3-D shapes that I know...

Today we took a look at 3-D shapes in math: a cube, cylinder, sphere, and a cone.  We did some exploring and learned that a cylinder and a sphere will roll and a cone and a cube will slide.  Some students predicted the cone would roll but when we tried it just spun around in a circle.  We determined that this was because the top is smaller than the bottom.  I played this fun (and catchy) 3-D shapes song and then at stations students worked on large posters to draw real life objects that are 2-D and 3-D shapes.

Authors and Illustrators at Work!

As we begin the New Year, we are focusing more on writing in Kindergarten.  Students will soon begin working on writing and illustrating their own multi-page booklets.  We start with 5 pages to get away from the idea that the first page is the beginning, second is the middle and third is the end.  Overtime students will learn how to add and remove pages.  To build independence we are working on the writing process all together through shared writing.  Last week we brainstormed a topic - something we ALL know a lot about.  We decided to title our book All About CP Smith.  Together we worked on writing the pages, making decisions about what made sense and then in groups of 2 or 3 students worked collaboratively to illustrate the pages, focusing on having the illustrations match the words.  Students are excited about this and asked to share at a Community Meeting.  I will be in touch about when we will be sharing this work!

Shapes!

We were thankful to get out to the woods this morning.  There was lots of exploration and noticing of animal tracks.  Students enjoyed following tracks and wondering what the animals may have been doing.  After the woods we ate snack and watched a short video about Ezra Jack Keats.  I read the first book Keats authored and illustrated The Snowy Day.  We also did a Mystery Science Lesson on Storms and talked about how to get ready for a BIG storm. 

This afternoon we continued talking more about shapes.  We played a game where students had to find a shape and then match it to the correct picture around the room.  During Math Stations students also used rectangles and triangles to create a rocketship as well as shape stickers to create pictures.  They really came out great!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2018!  I hope that everyone had a fun and restful winter break.  It was wonderful being back in the classroom today.  Ms. Beth and Ms. Kavanaugh from the library let us have their Gingerbread House as a reading nook.  We practiced setting a timer and having one student read at a time with a book and stuffed animal if they wish.  There was a lot of interest in reading in this special place so we practiced using a sign up sheet.

We also started an Ezra Jack Keats author study.  Students spent time looking at Ezra Jack Keats books and shared what the noticed some noticings were:

"Ezra Jack Keats does not use motion lines like Mo Willems instead he shows the characters picking up their feet to show them moving."

"The background looks really interesting.  There are dots on the pages and lots of details."

"Willie (the dog) is in a book I never read before!  Just like Whistle for Willie!"

"I know that this is Peter's Mom even though I never read this book before!"

We will be reading Ezra Jack Keats books over the next few weeks. 

Busy, Busy

It's been a busy last few days!  Big thanks to Dana for coming and teaching us about Hanukkah and how to play the dreidel game.  We have been reading lots of Gingerbread Man books.  Today we read The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers and The Gingerbread Cowboy.  These books are not only fun but also get at many elements of a story: parts that repeat, characters, setting (Gingerbread Cowboy takes place in the desert).  Ms. Beth and Ms. K also made a cardboard Gingerbread House in the library which makes for a cozy reading nook. This afternoon we had some fun making Cinnamon Applesauce ornaments.  In Math we continue to talk about shapes.  We learned that a rectangle is a shape with four straight sides and four corners.  Kindergarten was surprised to learn that a square is a special kind of rectangle that has four equal sides.

Winter has arrived!

We had fun playing in all of the snow this morning.  Our poem this week is Mittens:

            Mittens 

Red mittens, blue mittens 

Mittens for cold weather. 

Wool mittens, knit mittens 

Fingers all together. 

Green mittens, orange mittens, 

Yellow mittens too.  

Furry mittens, soft mittens 

Which ones are for you?

We also read the book The Gingerbread Man and we talked about how folktales have been told orally over the years and then written down.  The Gingerbread Man is one example of a book that has been retold in many different ways.  We will be reading different versions and discussing what is the same and different.  

In Math today we began our second math module on flat (2-D) and solid (3-D) shapes.  Today we looked at a square and cylinder and without naming the shapes, students explained what they noticed: "one looks like a circle that has been stretched out, one is tall one is flat, one has points, one has four edges."  It was an excellent conversation rich with math language. 

Happy Monday!

It was a snowy and chilly start to the week!  This morning we had our first lockdown drill.  Our School Resource Officer, Officer Difranco came and explained what a lockdown is and how to practice.  We chose our "safe corner" and did an excellent job being still in quiet during the drill.  After practicing a lockdown we wrote our first lowercase letter: c.

We have been talking a lot about being kind to one another.  Today I read the book The Kindness Quilt and we also watched the story Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal.  We talked about the difference between a squeal (a kid sized problem like someone sticking a tongue out or cutting in line) versus a "big deal" (someone is in danger, hurt or unsafe).