In Kindergarten we don't say "I can't!" just "I can't...yet!"

We have been talking a lot about having a growth mindset.  While I haven't used the term "growth mindset" with the students (yet) we have been reading books and watching short videos on learning from our mistakes, never giving up, and trying again and again.  Today I read the book Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae about a giraffe who thinks he can't dance but learns he just needs to find his own special tune to dance to.  The conversation led by Kindergarteners was truly amazing!  They immediately recognized that the other animals were being "unkind" and "bullies" by telling Gerald the Giraffe he can't dance and made connections to the "mojo" videos we've been watching saying things like "Gerald shouldn't leave the dance!  He's acting like Mojo when we thought he wasn't smart and was going to leave school."  This work is so important as I want all students to feel safe, comfortable and willing to take risks.

This year we are piloting a new handwriting curriculum: Handwriting Without Tears.  Today I showed Kindergarteners who to hold their pencil correctly using the "pinch and flip" method.  We then practiced making big lines, little lines, and curved lines.  

  

Press Here Book by Hervé Tullet

This morning after recess, snack and morning meeting Mrs. Guilmette joined us for Guidance and read Tacky the Penguin.  She talked about how it's okay to be different and that we should celebrate the things that make us, us!  After Guidance I read Sally Goes to the Beach by Stephen Huneck and talked about how Stephen Huneck writes LOTS of books about his dog Sally because he knows and loves her!  Then some students orally shared stories about things they know and love that can make great books.

After Writer's Workshop Kindergarteners read independently at tables while I introduced ABC center to some small groups.  Students found their name and then worked to build it with magnet letters and then return the magnet letters to the box in ABC order.  This week I am introducing Literacy Stations one by one and next week we will start moving to stations with our assigned groups.

After lunch I shared one of my absolute favorite books Press Here by Herve Tullet if you haven't checked this one out before I highly recommend it!

First Monday!

Happy sunny Monday!  Kindergarten was happy to see the sun shining and we were able to spend time outdoors at the beginning and end of our day.  After morning meeting, I introduced Poetry Journals which will become a station during Reader's Workshop.  Last week we read the poem "September" from Chicken Soup with Rice:

In September
For a while
I will ride a crocodile
DOwn the chicken soupy Nile.

Paddle once,
Paddle twice
Paddle chicken soup with rice!

After reading the poem together several times we talk about the picture we get in our brain from reading the words.  Students then got the chance to cut and glue the poem in their poetry journal and illustrate it.  We will do this each week with a new poem:

We also read a social story to learn about what to do if someone is annoying or hurting us.  We talked about putting your hand up "in a stop sign" looking at the person and saying "I don't like it when..." and saying what the person is doing.  If you do this and ask the person to stop and it doesn't work then you can ask a teacher for help.

Busy Thursday in Kindergarten!

On Thursday we have our 30 minute music class with Ms. Schwerin before lunch and PE with Ms. Souliere after lunch which makes for a busy day!  Thankfully the rain stayed away and we were able to have two recesses - at the beginning and end of the day.  Today I read the book A Quiet Place  and we talked about how sometimes our body, or 'engine,' may be running too fast or too slow and an energy break may help our body return to 'just right' which allows us to learn.  This is something we will continue to talk about as we work on figuring what helps out our bodies feel just right sometimes it's 10 deep breaks, a drink of water or some jumps up and down.

Happy Picture Day!

There was lots of smiles today as Kindergarteners got their pictures taken including a class photo. We did not get outside to recess, unfortunately, due to the rain but enjoyed sometime to play in our classroom this morning.  After lunch Kindergarten had their first library class with Ms. Beth and Ms. K.  Kindergarten did not check out books today but will next week.  For the first few weeks we will keep the books in our classroom and as students get more comfortable with the routine they will be allowed to go home.

Today we talked about our 3 big school rules which are to be safe, responsible and respectful.  Together we decided that to be safe means to keep your hands and feet to yourself, to be responsible is to take care of each other and our classroom, and to be respectful means listening to the person who is talking.  It is important to do this things so that we are all safe and are able to learn!  These rules will be posted in our classroom and Kindergarten will sign a 'contract' agreeing to follow them. 

This afternoon I read a book How to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka and we talked about how some things may be tricky but it doesn't mean we give up.  We need to try again and again and again and again...until we get it!  We connected this to the ideas that our brains are muscles and the more we exercise them or try tricky things the stronger we get and the more we learn!  We also watched this short video:

First Full Day!

Happy first full day of Kindergarten!  Thankfully the rain stopped for a bit this morning so we could get outside to recess for a bit this morning.  After recess we ate snack and had morning meeting.  During snack we listened to the book Leo the Late Bloomer and talked about how sometimes we might feel sad  or upset that we can't do something (Leo the tiger couldn't write or read or eat neatly) but as we grow up we'll learn how to do more things!  Mrs. Guilmette, our school counselor, visited for Guidance and talked about how her job is to keep us safe and happy at school.  We practiced what lunch would be like with Mrs. Dolson in the cafeteria and then had our first Writer's Workshop.

Before students starting recording their stories with pictures and words in their special 'writing and drawing books,' I read a book and talk about how authors and illustrators write and draw about what they know and love.  Today I read The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin and talked about how Grace Lin was able to write this book because it was about something she knew a lot about - growing Chinese vegetables with her mom as a child.  I then told a story about helping my grandma cook a special dinner for Christmas Eve when I was little.  Oral storytelling helps students think about stories that can then be recorded in pictures and words.  We will take our oral stories and begin to record them on paper in the coming weeks once all students have the chance to orally tell a story.

We also had our first P.E. class and had did some independent reading practicing choosing one book from a bin and quietly reading for 5 minutes.  We will continue to add time throughout the school year as our stamina increases.

 

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday and First Day of September!  This morning we started our day outside at Recess and then came in for Morning Meeting.  We greeted our friends with a fist bump, shared an answer to: Why do we come to school? and then did our first song from GoNoodle - Rollercoaster.  GoNoodle’s movement videos and games help to keep us moving inside the classroom. It makes it easy to be active, the kid way – silly, energetic, playful, and fun! “Research shows even short bursts of movement deliver big benefits for brain health and academic performance, relative to sitting quietly.” -Dr. Laura Chaddock-Heyman, research scientist specializing in movement and the adolescent brain. You can also play GoNoodle at Home!  Go to www.gonoodle.com, click sign-up and pick parent or kid to create an account.

After that it was time for snack and a story, Stellaluna and some word work.  We worked with our names again today and created some beautiful name mosaics practicing using scissors and glue sticks correctly!