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! :-)

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.

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!

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!

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.
 

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.

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!