We've had a busy couple of weeks! In math, we began Unit 8, which focuses on numbers to 100. There is a heavy emphasis on place value in this unit, as well as counting by 2s and 5s in addition to counting by 10s and 1s. This unit will develop and stretch our understanding of all two digit numbers.
We began with some exercises in organizing items by 5s and 10s to make counting large groups of objects easier. We also introduced tally marks and practiced using the rhyme below to help us remember when to cross the group of tallies:
We have introduced the tens and ones place with connecting cubes, and learned how we can use the tens groups to count the total more quickly.
You may have noticed another pause in guided reading group meetings. I was in the process of reassessing students as we came to the end of the second trimester. I enjoy meeting individually with each child to see the growth they've made, but was excited to return to our regular guided reading schedule!
During writing workshop, we have been pushing ourselves to write more! Many students have found that if they go back and add something else to their picture, they may have another detail to add to their writing as well. We use the phrase, "add to the picture, add to the words!" to remind us to take this next step when we first think we are finished with our writing pieces.
We also marked Dr. Seuss's birthday with a special Cat in the Hat project to celebrate the rhyming practice we have done this week!
We also spent time working with onsets and rimes in words, and blending together the first sound with the rest of the word. We found that some words have a single sound for the initial sound, and others have a two letter blend or digraph at the beginning.
We were excited to learn more about our friend Molly! She shared with us a beautiful photo of her family, and a fan that she likes to play dress up with. We learned that when she's sad, she likes to shake a snow globe her dad got her from Switzerland to cheer herself up! She also brought in some of her favorite dolls, including one that is bendable, and a Descendants doll who sings. Molly is a natural performer, who loves singing songs in her microphone!
Molly's Gaga joined us to read the stories, The Good Egg and The Bad Seed. We were so excited to share all kinds of fun facts about ourselves with her grandma!
Next up was Antonio, and we had the best time learning more about him! He shared sweet pictures of his family and his adorable dog, Charlie, shaking hands. We learned about some of Antonio's favorite toys, including Pokemon, his blue power ranger, a cyborg that does flips, and a race car that launches. Antonio is also a big Star Wars fan, and he brought R2D2, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca figures to represent his love of Star Wars! Lastly, he shared his favorite accessory, his slap bracelet!
Antonio's Nonna joined us to read a special story in honor of St. Patrick's Day approaching, The Leprechaun in the Basement. She also brought in St. Patrick's Day coloring pages for the class to enjoy at home this weekend!
To wrap up the week, we had our latest celebration for filling our class behavior board. We earn pieces for following the Dolphin Do's, good listening and teamwork, and whenever we receive compliments from other staff members for our behavior in the hallways or specials classes. We always brainstorm ideas for our celebrations, and one of our students came up with one I've not tried before- making slime! I must admit I was very nervous about how this would go, but I was so impressed with how well everyone followed directions and worked cooperatively to make our slime! Great job, kindergarten friends! Special thanks to the Henkel family for sending in some of the items we needed, and to Mrs. Conklin for offering to come in and provide an extra set of hands! And to all of the parents for tolerating a messy item coming home from school!
Our class recently had the opportunity to say the Pledge of Allegiance on the school announcements! Here are our brave kindergarten friends reciting the pledge on camera!
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