Healthy Living, Experiments, & Cows

Happy Thursday everyone! Time for a quick rundown of our day...

A continuation of all things healthy: Book orders were in today! In perfect timing, I had ordered a Mercer Meyer book, Good for Me and You. It was perfect for spring boarding a conversation about things that are good for us, in particular healthy food choices and exercise.

I tried a "Write the Room" activity today. It actually did not go as well as I had hoped. Previously, when students go on a letter hunt around the room, they run around and rejoice in finding that letter. I gave them a sheet to find words around the room that start with certain letters and it was a bit more confusing. The paper seemed to be pretty limiting for some of them. They had a hard time leaving their tables and I had to keep reminding them to go and find a word and then they would know how to print it. It was a learning experience for me. We will try it again in the future with some more instruction and modelling. Here's an example of what we were working with:

 

Another major event today was some more predicting and testing in science. First, we worked with a variety of objects to observe if they would move down a ramp without any force. Then, we worked with ramps of different heights.

 

 

For our PWIM work today, we shared what we have learnt or already knew about cows. I used a Cows can/have/are format for this sharing session:

 

 

This activity will be helpful for when we work on our PWIM cycle that focuses on sharks. Hopefully, there will be a lot more new knowledge building with that cycle. I am anticipating a lot of excitement over that one! :)

 

Some other random highlights from today were trying out a new game from Scholastic called Alphabet Soup, reviewing numbers 1 to 5, a resurgence of play with Barbies, and the discovery that our newest class pet had died! We had a short but sweet send off (with a flush) and, of course, it sparked some conversation about death and predictions of why Jewel didn't make it. There was also a suggestion that we rename Goldie after Jewel. We will see if that sticks!

 

It seems that I am heading to the pet store this weekend. :) Stay tuned...

 

 

 

Tuesday!

We had a guest in our room today~ the Occupational Therapist spent the day with us! She brought a lot of fun Handwriting Without Tears activities that we have just barely begun to explore.

Centers focused on a lot of dramatic play today. As usual, the restaurant was open. One student had a cabin that they were visiting. Some note writing also took place, as well as literacy activities. As a part of our calendar meeting, we went on a hunt for words that have S in them. There were so many! It was a very exciting discovery. I think we will do a 'write the room' activity very soon. :)

For our Social Studies lesson today, we focused on promises. We began with a discussion about what we thought a promise was and examples of promises. Then we did a read aloud of A Promise is A Promise by Robert Munsch. After reading, we shared some more experiences with promises and the consequences of breaking a promise. Then, we culminated the lesson with co-creating a classroom promise. Each student signed their name at the bottom to share their intention of keeping their promise to one another.

In math, we worked on our number recognition and the concepts of less than, more than, and the same as by playing War! None of the students had any prior knowledge of the game, but they seemed to catch on quite quickly.

For one group, the game turned into an opportunity to count how many cards each student had!

 

For Science, we shared what we had already learnt or knew about magnets. Then, students practiced predicting and observing for the first time! They chose four objects from the classroom, predicted whether the object would be magnetic or not, and then tested their prediction. Afterwards, we had some time to explore magnets independently and some chose to come up with some 'magic magnet' tricks.

 

 

To end off our day in a super fun way, I introduced the game of Bang! PWIM words are placed in a brown bag, along with two cards that say "BANG!!!" In a line, students take turns picking a word out of the bag. If they recognize the word, then they keep it. If they do not know the word, then they put it back in the bag. After their turn, they move to the back of the line. If a student pulls a BANG, they must put all of their collected word cards back into the bag.

 

So, that's our day in a nutshell! Lots of fun and lots of learning along the way. I love K!

 

Better Late Than Never!!

So, this is my belated report on Friday! I forgot to take a picture of our new bulletin board and really wanted to share that. As a part of our PWIM work, we engaged in an Art/E.L.A activity. Check out our Moooooo Crew!

 

The printing reads:

"This is a cow.

It eats hay.

His/Her name is ______"

 

I believe the names are Daisy, Rylynn, Uncle Nick, Landon, Mickey, Cupcake, and Jewel.

 

Some other fun that ensued on Friday was learning about all of the different ways that we can make the number 5:

 

Our whole group activity.

