Short but Sweet Weeks 😊

Ask Your Child About...

1. Identify and write the letters Aa and Tt, as well as their sounds

2. Identify and write the words see and we

3. Group items in different ways to show 5 and 10

4. Identify, count, and write numbers 0-10

5. What helps a tree grow?

6. Our new tree planted by us!

7. Their teaching story

8. Fire Safety

SO HAPPY to have grass again! Grass Angels were made!

🍎 A huge thank you to you all for sending tasty, healthy, and exciting snack choices for our class! I will let you know when we are in need of more again, otherwise you can always send more as you feel inclined. Thank you!!

🦁 A day to take note: Saturday, October 26th 4:00-7:00 pm will be Lincoln's Fun Night. There is an information sheet in your child's blue folder that tells more information about this event. We hope to see you there!

  

🚒 Fire Safety week! We had a visit from the Iowa City Fire Department this week to help us learn some important information. They taught us a few songs about stop, drop and roll if our clothes are on fire, and two ways out for safe planning in every room. Ask your child what they remember Freddy the Fire Engine and Sparky the Dog sharing with us.

🙋 Volunteers Needed: We have two upcoming events that require some parent volunteers. If you are interested in either of the events, please email me so that I can get the information to you and the school screening process can begin so you are approved by event time. Thank you!

1. JA in a Day- Junior Achievement lesson completed in one half of a single school day. All materials provided and training from JA provided. You would lead the lessons and I would support. This is scheduled for November 25th or 26th (We are flexible to which day and morning or afternoon based on volunteers).

2. Iowa City Children's Museum field trip- we are required to have one adult for every five students, meaning we need three parent volunteers for this trip! You would accompany us to the museum and be accountable for a group of 4-5 students as you move through the different sections of the museum. Scheduled for December 6th from 9:00 am to 12:15 pm.

📚 These past two weeks in reading have focused on the letters Aa and Tt, the words see and we, and the comprehension skills of comparing and contrasting as well as understanding characters. You can help your child to continue their understanding of these concepts by reading various texts with them at home and practicing their identification and writing of the focus letters and words. When you are done with a story, or as you read through it, feel free to ask prompting questions about the character and why they might feel or do the things they do. You can also discuss similarities and differences between characters or even between similar books written by different people (fairy tales are great for this!).

🔢 We have continued our study of showing different ways to make 5 as well as different ways to make 10. You can do this at home by gathering various items and creating groups from them, you can also transfer this to paper by drawing the objects (or representing them with circles) and then writing the numbers to compare greater and less as well as use number sentences to explain how the two numbers come together to make 5 or 10.

🖊 Last week we continued writing our stories, expressing how we are in charge of our writing and we can use tools around us to help get letters and words on paper. This week we moved to a specific writing style: teaching books! We each thought of something we know a lot about and felt we could teach to others. Ask your child what their teaching book is about and help them come up with what they should put on each page.

🌳 We have continued our study of trees (and will do so through out the year as the seasons change) and moved to what they need to be healthy, happy, trees. We discussed how trees need sun, water, soil, leaves, bark, and love to grow big and strong. Help your child discover what else a trees needs or what a tree can provide for other living things. Most exciting, we planted our very own tree today! We will continue to check our tree and be sure to give it everything we can to help it become strong.

Picture steps of planting (let me know if you would like a picture of your child watering the tree (or any other newsletter pictures) and I can email it to you!):

Our Red Leaf Maple Tree

        

    

🦁 Have a fantastic weekend, stay warm, and as always please don't hesitate with questions or comments. 🙂

Eventful Week 😊

Ask Your Child About...

1. Review the words: I, and, like, the

2. Identify, write, and voice the sound of the letter Ss

3. Compare groups using the language greater than, less than

4. Our adopted tree

5. The new playground

6. Our new friend!

We love the new playground!

