Last Blog Post of 2013!

Twas the last day of classes before Christmas
and all through the school halls,
Not a student was quiet~
Excitement rang wall to wall!
Yummy food filled our tummies,
We watched Despicable Me 2,
made Christmas trees of candy,
& played, as Kindergarten kids do.

It was a wonderful, busy day that seemed to zoom by very fast! Here's a photo of our yummy morning creations:

 

As well, I sent home our craft that we made on Wednesday:

 

 

I am wishing everyone a joyful holiday season filled with love, laughter, and some rest too!

I'll meet you back here in 2014 :)

Feliz Navidad!

Well the classroom (and entire school) was definitely filled with a buzz yesterday! It was Christmas Concert Day!! It was another indoor recess day, as well. We had a visit from the SLP, which is always exciting as he brings I-pads for students to work with. I read the story The Mitten and introduced an emergent reader version of the story for the students to read. To tell the story (and for students to retell the story in the future) I made a 3D mitten with a paper bag and paper pictures of all of the animals from the story. I forgot to take a picture of it, so I'll try and remember to do that tomorrow.

I don't really have many photos to share from yesterday. However, some creative 3D building ensued during some free time that I was able to capture:

Making spiders...

an animal hospital...

and a scorpion!

Students also created a window and a cat.

The afternoon was filled with the K-5 dress rehearsal for the concert, as well as a quick Raider of the Month assembly. One of the Kindergarten students won Raider of the Month for the elementary~ proud teacher moment! :)

Our school concert theme followed Santa around the world to explore a variety of holiday traditions. Of course, the Kindergarten class was super cute singing and dancing to The Pinata Song by Teresa Jennings! As soon as the concert was over, it hit me just how tired I was. I'm sure we all slept well last night!

We also worked on a craft yesterday. I won't post a photo of just yet, so that it's a bit of a surprise for the parents. Some Christmas decorations were also taken down and I got the students to take home their elves and Christmas tree paintings last night. It's a little sad to see the halls start to empty out, but it can only mean one thing~~ only one more fun filled day before holidays begin!

On the 3rd day before holidays...

Well today was very much a musical day! We practiced our holiday songs in the morning and then we went with the other elementary students to sing carols in the afternoon at a nearby senior citizens home. Students were treated to juice and cookies afterwards. Since we had to leave before our last recess, and it was finally a lovely day outside, students spent extra time playing outside after we returned to school. It was SO nice to get fresh air without freezing!

 

We also continued reading My Father's Dragon. We also read Snowmen at Christmas and a book called Around the World. A student who was absent when we told our travel stories last week was able to share hers with us today. We also reviewed our new PWIM board and read an emergent reader called Farm Animals, which introduced the sight word "the".

Otherwise, it was just a day of fitting in little odds and ends before the holidays begin. This whole week is a bit off from our regular routine. Wednesday brings our Christmas concert and then Friday is the last day of classes before the break! 1 day down, 2 more to go!

Snowmen, travel stories, and music!

Today was another frosty day, but we finally had some outdoor recesses. I forgot to take photos of some of the activities that we did today! Some of the highlights of our day included:

*learning all about the number 5, including listening to a story about 5 snowmen and learning the song 5 little ducks

*hula hoop fun in the gym

*practicing Christmas songs for next week's performances, including a K-5 practice

*sharing our favourite travel stories and locating those places on maps

*learning more about the information we can learn from maps and the globe

*shaking out new words from our PWIM picture!

 

We also talked more about the weather in Mexico and how that influences some of the activities that students there do. For example, they can't build snowmen since it doesn't snow in Mexico. We read two wonderful stories, Snowmen at Night and Snowmen All Year. Next, students worked on an art activity. They had to use chalk and black and white squares of paper (plus the orange for a carrot nose!) to create their own depiction of a snowman at night.

 Next week will be jam packed with all things Christmas, including our concert on the 18th! There's definitely a buzz in the air this month~ only 3 more Kindergarten days until holidays begin!

All About the Four Seasons

The majority of today's learning was focused on learning the four seasons. We watched a video of a song about the four seasons and read two stories: Zoe's Year and Old Bear.

 

 

The first activity combined science and art. Students had to paint a tree for each season so that they could show how trees change over time.