Independent work.

 

Friday was also our library day AND pajama day! Lots of fun :)

 

Okay now, moving on to the present-- new blog post coming soon!

Wonderful Wednesday

Well, the frosty weather kept us indoors for another day. We made the most of it, though! The students enjoyed a surprise visit from the SLP, including the use of his I-pad throughout the day (very exciting!).

Our free choice centers today included creating felt board stories, building and testing the marble run, and some drawing on the white board. Dramatic play included babies, travelling in cars to nearby towns, and taking food orders. When I came back from recess supervision I found that a store had been set up in our classroom! There were plenty of items to purchase, including an experiment! (a plastic test tube). The students also did some dancing, singing their Christmas concert song (by their request!), reading, and making pictures with stickers.

The store that was set up in our classroom today. :)

 

This morning we read another story about Bear, called Bear's New Friend. Everyone had an opportunity to predict who bear's new friend could be. Then, we brainstormed all of the qualities of a good friend and what good friend's do.

 

Students individually shared their thoughts on this topic through a journal entry. The words that they had to print were "I am a good friend" and the date. They also drew a picture representation of what makes them a good friend.

For math, we continued our exploration of numbers. We played Fastest Number in the West. Then the students worked on a numeral/picture match sheet. Some of the numbers were higher than we have reviewed, as we have only had structured lessons on 1 -5, but they did a great job!

A little bit of Halloween in January ;)

 

We also had a very exciting science lesson today! Magnets are always available in the science center for exploration, but today was our first actual lesson about them. I started off with a little 'magic' trick, by moving a magnet that was on top of the table by using another magnet underneath the table. I let them work with the magnets to see how they move, and how they can both attract and repel. Then, students were given a variety of items. They were sort them into two categories: magnetic and not magnetic. Afterwards, students recorded their findings by drawing three items under each category.

 

For ELA/PWIM today we did a See/Say/Spell to review our words. We read the book The Cows Are In the Corn. The students were able to read the title without much prompting! The story offered a lot of rhyming words, which fit with our choral poem for today, Big Red Barn. The class really enjoyed this activity! After that, we shared in our talking circle and then attended a Raider of the Month assembly in the gym. Our wonderful Wednesday then came to an end. :)

 

Class Pet Update:  The agreed upon name for the new fish is Jewel, with the nickname Cupcake. :)

A friend for Goldie...

Happy Monday everyone! We welcomed a new addition to our classroom this morning~ a new friend for Goldie! We didn't discuss a name yet, however the suggestion was that this one should be called Jewel. I was also told that the orange marking above the lips is lipstick, not a moustache, so this one is a girl and Goldie is actually a boy.

The other excitement first thing this morning was a bag full of learning goodies from one of the EAs (thank you!). The  most popular choice had a few students sounding out and spell:

 

After our calendar meeting we did some more assess and reflect work. I showed the students there "This is me in ____" pages that they've done once a month since the first day of school. They were to look at them and then share what they think they do better now or what they've learnt to do and what they can work on next time. Then, we completed the "This is me in January" page.

 

For math, we worked on matching numerals with picture representations of the number.

 

We began a new science unit about the forces of energy. Todays focus was on the motions push and pull. We used picture cards to sort a variety of examples into the different categories. I had students take turns acting out each of the actions from the picture and then we worked together to say whether it was a push or pull motion. Afterwards, students worked independently on two sheets to show whether they thought four given examples were a push or a pull motion. Secondly, they had to give their own examples of something that they can push and something they can pull.

 

 

 

 

 

Our last big lesson on the day was working on retelling a familiar story. I re-read Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type. As a group we discussed the different problems that occurred in the story. Then students had to work independently to create a picture representation of their favourite part of the story and a problem from the story.

 

 

Overall, a productive day for a Monday! We even got in some singing and dancing. The wind chills kept us inside at recess today, so hopefully Wednesday we will get out for some fresh air. Until then, take care and happy learning!

Mapping, Counting, Connecting, & Reflecting

Happy Thursday! Here are the highlights from our day today:

 

During our morning meeting, I read the story Willow Finds a Way. We were able to touch on themes such as bullying and friendship. It was also a great story to help address the classic issue of "well, then you're not invited to my birthday party!" and how that makes others feel.

