all of the sight words we have introduced as well as be able to apply concepts like word families, silent e, bossy r, the king of -ing, long vowel teams, and y as a vowel to their reading. If you'd like some examples of level E books to see where your child measures up, check out http://www.readinga-z.com/. As always, thank you for all you do to support your child and this classroom!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

I DO Like Green Eggs and Ham!

"I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am!"

In memory of a fabulous author, we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with an unforgettable experience of Green Eggs and Ham.
After we read the story, the students talked with each other about whether or not they thought green eggs and ham would be something they would like to eat. Most of the students thought that they would end up liking it, since the characters in the book liked it so much. They were surprised to find out they would get the chance to see if their predictions about eating green eggs and ham were true!
Check out these pictures, I think you will see that this class can say, "I DO like green eggs and ham! I do like them Sam-I-Am!".
Dr. Seuss 2014

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

100th Day & Valentines

Our class has been very busy these past few weeks!
We celebrated our 100th day of school with a class party, the highlight of which was making our snack bags of 100 treats. The students used their math skills to practice counting by 10's as they filled their bags up with 10 different treats. Of course the day wouldn't have been complete if we didn't get to eat our snack when we were done!
Last week we celebrated love and friendship on Valentine's day, giving each other treats and notes to show how much we care.
The students have also been getting to know our newest classroom addition, Ms. Broughton, an intern from Florida State College at Jacksonville. She will be with us for the next few months as she completes her last step before graduation and a move into a classroom of her own.

The next few weeks will be just as busy as the last few. So be sure to keep up to date with our classroom events and practice, practice, practice at home with your child! :-)

Click the link below to see what we've been up to in room 123!
https://plus.google.com/photos/114885866962776930630/albums/5981946972853218273?authkey=CNaR1PGphKvz5wE

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! I hope each of you had a relaxing and joy filled winter break!
Just before the break, our class celebrated with a fabulous winter party. The kids had a great time making ornaments, holiday picture holders, beaded candy canes, reindeer food, and an edible snowman in class. Our special pizza lunch was delicious and everyone had a great time finding out who their secret Santa was as they participated in the gift exchange. Thank you so much to all the parents and family members who came out to help and enjoy the special day with us!

I would also like to say thank you so much for all the kind cards and sweet Christmas gifts you sent in for me. I feel so blessed to have such sweet students and supportive families! We will be wrapping up our second quarter in just a few weeks. Please help your child prepare for the many upcoming assessments by practicing basic concepts with them daily. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for test reminders in the agenda so you can help your child do his or her best.

Click the link below to see how much fun we had during our winter celebration!
Winter Party Pictures