Ms. Luna's Blog

Kindergarten Room 104

 

We’re getting back many of the flat children that were sent out. You can see them on the bulletin board outside our room in the hallway.

 

Reminders

 

- Friday, March 19 – Field Trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory

 

- Monday, March 29 – Friday, April 2 – NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK

 

- Thursday, April 8 – Field trip to the Old Town School of Folk Music for a

                               Japanese musical performance

 

- Friday, April 23 – Field Trip to the Shedd Aquarium

 

Supplies Still Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will be learning about nutrition and eating healthy. We’ll read “You are What You Eat” and create a class food pyramid. We’ll read “Gregory the Terrible Eater”, “Bread and Jam for Frances”, “Lunch” and “Zak’s Lunch” and then discuss making good food choices. The children will play a game where they put pictures of food into the correct food group on a food pyramid. They will also put together, color and read little books about eating healthy.

 

Writing Workshop

This week the children will continue work with partners, reviewing their previous work and planning for upcoming work.

 

Word Study

The children will continue to learn the proper formation of lowercase letters and practice in their handwriting books.

 

Math

We will practice skip counting by 2s, and dividing objects and groups of objects into two equal subgroups, or halves. We’ll play a guessing game to practice sorting different attributes (color, size, shape). The children will estimate how many nickels are in a jar, record their estimates and then count the nickels to see how close they were. In centers, the children will play a coin exchange game and Top It, a game similar to war.

 

Star of the Week

Elijah is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Olivia will be the “Star of the Week” the week of March 15.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

It was great to see so many of you at our poetry slam. The children did a great job! I hope you enjoyed the African American History Fair. Special thanks to Victoria Dozier (Evans’ mom) for transforming our classroom for the evening.

 

 Reminders

 

- Friday, March 19 – Field Trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory

 

- Thursday, April 8 – Field trip to the Old Town School of Folk Music for a Japanese musical performance

 

- Friday, April 23 – Field Trip to the Shedd Aquarium

 

Scholastic Book Club Order

I extended the order due date to March 3^rd so you can still get orders in. Don’t forget you can order directly online - no paper, no checks.

 

Supplies Still Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Thematic Unit     

This week in science we will be learning about the human body. I’ll read a book called “Dem Bones” to the children and they will learn about the major bones in our bodies. They will cut out a paper skeleton and glue the pieces onto a piece of construction paper in the proper order. Then we will take a picture of each child in the position their skeleton is in. I’ll read “What Happens to a Hamburger” and then we’ll do some activities that follow the book teaching about digestion. For example, we’ll chew a piece of carrot 10 times and spit it onto a plate and then chew a piece of carrot 30 times and spit it onto a plate to see the difference in the sizes of the pieces that you swallow. I’ll read “The Magic School Bus in the Human Body” and then we will use toilet paper rolls to listen to each others heart beat. I’ll read “The Five Senses” and then the children will describe different items that they taste, smell and feel.

 

Writing Workshop

This week the children will work with partners, reviewing their previous work and planning for upcoming work.

 

Word Study

The children will learn the proper formation of lowercase letters and practice in their own handwriting books. They will make and write words that end in –an, then use them in sentences. Later in the week they will make and write words that end in -ay, then use them in sentences.

 

Math

This week the children will work with a group to take a survey, and then use the answers to the survey to create a graph. They will learn about the dime and play a coin exchange game. They will be learning comparison number stories, such as: “Tom had three ducks. Nancy had two ducks. How many more ducks did Tom have?” These problems are, of course, actually subtraction problems, but since they are not “take away” situations, they can be confusing to the children. We will be matching counters to help them see the difference. Try helping your child think through some of these situations informally at home. We will also practice skip counting by 2s.

 

Star of the Week

Andrew is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Elijah will be the “Star of the Week” the week of March 8.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 Reminders

- Friday, Feb. 26 – will be the 100^th day of school. We celebrate by doing projects related to 100 during our centers. On Monday, the children will paint their 100^th Day of School t-shirts. We’ll keep them in our classroom and give them to the children to wear on Friday. They are theirs to keep.