🦁 We have had several exciting things this week including a new classmate, new playground equipment, fire drill, and the Homecoming Parade! It sure is great to be a lion! 🦁

📚 Our letter of the week is Ss! We have been reading many books that have 's' in them, and we have been listening closely for the 's' sound in words we say. Continue to help your child identify the letter and sound of 's' and practice writing them in different ways! You could use play dough, mud, form it with letters and trace over with our finger- all sorts of techniques! This week we also reviewed our previous words: I, and, like, the. Please continue to work with these at home as well. During story time we also focused on the concept of sequencing. We found out that sequencing means putting things in order from start to finish. We are experts at this now- just ask your child to sequence or retell the story after you are done reading together!

🖊 Our stories are coming along quite nicely! If your child is working on a story at home, encourage them to do their very best. Remind them that they are the author, which means they are in charge of what they write. We don't need Ms. Grady or anyone else to tell us how to spell or what to write! No way! We can do it on our own! We learned that writers do their very best and know it's okay if something isn't quite right yet.

🔢 We finished topic two in math and will begin topic three next week. Topic two focused on grouping similar objects, counting to see how many, writing the number, showing how many with counters, and then using verbal cues to indicate which group was greater and which group was less. You can continue to practice these skills at home by gathering various objects from abound your house.

      

🌳 This week in science we adopted a tree! This tree is not a tree that we personally planted, but rather a tree that has been in the ground for quite some time. We will watch our tree throughout each season to see how it changes. We observed our tree to find out what it looks, feels, and smells like. We also measured our tree so that we can check its growth at the end of the year. Maybe you could adopt a tree in your neighborhood too! Enjoy the images of our tree artwork and our beautiful adopted tree!

🦁 As always, please reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend!

Mid September🌈

Ask Your Child About...

1. Identify and practice writing the word: and
2. Identify and practice writing the letter: Mm

3. Practice comparing and writing numbers up to 5

4. Use the language greater than and less than

5. What shape trees can be

6. Our Writer's Workshop

😊 We are settling into our routines and where things are in the building very well! We have even been mistaken for a first grade class! WOW! Let's keep up the great work!

🦁 Now through winter break we will be hosting two University of Iowa students in our classroom! These students are currently in school completing their work towards becoming a teacher. Ms. W will be in our room every morning except for Thursdays to help us with reading and Ms. L will be in our room every Friday morning to help us with math.

🙂 As you may have heard, we have our official library check-out day: Wednesday. Some of the students have been confused as to how check-out works, so I thought I would clarify with you all as well. Each week on Wednesday, your child will get the chance to check out books of their choice to bring home. These books can stay with your child for an entire week, being returned on the following Wednesday. We do have library again on Thursday, but this is not a check-out day, it is a story and media day with Mrs. Locher. Please enjoy your child's check-out books for a full week (Wednesday to Wednesday), and return them in our backpacks when you are done.

📚 This week we have been focusing on our word 'and' along with the letter 'Mm'. We have practiced identifying, reading, and writing each of these. Please continue our hard work at home by prompting your student to work with the word 'and' as well as the letter 'Mm'. Some activities you can try are counting how many of this word or letter are in a story, or if you hear the letter at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. You can also practice neat handwriting (with paper and pencil, with a stick and dirt, using finger paints... make it fun!) with your child so that everyone can clearly see what we are trying to write.

🔢 We completed our very first math topic, and are moving right along in topic 2. So far in our new topic we have been looking at groups of object in sets of five and determining which object type is greater and which object type is less. We are practicing by matching the objects up, counting and comparing the numbers, and by using number sentences such as There are 5 toys, 3 are balls and 2 are trucks. 3 is greater than 2, so the are more balls than trucks. Keep up this work at home by comparing objects around the house!

🖊 We are writers! This week we have officially started our writer's workshop, and we have decided our publishing name should be: Lincoln Lion Rainbow! 🌈 For this first writing unit we are focusing on things we know about. This is an inviting topic as there is a wide range of things we know about and can share with others. Ask your child what their first story is about and help them remember details they can add to it on Monday.

🌳 This week in science we focused on shapes of trees. This allowed us to compare and contrast tree shapes and justify our thinking by comparing them to actual math shapes. While you are out and about, see how many different tree shapes you can find!

Feeling Good 🙂

Ask Your Child About...

1. Identify and practice writing the word: the

2. Practice writing counting and showing numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

3. Show different ways to make a group of 5

4. Parts of a tree

Go Noodle Brain Break!

