Day 180: June 27, 2013
'What a Wonderful World'... It is the signature song for Double K. We played it this morning and again at dismissal. It was the song that we played each day as a cue to gather together for our morning meeting so it was fitting that it would bookend our last day as the first Double K. The children met their 1st grade teachers at 9:15 and there were smiles everywhere. They are ready! We revisited some of our favorite community building games/songs--Circle 'Round the Zero, Madagascar, special Greeting handshake and our goodbye (see you soon) chants. The D.K.T. barely kept it together. Once again, thank you for taking a chance on us. We loved every minute of this school year. Have a great summer. See you in September.
Day 179: June 26, 2013
Speed version--Archie's visiting!
Blocks galore!
Guest reader--Marin's Dad, Pirate book--Marin and his dad's birthday!
More blocks and organizing!
Snack and recess!
K3 has P.E.
Lunch and recess!
Community building games from earlier in the year- A Tootie Ta, Mother Goonie Bird and the Silly Pirate song.
Archie visits and popsicles!
"Something Special"
"Mrs. Wishy Washy" Big Book--First read, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro--2nd read by the Double K!
Dismissal 1.....day.....left :(
Day 178: June 25,2013
We are so lucky that our Double K classroom faces west (and we have those two blue doors to open before school). We are the 'coolest' classroom at the Eveleth School! Even so, it was still very warm. We put a variety of games out on the tables before our first guest readers of the day came in. David's sister, Emily, read two books, "Bats at the Beach" and "Gerald McBoing Boing". Then it was time for an Eveleth Community Meeting where we celebrated May-August birthdays and Ms. Mimi got us up and moving! Back in the classroom we continued our games. It was James B.'s birthday so his mom, sister, Maddy and friend, Chloe Trudel (Max's sister) read two books. The first was "So Many Cats" followed by "The Gruffalo" (the Bickell family's favorite). Snack and recess followed. After recess, Mrs. Carroll read the book, "Game Day" which was recommended by Mrs. Bickell. We did calendar and then it was time for lunch. We stayed cool and hydrated at recess by staying in the shade and drinking lots of water. We came back into the classroom to prepare for our show, 'Ocean Commotion". All the Kindergartners were amazing! Every child had a popsicle and it was dismissal time. 2 days left... :(
Day 177: June 24, 2013
Today was our class party and the children came to school ready for some water play! The heat of the day was beginning to fill our classroom so we kept the lights off and the children played with a variety of math and fine motor materials. We met for calendar (including the 'Montharena'). Annabelle and Maddy read "The ABCs of Marblehead" to the class. We made a list of all our favorite games and songs that we want to do one more time this week. That brought us to snack and recess. After recess we read two books, "My Very Own Octopus" by Bernard Most and "The Fish Who Could Wish" by John Bush. The girls and boys finished their Craypahs fish picture. Those who were finished helped to empty out reading bags and organize the books. Finally it was time for the party! The party menu was hotdogs, lemonade, chips, pretzels and watermelon. Later on everyone enjoyed a popsicle! The room mothers had a sprinkler set up, water balloons, hula hoops, a parachute, pails for each child that could be decorated and the water table was moved outside too. Children organized a few games of 'Duck, Duck Splash'. Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro LOVED the fingerprint tree pictures with their names and Double K 2012-2013 printed on them. There might have been a tear or two :) All the D.K.T. received some lovely gifts too! Thank you to all the Double K parents and to our room mothers: Mrs. Alpert, Mrs. Brennan,Mrs. Bouchard, Mrs. Duffy and Mrs. Gillett. We all pitched in and cleaned up outside ("Everyone needs to pick up 10 balloons or pieces of paper!") and then the boys and girls relaxed and watched a Miss Nelson story on the Teamboard. 3 days left... :(
Day 176: June 21, 2013
Six words sum up today: Field Trip to Franklin Park Zoo! We had a great trip! The eight chaperones were wonderful because no one had to supervise more than 4 children (although we all kept counting and recounting children in the Tropical Forest!)
Thanks to all of you. The girls and boys had two full hours to explore the zoo. Ask your child what was the favorite animal of the day. We ate lunch on picnic tables and headed back to the Eveleth. The boys and girls decompressed by watching some stories on the Teamboard. Have fun at the carnival tomorrow! Class party on Monday. Get ready to get wet!! Four days left... :(
Day 175: June 20, 2013
Everyone worked on an 'At the Zoo' mini book this morning. They colored the animals, added in details of their habitats and highlighted sight words. At meeting we did the regular calendar and the Starfall one too. Next the children chose between a reader's or writer's workshop. The timer went off halfway through, and the girls and boys could switch from one workshop to another if they so desired. Snack and recess followed. K4 had P.E. and K3 had their iPad time. The Music teachers ran the final rehearsal for the "Ocean Commotion" show on Tuesday. We enjoyed two stories, "Dear Zoo" by Rod Campbell and "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" lyrics by Bob Dylan and illustrations by Jim Arnosky. The boys and girls earned an extra recess so some played outside, some used iPads and some enjoyed a variety of indoor recess activities. We lost track of time and all of a sudden it was 2:20! Tomorrow we are off to the zoo! Five days left... :(
Day 174: June 19, 2013
We are going to the zoo on Friday so we began our day with a sorting activity--farm or zoo animals. We practiced working very quietly in preparation for 1st grade! At meeting we did calendar and generated some ideas for centers that the 2013-2014 Double K children might enjoy at the Open House at 10:00. Snack and recess were a little early so that the D.K.T. could set up. During the Open House we shared the book the class made called "Welcome to Double K!" We enjoyed meeting the new children, but our heart strings are pulled for our 'First Double K Ever!" K3 had P.E. and K4 had iPad time. After lunch recess, K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. When we were all back together we set up some games and centers. Our day ended with some poems about the zoo and the Mystery Box (sunglasses). Six days left... :(
Day 173: June 18, 2012
Today was the Glover/Eveleth Field Day! Mr. Fargo did an amazing job of organizing and setting up all the stations and activities. We split into K3 and K4 which was more manageable. Some of the stations we went to were Duck,Duck Splash, Parachute, Kickball, Water Balloon Toss, Crazy Object Carry, Heady Ready Bean Bag Race, Sponges and Bottles, and Stackers and Blasters. Two classes/grade levels were sometimes grouped together which made it extra fun. We cooled off at a water station and had lemon and watermelon slush. Everyone sat outside on the grass by the Double K classroom for snack and lunch. The D.K.T. were ready for a nap! We squeezed in calendar, some stories on the Teamboard and recess. Mrs. Bouchard was our guest reader and she read, "If I Built a House" by Chris Van Dusen. Thank you, Mr. Fargo and all the parent volunteers for such a great day!
Day 172: June 17, 2013
We had read about sharks on Friday so the girls and boys completed a handwriting/ sentence structure paper about sharks. We gathered on the rug because Ms. Devin has a summer birthday and we were celebrating with her today. She got cards, one handmade by the students and one with the Madagascar song, and we sang 'The Best Birthday Song Ever'. Lucy had her birthday over the weekend, and Sergio and Serena's is on 7/17 so we celebrated their birthdays too! Mrs. Carroll got out our tide pooling class book from September and we enjoyed seeing it again. Each child got to take home their own page. After snack recess we did calendar and then we read two books with math: " A More or Less Fish Story" which focused on addition and subtraction, and "A Fishy Shape Story" which used a variety of shapes to draw fish. Everyone then had a chance to design a shape fish. After lunch recess it was time for Library. To end our day, Mrs. Brennan and Mrs. Alpert were doing a top secret project with pairs of Double K children. We also generated a list of ideas from our school year that could be part of a Double K big book that we can share with our incoming Kindergarteners on Wednesday. We watched Ms. Devin's favorite songs--the Shapes song and the Big Number song, and it was time for dismissal.
Day 171: June 14, 2013
Friday Daily News speed version:
Seahorse art projects-- finished!
Father's Day surprises-- finished!
"Mercy Watson Saves the Day"-- finished!
Dictation assessments-- finished!
Math games, ocean bingo and sorting!
Some sharks lay eggs, some give birth to live baby sharks!
Have a great Father's Day weekend!
Day 170: June 13, 2013
We are getting ready for Father's Day so we got started on some secret things for Dads! It was Aria's birthday so her mother came in as a guest reader. She read two great books-- "The Dot" and "To Market, To Market". We did calendar next because today was a 'Circle 'Round the Zero' day! There is only one left and it is a big one!! We read part of a book on sharks. Did you know that there are hundreds of different types of sharks? We then continued on super secret Father's Day things and our Seahorse art projects. I told you there are a lot of steps to complete this project! That led right into snack and recess. After recess, K4 had P.E. and K3 completed a dictation assessment. K4 will do it tomorrow. After lunch the Music teachers ran a rehearsal for their Kindergarten Ocean Show. Double K earned 10 Impress Me points in the morning so we had an extra recess, and yes...you guessed it...Father's Day secrets and seahorse art! We had a few minutes for two chapters in "Mercy Watson Saves the Day", and then it was time for folders and dismissal.
Day 169: June 12, 2013
Today was our tide pool trip to Grace Oliver's Beach. The weather was great--not too hot and partly sunny. The children explored under rocks and in crevices. Some comments we overheard were, "We are working as a team and giving each one a crab!" "Holy cow! Look at how big this one is!" "I am letting my crabs go now so that they can be free again." There were many amazing discoveries and there were only little pinches from the crabs! We also saw a beautiful heron fishing with some seagulls. We got back to school just in time for a couple of chapters in "Mercy Watson to the Rescue" and then lunch. K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. We did calendar and children shared some special objects. Then we had a "Block Party" (the blocks came out) while we continued the seahorse painting project. They should be magnificent when we finish!
Day 168: June 11, 2013
This morning, from 8:00-11:00, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro attended a training session about the new math program for next year. Mrs. Carroll, Ms. Devin and Mrs. Nye had a variety of tide pool activities and books to keep the Double K children very busy all morning long. The weather cleared for outdoor lunch recess and then K3 and K4 had Music. They listened to a rhyming story, "The Seaside Switch". We continued with our seahorse art project which has many steps and techniques. They will be awesome when we complete them later this week! Tomorrow is our tide pooling trip, and unless it is pouring or thundering and lightning(ing!) we are going. You are welcome to join us at Grace Oliver's Beach. We will have lunch back at school. French toast sticks is this Wednesday's hot lunch!
Day 167: June 8, 2013
"Same and Different" was a mini book the children colored, assembled and read as their before meeting work. At Morning Meeting, lunch orders and attendance were checked. Then the Double K prepared for a Weekend News Writer's Workshop by generating ideas. Then they settled in to write and draw. Many children wanted to share their writing so they lined up and walked to the gym 'as quietly as a boa constrictor searching for prey'! The girls and boys sat in a big circle and shared their writing. They worked so hard and were so respectful that they earned 3 Impress Me points! After snack and recess there was a special treat. The 4th and 5th grade choruses from the Village School came and performed for the Eveleth students. We were very impressed with their performance! It was time for Library after lunch recess. No more books are being borrowed. When the children returned to the classroom we made a chart of our new ladybug schema. The 'scientists' then wrote some information they have learned. When that was complete we went outside and released our ladybugs into nature. The time went quickly and we gave out folders for dismissal.
Day 166: June 7, 2013
Our day started with a Book Look because we were having a guest reader at 8:15. Guni's mother came in and read "Sharks vs. Trains" which the Double K enjoyed very much. We then examined the development of the ladybugs in our 'Ladybug World' habitat. They should be ready to be released next week. This scientific discussion was followed by a shared reading of "Lady bug Girl". At calendar time we reviewed the dates of our June birthdays, and then decided to celebrate the July and August birthdays on the coinciding June dates so that all children can get a sticker and go to the prize box. We practiced counting by 10s, 5s and 2s. Next was a lesson on sea sponges followed by a handwriting/sentence structure paper about starfish. We had another word search to try too. During indoor recess the children began a seahorse painting project. After recess K3 had P.E. and K4 had iPad practice. Painting continued before lunch and during indoor lunch recess. K4 had Art (may be their last due to Field Day and the Zoo field trip) and K3 had iPad practice. We began to read the first chapters in "Mercy Watson Saves the Day"" and then ended our day with a Reader's Workshop. We survived a rainy Friday in Double K by reading, reading, painting and reading!
Day 165: June 6, 2013
The Math Centers were out and the children tried something new. We had meeting and did calendar. Ms. Mimi came in and did a 'Second Steps' lesson about friendship and kindness. They watched a video that depicted various situations in which the children made good choices to resolve conflict. Then we read "Starfish" by Edith Thacher Hurd and the boys and girls tried drawing a starfish without tracing. After snack recess, K4 had P.E. and K3 helped to organize book bins and do some reading.
Our afternoon special was Music. After Music we put out a variety of ocean themed jigsaw puzzles and the girls and boys worked in teams to complete them. The end of Kindergarten is near so Mrs. Carroll found a book of poems called 'Kindergarten Kids' that had poems with "riddles, rebuses, wiggles, giggles and more". One poem reminded us of a goodbye rhyme from the beginning of the year, so we recited it. Then someone else suggested that we sing "The Goodbye Song"! It is fun and heartwarming to revisit some of the routines we had in place way back in September!
Day 164: June 5, 2013
Our day started the way it ended yesterday with Literacy Centers. We then had morning meeting and had a short discussion reminding the girls and boys about standing up for themselves and others when it is needed. We reviewed our sight words and then read "Fish Eyes" by Lois Ehlert. The children then created a number story with fish as the unit. Many of them tried to use the designs and colors that Lois Ehlert uses in her book. When finished, they could try an Ocean Word Search! After snack recess, K3 had P.E. and K4 helped to organize our book bins that have gotten a bit mixed up! It was also an opportunity to reread some favorite books. K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Ms. Devin introduced two new math games and we then divided into a variety of math centers. At 2:15 we organized the centers so they are ready for the boys and girls to try a new one tomorrow morning.
Day 163: June 4, 2013
Today was Mrs. Perroni's birthday so you can only imagine the celebration!! There were various art activities out for the children to choose from while we listened to the best birthday song ever...over and over again! Mrs. Perroni was in charge of calendar and read her favorite book, "Make Way for Ducklings". We had many guest readers today too--Leo B., Serena, and Cody and Max. It was all about birthdays and books before snack and recess so we focused on sentence dictation when we returned to the classroom. That activity was followed by a handwriting and sentence structure paper about a seahorse. Our special was Music and the children are practicing some songs for the Kindergarten Ocean Show on Tuesday, June 25th at 1:45. We read the book "One" which is a clever and touching book about standing up for yourself. We ended our day with a variety of literacy centers, just as we did yesterday. Before the children left for the day, we sang two more Happy Birthday songs to Mrs. Perroni! She was the Queen for the Day!
Day 162: June 3, 2013
It is June!! Can you believe it? We are heading to the finish line and the D.K.T. have mixed feelings! The ladybugs have emerged, with yellowish, orangeish, brownish shells, and we started our day with a mini book on things that live in the ocean. It has been a while since we have had a Monday morning sharing circle in the gym so we gathered there for our morning meeting. There were so many good topics for Writer's Workshop that we got the ideas down on paper, and had time for some to share. Indoor recess followed. There have been a few incidences of unkind behavior recently so we read a book and talked about how to respond when you see someone being mean, or if you are the target of this 'bullying' behavior. This discussion brought us to lunch time. Our special was Library, and this is the last Monday at which books may be borrowed. The last part of our day was choice Literacy Centers and guest readers, Marty and Max, reading "Hello Wally".
Day 161: May 31, 2013
The main purpose today was to stay as cool and calm as possible. 90 degree days can be taxing in school so we planned accordingly. The children did a fishy shape paper when they came in. At meeting we finished Gail Gibbons' "Ladybugs" book. Then it was time for calendar and since it was the last day of May we played a number/dates recognition game. Marin had a cool flashlight and we used that to highlight the different answers. The children then prepared the days for our June calendar. We are so lucky in Double K because we are on the coolest and shadiest side of the Eveleth School. We had both recesses outside our classroom doors with choices of painting, water table, sand table and group games. Children also had the option to stay inside the classroom. Before lunch there was a Writer's Workshop. Friday is iPad day so K4 had their turn while K3 had P.E. and K3 had their turn while K4 had Art. We ended the day with popsicles (thank you Mrs. Bouchard), Guess Who and the Mystery Box. Stay cool this weekend!
Day 160: May 31, 2013
The before school work was a draw a dinosaur step by step paper. We then gathered on the rug and sang some dinosaur songs and we did the "Dino Stomp". Next was calendar because it is the 160th day of the school year--"Circle 'Round the Zero'!! Before we returned to the classroom we reviewed our Town Tour and each child got ready to write a Small Moment story about their favorite part of the day. The D.K.T.were very impressed with their writing! We read Gail Gibbons' "Ladybugs" and we compared the development of our larvae and pupae with the drawings in the book. Snack, recess and then K4 had P.E. K3 had a Reader's Writer's Workshop. After lunch recess it was time for Music. Hot weather calls for popsicles so the children cooled off and watched a few stories on the Teamboard. It was time for folders and a quick game of I Spy... and then it was dismissal.
Day 159: May 29, 2013
At the end of the day on Tuesday we viewed a map of Marblehead that was enlarged on the Teamboard. This morning each child had a map of Marblehead to color and, if desired, to trace the route of our Town Tour. Fran Sheridan, our tour guide came to the classroom and then we boarded the bus @ 8:45. It was cloudy but dry! Our first stop was Redd's Pond and then Old Burial Hill. We saw General John Glover's tomb and viewed a monument in memory of the 63 men who perished in a devastating gale in the 1800s. We also saw many old gravestones. We then walked down the other side and across the street to Fountain Park which has a wonderful view of Marblehead, the harbor, Neck and lighthouse. The bus picked us up and brought us to the Lee Mansion. The children snacked right outside. Then K3 went into the Lee Mansion for a tour with Pam Peterson, the director of the Historical Society and Museum. K4 went across the street and Fran Sheridan told the children all about J.O.J. Frost and his paintings. Then the groups switched. We reconnected at Abbot Hall in the Maritime Museum. We walked across the hall to view the famous 'Spirit of '76' painting. Everyone was hungry so we boarded the bus and drove to the Landing where we sat on benches, ate our lunches and observed the activity on the harbor. Energy levels were restored so we walked to Gen. Glover's home on Glover Square and then proceeded up Front St. to Fort Sewall. The bus driver picked us up there and we headed back to Eveleth. Everyone rested for a few minutes and then it was indoor or outdoor recess choice. We had a very full and interesting day! Make sure to ask your child about some favorite parts of the day. They will have a chance to write and draw tomorrow during Writer's Workshop. Check out some photos from our trip in our Photo Gallery today.
Day 158: May 28, 2013
It was dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs all day long! The children started their day coloring a dinosaur size comparison paper. We watched two videos, "Patrick's Dinosaur" and "What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaur" by Carol and Donald Carrick. We took a little dino break and had a Writer's Workshop because everyone had interesting long weekends! We shared some writing and then had snack. K4 went to the Dino Dig enrichment program first and K3 went next. The program was excellent! Thank you again Glover/Eveleth P.T.O. The photo above shows some 'paleontologists' on a dinosaur dig. Ask your Double K child the difference between body fossils and trace fossils! After lunch we had Music. We then put a map of Marblehead on the Teamboard and mapped out our Town Tour for tomorrow. Our day ended with two more dinosaur books, "Dinosaur Bones" by Bob Barner and"The Super Hungry Dinosaur" by Martin Waddell. We sent out an email about what the children need for the Town Tour tomorrow. It should be a great day!
Day 157: May 24, 2013
There was a ladybug poem and drawing activity on the tables this morning. We then gathered on the rug for our Morning Meeting. We read a book about Memorial Day and had a short discussion about this American holiday. We moved to the other rug and watched a DVD of our Poetry Jam. Next the boys and girls colored, cut, looped and glued a food chain--aphids, ladybugs, a robin and a fox. There was snack and outdoor recess. While K3 had P.E. K4 got to partner up and use the iPads for the first time. We let them use this time to learn how to use an iPad and to explore the apps. When the class was back together K4 shared their iPad experiences and made recommendations to K3. Serena had brought in "Tikki, Tikki, Tembo and the children enjoyed a shared reading.
After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had their time to partner up with iPads. When we were back together we watched a Magic School Bus video about dinosaurs. There is a Kindergarten enrichment program on Tuesday which focuses on dinosaurs. Everyone got to share some dinosaur schema before dismissal. Enjoy the long weekend and Happy Memorial Day to all our Double K families!
Day 156: May 23, 2013
The children started their day with a ladybug coloring paper. When we gathered on the rug we watched a video about the life cycle of a ladybug and a second video of Eric Carle's "The Grouchy Ladybug". The children then went to their seats and colored, cut and fastened a ladybug life cycle wheel. Snack recess was indoors and extended because the girls and boys had earned their 10th Impress Me Point. While K4 had P.E. K3 had some sharing and a Reader's Workshop. Everyone had Music and then we shared a new surprise. The Kindergartens have been given 10 iPads for the children to use! Some of the children are familiar with them and we checked out a few of the learning apps that the children will be able to use. Tomorrow, there are two times in the day when we only have half the class. During those times, we will partner up the children and they can explore these wonderful learning tools!
Day 155: May 22, 2012
Today was the First Double K Poetry Jam!!! The children were fantastic!! The D.K.T. were so proud! It was wonderful to have everyone back to the classroom afterwards for a little party to celebrate! When everyone left we had a quick meeting and then headed outside for recess. Next was a Reader'Writer's Workshop. After lunch K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. We are starting a new science unit so we used the Mystery Box to introduce it- Ladybugs! We made a chart that listed 'Our Ladybug Schema'. Lucy had been waiting to be a guest reader and she read "Yellow and Yummy". Caroline got a book order today and she chose "The Last Day of Kindergarten" for a shared reading. We ended our day singing "Today is Monday". It was an eventful day and one we will never forget!
Day 154: May 21, 2013
The boys and girls started their day with some handwriting practice that connected to CVC rhyming words (dog/fog). We then had our Morning Meeting with Calendar, sight words and letter/sound rapid naming practice. Next was a Writer's Workshop at which the young writers were encouraged to choose a topic they don't usually write about. Then it was time for snack and recess. When the boys and girls returned to the classroom a few children had something to share. Annabelle had quite a few different state quarters! We then focused in on a couple of poems that were still a little shaky. The D.K.T. think they are ready for the Poetry Jam tomorrow! Our special today was Music. Mrs. Perroni modeled how to paint lilacs and the girls and boys created their own watercolor paintings. We finished the day with "Mouse Soup" by Arnold Lobel. See you tomorrow morning!
Day 153: May 20, 2013
Double K had our dress rehearsal for the Poetry Jam this morning. We were able to videotape the children so that they could see themselves performing, which gives them the chance to evaluate what looks good and which parts need more work. Certain parts that need more work were evident! We spent a good amount of time in the morning tweaking those parts and will continue practicing tomorrow. Showtime is Wednesday, ready or not!!
Marty and Sydney were our calendar people today. The class had Library. Some children were able to share some objects, poems and stories with their classmates. We read Marty's book about Bravo the bear. At the end of the day, we surprised Ms. Devin with her pink, handprinted and signed rocking chair! Mr. Mace brought it around to our picnic tables, Mrs. Carroll blindfolded Ms. Devin and led her outside. We made two lines for them to walk through and we hummed "Here Comes the Bride"! When she took the blindfold off she seemed very excited and happy with her new chair. She will never forget Double K!!
Some Everyday Math booklets went home today. They are for the children to keep. We encouraged the children to practice some of the poems quietly at home today so that they get better and better.
Day 152: May 17, 2013
Today was all about preparations for the Poetry Jam! The children rehearsed the entire show in the gym. Mrs. Perroni had been at a training the last two days and the class knocked her shoes off (no socks on!) with their efforts and improvements! Next it was time for tie-dyeing our t-shirts. Thank you to all the moms who came in and helped with the project. Mrs. Quigley took the shirts home to wash and dry them. We can't wait to see them on Monday! After snack recess we painted some scenery with the theme of "What a Wonderful World". The children worked outside on the picnic tables and on a wooden divider. Thanks again to the PTO for the picnic tables. We love being out in the fresh air and using those tables for more than snack and lunch. Speaking of lunch, the PTO spoiled the Eveleth staff with a lovely luncheon. Tables with tablecloths and tulip, rose and violet lilac centerpieces transformed the gym space! Everything was delicious. Thank you to the moms who supervised the class while we ate and to the moms who provided the delicious food. The day ended with more rehearsal on some of the poems that still need some tweaking. It is all coming together. We cannot wait to perform for you on Wednesday! Have a good weekend!
