Thank you for visiting the Kinderstars blog! I am looking forward to working, learning, and playing with your children this year. Please feel free to contact me at msmith@bpsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.
The blog will be updated biweekly to inform you of the activities, books, songs, and topics we are learning about in class. Please use this information to discuss what is happening at school with your child.
The Kinderstars have been very busy the past two weeks! During the first week of school we spent lots of time getting to know each other and learning the rules and schedule of the Kinderstar day.
Every morning our day begins with a Morning Meeting. This meeting includes a daily message, greeting, sharing and an activity. The children have played lots of welcoming activities such as Knock, Knock, as well as Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar and ball rollling greeting. This is a time that we bond as a class and get to know and appreciate our classmates.
Here are some of the books we have read:
Don't Eat The Teacher - Nick Ward Pete the Cat Rocking In My School Shoes - Eric Litwin The Lion & The Mouse - Bernadette Watts A My Name Is Pelican and Pelican't - Sarah Froeber Corduroy - Don Freeman My Friend Is Sad - Mo Willems I Broke My Trunk - Mo Willems Ten Apples Up On Top - Theo LeSieg
Literacy Centers
Name Dobbers Sorting Letters into Uppercase and Lower case - T/F/B Alphabet Match Games K My Name Is Kinderstars book
Math
Daily we have Calendar time and review the Month, Day and Date. Counted the letters in our names. Picked #s and made a book with apples on top. Played dice games. Went on a Shape Scavenger Hunt.
Social Skills
We have spent time discussing Life Skills 1
When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me and say "yes".
We have read books about the importance of sharing (The Selfish Crocodile and Let's Share).
Art:
We have made our own Corduroy. September Self Portrait Apple Basket Painting
The past two weeks have been filled with lots of learning and activities. We have spent a great deal of time learning how to be a good friend, and how friends get along.
We have learned many more uppercase letters, learned about syllables, and vowels.
These are the books we have read:
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt - Steve Metzger The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister Wimberly Worried - Kevin Henkes My Friend Is Sad - Mo Willems My Friends - Taro Gomi Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons - James Dean Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes - James Dean Pumpkin Jack - Will Hubbell The Lonely Scarecrow - Tim Preston Owl Moon - Jane Yolen
Literacy Centers:
Uppercase Letters - T, F, B, C, S, N, M, U, O, D, G Alphabet Match Games Apple Poem Five Pumpkins On A Gate Poem Family Journal Page
Math:
Practiced writing our numbers, played number bingo games, 1:1 correspondence for the numbers 1 - 9. We have begun a Farm Counting Book.
Science:
We have discussed the Five Senses, and talked about food groups and healthy food choices. A special visitor, Wendy Pavlicek, from the Science Center visited us with a tarantula, corn snake, and an owl. The children got to see these animals up close and were able to touch the snake, and the owl!
Social Skills:
We continue to work on Life Skills 1 - "When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me and say yes."
We also learned Life Skills 2- "When I give you an instruction you do it right away."
We were fortunate to visit Scooter, the therapy dog from the Burlington High School.
Art:
Rainbow Fish - made with dobbers Painted a Fall Tree with tissue paper leaves Marble Painted Stars Made Witch Puppets Made Candy Corn - with torn orange, yellow, and white paper
Thank you to all the parents who came to Open House.
The Kinderstars have spent lots of time discussing how families care for one another, how families help one another, and what families do together for fun. We have had the pleasure of having a Harvest Soiree through the high school, and have had a visit from Mr. Maguire’s (high school french teacher), class come visit and speak to us in French. Along with this we also went on a leaf hunt.
Books we have read:
Oonga, Boonga Keisha Then & Now The Very Busy Spider Kevin & His Dad I Know a Lady Who Swallowed a Bat Antonio’s Birthday Fiesta Tasting Time on Harmony Street The New Small Person
Letters:
Uppercase letters: E, P, J, L, H, R, K, V, W, Y, X, Q, Z
Math:
We are continuing to work on 1:1 correspondence up to 10. We made a number farm book, made November turkey calendar pieces, subsitizing leaf activity. The next few weeks we will begin discussing number addition and subtraction stories up to 5.
Science:
Pumpkin carving, and labeling parts of a pumpkin. The class made orange slime.
Social Skills:
We read the book The Group Plan and discussed the importance of following the Group Plan. We also read Thinking With Your Eyes and did an activity to find out what Mrs. Smith was thinking with her eyes about. This helps the students see other’s perspective, and gain social awareness.
The month of November has been a busy time for the Kinderstars. We have been spending lots of time learning about our community. We have learned what a community is, what workers do in the community, and what you can do in the community. We have had many special activities including a visit from a nurse, Mrs. Tulipano, from Mass. General Hospital, a visit from two firemen Rob & Paul, and we also attended the Burlington High School pep rally! The Burlington firemen also brought their truck and showed us all the different parts of the fire truck.
Books We Have Read:
The Two-Promise Walk Put Me In The Zoo The Night Gardener The Thank You Book A Day In The Life of a Firefighter The First Thanksgiving Day Thank you, Thanksgiving The Littlest Pilgrim Thankful The Little Red Hen
Literacy Activities:
This month we have focused on rhyming, the number of syllables in words, and onset-rime for simple words. The Kinderstars continue to practice letter writing and letter identification. The poems this month included The Turkey Is A Funny Bird, and Firefighter.
Math:
The Kinderstars continue to work on their 1:1 correspondence up to 10. We have also done simple addition and subtraction stories. We have been working on writing our numbers, and we have talked about different 2D and 3D shapes.
Social Skills:
This month we have worked on Life Skill #4 - When something is too hard find a teacher and say “Help Me Please”. Along with this we have read the book Body In The Group and discussed that it is important to be in close proximity to the group since it is a key ingredient to social interactions. This book also focused on your body in the group also means not being too close, or too far away from others, and when you are in the group this lets others know you are interested and part of the group plan.
The month of December the Kinderstars were busily preparing for our special snowman show for our families. The students did a wonderful job reciting the poem, S Is For Snowman, and singing both I'm A Little Snowman, and 5 Little Snowman songs.
This month we completed our unit on communities. We learned about different types of communities (country, city). The remainder of the month we began learning about life on a farm. We discussed what a farm is, and what machines help farmers.