📘 You will find your child's Blue Friday Folder in their backpack. It will contain their school pictures and an I Can Read dvd and pamphlet for you to keep at home.

📚 Our reading focus for this week was story structure. This is considered a priority standard as it is something the students will continuously work on throughout all their years in school. You can help your child with story structure by reading books together at home and then discussing the characters, setting, and what happened at the beginning the middle (big event) and how the story ended. We also practiced reading and writing the word: the. Help your child identify, read, and write 'the' at home!

🔢 Math focused on counting groups of objects up to the number five, then practicing writing these numbers. We also looked at different ways we can show the number five (1 and 4, 2 and 3, 5 and 0, and the flip of those). You can practice this at home by creating groups, writing the number that represents the group and then showing different ways of making the number (you can split the group, show with your fingers, write a number sentence, and so much more!).

🌳 Our tree study has brought us to observe the different parts of a tree. Ask your child to identify the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. Can they show you a comparison with their body? We also looked at different types of trees and completed puzzles to create them! Take a walk around your neighborhood and see what types of trees you can find! Do their parts look the same? Different? Try drawing them or taking pictures to compare. Enjoy the beautiful weather while exploring science in your own backyard.

🦁 We are doing a great job of focusing our minds and bodies for learning. Help your child be ready for the next week of school by asking about our routines and expectations. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please let me know! Have a fantastic weekend!

Short but Full Week

Ask Your Child About...

1. To identify and practice writing the words: I, like

2. Practice writing, counting, and showing the numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

3. Science!

4. The drum assembly

5. Lunchroom and hallway expectations

🙂 It was a short week, but it was jam-packed with activities! The students are tired and will need some extra rest again this weekend to prepare for a [full] week of school next week.

😷 Your child may have informed you of my absence the past two days. I am terribly sorry to have missed a few days so early on in the school year but I did not want to risk passing sickness to the kiddos. 

🤧 I have noticed several friends coughing and/or sneezing throughout the days. Please be sure to check on your child's health and keep them home if they are sick. Help remind them to cover their mouths and noses by crossing their arm over their face so they cough or sneeze into their inner elbow. This helps protect our friends and keep our hands clean.

📘 Friday Blue Folders will not be coming home this week. These folders only come home when there are items being sent to you from the office or myself. Do not worry if your child doesn't come home with their folder, as some weeks there are no forms to be sent home.

📚 This week in reading, we focused on the topics of family and friends. When reading these stories we asked questions about what makes a family or a friend and how each family and friend is unique and special. We also focused on the words I and like. We identified these in various texts, practiced spelling these words, and created stories using the sentence starter "I like ___". Please help your child identify I and like in books, magazines or newspapers, advertisements and so on. Ask them to read the words with you and on their own. Prompt them to spell the words and break down the sounds within it. Lastly, help your child practice writing these words. You can create a book, sentences, or simply trace them on paper, in sand or dirt, with paint, or shaving cream on a smooth surface!

🔢 In math we focused on numbers 1-5. We practiced pointing and counting, crossing items off so we don't miss or over count. Then we represented the number by shading in the same amount that we had counted. You can practice this skill at home by counting to a number and then representing it by coloring or setting out that many of an item (toys, rocks, etc.). We are also practicing writing these numbers. We want them to be neat and clear so anyone is able to read them. Even if your child knows how to write these numbers, practice is always good! You can help guide your child as much or as little as they need by drawing a dotted line to trace over or by handing them blank lines to practice on.

🌳 The kids were very excited to start our first science unit: trees! Each child has their own investigative bag that we will use for every science lesson. We discussed how scientists only show what is real and they have to use close observation when investigating. Ask your child to identify the parts of a tree and you can compare the parts to their own body.

🦁 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. I am looking forward to being back at school with all the kids on Monday!

Welcome and Congratulations! 🦁

Ask Your Child About...