Day 151: May 16, 2013
Our day started by decorating invitations to the Poetry Jam next Wednesday. You should find one in your child's folder! Next was meeting, lunch count and calendar. We have music for a few songs in the show so we listened to them to get the speed and pacing. We also reviewed a poem that still had a few glitches. Then it was into the gym for a total run through of the program. We are definitely making progress! Snack and recess followed. When we came back in, Mrs. Brennan read "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small. This was one of the stories portrayed at the Berklee performance. We discussed the similarities and differences between the stage production and the book. Then K4 had P.E. K3 had yesterday's reading mini-lesson on one to one match when reading, followed by a reader's workshop. After music, we played Bingo which is great practice with two digit numbers. We had time for three games! We recited one of our favorite poems from the show and then packed up for dismissal. We will be tie-dyeing all the white t-shirts tomorrow in preparation for the big show!
Day 150: May 15, 2013
Fine motor activities such as the sand table, water table, Playdoh, blocks and stencils were on the tables this morning. Simultaneously each child got to tissue paper a letter for our Poetry Jam banner. It was Courtney's birthday and her dad was our guest reader! He read two books: "The Talent Show" by Joe Hodgkinson and "The Looking Book" by P.K. Hallinan. We love having guest readers! Then we continued with the fine motor activities until all the children had completed a letter on the banner. Next it was time for calendar because it was another 'Circle'Round the Zero' day! However, we needed to have a rehearsal in the gym first. After snack recess, K3 had P.E. and K4 had a reading mini-lesson on pointing to each word when you read (one to one match) which is an important beginner reader skill. We also reviewed strategies for when you are stuck on a word: look at the picture, look at the first letter, and think about what would make sense. Then we practiced these skills during a reader's workshop. After lunch and recess, K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Grady and Tucker were guest readers. We played 'Mystery Box (a cell phone). Right before dismissal we reviewed letter/sound fluency and timed some students. Then the children had to guess the time by the 'Too High, Too Low' method. On the way out the door, Courtney had a mechanical pencil for each child!
Day 149: May 14, 2013
First and last name handwriting practice was the before meeting work today. Then Leonardo's mother was our guest reader. She read an all time favorite, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. Then the pressure was on for our Poetry Jam because we found out there is an enrichment program on Tuesday morning, therefore our dress rehearsal needs to be on Monday! We headed for the gym for our first rehearsal on the risers and stage. The girls and boys worked hard so when we finished rehearsing the children had snack and recess. When we came back in it was time to learn the final two poems. Once again the children persevered. It is difficult to keep memorizing and practicing so many poems!! Yesterday one of the stories depicted in the show at the Berklee was "Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman. We have that story on tape so we listened to it and looked at the illustrations. Afterwards we compared and contrasted the theater production and the book--what was the same and what was different. The last activity before lunch was calendar. After lunch recess the class had Music. The final activity was working on our special gift for Ms. Devin. The days ahead will be filled with lots of preparation for the Poetry Jam next Wednesday, the 22nd, at 8:30 a.m.
Day 148: May 13, 2013
The day started with a Monday morning Book Look. The bus was leaving for our field trip at 8:30 so everyone had a chance to use the bathroom. We arrived at the Berklee Performing Center and waited our turn to enter the theater. The show started shortly after we were seated. Every child was totally engaged in the program! Some of the stories that were part of the show were "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", "Amazing Grace", "Imogene's Antlers", Boritegua (sp?)and the Coyote", "Math Curse", and "Master Man". The singing, acting and dancing were very entertaining! We got on the bus and headed back to school for lunch. All the children did very well without a snack and really enjoyed their lunches! Next was Library and a short recess. We are working on a surprise for Ms. Devin so children came in and out for that project. The homework tonight is to tell your family about the performance. Regular homework will go home tomorrow!
Day 147: May 10, 2013
Some children had to put finishing touches on their "Papa Please Get Me the Moon" art work so others had some quiet free choice time--chess, checkers, reading and sketching.
Then Lucy's mom was our guest reader. She read three wonderful books: "I Will Not Read This Book" by Meng and Joy Ang, "Stuck" by Oliver Jeffers and "Bear's Loose Tooth" by Karma Wilson. We skipped calendar yesterday so we got caught up today. Then it was time for small group poetry practice. The girls and boys are making great progress memorizing all those poems! The sun came out and we had snack and then we did another fire drill. It was perfect! After K3 had P.E. we finished up our Top Secret project and read some "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" related books in preparation for the field trip on Monday. In the afternoon, K4 had Art. We read more "If You Give a..." books and songs, and enjoyed "What Mommies Do Best" by Laura Numeroff. Happy Mother's Day to all our Double K moms!
Day 146: May 9, 2013
Once again the Daily News cannot tell you about the Top Secret morning project! At meeting Campbell shared some British money and then we learned about American quarters. We talked about the state quarters and will look for them and the quarters with the bald eagle. Next we split into 4 groups and rehearsed our poems. After snack recess we had a reading mini-lesson about reading strategies when you are stuck on a word--look at the picture, look at the beginning letter, and think about what would make sense. We used the big book, "The Hermit Crab" by Brian and Jillian Cutting. While K4 had P.E. K3 worked on another Top Secret project! After lunch recess the class had Music and is finishing up "The Carnival of the Animals". The final activity of the day was to finish the artwork for our "Papa Please Get Me the Moon". They came out really well and we will hang them up tomorrow!
Day 145: May 8, 2013
Daily News cannot tell you about the project the children worked on at the start of the day because it is Top Secret! We can't let any information slip out to anybody's mother :)
When that work was completed we had our Morning Meeting. We did the traditional calendar and then the Starfall calendar (first time in May). Then we had a very good practice for our Poetry show. We have not had a fire drill in a while so we reviewed the rules and then pretended there was a fire drill. We filed out quietly and walked quickly to the grassy area behind the hot top. Overall it was a good drill. Snack recess followed.
Mr. Fargo took both K3 and K4 for P.E. at the same time because of the rainy forecast. After lunch recess, K3 had Art and K4 worked on another Top Secret project! When we returned to the classroom we began an art activity that is related to Eric Carle's "Papa Please Get the Moon". We had a little time before dismissal for a few Double K kids to share some special objects. Only 35 days left...we can't believe it!
Day 144: May 7, 2013
Two sketch drawings were copied out of the Cam Jansen book for the children to color when they began their day. Morning meeting was next and we had time to finish "Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery". There WAS someone in the yellow house--it was a bank robber hiding out!! We did calendar and then had an early snack because we had to get ready for the 2nd grade Spring Celebration at the Hobbs playground. The weather could not have been more perfect! The 2nd graders sang, danced and braided ribbons on the Maypole. The performance was very enjoyable and impressive! When we returned to the classroom we verbally shared our favorite parts (also telling why) and then the girls and boys wrote and drew about their favorite part. Lunch and recess were next, and then it was time for Music. After Music we rehearsed poems for our show. Everyone was a bit tired so it was not our best practice. We will try again tomorrow morning when everyone is fresh and awake! The color words songs were played for fun and we sang and danced until it was time to stack the chairs, get folders and line up for dismissal. Tomorrow's hot lunch is pizza!
Day 143: May 6, 2013
This Monday morning we started with a little book featuring _at. Next was our morning meeting and we completed the calendar. Quite a few boys and girls had brought in something to share with the class, so we spent a few minutes listening and observing. Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had to attend a meeting so the class enjoyed some Eric Carle stories on the Teamboard. When we came in from snack recess the boys and girls had a Writer's Workshop-- Weekend News. The mini lesson focused on asking questions and adding details to our stories. This is a skill that will be reviewed many times. Our special today was Library. Next we spent a little time talking about the Golden Rule--Treat others the way you want to be treated. Then it was time for more Poetry Show practice. Before dismissal we read some more in "Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery" by David A. Adler. We are wondering if someone is in the yellow house?... We will find out tomorrow! Reading Bags went home for homework along with a two sided math paper.
We are looking forward to the 2nd grade Spring Celebration tomorrow!
Day 142: May 3, 2013
We started the day with a connect-the-dot paper as we eagerly anticipated our trip to the Wit and Wimsy Book Fair in the gym. Double K were spot perfect whether buying or just window shopping! Each child asked for help as needed and shopped so carefully. You can be so proud...remember they are double the size! We just had to follow up at 9:00 with a book look and sharing. Calendar was run by the students and they did a great job keeping everyone focused and involved. Ms. Nye read a few chapters from our Cam Jansen read aloud and then it was snack and recess. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a little extra recess. We practiced a bit for our poetry show and then Ms. Mimi came to talk about Belly Breathing and other strategies for controlling anger and frustration. The main point was that it is really ok to 'feel' angry or frustrated, but it is not ok to act on it. She read aloud, "When Sophie Gets Angry" by Molly Bang and we all danced to "Stop and Calm Down". After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had a little extra recess. We ended the day with water coloring still life...Mrs. Carroll brought in some tulips. Some free expression was encouraged and the results are great!
It was dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs all day long! The children started their day coloring a dinosaur size comparison paper. We watched two videos, "Patrick's Dinosaur" and "What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaur" by Carol and Donald Carrick. We took a little dino break and had a Writer's Workshop because everyone had interesting long weekends! We shared some writing and then had snack. K4 went to the Dino Dig enrichment program first and K3 went next. The program was excellent! Thank you again Glover/Eveleth P.T.O. The photo above shows some 'paleontologists' on a dinosaur dig. Ask your Double K child the difference between body fossils and trace fossils! After lunch we had Music. We then put a map of Marblehead on the Teamboard and mapped out our Town Tour for tomorrow. Our day ended with two more dinosaur books, "Dinosaur Bones" by Bob Barner and"The Super Hungry Dinosaur" by Martin Waddell. We sent out an email about what the children need for the Town Tour tomorrow. It should be a great day!
Day 157: May 24, 2013
There was a ladybug poem and drawing activity on the tables this morning. We then gathered on the rug for our Morning Meeting. We read a book about Memorial Day and had a short discussion about this American holiday. We moved to the other rug and watched a DVD of our Poetry Jam. Next the boys and girls colored, cut, looped and glued a food chain--aphids, ladybugs, a robin and a fox. There was snack and outdoor recess. While K3 had P.E. K4 got to partner up and use the iPads for the first time. We let them use this time to learn how to use an iPad and to explore the apps. When the class was back together K4 shared their iPad experiences and made recommendations to K3. Serena had brought in "Tikki, Tikki, Tembo and the children enjoyed a shared reading.
After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had their time to partner up with iPads. When we were back together we watched a Magic School Bus video about dinosaurs. There is a Kindergarten enrichment program on Tuesday which focuses on dinosaurs. Everyone got to share some dinosaur schema before dismissal. Enjoy the long weekend and Happy Memorial Day to all our Double K families!
Day 156: May 23, 2013
The children started their day with a ladybug coloring paper. When we gathered on the rug we watched a video about the life cycle of a ladybug and a second video of Eric Carle's "The Grouchy Ladybug". The children then went to their seats and colored, cut and fastened a ladybug life cycle wheel. Snack recess was indoors and extended because the girls and boys had earned their 10th Impress Me Point. While K4 had P.E. K3 had some sharing and a Reader's Workshop. Everyone had Music and then we shared a new surprise. The Kindergartens have been given 10 iPads for the children to use! Some of the children are familiar with them and we checked out a few of the learning apps that the children will be able to use. Tomorrow, there are two times in the day when we only have half the class. During those times, we will partner up the children and they can explore these wonderful learning tools!
Day 155: May 22, 2012
Today was the First Double K Poetry Jam!!! The children were fantastic!! The D.K.T. were so proud! It was wonderful to have everyone back to the classroom afterwards for a little party to celebrate! When everyone left we had a quick meeting and then headed outside for recess. Next was a Reader'Writer's Workshop. After lunch K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. We are starting a new science unit so we used the Mystery Box to introduce it- Ladybugs! We made a chart that listed 'Our Ladybug Schema'. Lucy had been waiting to be a guest reader and she read "Yellow and Yummy". Caroline got a book order today and she chose "The Last Day of Kindergarten" for a shared reading. We ended our day singing "Today is Monday". It was an eventful day and one we will never forget!
Day 154: May 21, 2013
The boys and girls started their day with some handwriting practice that connected to CVC rhyming words (dog/fog). We then had our Morning Meeting with Calendar, sight words and letter/sound rapid naming practice. Next was a Writer's Workshop at which the young writers were encouraged to choose a topic they don't usually write about. Then it was time for snack and recess. When the boys and girls returned to the classroom a few children had something to share. Annabelle had quite a few different state quarters! We then focused in on a couple of poems that were still a little shaky. The D.K.T. think they are ready for the Poetry Jam tomorrow! Our special today was Music. Mrs. Perroni modeled how to paint lilacs and the girls and boys created their own watercolor paintings. We finished the day with "Mouse Soup" by Arnold Lobel. See you tomorrow morning!
Day 153: May 20, 2013
Double K had our dress rehearsal for the Poetry Jam this morning. We were able to videotape the children so that they could see themselves performing, which gives them the chance to evaluate what looks good and which parts need more work. Certain parts that need more work were evident! We spent a good amount of time in the morning tweaking those parts and will continue practicing tomorrow. Showtime is Wednesday, ready or not!!
Marty and Sydney were our calendar people today. The class had Library. Some children were able to share some objects, poems and stories with their classmates. We read Marty's book about Bravo the bear. At the end of the day, we surprised Ms. Devin with her pink, handprinted and signed rocking chair! Mr. Mace brought it around to our picnic tables, Mrs. Carroll blindfolded Ms. Devin and led her outside. We made two lines for them to walk through and we hummed "Here Comes the Bride"! When she took the blindfold off she seemed very excited and happy with her new chair. She will never forget Double K!!
Some Everyday Math booklets went home today. They are for the children to keep. We encouraged the children to practice some of the poems quietly at home today so that they get better and better.
Day 152: May 17, 2013
Today was all about preparations for the Poetry Jam! The children rehearsed the entire show in the gym. Mrs. Perroni had been at a training the last two days and the class knocked her shoes off (no socks on!) with their efforts and improvements! Next it was time for tie-dyeing our t-shirts. Thank you to all the moms who came in and helped with the project. Mrs. Quigley took the shirts home to wash and dry them. We can't wait to see them on Monday! After snack recess we painted some scenery with the theme of "What a Wonderful World". The children worked outside on the picnic tables and on a wooden divider. Thanks again to the PTO for the picnic tables. We love being out in the fresh air and using those tables for more than snack and lunch. Speaking of lunch, the PTO spoiled the Eveleth staff with a lovely luncheon. Tables with tablecloths and tulip, rose and violet lilac centerpieces transformed the gym space! Everything was delicious. Thank you to the moms who supervised the class while we ate and to the moms who provided the delicious food. The day ended with more rehearsal on some of the poems that still need some tweaking. It is all coming together. We cannot wait to perform for you on Wednesday! Have a good weekend!
Day 151: May 16, 2013
Our day started by decorating invitations to the Poetry Jam next Wednesday. You should find one in your child's folder! Next was meeting, lunch count and calendar. We have music for a few songs in the show so we listened to them to get the speed and pacing. We also reviewed a poem that still had a few glitches. Then it was into the gym for a total run through of the program. We are definitely making progress! Snack and recess followed. When we came back in, Mrs. Brennan read "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small. This was one of the stories portrayed at the Berklee performance. We discussed the similarities and differences between the stage production and the book. Then K4 had P.E. K3 had yesterday's reading mini-lesson on one to one match when reading, followed by a reader's workshop. After music, we played Bingo which is great practice with two digit numbers. We had time for three games! We recited one of our favorite poems from the show and then packed up for dismissal. We will be tie-dyeing all the white t-shirts tomorrow in preparation for the big show!
Day 150: May 15, 2013
Fine motor activities such as the sand table, water table, Playdoh, blocks and stencils were on the tables this morning. Simultaneously each child got to tissue paper a letter for our Poetry Jam banner. It was Courtney's birthday and her dad was our guest reader! He read two books: "The Talent Show" by Joe Hodgkinson and "The Looking Book" by P.K. Hallinan. We love having guest readers! Then we continued with the fine motor activities until all the children had completed a letter on the banner. Next it was time for calendar because it was another 'Circle'Round the Zero' day! However, we needed to have a rehearsal in the gym first. After snack recess, K3 had P.E. and K4 had a reading mini-lesson on pointing to each word when you read (one to one match) which is an important beginner reader skill. We also reviewed strategies for when you are stuck on a word: look at the picture, look at the first letter, and think about what would make sense. Then we practiced these skills during a reader's workshop. After lunch and recess, K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Grady and Tucker were guest readers. We played 'Mystery Box (a cell phone). Right before dismissal we reviewed letter/sound fluency and timed some students. Then the children had to guess the time by the 'Too High, Too Low' method. On the way out the door, Courtney had a mechanical pencil for each child!
Day 149: May 14, 2013
First and last name handwriting practice was the before meeting work today. Then Leonardo's mother was our guest reader. She read an all time favorite, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. Then the pressure was on for our Poetry Jam because we found out there is an enrichment program on Tuesday morning, therefore our dress rehearsal needs to be on Monday! We headed for the gym for our first rehearsal on the risers and stage. The girls and boys worked hard so when we finished rehearsing the children had snack and recess. When we came back in it was time to learn the final two poems. Once again the children persevered. It is difficult to keep memorizing and practicing so many poems!! Yesterday one of the stories depicted in the show at the Berklee was "Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman. We have that story on tape so we listened to it and looked at the illustrations. Afterwards we compared and contrasted the theater production and the book--what was the same and what was different. The last activity before lunch was calendar. After lunch recess the class had Music. The final activity was working on our special gift for Ms. Devin. The days ahead will be filled with lots of preparation for the Poetry Jam next Wednesday, the 22nd, at 8:30 a.m.
Day 148: May 13, 2013
The day started with a Monday morning Book Look. The bus was leaving for our field trip at 8:30 so everyone had a chance to use the bathroom. We arrived at the Berklee Performing Center and waited our turn to enter the theater. The show started shortly after we were seated. Every child was totally engaged in the program! Some of the stories that were part of the show were "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", "Amazing Grace", "Imogene's Antlers", Boritegua (sp?)and the Coyote", "Math Curse", and "Master Man". The singing, acting and dancing were very entertaining! We got on the bus and headed back to school for lunch. All the children did very well without a snack and really enjoyed their lunches! Next was Library and a short recess. We are working on a surprise for Ms. Devin so children came in and out for that project. The homework tonight is to tell your family about the performance. Regular homework will go home tomorrow!
Day 147: May 10, 2013
Some children had to put finishing touches on their "Papa Please Get Me the Moon" art work so others had some quiet free choice time--chess, checkers, reading and sketching.
Then Lucy's mom was our guest reader. She read three wonderful books: "I Will Not Read This Book" by Meng and Joy Ang, "Stuck" by Oliver Jeffers and "Bear's Loose Tooth" by Karma Wilson. We skipped calendar yesterday so we got caught up today. Then it was time for small group poetry practice. The girls and boys are making great progress memorizing all those poems! The sun came out and we had snack and then we did another fire drill. It was perfect! After K3 had P.E. we finished up our Top Secret project and read some "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" related books in preparation for the field trip on Monday. In the afternoon, K4 had Art. We read more "If You Give a..." books and songs, and enjoyed "What Mommies Do Best" by Laura Numeroff. Happy Mother's Day to all our Double K moms!
Day 146: May 9, 2013
Once again the Daily News cannot tell you about the Top Secret morning project! At meeting Campbell shared some British money and then we learned about American quarters. We talked about the state quarters and will look for them and the quarters with the bald eagle. Next we split into 4 groups and rehearsed our poems. After snack recess we had a reading mini-lesson about reading strategies when you are stuck on a word--look at the picture, look at the beginning letter, and think about what would make sense. We used the big book, "The Hermit Crab" by Brian and Jillian Cutting. While K4 had P.E. K3 worked on another Top Secret project! After lunch recess the class had Music and is finishing up "The Carnival of the Animals". The final activity of the day was to finish the artwork for our "Papa Please Get Me the Moon". They came out really well and we will hang them up tomorrow!
Day 145: May 8, 2013
Daily News cannot tell you about the project the children worked on at the start of the day because it is Top Secret! We can't let any information slip out to anybody's mother :)
When that work was completed we had our Morning Meeting. We did the traditional calendar and then the Starfall calendar (first time in May). Then we had a very good practice for our Poetry show. We have not had a fire drill in a while so we reviewed the rules and then pretended there was a fire drill. We filed out quietly and walked quickly to the grassy area behind the hot top. Overall it was a good drill. Snack recess followed.
Mr. Fargo took both K3 and K4 for P.E. at the same time because of the rainy forecast. After lunch recess, K3 had Art and K4 worked on another Top Secret project! When we returned to the classroom we began an art activity that is related to Eric Carle's "Papa Please Get the Moon". We had a little time before dismissal for a few Double K kids to share some special objects. Only 35 days left...we can't believe it!
Day 144: May 7, 2013
Two sketch drawings were copied out of the Cam Jansen book for the children to color when they began their day. Morning meeting was next and we had time to finish "Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery". There WAS someone in the yellow house--it was a bank robber hiding out!! We did calendar and then had an early snack because we had to get ready for the 2nd grade Spring Celebration at the Hobbs playground. The weather could not have been more perfect! The 2nd graders sang, danced and braided ribbons on the Maypole. The performance was very enjoyable and impressive! When we returned to the classroom we verbally shared our favorite parts (also telling why) and then the girls and boys wrote and drew about their favorite part. Lunch and recess were next, and then it was time for Music. After Music we rehearsed poems for our show. Everyone was a bit tired so it was not our best practice. We will try again tomorrow morning when everyone is fresh and awake! The color words songs were played for fun and we sang and danced until it was time to stack the chairs, get folders and line up for dismissal. Tomorrow's hot lunch is pizza!
Day 143: May 6, 2013
This Monday morning we started with a little book featuring _at. Next was our morning meeting and we completed the calendar. Quite a few boys and girls had brought in something to share with the class, so we spent a few minutes listening and observing. Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had to attend a meeting so the class enjoyed some Eric Carle stories on the Teamboard. When we came in from snack recess the boys and girls had a Writer's Workshop-- Weekend News. The mini lesson focused on asking questions and adding details to our stories. This is a skill that will be reviewed many times. Our special today was Library. Next we spent a little time talking about the Golden Rule--Treat others the way you want to be treated. Then it was time for more Poetry Show practice. Before dismissal we read some more in "Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery" by David A. Adler. We are wondering if someone is in the yellow house?... We will find out tomorrow! Reading Bags went home for homework along with a two sided math paper.
We are looking forward to the 2nd grade Spring Celebration tomorrow!
Day 142: May 3, 2013
We started the day with a connect-the-dot paper as we eagerly anticipated our trip to the Wit and Wimsy Book Fair in the gym. Double K were spot perfect whether buying or just window shopping! Each child asked for help as needed and shopped so carefully. You can be so proud...remember they are double the size! We just had to follow up at 9:00 with a book look and sharing. Calendar was run by the students and they did a great job keeping everyone focused and involved. Ms. Nye read a few chapters from our Cam Jansen read aloud and then it was snack and recess. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a little extra recess. We practiced a bit for our poetry show and then Ms. Mimi came to talk about Belly Breathing and other strategies for controlling anger and frustration. The main point was that it is really ok to 'feel' angry or frustrated, but it is not ok to act on it. She read aloud, "When Sophie Gets Angry" by Molly Bang and we all danced to "Stop and Calm Down". After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had a little extra recess. We ended the day with water coloring still life...Mrs. Carroll brought in some tulips. Some free expression was encouraged and the results are great!
