the koalas are an amazing group of students! WE have worked so hard this year in kindergarten. in literacy, we continue to build the foundational skills that are imperative to our success as readers. we are feeling great about our knowledge of letter names, sounds, rhyming and identifying syllables in words, which helps us attack and decode words we don't know when reading. currently, we are building our knowledge of vowels, both short and long. we also work to gain confidence in our mastery of sight words which we practice using line-ups and games like oh no! In math, we are working to build our fluency of facts to five. We are playing games like shake those beans and quiz quiz trade to practice naming the facts quickly. we are also spending time with word problems. representing our thinking with symbols number sentences, which has been challenging, but the koalas are up to the task! in science, we are currently in our unit about plants and animals and have taken a few trips. WE visited gary's garden center, Petunia's pet shop, and even boarded a plane to visit many different farms. We have been busy! In addition to all we do academically, we of course, work on how to be a good friend, and how to be respectful, responsible and kind. This year's koalas work every day to be the best they can be. They are amazing kids and I am so grateful that I get to work with them!
the later part of november and majority of december was spent looking at some of our work, as well as map data, to determine an area of focus for improvement. we then set specific and attainable goals. we started in the area of foundational skills; rhyming, syllables, letter names and sounds, etc. and decided what would be a good goal for each individual student. In december (and continuing in january), we worked toward achieving those goals. During our literacy daily 5 rotations, students practice, play games, and even used some apps on the ipad to improve in their particular goal area. our next step, is to measure our progress. at the end of January, we will use a quick map assessment and celebrate the growth we have made. we will then start the process over, and set new goals in february. i'm excited for the work the koalas are doing in this area, and know it will make a great impact on their learning.
we are looking forward to 2018 in the koala room. the 100th day of school is just around the corner. in math we continue to work on fluency of our facts to 5 and now through 10 and are moving toward solving number stories using addition and subtraction. In literacy, we practice our sight word phrases on a regular basis. We love the game oh no! which is linked on our koala information page. These sight word phrases help us comprehend and enjoy text and stories we read without needing to decode the high frequency words. We are also spending our time in literacy exploring words and how the author and illustrator help us understand words through their words and pictures. in science, we are in our weather unit and acting as scientists as we make observations and draw conclusions about weather in our world. october was a busy month in the koala room. we worked hard to establish our routines and get some serious learning accomplished.
in literacy, we continued to explore words that rhyme in our word study with words their way. we are working to recognize when words rhyme, as well as coming up with our own sets of rhyming words. daily 5 allows time for small group instruction while the koalas are listening to reading, reading to a partner, working on writing, and exploring words. naming letters and letter sounds was a large focus of our work. bridges math has given us many ways to explore math. problems and investigations has us looking at combinations of 5 and ways to express that with written equations. in work places we have played games focusing on comparing numbers, writing numbers, subitizing, looking for patterns, and creating combinations of 5 and 10. home connections have been a great way to tie together what we are doing in the classroom and home practice. As we grow in our independence and responsibility, we work to tie our own shoes and zip our coats. the kids take so much pride when they are able to do this. WE practice every day!! It is hard to believe we have only been in school for 12 days! The koalas are off to an amazing start this year. Much of our day has been filled establishing routines to ensure quality learning all year long. each month we will have a social skill target to focus on and this month we will be working on greeting others. we have been working on this in the classroom, in the hallways, in the lunchroom, pretty much all over willow grove school! please help your child remember to greet someone when they say hello!
We have embarked upon the new math curriculum, bridges, and this comes with some great opportunities to build number sense and explore patterns and geometry. we have also been working on the concept of subitizing, which is the ability to 'see' a small amount of objects and know how many there are without counting. I introduced the kids to a game called tenzi. Which is a fun way to work with numbers in small quantities. in literacy we have discussing how authors and illustrators work together to tell a story. We have also been establishing routines for small group time by reading to ourselves, reading with others and listening to reading. Playful learning has been another tremendous opportunity to use creativity, and show responsibility, kindness, sharing, and using our words to communicate. this has been demonstrated through block building, painting, dollhouse and lego play. The koalas have done a great job of making choices and reflecting on what we have done well and how we can do better when playing with others. I am so excited for this school year and anticipate amazing learning and growing. Can't wait for what's to come! |
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May 2018
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