 

We will also make a 100 Museum in our classroom. Each child will bring in 100 items from home - on Friday only. For example, they may bring in 100 pennies, or 100 crayons, or 100 pretzel sticks, or 100 marbles, or what ever you have at home. Please make sure the items are small – we have limited space. We’ll send home whatever they bring in at the end of the day.

 

- Friday, Feb. 26 –African American History Fair – A Murray evening event for the whole family. There will be vendors, food, and entertainment. We will perform poetry in our classroom at 5:30. I will send home the poem your child is working on to practice at home. Please let me know if your child will not be attending so that I can adjust the groups.

 

- Monday, March 1 – NO SCHOOL- Pulaski Day

 

- Friday, March 19 – Field Trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory

 

- Friday, April 23 – Field Trip to the Shedd Aquarium

 

Supplies Still Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will be learning about some of the contributions made by African American inventors. I’ll start by reading “So You Want to be an Inventor?” and then read about a few of the many  African American  inventors, such as, Garrett Morgan, George Washington Carver, and Sarah “Madame C. J.” Walker. In centers, the children will use recyclables and various art supplies to create their own inventions.

 

Writing Workshop

I will use my own writing to show the children that when an author writes a small moment story, the author stretches out the sequence of actions across several pages to make the moment feel important and interesting. Then they will stretch out a small moment of their own.

 

Word Study

We’ll practice hearing beginning and end sounds in words. We’ll play a game about going on a trip to practice hearing and saying beginning sounds.

 

Math

This week the children will learn about the penny and the nickel. In centers they will play the raft game, where they will roll a die, collect beans for each number rolled, and then exchange five beans for a plank, and five planks for a raft. They will play a coin exchange game – changing 5 pennies for a nickel. They will count steps to measure time and record the times in their math books. They will work with a group to take a survey, and then use the answers to the survey to create a graph. We will read and learn about solid shapes. We will ask the children to bring in examples of cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders for our class solid shape museum (the items will eventually be returned).

 

Star of the Week

Robyn is the “Star of the Week”. Her poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Andrew will be the “Star of the Week” the week of March 2^nd.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 Reminders

- Friday, Feb. 26 – will be the 100^th day of school. We celebrate by doing projects related to 100 during our centers.

 

We will also make a 100 Museum in our classroom. Each child will bring in 100 items from home - on Friday only. For example, they may bring in 100 pennies, or 100 crayons, or 100 pretzel sticks, or 100 marbles, or what ever you have at home. Please make sure the items are small – we have limited space. We’ll send home whatever they bring in at the end of the day.

 

- Friday, Feb. 26 –African American History Fair – A Murray evening event for the whole family. There will be vendors, food, and entertainment. The kindergarten classes will perform poetry slams in their classrooms.

 

- Friday, April 23 – Field Trip to the Shedd Aquarium

 

Supplies Still Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will begin our two week unit on African American history. I’ll read “The Story of Ruby Bridges”, “Duke Ellington”, and “The Story of Rosa Parks” to the children. We will also make a simple version of a “Khamsa”. They are good luck hands from Morocco. I’ll read “Tar Beach” to the class and then the children will write and draw about their favorite things to do with their families. They’ll decorate the borders of their paper with drawn quilt squares jut like the author of “Tar Beach” does on the pages of the book.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will learn to develop a small moment, narrowing a large topic down to one detailed and descriptive story spread across three pages.

 

Word Study

The children will make a word they know with magnetic letters, such as dog, and then they will change the first letter to make a new word.  They’ll write both words on a sheet, and then do the same with a new word. After they have made 4 sets of rhyming words, they will use the words to write sentences. We will also practice clapping out syllables in words. Then the children will practice hearing and saying the syllables in words while playing Syllable Lotto.

 

Math

We will make a tally chart of our favorite cookies. The children will learn how to play “The Attribute Spinner Game” which involves sorting shapes by the attributes of color, shape, size, and thickness.  They will play some games and participate in some activities to introduce them to the number grid (1-100) and we will learn about the penny and the nickel. We’ll also play a matching coin games to reinforce coin identification.  

 

Star of the Week

Nailah is the “Star of the Week”. Her poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Robyn will be the “Star of the Week” the week of February 22nd.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 Reminders

- You should have received your child’s Report Card in his/her folder on Wednesday, 2/3/10. Please sign and return the envelope if you have not already done so. The report card is for you to keep.