 

 

Next, we had a combination of math, science, and social studies! I introduced the Medicine Wheel, which incorporates the number four and the circle shape. We discussed how there are four seasons, as well as four directions. We also talked about the things that we do for fun in each season. Then, students worked on two pages from the circle book that is included in the Kindergarten book from the Office of the Treaty Commissioner:

 

 

The last activity had students thinking about what season is their favourite and why. On yet another frosty, indoor recess type day, I was not surprised that nobody chose winter as their favourite! Students were to draw a scene that they would see if they were looking out the window during their favourite season.

 

 

Something that drew immediate attention today was our new PWIM picture and books that will help us learn about cows and other farm animals. Soon we will be "shaking out" PWIM words; a process where students each share a word that they see in the picture. Those words then become our PWIM vocabulary that we used to focus on alphabet and sight word recognition.

Frosty, Friday Funday

There was a buzz in the air today with Santa Claus days being today and tomorrow in Watson, SK! It was also a very chilly day outside, so we had indoor recess all day.

I decided to switch up math class and learn a little bit about the triangle shape to incorporate some holiday art. Each student decorated their own triangle, which we fit together to make our classroom tree:

 

We also practiced our Christmas concert song several times today. Only 3 more full K days before the concert! They're starting to memorize the words and sing the song while they are working at their tables, so that's promising!

 

We also had the pleasure of the Grade One teacher coming in today with puzzles for us to practice our PWIM words. The one 'center' had the students putting together puzzle pieces to build a word from our PWIM board. The second 'center' had students choose a word and then search for clothes pins with each letter so that they could build the word that way. In each scenario, of the students weren't sure what word they had, they would go to the PWIM board to find it.

 

 

Searching for letters...

We also tried our first Colour by Sight Word sheet and Grade One teacher read Mrs. Claus Goes on Vacation to the class.

 

Today, we also read Chapter Two of My Father's Dragon. In Science, we had an introductory lesson about the four seasons to lead into some activities for next week. Finally, in Phys.Ed. we've been exploring movements, sending, and receiving with hula hoops! Lots of fun :)

 

Until next week~ take care, stay warm!

Teaching & Learning

Yesterday, the first student who walked in the room noticed the new bulletin board straight away! "What are we learning on that board?" they asked. I loved hearing this language! In our talking circle, I've been asking students to share what they learnt throughout the day.

 

We have begun a new unit on spatial relationships. The big ideas are "We influence our surroundings, Our surrounds influence us!" Big words for small hands but I know they have big, curious minds so I explained through some examples and we'll see how it all unfolds in the next couple of weeks (amongst the hustle bustle of holiday excitement!). They are very interested in the maps and globe and found the treasure maps first thing in the morning. I was told that on one treasure map, the X marked where Mexico is!

 

The librarian also found us a bunch of books about Mexico and one student has brought in a Mexican flag and doll to show the class. Very exciting! Another addition to our classroom is our first chapter book- My Father's Dragon. It fits in with our new unit, as there is a map to follow the character's adventures throughout the story. The first chapter already left us hanging!We also learnt all about the number 4. We practiced our song and dance for the concert and finished our letters to Santa Claus.

The map from My Father's Dragon.

 

As we are winding down our PWIM cycle, we worked on sentences and practicing colour words. Each student created their own book, "I See Colours" by choosing the colours that they wanted to 'write' about. Afterwards, they read their book to me and took them home to (hopefully) read to their parents.

 

 

The students also worked on their "This is me in December" sheets. This time we started off with a  discussion about what we should include in a drawing of a person (mostly in hopes that some of them would give themselves a body this month!). I love how you can see the progress of their printing and drawing from month to month.

 

This group is so eager to learn and they rejoice over such things as discovering a word that has the letter E in it, that each day they are truly inspiring me! I love it!

 

 

Interviews, Traditions, Elves, & Letter Writing!

Today was one of those fun filled, super productive days! We were six students strong and Mr. M, the intern who has been at our school since September, spent the day with us. We interviewed him for the December school newsletter. Then, students took turns interviewing one another. I rotated the students through three different positions-- Interviewer (with clipboard and set of questions to check off as they went along), interviewee, and video taper (using my tablet to record the interview). Each student had a chance to fill each position. Everyone did a wonderful job in each role! Unfortunately, our Who Am I? unit is coming to a close. It is one of my favourites!

