Mrs. Vetter's Kindergarten : First of the year!

What an exciting few weeks we have had in Kinddergarten! The kids are adjusting to their new LONG days at school. We have been enjoying getting to know one another as we interview each day's Student of the Day. There are 25 of them... so it will take a while to get to everyone but it provides a terrific opportunity to talk about taking turns and being happy for classmates ;)

I am proud of the Kinders for working on their Reading Stamina. Each day, we have quiet reading time on the carpet in order to build our stamina for independent reading. We then "Turn and Talk" to share what we have seen, what we are thinking and what we wonder about our texts. We listen to a story each morning and practice these observations with statements such as "I see...," "I think..." and "I wonder..." We are also practicing using our listening skills to agree or elaborate upon a classmate's idea.

Our Word Wall is up and running with four sight words so far as well as all of the Kinders' first names. We use these words to practice speaking in complete sentences as well as writing in our Writing Journals. We have already written five entries! In addition, we have read and studied our first poem and put it into our Poetry Folder (so small feat getting 25 Kinders to use PRONGS!).

Our Math block is full of number sense practice. We have used tools to represent numbers, to create sets, to play games with classmates, to practice writing numerals, to reinforce counting, to explain reasoning and to apply understanding to real life situations. We are working toward consistency, sustainability and, the big one, autonomy. It is my plan to begin some small group instruction in two weeks as the Kinders learn to maintain attention to and sustain their endurance for tasks without my direct guidance as they work in small groups.

Social Studies has focused on our school wide Positive Behavior System (PBS) in that we are discussing ways to show respect in our classroom, in the cafeteria, in the bathrooms, in the hallways and on the buses. The Kinders have done a wonderful job of sharing ways in which they show respect in all areas of our school community. We continue to practice the carrying out of such stories ;)

The Kinders are LOVING Specials... Mr. Wiles, Mrs. Briest, Mrs. Leftwich and Mrs. Schartner are blessings to us and they are really enjoying our class. It's all smiles in and all smiles out of our Specials classes.

Enough talk! Here is what you really want... pictures of your adorable kiddos! Enjoy!

First Day Part 1