November 17, 2023 Class News
We had another wonderful week in Kindergarten! We have been working hard, having fun and learning new things!
This weeks Star Student was Frances. After Thanksgiving Break, it will be Harrison.
Sight Words: Our two sight words this week: they and I. Next week, due to the short week, we will not be introducing any new sight words. We will of course keep reviewing the ones we have learned! The students continue to use their sense of sight and hearing to spot sight words everywhere!
Phonics: During our Words Their Way phonics lesson this week we learned the letters /j/ /w/ and /q/. We cut our “sort” cards, sorted them by beginning sounds, glued them on a graphic organizer and lastly drew and spelled our own words that begin with j, w, and q.
Writers Workshop: In celebration of the upcoming holiday, we discussed what it means to be thankful for something – to feel happy and pleased that you have something or someone in your life. We first brainstormed as a class about things we are thankful for (mom, dad, the Earth, life, sunshine, teachers, and Jesus!). Then, we then took those ideas and wrote them on a placemat that we will decorate for Thanksgiving!
Literacy centers: We continued reading groups, sight word center, phonics center, independent library center, and iPad center. At the phonics center, students wrote the room, finding and recording Thanksgiving themed words. In reading groups, we continue to work on letter sounds, sounding out CVC words, and reading our blue decodable books!
Math: Our essential question for chapter 3 is “How can I show numbers beyond 10 (10-20)?” We are showing numbers 10-20 on tens frames to help us grow our number sense and understand the place value of teen numbers (group of ten and how many more?). Students are learning to explain how they can count a number…can you count by 5’s to get to the number? Can you count on from 10?
Students created “decomposing turkeys” where they chose two numbers to create a larger number! They used feathers and numbers to show their thinking. Students are also learning to explain how they can count a number…can you count by 5’s to get to the number? Can you count on from 10?
Religion: This week in our Circle of Grace lesson we learned that towns and cities have traffic signals which keep people safe and protected. God has given each of us our own kind of signal to keep us safe and protected! We thought of different scenarios that were green (definitely safe: being kind, telling the truth, helping others, etc.), yellow (be careful: if you can’t tell if a situation is safe or not) and red (stop: lying, hitting, fighting, etc.). If we are unsure about a situation, we always will find a trusted adult to help us!
Art: With Thanksgiving coming up, we began to focus on and discuss as a class things that we are thankful for. Students created turkeys with 6 feathers, on each feather, students wrote something they were thankful for! Students brainstormed things like family, friends, school and food. Ask your child what they wrote on their turkey and the things they are thankful for in their life! We will continue this discussion throughout the month of November and will continue to discuss and add things in our lives that we are thankful for!
Common Core Standards we’re working on:
- I can read common sight words.
- I can count to 100 by ones and tens.
- I can count forward beginning with a given number within the known sequence (instead of starting at 1)
- Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.
- I can read emergent level text with purpose and understanding.
- With prompting and support, I can ask and answer questions about key details in text.
- I can spell simple words phonetically.
- I can read CVC words.
- I can speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings and ideas clearly.
- I can read the words in a book in the right order.
- I can tell how the words and pictures go together in stories.
- I can say the most common sound for each consonant in the alphabet.
- I can draw or write to help me share what I think.
- I can help my class learn about a subject and then write about it.
- I can print lots of upper and lowercase letters.
- I can write numbers from 0-20.
Important Dates:
- Monday, November 20th – Dress Uniform, Thanksgiving Mass
- Tuesday, November 21st – Dress Uniform, Grandparents Day for 3rd-5th Grade/No Hot Lunch this day
- Wednesday November 22nd – Friday, November 24th – No School, Thanksgiving Holiday
- Wednesday, December 13th – Field trip to the Children’s Museum! Please do not order hot lunch for this day. More information to come!
- Friday, December 15th – Noon Dismissal, Christmas Break
- Tuesday, January 2nd – Classes Resume