Day 141: May 2, 2013
We are really working on handwriting this week so the morning work was name writing practice. Grady's mother was a guest reader. She read two books, "The Island of the Skog" by Steven Kellogg (Grady's grandmother's favorite) and "How Tom Beat Capt. Najork and His Hired Sportsmen" by Russell Hoban. Reader's Workshop and guided reading was next. We then split into two groups for an Attribute Block train activity. Snack was indoor and out. An emergency meeting of all the boys was held because of an ongoing problem: one (or some) are not being careful when using the toilet. One change is that we have a boys' bathroom and a girls' bathroom. The boys need to check in with a teacher before heading to the bathroom. It must stop!! After recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had a Writer's Workshop. Music was our special and the two groups are working very well! David Leonardo and Maddy were our calendar people today. A Cam Jansen book was begun and then many children had treasures to share. The final share was Tucker reading a Star Wars book. The D.K.T. are wowed at all our amazing readers!
See you tomorrow!
Day 140: May 1, 2013
May 1st! It was a picture perfect day! The children came in and created their attribute shape collages. Animal and human shapes were designed with vivid colors. At meeting we voted on the Teamboard voting machine. The question was, "Do your socks match?" Did you remember that it was Wacky Sock Day? The children and teachers voted and the results were that 22 children had mismatched socks and 16 pairs matched. We viewed the date in a variety of forms: bar graph, pie chart, percentages and numerically. We also figured out the difference between 16 and 22. Children shared their mental math and then we checked it using the Number Grid. We needed to do calendar because today is another 'Circle 'Round the Zero' day. We made our circle outside. Then we also played 'The Warm Wind Blows'. Back in the classroom we changed meeting spots and table spots. After snack and recess each child got a square to illustrate a particular date or holiday. We use these squares as our calendar for the month. While K3 had P.E. K4 had Writer's Workshop. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. We all gathered back on the rug for "Dino-Basketball" by Lisa Wheeler. Caroline was our guest reader and she read "I Spy Fly Guy". We got up and stretched and had some sharing by Sofie and Marty. Finally we rehearsed a few poems and songs for our show and it was time to pack up for the day.
Day 139: April 30, 2013
This morning we did the quilt painting project with numbers from 1-25. We met briefly on the rug, checked lunch and attendance and Alby shared his alligator head. Yes, you read that correctly! Alby has an alligator head that he got as a gift. Of course it was a huge hit! We then lined up and walked to the gym for an Eveleth Community Meeting. Mrs. Thomas' and Mrs. Tully's classes recited three poems for us as a finale to National Poetry month. We then celebrated the March and April birthdays. Ms. Gora brought the new recess equipment cart up onto the stage (thank you, P.T.O.) and children shared ideas on ways to take care of the materials. Back in the classroom Grady and Lucy shared their Scavenger Hunt experience that was part of Screen Free Week. We listened to the clues and had fun guessing the different locations in Marblehead- the lighthouse, Fort Sewall, Old Burial Hill... Before snack the children finished up their paintings. After snack recess we did a Fundations review and practiced tapping out sounds. Next was Reader's/Writer's Workshop and guided reading groups. We read "A Pair of Socks" by Stuart Murphy, illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Mrs. Fraser came in before lunch and explained to the children that Music was now going to be split between K3 and K4. K3 will remain in the classroom with Mrs. Castellucio and K4 will have Music in the gym with Mrs. Fraser. When it rains everyone will be together in the classroom. After lunch recess we tried it for the first time and it went very well! Next was Starfall calendar for our last day in April, followed by a review of attribute blocks. We then read two books by Lois Ehlert, "Color Farm" and "Color Zoo" which lead into our morning activity of creating a collage, using attribute shapes, that represents an animal. Don't forget to wear some wacky socks tomorrow!
Day 138: April 29, 2013
Book Look started our day. Children got their book bags or chose from buckets on the tables. At meeting we took the lunch count and then Mrs. Carroll did calendar. The children were encouraged to get back to some RazKids reading. Passwords are being sent home today in case they have been forgotten. We have not had the opportunity to meet in the gym for a while so we filed quietly to the circle. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the Star Spangled Banner. A few people had items to share with the class. Then we played the count by 10s to 100 game. Their excitement and enthusiasm overflowed a bit so it took us a while to have a winner--David! We decided to have an early snack and recess. Back in the classroom the Writer's Workshop mini lesson focused on adding details by answering questions. The writers got right to it and the D.K.T. were SO impressed with the amount of detail that was included. We felt like we were in a 1st grade classroom! We had time for some sharing before lunch. Library is our Monday special. Mrs. Colby was so impressed by the Double K transition to the library rug that she gave them an Impress Me point! She is also very pleased with how very few children in Double K forget to return their library books each week! After Library we had some time to continue to practice some poems for our show on May 22nd at 8:30. All family members are invited. We will send home an invitation soon. Homework this week will be daily handwriting practice, a 100 chart game and some tangram problem solving. FYI: Our Book Fair time is this Friday at 8:30!
Day 137: April 26, 2013
The April Chicken Soup with Rice poem went into poetry notebooks first thing this morning. Then Leo B.'s mother was his special birthday guest reader! She read two books, "Star Wars ABCs (big hit) and "The Rabbit Problem" by Emily Gravett (adorable). Next was the 'Catch My Mistakes' calendar game and the sight word cheerleading game. In preparation for TV Turnoff Week we made a list poem of a variety of activities we can do instead of watching TV. We practiced some more poems for our show and then we completed a graph about sea creatures. Snack was indoor and outdoor. After K3 had P.E. our Writer's Workshop was a free choice poetry writing time. K4 had Art and then we all watched two stories on the Teamboard--"Little Penguin's Tale" by Audrey Wood and "My New Neighbors" by Keith Faulkner. Finally we reviewed our TV Turnoff list poem and it was time to head out for the weekend.
Day 136: April 25, 2013
The children made butterflies for yoga, sketched and read in guided reading groups with the D.K.T. Then we started practicing more poems for our show. Some of the practice was in small groups and some was whole group. After snack we watched a video of Eric Carle's
"Today is Monday". While K4 had P.E. K3 had free choice poetry writing time. Lunch was eaten at the picnic tables and in the classroom!Music was our afternoon special. We reviewed the addition facts to 5 and then had a spirited game of 'Around the World'. Maybe next time we will have a winner! Time for dismissal.
Day 135: April 24, 2013
The boys and girls worked on handwriting (Ss and Ff) before it was time to board the bus to the Village School. The 3rd grade learning buddies read some of their favorite poems to their Kindergarten buddies. Then the Kindergarteners chose one poem that gave them a clear mental image and they drew their picture. Finally the buddies shared the poem and pictures in a poetry slam. When we got back to Eveleth it was snack time. The weather was clearing up so many Double Ks chose to eat at the picnic tables outside! The others ate in the classroom. Recess was followed by a Reading Writing Workshop for K4 while K3 had P.E. outside! After lunch recess K4 had P.E. outside! Spring has sprung! In Art K3 created torn paper tulip pictures. The Double K has been so incredibly respectful and quiet with Kindergarten screening going on in the gym, that they earned 10 more Impress Me points so they enjoyed some outdoor recess time. When we came back in we talked a bit about TV Turnoff Week which starts next Monday. Many children don't think they are up to the challenge but we assured them to give it a try! More on that later on... No coats needed as they headed out the door!
Day 134: April 23, 2013
Back to a rainy day:( We started the day tracing and water coloring the alphabet. We created little ABC quilts. Mrs. Perroni read aloud from: I'm Still Here in the Bathtub by Alan Katz. It is a silly song book and we had fun. We all sang a 'jazzy' belated Happy Birthday to Tony. We did 'Mystery Box' and wrote a whole class poem about what was inside (an eraser), and then we tried writing poems about little objects. After snack and inside recess, we practiced our Poetry Slam poems and split into three groups for Fundations followed by handwriting. After lunch recess, Mrs. Perroni finished the book from the morning and it was time for music. The class was extra SUPER getting everything silently that they needed from cubbies and bags while kindergarten screening was going on in the gym,so the tenth 'Impress Me' point was earned. We ended the day with EXTRA RECESS!
Day 133: April 22, 2013
A sunny morning greeted us as we headed back to Double K after our April vacation. April 22nd is Earth Day so the children worked on a mini-book about Earth Day. At meeting we watched a video made by Kindergarteners that demonstrated 6 ways to help the earth. We then generated ideas for writing topics. The children shared their topic ideas and then went to the tables for Writer's Workshop. (There was some talk about the Marathon bombing at individual tables but no one brought it up when we were altogether on the rug. The D.K.T. had decided to only discuss the tragic events if it was initiated by a child.)
After Writer's Workshop some children shared some vacation brochures, a mini book on Sharks (published by DK which was connected to our wonderful classroom!), a Japanese coin, some cursive writing practice and a compass. After snack recess we read "Circus" by Lois Ehlert. We did calendar and reviewed a dice game that we would play later in the day. Our special was Library. Then it was a math choice time: Addition Top It, Spider Web dice game, Star Wars Race to 100, Calculators, and a Telling Time to the Hour game. That brought us up to clean up and dismissal time. Don't forget to write in your April journals!
Day 132: April 12, 2013
This morning was a celebration of Mrs. Carroll! Her birthday is during vacation so the children made cards for her. We found the BEST happy birthday song EVER (listen to it on our website!) and sang it a few times. We gave her a class picture with all the children's names handwritten on the frame. Ms. Devin carved a watermelon and filled it with fresh fruit and we gave her a pretty plant. Mrs. Carroll said, "Thank you for the fruit, flowers and (picture) frame. I love my cards too!" We did calendar and reviewed some poems for the Poetry Jam. After snack recess, K3 had P.E. and K4 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop. When the whole class was back together we did another reading comprehension mini-lesson on Asking Questions with "Angela from the Arctic". The rain began so there was indoor lunch recess--Legos, drawing, Playdoh and a fierce game of 'Go Fish' were some of the chosen activities! K4 had Art and K3 played Bingo which is great practice with 2 digit numbers. Mrs. Carroll read, "Jack's Garden" by Henry Cole and then we had popsicles and watched "Tugford Wanted to Be Bad" on the Teamboard. Folders were passed out. The hallway and ramp were checked for boots and clothing and everyone avoided the big drip from the roof as they headed out for vacation! See you on April 22nd!
Day 131: April 11, 2013
Morning work was _an wheels and reading. At meeting we introduced the reading comprehension strategy of asking questions. We shared a big book, "Angela from the Arctic" by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith for our mini-lesson. A good thinking strategy that we used is called "See, Think, Wonder'. Looking at the cover photograph children shared what they see (I see a young girl.), then what they think ( I think she is jumping on a trampoline.), and finally what they have a question about ( I wonder if she has practiced this before?) All responses are accepted without judgement. This thinking strategy helps children dig a little deeper into the text. We read a few pages and modeled how to look at the photographs, read the words and ask questions for deeper understanding. When we released the children to get books and read independently we encouraged them to find a book they had not read before and to think of a question that they might have. We shared some of the books and questions before snack. After snack recess, we reviewed transitions before K4 went to P.E. K3 did the color list poem lesson from yesterday. Our special was Music. We read Chris Van Dusen's "Randy Riley's Really Big Hit" then moved to the other rug for some poetry practice (beginning to prepare for our Poetry Jam in May!).
Then it was back to the other rug for some RazKids time. Hopefully this motivated the girls and boys to get back on RazKids and do some reading! By now it was 2:18 and we needed to get folders, jackets and canvas bags. One more day until April vacation!
Day 130: April 10, 2013
Oops! This daily news is a day late! We started our day with a choice time because the class had earned their 10th Impress Me point. At meeting we completed the calendar and it was time for another 'Circle 'Round the Zero' game. We reviewed the rules for a productive Reader's Workshop and the children read independently and successfully for 10 minutes. Mrs. Perroni was back and we read Dr.Seuss' "Many Colored Days". This reading led into a poetry writing time for K4 while K3 had P.E. The boys and girls chose a color and then created a list poem for that color, incorporating real things, feelings and the 5 senses. Before lunch we had time for some of the poets to share their poems. After lunch recess K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. We then had a class meeting to revisit 'transition time behaviors' because the specialists and the D.K.T. felt that the children had slipped a bit in this area and needed some refocusing. We counted up some of the transitions we have in one day and it was in the teens! We came up with a signal (sign language letter r, for respect) that will be a reminder when a transition is imminent. Then we transitioned :) for an orderly dismissal.
Day 129: April 9, 2013
The handwriting practice this morning was Oo and Qq. A few children had time to start an _am wheel, and a few guided reading groups took place. At meeting we caught up on calendar. Then we wrote a group letter to Mr. Mace and Mr. Racki thanking them for all the hard work they do for us at the Eveleth School. We wanted them to know how much we appreciate them! Two more math centers followed, finishing up from yesterday. After snack and recess we had a wonderful enrichment program funded by the P.T.O. Dave Schlafman, animator and co-creator of 'Fizzy's Lunch Lab' shared his story from being a 4 year old who liked to draw to an adult who now goes to work every day loving what he does! Thank you again, P.T.O., for another excellent program! Right before lunch Mrs. Brennan read a book she had given to Patrick, "Hello Wally" by Jerry Remy. The weather was beautiful for lunch recess so we stayed out a few extra minutes until it was time for Music. After Music, we read "From Seed to Plant" by Alan Fowler. We identified what plants need to grow--water, sunlight and soil. We then did an activity on the Teamboard in which we could adjust the amount of heat, sunlight, water and pot size to grow the healthiest plant. Finally we had a few minutes to watch a bit of 'Fizzy's Lunch Lab' before we headed out the door.
Day 128: April 8, 2013
We had 100% attendance again today! The children came in and painted abstract designs with water color paints. This paper was used to frame their Learning Buddy poems in our Poetry Garden. Lots is left over for other projects! Meeting was next. Mrs. Perroni was absent so we welcomed back Mrs. Brennan, who we haven't seen since December! Children had voted 'yes' or 'no' on the question, "Will the Red Sox win their home opener at Fenway Park today? We counted up the tallies and 35 children voted 'yes' and 1 voted 'no'. Only time will tell! We sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" two times as part of our Morning Message. Math centers were ready to go. This week the topics are: clocks, subtraction with cubes, introduction to the dime and addition top it. We worked through two centers today and will complete the other two tomorrow. During snack we read some silly school poems from the book, "Mrs.Cole on an Onion Roll and other school poems" by Kalli Dakos. After snack recess Mrs. Brennan read, "Zachary's Ball" by Matt Tavares. The setting is Fenway Park. We learned how to write a list poem by listing all the things we did over the weekend. This is the exact opposite of writing Weekend News in which the writers zoom in on one small moment! We had time to share some of the poems before lunch. Mrs. Brennan was VERY impressed by how the girls and boys listen for sounds in their words and also use the word wall for sight words. There are 5 types of seeds in our Seed Collection so far. The biggest is the avocado and the tiniest is the petunia! We came in from lunch recess and it was time for Library. Then we investigated lima bean seeds which had been soaking in water. The three parts of the seed were very visible--the seed coat, plant and plant food. Hand lenses were used to see the plant part more clearly. Mrs. Carroll had some forsythia which we will watch as it blossoms. We read "Take Me Out to the Yakyu" by Aaron Meshon which compares baseball in the USA and Japan. We read an opening day poem and colored in a picture of Wally. No jackets were necessary at dismissal as the Double K headed out into the warm sunshine!
Day 127: April 5, 2013
Today we switched it up and the children wrote original poems in their Poetry Notebooks instead of pasting in a published poem. Then we met for meeting, did calendar and reread "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" because it is such an awesome book. We had snack and recess a little early because K3 had P.E. K4, in the meantime,enjoyed a big book version of "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle as an introduction for planting some flower seeds. We had the big magnifiers out so that the children could examine the seeds up close and then each child could decide which one to plant. K3 did this same activity in the afternoon while K4 had Art. We watched a video, 'A Child's Garden of Poetry' then got up and moved to the '3D Shapes' and 'Shapes' songs. We talked again that poetry can be about everyday things and maybe a weekend activity or idea could be the seed of a new poem!
Day 126: April 4, 2013
Handwriting practice is good for everyone! So Dd and Gg were the letters of the day! The D.K.T finished up a few more guided reading groups and then we gathered on the rug for meeting. We did calendar and then finally (we had been trying all week) we did the Starfall calendar too. It was time to try some more writing of poetry. We used a mini lesson from Lucy Calkins' poetry unit of study. This lesson focused on writing poetry about every day things such as a pencil sharpener or the ceiling. The children then got clipboards, pencils and paper and looked around the classroom for an object. When we returned to the rug we made it a guessing game for what was written about. Some choices were the globe, the sight words, addition and subtraction and the boat pictures. It was an excellent first attempt and we will try again! That kept us super busy right up until snack time. After recess K4 had P.E. and K3 worked through a variety of choices for literacy stations. Lunch, recess and Music followed. Then we read "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel-fabulous book! We had some time for browsing with books before it was time to clean up and pack up. Tomorrow is Friday already!
Day 125: April 3, 2013
We started our day with an _ad wheel for word family practice. The DKT also read with some guided reading groups. Very soon after, it was time to hop on the bus and head to our Learning Buddies at the Village School. Our activity was poetry based. We are creating Poetry Gardens at both schools to display and enjoy poetry. First the buddies were given a slip of paper on which was written the name of something you might find in a garden (birds, flowers, colors, etc). Each pair had to think of 3 things in that category and then create a poem using those examples. Then the buddies created flowers, butterflies, birds, insects, etc to be displayed in the Poetry Gardens. The children worked well together and we have the beginnings of our gardens. Back at Eveleth we had snack and recess. While K3 had P.E. K4 had a Writer's/Reader's workshop and some more guided reading. Some DoubleK kids experimented with writing poetry! After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. The art project was connected to a study of architecture. Some very interesting structures were created! K4 will do this project on Friday. There was time for some Show and Tell sharing. Tucker and Leo B. shared their karate accomplishments- breaking a board and getting an orange stripe. We even watched a video of Tucker as he broke the board! Yuri shared a trophy he earned playing in a chess tournament. Many budding poets, including James B. and Marty shared their original poems! Poetry reading was interspersed throughout our day. Finally the children listened to the story, "April Fool! Watch Out at School!" by Diane deGroat. Instead of viewing the illustrations we had the children visualize the story and create their own mental pictures. It is a joy to pack up quickly now with Spring in the air!
Day 124: April 2, 2013
Poetry books covered all the tables for perusing with a buddy! We quickly met for meeting and shared a favorite 'The Swing' by Robert Louis Stevenson. We then filed quietly into the gym for the Eveleth Community Meeting. The results of the March Readathon were shared with the entire school. The Kindergarten and 1st graders read for ...drum roll please... 64,292 minutes!! That total amount broke the previous record wide open!l The Double K alone read for 19,400 minutes! Goodbye March Readathon, Hello April Poetry Month! The Eveleth staff recited some poems for the children ending the meeting with a Call and Response poem. On Thursdays in April children may receive a book mark if they have a poem in their pocket or can recite a poem to a staff member. Back in the classroom we broke into 3 groups for Fundations practice. More poems were shared during snack time. After recess we did calendar and filled in the missing 10s on a number grid on the Teamboard. Ms. Mimi came in and did another Second Steps lesson on Belly Breathing.
After lunch recess the children watched a video of another story about Harry the Dirty Dog. Music was next. More poetry followed and then we played a categories game right before dismissal. Everyone is excited to go to the Village School for Learning Buddies tomorrow!
Day 123: April 1, 2013
It seemed that everyone was a little sleepy this morning so they quietly came in and colored a mini book, "Spring is Here". At meeting Guni shared a great photo of his cat looking at the two new fish in an aquarium! The Amazing Leo W. showed how he could magically make two trucks follow a black line track on a piece of paper! We then verbally shared some ideas for Weekend News and the writers/illustrators got to work. After snack recess we listened to a story on tape, "April Foolishness" by Teresa Bateman. Everyone then got a square piece of paper with a date in April to illustrate for our calendar this month. Library was our special. Next, Max, Patrick and Cody were our calendar reporters for the day and they also chose two classmates to read our sight words. The math homework is filling in an April calendar and the ELA homework is an April journal. We read "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin which is an example of diary/journal writing. Finally, in preparation of our celebration of National Poetry month we watched an Arthur video entitled, "I am a Poet". By then it was time to pack up. But Marin felt the poetry urge and dictated a poem to Mrs. Perroni about apples and bananas. We will have a wonderful month reading, reciting and listening to all kinds of poetry!
Day 122: March 28, 2013
Breakfast and books was a blast!! Half the fun was checking out everyone's pajamas and stuffed animals. Thank you for such a great turnout! When we gathered on the rug for our meeting, Campbell read "Hop on Pop" to the class--excellent expression! Next we watched the 2D and 3D shapes songs in preparation for creating our own using toothpicks and marshmallows. They were very creative, helpful and supportive of each other while building their 3D structures. During snack Mrs. Carroll read "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. After snack recess the children began exploring _ag and _ap words by making wheels. While K4 had P.E. K3 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop and shared some of their work. After lunch recess it was time for Music. The class finished up their wheels from the morning and then we had Ramona's big sister, Fehr, as our guest reader. Fehr read "Mr. Seahorse" by Eric Carle. The day flew by and then it was time for dismissal. Enjoy the long weekend! Don't forget to bring in your reading minutes on Monday!
Day 121: March 27, 2013
The sand table, Legos and other indoor recess materials came out for our choice time. We had a quick meeting and headed to the gym for an 8:30 a.m. community meeting. Declan Murtagh was our special guest and he told the children all about General Glover and his accomplishments. His admirable qualities will be a guide for us all as we enter the new Glover School next year! Back in the classroom we listed suggestions of the traits that stood out the most--good citizen, leader, helpful, brave and encouraging were some of the descriptive words that were shared. After snack and recess we gathered on the rug and shared the art project from yesterday with Mrs. Perroni, who had been at a conference. Then while K3 had P.E. K4 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop with time for sharing. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Back at meeting, we did calendar and then read through our class book, "It's Spring and That Means...", which we created yesterday. The boys and girls had time to choose some books for tomorrow morning's Breakfast and Books. All winter clothes and boots were sent home--we optimistically hope that there will be no more snowstorms! See you in the morning!
Day 120: March 26, 2013
Another Circle 'Round the Zero' day today! Our morning work was to create a page for our class book, "It's Spring and That Means..." We listened to Vivaldi's 'Spring' and shared the pictures it elicited in our minds. The book, "Ship Shapes" by Stella Blackstone has collage illustrations by Siobhan Bell. We could make a text to text connection with Lois Ehlert's collage style. Our art project this morning was inspired by these illustrators. Each child made a collage picture using a variety of shapes to create an ocean scene. This activity also reinforced our learning about shapes. After lunch recess we watched "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion on the Teamboard and then it was time for Music. Next we tried a new activity called 'Read the Room'. The children walked around the room with papers on clipboards and found words they could read--sight words, children's names, words on clothing and books, months, etc. We then gathered on the rug to share some of the words and list them on a chart. When it was time to stop one child asked "When can we do this again?" The D.K.T. love to hear that! They earned their 10th Impress Me Point so we will start the day tomorrow with an indoor recess- a special request was made for the sand table!
Day 119: March 25, 2013
Today's morning work was a mini book that focused on missing numbers. We started meeting by reading a book that Patrick had brought in on Friday, "The Fox and the Springtime Blossoms" by Julia Rawlinson. Next we had a Writer's Workshop mini lesson reviewing Small Moment writing as a way to add more details in our writing. The children chose between starting a new Weekend News piece of writing or adding on details to a work in progress. We had time for sharing before snack time. During snack we had dinner theater and Annabelle read some of Dr. Seuss' book, "Happy Birthday to You" She finished
reading the book when we came in from recess. Calendar was next and Tony was in charge. He also created a question of the day for us to vote on. The question was "What did you do over the weekend?" The four choices were Played Outside, Lost a Tooth, Went to a Restaurant and Something Else. We used the Teamboard voting machine to record our votes. Then we were able to analyze the data by viewing a variety of displays--a bar graph, a circle graph, a chart with the numerical results and one with percentages. Something Else got the most votes (26) and Losing a Tooth received no votes. During lunch, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had their final lunch bunch book talk group for March Reading Madness. Library was our afternoon special. Our final activity of the day was to color and paint the Red Red sketches from last week. We also read "RRRalph" by Lois Ehlert which all the dogs lovers loved! No homework (except reading) this week!
