First two weeks of school

We have had an amazing start to Kindergarten!  The kids are adjusting to their new daily routine, making new friends, challenging themselves with new tasks, playing, singing and dancing, writing, thinking, learning, creating and problem-solving. It's been a whirlwind and I cannot believe that we are already 12 days in to our school year.  

These first pictures are from the staggered start days.  We read The Line Up Book and then practiced lining up some of our math manipulatives.  We also made play-dough to introduce one of our Standards of Mathematical Practices, attendance to precision.  If we did not measure the ingredients correctly, the play-dough did not turn out with the proper consistency and wasn't any good to use! We drew self portraits and wrote our names to decorate our blue folders.  We visited all of our Specials teachers.  We learned about Application Centers and practiced using some of those materials. We practiced reading on the carpet and discussed the expectations for reading quietly and for building our Read-to-Self stamina.  We also met our high school intern, Miss Madison.  

On the first day of Kindergarten with our entire class, we started our 23-day project of having a Student of the Day.  We learned that we cannot all be the first SOTD, and that someone will have to be the last SOTD, but that everyone will have a turn to be the SOTD.  We interview our special student, practicing asking and answering questions, and create a special poster and book for that student to bring home and share with his/her family.  We sing a "The Wheels on the Bus" to practice alliteration and re-create the sound of the wheels using the SOTD's name's initial sound.  It is a lot of fun! 

Here are some more pictures from Application Centers.  This first week we had Blocks, Home Living, Art, Play-dough, Reading Corner and Puppets available.  The kids are learning how to choose their center, how to take turns (going to a different center from the previous day) and how to group and re-group according to the combinations of kids who arrive in one center.  

Look at this line! :) 

Our first sight word is "I."  We learned how to complete the practice worksheet and then worked independently at our tables.  

As we transition between activities and subjects, there is time to read books from the bookcase in the front of the room.  We have gone over the expectations for Read-to-Self and are steadily building stamina for this very important skill.  

Another important activity that takes place on the carpet is "Turn and Talk."  This is an opportunity for all the kids to share an idea, prediction, reaction or conclusion at one time.  The kids have learned to sit eye-to-eye, to have one speaker and one listener, to switch roles and then to share his/her partner's words with the entire group.  

Lunch time!

We do a lot of musical "wiggle times."  I have been fortunate to find numerous songs, chants, guided dances, etc. that the kids enjoy doing throughout the day.  On this particular day, we had rain at recess time so we were inside.  This video got them moving and dancing and we got out some of our energy!

We then had some time for our "inside recess games."

A few more shots of Application Centers.

"Take our picture, Mrs. Vetter!"  ;) 

We read Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Rosenthal and really enjoyed using this to practice another Standard of Mathematical Practice, construct viable arguments and critique others' arguments.  I hope that your children had the opportunity to tell you about this book and then show you how the cloud could be both a duck and a rabbit!  

In class, we had several volunteers who shared with the others how they saw the cloud... as either a duck or as a rabbit.  I was very proud of everyone who shared and those who were attentive listeners. 

Another version of our SOTD "Wheels on the Bus" chant.  

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing our busy days in Kindergarten thus far.  Some of my posts this year will have a lot of picture and some will have a few... it all depends on how busy I am during the activities and if I can grab my phone!  I do love sharing with you all though so I try to grab images whenever possible.  

I am off to the high school now.  My son and daughter are involved in Urbana Youth Rec Sports and I served my concession duty this morning and now am heading back for their games this afternoon.  I hope that you are all enjoying some family time this weekend.  I look forward to seeing all of "my" Kinders on Monday!  :)