Our next task was to share with one another the ways that we celebrate the holidays. Some students brought pictures to help them share with their peers. Everyone in our class appears to celebrate Christmas in very similar ways. We began to learn more about Christmas in Mexico with the story, The Legend of the Poinsettia. I brought a poinsettia into the classroom this morning, which struck up a few questions. Then, we viewed our song/dance for the concert for the first time. It is a pretty catchy tune, so hopefully it will stick with us if we practice enough. The sweet thing about Kindergarten is they will be cute no matter what! What we tried to focus on today was saying "uno, dos, tres, piñata!!"

We also worked on an art project that is now proudly displayed on our bulletin board- we elfed ourselves!

 

This is the example that I made for the students to follow.

I also helped them out by pre-cutting their arms and legs, as well as created

mittens, shoes, and hats for them to cut out. I gave them choices for colours. They all did a really

great job with accordion folding their arms! I was impressed.

 

 

To end off the day, some students worked with new literacy tools that I introduced today (such as bananagrams and new alphabet cards) while two students works one on one with myself or the intern to help them write a letter to Santa Claus. Half of the class finished. I think that they did a wonderful job, considering it is our first time trying to write within the lines, using finger spaces, and it is the most they have ever written. I found a template online for them to fill out.

 

 

I love the gratitude in this letter!

 



 I really enjoyed the day today. December is on it's way and with only 7 Kindergarten days left before the holidays, there is plenty of learning and fun to be had in such a short time!

 

Until next time...

Adventures in Social Studies, Math, and Art

Yesterday I showed the students the globe to partially introduce our upcoming unit about spatial relationships as well as our Christmas in Mexico theme for the Christmas concert. What a big discussion this created! The students made a lot of connections and had a lot of thoughts to share.

Since we are finishing off our All About Me unit, students discussed and wrote in their journals about their special talent. In Math we learnt about more, fewer, and the same as through a dog themed lesson. For example, if we have 3 dogs and 4 balls do we have more balls than dogs, fewer balls than dogs, or the same number of balls as we have dogs? We role played a few examples and then students were given counters (to represent balls) and a sheet with 8 dogs on it.

 



 We ended off our day with a holiday art project. Students had to use their finger tips, toilet paper rolls, and paint to create a Christmas tree. The final products look great! Here is an example:

Some of them felt that they needed to try twice, as making the triangle shape was a bit tricky, but in the end they all look wonderful anyways! I will try to post a picture of all of them once the bulletin board is up! I hope everyone has a great weekend. Only 8 more Kindergarten days before the holidays!! December is going to be a busy busy month.

A Colourful Day

It was a very busy day from beginning to end! The morning began with messy play dough fun and ended in a bit of a flurry after an assembly and saying good-bye to a student who is moving away. Now we're back down to seven students in our room! I snuck them out one by one today to write their messages in a card for their friend. It was very sweet to listen to them express their sadness over his leaving as well as good luck wishes for the future!

 

Our first structured lesson today focused on our ability to observe people in our environment. Students were put into pairs and had to observe their partner, draw them, and then transcribe for the teacher and/or EA two details that they observed. Here's an example:

 

 

 

 

Our next task was to learn about sentences, which is a part of the PWIM cycle. I had found pre-made sentences related to the book Mouse Paint, which we had read previously. Most of the sentences followed the "I see a..." structure that the students recognize from Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? Here is the link to the website:  http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/PocketChartPrintables.html               So, we started off the lesson by reading through a collection of sentences. Then, we looked at our PWIM picture and students each came up with their own sentences about the photograph.

We continued our colour theme in relation to our "Who Am I?" unit by reading The Land of Many Colours, by Rita Pocock. It is a quick, engaging read about three groups of people: the green, the purple, and the blue people. Each believes that they are the best and each keeps to their own, until one day they begin a war amongst one another. In the end, they realize that they are all the same inside and that life is much more peaceful and happy if they all live and work together. This message carried over in the story The Crayon Box That Talked, ,by Shane DeRoff, which is about crayons not liking one another. Then, a young girl buys the crayon box and shows them that each one of them is needed to make a picture great! This story helps to touch on art as well and the importance of using more than one colour for a picture. :) I also read a poem of the same name to the students. Then, they focused on themselves to create a rainbow that was coloured by answering questions about themselves (see right).

