Room 111 Kindergarten

November is here and the weather has shifted to cold and wet.  Please make sure your child understands your expectations for wearing coats, etc.  I will remind and strongly encourage students to wear their coats (not just their sweatshirts), but there usually isn't enough time to check lockers for coats when students say they don't have one.  At Grout our general rule about coats at recess is that you must keep your coat on you at all times- it could be worn as a cape with the hood on or tied around your waist, but in an effort to not lose coats it does need to stay with the student for the whole recess.

We are just about out of snacks to pass out at our morning recess.  If you would like to donate any snacks for the class you can bring in store bought items like baby carrots, small apples, fruit bars, granola bars, pretzels, crackers, raisins, etc. Thanks to those who have already brought in donations on several occasions.  

Foundational Skills in Phonological Awareness and Literacy:  Our newest letters we are practicing in class include the lowercase p and j.  We have also taken some time recently to revisit letters we learned earlier in the year, but are still having trouble identifying and/or writing.  Soon you'll see some handwriting practice packets coming home.  These packets are what we work on at school, but we don't always have time to finish so they will make good options for homework (however they do not need to be turned back in).

       

Our newest wordless books include A Day at the Market and part of a new series of books about museums, Clay Army (the story of the Terra Cotta Warriors found in China by archeologists in 1974).  Students took home the first black and white book with three stories it in. Please find a place for them to keep these books and practice finding the items that start with the focus sounds for each book.  You can also read the story by looking at the end of each story.  

  

Our last book study in the theme: The Five Senses, is Rap a Tap Tap; Here's Bojangles - Think of That! This book has lots of repetition, similar to our last book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  As we look closely at this book we are learning about the famous tap dancer, Bojangles, and the 1930's.  Our conversations related to the text have included an introduction to The Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance, and racism.  Yes, lots of big topics!  Here's a video linked to the book that covers a bit of what we did in class.

Math:  Our newest section in math is an introduction to counting, writing the numbers correctly and thinking of different ways to show the same numbers (for example, on our fingers 5 could also be 4 & 1 or 2 & 3).  We are also practicing with the concept of zero (0). This unit will quickly move into a discussion of comparing numbers and looking at "more" and "less"; including a look at three dimensional (3D) shapes and measurements in weight.

Science:  In Garden last week we learned all about the amazing role of worms in helping make soil full of nutrients for plants to grow.  Students found out that worms "hear" through their skin and don't have eyes or noses.  Everyone had an opportunity to hold a worm gently in their hands if they wanted to.  We didn't end up with time to watch the following video, but it might be fun to watch together at home, notice all the movement caused by the worms in the dirt.

Social Studies:  November is Indigenous Heritage Month and so we have been enjoying several picture books and a few videos about famous Native Americans and specifically about lessons we learn from these cultures about taking care of our World, specifically water.  Students are learning about water protectors and how they can help save water and keep it clean.