Today is the Day for Reading Centers!

Assessments are done! Let the centers begin! Students participated in four different literacy activities this morning in four small groups.

With me, students continued building their reading skills. Whether it be solidifying letter sounds or working on fluency and decoding, each group had a lesson prepared for them to meet their specific skill level.

Ms. Stark started the handwriting program. Letter Mm was the letter of the day, and students learned how to print the uppercase and lowercase using the proper sequence of strokes. Why the focus on practicing the sequence of strokes? “Repetitive movements used in letter formation help to give the brain an accurate image of the letter shape. Letter formation basically is composed of straight lines and circle shapes. All letter shapes are formed from the top down, rather than from the bottom up. If letter formation is automatic, memory and thinking is “freed up” to cope with the other skills needed, the auditory/visual/spatial aspects of writing.” (Tanya MacLeod, Resource Specialist) Interesting, isn’t it?!

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In the Book Nook, students listened to book Alphabet Rescue. The value of a listening center was recently discussed on the Scholastic website. “Hearing a book read on tape helps students see how the words on the page can come alive in a fluid, expressive way. It helps them focus on the sounds of words read without interruption and provides a model of fluent reading. Audio books also give students an important introduction to listening — a skill that they must master in order to learn to read.”

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“Narrators on tape tend to embellish their storytelling with silly voices and dramatic enhancements. They emphasize reading as a source of pleasure rather than a skill, and make children eager to learn how to read. Beyond their sheer enjoyment of audio books, children also develop a sense of narrative structure and understanding of language. Stories on tape help them to grasp the rich and various ways in which language distills and conveys meaning. In addition, exposing your child to a range of narrators and their different styles of reading will deepen his grasp of the reading process.”

The kindergarten Book Nook has the books on cd organized according to the theme we are currently studying. Any guesses on what the theme this week is?

The final center is an independent work activity. Students were to look at a picture on a card and identify the beginning (or ending sound, according to which group your child is in.) They then write that letter sound on the school bus picture and color the bus according to the color on the original picture card. This center works on hearing sounds, identifying sounds, and writing letters.

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The GREAT news is that we completed two rotations successfully today!  That means we have two more rotations to sneak in tomorrow!

Routines

We all have routines. The night before the first day of school I pick out my outfit and try to pack as much as my girls’ lunches as possible before I go to bed.  I make sure my battery is charged in my camera. And then I lie in bed wide awake, going over the schedule of events for the following day. Every first day of school, I blast a certain song as loud as possible on my drive to school, and when I arrive, I wait outside my classroom for each new student to make a grand entrance. Then I snap their official first day photo. And hugs…. There are lots of hugs.

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Kindergarten is all about learning routines and encouraging the children to become independent, confident students. There is a place for them to put their backpacks and a place for them to put the folders and books they have unpacked. There is a routine to the school day that students are quick to learn and appreciate.

This next week will be spent introducing these routines to the students and making our learning community a place where they feel supported and comfortable. With this positive community, amazing things will happen!

Balance is also an important part of this next week. Balancing fun with learning takes the highest priority. But before the differentiated learning can take place, I need to get a solid understanding of who each student is, from where they have come, and their social and academic needs. In between attending Specialist classes and participating in Home Room activities, students will be pulled aside to spend some time with me. I will prepare formal reading and math assessments for each student with the goal of beginning reading groups and math centers by next week. We have 165 days (give or take a few) of learning, and I plan to make the most of them. So while it may appear that we are having more “fun” than “learning” these next several days, please know that I am diligently working to create a program that best fits the specific needs of each child.

Today when your child arrives home, you will find a puzzle in his/her backpack.

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As you work to put this puzzle together, it is my hope that your child will share about our day. Ask which Specialist classes we attended. (Spanish, Lego, and Art!) Ask what was the best part of the day. Most importantly, enjoy this special time together.

 

What’s New?!

It’s a new school year, and we are fresh from summer break. I like to keep my fingers busy during the summer, researching and preparing new ideas and curriculum for the coming school year. So what is new for 2016-2017? Just wait and see!!

 

Heart Word (High Frequency) Word Program Revamp:

I have completely redone my high frequency word program. Students will be introduced to five new words every Monday. They will work through a packet of engaging and fun worksheets that revolve around those particular five words. The cover sheet that I created for each packet has each of the five words in an easy cut and use flashcard form.

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So, when the packet is sent home each Friday in the Homework Folder, put your child to work cutting out the Heart Word flashcards and adding them to the special zippered pouch they received at Tuesday’s scavenger hunt! What a quick and easy way to learn and keep track of those Heart Words!

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Brag Tags:

Ms. Atkinson and I developed our second installment of the Swooper Citizens citizenship program this summer. We added new journal entries, new literature, new service-learning projects and new check-in forms. Also, we decided to implement a brag tag system, where students earn these fun tags for simply making positive learning and character choices. When a student earns a tag, they will wear the necklace for that day. Fridays are swooper special, as all students will wear their brag tags.

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Each student has a necklace.

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Look at the fun colors of all the different tags!

Morning Exploring:

Most days will begin with a short Morning Exploring. Students will explore kits that focus on STEM activities or math tubs. This 15 minute time period gives me a chance to check in with parents or students, read with students, or help them explore new concepts.

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STEM Activities:

I am excited to announce a collaborative learning project! Kindergartners will be working with Mr. Moore’s Upper School Engineering class as part of a Project Based Learning STEM unit. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.) This project will take place during our first trimester and will involve an exciting addition to the Lower School campus that will likely be installed as early as next week!  Stay tuned for more information on what this addition is!

Additionally, students will learn the basics of engineering in both Home Room and Science classes. They will be involved in engineering projects during each of the thematic units we cover, including Five Senses, Spiders and Bats, the Gingerbread Literacy Unit, Dinosaurs, Oceans, and Fairy Tales. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store!

Finally, you will have a chance to be an active STEM participant during the monthly STEM challenges I plan to send home. Not only will students have a specific engineering project to create, but they will be encouraged to share their creations following a specific format to our class. You will be receiving more information regarding these STEM challenges in a few weeks.

Math Journals 2.0:

I first started using Math Journals with students last year. Most activities offered two to three levels of differentiation for students, depending on their needs. This part remains the same in Math Journals 2.0, but many of the activities have changed to support the updated curriculum. Students will enjoy an independent journal activity with each lesson that is introduced.

 

Digital Portfolio:

In addition to the language arts portfolio that your child will complete monthly this year, I am implementing a new digital portfolio that your child will design and archive. I will share more information regarding this exciting new addition to kindergarten soon!

 

and finally….Ms. Stark!

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Ms. Stark (Madeline) is from Los Angeles, where she attended UCLA, graduating with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in English, with a minor in Film. Before landing here at Laguna, she participated in AmeriCorps, where she served as a literacy tutor for middle school students. Ms. Stark also worked at Girls Inc. in Goleta, where she enjoyed teaching a variety of classes, including literature and chess. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga and playing board games with her friends. Ms. Stark especially enjoys reading, which is perfect, since students will be spending a bit of time each day reading aloud to her. We are excited to welcome Ms. Stark to kindergarten!

So off we go! Be sure to subscribe to this blog so that you are notified each time I make a new post. Here’s to an amazing year!