September 18

It is amazing all the learning going on in kindergarten.

We have been working on stamina. Stamina is being able to do something for a long time. In kindergarten, it takes awhile to build up stamina for reading and writing. We have worked up to six minutes of independent on task reading.

The children have learned there are 3 ways to read:

read the pictures
read the words
retell a familiar story

The children know that they should choose to read at the level most appropriate for them. If your child is already a reader, he or she is reading the words.

In writing, we have discussed what writers do:

think about something you would like to share
get a picture in your head before writing
draw a picture plan
write about your picture to share your story

At this time, the children are drawing a picture and one of the following:

writing random letters on the page
labeling pictures with beginning and/or ending sounds
writing a sentence

In math, we have worked on recognizing shapes: circle, oval, square, rectangle, and triangle. We have compared the various shapes and discussed the attributes. We have begun sorting shapes by color, size, and shape as well.

In science, we have been talking about what science is and the many jobs of a scientist. We have learned that scientists:

explore
measure
ask questions
experiment
and learn

For the next couple of weeks, we will be discussing autumn, sorting, and continue to build stamina in reading and writing.

More to come soon...

September 4, 2012

Thank you VERY much for labeling your child's lunchbox, water bottles and jackets. It makes it so much easier to get that lost item to the correct person at the end of the day.

I have been so impressed with the students. They are quickly learning our Kinder routines. We will now be working on listening skills. We read a cute story about a little bunny that learned to be a good listener, called Howard B. Wigglebottom. Check out the website, www.wedolisten.com to read the animated version. The students loved it and would not mind hearing it again.

Some sight words have already been introduced. We have these words on our word wall: a, I, see, red. Creating flashcards would be a great way to reinforce sight words at home.

Thank you for all that you do at home! Have another great week.