 

-Thursday, Feb. 11 - NO SCHOOL  Professional Development for the teachers

- Friday, Feb. 12     - NO SCHOOL  Lincoln’s Birthday

- Monday, Feb. 15. - NO SCHOOL  President’s Day

- Friday, Feb. 26 – 100^th Day of School

  The children will be asked to bring in a collection of 100 small things that day for

   our 100 Museum.

- Friday, Feb. 26 –African American History Fair – an evening event for the

   whole family.

- Friday, April 23 – Field Trip to the Shedd Aquarium

 

Supplies Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will continue to learn about Africa and we’ll read some African Folktales. We’ll read “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” and then choose an animal and come up with our own story about why that animal makes its sound. We’ll read “Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain” and then illustrate a class big book. We’ll read “Anansi the Spider” and “Abiyoyo” and talk about what each story is trying to explain.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will continue to work on taking a small moment in their life and writing it across three pages by using details.

 

Word Study

The children will practice using color words in sentences.

 

Math

In math, the children will learn about measurement using their feet, cutouts of their feet, and then a standard 12” foot. They’ll also use tape measures and yardsticks to measure various items in the classroom. We’ll take a survey and create a graph together and play domino concentration.

 

Star of the Week

Othel is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Nailah Owusu will be the “Star of the Week” the week of February 16th.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 Reminders

- Report cards will go home in your child’s folder on Wednesday, 2/3/10. There are no scheduled conferences. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, just send me an e-mail or a note to set up a conference.

 

-Thursday, Feb. 11 - NO SCHOOL  Professional Development for the teachers

- Friday, Feb. 12     - NO SCHOOL  Lincoln’s Birthday

- Monday, Feb. 15. - NO SCHOOL  President’s Day

 

Supplies Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Student Teacher

I’d like to welcome Ms. Robertson to our class. She is a student teacher from the University of Chicago’s UTEP program. She will be with us until the end of the year.

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will be learning about Africa. We will find Africa on the map and discuss how it is a continent made up of many countries. We’ll also learn that it is made up of different ecosystems, languages and cultures. We’ll locate Egypt on the map and I’ll read “Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Ancient Egypt” and “Tut’s Mummy, Lost and Found.” Then the children will write their names in hieroglyphic symbols. We’ll learn about other cultural traditions by reading “A is for Africa”, “A Triangle for Adaora – An African Book of Shapes”, and “Ashanti to Zulu”. We’ll look at traditional Adinkra symbols and make our own Adinkra patterns.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will continue to work on taking a small moment in their life and writing it across three pages by using details.

 

Word Study

The children will make –at words by putting different letters in front of –at. They will also read, make, and write “sight words”. Then they will write sentences using the words.

 

Math

In math, the children will learn about measurement using their feet, cutouts of their feet, and then a standard 12” foot. I’ll read “How Big is a Foot” to them and we’ll talk about how the need for standard measurement came about. The rest of the week our math activities will involve counting by fives. We’ll work together using our fingers, the number line, and the number chart to count by fives. We’ll make a transportation tally chart that will show how the children come to school and then count the total number of tallies by fives. We’ll play the raft game, where the children will roll a die, collect beans for each number rolled, and then exchange five beans for a plank, and five planks for a raft.

  

 

Star of the Week

Ryan is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Othel will be the “Star of the Week” the week of February 8th.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Ms. Davis

Ms. Robertson

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 Reminders

- There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, 1/29/10 for the children. It is a professional development day for the teachers.

- Report cards will go home in your child’s folder on Wednesday, 2/3/10. There are no scheduled conferences. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, just send me an e-mail or a note to set up a conference.

- I was not able to get a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. We do have the Muntu Dancers coming to Murray in February, a field trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory in March, and a field trip to the Shedd Aquarium in April. I’ll post exact dates as they become available.

