We had another great week! It was very busy with our Fall Field Trip, which thankfully we had good weather for, and Apple Centers. We had a lot of fun with both!
Hope you are enjoying Columbus Day with your child! I am looking forward to another great week full of learning. We will be talking a little more about autumn and then we will start into our unit on transportation. We will focus on the science of movement, shapes, and some important vocabulary words: transportation, vehicles, motion, friction, gravity.
We are working on composing and decomposing numbers in math and will be working on shape recognition, both 2D and 3D. A great little game we are playing in class that you can play with your child is a game we call Bunny Ears. They hold their hands above their heads with zero fingers up. You name a number and they are to hold up that many fingers, hopefully without having to look. It is kind of cute to watch them try so hard to not look! :) It is okay if they do! They are practicing a great skill and will eventually become so proficient at it that they will hardly have to think about it. We discuss that their are different ways to make a number. For example: if the number is 5, they can hold up 0 and 5 or 1 and 4 or 2 and 3. Any help with this skill at home will build their confidence. Remember to always make it fun and praise their accomplishments! :)
I have started testing for their first kindergarten report card. The quarter ends on October 25th. The most important items we are testing this quarter are letter and numeral recognition and the sounds of each letter. You will be receiving a note soon with a time for conferences. Please let me know as soon as possible if the time works for you. Also, let me know if you plan to be out of town the 6th through the 8th. I will be happy to do a before or after conference with you.
Have a great week!
Ms. Strong
Monday, October 14, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
October 7th
So, a few of you have told me that you are enjoying the posts. I am going to try to get in the habit of publishing a new post each week, probably over the weekend.
Hope you all are enjoying the snow! I always say, make the best of every situation! :) Just a reminder to see that your child is dressed properly. Snow pants are not necessary since they only have 15 minutes to be outside. It ends up taking them almost that long to get them on and they end up with no time to play. Boots are important since their feet tend to get cold and wet very easily. Just make sure that on PE days they have shoes in their bags. It is good to label everything you possibly can with their name. Items get lost very easily in the mudroom or on the playground. If you do not have wraps for your kids, let me know. We have ways to help in that area.
Remember, our Fall Field Trip to McMannamen Park is this Thursday. It is suppose to be a nice fall day, but we may encounter snow cover in a few spots and probably mud, so make sure your child has on shoes that are okay to get muddy. Even if it is nice, they still will need a coat. The breeze coming off the lake can be cold. You are welcome to join us if you like! We will arrive about 1:30 and leave about 2:30.
Just a reminder that I have to be out of the classroom tomorrow, Tuesday, for a meeting. I am praying everything runs smoothly! :) I will also be out next Tuesday morning for a Math training. Also, a reminder that there is no school next Monday for students. It is a professional day for us. :)
If you noticed the papers coming home in the past week, we have started working on more writing. The kids have impressed me so far! I am very proud of how hard they are working. You can encourage writing at home, as well. The more they do, the more confident they will become. Right now, we are doing a lot of sentence building and then they copy it onto their paper, but we work on sounding words out and writing down the sounds we hear as well. It might be fun for them to have a little tablet for them to write what they would like or copy words from something around the house. They can write sight words or make sentences with some of their sight words. Just be careful not to push them too hard at this point. I like to make it fun and exciting so that they do not get discouraged. :)
They are all doing great in the area of reading. Keep practicing sight words and reading the books they bring home. We have been working on phoneme blending. A fun game you can play (works great while driving too!), you say c-a-n and they have to say can. Some catch on quickly to putting the sounds together into words and, for others, it is a skill that takes a lot of practice until their ears and mind can work together to form the word.
I love this class! They are so full of energy and I enjoy finding ways to channel that energy into learning! :)
Enjoy your week!
Ms. Strong
Hope you all are enjoying the snow! I always say, make the best of every situation! :) Just a reminder to see that your child is dressed properly. Snow pants are not necessary since they only have 15 minutes to be outside. It ends up taking them almost that long to get them on and they end up with no time to play. Boots are important since their feet tend to get cold and wet very easily. Just make sure that on PE days they have shoes in their bags. It is good to label everything you possibly can with their name. Items get lost very easily in the mudroom or on the playground. If you do not have wraps for your kids, let me know. We have ways to help in that area.
Remember, our Fall Field Trip to McMannamen Park is this Thursday. It is suppose to be a nice fall day, but we may encounter snow cover in a few spots and probably mud, so make sure your child has on shoes that are okay to get muddy. Even if it is nice, they still will need a coat. The breeze coming off the lake can be cold. You are welcome to join us if you like! We will arrive about 1:30 and leave about 2:30.