 

 

We finished off our unit on spatial directions and our relationships to the environment with a final lesson on maps. The students had a choice between making a map of the school, the classroom, or the playground. All of them chose to make a map of the entire school. Most chose the focus of making a map that showed how to get from our classroom to the gym, which works really well because they are at opposite ends of the school!

In math, we worked on counting sets and the terms more than and less than. We started off by acting out an Animal Express train that picked up a variety of wild animals! We counted the 'animals' on the train, matched them with the proper numeral, and used a few examples of animals getting on and off the train to discuss more than and less than. Then, students worked independently on the sheet shown above.

 

In ELA, we read a story that connects with our PWIM theme; The Cow That Laid an Egg. This is such a cute story! We worked in two centers afterwards. Center one had the students making text-to-self connections. Center two had the students retelling the story by creating an illustration of their favourite part of the story. The text-to-self sheet looked as follows:

 

 

Finally, we rounded off the day with an assess and reflect type art lesson. We began with the book The Day the Crayons Quit, which helped students to think about the importance of using a variety of colours and colouring inside of the lines.

 

I introduced a rubric for the students to self-assess their future drawings and art projects. The picture below isn't mine, but is the sample that I copied to create ours for the classroom:

Then, I handed back all of the artwork that we've worked on since the beginning of the school year. Students were asked to choose one piece of art to share with the class and they were to reflect on something they could have done better and something that they did well or that they really liked.

It was a great day and I hope that everyone has an enjoyable long weekend!

Monday Magic

Happy Monday everyone! The students were excited to be back in the classroom this morning. The highlights of free choice center time were dramatic play that involved a restaurant and a map store. As requested, I received a map that would lead me from the classroom to the gym. Of course, I used it on our way to our Phys. Ed. class. Our day also featured a review of Tattling vs. Telling and Rude vs. Polite behavior. We discussed healthy habits and students demonstrated their understanding through an entry in their journals.

We also ended off our unit on our natural surroundings and the seasons with some final lessons about Winter. I read the story There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow, which works well with practicing predictions. Then, we discussed some of the activities that we can do for fun in the Winter that we can't do any other time of the year. Students worked on a sheet to show their understanding of the five senses and what we see, feel, hear, touch, and smell during Winter. My favourite project of the day was an art lesson, which involved learning about landscapes. Of course, to follow the conversations of the day, we worked on painting winter landscapes. I think they are beautiful!

Masterpieces! :)

 

Due to a non-instructional day, our Kindergarten class won't meet again until Thursday.

Until then....

The unexpected is sometimes the most exciting!

Well, as usual, we had a lot of excitement in our room today! We also had another day of both planned and unplanned learning, which are the very best days. We started off with finally including a computer option during our free choice time. I'm starting the students off with Sesame Street math games. Today, we were working on patterns. It's a great way to review patterns while still being able to move on with number sense.

I purposely left an Atlas open on the one counter today, too. My plan worked! haha One of the students was drawn in right away and said, "Look teacher! You should take a picture of this. Look at all the maps!" We also found a compass on several maps. Very exciting! What ensued was a little introduction to Twitter for those who were interested. I posted the photo and found some photos and vidoes of other Kindergarten classes' learning.

 

Another round of unplanned activities occurred during our morning meeting. I started with writing a familiar sentence structure, "I see a..." for a bit of a review and then they wanted to try to write their own words and sentences. I'll gladly take a detour from the planned schedule if it means engaging in literacy and being excited about it! Some students copied print from books, the PWIM board, and even our classroom photo that I posted. Others worked from memory and some tried their best to work on printing letters.

 

Words from our PWIM board!

 

Afterwards we settled down into a little lesson about tattling vs. telling and questions one should ask themselves before talking to the teacher. For math, we reviewed the concepts of "more, less than, and the same as." Students were given a cup with a random number of snap cubes. Then they had to choose another math manipulative to show a number that was less than and a number that was more than their original number of snap cubes.