Books We Have Read:
The Little Red Hen The Sandwich Shop The Not So Quiet Library The Ugly Vegetables Happy Dreamer Pajama Time Pajama Day Farm Book The Gingerbread Man The Gingerbread Girl The Ninjabread Man Otis
Literacy:
We continue working with all the letters of the alphabet. Also, we have spent a great deal of time learning about the first sound you hear in words. We continue to practice our rhyming skills, as well as the number of syllables you hear in words.
Math
The Kinderstars continue working with both 2D and 3D shapes. The children really enjoyed using pattern blocks to make snowman, and snowflakes. We continue to work on our numbers 1 - 10. We have introduced adding one more to numbers, as well as simple word problems.
Social Skills
This month we began a whole class behavior plan. When the class as a whole does what is asked the students receive a star. When the class completes the star chart (10 stars), we have a special reward. The students did get all 10 stars and we had a pajama party. All the students came in with their Pj's on and we had a great day. We are now working on another 10 to have a Super Hero day. We are half way there, so we will let you know when we can schedule this special reward!
Since December is the time of year full of excitement we have spent time reviewing the previously taught life skills. The main focus was to review and be secure in Life Skill 1 - "when I call your name, look at me and say yes".
We continue to use the group plan, and Thinking With Your Eyes.
It is hard to believe it is already February and we have reached the halfway point of our year!
Since January we have been learning about farmers and why they have animals, how farmers get food from the farm to our house. Our next unit was all about the jungle, and what animals live there. Recently, we have moved on to the desert and learned what it is, and the animals that live there.
Books We Have Read:
Click, Clack, Moo The Boy Who Cried Wolf Apple Farmer Annie Penguin Day Flip Flop Amazing Jungle The Umbrella If I Ran the Rainforest Chameleon’s Colors The Judgemental Flower This House Once Life Two Cool Coyotes Desert Night, Desert Day Desert Quails Hit Jungle Trails Go To Sleep Groundhog
Literacy:
We have been slowly introducing lowercase letters and working hard on the correct letter formation of these letters.
The letters we have worked on are: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i
We continue working on our rhyming, the amount of syllables in words. Recently we have spent time learning and practicing the first sound you hear in words.
Math:
The Kinderstars continue to work on their number sense. We have played dice games, we have made patterns with cubes, recognizing patterns around us, both visually and while listening. Ten frames were introduced and the students wrote the numbers of dots in the ten frame.
Social Skills:
We have read the book Whole Body Listening and the students have been practicing using these skills throughout the day.
This past month included a whole class reward, Superhero Day. The Kinderstars all came in with their Superhero attire on and we made superhero puppets. The class loved this reward and are looking forward to their next reward, a Disney day. I will let you know when they reach this reward.
Today the students enjoyed the school wide Patriots day to cheer on the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl. We visited the Burlington High School and saw an inflatable football player, named Tiny, and took our picture with him.
The month of February will bring a Valentine’s Day celebration. We will be making a Valentines bag in class and students can bring in Valentines to share with all of the students. Please be advised that no food can be included with the valentines. A note will be sent home in your child’s folder next week with all of the information.
February vacation begins 2/19/18 and school will resume on 2/26/18.
During February the Kinderstars have spent lots of time learning how to be a good friend, and what it means to be kind. Also, we have learned what happens when day changes to night, and what happens when the weather changes.
Since the last blog we have had lots to celebrate including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Olympics, and Chinese New Year.
Books We Have Read:
The Kindness Quilt Each Kindness Kindness to Share, A-Z Heart to Heart Should I Share My Ice Cream? Rhyme Time Valentine Henry and Mudge and the Valentines Surprise The Best Thing About Valentines Bee My Valentine There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rose 100 Days of School Dumpling Dreams Night Shift Daddy Goodnight Moon One Dark Night Little Cloud It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Literacy:
The students have worked on sequencing a story, a kindness quilt with journaling, letter writing, matching uppercase letters to lowercase letters, phoneme segmentation, and first sound letter sorts.
Math:
The Kinderstars have continued to work on number sense, counting from 1-20, building cube towers to 20, understanding simple addition using cubes, number facts of the numbers 6, 7, and 8.
Social Skills:
During February the social skills focus was on being a good friend, and showing kindness. During circle time the students are using their Whole Body Listening Skills.
The Kinderstars continue to display positive behavior. The whole class earned ten stars and were rewarded with a Disney Day. The students were given Mickey Mouse headbands, wore their Disney clothing, were allowed to bring in their favorite Disney stuffed animals, and we watched and sang several Disney songs.
Reminders:
**No School - Friday, March 30, 2018 in observance of Good Friday.
It is hard to believe it is already April! March flew by since we had several snow days, as well as Good Friday off from school.
During March we have discussed the four seasons, and what changes in each season. Kinderstars have learned how they can take care of the Earth. They have learned the importance of recycling, reusing, and reducing waste. The Kinderstars even reused boxes to make our own robot named Thunder. This week we have begun Unit 7, Shadows and Reflections. The children learned what a shadow is and how to make different shaped shadows using their arms and fingers.
Books we read:
The Cloud Book Tiny Mouse Big Book How the Crayons Saved The Rainbow The Luckiest Leprechaun A Tree For All Seasons Every Season The Lion and The Bird Dragons Love Tacos Ellie Twelve Days of Springtime Think Green The Earth Book You Are A Lion Whistle For Willie Whose Shadow Is This? What Makes A Shadow
Literacy
The Kinderstars are continuing to practice proper letter writing. Also, we are still working on the first sound fluency of letters. We have read several poems including I’m A Little Leprechaun, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Goodbye. This month we also read a story that the students illustrated called We Can Help The Earth.
Math
This month the main focus is for all students to be secure in numbers 1-20. We have introduced a twenty chart, played dice games to find the numbers and write them, also we cut and pasted numbers in the correct order up to twenty.
Science
March was full of experiments for the students. We made a walking rainbow, a liquid rainbow, a windsock, kites, and discussed the weather and seasons.
Social Skills
We continue to work on all the Life skills that have been taught especially when the teacher calls Kinderstars all the students answer back yes right away. Also, we continue to incorporate mindfulness activities into our day including breathing exercises, as well as watching Zen Den on the Apple Television.
Reminders
***No School - April vacation - the week of April 16-20. School resumes on Monday, April 23, 2018.
It has been a busy and exciting few months for the Kinderstars. The year is quickly coming to a close. It has been so exciting to see all these students learn and grow this year.
This month we discussed both shadows and reflections. We learned what makes a shadow, and how shadows change, and also learned about what a reflection is. During May we have begun the final unit called Make It Move.