Just a reminder that I have to be out of the classroom tomorrow, Tuesday, for a meeting. I am praying everything runs smoothly! :) I will also be out next Tuesday morning for a Math training. Also, a reminder that there is no school next Monday for students. It is a professional day for us. :)
If you noticed the papers coming home in the past week, we have started working on more writing. The kids have impressed me so far! I am very proud of how hard they are working. You can encourage writing at home, as well. The more they do, the more confident they will become. Right now, we are doing a lot of sentence building and then they copy it onto their paper, but we work on sounding words out and writing down the sounds we hear as well. It might be fun for them to have a little tablet for them to write what they would like or copy words from something around the house. They can write sight words or make sentences with some of their sight words. Just be careful not to push them too hard at this point. I like to make it fun and exciting so that they do not get discouraged. :)
They are all doing great in the area of reading. Keep practicing sight words and reading the books they bring home. We have been working on phoneme blending. A fun game you can play (works great while driving too!), you say c-a-n and they have to say can. Some catch on quickly to putting the sounds together into words and, for others, it is a skill that takes a lot of practice until their ears and mind can work together to form the word.
I love this class! They are so full of energy and I enjoy finding ways to channel that energy into learning! :)
Enjoy your week!
Ms. Strong
Monday, September 23, 2013
Fall is now upon us...
I feel like our summer field trip was a success! :) We are going to spend this week on rainbows. We will be doing some fun activities with each color of the rainbow as we practice recognizing our color words. That is something you can reinforce at home.
We are moving right along in reading. They are working very hard on their sight words and practicing making the sounds of the letters to figure out the words they don't know. I have introduced a few strategies we use and thought I would share them so that you can use them at home when you are reading with them.
Eagle Eyes: check the letters, then check the picture
Lips the Fish: get your mouth ready for the first word, then
begin reading
Stretchy Snake: stretch the word out slowly, then put the sounds
back together to figure out the word
Peekin' Poodle: Peek at the picture to make sure it makes sense
Every chance you can take to let them read to you will make them more successful. If they are struggling, read it with them once and then let them have a turn by themselves. It is very important that they point to each word as their mouth is saying it at this point. Have them work on expression as well. I am excited to see where this group goes as readers. :)
This week in math, we will be reviewing and writing our numbers 0 through 10. We will be counting groups and matching numbers to groups. Once they have success with this, we will move on to the teen numbers which are much harder.
I am sad to say that I have to be gone Friday for a meeting. I have been asked to help revamp the district's reading curriculum. As much as I hate leaving my students, I know it is important that I help with this important task. I have done my best to line up a good substitute teacher and to prep her. I will do my best to have the same sub when I am gone for these meetings. Thank you for understanding.
Don't forget that we are having our Open House on Tuesday night from 5:30-6:30. This is a special time for the kids to show off what they have been doing in our classroom. I look forward to seeing all of you!
Have a great week!
Ms. Strong
I feel like our summer field trip was a success! :) We are going to spend this week on rainbows. We will be doing some fun activities with each color of the rainbow as we practice recognizing our color words. That is something you can reinforce at home.
We are moving right along in reading. They are working very hard on their sight words and practicing making the sounds of the letters to figure out the words they don't know. I have introduced a few strategies we use and thought I would share them so that you can use them at home when you are reading with them.
Eagle Eyes: check the letters, then check the picture
Lips the Fish: get your mouth ready for the first word, then
begin reading
Stretchy Snake: stretch the word out slowly, then put the sounds
back together to figure out the word
Peekin' Poodle: Peek at the picture to make sure it makes sense
Every chance you can take to let them read to you will make them more successful. If they are struggling, read it with them once and then let them have a turn by themselves. It is very important that they point to each word as their mouth is saying it at this point. Have them work on expression as well. I am excited to see where this group goes as readers. :)
This week in math, we will be reviewing and writing our numbers 0 through 10. We will be counting groups and matching numbers to groups. Once they have success with this, we will move on to the teen numbers which are much harder.
I am sad to say that I have to be gone Friday for a meeting. I have been asked to help revamp the district's reading curriculum. As much as I hate leaving my students, I know it is important that I help with this important task. I have done my best to line up a good substitute teacher and to prep her. I will do my best to have the same sub when I am gone for these meetings. Thank you for understanding.
Don't forget that we are having our Open House on Tuesday night from 5:30-6:30. This is a special time for the kids to show off what they have been doing in our classroom. I look forward to seeing all of you!
Have a great week!
Ms. Strong
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Our First Week!
We made it through our first week with very few tears and much excitement and fun! It amazes me every year how much these little guys' brains can consume in the first week. They have done a really great job of learning and practicing all of the rules and procedures.
Next week, Tuesday and Thursday, we will be doing our MAP testing. We will do our DIBELS testing throughout the week. MAP testing is done on the computer with Mrs. Miller, our computer teacher. Mrs. Sheehan will be doing the DIBELS testing with them. For this one, they are individually pulled outside the classroom for just a few minutes at a time. It will test letter recognition and letter sounds. MAP tests basic math and reading skills. These tests are nothing for you or your child to worry about. They are simply to give us a baseline to see where your child is at and give us a better idea of what we need to work on the most. We will be taking the same tests in the winter and spring to show your child's progression. Just make sure they get good rest this week and are in school this week.