Day 118: March 22, 2013
Friday speed version!!
Red, Red drawings and March poem into Poetry notebooks
Guest reader, Mrs. Toto reads "Can I Play Too?" by Mo Willems
Guest reader, Alby Toto reads "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss
Finish up morning work
Class graph--Who sets the table at your house?
Worksheet graph paper--How Many Animals Live at the Zoo?
Snack dinner theater--David reads "Flying" by Joy Cowley
K3 has P.E
Maps and globes explorations
Lunch dinner theater--Matthew reads from "Hop on Pop"
K4 has Art
Mystery box
Sight word songs
Guest reader, Mrs. Brennan reads "Froggy Plays T-Ball" by Jonathan London
Dismissal--Report cards sent home!
Day 117: March 21, 2013
Today's fine motor activities included geoboards, unifex cubes, patterns blocks and peg boards. Mrs. Pillsbury, the speech therapist came in and did a whole class lesson on sh (a fat sound) and s (a thin sound). The class played a game differentiating between the two sounds and then we watched a song about sh on the teamboard. Students returned to their fine motor activities and the D.K.T. completed the remaining guided reading groups.
Before snack they played two dice games that were good practice for number formation and the concept of 'more than'. During snack, Mrs. Perroni did 'dinner theater' by reading Robert Muench's "Stephanie's Ponytail". While K4 had P.E. K3 had another Writer's Workshop focusing on small moment writing. We verbally extended ideas and discussed how it can be done in their writing. When you string together many details you create a book! K4 worked very hard and quietly on their writing. Our special was Music. We needed to get up and move a bit so we did a movement song to the alphabet. Next was calendar. Ms. Devin read "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman in the "Big Blue Book of Beginner Books". Mrs. Perroni demonstrated how to draw Red Red from "Hop on Pop". Tomorrow everyone will have a chance to draw too.
Day 116: March 20, 2013
We started our day with handwriting practice (Aa,Cc) and creating patterns with pattern blocks. At meeting we did the calendar, Lucy read to the class and we listened to a book called "It's Spring" by Linda Glaser. This author used cut paper illustrations, similar to Lois Ehlert's style. Next was a Writer's Workshop during which the D.K.T. read with some guided reading groups. Our guest reader, Guni's mom arrived. It is a special day in the Fehrenbach house because it is Guni AND his mom's birthday today! She read Chris Van Dusen's book, "The Circus Ship". Then it was time for snack and recess. When we came back in Mrs. Perroni finished reading "Top Cat" by Lois Ehlert. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Reader's Workshop. At lunchtime, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had our 3rd lunch bunch book talk. Next Monday we will picnic with the final 9 children. After lunch recess, K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. Mrs. Carroll read "The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. We listened to Jack Hartmann's Birthday Song. Then we played 'Around the World' with math facts to five. Participation was voluntary. The others were the audience. Tony and Matthew almost made it around the world! It is easy to get tongue tied! Everyone got organized on the rug and we passed out the folders using only eye contact. Time for Double K to be dismissed.
Day 115: March 18, 2013
We are beginning a unit on the author/illustrator Lois Ehlert so many of her books were out on the tables for partner reading. At meeting we began a discussion about Lois Ehlert's style of illustrating. Mrs. Carroll took the lunch count and all 36 Double K children were in school! We have not had perfect attendance for a while, so that was special! Next was a Writer's Workshop mini lesson focusing on 'Small Moment' writing. This is when the writer zooms in on one particular part of a day and describes it. With practice, this strategy helps to elicit more details in the writing. The children shared some of their small moment topics and off they went to write. We had time for sharing afterwards and many children took the opportunity to share their work. Snack and recess followed. Then we broke into 3 groups for Fundations practice. Sound fluency, tapping and writing words and sentence dictation were some of the acitivities that were practiced. After lunch recess it was time for Library. Mrs. Colby went home sick so Ms. Devin was the librarian for the day. She read a book to the class and the children were able to check out books too. We reviewed number formation because the math homework this week is writing the numbers. Our goal is to reduce/eliminate reversals. Tucker and Yuri shared some special coins. Then Leo B.'s mother was our guest reader. She read two books, "Leo the Lightning Bug" by Eric Drachman and "Hippos Gone Berserk" by Sandra Boynton. Another day in Double K was drawing to a close as everyone got folders, packed up and bundled up. Snow tomorrow?!?!
Day 114: March 15, 2013
Friday speed version of the daily news!
Painting and sketch pads
Caroline's dad is a guest reader--"Oh, the Thinks You Can Think" by Dr. Seuss
Morning Meeting-Birthday Cards for Mrs. Shapiro!
Madagascar dance!
Choice time, painting and body portraits
Snack and recess
K3 has P.E.
K4 makes mini books and reads Dr. Seuss books
Book swap and reading
Lunch and recess
K4 has Art
K3 makes mini books and reads Dr. Seuss books
Calendar
Counting by 2's and 5's
Fizzie's Lunch Lab
Sofie's mom is a guest reader--"Mr Brown Can Moo. Can You" by Dr. Seuss
Mrs. Carroll's son stops in to meet Double K
Pack up and go home!
Have a great weekend!
Day 113: March 14, 2013
Thursday is 'fine motor' day and we had a variety of activities to start the day: playdough, pattern blocks, tracers, paper table which included tape, stapler and fun scissors, and fundations letter tiles. Before morning message we guessed what was in the Mystery Box and Marin guessed a cup before we tallied twenty guesses. We had a teeny bit more math assessment, only about twenty minutes and then on to snack and recess. Ms. Nye (Mrs. Shapiro was absent) read "Fox in Socks" by Dr. Seuss. She really had to concentrate because it was quite a tongue twister. K4 went to gym and K3 had Writing Workshop. After lunch the whole crew had music and we ended the day with painting and coloring. Our classmate readers of the day were Caroline and then Courtney and Sydney partner read.
We are really working on handwriting this week so the morning work was name writing practice. Grady's mother was a guest reader. She read two books, "The Island of the Skog" by Steven Kellogg (Grady's grandmother's favorite) and "How Tom Beat Capt. Najork and His Hired Sportsmen" by Russell Hoban. Reader's Workshop and guided reading was next. We then split into two groups for an Attribute Block train activity. Snack was indoor and out. An emergency meeting of all the boys was held because of an ongoing problem: one (or some) are not being careful when using the toilet. One change is that we have a boys' bathroom and a girls' bathroom. The boys need to check in with a teacher before heading to the bathroom. It must stop!! After recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had a Writer's Workshop. Music was our special and the two groups are working very well! David Leonardo and Maddy were our calendar people today. A Cam Jansen book was begun and then many children had treasures to share. The final share was Tucker reading a Star Wars book. The D.K.T. are wowed at all our amazing readers!
See you tomorrow!
Day 140: May 1, 2013
May 1st! It was a picture perfect day! The children came in and created their attribute shape collages. Animal and human shapes were designed with vivid colors. At meeting we voted on the Teamboard voting machine. The question was, "Do your socks match?" Did you remember that it was Wacky Sock Day? The children and teachers voted and the results were that 22 children had mismatched socks and 16 pairs matched. We viewed the date in a variety of forms: bar graph, pie chart, percentages and numerically. We also figured out the difference between 16 and 22. Children shared their mental math and then we checked it using the Number Grid. We needed to do calendar because today is another 'Circle 'Round the Zero' day. We made our circle outside. Then we also played 'The Warm Wind Blows'. Back in the classroom we changed meeting spots and table spots. After snack and recess each child got a square to illustrate a particular date or holiday. We use these squares as our calendar for the month. While K3 had P.E. K4 had Writer's Workshop. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. We all gathered back on the rug for "Dino-Basketball" by Lisa Wheeler. Caroline was our guest reader and she read "I Spy Fly Guy". We got up and stretched and had some sharing by Sofie and Marty. Finally we rehearsed a few poems and songs for our show and it was time to pack up for the day.
Day 139: April 30, 2013
This morning we did the quilt painting project with numbers from 1-25. We met briefly on the rug, checked lunch and attendance and Alby shared his alligator head. Yes, you read that correctly! Alby has an alligator head that he got as a gift. Of course it was a huge hit! We then lined up and walked to the gym for an Eveleth Community Meeting. Mrs. Thomas' and Mrs. Tully's classes recited three poems for us as a finale to National Poetry month. We then celebrated the March and April birthdays. Ms. Gora brought the new recess equipment cart up onto the stage (thank you, P.T.O.) and children shared ideas on ways to take care of the materials. Back in the classroom Grady and Lucy shared their Scavenger Hunt experience that was part of Screen Free Week. We listened to the clues and had fun guessing the different locations in Marblehead- the lighthouse, Fort Sewall, Old Burial Hill... Before snack the children finished up their paintings. After snack recess we did a Fundations review and practiced tapping out sounds. Next was Reader's/Writer's Workshop and guided reading groups. We read "A Pair of Socks" by Stuart Murphy, illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Mrs. Fraser came in before lunch and explained to the children that Music was now going to be split between K3 and K4. K3 will remain in the classroom with Mrs. Castellucio and K4 will have Music in the gym with Mrs. Fraser. When it rains everyone will be together in the classroom. After lunch recess we tried it for the first time and it went very well! Next was Starfall calendar for our last day in April, followed by a review of attribute blocks. We then read two books by Lois Ehlert, "Color Farm" and "Color Zoo" which lead into our morning activity of creating a collage, using attribute shapes, that represents an animal. Don't forget to wear some wacky socks tomorrow!
Day 138: April 29, 2013
Book Look started our day. Children got their book bags or chose from buckets on the tables. At meeting we took the lunch count and then Mrs. Carroll did calendar. The children were encouraged to get back to some RazKids reading. Passwords are being sent home today in case they have been forgotten. We have not had the opportunity to meet in the gym for a while so we filed quietly to the circle. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the Star Spangled Banner. A few people had items to share with the class. Then we played the count by 10s to 100 game. Their excitement and enthusiasm overflowed a bit so it took us a while to have a winner--David! We decided to have an early snack and recess. Back in the classroom the Writer's Workshop mini lesson focused on adding details by answering questions. The writers got right to it and the D.K.T. were SO impressed with the amount of detail that was included. We felt like we were in a 1st grade classroom! We had time for some sharing before lunch. Library is our Monday special. Mrs. Colby was so impressed by the Double K transition to the library rug that she gave them an Impress Me point! She is also very pleased with how very few children in Double K forget to return their library books each week! After Library we had some time to continue to practice some poems for our show on May 22nd at 8:30. All family members are invited. We will send home an invitation soon. Homework this week will be daily handwriting practice, a 100 chart game and some tangram problem solving. FYI: Our Book Fair time is this Friday at 8:30!
Day 137: April 26, 2013
The April Chicken Soup with Rice poem went into poetry notebooks first thing this morning. Then Leo B.'s mother was his special birthday guest reader! She read two books, "Star Wars ABCs (big hit) and "The Rabbit Problem" by Emily Gravett (adorable). Next was the 'Catch My Mistakes' calendar game and the sight word cheerleading game. In preparation for TV Turnoff Week we made a list poem of a variety of activities we can do instead of watching TV. We practiced some more poems for our show and then we completed a graph about sea creatures. Snack was indoor and outdoor. After K3 had P.E. our Writer's Workshop was a free choice poetry writing time. K4 had Art and then we all watched two stories on the Teamboard--"Little Penguin's Tale" by Audrey Wood and "My New Neighbors" by Keith Faulkner. Finally we reviewed our TV Turnoff list poem and it was time to head out for the weekend.
Day 136: April 25, 2013
The children made butterflies for yoga, sketched and read in guided reading groups with the D.K.T. Then we started practicing more poems for our show. Some of the practice was in small groups and some was whole group. After snack we watched a video of Eric Carle's
"Today is Monday". While K4 had P.E. K3 had free choice poetry writing time. Lunch was eaten at the picnic tables and in the classroom!Music was our afternoon special. We reviewed the addition facts to 5 and then had a spirited game of 'Around the World'. Maybe next time we will have a winner! Time for dismissal.
Day 135: April 24, 2013
The boys and girls worked on handwriting (Ss and Ff) before it was time to board the bus to the Village School. The 3rd grade learning buddies read some of their favorite poems to their Kindergarten buddies. Then the Kindergarteners chose one poem that gave them a clear mental image and they drew their picture. Finally the buddies shared the poem and pictures in a poetry slam. When we got back to Eveleth it was snack time. The weather was clearing up so many Double Ks chose to eat at the picnic tables outside! The others ate in the classroom. Recess was followed by a Reading Writing Workshop for K4 while K3 had P.E. outside! After lunch recess K4 had P.E. outside! Spring has sprung! In Art K3 created torn paper tulip pictures. The Double K has been so incredibly respectful and quiet with Kindergarten screening going on in the gym, that they earned 10 more Impress Me points so they enjoyed some outdoor recess time. When we came back in we talked a bit about TV Turnoff Week which starts next Monday. Many children don't think they are up to the challenge but we assured them to give it a try! More on that later on... No coats needed as they headed out the door!
Day 134: April 23, 2013
Back to a rainy day:( We started the day tracing and water coloring the alphabet. We created little ABC quilts. Mrs. Perroni read aloud from: I'm Still Here in the Bathtub by Alan Katz. It is a silly song book and we had fun. We all sang a 'jazzy' belated Happy Birthday to Tony. We did 'Mystery Box' and wrote a whole class poem about what was inside (an eraser), and then we tried writing poems about little objects. After snack and inside recess, we practiced our Poetry Slam poems and split into three groups for Fundations followed by handwriting. After lunch recess, Mrs. Perroni finished the book from the morning and it was time for music. The class was extra SUPER getting everything silently that they needed from cubbies and bags while kindergarten screening was going on in the gym,so the tenth 'Impress Me' point was earned. We ended the day with EXTRA RECESS!
Day 133: April 22, 2013
A sunny morning greeted us as we headed back to Double K after our April vacation. April 22nd is Earth Day so the children worked on a mini-book about Earth Day. At meeting we watched a video made by Kindergarteners that demonstrated 6 ways to help the earth. We then generated ideas for writing topics. The children shared their topic ideas and then went to the tables for Writer's Workshop. (There was some talk about the Marathon bombing at individual tables but no one brought it up when we were altogether on the rug. The D.K.T. had decided to only discuss the tragic events if it was initiated by a child.)
After Writer's Workshop some children shared some vacation brochures, a mini book on Sharks (published by DK which was connected to our wonderful classroom!), a Japanese coin, some cursive writing practice and a compass. After snack recess we read "Circus" by Lois Ehlert. We did calendar and reviewed a dice game that we would play later in the day. Our special was Library. Then it was a math choice time: Addition Top It, Spider Web dice game, Star Wars Race to 100, Calculators, and a Telling Time to the Hour game. That brought us up to clean up and dismissal time. Don't forget to write in your April journals!
Day 132: April 12, 2013
This morning was a celebration of Mrs. Carroll! Her birthday is during vacation so the children made cards for her. We found the BEST happy birthday song EVER (listen to it on our website!) and sang it a few times. We gave her a class picture with all the children's names handwritten on the frame. Ms. Devin carved a watermelon and filled it with fresh fruit and we gave her a pretty plant. Mrs. Carroll said, "Thank you for the fruit, flowers and (picture) frame. I love my cards too!" We did calendar and reviewed some poems for the Poetry Jam. After snack recess, K3 had P.E. and K4 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop. When the whole class was back together we did another reading comprehension mini-lesson on Asking Questions with "Angela from the Arctic". The rain began so there was indoor lunch recess--Legos, drawing, Playdoh and a fierce game of 'Go Fish' were some of the chosen activities! K4 had Art and K3 played Bingo which is great practice with 2 digit numbers. Mrs. Carroll read, "Jack's Garden" by Henry Cole and then we had popsicles and watched "Tugford Wanted to Be Bad" on the Teamboard. Folders were passed out. The hallway and ramp were checked for boots and clothing and everyone avoided the big drip from the roof as they headed out for vacation! See you on April 22nd!
Day 131: April 11, 2013
Morning work was _an wheels and reading. At meeting we introduced the reading comprehension strategy of asking questions. We shared a big book, "Angela from the Arctic" by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith for our mini-lesson. A good thinking strategy that we used is called "See, Think, Wonder'. Looking at the cover photograph children shared what they see (I see a young girl.), then what they think ( I think she is jumping on a trampoline.), and finally what they have a question about ( I wonder if she has practiced this before?) All responses are accepted without judgement. This thinking strategy helps children dig a little deeper into the text. We read a few pages and modeled how to look at the photographs, read the words and ask questions for deeper understanding. When we released the children to get books and read independently we encouraged them to find a book they had not read before and to think of a question that they might have. We shared some of the books and questions before snack. After snack recess, we reviewed transitions before K4 went to P.E. K3 did the color list poem lesson from yesterday. Our special was Music. We read Chris Van Dusen's "Randy Riley's Really Big Hit" then moved to the other rug for some poetry practice (beginning to prepare for our Poetry Jam in May!).
Then it was back to the other rug for some RazKids time. Hopefully this motivated the girls and boys to get back on RazKids and do some reading! By now it was 2:18 and we needed to get folders, jackets and canvas bags. One more day until April vacation!
Day 130: April 10, 2013
Oops! This daily news is a day late! We started our day with a choice time because the class had earned their 10th Impress Me point. At meeting we completed the calendar and it was time for another 'Circle 'Round the Zero' game. We reviewed the rules for a productive Reader's Workshop and the children read independently and successfully for 10 minutes. Mrs. Perroni was back and we read Dr.Seuss' "Many Colored Days". This reading led into a poetry writing time for K4 while K3 had P.E. The boys and girls chose a color and then created a list poem for that color, incorporating real things, feelings and the 5 senses. Before lunch we had time for some of the poets to share their poems. After lunch recess K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. We then had a class meeting to revisit 'transition time behaviors' because the specialists and the D.K.T. felt that the children had slipped a bit in this area and needed some refocusing. We counted up some of the transitions we have in one day and it was in the teens! We came up with a signal (sign language letter r, for respect) that will be a reminder when a transition is imminent. Then we transitioned :) for an orderly dismissal.
Day 129: April 9, 2013
The handwriting practice this morning was Oo and Qq. A few children had time to start an _am wheel, and a few guided reading groups took place. At meeting we caught up on calendar. Then we wrote a group letter to Mr. Mace and Mr. Racki thanking them for all the hard work they do for us at the Eveleth School. We wanted them to know how much we appreciate them! Two more math centers followed, finishing up from yesterday. After snack and recess we had a wonderful enrichment program funded by the P.T.O. Dave Schlafman, animator and co-creator of 'Fizzy's Lunch Lab' shared his story from being a 4 year old who liked to draw to an adult who now goes to work every day loving what he does! Thank you again, P.T.O., for another excellent program! Right before lunch Mrs. Brennan read a book she had given to Patrick, "Hello Wally" by Jerry Remy. The weather was beautiful for lunch recess so we stayed out a few extra minutes until it was time for Music. After Music, we read "From Seed to Plant" by Alan Fowler. We identified what plants need to grow--water, sunlight and soil. We then did an activity on the Teamboard in which we could adjust the amount of heat, sunlight, water and pot size to grow the healthiest plant. Finally we had a few minutes to watch a bit of 'Fizzy's Lunch Lab' before we headed out the door.
Day 128: April 8, 2013
We had 100% attendance again today! The children came in and painted abstract designs with water color paints. This paper was used to frame their Learning Buddy poems in our Poetry Garden. Lots is left over for other projects! Meeting was next. Mrs. Perroni was absent so we welcomed back Mrs. Brennan, who we haven't seen since December! Children had voted 'yes' or 'no' on the question, "Will the Red Sox win their home opener at Fenway Park today? We counted up the tallies and 35 children voted 'yes' and 1 voted 'no'. Only time will tell! We sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" two times as part of our Morning Message. Math centers were ready to go. This week the topics are: clocks, subtraction with cubes, introduction to the dime and addition top it. We worked through two centers today and will complete the other two tomorrow. During snack we read some silly school poems from the book, "Mrs.Cole on an Onion Roll and other school poems" by Kalli Dakos. After snack recess Mrs. Brennan read, "Zachary's Ball" by Matt Tavares. The setting is Fenway Park. We learned how to write a list poem by listing all the things we did over the weekend. This is the exact opposite of writing Weekend News in which the writers zoom in on one small moment! We had time to share some of the poems before lunch. Mrs. Brennan was VERY impressed by how the girls and boys listen for sounds in their words and also use the word wall for sight words. There are 5 types of seeds in our Seed Collection so far. The biggest is the avocado and the tiniest is the petunia! We came in from lunch recess and it was time for Library. Then we investigated lima bean seeds which had been soaking in water. The three parts of the seed were very visible--the seed coat, plant and plant food. Hand lenses were used to see the plant part more clearly. Mrs. Carroll had some forsythia which we will watch as it blossoms. We read "Take Me Out to the Yakyu" by Aaron Meshon which compares baseball in the USA and Japan. We read an opening day poem and colored in a picture of Wally. No jackets were necessary at dismissal as the Double K headed out into the warm sunshine!
Day 127: April 5, 2013
Today we switched it up and the children wrote original poems in their Poetry Notebooks instead of pasting in a published poem. Then we met for meeting, did calendar and reread "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" because it is such an awesome book. We had snack and recess a little early because K3 had P.E. K4, in the meantime,enjoyed a big book version of "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle as an introduction for planting some flower seeds. We had the big magnifiers out so that the children could examine the seeds up close and then each child could decide which one to plant. K3 did this same activity in the afternoon while K4 had Art. We watched a video, 'A Child's Garden of Poetry' then got up and moved to the '3D Shapes' and 'Shapes' songs. We talked again that poetry can be about everyday things and maybe a weekend activity or idea could be the seed of a new poem!
Day 126: April 4, 2013
Handwriting practice is good for everyone! So Dd and Gg were the letters of the day! The D.K.T finished up a few more guided reading groups and then we gathered on the rug for meeting. We did calendar and then finally (we had been trying all week) we did the Starfall calendar too. It was time to try some more writing of poetry. We used a mini lesson from Lucy Calkins' poetry unit of study. This lesson focused on writing poetry about every day things such as a pencil sharpener or the ceiling. The children then got clipboards, pencils and paper and looked around the classroom for an object. When we returned to the rug we made it a guessing game for what was written about. Some choices were the globe, the sight words, addition and subtraction and the boat pictures. It was an excellent first attempt and we will try again! That kept us super busy right up until snack time. After recess K4 had P.E. and K3 worked through a variety of choices for literacy stations. Lunch, recess and Music followed. Then we read "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel-fabulous book! We had some time for browsing with books before it was time to clean up and pack up. Tomorrow is Friday already!
Day 125: April 3, 2013
We started our day with an _ad wheel for word family practice. The DKT also read with some guided reading groups. Very soon after, it was time to hop on the bus and head to our Learning Buddies at the Village School. Our activity was poetry based. We are creating Poetry Gardens at both schools to display and enjoy poetry. First the buddies were given a slip of paper on which was written the name of something you might find in a garden (birds, flowers, colors, etc). Each pair had to think of 3 things in that category and then create a poem using those examples. Then the buddies created flowers, butterflies, birds, insects, etc to be displayed in the Poetry Gardens. The children worked well together and we have the beginnings of our gardens. Back at Eveleth we had snack and recess. While K3 had P.E. K4 had a Writer's/Reader's workshop and some more guided reading. Some DoubleK kids experimented with writing poetry! After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. The art project was connected to a study of architecture. Some very interesting structures were created! K4 will do this project on Friday. There was time for some Show and Tell sharing. Tucker and Leo B. shared their karate accomplishments- breaking a board and getting an orange stripe. We even watched a video of Tucker as he broke the board! Yuri shared a trophy he earned playing in a chess tournament. Many budding poets, including James B. and Marty shared their original poems! Poetry reading was interspersed throughout our day. Finally the children listened to the story, "April Fool! Watch Out at School!" by Diane deGroat. Instead of viewing the illustrations we had the children visualize the story and create their own mental pictures. It is a joy to pack up quickly now with Spring in the air!