Books We Read:
Moonbear’s Shadow The Three Billy Goats Gruff When Tomo Moves The Paper Bag Princess Raccoon On His Own Birds The Very Hungry Caterpillar The Puddle Pail Llama, Llama Home With Mama The Very Lazy Ladybug The Grouchy Ladybug What Do You Do With An Idea What Do You Do With A Problem Oscar and the Cricket Owl Babies The Dot Are You My Mother? A Little Bit More Push! Pull! Go! The Copycat Fish Gilberto And The Wind Like A Windy Day Bug Bear The Cool Pool Bulldozer’s Big Day Big Tractor The Truck Book
Literacy
We are continuing to work on perfecting our letter formation skills. Also, we have been working on mastering writing our name with an uppercase first letter followed by lowercase letters. We have read several poems including Rain, I Like I Can, and I Have A Little Wagon. This week we have introduced the final poem of the year, Here Is The Sea. These poems include many sight words the students will be required to know by the end of Kindergarten. The poetry journals will be sent home at the end of the year for the Kinderstars to read to you and practice during the Summer.
Math
In Math we continue to master number correspondence of the numbers 1 - 20. We have discussed shapes and their attributes, 2D and 3D shapes, and have worked on math facts up to 10. The students have learned about the math vocabulary, more or less, tallest and shortest, and the math symbols, +, -, =.
Science
During May we were fortunate to have Sean Musselman from the Science Center come and put on a demonstration on How Things Move. The children learned how things move by forces, pushing, and pulling. They also had the opportunities to experiment using a Marble Maze in our classroom.
Also, this month Wendy Pavlicek came to visit and put on a presentation about The Five Senses. Her show included several different animals including a rabbit, snake, and an alligator. All the students had the opportunity to pet the alligator!
Reminders
End of the Year Kinderstar Presentations Friday, June 25, 2018 - 11:45 am
Last Day of School - Friday, June 22, 2018
Please be sure that your child comes into school with lots of water, and has sunscreen on. We do go outside everyday and the temperature is warm.
The Kinderstars have been very busy learning the rules and schedule of their day at school. We have spent a great deal of time learning each other’s names. We have discussed what makes each of us special and what a friend is.
Books We Have Read:
Don’t Eat The Teacher Pete the Cat Rocking In My School Shoes Pete the Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons Call Me Alex Pelican and Pelican’t Thinking Thoughts and Feelings The Selfish Crocodile Corduroy How Are You Feeling
Literacy
We have slowly introduced the letters Bb, Tt, and Ff. We have learned the proper letter formation, and some things that start with the letter.
The Kinderstars have also been spending a great deal of time practicing and learning rhyming words.
The class has participated in learning all about Writer’s Workshop and have begun to put their ideas down on paper.
Math
The past few weeks we have been working hard on learning the numbers 1 - 5, especially the proper way to write these numbers. We have begun to review 2D shapes (circle, square, rectangle, and triangle).
Social Skills
The class has learned some life skills including:
Life Skills 1
“When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me, and say yes.”
Life Skills 2
“When I give you an instruction, do it right away.”
We have read Thinking Thoughts and Feelings book which reviews that children need to become more aware of their own thoughts and feelings and explore the idea that others have thoughts and feelings too.
Reminders
Back to School Night:
October 3, 2018 - 6:30pm - 7:30 pm
No School:
October 8, 2018 November 5, 2018 November 6, 2018 November 12, 2018
November flew by in a flash! The Kinderstars enjoyed the Harvest Soiree, learning about Veterans, and attending a Pep Rally. Along with this, we had a Nurse come visit and discuss her job with the students, and had a school-wide Pajama Day.
The Books We Read: Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcake The Two Promise Walk What Is A Community Veteran's Day A Day In The Life Of A Firefighter Today I Feel Silly Thankful If You're Thankful And You Know It Give Thanks For Each Day The First Thanksgiving The Littlest Pilgrim
Literacy:
We have continued with the alphabet including:
Letter J, K, L
We have introduced and continue to practice compound words.
The students illustrated the book Look At The Turkey.
Math:
We made pattern snakes, and an Apple Book with the numbers 1-10. We continue to practice writing our numbers.
Reminders:
Social Skills:
We have spent lots of time learning about the Zones of Regulation. The students are learning to understand what color zone they are in based on their feelings.
We have read the book Thinking With Your Eyes, and reviewed how important it is to understand and watch others to understand what they are thinking about.
No School 11/22/18 11/23/18 11/29/18 (Conference Day)
It is so hard to believe that 2018 is coming to an end. The Kinderstars have been so busy getting ready for their holiday show.
The Books We Have Read:
The Little Red Hen Do Onto Others I Am Enough Rock N Roll Soul The Ugly Vegetables The Gingerbread Man The Gingerbread Girl The Gingerbread Mouse The Gingerbread Loose In The School Eight Candles To Light Farm Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm Down On The Farm Silly Sally Ish
Literacy:
We are moving right through the alphabet. The past few weeks we have worked on: M, O, P, Q, R, S
We have spent time comparing and contrasting the many different Gingerbread stories we have read. We have labeled a snowman, practice the S is For Snowman poem. We continue to work on rhyming words, and the number of syllables in words.
Math
We have been working on simple addition up to 5. Also, we have been working on mastering number correspondence up to 10.
Social Skills
With the excitement of the season we have had to review and practice many of the life skills we have already learned. We have been especially practicing appropriate behavior during our morning meeting time.
Reminders:
No School:
December 24, 2018 - January 1, 2019 January 21, 2019 - Martin Luther King Day
Happy New Year Kinderstar Families!! The Kinderstars have been very busy the past few weeks. The report cards have been sent home to you today, please be sure to send the yellow folder back to school with your child.
The Books We Have Read:
What Do You Do With A Problem I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell Bully Don't Laugh At Me Hooway For Wodney Wat Your Fantastic Elastic Brain Strictly No Elephants Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See Chester Raccoon & The Big Bully Otis On The Farm Tractors In Action The Snowy Nap Farmer John Click, Clack, Moo Big Red Barn Duck On A Bike Sheep Take A Hike Sheep In A Shop The Other Side
Literacy:
The Kinderstars have finished working through the whole uppercase alphabet! The past few weeks we completed the letters R, S, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z. We are beginning to read simple books, and learn some sight words. The children have completed a journal page about their vacation, and have read and illustrated several rhyming books. The books we have read together are Winter, A Barn, and Snowman, Snowman. Please be sure your child reads these to you when they bring it home.