1. What it is like eating in the lunchroom?

2. What "specials" teachers they have met (music, art, P.E., etc.)

3. What they liked best during Happy Choice time this week

4. The beautiful self-portrait they made this week. They are hanging in our classroom!

Our home away from home ❤🦁

🎇Wow!🎇

We have had a wonderful first full week in Kindergarten! We are learning lots of things and making tons of new friends! Your kiddo will probably be exhausted this weekend and will need some extra sleep to reset for another week ahead.

📘 As stated in the paper newsletter inside your child's Blue Friday Folder, [almost] every week I will post a message to this blog that will inform you of the activities and major learning goals we worked on that week. If you would prefer to have a paper copy please let me know and I will be sure to put it in your child's backpack each week a newsletter goes out. This will help you to talk with your child about their week, help them continue to practice those skills at home, as well as be informed on our learning and upcoming events.

📘 In your child's Blue Friday Folder you will find many papers telling you about our class, PTO, a family drum night, Scholastic (books can also be ordered online using our class code: RCYJT), and a fun family project for your family to complete together. Please return the folders to school on Tuesday (no school this Monday) with the All About Me poster and any other information that needs to be returned to school.

🙂 I will leave this week's blog short as all the information is on the letter in the folders, but please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you every have any questions, comments, or concerns.

😴 Use this weekend to catch up on some much needed rest- the kid's need it! I look forward to a fantastic year with you and your kiddos!

What a Wonderful Year! 💗

Ask Your Child About...

1. All of our fun last week activities

2. portfolios

3. summer goals

4. Being a FIRST GRADER

😊 Our class picnic 🍎

🦁 We had a wonderful week of being Lincoln Lions! It was jam packed with fun events such as all school Bingo (Lincoln and Mann), talent show, special stories from Mrs. Locher, whole school picnic, all school recess (Lincoln and Mann), first grade story time, 6th vs. teacher kick ball, first grade plays, and trips down memory lane. It was the perfect way to end our adventure together as kinders and look into the excitement of school next year!

 

🖊 Autographing

     

🐇 First Grade Play: The Tortoise and The Hare🐢

👟 Kick Ball! 🦁

💗 It has been a wonderful year that will never be forgotten. These kiddos worked hard all year, and their growth in academics, social skills, and physical being is clear to all. I could not be more proud of this bunch and look forward to seeing them continue to grow!

😊 I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing, and safe summer! Thank you for helping your child grow this year and connecting to our classroom!

🦁 As always, if you ever have any questions or need anything, I am here.

   

🎇 We are FIRST GRADERS! 🎆

Long Weekend 🌞

Ask Your Child About...

1. Story mapping- characters, setting, main idea, beginning, middle, and end

2. First Grade math!

3. Parts of a plant/ different types of plants

4. How their plant has grown this week

5. Outdoor day!

   

We are writers! We are published! Enjoy these PAWsome books at home!

🦁 Outdoor day success! The rain left in just enough time for our outdoor day activities. YAY! We played "On your knees please!" for the 30(something)th year! Followed by chalk, playground, and popsicles!

   

📚 We have been reviewing each of the main areas of a book this week. We expanded and connected the areas to see how and why an author creates their story the way they do. We reviewed each of the areas on their own and then expanded and connected them through the concept of story mapping. The students did a wonderful job of dissecting the stories to figure out what was truly going on. This helps us better comprehend the story we are reading, understand how we can use these skills on other stories we will read in the future, and help us create top-notch stories of our own.

🖊 Story mapping also helped us with our writing this week. We looked at how we can use a story map to generate our ideas before we write them down in a story. We realized this helps solidify our ideas and problem solve what we needed to add or fix before actually writing it down. Encourage your child to create a story map before writing to help clarify their ideas for their reader!

🔢 First Grade math?? Oh yes we can! This week we started looking at what math will look like next year in first grade! This involves story problems, creating equations, and finding the missing values. Although we were nervous about first grade math our first day, we now realize we CAN do it! Many of these concepts are things we have already worked on and are now simply expanding them. We will continue to look into first grade math next week and boost our confidence and understanding so they can walk into school next year and say "I've got this!"