Day 124: April 2, 2013
Poetry books covered all the tables for perusing with a buddy! We quickly met for meeting and shared a favorite 'The Swing' by Robert Louis Stevenson. We then filed quietly into the gym for the Eveleth Community Meeting. The results of the March Readathon were shared with the entire school. The Kindergarten and 1st graders read for ...drum roll please... 64,292 minutes!! That total amount broke the previous record wide open!l The Double K alone read for 19,400 minutes! Goodbye March Readathon, Hello April Poetry Month! The Eveleth staff recited some poems for the children ending the meeting with a Call and Response poem. On Thursdays in April children may receive a book mark if they have a poem in their pocket or can recite a poem to a staff member. Back in the classroom we broke into 3 groups for Fundations practice. More poems were shared during snack time. After recess we did calendar and filled in the missing 10s on a number grid on the Teamboard. Ms. Mimi came in and did another Second Steps lesson on Belly Breathing.
After lunch recess the children watched a video of another story about Harry the Dirty Dog. Music was next. More poetry followed and then we played a categories game right before dismissal. Everyone is excited to go to the Village School for Learning Buddies tomorrow!
Day 123: April 1, 2013
It seemed that everyone was a little sleepy this morning so they quietly came in and colored a mini book, "Spring is Here". At meeting Guni shared a great photo of his cat looking at the two new fish in an aquarium! The Amazing Leo W. showed how he could magically make two trucks follow a black line track on a piece of paper! We then verbally shared some ideas for Weekend News and the writers/illustrators got to work. After snack recess we listened to a story on tape, "April Foolishness" by Teresa Bateman. Everyone then got a square piece of paper with a date in April to illustrate for our calendar this month. Library was our special. Next, Max, Patrick and Cody were our calendar reporters for the day and they also chose two classmates to read our sight words. The math homework is filling in an April calendar and the ELA homework is an April journal. We read "Diary of a Worm" by Doreen Cronin which is an example of diary/journal writing. Finally, in preparation of our celebration of National Poetry month we watched an Arthur video entitled, "I am a Poet". By then it was time to pack up. But Marin felt the poetry urge and dictated a poem to Mrs. Perroni about apples and bananas. We will have a wonderful month reading, reciting and listening to all kinds of poetry!
Day 122: March 28, 2013
Breakfast and books was a blast!! Half the fun was checking out everyone's pajamas and stuffed animals. Thank you for such a great turnout! When we gathered on the rug for our meeting, Campbell read "Hop on Pop" to the class--excellent expression! Next we watched the 2D and 3D shapes songs in preparation for creating our own using toothpicks and marshmallows. They were very creative, helpful and supportive of each other while building their 3D structures. During snack Mrs. Carroll read "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. After snack recess the children began exploring _ag and _ap words by making wheels. While K4 had P.E. K3 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop and shared some of their work. After lunch recess it was time for Music. The class finished up their wheels from the morning and then we had Ramona's big sister, Fehr, as our guest reader. Fehr read "Mr. Seahorse" by Eric Carle. The day flew by and then it was time for dismissal. Enjoy the long weekend! Don't forget to bring in your reading minutes on Monday!
Day 121: March 27, 2013
The sand table, Legos and other indoor recess materials came out for our choice time. We had a quick meeting and headed to the gym for an 8:30 a.m. community meeting. Declan Murtagh was our special guest and he told the children all about General Glover and his accomplishments. His admirable qualities will be a guide for us all as we enter the new Glover School next year! Back in the classroom we listed suggestions of the traits that stood out the most--good citizen, leader, helpful, brave and encouraging were some of the descriptive words that were shared. After snack and recess we gathered on the rug and shared the art project from yesterday with Mrs. Perroni, who had been at a conference. Then while K3 had P.E. K4 had Reader's/Writer's Workshop with time for sharing. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Back at meeting, we did calendar and then read through our class book, "It's Spring and That Means...", which we created yesterday. The boys and girls had time to choose some books for tomorrow morning's Breakfast and Books. All winter clothes and boots were sent home--we optimistically hope that there will be no more snowstorms! See you in the morning!
Day 120: March 26, 2013
Another Circle 'Round the Zero' day today! Our morning work was to create a page for our class book, "It's Spring and That Means..." We listened to Vivaldi's 'Spring' and shared the pictures it elicited in our minds. The book, "Ship Shapes" by Stella Blackstone has collage illustrations by Siobhan Bell. We could make a text to text connection with Lois Ehlert's collage style. Our art project this morning was inspired by these illustrators. Each child made a collage picture using a variety of shapes to create an ocean scene. This activity also reinforced our learning about shapes. After lunch recess we watched "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion on the Teamboard and then it was time for Music. Next we tried a new activity called 'Read the Room'. The children walked around the room with papers on clipboards and found words they could read--sight words, children's names, words on clothing and books, months, etc. We then gathered on the rug to share some of the words and list them on a chart. When it was time to stop one child asked "When can we do this again?" The D.K.T. love to hear that! They earned their 10th Impress Me Point so we will start the day tomorrow with an indoor recess- a special request was made for the sand table!
Day 119: March 25, 2013
Today's morning work was a mini book that focused on missing numbers. We started meeting by reading a book that Patrick had brought in on Friday, "The Fox and the Springtime Blossoms" by Julia Rawlinson. Next we had a Writer's Workshop mini lesson reviewing Small Moment writing as a way to add more details in our writing. The children chose between starting a new Weekend News piece of writing or adding on details to a work in progress. We had time for sharing before snack time. During snack we had dinner theater and Annabelle read some of Dr. Seuss' book, "Happy Birthday to You" She finished
reading the book when we came in from recess. Calendar was next and Tony was in charge. He also created a question of the day for us to vote on. The question was "What did you do over the weekend?" The four choices were Played Outside, Lost a Tooth, Went to a Restaurant and Something Else. We used the Teamboard voting machine to record our votes. Then we were able to analyze the data by viewing a variety of displays--a bar graph, a circle graph, a chart with the numerical results and one with percentages. Something Else got the most votes (26) and Losing a Tooth received no votes. During lunch, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had their final lunch bunch book talk group for March Reading Madness. Library was our afternoon special. Our final activity of the day was to color and paint the Red Red sketches from last week. We also read "RRRalph" by Lois Ehlert which all the dogs lovers loved! No homework (except reading) this week!
Day 118: March 22, 2013
Friday speed version!!
Red, Red drawings and March poem into Poetry notebooks
Guest reader, Mrs. Toto reads "Can I Play Too?" by Mo Willems
Guest reader, Alby Toto reads "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss
Finish up morning work
Class graph--Who sets the table at your house?
Worksheet graph paper--How Many Animals Live at the Zoo?
Snack dinner theater--David reads "Flying" by Joy Cowley
K3 has P.E
Maps and globes explorations
Lunch dinner theater--Matthew reads from "Hop on Pop"
K4 has Art
Mystery box
Sight word songs
Guest reader, Mrs. Brennan reads "Froggy Plays T-Ball" by Jonathan London
Dismissal--Report cards sent home!
Day 117: March 21, 2013
Today's fine motor activities included geoboards, unifex cubes, patterns blocks and peg boards. Mrs. Pillsbury, the speech therapist came in and did a whole class lesson on sh (a fat sound) and s (a thin sound). The class played a game differentiating between the two sounds and then we watched a song about sh on the teamboard. Students returned to their fine motor activities and the D.K.T. completed the remaining guided reading groups.
Before snack they played two dice games that were good practice for number formation and the concept of 'more than'. During snack, Mrs. Perroni did 'dinner theater' by reading Robert Muench's "Stephanie's Ponytail". While K4 had P.E. K3 had another Writer's Workshop focusing on small moment writing. We verbally extended ideas and discussed how it can be done in their writing. When you string together many details you create a book! K4 worked very hard and quietly on their writing. Our special was Music. We needed to get up and move a bit so we did a movement song to the alphabet. Next was calendar. Ms. Devin read "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman in the "Big Blue Book of Beginner Books". Mrs. Perroni demonstrated how to draw Red Red from "Hop on Pop". Tomorrow everyone will have a chance to draw too.
Day 116: March 20, 2013
We started our day with handwriting practice (Aa,Cc) and creating patterns with pattern blocks. At meeting we did the calendar, Lucy read to the class and we listened to a book called "It's Spring" by Linda Glaser. This author used cut paper illustrations, similar to Lois Ehlert's style. Next was a Writer's Workshop during which the D.K.T. read with some guided reading groups. Our guest reader, Guni's mom arrived. It is a special day in the Fehrenbach house because it is Guni AND his mom's birthday today! She read Chris Van Dusen's book, "The Circus Ship". Then it was time for snack and recess. When we came back in Mrs. Perroni finished reading "Top Cat" by Lois Ehlert. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Reader's Workshop. At lunchtime, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had our 3rd lunch bunch book talk. Next Monday we will picnic with the final 9 children. After lunch recess, K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. Mrs. Carroll read "The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. We listened to Jack Hartmann's Birthday Song. Then we played 'Around the World' with math facts to five. Participation was voluntary. The others were the audience. Tony and Matthew almost made it around the world! It is easy to get tongue tied! Everyone got organized on the rug and we passed out the folders using only eye contact. Time for Double K to be dismissed.
Day 115: March 18, 2013
We are beginning a unit on the author/illustrator Lois Ehlert so many of her books were out on the tables for partner reading. At meeting we began a discussion about Lois Ehlert's style of illustrating. Mrs. Carroll took the lunch count and all 36 Double K children were in school! We have not had perfect attendance for a while, so that was special! Next was a Writer's Workshop mini lesson focusing on 'Small Moment' writing. This is when the writer zooms in on one particular part of a day and describes it. With practice, this strategy helps to elicit more details in the writing. The children shared some of their small moment topics and off they went to write. We had time for sharing afterwards and many children took the opportunity to share their work. Snack and recess followed. Then we broke into 3 groups for Fundations practice. Sound fluency, tapping and writing words and sentence dictation were some of the acitivities that were practiced. After lunch recess it was time for Library. Mrs. Colby went home sick so Ms. Devin was the librarian for the day. She read a book to the class and the children were able to check out books too. We reviewed number formation because the math homework this week is writing the numbers. Our goal is to reduce/eliminate reversals. Tucker and Yuri shared some special coins. Then Leo B.'s mother was our guest reader. She read two books, "Leo the Lightning Bug" by Eric Drachman and "Hippos Gone Berserk" by Sandra Boynton. Another day in Double K was drawing to a close as everyone got folders, packed up and bundled up. Snow tomorrow?!?!
Day 114: March 15, 2013
Friday speed version of the daily news!
Painting and sketch pads
Caroline's dad is a guest reader--"Oh, the Thinks You Can Think" by Dr. Seuss
Morning Meeting-Birthday Cards for Mrs. Shapiro!
Madagascar dance!
Choice time, painting and body portraits
Snack and recess
K3 has P.E.
K4 makes mini books and reads Dr. Seuss books
Book swap and reading
Lunch and recess
K4 has Art
K3 makes mini books and reads Dr. Seuss books
Calendar
Counting by 2's and 5's
Fizzie's Lunch Lab
Sofie's mom is a guest reader--"Mr Brown Can Moo. Can You" by Dr. Seuss
Mrs. Carroll's son stops in to meet Double K
Pack up and go home!
Have a great weekend!
Day 113: March 14, 2013
Thursday is 'fine motor' day and we had a variety of activities to start the day: playdough, pattern blocks, tracers, paper table which included tape, stapler and fun scissors, and fundations letter tiles. Before morning message we guessed what was in the Mystery Box and Marin guessed a cup before we tallied twenty guesses. We had a teeny bit more math assessment, only about twenty minutes and then on to snack and recess. Ms. Nye (Mrs. Shapiro was absent) read "Fox in Socks" by Dr. Seuss. She really had to concentrate because it was quite a tongue twister. K4 went to gym and K3 had Writing Workshop. After lunch the whole crew had music and we ended the day with painting and coloring. Our classmate readers of the day were Caroline and then Courtney and Sydney partner read.
Day 112: March 13, 2013
We started the morning by outlining our Dr. Seuss-like fish. Unfortunately, we were way too busy to get to the watercolor part...hopefully tomorrow. Writing Workshop and Guided Reading Groups were combined. We had our meeting which was followed by our first guest reader: Mrs. Duffy, Courtney's mom. She read "thankyouplease", a book about manners. Snack was next, followed by a beautiful outdoor recess. After recess, we came in and Cam Q. and Matthew read some of "Green Eggs and Ham" in a partnership. K3 went to PE and K4 did the math assessment that K3 did last week. Mrs. Carroll flashed the math facts at them and they are learning quickly. After lunch, K3 had art and K4 had PE. We gathered together and played our sight word songs which ended with Madagascar! Our second guest reader of the day, Mrs. Sherf, Matthew's mom came. Matthew helped her read a 'Duck' book and then Mrs. Sherf read a book about dinosaurs playing hockey...the Veggies won!
We started the morning by outlining our Dr. Seuss-like fish. Unfortunately, we were way too busy to get to the watercolor part...hopefully tomorrow. Writing Workshop and Guided Reading Groups were combined. We had our meeting which was followed by our first guest reader: Mrs. Duffy, Courtney's mom. She read "thankyouplease", a book about manners. Snack was next, followed by a beautiful outdoor recess. After recess, we came in and Cam Q. and Matthew read some of "Green Eggs and Ham" in a partnership. K3 went to PE and K4 did the math assessment that K3 did last week. Mrs. Carroll flashed the math facts at them and they are learning quickly. After lunch, K3 had art and K4 had PE. We gathered together and played our sight word songs which ended with Madagascar! Our second guest reader of the day, Mrs. Sherf, Matthew's mom came. Matthew helped her read a 'Duck' book and then Mrs. Sherf read a book about dinosaurs playing hockey...the Veggies won!
Day 111: March 12, 2013
The morning work was all about rhyming words. The children colored, cut and practiced the _at family while we checked them individually on their rhyming ability. Max and Jamie read some of "There's A Wocket in My Pocket" to the class. We did calendar and then reviewed our Respect oath. We had an early snack and recess because of the PTO sponsored enrichment program, The Talking Cello. Miss K. came in with her cello and taught the girls and boys all the parts of the cello and what different materials are used. Then the class had the opportunity to structure a story by choosing different elements. Some of the things they chose were an armadillo, lightning, thunder, a haunted house, an open box, a cell phone and a helicopter. Then Miss K. made up a story and told it while playing her cello. Then she played the story on her cello without speaking. The sounds the cello made matched the choices and told the story without words! The program was excellent. Thank you, Glover/Evelth PTO! After she left, the children completed a drawing of a cello and had an opportunity to write Miss K. a letter on the back. She promises that she will respond to all letters! By now it was lunch time and Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had their second Lunch Bunch book chat. We needed a Quiet Time before Music to settle back in after recess. Then Mrs. Perroni guided the class through the steps of drawing a fish 'Dr. Seuss style'. They practiced once and then the special white paper came out. They sketched again in pencil and tomorrow morning will trace over the pencil lines with crayon. Later they will use watercolors to complete the art project. It was a very artsy day in Double K!
Day 110: March 11, 2013
Our Friday plans shifted to today due to the snow storm. The children got their book bags and started with a Book Look. At 8:15 Grady's mother was our guest reader. She and Grady chose the book, "Substitute Creacher" by Chris Gall. We turned 180 degrees for calendar because today is day 110 which means...Circle 'Round the Zero! We lined up behind Guni, our flag holder, and walked quietly into the gym. We said the Pledge, sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' and then did 'Circle 'Round the Zero' up to 110! We then sat down in the circle in the gym and prepared for Writer's Workshop. Today the children would draw and write without ANY help from the D.K.T. so that we could see exactly where each child is as a writer. We walked quietly back into the classroom, turned on some classical music and the writing and drawing began! The boys and girls were given the opportunity to share their writing and many children did so. Snack was a little later than usual because we were so busy. When they finished snack they headed out for recess in the warm sunshine. The snow was melting, but there was plenty for building and playing! Before lunch more children shared their morning writing. After lunch recess, Tucker read 29 pages of "Green Eggs and Ham" to his classmates. Library followed. Our day ended with a pre-activity lesson for the enrichment program tomorrow, The Talking Cello. The Kindergarteners listened to Yo Yo Ma play Suite #1 by Bach. They then listened again and drew whatever feelings were elicited by the music. Everyone who wanted to shared drawings did so. Time to pack up!
Day 109: March 7, 2013
We are trying to get the Double K ready for first grade so we did some sight word handwriting practice and recorded addition facts with unifex cubes again. Then for Double K fun we played some of our favorite videos songs--the Big Number Song, 3 D shapes and Shapes Song. Before snack we recorded and analyzed some data on a graph (impressive!) about animals at a pet store. It was an indoor recess day so the games and Legos came out. Ms. Mimi came in and did another lesson on feelings from the Second Steps program. K3 had a math assessment while K4 was in P.E. Music is our Thursday afternoon special and then the children listened to "Put Me In The Zoo" by Robert Lopshire. The boys and girls have been patiently waiting to change meeting spots so we did! Our first March Readathon guest reader, Mrs. Alpert, arrived at 2 p.m and read "Maybelle" by Virginia Burton, which connected to their family trip to San Francisco. The weather was very stormy so we made sure everyone had hats, mittens and zipped up coats before they headed out the door.
Day 108: March 6, 2013
We started the day by creating and recording math facts for 5 using unifex cubes. At meeting we did the Starfall calendar because Sydney's birthday is coming up. Yuri read part of a Russian book to the class! We tried to read the illustrations first to see if we could predict what the story was about because, of course, none of us (including the teachers) could read one word of the text! Gary and Gregory sat with Yuri while he read. He got a HUGE round of applause when he finished. It was beautiful to listen to the Russian language. Then we thought we would read a book in English so we read "Horton Hatches an Egg" by Dr. Seuss. Snack and recess followed. We looked at some more rooms in Raz Kids When the children came back in we had a Reader's Workshop with guided reading and independent reading. K4 completed some math assessments while K3 was in P.E. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. They earned their 10th Impress Me point yesterday so we ended our day with an indoor recess. Board games were particularly popular! Clean up, pack up and head out the door!
Day 107: March 5, 2013
In the spirit of Dr. Seuss the children made door knob hangers for their bedroom doors this morning. At 8:30 the other two kindergarten classes joined us in our room for an Electrical Safety program which is presented at each grade level every year. A pamphlet with information and activities is in their folders. Next we did calendar and then read "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" which was Dr. Seuss' first published book. Then it was time for snack and recess. During snack we viewed a few more Raz Rocket rooms. After recess we worked through our last rhyming Literacy Center. Before lunch we had a Writer's Workshop in which many children wrote some Weekend News. After lunch recess we had a Quiet time with Italian music. Their special was Music. After music, we had a mini lesson about addition facts using unifex cubes. Tomorrow morning the children will try the activity independently. We watched a video of "The Cat in the Hat" and it was time to get ready for dismissal.
The morning work was all about rhyming words. The children colored, cut and practiced the _at family while we checked them individually on their rhyming ability. Max and Jamie read some of "There's A Wocket in My Pocket" to the class. We did calendar and then reviewed our Respect oath. We had an early snack and recess because of the PTO sponsored enrichment program, The Talking Cello. Miss K. came in with her cello and taught the girls and boys all the parts of the cello and what different materials are used. Then the class had the opportunity to structure a story by choosing different elements. Some of the things they chose were an armadillo, lightning, thunder, a haunted house, an open box, a cell phone and a helicopter. Then Miss K. made up a story and told it while playing her cello. Then she played the story on her cello without speaking. The sounds the cello made matched the choices and told the story without words! The program was excellent. Thank you, Glover/Evelth PTO! After she left, the children completed a drawing of a cello and had an opportunity to write Miss K. a letter on the back. She promises that she will respond to all letters! By now it was lunch time and Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had their second Lunch Bunch book chat. We needed a Quiet Time before Music to settle back in after recess. Then Mrs. Perroni guided the class through the steps of drawing a fish 'Dr. Seuss style'. They practiced once and then the special white paper came out. They sketched again in pencil and tomorrow morning will trace over the pencil lines with crayon. Later they will use watercolors to complete the art project. It was a very artsy day in Double K!
Day 110: March 11, 2013
Our Friday plans shifted to today due to the snow storm. The children got their book bags and started with a Book Look. At 8:15 Grady's mother was our guest reader. She and Grady chose the book, "Substitute Creacher" by Chris Gall. We turned 180 degrees for calendar because today is day 110 which means...Circle 'Round the Zero! We lined up behind Guni, our flag holder, and walked quietly into the gym. We said the Pledge, sang 'The Star Spangled Banner' and then did 'Circle 'Round the Zero' up to 110! We then sat down in the circle in the gym and prepared for Writer's Workshop. Today the children would draw and write without ANY help from the D.K.T. so that we could see exactly where each child is as a writer. We walked quietly back into the classroom, turned on some classical music and the writing and drawing began! The boys and girls were given the opportunity to share their writing and many children did so. Snack was a little later than usual because we were so busy. When they finished snack they headed out for recess in the warm sunshine. The snow was melting, but there was plenty for building and playing! Before lunch more children shared their morning writing. After lunch recess, Tucker read 29 pages of "Green Eggs and Ham" to his classmates. Library followed. Our day ended with a pre-activity lesson for the enrichment program tomorrow, The Talking Cello. The Kindergarteners listened to Yo Yo Ma play Suite #1 by Bach. They then listened again and drew whatever feelings were elicited by the music. Everyone who wanted to shared drawings did so. Time to pack up!
Day 109: March 7, 2013
We are trying to get the Double K ready for first grade so we did some sight word handwriting practice and recorded addition facts with unifex cubes again. Then for Double K fun we played some of our favorite videos songs--the Big Number Song, 3 D shapes and Shapes Song. Before snack we recorded and analyzed some data on a graph (impressive!) about animals at a pet store. It was an indoor recess day so the games and Legos came out. Ms. Mimi came in and did another lesson on feelings from the Second Steps program. K3 had a math assessment while K4 was in P.E. Music is our Thursday afternoon special and then the children listened to "Put Me In The Zoo" by Robert Lopshire. The boys and girls have been patiently waiting to change meeting spots so we did! Our first March Readathon guest reader, Mrs. Alpert, arrived at 2 p.m and read "Maybelle" by Virginia Burton, which connected to their family trip to San Francisco. The weather was very stormy so we made sure everyone had hats, mittens and zipped up coats before they headed out the door.
Day 108: March 6, 2013
We started the day by creating and recording math facts for 5 using unifex cubes. At meeting we did the Starfall calendar because Sydney's birthday is coming up. Yuri read part of a Russian book to the class! We tried to read the illustrations first to see if we could predict what the story was about because, of course, none of us (including the teachers) could read one word of the text! Gary and Gregory sat with Yuri while he read. He got a HUGE round of applause when he finished. It was beautiful to listen to the Russian language. Then we thought we would read a book in English so we read "Horton Hatches an Egg" by Dr. Seuss. Snack and recess followed. We looked at some more rooms in Raz Kids When the children came back in we had a Reader's Workshop with guided reading and independent reading. K4 completed some math assessments while K3 was in P.E. After lunch recess K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. They earned their 10th Impress Me point yesterday so we ended our day with an indoor recess. Board games were particularly popular! Clean up, pack up and head out the door!
Day 107: March 5, 2013
In the spirit of Dr. Seuss the children made door knob hangers for their bedroom doors this morning. At 8:30 the other two kindergarten classes joined us in our room for an Electrical Safety program which is presented at each grade level every year. A pamphlet with information and activities is in their folders. Next we did calendar and then read "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street" which was Dr. Seuss' first published book. Then it was time for snack and recess. During snack we viewed a few more Raz Rocket rooms. After recess we worked through our last rhyming Literacy Center. Before lunch we had a Writer's Workshop in which many children wrote some Weekend News. After lunch recess we had a Quiet time with Italian music. Their special was Music. After music, we had a mini lesson about addition facts using unifex cubes. Tomorrow morning the children will try the activity independently. We watched a video of "The Cat in the Hat" and it was time to get ready for dismissal.
