April 27th -May 1st

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we reviewed the reading strategy Chunky Monkey.  This means we looked for parts in words that we knew. We focused on finding digraphs (ch, wh, ph, sh, & th), blends (bl, br, cl, cr, etc.), vowel combinations (ow & ou), word families (ake, ay, at, etc.), and word endings (ed, ing, er & s). Haven’t we learned so much this year?!

Alphabet: In alphabet this week, we looked at the _ake word family (examples: bake, cake, make, etc.). We also learned about the blends sw and sn.

Writing: This week we learned that opinion writing can be used to convince or persuade someone to do something.  We are writing about problems in our school and ways to fix them. Ask your child what they chose to write about.

Math: This week we continued our measurement unit. We reviewed terms that describe length and weight. Next week I will start end of the year math assessments. Can you believe that?!

Theme: During theme this week, we continued to learn about butterflies. We collected several facts about butterflies and created a butterfly book. We also continued to observe our chrysalises on our Wonder Table. I have a feeling we will have butterflies soon!

Guided Reading Books

If your child has a guided reading envelope and/or a guided reading book at home from any previous weeks, could you please return it to school as soon as possible. We are making sure our guided reading library is intact and ready for next year, and if you could help us out with making sure they are all returned, it would be greatly appreciated!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

were

Previous words:

went, then, want, your, out, new, over, her, give, day, what, was, when, where, with, this, love, him, will, play, she, did, for, of, 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

May 1st: Sock Hop

May 18th: Field Day

May 22nd: Last Day of School

April 20th - April 24th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we continued to practice comprehension strategies.  This is an important skill that your child will have to do when I give them a reading assessment next month.  Have your child tell you events that happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the books they read to you. Also, make sure they include the characters’ names. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Alphabet: In alphabet this week, we looked at the _ay word family (examples: stay, hay, lay, etc.). We also learned about the blends st and sp.

Writing: This week we continued our opinion writing unit. We focused on editing our stories.  We found capital letters, spacing, and punctuation that we missed while drafting.

Math: This week we continued our measurement unit. Instead of focusing on length, we learned about weight.    We compared the weight of objects. We used the terms heavier or lighter.  Ask your child about some of the items we compared. 

Theme: During theme this week, we learned about butterflies.  We watched several videos and read books to help us understand their life cycle. Ask your child about what is on our Wonder Table!

Guided Reading Books

If your child has a guided reading envelope and/or a guided reading book at home from any previous weeks, could you please return it to school as soon as possible. We are making sure our guided reading library is intact and ready for next year, and if you could help us out with making sure they are all returned, it would be greatly appreciated!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

then & went

Previous words:

want, your, out, new, over, her, give, day, what, was, when, where, with, this, love, him, will, play, she, did, for, of, 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

April 24th: WOHE Night at Cardinals Game

April 29th: Talent Show Try-Outs

May 1st: Sock Hop

May 18th: Field Day

May 22nd: Last Day of School

April 13th- April 17th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we continued to practice two comprehension strategies.  Ask your child about the strategies Stop & Check for Understanding and Five Finger Retelling.

Alphabet: In alphabet this week, we looked at the _og word family (examples: frog, hog, log, etc.). We also learned about the blends pr and tr.

Writing: This week we continued our opinion writing unit. Instead of writing about things we like, we started writing about things we don’t like. Ask your child what they chose to write about!

Math: This week we started a new unit on measurement. In kindergarten, we measure items using non-standard units of measurement (example: cubes, sticks, or paperclips). This week we focused on measuring length.  We worked on describing what we measured using the words shortest, longest, shorter, and longer. Ask your child how long their foot is! 

Theme: During theme this week, we learned about animals. We focused on animal coverings, how they move, and their habitat. Ask your child what animal he/she researched.

Read! Read! Read!

Can you believe that kindergarten is almost over? That means that end of the year reading assessments are just right around the corner.  Willard has very high reading expectations.  Please make time to read with your child nightly. Thank you all for your support!