The monthly focus has been all about farms. We have learned about the machines farmers use, the types of animals found on a farm, and why farmers have animals on the farm.
The poems we have read are: Snow Kisses Penguin
Math:
We continue to perfect our number writing, especially the numbers 1 - 6. The past couple of weeks the students have worked on recognizing and continuing patterns, and recognizing 2D shapes.
Social Skills:
This month we have read about, and discussed how to be a good friend. We have read several books about bullying and why we should not act like one. The whole class has earned a Train Day, and we are currently working towards are next whole class reward, a toy/game day. A notice will come home once we have earned the 10 stars.
The Kinderstars have finished up their Farm unit and moved onto learning all about the Jungle. This week has been dedicated to learning, discussing, and practicing kindness. The students have heard books about kindness, and listened to music about how to be kind to their peers, and teachers.
Books We Have Read:
Apple Farmer Annie Moon Rooster A Girl Named Sparkle Amazing Jungle The Jungle Room The Umbrella Go to Sleep, Groundhog Chameleon’s Colors If I Ran The Rainforest Desert Quails Hit Jungle Trails Horrible Bear The Kindness Quilt Kindness Starts With You Each Kindness
Literacy
Kinderstars continue to practice writing and recognizing both upper and lowercase letters. We have begun to practice simple word families, and recognizing sight words in our poems. The students read a emergent reader called A Farm. They have read and illustrated The African Elephant poem, we are currently learning I’m A Little Valentine. The students have been busy making a classroom jungle including the following jungle animals, elephants, lions, monkeys, and snakes.
Math
The students continue to practice the numbers 1 - 20, and the correct order of the numbers. We have been playing dice games, and matching the dice to the correct number and writing this number.
Our Jungle unit included counting jungle animals, and animal patterns. This week we have read and illustrated Little Hearts book. This book includes the numbers 1 - 6 in written form. The students must count and color the hearts the color that is written.
Social Skills
The Kinderstars have earned their tenth star in the whole class reward and will be having a toy day tomorrow, February 13, 2019. We continue to practice the life skills. A Noise-o-Meter poster has been added to the circle time area to work on having just the right voice during whole group times, and transitioning into the classroom, and during work times.
The Kinderstars have been working their way right through the school year. We have finished our unit on the Jungle, and Desert, and have begun our latest unit on Earth and Sky.
The Books We Have Read:
Each Kindness Kindness to Share A-Z The Jelly Donut Difference Two Cool Coyotes Whole Body Listening The Cactus Hotel How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow The Gingerbread Cowboy Deserts Deserts - Alphabet Would You Rather Be A Bullfrog? Rude Cakes My Mouth Is A Volcano Night Shift Daddy The Night Gardener The Luckiest Leprechaun Train Your Dragon To Be Kind
Literacy
The Kinderstars are continuing to work on identifying upper and lowercase letters. We have begun to work on the first sound and letter in a word. This month we have worked on recognizing and reading color words, and illustrating books with color words in them. Along with this, we are working on segmenting words in a sentence and clapping, counting to determine how many words are in a sentence.
Math
This month we continue to perfect our number writing. We have worked on continuing patterns. The Kinderstars have been introduced to tally marks, and have played several dice games. We have completed several color by number sheets.
Social Skills
This month we have learned what Whole Body Listening is: Eyes on speaker, Mouth closed, Hands to yourself, Feet quiet and still, Body towards the speaker, And heart thinking about the speaker.
We have read several books including Rude Cakes, and My Mouth Is A Volcano, and Train Your Dragon to Be Kind.
This month the Kinderstars have learned what happens when the weather changes, what changes in each season, how we can take care of the Earth, and why we see shadows.
The Books We Have Read:
One Dark Night The Wind Blew Little Cloud A Tree For All Seasons You Nest Here With Me Think Green Stuck Why Should I Save Water? Why Should I Save Energy? Bob & Otto Whistle For Willie The Simple Science Of Light Why Should I Help? Big Scary Monster
Literacy:
The Kinderstars continue to work on rhyming, syllables, and recognizing and sorting pictures based on their first sounds. The students read and illustrated a simple book with color words, and a book about how we can help the planet Earth. The poems we read and illustrated were Rain and Spring.
Math:
This month we have been working on understanding what comes before, and after in numbers, understanding addition facts to 5, as well as recognizing and reproducing AB, ABC, and ABB patterns.
Social Skills:
The Kinderstars are working on the ability to be flexible. This month we have practiced and learned "Hands on Top, Voices Stop!". We have read and discussed the importance of being helpful to others, not excluding others, and continue to practice Whole Body Listening during whole group read-aloud, and instruction.
The Kinderstars are getting ready for the end of the year. We have learned what makes shadows change, what a reflection is, and how different things move. This week we have been learning our address and telephone number. We continue working on being a good friend, and how to be kind to everyone.
The Books We Have Read:
Moonbear’s Shadow Those Shoes I Want My Hat Back Argyle Fox How To Catch A Star Raccoon On His Own The Ugly Duckling The Gruffalo Pete’s A Pizza Dragons Love Tacos Lovable Lyle The Puddle Pail Hurty Feelings Mama Do You Love Me? Is Your Mama a Llama? Oscar and Cricket The Rainbow Fish What Does It Mean To Be Kind The Recess Queen Try A Little Kindness A Little Bit More You Will Be My Friend
Literacy
This past month we were busy making and illustrating a book for our Mom. Also, we learned about the sound and letter you hear at the end of words. This week we have begun to write our complete name, including our first and last name. Along with this, we have learned and practiced writing our home address.
Math
The Kinderstars have played many different number games. We have also learned simple addition by playing dice games using two dice. This week we have learned and practiced writing the numbers in our home telephone #.
Social Skills
The Kinderstars continue to practice how to be a Whole Body Listener. We have read and discussed the importance of being kind, and how to be a good friend.
Welcome Kinderstars,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting the Kinderstars blog! I am looking forward to working, learning, and playing with your children this year. Please feel free to contact me at msmith@bpsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.
The blog will be updated biweekly to inform you of the activities, books, songs, and topics we are learning about in class. Please use this information to discuss what is happening at school with your child.
The Kinderstars have been very busy the past two weeks! During the first week of school we spent lots of time getting to know each other and learning the rules and schedule of the Kinderstar day.