🌱 We have continued to watch our plans grow and are amazed at how quickly things can change. We love having something to take care of and love to check in on them throughout the day. We continued our plant study by exploring beyond the seed and on to the rest of the plant parts. We discussed the purpose of each part of a plant and where we can find these parts. We also went on a plant hunt around the school yard and were very surprised at how many different varieties we were able to find! With our science journals coming home this week, I encourage you to take your child on various science explorations over the summer!

       

✨ Enjoy this long weekend! Tuesday will be another celebration day: pajama and stuffie day!

Halfway Through May 🌞

Ask Your Child About...

1. The characters in a story- what are they like, how do they change

2. How an author can write to persuade

3. Describe different attributes of objects around us

4. How their plant is growing

5. What they know about seeds

📚 This week in reading we focused on characters. We identified the main characters of a story, then analyzed them to figure out what traits they had. We discussed how a character's traits can stay the same or change throughout a story. We also explored what these traits meant for our story. How do the feelings and behaviors effect what takes place during the story? How could we alter what happens in a story by altering the feelings and behaviors of a character? Keep this in-depth study of character going at home by reading books together and mapping the characters within them!

🎇 Special shout out the the book series What do you do with.... (an idea, a problem, a chance) by Kobi Yamada. These were very helpful in mapping character traits, feelings, and actions!

🖊 This week wrapped up our How-To writing unit of study by picking a book we wrote that we are especially proud of and sending it to someone we think would enjoy it. We then celebrated by doing a few dances that tell you how to do the dance as you do it (the hokey pokey, peanut butter and jelly, etc.). We had a lot of fun sending off on this how-to unit! For the remainder of the year, we will be focusing on persuasive writing. We have learned that writers write to make things better! Writers do this by seeing a problem, thinking of why it is a problem, writing ways to fix the problem, and figuring out who they are sending their message to. We have also learned that writers express their persuasive thoughts through different means. This includes, but is not limited to: a sign/poster, letter, song, list, petition, and of course books! We are off to a great start! You can help by aiding your child in considering various areas of life they see problems occur, why it is a problem, and how they can suggest we fix it.

🔢 In math we have reached our last unit of Kindergarten study. This unit consists of some topics of review from preschool, as well as some new information to expand upon their previous learning. We are working with various measuring tools such as rulers, scales, and measuring cups. These tools help us identify length and height, weight, and capacity. We are then using these attributes to describe various objects. You can continue to help your child consider ways to measure by identifying objects and tools around the house, creating, cooking, or baking something that requires measuring in some way (rule, scale, cups/spoons). 

🌱 Our plant study started this week with a close look at seeds. We looked at a seed's journey from the plant into its own place in the world. We discussed how some seeds do not grow, while others will grow a little, and others yet will grow wonderfully. We explored various types of seeds- from flower to vegetable to fruit to larger plants such as trees! The kiddos investigated why seeds have different parts and what the purpose of each part is, as well as why some seeds look quite different from others.

   

Thank you! 😊

Ask Your Child About...

1. Identify and spell the words off and take in various texts

2. Explain the main idea and at least three supporting details of a story

3. How PAWsome they are for all the math testing we have had!

4. Our new science unit: plants!

🍎 A special thank you goes out to all of you! I have truly enjoyed teaching every child in our class, and their letters and pictures this week just made everything sweeter! I sure love my Kinders and can't believe the year is almost over! Our class garden has grown with the special additions of your students' flowers. Thank you!

📗 Friendly reminder that Scholastic Book orders will be do by the end of the day Friday, May 17th. This date will ensure that all of our books arrive before the last day of school. There are loads of good books to choose from to help support your reading as a family as well as keep your child reading on their own over the summer! 🌞

📚 This week in reading we took our knowledge of story structure and applied it to finding the main idea. We discussed how to find a main idea and how to be sure it truly is what the author may have been intending for us to gather from their story. To find the main idea we look for a theme that reaches through the entire story (all steps of the structure!), and then check that we have details that support the idea. We realized that if we can find at least three supporting details, it is probably a good conclusion about the story, but if we can only find two or less there might be something bigger than what we are thinking. Continue to help your child discover the main idea of a story by discussing it after you read! You can also relate this to writing by creating some story maps and graphic organizers to help prove (or disprove) your thoughts!