Spring Wonder Table

Keep an eye out for signs of spring that we can observe on our wonder table. Insects and plants are welcome!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

want & your

Previous words:

out, new, over, her, give, day, what, was, when, where, with, this, love, him, will, play, she, did, for, of, 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

April 24th: WOHE Night at Cardinals Game

April 29th: Talent Show Try-Outs

May 1st: Sock Hop

May 18th: Field Day

May 22nd: Last Day of School

April 6th- April 10th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we practiced two new comprehension strategies.  Ask your child about the strategies Stop & Check for Understanding and Five Finger Retelling.

Alphabet: In alphabet this week, we looked at the _en word family (examples: pen, hen, men, etc.). We practiced “spelling” these words with our bodies.  We also learned about the blends sm and sc.

Writing: This week we continued our opinion writing unit. Ask your child about writing a hamburger paragraph.

Math: We finished our unit on teen numbers.  Next week we will start a new unit on measurement.

Theme: During theme this week, we learned about our 5 senses. We searched for things we can see, touch, smell, taste, and hear in magazines.  Ask your child about our popcorn activity.

Looping to First Grade

Many of you are aware that several teachers at WOHE have looped with their class in the past. This just means that they taught the same group of kiddos for two years.  Well… I am so happy to reveal that I will be one of those teachers!  I will be teaching first grade next year and would love to have your child in my class. Soon you will receive a letter informing you about this.  Of course you always have the option of opting out.  I encourage all of you to do a quick google search on the benefits of looping.  There are tremendous amounts of research suggesting that looping positively influences students’ academics, social, and behavioral skills.  Feel free to ask me any questions that you might have.  I am so excited to continue our partnership in your child’s education!

Music Program

You are invited to the Kindergarten Music Program on April 16th at 7:00pm. We have been busy practicing. They will definitely be putting on quite a show. Mrs. Kuchta should be sending more information home soon.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

what & you

Previous words:

over, her, give, day, what, was, when, where, with, this, love, him, will, play, she, did, for, of, 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

April 14th: Chick Fil A Night

April 16th: Kindergarten Musical 7:00pm

March 30th - April 2nd

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we practiced two new reading strategies.  To work on comprehension, we practiced retelling a story.  Ask your child about 5 finger retelling. We also learned a new strategy to help us read accurately.  Ask your child to tell you about cross check.

Alphabet: In alphabet this week, we looked at the _ap word family (examples: cap, tap, lap, etc.). We practiced “spelling” these words with our bodies.  We also learned about the blends sl and sk.

Writing: This week we continued our opinion writing unit. We started our writing pieces with the following two topic sentences: My favorite____ is ____... or I like _______ because…). We also worked on using 3 details to support our opinion.

Math: We continued reviewing teen numbers. We worked on breaking these numbers apart, representing them as an equation (example: 10+3=13), and making them using a tens frame. Ask your child about what we added to the chains hanging from our ceiling.

Theme: During theme this week, we did several fun activities.  Ask your child about the book Duck or Rabbit. Also, we pretended we were the Easter Bunny.

Wonder Table

Now that spring has finally arrived, I would love to update our wonder table.  Keep an eye out for spring time items that we can observe. Your child is invited to bring in budding flowers, interesting plants, and yes…even insects (no spiders please)! All I am asking is that you make sure all insects are in a secure container.  We will observe them and then release them outside.  Keep your eyes open for signs of spring!

Summer School

Summer school registration forms came home in your child’s take home folder last week.  These forms need to be returned no later than May1st.  I encourage everyone to attend summer school. Even if your child is doing well academically, summer break is very long.  Most students lose some of the progress they made during the school year.   Keep that in mind while making your summer plans.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

her & over

Previous words:

give, day, what, was, when, where, with, this, love, him, will, play, she, did, for, of, 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

April 3rd: No School

April 6th: Make Up Snow Day

April 14th: Chick Fil A Night

April 16th: Kindergarten Musical 7:00pm