 

Supplies Needed

Hand wipes

Paper plates

Paper towels

 

Thematic Unit     

I will read the first two chapters of “Flat Stanley” to the children and then our fourth grade buddies will help the kindergarteners make flat versions of themselves. I sent home a letter in your child’s folder last week explaining the “Flat Stanley” project and requesting you to send a 9”x12” envelope to school, addressed to an out-of-state (if possible) relative or friend with THREE 44c STAMPS on the envelope. Please send in the envelope as soon as possible. Don’t forget to fill out and return the letter along with it. 

 

I’ll read “The Map of Me” to the children and then they will draw a map of their home. We’ll also read “Looking at Maps and Globes” and the “Children’s World Atlas.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will continue to work on taking a small moment in their life and writing it across three pages by using details.

 

Word Study

The children will read, make, and write “sight words”. Then they will write sentences using the words.

 

Math

The children will use the + and – signs to count forward and backwards on calculators. They will learn about measurement using their feet, cutouts of their feet, and then a standard 12” foot. I’ll read “How Big is a Foot” to them and we’ll talk about how the need for standard measurement came about.

 

Star of the Week

Jed is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week.  Ryan will be the “Star of the Week” the week of February 1st.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

 

Kindergarten Room 104

 

 

Reminders

- There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, 1/29/10 for the children. It is a professional development day for the teachers.

- Report cards will go home in your child’s folder on Wednesday, 2/3/10. There are no scheduled conferences. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, just send me an e-mail or a note to set up a conference.

- I have tentatively scheduled a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago for Monday, February 8^th. As soon as I receive the final confirmation I will send out permission slips. Per the Art Institute we can only bring 5 chaperones. If the date changes, I will send a note letting you know.

 

Thematic Unit     

This week we will be learning about France. I will read a book to the children about Georges Seurat and then they will get a chance to use Pointillism to paint just like Georges Seurat. I will also read “The Magical Garden of Claude Monet” and we’ll learn more about impressionist art. The children will get a chance to try painting like an impressionist artist using sponges. I’ll read “Madeleine” and we’ll look at some photos of the Parisian landmarks that are in the book. We’ll sing some French songs, count in French and find France on the map.

 

Writing Workshop

This week the children will work on taking a small moment in their life and writing it across three pages by using details.

 

Word Study

This week we’ll play Picture Lotto and study a poem to practice identifying the beginning consonant and letter sounds in words. 

 

Math

We will create patterns with craft sticks and record them in our math books. We will review writing two-digit numbers. We’ll play a game where I will write a mystery number on a piece of paper and then the children will try and guess the number based on one or more clues.

 

Star of the Week

Em is the “Star of the Week”. Her poster will be hanging in the hallway all week. Jed will be the “Star of the Week” the week of January 25th.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

 

Kindergarten Room 104

 

Congratulations to Ryan, Robyn, Cora and Elaine for doing a great job in the school wide Spelling Bee! We are so proud of them.

 

Reminders

- There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, 1/18/10 because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

- There will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, 1/29/10 for the children. It is a professional development day for the teachers.

 

Thematic Unit     

Last week we learned about Japan. This week we will learn about Mexico. The children will locate Mexico on the map and the globe. We’ll also discuss how the climate is different from Chicago. I’ll read “The Pot That Juan Built” about a man who makes clay from the earth to make pottery. Then the children will make their own pots and paint them. I’ll read “Abuela” and then we’ll talk about some of the new Spanish words we learned from the story. I’ll read “A Sombrero for Luis Lucero” and we’ll talk about some traditional Mexican clothing. We’ll read a book about Diego Rivera and look at some pictures of his artwork. Finally we’ll read “Fiesta”, a Spanish counting book, and then make maracas out of toilet paper tubes and beans.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will continue to finish revising their favorite piece of writing. Then they will edit and publish it.

 

Guided Reading

In our guided reading groups we use our knowledge of phonics to read and write new words. I have been teaching the children some basic reading strategies that you can reinforce at home. 1) Use picture clues to help figure out a word you don’t know. 2) Use the initial letter in a word to help you solve the word. 3) Sound out the letters in the word. 4) Reread the sentence when it doesn’t make sense. The more practice the children have using these strategies, the more naturally they will use them as they read.

 

Word Study

We will practice rhyming words by reading stories that rhyme, making up stories that rhyme, playing a rhyming word game and playing rhyming lotto. We will work on identifying long vowel sounds in the middle of words. The children will sort words by their middle sound.