Day 106 March 4, 2013
There were some special guests at the Eveleth School this morning to kick off the March Readathon! The Cat in the Hat and his friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2, were outside to greet all the Eveleth students as they arrived! Double K worked on a little book, "Read, Read, Read a Book" and then headed to the gym for a Community Meeting. The Cat in the Hat (Mrs. Perroni!) explained the month long activities for the readathon. Back in the classroom we finished up the little books and then we talked about all the wonderful Raz Kids reading that went on over the weekend, and we got a look at some of the Raz Rockets rooms up on the Teamboard. After snack and recess we broke into Literacy Centers. Before lunch we did calendar and Mrs. Carroll read "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss.
Lunch and recess were next. Our Monday's special is Library and everyone got a Dr. Seuss book mark. Today was all about reading so of course we had a Reader's Workshop after Library. Children read alone and some children read in guided reading groups with a teacher. Everyone else will get a chance tomorrow. Clean up time and dismissal snuck up on us! Happy reading!
Day 105: March 1, 2013
As promised, the Double K class had a free choice extra recess when they arrived. Legos, checkers, bingo, sketchpads, body portraits and listening to stories were some of the chosen activities. It is a new month so the children helped to create our March calendar and the February Chicken Soup with Rice poem went into their poetry notebooks. Snack and recess followed. K4 had Reader/Writer Workshop while K3 was in P.E. When we were all back together we introduced Raz Kids on the Teamboard. The class is VERY excited to try it out at home. Right before lunch we changed table seats. It was really lovely how genuinely welcoming they were to each other as they discovered who was at their tables! After lunch, K4 had Art, which has had an architecture theme this week. K3 worked through a variety of math activities that we will use to assess their thinking. K4 will have their opportunity next week. March Reading Madness starts next week so, of course we need crowns! The children colored and cut out their Cat in the Hat inspired crowns. The Double K will wear crowns to the kickoff Eveleth Community Meeting on Monday morning. Have fun with Raz Kids!
Day 104: February 28, 2012
Water color painting and body portraits were the first order of business today. At meeting our guest teacher was James L. who led us through our calendar and sight word routine. Then we used Unifex cubes to concretely explore our addition facts to 5. The children learned about the +0 rule and turn around facts (2+3 and 3+2 for ex.). Before snack time we were able to continue with our Literacy Centers focusing on rhyming words. After snack recess we reviewed sounds for fluency and practiced tapping out some words. K4 had P.E. and K3 had a choice between Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop. Music class was unusual because both teachers were at a conference so we had 2 substitutes! We prepped the girls and boys that we expected respectful and cooperative behavior and they came through BIG TIME!! We will have a little extra recess tomorrow as a reward. Our official Fit February fruit and veggie tally ended today. Double K enjoyed 387 servings this month! Fruits and veggies are still a good choice in March, April... :) The total tally for the entire Eveleth School is not available yet, but the whole school is celebrating with a popsicle treat. The end of the day focused on discussions about kind behavior at recess, the March Readathon and Raz-Kids. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be March 1st! Our website calendar has been updated. Please check it out.
Day 103: February 27, 2013
On this rainy Wednesday morning we began our day with an addition story paper. When finished, the children had an opportunity to make some more 100 cup structures. We had a brief meeting with calendar, and Yuri and James B. shared some special coins which we magnified up on the Teamboard. We then divided into 4 literacy groups all focusing on rhyming words. Next was snack and indoor recess while Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had an informational coffee. Ali Drayer was very nice to volunteer to take notes and we have emailed them to all the parents. We then wrote a group thank you letter to Miss Marcia, the Children's Librarian at the Abbot Library. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Writer's Workshop. Lunch, indoor recess and then K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Next was sight words songs and Mrs. Carroll read from a book that had all kinds of interesting facts about money. Did you know that bills are not made from paper? They are made from a combination of cotton and linen to make them sturdier and last longer! The rain was really coming down as we dismissed the children. We hope to see the sun tomorrow!
Day 102: February 26, 2013
Our day started with a quick Book Look and meeting before we headed to the gym for an Eveleth Community Meeting focusing on Fit February. Ms. Mimi got us up and moving right away! Then Nurse Deanna showed us the new nutrition 'plate' that replaces the old 'pyramid'. Half your plate should be fruits and vegetables, 1/4 grains and 1/4 protein. She talked about healthy eating. The need for exercise was also emphasized-put down the electronic devices and getting moving! We were up on our feet again for the "Month-arena" which is a version of the Macarena. February birthdays were then celebrated. Quiet transitions were emphasized and every class left the gym without a peep! Back in the classroom, Leo W. shared some shark teeth he got in Florida and we read "Market Day" by Lois Ehlert noticing lots of rhyming words. Snack and a quick recess were next because the bus pulled up for our trip to Abbot Public Library. The Children's Librarian, Ms. Cannon read two books to the class, "The Opposite" and "Sleep Like a Tiger". The children then had time to explore the children's room. Pats on the back for Double K because Ms. Cannon was VERY impressed with our behavior! As we left, Mrs. Shapiro pointed out that the beautiful sculpture in the main lobby was created and donated in memory of her father. Lunch, recess, quiet time and then it was time for Music. After Music we had a Reader's Workshop. We were a little rusty with the rules so we revisited them and will try again tomorrow. This was a very full day for Double K!
Day 101: February 25, 2013
It was our first day back from vacation and the children were excited to share their experiences with classmates and teachers. Conversations took place while the children worked together on puzzles. Then we came together in the meeting area for lunch count and calendar. We then filed (very quietly!) into the gym for a morning meeting. We said the Pledge, sang the National Anthem, and greeted each other (pound cake, french fries and a milkshake). Then we were able to go around the circle and hear a sentence or two about each other's vacations. These ideas were then the topics for our Writer's Workshop. Snack and recess followed. Back in the classroom we reviewed sight words and explored some 'just right books'. Library was our afternoon special. The math homework is a trading game for pennies and nickels so we examined pennies and nickels. Children noticed a variety of elements that are on coins (date minted, Lincoln and Jefferson, etc.). We saw a video about the coins and their values and then read "What is Money?" by Mary Firestone. Then it was time to get ready for dismissal. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Abbot Public Library!
DAY 100!!! February 15, 2013
Back to back celebrations in Double K! We made '100 Days Smarter' crowns with 10 strips with 10 stickers/stamps for a total of 100. We did calendar then went to the gym to share our collections of 100 objects. Next was 'Circle 'Round the Zero'! Snack and recess followed. While K3 had P.E. (last day for Jump Rope for Heart) K4 had a Second Steps lesson about Feelings/Accidents. K3 did the lesson in the afternoon while K4 had Art (Presidents Washington and Lincoln). The children role played different situations at recess and in the classroom in which someone is accidentally hurt. Appropriate responses were practiced. The children had lunch and another glorious outdoor recess! Continuing our focus on the 100th day we read "Wolf's Chicken Stew" and "100th Day Worries". We also watched the Big Number video counting to 100 and beyond! Mrs. Duggan came in and took a class picture marking the 100th day of school. Then it was time to get organized, cleaning up and packing up. By the way, our chief organizer, Mrs. Carroll, was absent today. We really missed her!
Have a wonderful vacation and we will back on Monday, 2/25, for the next 80 days of Double K!
Day 99: February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day Speedy Special!
Extra recess and more body portraits
Calendar
Completed shared reading of "Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine"
Snack and recess
Little Valentine's Day book
K4 P.E. and K3 Reader's Workshop
Music
Valentine's Day Party
Get ready for the 100th day tomorrow!
Day 98: February 13, 2013
We need to get ready for our Valentine's Day party so the children came in and decorated bags for all their valentines. While they worked on their bags some children read with a D.K.T. teacher. Next we finished up the Math Centers from last week. The four centers were Measuring with a Pan Balance, Two Digit numbers, Subtraction Number Stories and Calculators. We reviewed sight words and worked through our letter sounds to improve our speed and fluency. We had snack and many children had fruits and veggies. So far, the Double K has eaten 198 servings! After recess we began to read "Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine" by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Mr. Fargo invited the entire Double K to come to the start of K3's P.E. class. There was a representative from the Heart Association who told the children more about the Jump Rope for Heart program and ways to live a healthy lifestyle. K4 then went back to the classroom for a Reader's Workshop. After lunch and recess, K3 had Art (drawing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) and K4 had P.E. K4 knocked Mr. Fargo's socks off today! They earned two Impress Me Points for their fabulous effort. We celebrated with popsicles and a video, "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". Valentine's Day is tomorrow so don't forget your valentines!
Day 97: 2013
It was great to be back at school after our 4 day blizzard weekend! At our Morning Meeting everyone got to share a part of the snowy weekend. Sledding, skiing, snow angels, snowmen were some of the most popular contributions. After sharing verbally, the children had the opportunity to write down and illustrate their blizzard experiences. We had calendar, read "Love, Ruby Valentine" by Laurie Friedman, did our sight words , watched a video about rhyming words, counted to 100 and had two wonderful outdoor recesses. By far the highlight of our day was an Enrichment program funded by the Glover/Eveleth P.T.O.--The Greg Coles Drum and Dance Group. They were amazing!! Their presentation combined African drumming with African dance. At first we were an attentive audience. Then they had us all get up and the dancing and singing began led by the rhythm of the drums. Greg Coles explained that a lot of the dance moves were pantomimes of planting and harvesting-- sowing seeds, picking fruit, etc. that were created from people's experiences in farming. It felt like an Eveleth School celebration!
This program was excellent in every way! Thank you, Glover/Eveleth P.T.O. for another wonderful presentation.
Day 96: February 7, 2013
Math manipulatives were at each table to start our day. Some more children began painting their body portraits. Morning message (Thumbs up or thumbs down for a snow storm!) was followed by calendar and 'The Big Number Song". Mrs. Carroll read a version of "Stone Soup" and children read with book bags. After snack recess we had choice time: read, write, listening station ("Gregory's Shadow" by Don Freeman) or play 'You are the Teacher' with our sight words. After lunch recess we had a quiet time followed by Music. Some children then participated in Jr. Great Books while others had a choice time. We started to pack up a little early because we wanted to make sure that all boots and clothing went home with the proper owners. No school tomorrow...?
Day 95: January 6, 2013
Gianni Rosato was our guest reader this morning. He read "The Day the Babies Crawled Away" by Peggy Rahmann. It was a real crowd pleaser! Then we moved on with two projects: the children who had begun to paint their body portraits finished them and everyone worked on an art project based on Lois Ehlert's book, "Growing Vegetable Soup. The children created a soup pot and ladle and then used various cut up vegetables to print the soup ingredients. As people finished they listened to a story and three new D.K.T. teachers (also known as Courtney, Jamie and Yuri) did calendar for us! After snack and a glorious outdoor recess we began to reorganize our book bags and read for a bit. While K3 had P.E. K4 finished the soup pot project. They headed back out for another sunny recess. K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. K3 did a heart painting which K4 will do on Friday.
The last period of the day was filled with a few different activities. While K3 finished their soup pots, K4 became classroom cleaner uppers! K3 joined in later. The Glover/Eveleth teachers were having a faculty meeting in our classroom, and just like at home, you need to clean up before the guests arrive! The room was sparkling and we enjoyed another Lois Ehlert book, "Nuts to You!" and then it was time to pack up and head out the door.
Day 94: February 5, 2013
We had an 8:15 Community Meeting to kick off Jump Rope for Heart so it was book bag reading to start the day. Mr. Fargo explained the Jump Rope for Heart program to all the Eveleth students. Look for papers to come home soon explaining this voluntary program in more detail. Teachers were invited to come up and do some jump roping for the children and we are proud to say that all four D.K.T. teachers participated! Two of them even double jumped for a bit! When we returned to the classroom we played 'Catch the Mistakes' in calendar and then moved through two math centers. The math centers this week are Weighing with Pan Scales, Two Digit Numbers, Writing Subtraction Number Stories and Calculators. We will complete the other two either on Wednesday or Thursday. We tallied 32 fruits and vegetables at snack today! After snack recess we reviewed the letters and sounds. Then we had guided reading groups and choice time for reading or writing. After lunch recess we read the big book, "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert. The children had a successful Music period! To end the day the children worked on three papers--handwriting, a poem for their poetry notebooks and a dot to dot paper. We listened to the color and sight words songs while we worked. Then it was time to clean up, pack up and head out the door. Remember to dress in sporty clothes tomorrow!
Day 93: February 4, 2013
It was a chilly Monday morning as we welcomed the Double K children back for another busy week. They colored and cut a little book about Groundhog Day. Then at meeting we watched a video showing Punxsutawney Phil on Saturday. We had a bit of an oops because we watched the 2011 event by accident! Next we transitioned to two Literacy Centers followed by a Writer's Workshop for Weekend News. It was a very productive start to our day! The children listened to a Henry and Mudge book while they enjoyed their snacks. Today we had 30 fruits and veggies for snack! After outdoor recess we analyzed our snack tally count and then did the calendar. We have been exploring addition and subtraction through number stories and today we explored the 21 addition facts through 5. Many patterns were noticed and we discussed the +0 and +1 rules. Right before lunch we watched a video about addition and subtraction number stories. Library was our special this afternoon. Then we split into 3 groups for some Fundations work. We had a guest reader...Tony! We put the Rookie Read-About Science book, "We Love Fruit" by Fay Robinson on the Teamboard so that all could read along. Tomorrow we kick off the Jump Rope for Heart program with Mr. Fargo at 8:15 a.m. Don't be late for school or you may miss the fun!
Day 92: February 1, 2013
The Double K class earned an extra recess yesterday so that's how we began our day. The sand and water tables were open. Water colors and Play-doh were offered and of course there were Legos! At 8:30 we had an Eveleth Community Meeting at which Marblehead High School team captains came and talked with the children and answered some questions which had been supplied by the boys and girls. The message was all about how to be a leader. Working hard, living a healthy lifestyle and respect and dedication to your team mates and important adults in your life all contribute to success. Many of the student athletes were Eveleth/Glover alums! After the presentation, Fit February was introduced. We will tally fruit and vegetable snacks in each classroom, and at the end of February the class with the highest percentage will have a special fruit treat.
Also, on Wed. Feb. 6th all children and faculty are invited to wear athletic clothing to school. (An electronic flyer was sent home by Ms. Devlin). At snack we noticed all the healthy fruits and vegetables that the children were eating. The tallying begins on Monday, Feb. 4th! K4 had a Reader/Writer workshop while K3 had P.E. Before lunch we read "Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z" by Lois Ehlert. We also made pictures for each date in February for our calendar. While K4 had Art, K3 had a Reading/Writing sharing and then practiced partner reading. Back together, we watched a video about Groundhog Day and made crowns. Mrs. Carroll read a winter book and it was time to head home for the weekend! If you go to the 'Under the Sea' dance tonight, have fun!
Day 91: January 31, 2013
First of all, we must share that today was a FABULOUS day in Double K! Respect and responsibility were not just words, they were demonstrated by positive actions. Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Casteluccio gave the important 10th Impress Me point during Music. In their opinion today was the best day yet! The children listened, participated, followed directions, sang and were very respectful. Other highlights during the day were Circle 'Round the Zero, Fundations lessons on letters/sounds and building words and K3 having an amazing Reader/Writer Workshop. Aria, Serena and Tony were our calendar teachers today. They prepared their lesson during indoor snack recess! Some children chose to go out with Ms. Devin for outdoor snack recess and came running in when that amazing squall blew through! We had time for one literacy center and time to watch our favorite Shapes videos. There will be smiles all around if the next 89 days are half as good as today was!
Day 90: January 30, 2013
The 90th day!! We are halfway through the school year! Some children were very creative in their hair and outfits. The children colored and cut out a book all about 1/2. We met briefly on the rug and reviewed our 3 statements about Respect: I can decide how to act. I think about what I do. Everyone deserves respect. Then it was time to board the bus to visit our Learning Buddies at Village. The Double K was very respectful walking through the halls of the Village School. This time everyone did the same project-- a poster with a variety of shapes all divided in half. When we returned to school it was snack and recess time. While K3 had P.E. each child in K4 could choose to be a reader or a writer and the teachers connected with both kinds of learners. Lunch and recess followed. Before Art and P.E. we read "10 Little Rubber Ducks" by Eric Carle. It is based on a true story in 2003 in which 29,000 rubber ducks fell overboard from a container ship! Fundations letter/sound practice was next while a few children finished up their snowflake project for Mrs. Guthartz. The little books about 1/2 were cut and stapled. A mild day like today makes dismissal easier, and we tried to match up stray boots with the owners. Last day of January is tomorrow!
Day 89: January 29, 201
Mrs. Shapiro was out for a professional meeting and Ms. Nye was our wonderful substitute. Penguin drawing was the before school work. They are getting
better and better at these little sketching activities. We had a Community Meeting to celebrate January birthdays. Double K performed "Driving in My Car" and the whole school joined in. We stayed in the gym and introduced ourselves to Ms. Nye as we sat on the big black circle. After calendar and meeting we read aloud Freight Train by Donald Crews and made finger paint freight trains. They are a work in progress and we hope to finish them tomorrow. We went out in the snow for recess...YAY! Some children might need to bring in dry socks to keep in their cubbies. After recess we practice some of our lowercase letters that are causing a little problem: e, y, a and d. Lunch recess was outside again and it feels great to get out in the snow. Music was our special of the day. We ended the day with one literacy center and also had a discussion on respect. We are still struggling at times but will continue to work on it. DON'T FORGET THAT TOMORROW IS HALF DAY!!!! Be creative...
Day 88: January 28, 2013
Handwriting practice (name writing) was the before school activity. Most children are making great strides writing their names properly. It is an expectation to use an upper case letter for the first letter followed by lower case letters. Mrs. Carroll checked lunch and attendance and then we filed into the gym for a Monday morning meeting. Sergio carried the American flag and led the Pledge. We then greeted each other in Spanish which Cam had practiced on his vacation. Our energizer activity was 'The Popcorn's in the Popper'- a class favorite. When we returned to the classroom, we divided the students into two groups- one focusing on letters, sounds and letter formation; the other focusing on building CVC words. Snack and outdoor recess followed. It was wonderful to get outside after a long cold week! Next was the story, "The Stranger in the Woods" by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick. The mini lesson for Writer's Workshop was to not start a new story right away, but to go back into the writing folders and see if there is a story that needs to be finished. Then a new story could be started. After lunch and recess we had a short Quiet Time to regroup for our afternoon. Then the class had Library. Eric Carle is a Kindergarten author study so we read the big book, "Pancakes! Pancakes!" by Eric Carle. We analyzed and admired his illustrations and discussed how much easier it is to make pancakes in modern times! Soon we will begin some art projects which imitate Carle's style. A minute or two was left in our day so we got up and moved to the Dinosaur Stomp.
Pack up. Bundle up. See you tomorrow.
Day 87: January 25, 2013
It is Friday so let's have a 'speed version' of the daily news!
Poetry Notebooks!
More body portraits!
Calendar- Catch My Mistakes!
Letter/sound fluency practice!
CVC words on the Teamboard!
Beginning sound worksheet!
"You Will Be My Friend" by Peter Brown
Indoor recesses!
Quiet time!
K3 P.E. and K4 Art!
Drawing shapes!
Watching shapes videos!
"Huggly's Snow Day" by Tedd Arnold!
Dismissal!
Have a great weekend!
Day 86: January 24, 2013
Teamwork was the name of the game this morning! All kinds of building materials were available for the boys and girls to construct and create. After a major clean up Ms. Mimi came in and taught the next Second Steps lesson on Feelings. The class then listened to a story that was word family based. Suddenly, we heard the alert that we were having a lock down drill. The children were well prepared and we received an A+ for our response.
Then it was time for snack. The Double K watched some story videos--James Marshall's 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The Three Pigs'. During this time some children began to paint their body portraits. Over the next few weeks each child will have an opportunity to paint.
K4 had P.E. and K3 worked on some sight word and beginning sound papers. Also some children had an opportunity to read with a teacher. Indoor lunch recess was followed by clean up. We played a "Guess the Number' math game for a few minutes before Music. We then transitioned into a Writing Workshop that lasted until it was time to clean up and get ready for dismissal. The temperature in the classroom has been chilly, so please make sure your child has some warm layers of clothing!
Day 85: January 23, 2013
It was so cold this morning that we would open the door a crack and whisk the Double K kids in quickly! Then the children could choose between geoboards, pattern block designs, dominoes and the Star Wars number grid game. We had morning meeting and celebrated Alexis' birthday. We reviewed some of the trickier letters on Starfall (w, q, and h). We went to the gym for a quick meeting, saying the pledge and singing 'The Star Spangled Banner'. Back in the classroom we did the Calendar by playing Catch My Mistakes and moved on to Math Centers. It was indoor recess and the boys and girls could choose between games in the gym with Ms. Devin or quiet classroom activities. K4 had a Writing Workshop while K3 had P.E. After indoor lunch recess we read the story, "If I Had a Robot" by Dan Yaccarino. K4 had P.E. while K3 had Art. The last block of the day was a shared reading of "Peter's Chair" by Ezra Jack Keats and then we had a 7 minute reading workshop. Pack up. Bundle up. See you tomorrow!
Day 84: January 22, 2013
Everyone was a little sleepy coming back after the long weekend so we had watercolor paints out for them to 'express themselves'! Morning meeting followed and two new sight words were introduced- you and went. We did a quick mini lesson about how illustrations can help you understand the story more deeply when there is very simple text. Some of the math concepts we are working on are better practiced in small groups so we rotated through 4 centers. Each child visited two centers today and will visit the other two tomorrow. The 4 Math Centers are Measuring with a Pan Balance, Roll and Record (a game that reinforces numeral formation and addition facts), Interrupted Counting (counting on from different numbers) and Subtraction Number Stories. Both recesses were indoors due to the cold temperature. Most likely we will be in all week long. After snack recess the children used magnetic letters on a cookie sheet to build CVC words. Then Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro modeled Partner Reading- elbow to elbow, knee to knee (EEKK) first by doing a picture walk, then later in the day reading the text. The children had Music and we painted spots on the jellyfish for the PTO dance--almost finished! Everyone bundled up and headed out the door.
Day 83: January 18, 2013
There was loads of Patriots Spirit today in Double K! The boys and girls colored and cut the Patriots' logo and we made them into head bands. We also had a graph to vote for your favorite Patriot. Mr. Rosato was our guest reader. He read "Theo and the Blue Note" by Peter Kuper- a very clever and engaging story! Calendar, Fundations and word work were next on the agenda. It was a chilly day but the Double K got outside for both recesses. While K3 had P.E. K4 began a project for the PTO dance on February 1st. Each Kindergarten class is making decorations with an 'Under the Sea' theme. Double K is making jellyfish! K4 did the first step which was painting paper bowls. Later, when K4 was in Art, K3 made the tentacles. There are a few more steps to be done, and the jellyfish will be adorable! Before lunch we practiced another lock down drill and then read "Henry and Mudge: In the Sparkle Days" by Cynthia Rylant. To end our day we made Patriots' posters for game time celebrations. Mrs. Colby took a class picture with our life size cut out Tom Brady! Have a great weekend and ...GO PATS!
Day 82: January 17, 2013
The morning work was a cut and paste paper that represented Rosa Parks and the bus boycott. We then watched a short video about Martin Luther King, Jr. The children were able to hear part of his "I have a dream" speech, and later on in the morning they colored a portrait of him. Next we practiced a lock down drill in preparation for the one the entire Eveleth School will have in the next week. K4 had P.E. and K3 wrote their text to self connections with "The Snowy Day". We shared some moments of Kindness and Respect and then it was time for Music. Mrs. Perroni followed up on the mini lesson on choosing books with her own bag filled with a variety of books. Then we had a Reading Workshop. Unbelievably it was already time to pack up for the day. Don't forget that tomorrow is Patriots Spirit Day!
