Weeks 12 & 13: November 30, 2012

Stella and Bryant at the Friendship Feast. 

Kinderbees

News
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS  

Change is happening all around us.  As the weather begins to get colder we have begun to make preparations for the season of shorter days and longer nights.  At home we may have harvested our gardens, tucked our gardens in their beds, and exchanged our lighter clothing for warmer ones in our closets and drawers.  At school we are learning about these changes along with the seasonal celebrations that are enjoyed this time of year. 

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving with Mrs. White’s class by singing songs and participating with a Thanksgiving Friendship Feast.  We are learning about the signs of fall or autumn which will continue our study of Living Things.  Next week we will be studying trees (plants) and comparing them to the animal kingdom (people).  

Tylor labels his picture.

Language Arts:  This past week we completed our fourth and final English Language Arts Assessment: Comprehension.  We read The Bear Under the Stairs, by Helen Cooper.  The children are learning to retell stories, thinking about sequencing: the beginning, middle and end.  They also had to think about how they might be similar or different to the main character.  We learned how to label our pictures by drawing a line to an object in the picture and writing it’s name.  They worked very hard to complete this lengthy assessment and I am very proud of their work. 

Phonics:  This week’s Jolly Phonics lessons introduced the vowel combination /ai/ and the consonant /j/.  As we add new sounds to their sound book, please continue having your child practice their actions and sounds on a daily basis.  It will help with their fluency as we begin to learn to blend the sounds to make words. 

On Thursday, I sent home a new Sight Word practice activity.  Over the past few weeks I have introduced several sight words.  We will continue to add new words on a weekly basis.  Similar to the Sound Book, it will be important to practice these Sight Words daily to improve their fluency.  They are excited to learn new words and use them in their writing. 

Games and activities: I hope you have enjoyed playing Memory Sound Game. If you would like your child to play the Memory Game at home, please send in a note and I will send it home in their bag.  I am beginning to send home tins of
c-v-c (consonant-vowel- consonant) words that your child can sound out.  If they get stuck have them say and do the actions for each sound and then blend the sounds together. 

Kerridwyn build her dam with
her little sister and Maeve.

Tylor and Tanner chew their carrots
like beavers through a log.

Nature’s Carpenter’s: Beavers  Thank you to our ELF parent volunteers, Lori Beland, Keith Bryant, Stacey Wilber, and Dave Brodeur (Zeb’s dad from the 2nd grade). On Thursday we were treated a fantastic lesson on Beavers.  We learned a lot about these incredible oversized rodents: how they grow, what they eat, and how they build their dams.  We learned about how their bodies are adapted to their survival.  We enjoyed a puppet show, and dressed Lucia up to look like a beaver.  Then we built our own dams using playdough and sticks and tested it with water.   As a final activity we pretended to be beavers by chewing through a carrot stick (instead of a log). The kids enjoyed eating the carrots, even the ones who always turn their noses up at carrots at snack!  Surprises will never cease.  :)

Legos and Kindos learning to share and be fair.

Explorations:  This week our explorations included a WikiStix and Legos. We have been learning how to working together better on group projects by using our words.  Cooperative play and work is an important aspect of every kindergarten classroom. In the picture above we are working on sharing space, sharing toys, and asking for pieces and help. 

Share:  We enjoyed a week of great /p/ shares.  Next week share theme is the sound /r/. Please brainstorm with your child some things that begin with the sound /r/ and help them choose a share that fits our theme.  

CALENDAR:

•  December 12th, 6:30-7:30: Happy Holiday Season Concert:  Please plan on arriving by 6:15pm.  You should bring your child to our classroom and then you can get a seat in the auditorium.  After the concert we will go back to our room and you can pick your child up there.  More information will be available on the school website in the coming weeks. 

Rockin' it!

HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS:

•  Group Snack: Thank you to Morgan’s family for contributing this week’s healthy snack! We enjoyed wonderful snacks throughout the week with homemade muffins and pumpkin bread and pretzels and Cheddar Popcorn.   Next week’s snack will be provided by Isaac’s family.  I can’t thank you all enough for all your help in making this work so well.. 

• Outerwear:  The colder weather is here! If snow falls, please send in winter boots, mittens, and hats. Please help your child learn to zip up their jackets on their own.  It will help us get them ready to go outside more easily. 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Bodnar