ReplyDeleteEvery morning our day begins with a Morning Meeting. This meeting includes a daily message, greeting, sharing and an activity. The children have played lots of welcoming activities such as Knock, Knock, as well as Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar and ball rollling greeting. This is a time that we bond as a class and get to know and appreciate our classmates.
Here are some of the books we have read:
Don't Eat The Teacher - Nick Ward
Pete the Cat Rocking In My School Shoes - Eric Litwin
The Lion & The Mouse - Bernadette Watts
A My Name Is
Pelican and Pelican't - Sarah Froeber
Corduroy - Don Freeman
My Friend Is Sad - Mo Willems
I Broke My Trunk - Mo Willems
Ten Apples Up On Top - Theo LeSieg
Literacy Centers
Name Dobbers
Sorting Letters into Uppercase and Lower case - T/F/B
Alphabet Match Games
K My Name Is Kinderstars book
Math
Daily we have Calendar time and review the Month, Day and Date.
Counted the letters in our names.
Picked #s and made a book with apples on top.
Played dice games.
Went on a Shape Scavenger Hunt.
Social Skills
We have spent time discussing Life Skills 1
When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me and say "yes".
We have read books about the importance of sharing (The Selfish Crocodile and Let's Share).
Art:
We have made our own Corduroy.
September Self Portrait
Apple Basket Painting
The past two weeks have been filled with lots of learning and activities. We have spent a great deal of time learning how to be a good friend, and how friends get along.
ReplyDeleteWe have learned many more uppercase letters, learned about syllables, and vowels.
These are the books we have read:
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt - Steve Metzger
The Rainbow Fish - Marcus Pfister
Wimberly Worried - Kevin Henkes
My Friend Is Sad - Mo Willems
My Friends - Taro Gomi
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons - James Dean
Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes - James Dean
Pumpkin Jack - Will Hubbell
The Lonely Scarecrow - Tim Preston
Owl Moon - Jane Yolen
Literacy Centers:
Uppercase Letters - T, F, B, C, S, N, M, U, O, D, G
Alphabet Match Games
Apple Poem
Five Pumpkins On A Gate Poem
Family Journal Page
Math:
Practiced writing our numbers, played number bingo games, 1:1 correspondence for the numbers 1 - 9. We have begun a Farm Counting Book.
Science:
We have discussed the Five Senses, and talked about food groups and healthy food choices. A special visitor, Wendy Pavlicek, from the Science Center visited us with a tarantula, corn snake, and an owl. The children got to see these animals up close and were able to touch the snake, and the owl!
Social Skills:
We continue to work on Life Skills 1 - "When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me and say yes."
We also learned Life Skills 2-
"When I give you an instruction you do it right away."
We were fortunate to visit Scooter, the therapy dog from the Burlington High School.
Art:
Rainbow Fish - made with dobbers
Painted a Fall Tree with tissue paper leaves
Marble Painted Stars
Made Witch Puppets
Made Candy Corn - with torn orange, yellow, and white paper
Thank you to all the parents who came to Open House.
The Kinderstars have spent lots of time discussing how families care for one another, how families help one another, and what families do together for fun. We have had the pleasure of having a Harvest Soiree through the high school, and have had a visit from Mr. Maguire’s (high school french teacher), class come visit and speak to us in French. Along with this we also went on a leaf hunt.
ReplyDeleteBooks we have read:
Oonga, Boonga
Keisha Then & Now
The Very Busy Spider
Kevin & His Dad
I Know a Lady Who Swallowed a Bat
Antonio’s Birthday Fiesta
Tasting Time on Harmony Street
The New Small Person
Letters:
Uppercase letters:
E, P, J, L, H, R, K, V, W, Y, X, Q, Z
Math:
We are continuing to work on 1:1 correspondence up to 10.
We made a number farm book, made November turkey calendar pieces, subsitizing leaf activity. The next few weeks we will begin discussing number addition and subtraction stories up to 5.
Science:
Pumpkin carving, and labeling parts of a pumpkin. The class made orange slime.
Social Skills:
We read the book The Group Plan and discussed the importance of following the Group Plan. We also read Thinking With Your Eyes and did an activity to find out what Mrs. Smith was thinking with her eyes about. This helps the students see other’s perspective, and gain social awareness.
The month of November has been a busy time for the Kinderstars. We have been spending lots of time learning about our community. We have learned what a community is, what workers do in the community, and what you can do in the community. We have had many special activities including a visit from a nurse, Mrs. Tulipano, from Mass. General Hospital, a visit from two firemen Rob & Paul, and we also attended the Burlington High School pep rally! The Burlington firemen also brought their truck and showed us all the different parts of the fire truck.
ReplyDeleteBooks We Have Read:
The Two-Promise Walk
Put Me In The Zoo
The Night Gardener
The Thank You Book
A Day In The Life of a Firefighter
The First Thanksgiving Day
Thank you, Thanksgiving
The Littlest Pilgrim
Thankful
The Little Red Hen
Literacy Activities:
This month we have focused on rhyming, the number of syllables in words, and onset-rime for simple words. The Kinderstars continue to practice letter writing and letter identification. The poems this month included The Turkey Is A Funny Bird, and Firefighter.
Math:
The Kinderstars continue to work on their 1:1 correspondence up to 10. We have also done simple addition and subtraction stories. We have been working on writing our numbers, and we have talked about different 2D and 3D shapes.
Social Skills:
This month we have worked on Life Skill #4 - When something is too hard find a teacher and say “Help Me Please”. Along with this we have read the book Body In The Group and discussed that it is important to be in close proximity to the group since it is a key ingredient to social interactions. This book also focused on your body in the group also means not being too close, or too far away from others, and when you are in the group this lets others know you are interested and part of the group plan.
The month of December the Kinderstars were busily preparing for our special snowman show for our families. The students did a wonderful job reciting the poem, S Is For Snowman, and singing both I'm A Little Snowman, and 5 Little Snowman songs.
ReplyDeleteThis month we completed our unit on communities. We learned about different types of communities (country, city). The remainder of the month we began learning about life on a farm. We discussed what a farm is, and what machines help farmers.
Books We Have Read:
The Little Red Hen
The Sandwich Shop
The Not So Quiet Library
The Ugly Vegetables
Happy Dreamer
Pajama Time
Pajama Day
Farm Book
The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Girl
The Ninjabread Man
Otis
Literacy:
We continue working with all the letters of the alphabet. Also, we have spent a great deal of time learning about the first sound you hear in words. We continue to practice our rhyming skills, as well as the number of syllables you hear in words.
