Welcome to my first blog entry!  Please be patient as I navigate this new world ;)

I am looking forward to being able to communicate with my students' families about our experiences in kindergarten on this blog.  

We had another terrific week in Kindergarten.  The kids are getting used to our routines and procedures as well as the length of the day.  They are really warming up to one another and making friends quickly.  We have been working hard to earn Soaring with Pride stickers and, as a class, have earned 15 thus far!  We are working toward a "school treat" once we earn 30.  The kids are also enjoying earning Star Student stickers and filling out slips for a drawing each Friday morning on the school-wide announcements.  We actually had a winner in our class yesterday!  It can be difficult when a child doesn't win, but "maybe next time!"  

Speaking of taking turns, we have started our Student of the Day routine.  Each day, a new Student of the Day is revealed and we are able to interview that student to learn more about him/her.  The SOTD is also the Line Leader that particular day.  We have had six students selected so far... "someone has to be first, someone has to be in the middle and someone will have to be the last SOTD."  The kids are enjoying interviewing their classmates and have asked some really great questions!  We also all write the SOTD's name and draw a picture of him/her in order to make a book for the SOTD to take home.  

Our morning routine includes unpacking our backpacks and checking the blue folders.  Thank you for taking out the papers on the "Keep At Home" side and returning anything that is in the "Return to School" side.  

Language Arts has been a joy to teach this past week.  The kids are working on recognizing the structure of sentences, directionality, spacing and punctuation.  We have added three words to our Word Wall, "I," "am" and "see."  Ask your child if he/she can sing to a sight word song!  :)  We also made an awesome poster entitled "I am."  Everyone was able to contribute a complete sentence... and wait until you see the poster... we have a lot of NFL fans in our class!  

We are learning about how to be good readers and how to build our stamina reading independently.  I am SO impressed with their stamina practice... they can "read" quietly and independently for three minutes.  We have also learned and practiced the "Turn and Talk" procedure.  I heard such great comments from the kids when they were sharing details about their independent reading books with their partners on Wednesday.  "I think that..., " "I wonder if...." and "I see..." all while pointing to images in the books.  These are all phrases that we are practicing to use in order to be critical and thoughtful readers.  

In Writing, the kids are using their Writing Journals to illustrate and label their mental images.  They finished their SIXTH entry yesterday.  Can you believe it?  We have done literary responses (for example, after reading Miss Bindergarten, they wrote about what they did to get ready for kindergarten), informational writing (teaching another something that the author knows well), revising/adding details to a previous entry ("when you are done, you have only just begun") and developing a topic themselves.  

Our first Social Studies unit focuses on learning about oneself and others, rules, being a helper and ways to exhibit self-control.  You have some great helpers at home!  I have heard all about how your children fold the laundry, clean the dishes, take a nap and watch their siblings!  ;)

In Math, we are learning about the tools we will use this year, the procedures for Math Rotations and sharing materials, using models, measuring with precision (ask them about the "messed up" playdough), looking at things in multiple ways (ask them about the Duck/Rabbit cloud) as well as counting with one-to-one correspondence and representing numbers with illustrated models.  We have completed four pages of our Math Journals thus far.  

We go to Specials everyday at 2:00 pm and the kids are enjoying themselves with Mrs. Schmidt and Mr. Wiles, Mrs. Burford and Mr. Grimm.  At 2:45 pm we return to the classroom (except for Mondays) and have a snack.  Once the kids are finished and have thrown away their trash, they begin their time at their Application Center.  For now, I am rotating everyone through the Center stations so that they can have time in each spot.  The kids are really enjoying themselves and I have some great pictures to share!  Once every group has been around the circuit, I will put out new materials at the various Centers and we will mix up our groups to go around again.  

 

I will post pictures from our first two weeks of school as soon as I have permission slips.  

Have a great weekend,

Shannon Vetter