Friday, January 23, 2015

We Know Our Letter Sounds


I upload this video onto YouTube as an unlisted/private video. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

January 19th- January 23rd

What We Are Learning
Reading:  This week we learned how to identify characters, the setting, and retell events from the beginning, middle, and end of a story. These story elements will help us to comprehend the stories we read.
Alphabet: We focused on syllables.  We learned how to say a word and count the syllables by clapping.  We will use this strategy to help us break apart words into smaller sections. This should help us read and spell bigger words correctly. We also learned the sounds sh and ch make.
Writing:  This week we finished writing “How To” stories.  We put the finishing touches on our How to Build a Snowman book. Ask your child to tell you about the cover of their book!
Math: We finished our geometry unit this week. We reviewed 2D and 3D shapes, sorted shapes based on their attributes, and practiced combining shapes to make new ones.
Theme: During theme this week, we did a book study on the book Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. We did a fun writing activity and craft after reading the book. Ask your child what they would do if they were a snowman at night!

Alphabet Video
We have been working hard and practicing all the sounds the letters make.  The students were so proud of themselves that they decided you all needed to see what they know. I have uploaded a video on our classroom blog of the kiddos saying the sounds they have learned. Feel free to watch it and tell your child you are impressed with everything they have learned this year.  I bet you will even be surprised with some of the sounds the letters make!

100th Day of School
Thank you all for donating items for the 100th day of school! You all really made this day special. I plan on adding several pictures from our fun filled day onto our classroom blog. Feel free to check out all the different ways we celebrated the number 100!

Popcorn Words
Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.
This week’s words:
of & for
Previous words:
you, come, here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember
January 29th: Tiger Pride Assembly
February 6th: Spring Pictures
February 13th: No School

February 16th: No School

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

January 12th - January 16th

What We Are Learning
Reading:  This week we learned a new reading strategy to solve tricky words.  Flippy Dolphin reminds us to flip the vowel sounds when a word doesn’t sound right.
Alphabet: We focused on vowel sounds this week. We reviewed long and short sounds the letters Ii, Oo, & Uu make. We also reviewed that vowels are glue that stick words together.  Ask your child to sing you the Sticky Letters song!
Writing:  This week we continued writing “How To” stories.  We practiced together how to create a title and describe three steps on how to do something.  Ask your child about their “How to Build a Snowman” story.
Math: We continued our geometry unit this week. We moved on from 2D shapes and started learning about 3D shapes. We learned how to recognize cones, spheres, cubes, and cylinders in real world items.
Theme: During theme this week, we learned about Martin Luther King Jr.  We read several books to learn about his life and how he helped people.  We used the information we learned to create a sentence describing him. Ask your child about the craft we created once our sentence and research were complete.

Report Cards
Report cards went home on Monday. I attached a paper describing your child’s strengths and areas they need to work on in reading, writing, alphabet and math.  Remember, many of these skills do not have to be mastered until the end of kindergarten. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

100th Day of School
Can you believe the 100th day of school is January 23rd?  This day is a HUGE day in kindergarten.  That day we will be doing several fun activities to help us understand what exactly the number 100 is. To make this day special, I need your help! I would appreciate any of the following items donated before Thursday, January 22nd:
Fruit Loops    
M&Ms      
Pretzel Sticks
Small Marshmallows              
Goldfish Crackers       
Teddy Grahams   
Chocolate Chips
Cheerios 
Raisins
Thank you all for making the 100th day so special!

Popcorn Words
Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.
This week’s words:
you & come
Previous words:
here, have, said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember
January 19th: No School
January 23rd: The 100th Day of School
February 6th: Spring Pictures
February 13th: No School

February 16th: No School

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Janurary 5th - January 9th

What We Are Learning
Reading:  Because two weeks is a long time to take a break from our Daily 5 reading routine, we reviewed expectations for read to self, read to someone, word work, work on writing, and listen to reading.  We also practiced retelling and sequencing stories.
Alphabet: We focused on vowel sounds this week. We reviewed long and short sounds the letters Aa, Ee, & Ii make. We also learned that vowels are glue that stick words together.  Ask your child to sing you the Sticky Letters song!
Writing:  This week we started a new writing unit.  We are now writing “How To” stories.  We practiced together how to create a title and describe three steps on how to do something.  Ask your child about their “How to Build a Snowman” story.
Math: We started a new geometry unit this week. We reviewed how to identify circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and hexagons. We also described the attributes these shapes have (sides and corners). Ask your child about the activity they are doing with magazines.
Theme: During theme this week, we did a book study on the book The Mitten by Jan Brett.  We retold the story using pictures, created our own class book, and wrote a sentence describing a mitten we created.

Holiday Party
A HUGE “Thank You” to everyone who helped with the Holiday Party! The kids loved everything! I have uploaded several photos from that day onto our classroom blog (mrshappelslittleapples.blogspot.com).

Glue Sticks
We are in despite need of glue sticks. We use them regularly and could really use some for our classroom.  Thank you all for your generosity!

Class Blog
I make updates weekly onto our classroom blog (mrshappelslittleapples.blogspot.com). On the front page of the blog, I have placed a section you can enter your email address to get updates when I create a new post. Feel free to sign up so you can stay up to date on what is happening in our classroom.

Popcorn Words
Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.
This week’s words:
here & have
Previous words:
said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember
January 12th: Report Cards Go Home
January 19th: No School
January 23rd: The 100th Day of School
February 6th: Spring Pictures
February 13th: No School

February 16th No School