Math
The Kinderstars continue working with both 2D and 3D shapes. The children really enjoyed using pattern blocks to make snowman, and snowflakes. We continue to work on our numbers 1 - 10. We have introduced adding one more to numbers, as well as simple word problems.
Social Skills
This month we began a whole class behavior plan. When the class as a whole does what is asked the students receive a star. When the class completes the star chart (10 stars), we have a special reward. The students did get all 10 stars and we had a pajama party. All the students came in with their Pj's on and we had a great day. We are now working on another 10 to have a Super Hero day. We are half way there, so we will let you know when we can schedule this special reward!
Since December is the time of year full of excitement we have spent time reviewing the previously taught life skills. The main focus was to review and be secure in Life Skill 1 - "when I call your name, look at me and say yes".
We continue to use the group plan, and Thinking With Your Eyes.
REMINDER**
ReplyDeleteNO SCHOOL - JANUARY 15, 2018 - Martin Luther King day
NO SCHOOL - FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRUARY 23, 2018 - February Vacation
It is hard to believe it is already February and we have reached the halfway point of our year!
ReplyDeleteSince January we have been learning about farmers and why they have animals, how farmers get food from the farm to our house. Our next unit was all about the jungle, and what animals live there. Recently, we have moved on to the desert and learned what it is, and the animals that live there.
Books We Have Read:
Click, Clack, Moo
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Apple Farmer Annie
Penguin Day
Flip Flop
Amazing Jungle
The Umbrella
If I Ran the Rainforest
Chameleon’s Colors
The Judgemental Flower
This House Once
Life
Two Cool Coyotes
Desert Night, Desert Day
Desert Quails Hit Jungle Trails
Go To Sleep Groundhog
Literacy:
We have been slowly introducing lowercase letters and working hard on the correct letter formation of these letters.
The letters we have worked on are:
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i
We continue working on our rhyming, the amount of syllables in words. Recently we have spent time learning and practicing the first sound you hear in words.
Math:
The Kinderstars continue to work on their number sense. We have played dice games, we have made patterns with cubes, recognizing patterns around us, both visually and while listening. Ten frames were introduced and the students wrote the numbers of dots in the ten frame.
Social Skills:
We have read the book Whole Body Listening and the students have been practicing using these skills throughout the day.
This past month included a whole class reward, Superhero Day. The Kinderstars all came in with their Superhero attire on and we made superhero puppets. The class loved this reward and are looking forward to their next reward, a Disney day. I will let you know when they reach this reward.
Today the students enjoyed the school wide Patriots day to cheer on the New England Patriots for the Super Bowl. We visited the Burlington High School and saw an inflatable football player, named Tiny, and took our picture with him.
The month of February will bring a Valentine’s Day celebration. We will be making a Valentines bag in class and students can bring in Valentines to share with all of the students. Please be advised that no food can be included with the valentines. A note will be sent home in your child’s folder next week with all of the information.
February vacation begins 2/19/18 and school will resume on 2/26/18.
During February the Kinderstars have spent lots of time learning how to be a good friend, and what it means to be kind. Also, we have learned what happens when day changes to night, and what happens when the weather changes.
ReplyDeleteSince the last blog we have had lots to celebrate including the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, Olympics, and Chinese New Year.
Books We Have Read:
The Kindness Quilt
Each Kindness
Kindness to Share, A-Z
Heart to Heart
Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Rhyme Time Valentine
Henry and Mudge and the Valentines Surprise
The Best Thing About Valentines
Bee My Valentine
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rose
100 Days of School
Dumpling Dreams
Night Shift Daddy
Goodnight Moon
One Dark Night
Little Cloud
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Literacy:
The students have worked on sequencing a story, a kindness quilt with journaling, letter writing, matching uppercase letters to lowercase letters, phoneme segmentation, and first sound letter sorts.
Math:
The Kinderstars have continued to work on number sense, counting from 1-20, building cube towers to 20, understanding simple addition using cubes, number facts of the numbers 6, 7, and 8.
Social Skills:
During February the social skills focus was on being a good friend, and showing kindness. During circle time the students are using their Whole Body Listening Skills.
The Kinderstars continue to display positive behavior. The whole class earned ten stars and were rewarded with a Disney Day. The students were given Mickey Mouse headbands, wore their Disney clothing, were allowed to bring in their favorite Disney stuffed animals, and we watched and sang several Disney songs.
Reminders:
**No School - Friday, March 30, 2018 in observance of Good Friday.
April vacation is the week of April 16, 2018
It is hard to believe it is already April! March flew by since we had several snow days, as well as Good Friday off from school.
ReplyDeleteDuring March we have discussed the four seasons, and what changes in each season. Kinderstars have learned how they can take care of the Earth. They have learned the importance of recycling, reusing, and reducing waste. The Kinderstars even reused boxes to make our own robot named Thunder. This week we have begun Unit 7, Shadows and Reflections. The children learned what a shadow is and how to make different shaped shadows using their arms and fingers.
Books we read:
The Cloud Book
Tiny Mouse Big Book
How the Crayons Saved The Rainbow
The Luckiest Leprechaun
A Tree For All Seasons
Every Season
The Lion and The Bird
Dragons Love Tacos
Ellie
Twelve Days of Springtime
Think Green
The Earth Book
You Are A Lion
Whistle For Willie
Whose Shadow Is This?
What Makes A Shadow
Literacy
The Kinderstars are continuing to practice proper letter writing. Also, we are still working on the first sound fluency of letters. We have read several poems including I’m A Little Leprechaun, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Goodbye. This month we also read a story that the students illustrated called We Can Help The Earth.
Math
This month the main focus is for all students to be secure in numbers 1-20. We have introduced a twenty chart, played dice games to find the numbers and write them, also we cut and pasted numbers in the correct order up to twenty.
Science
March was full of experiments for the students. We made a walking rainbow, a liquid rainbow, a windsock, kites, and discussed the weather and seasons.
Social Skills
We continue to work on all the Life skills that have been taught especially when the teacher calls Kinderstars all the students answer back yes right away. Also, we continue to incorporate mindfulness activities into our day including breathing exercises, as well as watching Zen Den on the Apple Television.
Reminders
***No School - April vacation - the week of April 16-20. School resumes on Monday, April 23, 2018.
It has been a busy and exciting few months for the Kinderstars. The year is quickly coming to a close. It has been so exciting to see all these students learn and grow this year.