🔢 Math this week consisted of our end of year math assessments. One of these being aMath, which is the assessment each child took at the beginning of the year on the ipad. We took these assessments again and are very proud of our growth! You will receive results at the end of the year in a formal letter (just as we did at conferences). The second assessment we took over several days as it is a multi-page district assessment based on the curriculum. This was a long assessment, but we worked hard and did a great job focusing and trying our best each day!

🌱 Our life science unit has come to an end, with our fish, snails, worms and bugs being given to another teacher who has a much bigger tank and other animals for them to join with. The kids were sad to say goodbye, but understood how this would be better for them. Until the end of the year we will focus on seeds and plants! It is a wonderful time to explore this topic as we can actively grow them in our classroom (as well as at home - as I've heard many of you are doing!). Below is an image of our green bean and sunflower plants that we will be growing until the end of the year! 🌻🌿

🐦 We also found Robin eggs on the playground this week! This was very exciting and we could not believe how luck we were to see such a wonderful spring sign of life! The kiddos did have a hard time remembering to let it be and keep their hands and bodies at a safe distance so we do not disturb the eggs (or break them). If you see animals out and about help your child recognize how to properly observe and enjoy their presence. 😊

💐 Lastly, Happy Mother's Day to all of you AMAZING moms! I am lucky to have such great guardian help from you and could not thank you enough for all that you do for and with your child! I hope you enjoy the weekend and get to relax in your favorite way!

Officially the Last Month 😲

Ask Your Child About...

1. Identify and spell the words look and out in various texts

2. Explain the structure of a story (characters, setting, beginning, middle, end)

3. Describe the attributes of a 2D or 3D shape and create it

4. Recognize shapes in everyday life (2D and 3D)

5. Our worm and isopods! 

     

🎭 The kids had a great time at Hancher on Wednesday. Above you can see a picture of the students discovering they belong to the Gruff Forest - the people of the East, and a picture of our two gift deliverers for the young king.

🎶 Huge shout out to all of you amazing parents for helping your student get to the Fine Arts night in time and being there to show your support for our wonderful arts teachers! The performance was wonderful and I know the kids were glad to have you there. Thank you!

📗 Your student should have brought their Friday folder home with them yesterday along with their art portfolio. In the Friday folder you would have seen a writing response we completed in connection to the Young King play, an envelope for school picture order (this is a picture of the entire student and staff this year that we will take next Tuesday morning), and several Scholastic book orders. The Scholastic orders will be due Friday, May 17th to ensure they arrive before the end of the school year. Please take this opportunity to order some great new books for your child to read over summer break. There are a lot of read together picture books to have discussion about along with tons of wonderful early chapter books and leveled readers to keep them moving ahead in their reading. Books can be ordered online or through the flyer using cash or check. I will take care of the rest!

📚 Reading this week focused on story structure. We talked a lot about how we can tell if something is important enough to retell or not. We discovered that big events and people were connected throughout the entire story, whereas small events and characters were only read about on a single page or two. Continue story structure study at home by reading books together and then asking your child to retell the story using only the major events. You could also write up a summary or act it out!

🔢 We completed our review and expand topic of shapes this week. The students love to identify shapes in the world around them (especially if something is made up of more than one shape)! Help encourage your child to explore shapes by identifying and imagining how you can manipulate them to become something else in the world around you. We also worked on creating these shapes a bit, and the students loved this extra challenge! If your student wants to draw more shapes, look up simple directions and help them practice. Many have even started writing how-to books about dhape drawing!

🐛 This week also marked the end of our life science unit. Last week we focused on red worms and earth worms followed this week by pill bugs and sow bugs. We had a lot of fun with these two sets of animals as we were able to take them out to observe and play with them! You would be surprised by how many friends started rather nervous about these animals and ended the unit feeling confident in holding them! We discussed many things through out our life science unit, ending with an understanding of what all living things need to survive as well as how various living things interact with each other. Help your child overcome fears or misunderstanding and continue to grow in their knowledge of living things by exploring bugs and other such animals in your own backyard! If you've never had a bug race... wow! You are missing out. 😉