 

Math

In math this week, the children will continue learning addition and subtraction by using manipulatives, telling and writing number stories, and writing number sentences using +, -, and = signs. They’ll draw and write the order of daily events in their lives. They will create patterns with craft sticks and record them in their math books. They will also review reading and writing two-digit numbers. In math centers they will create shapes on geoboards using rubber bands and they will practice number recognition while playing Bingo.

 

Star of the Week

Lena is the “Star of the Week”. Her poster will be hanging in the hallway all week. Em will be the “Star of the Week” the week of January 19th.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams

Kindergarten Room 104

 

I hope that you enjoyed the winter break and the extra time with your children. I’d like to thank all the parents, grandparents, and relatives who helped out with our assembly and class party. We couldn’t do half of what we do for the children without all of our parent volunteers. You really make a difference in the education of all the children in the class.

 

Spelling Bee

We did not start the classroom spelling bees in December. The date on the school calendar was incorrect. They will actually start in January.

 

Thematic Unit     

This month we will be learning about cultures associated with each of the languages taught at Murray. During the week of January 4th, we will learn about Japan. We’ll begin by finding Japan on the world map and discussing how it is an island nation. I’ll show what an island is by placing pebbles in a pan of water until the pile rises above the water. We’ll read “The Way we do it in Japan” and “Sayonara, Mrs. Kackleman” to learn about life in Japan. The children will have an opportunity to practice using chopsticks with marshmallows. On Tuesday, we will read “Yoko”, talk about Japanese food and then write about the types of food we eat at home. We’ll read a Japanese folktale called the “The Funny Little Woman” and then write about the beginning, middle and end. We will also read “The Paper Crane” and with the help of Moe’s mom, we’ll try some simple origami projects.

 

Writing Workshop

The children will finish revising their favorite piece. Then they will edit and publish it.

 

Guided Reading

In our guided reading groups we use our knowledge of phonics to read and write new words. I have been teaching the children some basic reading strategies that you can reinforce at home. 1) Use picture clues to help figure out a word you don’t know. 2) Use the initial letter in a word to help you solve the word. 3) Sound out the letters in the word. 4) Reread the sentence when it doesn’t make sense. The more practice the children have using these strategies, the more naturally they will use them as they read.

 

Word Study

We will practice hearing beginning and ending sounds in words. We will practice the sight words on the word wall by noticing features of the words, such as, all the words that end in /t/ or have an /i/ in them. We will practice rhyming words by reading stories that rhyme, playing rhyming concentration and rhyming lotto.

 

Math

This week, the children will learn about the subtraction sign, create subtraction number stories and play “Disappearing Train” to reinforce the concept of subtraction. We’ll sort blocks by color, size, shape and thickness. We’ll sort children by different attributes as well, such as those wearing long sleeves or tie shoes.

 

Star of the Week

Caleb is the “Star of the Week”. His poster will be hanging in the hallway all week. Lena will be the “Star of the Week” the week of January 11th.

 

Recess

We will take the children out to recess whenever possible during the cold weather. Please dress your child appropriately if you would like him/her to play outside. Snow pants will be needed when there is snow on the ground. Please remember to label all your child’s belongings. There’s a lot to keep track of with 30 children. I tell the children to keep their gloves and scarf in their hat and then put their hat in the sleeve of their coat in order to keep everything together. If you would like your child may leave an extra pair of shoes in their cubby. Also, have them practice putting on and taking off their winter outer wear so that they won’t miss most of recess because they are taking too long to get dressed.

 

Snacks

Please remember that we have children in the class with peanut and nut allergies, when you are buying snacks for the class. Also try to keep the snacks healthy. Fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups, popcorn (we have a microwave oven), cereal bars, animal crackers, baby carrots, and apple slices are all healthy alternatives.

 

Reminders

-          Monday and Tuesday is gym. (Wear your uniform to school)

-          Wednesday is library. (return library books)

-          Thursday and Friday is Art.

-          If your child takes the bus home and you decide on a particular day that he/she will not ride the bus, you must send a note in his/her folder or the child will be put on the bus.

 

Ms. Luna

Ms. Williams