Day 81: January 16, 2013
The meteorologists were correct and we woke to a snowy morning. The Double K kids came into school loaded down with bags of clothing for outdoor recess! There was a dot to dot paper to complete and color. Next was Morning Meeting. The D.K.T. decided that an early snack recess was in order so that the children could enjoy the perfect snowman making weather. They bundled up and headed out our classroom doors. They began to team up to build snowmen, make snow angels and to play football in the snow! The boys and girls were creative in finding materials to use for eyes, buttons, etc. We hear very few complaints when children are playing together in newly fallen snow! (Look for some pictures to be added to our photo gallery.) All their wet clothing was draped on the ramp railings to dry. We had snack next. We read "The Snowy Day"by Ezra Jack Keats and talked about our 'text to self' connections. This was followed by a Reading Workshop. K3 went to P.E. and K4 wrote and illustrated their 'text to self' connections and they had time to share. After indoor lunch recess we began the book "Martin's Big Words" by Doreen Rappaport. We continued reading it and discussing Martin Luther King Jr.'s work after P.E. and Art. We connected the work we are doing around Kindness and Respect to Martin Luther King's. Extra time was needed to get dressed for dismissal!
Day 80: January 15, 2013
We began our day with extending pattern block patterns. At meeting, our number one job was calendar because... another Circle 'Round the Zero day! We became a big Double K snake and silently made our way to the gym. We played the game twice which provided extra practice counting by 10s. We returned just as quietly to our classroom. Yes! Two Impress Me points were earned! We reviewed our letters and sounds for accuracy and speed. Then it was time for a Reading Workshop. The mini lesson focused on how we choose books for our bags. Two students got their bags and shared the thinking behind their choices. There was time to add to book bags and find a quiet spot and the timer was set for 7 minutes. Children read alone or to a teacher. After the timer went off we gathered on the rug and the boys and girls had a chance to share one of the books and told us why they like it or why they chose it. After snack, we had a handwriting lesson about names. Many children shared how their parents chose their names. It was established that your name is very important. Therefore when you write your name on a paper, it should be done well and with pride. We discussed how a name starts with an upper case letter which is followed by lower case letters. They then received a practice paper to trace and write their names. We will continue to practice! After lunch recess we read "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes which is a book about celebrating your name. The class then had Music. After a quick energizer we made a human number sentence introducing the + and = signs. The girls and boys then made up number stories of their own, illustrated it and wrote the number sentence. If they finished early they played yesterday's number slate game. As we were getting prepared for dismissal we had the chance to share some stories about buckets being filled! Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, so boots, snow pants, etc may be needed for recess.
Day 79: January 14, 2013
New, new, new! It was a new week, new table seats and best of all our new classmate!
Many Double K students welcomed him in and he had a smile on his face as the day progressed. We did the Starfall calendar because so we had to celebrate lost teeth over the last few days. Then we went to the gym for a meeting, greeting and game. The game was cut a bit short because of some silliness, but we will try again soon! When we returned to the classroom the boys and girls settled in and wrote some Weekend News. We had a chance to share some of our writing, and those who did not get to share will do so tomorrow. After a balmy snack recess we looked for known words in the Morning Message and took turns (boys and girls) reading the sentences. Then we reviewed letter sounds and focused on speed and fluency. Mr. Heafitz, the substitute teacher, read "A Snowman Named Bob". (Mrs. Perroni was out sick.) Mrs. Carroll had a book, "A Home for Hermit Crab" that she had been wanting to read, so she did so right before lunch time. Lunch recess was even balmier than snack recess! After Library we had a math meeting where we reviewed number formation and practiced 2,3,4 and 5. The homework practice is 6,7,8, and 9. When children finished they joined in with Ms. Devin for a slate activity. For instance, she would ask, "The number that comes after 6" and they would write it and show it. Lots of good practice in a very fun way! It turned out to be a good day in Double K. There is nothing new about that!
Day 78: January 11, 2013
The morning work was a sorting paper for words that start with g and h. The morning message focused on the letters w, v, z, y and q. Next we focused on kindness and noticing the good in others. Each child got the name of a classmate, and wrote and drew a note to them describing a way they are special. We generated many key words and wrote them on the easel so that the children could use it as a reference as they composed their notes. Then the children received the notes from each other. There was a warm and caring feel in the classroom! Our new recess rule of playing only on the hot top and wood chip areas kept everyone neater and cleaner! K3 had P.E. and K4 learned how to play a Star Wars Number Grid Game. K3 played it in the afternoon while K4 had Art. This game helps the boys and girls become more familiar with the number grid. Before lunch we built some CVC (consonant, vowel consonant) words on the Teamboard and practiced tapping out the sounds two different ways. The children colored in the vowels on a Fundations alphabet sheet. This sheet will be going home on Monday to use with Fundations homework. After Art we shared some kind and respectful actions that had filled some buckets. Then for the last 15 minutes we had our Impress Me point extra recess indoors. We look forward to welcoming our new member to Double K on Monday morning! Have a good weekend.
Day 77: January 10,2013
The children could choose from 3 fine motor activities this morning--geoboards, tracers and whiteboard practice. At morning meeting we revisited being kind and filling others' buckets. Tomorrow we will begin to document these acts of kindness and put them into our class bucket. The morning was unusual because Mrs. Shapiro and Ms. Devin had to be out of the classroom for a little while so Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Carroll held down the fort! Ms. Mimi often stops in to Double K in the morning so she stayed and pitched in! The children worked on 4 papers--dice rolling sight words and numbers, yo-yo little books and a how to draw people paper. The cooperation and behavior were excellent so the class earned two Impress Me points! Then the children could choose between indoor and outdoor recess. We did Speed Calendar (57 seconds). Ms. Mimi came back and did a Steps to Respect lesson about feelings. K4 had P.E. so K3 had Writing Workshop with the mini lesson on periods. After recess the class had Music. Then we read "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" illustrated by Jim Arnosky which is based on a song by Bob Dylan. The book comes with a CD with Bob Dylan singing the lyrics! We played a category math game. Finally, we got the wiggles out by getting up and moving to a Koo Koo Kangaroo dance video. Big Double K news--a new student will be joining our class on Monday, and yes, it's a... boy!
Day 76: January 9, 2013
We finished our Lois Ehlert bird and birch tree paintings! They are amazing! Peek in the classroom to see them hanging in our big window. We then moved on to a math lesson about missing numbers. The mini lesson was followed by a sheet to work on independently cutting and pasting in the missing numbers. On the back was some challenge work using the same concept. We had a quick mini lesson on building reading stamina. K3 went to P.E. and K4 had a Writing Workshop. Today's mini lesson was about periods as stop signs at the end of a sentence. After lunch K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. The DKT felt that we needed a refresher course in Kindness so we formed a Philosophy Circle to discuss being kind and respectful and how that feels, both as the giver and receiver. When it was agreed upon that kindness and respect feel good, we posed the question, "Then why are people mean sometimes?" Check out our blog for some of the students' input. We are going to refocus on filling each other's buckets. Children will have the opportunity to share with a teacher an instance when someone was kind and respectful to them. We will fill a bucket with all the examples and then celebrate in some way. It was a positive way to end our day.
Day 75: January 8, 2013
Today the Glover/Eveleth PTO funded a wonderful enrichment program--Wingmasters. The stars of the show are birds of prey, particularly owls. The presenter rescues injured birds and takes care of them. He brings them to schools so that children can learn all about them. Today the children were able to see a screech owl, a barred owl, a Great Horned owl, a Saw Whet owl and a Peregrine falcon. The Kindergarteners sat spell bound during the 45 minute presentation. The presenter had pictures of the owl who lived in our tree two years ago, and we showed him pictures of our owl. He told us that it was a young screech owl who probably left to find a different territory. He thought that we may see our owl again, and if not that owl, another one because our tree is so perfect for an owl's home. He said unequivocally that we did not scare off the owl! They are very tough! Later on in the day, Mrs. Carroll read Gail Gibbons' book, "Owls" and the children drew and wrote about their favorite part of the program. In addition, we had a chance to continue the work on our art projects from yesterday. The works of art should be completed tomorrow. Thank you, Glover/Eveleth PTO for bringing such a wonderful program to the Eveleth School!
Day 74: January 7, 2013
We are back in school and, for the first time in many weeks, will have 5 full days of school this week! The children exchanged books in their book bags and began to read their new choices. At meeting the morning message was about reaching our final two letters of the alphabet--q and y. Q goes nowhere without u so we teach it as a digraph- two letters making one sound. Next each child worked on a page for a new class book, "It is Winter and that Means..." A handful of writers were able to share their page. We moved on to calendar and then voted on the Teamboard voting machine. The question was, " Are your shoes tying laces, Velcro or slip ons. The results were 19 Velcro, 11 laces and 4 slip ons. The results are available in different forms: numerical, bar graph, pie chart and percentages and it is interesting to explore each one. After snack and recess it was time for word work and Fundations handwriting--q and y. Our special was Library and Mrs. Colby shared some Newbery Award Winning books. In preparation of an art project we read "Snowballs" by Lois Elhert. The art project is creating winter birds and birch trees which imitate Ehlert's illustrations in the book. A lot of headway was made on our art work and we plan to finish them up tomorrow.
Day 73: January 4, 2013
Little z books and book bags kept the Double K busy this morning. At 8:30 we had an Eveleth community meeting and we sang to our December birthdays. Then the focus was all about recess and snow! The group generated a list of safe activities and turned negative statements like, "Do not throw snowballs" into positive statements such as "Build a snow fort, or a snowman, or a snow castle..." Clothing requirements were agreed upon and the Double K has adjusted its policy on 'boots no snowpants' to match the Eveleth view. So, no snowpants, no walking on the snow. Mrs. Tully was amazing as she borrowed Lucy's bag of outdoor clothing and put it all on (as best as she could)! Back in the classroom we did Calendar and then went back to the gym to play Ms. Devin's Count by 10s to 100 Sit Down Game. This active practice was followed up later in the morning by revisiting this concept using the Number Grid, noticing the pattern of the numbers. We also rote counted from 1-73 using whispers and louder voices. Mrs. Carroll read Jan Brett's, "The Mitten" and the children retold the story by remembering all the animals who climbed into the mitten. K3 had PE in the morning and K4 had Art with Mrs. Guthartz. She is using the art of Wassilly Kandinsky who used shapes as the focus of his work. These art lessons support the Geometry Common Core standards for Kindergarten! We have to admit that recesses were extended a bit because of the warmer temperatures! After Art we reviewed sight words and practiced writing lower case z and x on white boards. On the Teamboard the children watched "There's Something in My Attic" by Mercer Mayer. Everyone gathered their belongings, and with arms full of bags the children headed off for the weekend.
Day 72: January 3, 2013
This morning each child received two special items: the book they had chosen before vacation and a Dr. Seuss themed book bag for the classroom. The children were able to fill their bags with 5-6 books that they could read during the school day. The handles of the bags fit right over the backs of the chairs which is a very handy! A few children also were interested in practicing to tie shoelaces so some one on one tutoring was going on too!
The morning message focused on sight words and sentences. Simple sentences were constructed just by using our bank of sight words. We read "Squirrel's New Year's Resolution" and prepared for it by discussing what a resolution is. This activity was in preparation for creating school Hopes and Dreams for 2013 which were completed in the afternoon: "In 2013 I am going to knock your socks off by...". After snack recess we continued to 'build stamina' as readers during Reading Workshop. The readers did a great job! K3 did the illustrative reflection on the holiday break while K4 had PE. Lunch recess was indoors and lots of block building, dollhouse designing and Lego construction was observed! The class had Music then worked on their Hopes and Dreams. A new group of students began Jr. Great Books with Mrs. Rosenthal. Then it was time to bundle up and head out the door.
Day 71: January 2, 2013
Puzzles were on the tables for before school work. That type of activity allowed for some back to school catching up chit chat! It was lovely to look around the room and watch classmates and teachers reconnecting after our long winter break. The new K3 and K4 lists were on the round table and children shared the news with each other.Worries about children forgetting if they now were a K3 or K4 were unfounded--they switched without a hitch! The boys and girls lined up in their groups and we went to the gym for a morning meeting so that everyone could share a favorite part of vacation. This time we added on the chance to tell back what someone else had shared, reinforcing this as an active listening activity. Before snack each child drew a picture on a square of paper for a date in January. Then they found the correct pocket on the calendar for that date. Some children also drew pictures for special days such as New Year's Day and MLK, Jr.'s birthday. It was too chilly for outdoor snack recess so Ms. Devin organized some games in the gym. Next was a Reading Workshop and 'building stamina' as independent readers was the focus. The timer was set for 6 minutes and everyone read! While K3 had PE, K4 did a illustrative reflection paper on their holiday break. Everyone got outside for a sunny lunch recess. (Please see our Announcements page for recess rules and clothing requirements.) After PE and Art we reviewed letters and added two new ones x and z, and two new sight words, was and he. We did calendar and then watched two videos showing two different ways to tie shoelaces. Some experts have already identified themselves and we will work together to teach everyone else! Packing up and getting boots, coats, hats and mittens on takes a few extra minutes so were started a little earlier and were ready to go out the door at 2:20. Vacation was great, but the Double K classroom is also a wonderful place to be!
Day 70: December 21, 2012
We are all going on vacation so here is the speed version of our early release day!
Pajama Day!
Poetry Notebooks!
Calendar and Circle 'Round the Zero!
1st Day of Winter Word Whip!
2013 crowns!
"Polar Express"!
10th Impress Me Point extra indoor recess!
Dismissal!
Have a great vacation and see you next year!
Day 69: December 20, 2012
Wishing Wands (Ww) started our day. Then the Morning Message focused on math, and we used our 'attentoscopes' to catch the teacher's mistakes with letter/sound practice. We practiced our sight words by cheerleading them. Off to their tables to do a Ww little book and a sight word practice coloring paper. After snack recess we had a Reading Workshop. The children chose a few books and found a spot to read. The timer was set and the reading began! After 10 minutes K4 had to leave for gym, but K3 was doing so well we extended the reading time! Before lunch the readers sat in a circle and each one shared a book and told the group a little bit about it. After lunch the class had Music and they watched a video of 'The Snowman', paying particular attention to how the music helps to tell the story. Next it was ... party time! Thank you, parents, for the crafts, refreshments and volunteering. The Double K class had a great time!
Day 68: December 20, 2012
The before school work today was a snowman picture with color words. Mrs. Brennan stopped in for a quick hello. We wanted to thank her for being the best substitute teacher and to wish her well as she heads off to Florida for the winter. We hope she can come back to Double K in the Spring! Next we moved on to our Morning message,word/sound work, calendar and some tricky teen practice. The children then went to their tables and completed a Kk little book and cut and pasted some more sight words. We had snack and then OUTDOOR recess-- Yay!!! We read "Mooseltoe" and did our first Reading Response. Each child chose to write and draw about a favorite part of the book. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Writing Workshop. The mini lesson referred back to Sharing Time yesterday at which some children shared a piece of writing that was not yet complete. We reminded them that writers often don't finish a story in one sitting, and they go back to the work the next time and continue. After lunch, K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. Then it was time for...Snow-doh! We had every color imaginable and added some sparkle with glitter. A few children had not had a chance to make some, but their friends and table mates generously shared. Everyone cleaned up as best as they could. The class watched "There's an Alligator Under My Bed" while the D.K.T. tidied up a bit more so that Mr. Mace wouldn't be overwhelmed with bits of Snow-doh here, there and everywhere! The children are looking forward to our class party tomorrow and pajama day on Friday. Thank you to our room mothers and all the parents who volunteered to help out in some way.
Day 67: December 18, 2012
The children started their day by coloring and creating a 'Snowman Bag'. Later this week they will get it back with a few special things inside! The Eveleth Holiday Sing Along began at 8:25. Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Castiluccio prepared a program of holiday songs and the students and staff had a wonderful time singing together. While Mrs. Shapiro went to the new Glover Groundbreaking Ceremony the classroom turned into an arts and crafts studio. The children finished their snowman bags, painted snowman families and painted a second coat of white paint on their pine cones. After snack, Ms Devin took the class into the gym again to play two new games. They came back thirsty and tired--she gave them quite a workout! We all hope that tomorrow's weather is conducive to outdoor recess! Writing Workshop was with the full Double K. We added a Kindergarten Sight Word list to the plastic pocket in their writing folders. It is a handy tool for checking spelling. Many children wanted to share their writing so half of them shared before lunch and the other half shared after Music. Sometimes students can get stuck for an idea for a story. We suggested noticing routine and special activities that come up in their lives. The upcoming vacation should provide a lot of story ideas for Writing Workshop! David A.'s mother was a guest reader at the end of the day. David's birthday is on January 1st, so she had jazzy 2013 glasses for the whole class! Mrs. Perroni took a funky photo of the class. I bet it will turn up in our Photo Gallery. :)
Day 66: December 17, 2012
Today was a perfectly wonderful ordinary day in Double K! Children, parents and teachers happily greeted each other at drop off. Being Monday it was Book Look time. Children read books from the bins. Many boys and girls chose to connect with a teacher and share their growth as readers. Leo B.'s mother was a guest reader. She read two books to the class. Our Morning Message, letter and word work and calendar followed. The children then worked on two papers- a Jj book about a jar of peanut butter and a fine motor/spelling paper for some sight words. This week is a review week for letters and sight words. After snack, it was recess time. It was too wet to go outside, but instead of indoor recess, Ms Devin led two fun games in the gym. The first is called 'Fruit Salad' and the second is 'Toilet Tag'! When the children returned to the classroom they designed holiday cards for their 3rd grade Learning Buddies. We will send them up to Village tomorrow. There were a few minutes before lunch time so some choices were to read by yourself, make a snowflake or listen to a story. Our afternoon special was Library. We have the Holiday Sing Along tomorrow morning at 8:25 so we practiced all the songs. By this time the Double Ks needed to get up and move so we did the 'Counting Down from 20' song. Then to settle down we watched the Shapes video. We started the book, "Mooseltoe" but ran out of time. Tomorrow we will try again. It was a fabulously normal day. BTW, check out Mrs. Shapiro's new picture on the About the Teachers page!
Day 65: December 14, 2012
It was Pink Day today and one boy took the plunge with a pink shirt, another sported a pink tie and one created a special shirt out of a t-shirt! The children glued the White and Black songs into their poetry notebook for morning work. The morning message celebrated all the color days we have had because pink will be our last. We will have other types of theme days in 2013. There is a birthday on Sunday so we sang to the birthday girl, did Speed Calendar and then interacted with the Starfall calendar. In Second Steps social skills we have moved onto Unit 2, Empathy. Lesson 6 today introduced the topic of feelings. Homework will go home on Monday. K4 had P.E. and K3 had Writing Workshop. Before lunch we started a different pine cone craft- a snowman on skis! It will take a few days to complete this project and the finished project will be adorable! After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had Writing Workshop. We had our first Lockdown Drill. Ms. Devin read the perfect pink day book, "Pink Me Up" by Charise Mericle Harper. Have a good weekend with your children.
Day 64: December 13, 2012
The 10th Impress Me Point was earned yesterday morning. Instead of an extra recess we decided to give them free choice time when they came in today. Choices included the sand table, water station, Playdoh, painting, stencils and Legos too (of course!) We let the explorations go on a little longer than normal because the children were so involved in their activities! At morning meeting we began with a graph, "What shape would you be?" The children made their choices and we talked a little about why they chose a particular shape. Many had solid reasons but our favorite comment was,"I was going to pick the hexagon, but then I lost my mind and chose the rectangle!" The children then shared information from the graph results--trapezoid was chosen most, no votes for triangle, rectangle and hexagon got the same votes... Then we added up the columns by counting by twos. Lots of strong mathematical thinking was going on! Next we practiced counting back from 20 (part of the Common Core Standards) using a video from HaveFunTeaching. We have found many great videos there for sight words, color words and math skills. The children don't even realize they are learning! Mrs. Carroll read, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". After snack recess we made a little book about pigs (Pp) and played a dice game that helps to practice some sight words. K4 had P.E. and K3 had the same Writing Workshop that K4 had yesterday. After lunch it was time for Music. Ms. Mimi came in for a quick hello, followed by a guessing/elimination game, calendar and word cheerleading. The girls and boys collected their folders and winter pine trees, sang our goodbye song and off they went.
Day 63: December 12, 2012
12/12/12. This was a date that had to be admired! We didn't have time for calendar until the afternoon. We started with a video about the number 12. This kind of date comes around rarely. The children were asked, "How many years until the next 12/12/12?" It only took 3 or 4 tries and a little girl answered 100! Life expectancy for children born now is in the 106-107 age range. The Double K teachers won't be here for December 12, 2112, but some of the Double K students may be! Now back to how our day began. The children used shape templates to make pictures and designs which were inspired by the shape video yesterday. The boys and girls were so involved in their pictures and then cleaned up the tables so well that they earned a 10th Impress Me Point! Then it was onto the bus to take us to our Learning Buddies at Village. The Double K gets so many smiles when they walk through the halls of the Village 'with their zeroes on'! Our 3rd grade buddies greeted us warmly and the children paired up to begin stories and projects. This activity is magical. There are no discipline issues, loud voices or problems during this time. Teachers wander from pair to pair to hear about the books that have been chosen and to see the process of the projects. The teachers also like seeing their Glover colleagues and former students! Learning Buddies always ends with a sharing time when each pair of buddies tells the group about their book and project. (Pictures coming in our Photo Gallery). Then it was back on the bus to the Eveleth. A January date will be chosen soon. While K3 had P.E. K4 had a Writing Workshop at which paper with more lines was introduced. K4 had great ideas for stories and got right to work. As the teachers conferenced with the students we noticed the gains that are being made in written language. The children are using sight words and are also listening for beginning, middle and ending sounds in words. One child used the strategy to draw a line to represent unknown sounds-- ex. sc____l (school). After lunch, K4 had P.E. (cup stacking) and K3 had Art (pinch pots). Ms. Devin brought in a HUGE bag of pine cones which were painted green and then sprinkled with glitter- very beautiful! Some seasonal music played while a fireplace scene was displayed on a team board. It felt cozy and warm in Double K.
Day 62: December 11, 2012
W is one of our letters of the week so the morning work was to turn a W into a slice of watermelon. The children glued green and pink tissue paper on the W. Then they cut out 5 or 6 seeds (depending on the child's age) and glued them on. Pinterest has the best ideas! Morning meeting was all about shapes. We watched a video about shapes. The morning message focused on the definition of each shape regardless of color, size or orientation. Next we filed into the gym for a Responsive Classroom meeting. We said the Pledge and then sang 'The Star Spangled Banner'. The greeting we passed around the circle was Pound Cake, French Fries...and a Milkshake! Then the class was challenged to sit absolutely still and silent for one whole minute- almost perfect. So we tried again-perfect! Being calm and quiet is an important skill to practice. Back in the classroom the boys and girls completed a paper on beginning sounds. Snack, recess and then we reviewed our sight words through songs. A reading of "Inside-Out Grandma", a Hanukkah Story by Joan Rothenberg was begun, and will be completed tomorrow. Early release dismissal was at 11:50. We are excited for Learning Buddies tomorrow!
Day 61: December 10, 2012
We start Mondays with a Book Look. Today's baskets contained leveled books from which to choose. Many children actively read on their own or asked to read with a teacher. Some children were not reading at all! Stop, meet, regroup. We reviewed what Book Look time looks like and sounds like. We would try it again in the afternoon. Morning meeting consisted of a morning message. Children interacted with the message by finding sight words, little words, words that start with an upper case letter, etc. Two new letters were introduced- v and w. Like and in are our new sight words for the week. It is exciting (for them and us) when they recognize these words in text! We followed our calendar routine, did the count by 2 and count by 5 songs. We also sang some sight word songs. Then the whiteboards came out and we did some handwriting practice-- v, w and 7. We also reviewed 5 and 6. Before snack they completed a little book for Ll and a sorting paper for Kk. After snack recess we wrote a class letter to Mr. Tirelli, the director of the Veterans School Select Chorus. We shared what we enjoyed in the concert last Friday and expressed our hope that they can come back soon! All the teachers and children signed the letter and we sent it to him at the Veterans School. Mrs. Perroni read a story and it was time for lunch. Our afternoon special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. We then reviewed the rules for a successful Book Look time, set the timer and began. It was an improvement over the morning's attempt. The children then played the Snowman Challenge dice game with a partner. Everyone packed up, zipped up and puts hoods up to be ready for a drizzly dismissal.
