First 30 days!

Each day, as a part of Number Corner, we determine how many days we have been in school by adding links on a chain and a sticker on a ten-frame.  Then we practice counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s. Today, we hit day 30!  It's hard to believe that much time has already passed. I have enjoyed meeting with many of you during our Parent Conference this week and look forward to meeting with the rest of you next week.  Please let me know if you need a reminder about your conference time!

This week in Reader's Workshop, we had some new experiences!  We have spent most of our time doing independent reading, looking at the words and pictures in the book.  This week we had the chance to try out partner reading!  Successful reading partnerships happen when two readers sit side by side, put the book in the middle, and take turns reading (see-saw reading).  I was so impressed with our reading partners!  They were taking turns and even sharing pages that were their favorites (Wow! pages).   Be sure to ask your child who their reading partner was this week!  Also, during Reader's Workshop we read another Let's Find Out Magazine. This week's magazine was about trees and how they change during the seasons.  We choral read (reading out loud together) the magazine and then the children practiced reading the magazine independently, searching for words they recognize. We have some very excited readers in our Kindergarten!

During Fundations, we continued our study of letters and sounds.  This week we learned about the letters N and M.  We worked on letter formation for each letter, practiced the sound, and brainstormed words that begin with those letter sounds.  How many words can your child share with you?  Also, we began reviewing rhyming words by recognizing rhymes and producing words that rhyme.  We have a great group of rhymers!

In Writer's Workshop, our storytellers are doing a wonderful job in their Writer's Notebooks.  We continued to work on creating detailed illustrations to tell stories.  This week we had a drawing lesson during Writer's Workshop.  Drawing people are such important part of our stories so this week we learned how to draw people that have more shape than a stick person.  We looked at illustrations in picture books and realized that we can draw people like the ones we see in these books by sketching body shapes with ovals.  Then we can add clothes, color, and details on top of our oval-body sketches.  Can your child show you how to draw a person with ovals?


In math, we continued working with five frames and ten frames as a tool to count efficiently and  to see numbers in groups. I would flash a ten-frame card to the class and then they would have to build what they saw on the card with unifix cubes and explain how they knew there were a certain number of dots on a card.  During this activity, we worked on "turn and talks".  This a partner talk protocol we use in math to help children share their ideas and to practice listening to understand a partner's thinking.  In turn and talks, the children face each other, sitting knee to knee.  One partner shares their math thinking first while the other listens and then the second partner shares.  As a we move along in the year, the turn and talks will also include opportunities for the children to also talk about how their ideas are the same and different.  Everyone did a great job with our first "turn and talks"!

Please check your child's Friday Folder tonight!  Our class picture and the school picture order form are in there.  You will also see a small note about this week's Second Step lesson with Miss O.  This week we talked about being assertive and asking for help if you do not understand. Also, please note there is no school on Friday, October 18th.

Just a few pictures from an extra recess this week!

Have a wonderful weekend!