 

As promised, we had a 'treasure' hunt with our class maps that was created Tuesday. I had a new alphabet mat to reveal to them, so I hid letters from the mat pieces for them to find. Then, we had to solve the problem of how to put the mat together! We used the picture of the final product as our 'map' for putting it together. After some trial and error, we have a new, very exciting addition to our classroom.

 

After it was put together, they each wanted to hop on it as their friends sang the alphabet song.

 

I also had the students work on building their own maps of their choosing (castles, treasure islands, houses, towns, the classroom). We ended off the day with a See, Say, Spell of some of our PWIM words and then we worked on a new classroom book called "Kindergarten, Kindergarten, What do you See?" Each student had to write their name to fill in the blanks " I see _______ looking at me. _________, ___________- what do you see?" and then draw their portrait in the middle of the page.

 

The last bit of unplanned learning came from another teacher at lunch recess (we finally had warm enough temperatures to go outside!). I found out later that the inspiration came from finding some students eating snow. I came into the classroom after recess to find a pail of snow on the counter! I was told it was a science experiment (which lead to a discussion about what an exactly a science experiment is). We are going to see how much dirt is left in the water after the snow melts.

 

Clean or dirty???

 

That's about it for today. :) Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - What's new in our room?

Happy New Year!

Kindergarten was back in full swing today. What a busy day we had! I made a few small changes to the classroom over the holidays, including moving the computer to student level. We'll be using it during our free choice center times. I didn't start today, as I had a prep during that time. It will be good to infuse some more technology into our learning!

 

We also have some new books on our math/science shelf. One student picked them up right away and found a page about fish in the Opposites book. So, what did I turn around to see? Our fish Goldie was reading that book! I was also informed that he/she was also doing our PWIM See, Say, Spell with us.

 

After our morning meeting was complete, we had a lesson on healthy habits with a long overdue conversation about hand washing! We read a story called William, Won't You Wash Your Hands?, which introduced us to the proper way to wash our hands. We also looked at a poster with all of the important hand washing steps, role played hand washing while singing the ABC song and other hand washing tunes, and then put our knowledge to the test with some real hand washing! We also discussed when we need to wash our hands and some things that germs would like and dislike (such as soap vs. a dirty garbage can). Germs beware- we are now germ detectives!

I have to say, while reading the book about William, I was pleasantly surprised that the lesson took an unplanned detour. One of the students pointed out that William's classmate was in a wheelchair. I decided to talk to them about a student that I had in a previous class who used a wheelchair and could not move or eat in the same way as us. They were pretty intrigued with how this student would eat or get around. So, we got in some important dialogue about diversity and acceptance!

 

Next, came some more very exciting reading that led to both literacy and math activities. It was time for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom & Chicka Chicka 123! There was also some unplanned fun at that time, as we ended up counting to 100 together for the first time!

 

First up was coconut math! Students had to roll a dice, count the dots, and then find the number on the coconut math sheet. We used bingo dabbers to colour the numbers. They were VERY excited to roll the dice and discover the number that popped up. It's always very inspiring to see what young minds are enthusiastic about! We played a similar game with the alphabet later in the day. Students took turns pulling magnet letters out of a bag and then would 'dab' the letter on their paper. We were able to practice letter recognition, talk about letter sounds, and come up with words that begin with each letter that was pulled.

 

 

 

Speaking of unplanned events and enthusiasm~ who knew that practicing throwing balls at pylons could turn into balls & pylons creating imaginary ice cream cones and vacuums! I wish I had taken my camera to capture the fun that ensued in our gym class!

 

We also worked on our PWIM board by practicing our words with a see, say, spell and we read a fictional story about cows called Two Cool Cows. We also shared our prior knowledge about cattle and then read some interesting true facts. Our last class of the day was about maps. We explored the globe and then shared some thoughts on why we use maps. I was impressed with the answers!

 

 

We ended off that lesson by creating a map of our classroom. It was a bit tricky for them to understand the birds eye view perspective of a room, but it got a lot easier as they walked around the room to discuss the different parts of our room. We will be using the maps for a treasure hunt later in the week!

 

As usual, our day was complete with our talking circle. The students had a lot of ideas to share about the best parts of the day. It was great to be back together again and to hear them talk about all of the great learning that we experienced today. With all that we accomplished today, we are off and running in 2014!