Welcome to week 18. Wow! Time is going by so fast!
We have three more weeks to go before the Winter Break and for that reason, we would like to ask all parents to let us know if you are planning on traveling before December 21st (last day of school until January). The reason we need this information is to better prepare for our Winter Celebrations, House Event and food catering for that day. We would really appreciate your support!
We are starting to plan for our KG Winter Parties and soon we will be meeting with room parents to get those plans ready for all of you! For the moment, we would like to extend an invitation to all parents that wish to participate and run an activity that day. All parents are welcome to join us, and when parents get involved in the activities we have a lot more fun!
This week we have another half day for teachers to spend time doing community service. Please make sure your child is picked up at 11:30 on Monday, December 4th. Thank you!
Writing Celebration - Save The Date!
Kindergarteners will be celebrating the publication of their How-To books on Thursday, January 18th. We will be sharing more information after the break, but for now make sure you mark this day on your calendars! We can’t wait to have parents in our classrooms to see the growth of these amazing writers!
Learning in Kindergarten
Reading Workshop
It’s celebration time! We have learned so much about Reading Super Powers. Our reading muscles are strong! This week, we will get ready to share our strong reading by reviewing how to talk about books. Retelling is an essential skill to practice throughout the elementary grades and our young readers are no exception! We will learn how to tell all the parts of a book, and also how to highlight the funny/exciting/interesting parts to our reading partners.
This fun reading unit culminates with each class visiting Pre-K and reading some favorite books to them. This celebration builds confidence, fluency, and a love of literature in our KG students. We are really looking forward to it!
Writing Workshop
Students are having a blast writing their “How to” books! This week we start a new Bend in our unit called “Using Mentor Texts for Inspiration: Revising Old How-To Books and Writing New Ones”. Students will engage in mini-inquiry lessons asking themselves:
- What is that author doing that I could try in my own writing?
- Why is that author doing those things?
- How can mentor texts help me set goals?
One of the ways we will get writers excited about the revision they will be doing is to “graduate” a chart that shows them what how to books are about, replacing this old chart with a new one called “Learning from a Mentor Text”. Writers will remember that they are writing for readers, and that they show this in different ways:
- Using the word “you”
- Writing clear steps
- Adding diagrams and labels
- Giving warnings or tips
Phonics
We continue to create differentiated sorts for each student or groups of students each week. Kindergarteners have had a full trimester to become independent in the work they do with these sorts, which allows us to have more time for one-on-one and small group instruction of phonics and word study.
Our main goal is to see the transfer from their recognition of letters and sounds to their reading and writing. For this reason, phonics is also included in our literacy stations, shared reading, guided reading, and one-on-one conferences. If you have any questions about phonics and how to support your child, send us an email!
Math
In the coming week, mathematicians will continue comparisons, specifically comparing groups, referred to as sets, of objects. Examples of these tasks will be to color and compare different numbers of objects arranged in two lines, telling which number of objects is more or less than the other number of objects. Students will also count to compare two groups of objects that are scattered about and telling which group has more or fewer objects. Finally they will be asked to draw a set of objects that has 1 more, 1 less, or the same number as the given set.
Social Studies
We have had such a good time getting to know so many CAC workers as they have joined us as Mystery Guests. We were surprised at many of the facts we learned about these special people. Now that we have a better idea of who works at CAC and makes it a great place to be, we are ready to begin interviewing the people who interest us most. This week, students will begin learning how to conduct an interview and what are the best kinds of questions to ask. They will also practice working with iPads to record the interviews.
Circles
This week, students will continue discussing together what it means to show the Core Value of compassion. In circles we will continue to explore what it looks, sounds, and feels like to be kind, caring, and considerate. They will also be specifically reflecting on how it feels to be the recipient of behaviors that show compassion from others and what impact these acts of kindness can have on self and others.
Thank you again for all your cooperation,
Ms. Ana, Ms. Paola, and Mr. Balazs
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