ReplyDeleteThis month we discussed both shadows and reflections. We learned what makes a shadow, and how shadows change, and also learned about what a reflection is. During May we have begun the final unit called Make It Move.
Books We Read:
Moonbear’s Shadow
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
When Tomo Moves
The Paper Bag Princess
Raccoon On His Own
Birds
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
The Puddle Pail
Llama, Llama Home With Mama
The Very Lazy Ladybug
The Grouchy Ladybug
What Do You Do With An Idea
What Do You Do With A Problem
Oscar and the Cricket
Owl Babies
The Dot
Are You My Mother?
A Little Bit More
Push! Pull! Go!
The Copycat Fish
Gilberto And The Wind
Like A Windy Day
Bug Bear
The Cool Pool
Bulldozer’s Big Day
Big Tractor
The Truck Book
Literacy
We are continuing to work on perfecting our letter formation skills. Also, we have been working on mastering writing our name with an uppercase first letter followed by lowercase letters. We have read several poems including Rain, I Like I Can, and I Have A Little Wagon. This week we have introduced the final poem of the year, Here Is The Sea. These poems include many sight words the students will be required to know by the end of Kindergarten. The poetry journals will be sent home at the end of the year for the Kinderstars to read to you and practice during the Summer.
Math
In Math we continue to master number correspondence of the numbers 1 - 20. We have discussed shapes and their attributes, 2D and 3D shapes, and have worked on math facts up to 10. The students have learned about the math vocabulary, more or less, tallest and shortest, and the math symbols, +, -, =.
Science
During May we were fortunate to have Sean Musselman from the Science Center come and put on a demonstration on How Things Move. The children learned how things move by forces, pushing, and pulling. They also had the opportunities to experiment using a Marble Maze in our classroom.
Also, this month Wendy Pavlicek came to visit and put on a presentation about The Five Senses. Her show included several different animals including a rabbit, snake, and an alligator. All the students had the opportunity to pet the alligator!
Reminders
End of the Year Kinderstar Presentations
Friday, June 25, 2018 - 11:45 am
Last Day of School -
Friday, June 22, 2018
Please be sure that your child comes into school with lots of water, and has sunscreen on. We do go outside everyday and the temperature is warm.
The Kinderstars have been very busy learning the rules and schedule of their day at school. We have spent a great deal of time learning each other’s names. We have discussed what makes each of us special and what a friend is.
ReplyDeleteBooks We Have Read:
Don’t Eat The Teacher
Pete the Cat Rocking In My School Shoes
Pete the Cat And His Four Groovy Buttons
Call Me Alex
Pelican and Pelican’t
Thinking Thoughts and Feelings
The Selfish Crocodile
Corduroy
How Are You Feeling
Literacy
We have slowly introduced the letters Bb, Tt, and Ff. We have learned the proper letter formation, and some things that start with the letter.
The Kinderstars have also been spending a great deal of time practicing and learning rhyming words.
The class has participated in learning all about Writer’s Workshop and have begun to put their ideas down on paper.
Math
The past few weeks we have been working hard on learning the numbers 1 - 5, especially the proper way to write these numbers. We have begun to review 2D shapes (circle, square, rectangle, and triangle).
Social Skills
The class has learned some life skills including:
Life Skills 1
“When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me, and say yes.”
Life Skills 2
“When I give you an instruction, do it right away.”
We have read Thinking Thoughts and Feelings book which reviews that children need to become more aware of their own thoughts and feelings and explore the idea that others have thoughts and feelings too.
Reminders
Back to School Night:
October 3, 2018 - 6:30pm - 7:30 pm
No School:
October 8, 2018
November 5, 2018
November 6, 2018
November 12, 2018
November flew by in a flash! The Kinderstars enjoyed the Harvest Soiree, learning about Veterans, and attending a Pep Rally. Along with this, we had a Nurse come visit and discuss her job with the students, and had a school-wide Pajama Day.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Read:
Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcake
The Two Promise Walk
What Is A Community
Veteran's Day
A Day In The Life Of A Firefighter
Today I Feel Silly
Thankful
If You're Thankful And You Know It
Give Thanks For Each Day
The First Thanksgiving
The Littlest Pilgrim
Literacy:
We have continued with the alphabet including:
Letter J, K, L
We have introduced and continue to practice compound words.
The students illustrated the book Look At The Turkey.
Math:
We made pattern snakes, and an Apple Book with the numbers 1-10. We continue to practice writing our numbers.
Reminders:
Social Skills:
We have spent lots of time learning about the Zones of Regulation. The students are learning to understand what color zone they are in based on their feelings.
We have read the book Thinking With Your Eyes, and reviewed how important it is to understand and watch others to understand what they are thinking about.
No School 11/22/18
11/23/18
11/29/18 (Conference Day)
It is so hard to believe that 2018 is coming to an end. The Kinderstars have been so busy getting ready for their holiday show.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Have Read:
The Little Red Hen
Do Onto Others
I Am Enough
Rock N Roll Soul
The Ugly Vegetables
The Gingerbread Man
The Gingerbread Girl
The Gingerbread Mouse
The Gingerbread Loose In The School
Eight Candles To Light
Farm
Mrs. Wishy Washy's Farm
Down On The Farm
Silly Sally
Ish
Literacy:
We are moving right through the alphabet. The past few weeks we have worked on:
M, O, P, Q, R, S
We have spent time comparing and contrasting the many different Gingerbread stories we have read. We have labeled a snowman, practice the S is For Snowman poem. We continue to work on rhyming words, and the number of syllables in words.
Math
We have been working on simple addition up to 5. Also, we have been working on mastering number correspondence up to 10.
Social Skills
With the excitement of the season we have had to review and practice many of the life skills we have already learned. We have been especially practicing appropriate behavior during our morning meeting time.
Reminders:
No School:
December 24, 2018 - January 1, 2019
January 21, 2019 - Martin Luther King Day
Happy New Year Kinderstar Families!! The Kinderstars have been very busy the past few weeks. The report cards have been sent home to you today, please be sure to send the yellow folder back to school with your child.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Have Read:
What Do You Do With A Problem
I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell
Bully
Don't Laugh At Me
Hooway For Wodney Wat
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain
Strictly No Elephants
Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See
Chester Raccoon & The Big Bully
Otis
On The Farm
Tractors In Action
The Snowy Nap
Farmer John
Click, Clack, Moo
Big Red Barn
Duck On A Bike
Sheep Take A Hike
Sheep In A Shop
The Other Side
Literacy:
The Kinderstars have finished working through the whole uppercase alphabet! The past few weeks we completed the letters R, S, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z. We are beginning to read simple books, and learn some sight words. The children have completed a journal page about their vacation, and have read and illustrated several rhyming books. The books we have read together are Winter, A Barn, and Snowman, Snowman. Please be sure your child reads these to you when they bring it home.
