And Letter Tt Comes Next.........

October 2008

Here is Tiggy!! Just in case you have become a follower of these little alphafriends, I will include the lyrics for you to sing! Isn't Kindergarten fun? I find myself doing dishes and singing these songs, as well as other various places! My husband LOVES them! In fact, I highly recommend them for road trips! (However, Tiggy Tiger is a stand up song, so save this one for at home!)
Tiggy Tiger can tickle his nose! (Tap your nose!)
Tiggy Tiger can touch his toes! (Reach down and touch your toes two times!)
Tiggy Tiger can turn around! (Turn around once slowly and then really, really fast!)
Tiggy Tiger can touch the ground! (Touch the ground, counting one then two!)
Tiggy Tiger can tie his shoes! (Pretend to tie shoes, don't forget the bow!!!)
Tiggy Tiger can count by two's! (Shout..2,4,6,8, 10!!!)

Our Daily Schedule!

September 2008

Here is a special look into our day! Well, Monday thru Thursday at least! Hopefully this provides a springboard for you to talk about your childs day and helps you get a general idea of all we are doing! Isn't Kindergarten a lot of work!?!??!!

8:15-8:30/11:55-12:10 Brain Work
(Time for us to do journals, special theme related activities. It helps kick start our brain and get us ready for school! We also think about school rules and put our frog in the "I'm Ready" spot and sign in to show we are here to work!)

8:30-9:30/12:10-1:15 Direct Instruction
(This is an amazing time. We blend words, do letter sorts, do letter/sound chants, learn high frequency words, read special stories and learn strategies like summarize, (Yes, your child is learning this word!)predict and evaluate! The time flies by! (Shhh....we do some wiggle songs as needed!! This makes it even better!!!)

9:30-10:00/1:30-2:00 Differentiated Instruction
(Every student has Must Do's, Next Do's and choices during this time! This is also the time that allows me and Mrs. Dines to work with special groups on skills that they need and continue to guide them in their own learning!)

10:00-10:15/1:15-1:30 Recess
(We try to go outside as much as possible! It is great for our brains to get fresh air and move around. Please take note of the weather and dress your child appropraitly!)

10:15-10:30/2:00-2:15 Calendar Math
(Typical calendar skills...days of the week, counting, patterns, calendar, counting by 1's, 5's and 10's, story problems, tally's and more! We also graph the weather!)

10:30-10:45/2:15-2:30 Math Games
(See previous post!)

10:45-10:55/2:30-2:35 Snack/Clean Up/Dismissal

As you can see, our day is packed! The only exception is Friday! More to come about this special day! We didn't want to overwhelm you!!!

And here is Reggie Rooster!!!!

September 2008
Reggie has a rocket that is red!
Reggie keeps it right beside his bed!
Reggie likes to listen to Rock n Roll!
Reggie plays it on his radio!!!

We absolutely LOVE to sing Reggie's song! Not only do we get to "jam" like Rock-n-Roll stars, we learn how to sign the color red! Amazing! Yes, we can do all of that!!! Believe it or not, we are through with our first 3 alphafriends and we are doing perfect! We have learned the shape of the letter, the letter sound and how to write each of them! Way to go Kindergarteners!! You Rock!!!

MaTh GaMeS!!!!

September 2008 We have some very special math games that we play every day in school! The math games reinforce counting, number recognition, one to one correspondence and any other skill that we need to learn in Kindergarten. The best part of math games is that the kids don't even realize that they are learning as they play them! Each game is in a numbered bucket and after the game has been played, checked and put away, your child gets to color in the corresponding numbered item on their recording sheet! This year, each child gets to play with a partner! Watch for monthly recording sheets to come home to see what your child has been working on for that month! You will be surprised at the end of the year at how much we have learned!!!

Playin' In The Mud!

September 2008
Our new alphafriend this week has been Mimi Mouse! Hopefully you have had the opportunity to listen/sing this great little song about a special mouse that never makes a mess, minds her manners, sips milk and never lets mud pies stain her dress! You guessed it, we have been learning the letter Mm! Please don't think we have forgotten the letter Ss though! We still practice it daily as well!!
I have to admit, this is a favorite of mine, so if you haven't heard it...make sure you ask your little M expert to sing it for you!
Learning the letter M, just wouldn't be right without playing in a little mud ourselves! So that is just what we did! On Friday, Mrs. Ryan surprised us with a little mud!! What fun!!!

A Little Parent Chalk Talk

September 2008
A little note about my absence! Just in case you were wondering why I haven't been in school lately..... I have been asked to attend a class to learn how to use our reading series with fidelity and confidence. Even though I have hated being out of the classroom and not spending the day with your kids, I have learned so much and really have enjoyed each and every minute of it! All I have been learning is amazing and I realize some things are going to have to change, especially our daily routine. The most noticeble will be the "daily four" centers will be no longer the bulk of our day! I hate to say goodbye to something that I am used to but I can and appreciate the need for the change. As a district, we are now required to spend 60 minutes in Kinder. (Yes, I said 60 minutes (1 hour!) with whole group instruction based on phonics, reading strategies and other various reading activities. The guided instruction is a missing component of the "daily four" and will be a great place for me to assure each child is getting specific instruction to help them become successful readers. So for those of you that have worked with me before, hang on! We are going to change things up a bit!!!

Introducing Sammy Seal

September 2008
The kids met our very first alphafriend this week!! The best part of learning to read is meeting our alphafriends throughout the year and the songs that go along with them! As silly as these songs are, the kids LOVE them!!! These catchy little tunes get stuck in your head and will never leave and that is the goal! If you can remember Sammy, you can remember the sound that the letter S makes!! Let's get ready to read Kindergarten! Yipee!!!
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
When summer is the season.
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
And never need a reason!
Sammy Seal will sail the sea
In very sunny weather.
Sammy Seal salutes a seagull
As they sail together!!!