We are off to a great start with our reading skills. I hope they have been reading their books to you. It is an exciting step for these little guys and they are so excited to be learning words. We have learned a, I, and learned how to put two sounds together to make a word with the word am. Try to have a designated box, basket, or bag for your child to save these books and read over and over. The more practice they get, the better they will progress with their reading skills. They also love coloring and drawing in these books. There are often pages in the back that they can add their own words and illustrations to the book. Have fun with them and show them constantly what an important life skill reading is.
We are off to a great start in math, as well. We are working on recognizing and writing our numerals 1-10. We are also practicing counting objects. The students were excited to get their math workbooks and begin working in them.
In handwriting this week, we practiced proper posture and pencil grip with a few fun activities. We are prepared to take off in our workbooks on Monday learning proper letter formation. Please help reinforce starting every letter at the top when they are writing at home.
I am very excited to see the progress we make in all areas. Please contact me anytime with questions or comments.
Have a great week!
Ms. Strong
Reminder: Book Order due next Monday if you wish to order.
Pay your monthly snack if you have not yet.
Thanks to those who have.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Welcome to Kindergarten!
I am looking forward to a fun time with your child. I cannot wait to get to know each one of my students and becoming a "family". I look forward to getting to know you as their parents as well.
Teaching is my life, my passion, and my dream since I entered kindergarten myself. I believe the kindergarten year of a child's school career is the most important. It is the year that they build their love for school, and most of all, their love of learning which should last a lifetime. My number one goal as a kindergarten teacher is just that! My prayer is that each child leaves kindergarten with a desire to learn all they can and to realize they are capable of anything they set their mind to.
The motto in my room is a quote by Abraham Lincoln. When some people thought he was incapable of being president because of his background, Abe put it simply and clearly into words I desire each one of my students to live by: "I will do the best I know how, the best I can." We will learn many things this year together, but the qualities I desire to instill most in my students are those life long skills they need to be a great citizen now and all throughout their life.
My favorite part of teaching is helping a child learn to read. I like to make learning hands on and show my students ways they can help cement important information in their minds. One way we do this is through music and rhymes. They will come home with silly little sayings and stories that might make you think I am crazy! :) As teachers, we do what works and we love to have fun doing it.
Please know that anytime you have questions or concerns about anything, I am available. Please call, text, or email me anytime. I may not be able to answer promptly, but I will get back to you as soon as possible. My email and phone number is at the bottom of the letter you should have already received. Again, I look forward to getting to know you and your child and having an exciting year together.
Sincerely,
Ms. Strong
I am looking forward to a fun time with your child. I cannot wait to get to know each one of my students and becoming a "family". I look forward to getting to know you as their parents as well.
Teaching is my life, my passion, and my dream since I entered kindergarten myself. I believe the kindergarten year of a child's school career is the most important. It is the year that they build their love for school, and most of all, their love of learning which should last a lifetime. My number one goal as a kindergarten teacher is just that! My prayer is that each child leaves kindergarten with a desire to learn all they can and to realize they are capable of anything they set their mind to.
The motto in my room is a quote by Abraham Lincoln. When some people thought he was incapable of being president because of his background, Abe put it simply and clearly into words I desire each one of my students to live by: "I will do the best I know how, the best I can." We will learn many things this year together, but the qualities I desire to instill most in my students are those life long skills they need to be a great citizen now and all throughout their life.
My favorite part of teaching is helping a child learn to read. I like to make learning hands on and show my students ways they can help cement important information in their minds. One way we do this is through music and rhymes. They will come home with silly little sayings and stories that might make you think I am crazy! :) As teachers, we do what works and we love to have fun doing it.
Please know that anytime you have questions or concerns about anything, I am available. Please call, text, or email me anytime. I may not be able to answer promptly, but I will get back to you as soon as possible. My email and phone number is at the bottom of the letter you should have already received. Again, I look forward to getting to know you and your child and having an exciting year together.
Sincerely,
Ms. Strong
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
I am a very phonetic teacher when I am teaching reading. Throughout the year, I will be telling your child silly little stories to help them remember some of the most common phonics rules in our language. Of course, with our conglomerated language, the rules do not always apply. We call those the rule breakers, just like we sometimes break the rules. I will try to share these stories with you throughout the year. Here is one of the stories I introduced just this week. They especially love this one!
"ow" and "ou" Phonics Story
"W" and "U" are bad bullies! They are especially mean to "O". When they stand behind her in line, they like to pinch her. When "W" or "U" does this, "O" says "ow!!!! That hurt!!!" Therefore, the words: now cow cloud loud out pow town
However, sometimes the teacher really has her eye on "W" and "U" so then they know they better not bully or they will get in trouble, so they just act nice to "O" and tell her to say her name. Therefore, the words: snow blow crow soul bowl grow
When reading with your child, use these stories to help them sound out the words they don't know. I always tell them to look for the rules, then apply the rules, make the sounds, and put them together into a word. This may seem slow and laborious at first, but with practice they will become quick at seeing the rules and applying them.
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