The monthly focus has been all about farms. We have learned about the machines farmers use, the types of animals found on a farm, and why farmers have animals on the farm.
The poems we have read are:
Snow Kisses
Penguin
Math:
We continue to perfect our number writing, especially the numbers 1 - 6. The past couple of weeks the students have worked on recognizing and continuing patterns, and recognizing 2D shapes.
Social Skills:
This month we have read about, and discussed how to be a good friend. We have read several books about bullying and why we should not act like one. The whole class has earned a Train Day, and we are currently working towards are next whole class reward, a toy/game day. A notice will come home once we have earned the 10 stars.
The Kinderstars have finished up their Farm unit and moved onto learning all about the Jungle. This week has been dedicated to learning, discussing, and practicing kindness. The students have heard books about kindness, and listened to music about how to be kind to their peers, and teachers.
ReplyDeleteBooks We Have Read:
Apple Farmer Annie
Moon Rooster
A Girl Named Sparkle
Amazing Jungle
The Jungle Room
The Umbrella
Go to Sleep, Groundhog
Chameleon’s Colors
If I Ran The Rainforest
Desert Quails Hit Jungle Trails
Horrible Bear
The Kindness Quilt
Kindness Starts With You
Each Kindness
Literacy
Kinderstars continue to practice writing and recognizing both upper and lowercase letters. We have begun to practice simple word families, and recognizing sight words in our poems. The students read a emergent reader called A Farm. They have read and illustrated The African Elephant poem, we are currently learning I’m A Little Valentine. The students have been busy making a classroom jungle including the following jungle animals, elephants, lions, monkeys, and snakes.
Math
The students continue to practice the numbers 1 - 20, and the correct order of the numbers. We have been playing dice games, and matching the dice to the correct number and writing this number.
Our Jungle unit included counting jungle animals, and animal patterns. This week we have read and illustrated Little Hearts book. This book includes the numbers 1 - 6 in written form. The students must count and color the hearts the color that is written.
Social Skills
The Kinderstars have earned their tenth star in the whole class reward and will be having a toy day tomorrow, February 13, 2019. We continue to practice the life skills. A Noise-o-Meter poster has been added to the circle time area to work on having just the right voice during whole group times, and transitioning into the classroom, and during work times.
The Kinderstars have been working their way right through the school year. We have finished our unit on the Jungle, and Desert, and have begun our latest unit on Earth and Sky.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Have Read:
Each Kindness
Kindness to Share A-Z
The Jelly Donut Difference
Two Cool Coyotes
Whole Body Listening
The Cactus Hotel
How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow
The Gingerbread Cowboy
Deserts
Deserts - Alphabet
Would You Rather Be A Bullfrog?
Rude Cakes
My Mouth Is A Volcano
Night Shift Daddy
The Night Gardener
The Luckiest Leprechaun
Train Your Dragon To Be Kind
Literacy
The Kinderstars are continuing to work on identifying upper and lowercase letters. We have begun to work on the first sound and letter in a word. This month we have worked on recognizing and reading color words, and illustrating books with color words in them. Along with this, we are working on segmenting words in a sentence and clapping, counting to determine how many words are in a sentence.
Math
This month we continue to perfect our number writing. We have worked on continuing patterns. The Kinderstars have been introduced to tally marks, and have played several dice games. We have completed several color by number sheets.
Social Skills
This month we have learned what Whole Body Listening is:
Eyes on speaker,
Mouth closed,
Hands to yourself,
Feet quiet and still,
Body towards the speaker,
And heart thinking about the speaker.
We have read several books including Rude Cakes, and My Mouth Is A Volcano, and Train Your Dragon to Be Kind.
This month the Kinderstars have learned what happens when the weather changes, what changes in each season, how we can take care of the Earth, and why we see shadows.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Have Read:
One Dark Night
The Wind Blew
Little Cloud
A Tree For All Seasons
You Nest Here With Me
Think Green
Stuck
Why Should I Save Water?
Why Should I Save Energy?
Bob & Otto
Whistle For Willie
The Simple Science Of Light
Why Should I Help?
Big Scary Monster
Literacy:
The Kinderstars continue to work on rhyming, syllables, and recognizing and sorting pictures based on their first sounds. The students read and illustrated a simple book with color words, and a book about how we can help the planet Earth. The poems we read and illustrated were Rain and Spring.
Math:
This month we have been working on understanding what comes before, and after in numbers, understanding addition facts to 5, as well as recognizing and reproducing AB, ABC, and ABB patterns.
Social Skills:
The Kinderstars are working on the ability to be flexible. This month we have practiced and learned "Hands on Top, Voices Stop!". We have read and discussed the importance of being helpful to others, not excluding others, and continue to practice Whole Body Listening during whole group read-aloud, and instruction.
The Kinderstars are getting ready for the end of the year. We have learned what makes shadows change, what a reflection is, and how different things move. This week we have been learning our address and telephone number. We continue working on being a good friend, and how to be kind to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThe Books We Have Read:
Moonbear’s Shadow
Those Shoes
I Want My Hat Back
Argyle Fox
How To Catch A Star
Raccoon On His Own
The Ugly Duckling
The Gruffalo
Pete’s A Pizza
Dragons Love Tacos
Lovable Lyle
The Puddle Pail
Hurty Feelings
Mama Do You Love Me?
Is Your Mama a Llama?
Oscar and Cricket
The Rainbow Fish
What Does It Mean To Be Kind
The Recess Queen
Try A Little Kindness
A Little Bit More
You Will Be My Friend
Literacy
This past month we were busy making and illustrating a book for our Mom. Also, we learned about the sound and letter you hear at the end of words. This week we have begun to write our complete name, including our first and last name. Along with this, we have learned and practiced writing our home address.
Math
The Kinderstars have played many different number games. We have also learned simple addition by playing dice games using two dice. This week we have learned and practiced writing the numbers in our home telephone #.
Social Skills
The Kinderstars continue to practice how to be a Whole Body Listener. We have read and discussed the importance of being kind, and how to be a good friend.