Young's Kinders

Thursday, August 27, 2015

First Day 2015!

Wow! We did it! We had an exciting and fun first day of Kindergarten. Some of the things we learned and did:

Breakfast & lunch (food is important!! :)
We learned that our teachers and ALL adults in the school have a Number One Job: To Keep Us Safe!
Played name games
Had our first day of school picture taken
Had our first Morning Meeting
Enjoyed two stories: My First Day of School by P.K.Hallinan & Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London
Wrote our names
Drew a first day of school self-portrait
Made frog headbands!
Played with our new classmates using wooden blocks, cars and a car mat, coloring
We are learning how to walk quietly and safely in the halls.
We learned about our new take home folders and how they go home in our backpacks, and back to school everyday.
Some of us got picked up by family members at the end of the day and some of us rode the bus.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Superstar Cape!

To start the year off, my Kinders and I do a super fun lesson:

Star of the Day!

Each child has a special day all their own! During this day, each student gets to be interviewed by the class so that we can get to know them better. Our interview asks students:

1. What is your name?

2. What is your favorite color?

3. What do you LOVE to do?

The teacher, (me!) records this information on a large chart all the while demonstrating letter formation, good spacing between words, moving across the page left to right, and return sweep! The interview poster is then used as a shared reading while the teacher (me again!) demonstrates voice-print matching to each word with a large pointer. Each student's poster will be re-read several times by the entire class before going home.

The student who was interviewed illustrates their Star of the Day poster during the next morning's discovery time.

I got a super cool pair of star sunglasses for FREE this summer (score!) which the Star of the Day will get to wear during their interview!

AND.....are you ready for it? I made a Super Duper Star Cape for the Star of the Day to wear! (Applause!) I found a very easy pattern online by Sherry Sylvester at threadridinghood. You can use it too by clicking here.

Here are some pictures of my cape's creation and the final SUPER STAR CAPE being modeled by my daughter!

I am super star excited for this lesson!! The kids always love being the Star of the Day!

Oh yeah, and it addresses many, many Common Core standards too:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1
Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.A
Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.C
Understand that words are separated by spaces in print.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.D
Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2
Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.3
Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6
Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Phew! That's a wrap!

#happyclassrooms

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Sunday Get to Know me Link Up

Once again I am linking up with The Tatooed Teacher for a Sunday Get To Know Me Link Up.

I rarely will wear jeans. Even on dress down days.
I love earrings, especially seasonal or colorful ones.
I don't have a clue what JZ's or Conan's even are!!!
Definitely gold, possibly gold and silver mix.
Country for sure - large crowds creep me out.
Online - convenience reasons really....when you live in a place that is quite rural and the nearest Walmart is a 45 minute drive away AND winter driving is 10 months of the year, well, you get it.
Showers. Baths take too long for me.
I am an open book. I probably drive people nuts by telling them more than they want to know!
I am a homebody all the way. I HATE to travel. I mean HATE. My favorite vacation = stay-cation!
Dinner - I have a bad habit of skipping breakfast. (oops)
Coffee - If this counts as breakfast, ignore the previous bullet. I LOVE coffee. A dash of cream, no sugar please!
Early bird - I think it may be physically impossible for me to do what others consider sleeping in. Sleeping in for me means getting up at 6 am.
Done up - nothing extreme, but a little eye makeup and lipstick is a must.
Thunder over lightening, but really, I don't like either.
Flats. Period.
Car. Did I mention I hate to travel?
Girls. - I don't really get what this choice is asking of me, so I just chose one.
Central Air. Love my AC!

Linky Party!!! Bulletin Boards!!!

This Link Up stuff is new to me, so please have mercy!

I may have linked up the wrong dates or something.....I am working on it!

Phew! Ran to my room, and have some bulletin boards to share.

First up is my Math Wall: Hover over the picture, than over any of the black dots in the image below to learn more!

Frame for picture taking of each child on day 1!

Letter Linking chart and letter focus wall.

Word wall - I love purple!

This year I am going to re-vamp how I do jobs....from 5 to 1! I will have 1 student of the day which will rotate all year long. I am looking forward to easier job management with this one! No more asking and checking to answer question like: "Who is the lights person today?"

I am also going to utilize the 'new-to-me' idea of Brag Tags. BUT....I want a different name (I am not especially fond of using the word brag.) Suggestions welcome!!!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

What Worked Well Linky

Today I am joining my friends at Kinder Tribe for a What Worked Well link-up!

Line up dots!

I LOVE them! I use a self-adhesive vinyl sheet. Mine are about 5 and a half inches in diameter and were cut by my daughter using a Cricut machine.

Why use dots? Well, here a a few reasons:

They add a great POP of color....and I LOVE color....the more the better!
They give kids a good sense of proper space.
They can can be written on. I write numbers on mine in black permanent marker. (I did have to touch them up a few times throughout the year.)
They last! Seriously. I did not have to replace a single dot all year long.
They come in lots of colors.
They remove easily. I was a tiny bit worried that I would be chased down the janitorial staff if those suckers stuck too tight....but VOILA! They peeled off like magic!

This year, I have moved into a new room, and I already have the dots down. (Insert your own happy teacher dance here!)

If you try the dots in your classroom this year, or want to know more, leave me a comment!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Parent's Update: Beginnings, Birthdays, & Best Wishes

Welcome Parents! I am very excited to be your child's kindergarten teacher this year. Kindergarten is such a fun, exciting, learning filled year! I am sure you will have many questions along the way. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me! I am here to help.

Beginnings:

Summer is almost over. It is almost time for the school bells to ring again! Your child's first full day of school will be August 26.....only 29 days away! GULP!

In case you did not remember, or misplaced an earlier mailing, K students will come in with their parents for scheduled 20 minute appointments on August 25th. Please call the school to schedule your appointment if you have not yet done so.

Mid-August your child will be receiving a letter in the mail from me! Be watching for this important letter!

School supplies -

Many parents often want to know about supplies their child will need for school. Here are my 2 basics for the beginning of kindergarten:

1. Bookbag -The bag should be large enough for a regular sized folder and extra supplies your child may need to carry. ie: snack, cold lunch, sneakers for gym class, returned library books, extra mittens, etc.

2. A complete set of clothing for your child in a sealed plastic bag. All articles of clothing should be clearly marked with your child's name, as well as having your child's name on the outside of the bag. I recommend a large ziploc bag. This bag of extra clothing will stay at school in your child's cubby. I will send it home with your child over long breaks so that you can change the clothes out if needed.

Birthdays:

Birthdays are very special celebrations for kindergartners. In our class, we celebrate together with cupcakes or cookies sent in by parents. Please contact me as your child's birthday approaches so we can make arrangements.
No cake and ice cream please - finger food only.

Best Wishes for a Great Start:

Parents and students alike can be filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness on the first day of kindergarten. My goal is to help make this the best transition possible. I will do my very best to ensure your child is off to a great start.

On Wednesday, August 26- First Day of Kindergarten- Kindergarten teachers will meet their students near the playground door and lead them to their classrooms. This gives parents a perfect opportunity to wish students well before we begin our day at 8:15. It makes for a smoother transition if you separate from your child by this time. Thank you for your help!

Be looking in your child's bag for their new take-home folder. This folder will travel between home and school almost every night. Be sure to check this folder for student work and other important papers. Please establish a routine with your child of emptying the folder each night it comes home and returning the folder to your child’s book bag so that it is returned to school the following day.