 

 

 

 

We also got in some Math today and learnt all about the number three! After completing our group chart and individual pages about the number three, we watched the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff.

 

 

Lots of successful lessons today! Stay tuned for the excitement that ensues on Thursday...

Happy Green Day!

Our class had their Rider pride on for the province wide Green Day today! There was a buzz right from the start of the day. The highlights from center time included students playing their own game of Fastest Letter in the West, other students writing notes on stationary, and another exploring new Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head alphabet flash cards. After our morning meeting, students took turns sharing their All About Me bags to demonstrate that they can talk about themeslves. They all did a wonderful job at sharing photos, favourite toys, and other artifacts that helped us to learn about one another! Most of them decorated their paper bags as well.

It was another frosty indoor recess day, plus the gym was busy with a presentation during our Phys. Ed class, so we got to learn some new, fun songs and dances today. The biggest hit was the Wishy Washy Washer Woman by The Learning Center:

We read another wonderful Robert Munsch book today: Purple, Green, and Yellow. It fits well with our PWIM cycle and some students could read the title, as all three colour words are a part of our PWIM word list. For math, I read Two Hungry Bears to introduce learning about the number two. We also filled in both our group and individual "All About the Number".. charts. After we did some extra work on practicing writing the numbers 1 to 5, we also watched videos to go with the songs Hickory Dickory Dock and 5 Little Monkeys.





This week we have learnt about the numbers 1 and 2

For our last class of the day, we explored our feelings using the book The Way I Feel. I encouraged students to share their thoughts on how the character was feeling on each page. Then we practiced different expressions of feelings in mirrors. Finally, students represented their experiences with feelings to create our newest class book!

Click on the picture of our book to read the way we feel and how we express our feelings.



 

I'm feeling very happy with how the day unfolded. We accomplished a lot of learning and had fun doing along the way. Hopefully we will all be feeling very excited when the Riders win the Grey Cup this weekend!!!

GO GREEN!

All about our frosty fun Wednesday...

Yesterday was a Day 5, which seems to always end up being a day that's a bit 'mixed up'. I have a prep first thing in the morning and then it is our library day. It was a frosty Saskatchewan day, so we had indoor recess all day!

For library, the students heard the story Fox and Squirrel, which teaches that we can be friends with those who are different from us. Then, we had a great math lesson. It was our first day exploring numbers through a formal lesson. I used the Math Makes Sense launch picture, which is of a variety of farm animals. Students are supposed to say how many of each animal are in the picture. To avoid blurting, and to give everyone a chance to answer, I taught them a strategy that I learnt from Whole Brain Teaching. I am not sure what it's called but I call it "Blowing Into Your Hand." The idea is that, instead of blurting out your answer, you blow it into your hand and hold your hand clenched in a fist until the teacher says "Release!", which is when student raise their hand into the air, open it, and say their answer. It works great for questions where everyone should have the same answer, and you can usually tell if someone 'releases' a different answer. After a couple of practices, they caught on and it went really well!

Then, I introduced an idea from Pinterest (love!!) to explore the number one:

After discussing all things 'one', I gave students their own "I Know Numbers 1 to 5" booklet, and they filled in the first page. Here is the example that I showed them:

 



For our PWIM lesson, students took turns pulling a PWIM word from the 'mystery bag'. If they knew the word, they could just say it out loud or they could go to the PWIM board to find the word. Then, students searched through magnetic letters to spell the word on tin stove top covers. I can't believe it, but I forgot to take pictures! After that activity wrapped up, we read L, M, N, O, Peas and played both Fastest Letter and Fastest Number in the West (pairs of students see who can say the correct letter or number on the flash card first, until there is only one student left standing).

Our day ended off with a surprise visit from the Speech and Language Pathologist, who read us two Slinky Melinky stories via the I-pad and also gave a Suri demonstration. Then we read a quick story about families to lead into our journal entry for the day. Students wrote "My Family" and the date in their journals, as well as drew a picture of their family. Here's an example of one student's work:

 

We ended the day, as usual, with our talking circle. In addition to students sharing their favourite part of the day, I am not encouraging them to reflect upon something that they learnt that day. Everyone said the same thing-- that they learnt the number one, but it's a start! :)