Writing Workshop Begins!

This past week Kindergartners were excited to receive their writing folders and to begin putting their ideas on paper!  In both KA and KB, Writing Workshop was introduced by looking at the books around our rooms.  All of them were written by authors, writers who put their thoughts and ideas on paper.  In Kindergarten, we are all authors!  Mary Anne and Erin modeled drawing a picture of something they knew about.  Then they labeled their pictures, sounding out words as they went. Correct spelling is not the goal at this point; we want the children to feel comfortable putting their ideas on paper. Each child then went to the tables and drew a picture of something they knew about and then they tried labeling their work.  After we were done, we had a Writer's Share, where everyone gets acknowledged for their hard work.  The children are excited to share their ideas and showing confidence as they work!

                                         

                                      

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

In Kindergarten, we have been reading the book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind", which was the all school summer reading book.  After reading the picture book version, Kindergarten wrote and drew their thoughts about William and his windmills.  We have also been experimenting with small paper pinwheels and seeing if can make our own "mini windmills".  Click the link to the video we shared with the children about William's incredible story.

William and the Windmill Video

Welcome to Kindergarten 2015-2016! We have had a busy first three weeks of school and look forward to a wonderful year.  This newsletter will contain information about what we are doing in the classroom, our current units of study, skills we are working on, and photographs.  Additional pictures can be found by clicking the Photo Gallery link at the top of the blog.

Getting to Know You.....

Kindergartners have been getting to know each other and their teachers the past few weeks.  We have played games such as "Just Like Me" to learn about our similarities and differences.  We also created class puzzles, with each piece representing the things we love and care about. Come see these hanging up in each classroom! The children have also been doing many fun activities to learn each other's names including dot names, name puzzles, and the cheer "2, 4, 6, 8".  

Our days are busy at SSFS and there are many transitions from one place to another.  Each week we walk to P.E., Library, Meeting for Worship, Art, Spanish, and the dining hall.  Kindergartners have been practicing how to transition from one activity to the next, and how to safely walk across our campus.  The children are learning the names of the different buildings as well as the different co-curricular teachers.  Each week we see - Kate for Art, Amanda and Steve for P.E., Elizabeth for Library, Mariela for Spanish, and Erin for Music.

Curriculum Highlights:

* Language Arts - Our names! - Dot names, name puzzles of friends, putting our class in alphabetical order, grouping names by first letters

* Math - using the attendance stick, calendar, 100's chart, Morning Message math (addition and subtraction), introduction to math materials, counting games

* Science - Discussion - what do scientists do?, meeting the guinea pig, color mixing, using magnifying glasses, outdoor exploration.

* Social Studies - Similarities and differences, "Faces" project, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind", creating class rules, talking about the "Golden Rule".

* Special Events - Meeting Senior Buddies, first All School Assembly, picture day

* Idiom of the Week - "butterflies in my stomach"

The "Faces" Project 

Each September, Kindergartners take a closer look at their faces, discovering what they have in common with their peers, and what makes them unique.  We read stories such as "Two Eyes, a Nose, and a Mouth", and "The Skin You Live In" which inspire us to look in the mirror and see what we notice.  The project takes place over several days.  First, the children draw the shape of their face on large paper and cut it out.  Then, they mix colors of paint to find the skin tone that best matches themselves.  Finally eyes, noses, mouths, and hair are added.  Check out the beautiful faces in our Kindergarten hallway - can you find your child?