Day 60: December 7, 2012
We quickly realized that gray is a color which has a calming effect! The children put two color songs, Brown and Purple, in their Poetry Notebooks. Then it was time for morning meeting. Ms Mimi stopped in and it was her birthday today! We sang a rousing Happy Birthday to her! Later we sang to Yuri because his birthday is on Saturday. We did Calendar and... 60th day means it's time for 'Circle 'Round the Zero'! We gathered in the gym, said the Pledge, sang 'You're a Grand Old Flag and played 'Circle 'Round the Zero' two times. After snack K3 had Gym and K4 had a Writing Workshop. There was a special treat at 11:00! The Select Chorus from the Veterans School came and performed for the Eveleth Community. They were fabulous! Every child was mesmerized! After lunch K4 had Art and K3 played a sight word bingo game. Next was a Snowman Challenge dice game.
Mrs. Carroll read "The Gingerbread Man" retold by Jim Aylesworth. The children watched the classic story, "The Snowman" on video, and another day was complete in Double K!
Day 59: December 6, 2012
Mrs. Shapiro is SO happy to be back in Double K! She had a wonderful time with her new grandson, but Double K is a joyful place to be. The class made her a book called, "Things to Do If You Are a Grandmother", and Mrs. Shapiro read it out loud to the class. Thank you for all the advice! We did calendar and the Madagascar dance. Backing up a bit, Thursdays is Fine Motor Day so we started the morning by offering a variety of fine motor activities from which to choose. Then it was time for snack. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had P.E. After lunch the class had Music. We read "The Missing Mitten Mystery" by Steven Kellogg. We practiced our sight words by playing a Word Cheerleading Game. Ask your child how to play. Gray day tomorrow!
Day 58: December 5, 2012
We started day 58 with finishing our 'Last Name Snowmen' and math manipulatives. We had morning meeting in the classroom as well as calendar and then headed to the gym for a circle game of counting by 10's to 100. Whoever said '100' had to sit down. Sergio was the big winner of the day. We finished up our Literacy Centers today. After snack and recess K4 got to go to gym and K3 had a writing workshop. It was AMAZING! Readers and writers are blooming! Mrs. Carroll read "The Runaway Latkes" and then it was time to go home.
She's back! The new grandmother is back and can't wait to see all her DoublyK students!
There were some special guests at the Eveleth School this morning to kick off the March Readathon! The Cat in the Hat and his friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2, were outside to greet all the Eveleth students as they arrived! Double K worked on a little book, "Read, Read, Read a Book" and then headed to the gym for a Community Meeting. The Cat in the Hat (Mrs. Perroni!) explained the month long activities for the readathon. Back in the classroom we finished up the little books and then we talked about all the wonderful Raz Kids reading that went on over the weekend, and we got a look at some of the Raz Rockets rooms up on the Teamboard. After snack and recess we broke into Literacy Centers. Before lunch we did calendar and Mrs. Carroll read "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss.
Lunch and recess were next. Our Monday's special is Library and everyone got a Dr. Seuss book mark. Today was all about reading so of course we had a Reader's Workshop after Library. Children read alone and some children read in guided reading groups with a teacher. Everyone else will get a chance tomorrow. Clean up time and dismissal snuck up on us! Happy reading!
Day 105: March 1, 2013
As promised, the Double K class had a free choice extra recess when they arrived. Legos, checkers, bingo, sketchpads, body portraits and listening to stories were some of the chosen activities. It is a new month so the children helped to create our March calendar and the February Chicken Soup with Rice poem went into their poetry notebooks. Snack and recess followed. K4 had Reader/Writer Workshop while K3 was in P.E. When we were all back together we introduced Raz Kids on the Teamboard. The class is VERY excited to try it out at home. Right before lunch we changed table seats. It was really lovely how genuinely welcoming they were to each other as they discovered who was at their tables! After lunch, K4 had Art, which has had an architecture theme this week. K3 worked through a variety of math activities that we will use to assess their thinking. K4 will have their opportunity next week. March Reading Madness starts next week so, of course we need crowns! The children colored and cut out their Cat in the Hat inspired crowns. The Double K will wear crowns to the kickoff Eveleth Community Meeting on Monday morning. Have fun with Raz Kids!
Day 104: February 28, 2012
Water color painting and body portraits were the first order of business today. At meeting our guest teacher was James L. who led us through our calendar and sight word routine. Then we used Unifex cubes to concretely explore our addition facts to 5. The children learned about the +0 rule and turn around facts (2+3 and 3+2 for ex.). Before snack time we were able to continue with our Literacy Centers focusing on rhyming words. After snack recess we reviewed sounds for fluency and practiced tapping out some words. K4 had P.E. and K3 had a choice between Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop. Music class was unusual because both teachers were at a conference so we had 2 substitutes! We prepped the girls and boys that we expected respectful and cooperative behavior and they came through BIG TIME!! We will have a little extra recess tomorrow as a reward. Our official Fit February fruit and veggie tally ended today. Double K enjoyed 387 servings this month! Fruits and veggies are still a good choice in March, April... :) The total tally for the entire Eveleth School is not available yet, but the whole school is celebrating with a popsicle treat. The end of the day focused on discussions about kind behavior at recess, the March Readathon and Raz-Kids. It is hard to believe that tomorrow will be March 1st! Our website calendar has been updated. Please check it out.
Day 103: February 27, 2013
On this rainy Wednesday morning we began our day with an addition story paper. When finished, the children had an opportunity to make some more 100 cup structures. We had a brief meeting with calendar, and Yuri and James B. shared some special coins which we magnified up on the Teamboard. We then divided into 4 literacy groups all focusing on rhyming words. Next was snack and indoor recess while Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro had an informational coffee. Ali Drayer was very nice to volunteer to take notes and we have emailed them to all the parents. We then wrote a group thank you letter to Miss Marcia, the Children's Librarian at the Abbot Library. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Writer's Workshop. Lunch, indoor recess and then K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. Next was sight words songs and Mrs. Carroll read from a book that had all kinds of interesting facts about money. Did you know that bills are not made from paper? They are made from a combination of cotton and linen to make them sturdier and last longer! The rain was really coming down as we dismissed the children. We hope to see the sun tomorrow!
Day 102: February 26, 2013
Our day started with a quick Book Look and meeting before we headed to the gym for an Eveleth Community Meeting focusing on Fit February. Ms. Mimi got us up and moving right away! Then Nurse Deanna showed us the new nutrition 'plate' that replaces the old 'pyramid'. Half your plate should be fruits and vegetables, 1/4 grains and 1/4 protein. She talked about healthy eating. The need for exercise was also emphasized-put down the electronic devices and getting moving! We were up on our feet again for the "Month-arena" which is a version of the Macarena. February birthdays were then celebrated. Quiet transitions were emphasized and every class left the gym without a peep! Back in the classroom, Leo W. shared some shark teeth he got in Florida and we read "Market Day" by Lois Ehlert noticing lots of rhyming words. Snack and a quick recess were next because the bus pulled up for our trip to Abbot Public Library. The Children's Librarian, Ms. Cannon read two books to the class, "The Opposite" and "Sleep Like a Tiger". The children then had time to explore the children's room. Pats on the back for Double K because Ms. Cannon was VERY impressed with our behavior! As we left, Mrs. Shapiro pointed out that the beautiful sculpture in the main lobby was created and donated in memory of her father. Lunch, recess, quiet time and then it was time for Music. After Music we had a Reader's Workshop. We were a little rusty with the rules so we revisited them and will try again tomorrow. This was a very full day for Double K!
Day 101: February 25, 2013
It was our first day back from vacation and the children were excited to share their experiences with classmates and teachers. Conversations took place while the children worked together on puzzles. Then we came together in the meeting area for lunch count and calendar. We then filed (very quietly!) into the gym for a morning meeting. We said the Pledge, sang the National Anthem, and greeted each other (pound cake, french fries and a milkshake). Then we were able to go around the circle and hear a sentence or two about each other's vacations. These ideas were then the topics for our Writer's Workshop. Snack and recess followed. Back in the classroom we reviewed sight words and explored some 'just right books'. Library was our afternoon special. The math homework is a trading game for pennies and nickels so we examined pennies and nickels. Children noticed a variety of elements that are on coins (date minted, Lincoln and Jefferson, etc.). We saw a video about the coins and their values and then read "What is Money?" by Mary Firestone. Then it was time to get ready for dismissal. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Abbot Public Library!
DAY 100!!! February 15, 2013
Back to back celebrations in Double K! We made '100 Days Smarter' crowns with 10 strips with 10 stickers/stamps for a total of 100. We did calendar then went to the gym to share our collections of 100 objects. Next was 'Circle 'Round the Zero'! Snack and recess followed. While K3 had P.E. (last day for Jump Rope for Heart) K4 had a Second Steps lesson about Feelings/Accidents. K3 did the lesson in the afternoon while K4 had Art (Presidents Washington and Lincoln). The children role played different situations at recess and in the classroom in which someone is accidentally hurt. Appropriate responses were practiced. The children had lunch and another glorious outdoor recess! Continuing our focus on the 100th day we read "Wolf's Chicken Stew" and "100th Day Worries". We also watched the Big Number video counting to 100 and beyond! Mrs. Duggan came in and took a class picture marking the 100th day of school. Then it was time to get organized, cleaning up and packing up. By the way, our chief organizer, Mrs. Carroll, was absent today. We really missed her!
Have a wonderful vacation and we will back on Monday, 2/25, for the next 80 days of Double K!
Day 99: February 14, 2013
Valentine's Day Speedy Special!
Extra recess and more body portraits
Calendar
Completed shared reading of "Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine"
Snack and recess
Little Valentine's Day book
K4 P.E. and K3 Reader's Workshop
Music
Valentine's Day Party
Get ready for the 100th day tomorrow!
Day 98: February 13, 2013
We need to get ready for our Valentine's Day party so the children came in and decorated bags for all their valentines. While they worked on their bags some children read with a D.K.T. teacher. Next we finished up the Math Centers from last week. The four centers were Measuring with a Pan Balance, Two Digit numbers, Subtraction Number Stories and Calculators. We reviewed sight words and worked through our letter sounds to improve our speed and fluency. We had snack and many children had fruits and veggies. So far, the Double K has eaten 198 servings! After recess we began to read "Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine" by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Mr. Fargo invited the entire Double K to come to the start of K3's P.E. class. There was a representative from the Heart Association who told the children more about the Jump Rope for Heart program and ways to live a healthy lifestyle. K4 then went back to the classroom for a Reader's Workshop. After lunch and recess, K3 had Art (drawing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) and K4 had P.E. K4 knocked Mr. Fargo's socks off today! They earned two Impress Me Points for their fabulous effort. We celebrated with popsicles and a video, "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". Valentine's Day is tomorrow so don't forget your valentines!
Day 97: 2013
It was great to be back at school after our 4 day blizzard weekend! At our Morning Meeting everyone got to share a part of the snowy weekend. Sledding, skiing, snow angels, snowmen were some of the most popular contributions. After sharing verbally, the children had the opportunity to write down and illustrate their blizzard experiences. We had calendar, read "Love, Ruby Valentine" by Laurie Friedman, did our sight words , watched a video about rhyming words, counted to 100 and had two wonderful outdoor recesses. By far the highlight of our day was an Enrichment program funded by the Glover/Eveleth P.T.O.--The Greg Coles Drum and Dance Group. They were amazing!! Their presentation combined African drumming with African dance. At first we were an attentive audience. Then they had us all get up and the dancing and singing began led by the rhythm of the drums. Greg Coles explained that a lot of the dance moves were pantomimes of planting and harvesting-- sowing seeds, picking fruit, etc. that were created from people's experiences in farming. It felt like an Eveleth School celebration!
This program was excellent in every way! Thank you, Glover/Eveleth P.T.O. for another wonderful presentation.
Day 96: February 7, 2013
Math manipulatives were at each table to start our day. Some more children began painting their body portraits. Morning message (Thumbs up or thumbs down for a snow storm!) was followed by calendar and 'The Big Number Song". Mrs. Carroll read a version of "Stone Soup" and children read with book bags. After snack recess we had choice time: read, write, listening station ("Gregory's Shadow" by Don Freeman) or play 'You are the Teacher' with our sight words. After lunch recess we had a quiet time followed by Music. Some children then participated in Jr. Great Books while others had a choice time. We started to pack up a little early because we wanted to make sure that all boots and clothing went home with the proper owners. No school tomorrow...?
Day 95: January 6, 2013
Gianni Rosato was our guest reader this morning. He read "The Day the Babies Crawled Away" by Peggy Rahmann. It was a real crowd pleaser! Then we moved on with two projects: the children who had begun to paint their body portraits finished them and everyone worked on an art project based on Lois Ehlert's book, "Growing Vegetable Soup. The children created a soup pot and ladle and then used various cut up vegetables to print the soup ingredients. As people finished they listened to a story and three new D.K.T. teachers (also known as Courtney, Jamie and Yuri) did calendar for us! After snack and a glorious outdoor recess we began to reorganize our book bags and read for a bit. While K3 had P.E. K4 finished the soup pot project. They headed back out for another sunny recess. K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. K3 did a heart painting which K4 will do on Friday.
The last period of the day was filled with a few different activities. While K3 finished their soup pots, K4 became classroom cleaner uppers! K3 joined in later. The Glover/Eveleth teachers were having a faculty meeting in our classroom, and just like at home, you need to clean up before the guests arrive! The room was sparkling and we enjoyed another Lois Ehlert book, "Nuts to You!" and then it was time to pack up and head out the door.
Day 94: February 5, 2013
We had an 8:15 Community Meeting to kick off Jump Rope for Heart so it was book bag reading to start the day. Mr. Fargo explained the Jump Rope for Heart program to all the Eveleth students. Look for papers to come home soon explaining this voluntary program in more detail. Teachers were invited to come up and do some jump roping for the children and we are proud to say that all four D.K.T. teachers participated! Two of them even double jumped for a bit! When we returned to the classroom we played 'Catch the Mistakes' in calendar and then moved through two math centers. The math centers this week are Weighing with Pan Scales, Two Digit Numbers, Writing Subtraction Number Stories and Calculators. We will complete the other two either on Wednesday or Thursday. We tallied 32 fruits and vegetables at snack today! After snack recess we reviewed the letters and sounds. Then we had guided reading groups and choice time for reading or writing. After lunch recess we read the big book, "Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert. The children had a successful Music period! To end the day the children worked on three papers--handwriting, a poem for their poetry notebooks and a dot to dot paper. We listened to the color and sight words songs while we worked. Then it was time to clean up, pack up and head out the door. Remember to dress in sporty clothes tomorrow!
Day 93: February 4, 2013
It was a chilly Monday morning as we welcomed the Double K children back for another busy week. They colored and cut a little book about Groundhog Day. Then at meeting we watched a video showing Punxsutawney Phil on Saturday. We had a bit of an oops because we watched the 2011 event by accident! Next we transitioned to two Literacy Centers followed by a Writer's Workshop for Weekend News. It was a very productive start to our day! The children listened to a Henry and Mudge book while they enjoyed their snacks. Today we had 30 fruits and veggies for snack! After outdoor recess we analyzed our snack tally count and then did the calendar. We have been exploring addition and subtraction through number stories and today we explored the 21 addition facts through 5. Many patterns were noticed and we discussed the +0 and +1 rules. Right before lunch we watched a video about addition and subtraction number stories. Library was our special this afternoon. Then we split into 3 groups for some Fundations work. We had a guest reader...Tony! We put the Rookie Read-About Science book, "We Love Fruit" by Fay Robinson on the Teamboard so that all could read along. Tomorrow we kick off the Jump Rope for Heart program with Mr. Fargo at 8:15 a.m. Don't be late for school or you may miss the fun!
Day 92: February 1, 2013
The Double K class earned an extra recess yesterday so that's how we began our day. The sand and water tables were open. Water colors and Play-doh were offered and of course there were Legos! At 8:30 we had an Eveleth Community Meeting at which Marblehead High School team captains came and talked with the children and answered some questions which had been supplied by the boys and girls. The message was all about how to be a leader. Working hard, living a healthy lifestyle and respect and dedication to your team mates and important adults in your life all contribute to success. Many of the student athletes were Eveleth/Glover alums! After the presentation, Fit February was introduced. We will tally fruit and vegetable snacks in each classroom, and at the end of February the class with the highest percentage will have a special fruit treat.
Also, on Wed. Feb. 6th all children and faculty are invited to wear athletic clothing to school. (An electronic flyer was sent home by Ms. Devlin). At snack we noticed all the healthy fruits and vegetables that the children were eating. The tallying begins on Monday, Feb. 4th! K4 had a Reader/Writer workshop while K3 had P.E. Before lunch we read "Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and Vegetables from A to Z" by Lois Ehlert. We also made pictures for each date in February for our calendar. While K4 had Art, K3 had a Reading/Writing sharing and then practiced partner reading. Back together, we watched a video about Groundhog Day and made crowns. Mrs. Carroll read a winter book and it was time to head home for the weekend! If you go to the 'Under the Sea' dance tonight, have fun!
Day 91: January 31, 2013
First of all, we must share that today was a FABULOUS day in Double K! Respect and responsibility were not just words, they were demonstrated by positive actions. Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Casteluccio gave the important 10th Impress Me point during Music. In their opinion today was the best day yet! The children listened, participated, followed directions, sang and were very respectful. Other highlights during the day were Circle 'Round the Zero, Fundations lessons on letters/sounds and building words and K3 having an amazing Reader/Writer Workshop. Aria, Serena and Tony were our calendar teachers today. They prepared their lesson during indoor snack recess! Some children chose to go out with Ms. Devin for outdoor snack recess and came running in when that amazing squall blew through! We had time for one literacy center and time to watch our favorite Shapes videos. There will be smiles all around if the next 89 days are half as good as today was!
Day 90: January 30, 2013
The 90th day!! We are halfway through the school year! Some children were very creative in their hair and outfits. The children colored and cut out a book all about 1/2. We met briefly on the rug and reviewed our 3 statements about Respect: I can decide how to act. I think about what I do. Everyone deserves respect. Then it was time to board the bus to visit our Learning Buddies at Village. The Double K was very respectful walking through the halls of the Village School. This time everyone did the same project-- a poster with a variety of shapes all divided in half. When we returned to school it was snack and recess time. While K3 had P.E. each child in K4 could choose to be a reader or a writer and the teachers connected with both kinds of learners. Lunch and recess followed. Before Art and P.E. we read "10 Little Rubber Ducks" by Eric Carle. It is based on a true story in 2003 in which 29,000 rubber ducks fell overboard from a container ship! Fundations letter/sound practice was next while a few children finished up their snowflake project for Mrs. Guthartz. The little books about 1/2 were cut and stapled. A mild day like today makes dismissal easier, and we tried to match up stray boots with the owners. Last day of January is tomorrow!
Day 89: January 29, 201
Mrs. Shapiro was out for a professional meeting and Ms. Nye was our wonderful substitute. Penguin drawing was the before school work. They are getting
better and better at these little sketching activities. We had a Community Meeting to celebrate January birthdays. Double K performed "Driving in My Car" and the whole school joined in. We stayed in the gym and introduced ourselves to Ms. Nye as we sat on the big black circle. After calendar and meeting we read aloud Freight Train by Donald Crews and made finger paint freight trains. They are a work in progress and we hope to finish them tomorrow. We went out in the snow for recess...YAY! Some children might need to bring in dry socks to keep in their cubbies. After recess we practice some of our lowercase letters that are causing a little problem: e, y, a and d. Lunch recess was outside again and it feels great to get out in the snow. Music was our special of the day. We ended the day with one literacy center and also had a discussion on respect. We are still struggling at times but will continue to work on it. DON'T FORGET THAT TOMORROW IS HALF DAY!!!! Be creative...
Day 88: January 28, 2013
Handwriting practice (name writing) was the before school activity. Most children are making great strides writing their names properly. It is an expectation to use an upper case letter for the first letter followed by lower case letters. Mrs. Carroll checked lunch and attendance and then we filed into the gym for a Monday morning meeting. Sergio carried the American flag and led the Pledge. We then greeted each other in Spanish which Cam had practiced on his vacation. Our energizer activity was 'The Popcorn's in the Popper'- a class favorite. When we returned to the classroom, we divided the students into two groups- one focusing on letters, sounds and letter formation; the other focusing on building CVC words. Snack and outdoor recess followed. It was wonderful to get outside after a long cold week! Next was the story, "The Stranger in the Woods" by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick. The mini lesson for Writer's Workshop was to not start a new story right away, but to go back into the writing folders and see if there is a story that needs to be finished. Then a new story could be started. After lunch and recess we had a short Quiet Time to regroup for our afternoon. Then the class had Library. Eric Carle is a Kindergarten author study so we read the big book, "Pancakes! Pancakes!" by Eric Carle. We analyzed and admired his illustrations and discussed how much easier it is to make pancakes in modern times! Soon we will begin some art projects which imitate Carle's style. A minute or two was left in our day so we got up and moved to the Dinosaur Stomp.
Pack up. Bundle up. See you tomorrow.
Day 87: January 25, 2013
It is Friday so let's have a 'speed version' of the daily news!
Poetry Notebooks!
More body portraits!
Calendar- Catch My Mistakes!
Letter/sound fluency practice!
CVC words on the Teamboard!
Beginning sound worksheet!
"You Will Be My Friend" by Peter Brown
Indoor recesses!
Quiet time!
K3 P.E. and K4 Art!
Drawing shapes!
Watching shapes videos!
"Huggly's Snow Day" by Tedd Arnold!
Dismissal!
Have a great weekend!
Day 86: January 24, 2013
Teamwork was the name of the game this morning! All kinds of building materials were available for the boys and girls to construct and create. After a major clean up Ms. Mimi came in and taught the next Second Steps lesson on Feelings. The class then listened to a story that was word family based. Suddenly, we heard the alert that we were having a lock down drill. The children were well prepared and we received an A+ for our response.
Then it was time for snack. The Double K watched some story videos--James Marshall's 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The Three Pigs'. During this time some children began to paint their body portraits. Over the next few weeks each child will have an opportunity to paint.
K4 had P.E. and K3 worked on some sight word and beginning sound papers. Also some children had an opportunity to read with a teacher. Indoor lunch recess was followed by clean up. We played a "Guess the Number' math game for a few minutes before Music. We then transitioned into a Writing Workshop that lasted until it was time to clean up and get ready for dismissal. The temperature in the classroom has been chilly, so please make sure your child has some warm layers of clothing!
Day 85: January 23, 2013
It was so cold this morning that we would open the door a crack and whisk the Double K kids in quickly! Then the children could choose between geoboards, pattern block designs, dominoes and the Star Wars number grid game. We had morning meeting and celebrated Alexis' birthday. We reviewed some of the trickier letters on Starfall (w, q, and h). We went to the gym for a quick meeting, saying the pledge and singing 'The Star Spangled Banner'. Back in the classroom we did the Calendar by playing Catch My Mistakes and moved on to Math Centers. It was indoor recess and the boys and girls could choose between games in the gym with Ms. Devin or quiet classroom activities. K4 had a Writing Workshop while K3 had P.E. After indoor lunch recess we read the story, "If I Had a Robot" by Dan Yaccarino. K4 had P.E. while K3 had Art. The last block of the day was a shared reading of "Peter's Chair" by Ezra Jack Keats and then we had a 7 minute reading workshop. Pack up. Bundle up. See you tomorrow!
Day 84: January 22, 2013
Everyone was a little sleepy coming back after the long weekend so we had watercolor paints out for them to 'express themselves'! Morning meeting followed and two new sight words were introduced- you and went. We did a quick mini lesson about how illustrations can help you understand the story more deeply when there is very simple text. Some of the math concepts we are working on are better practiced in small groups so we rotated through 4 centers. Each child visited two centers today and will visit the other two tomorrow. The 4 Math Centers are Measuring with a Pan Balance, Roll and Record (a game that reinforces numeral formation and addition facts), Interrupted Counting (counting on from different numbers) and Subtraction Number Stories. Both recesses were indoors due to the cold temperature. Most likely we will be in all week long. After snack recess the children used magnetic letters on a cookie sheet to build CVC words. Then Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro modeled Partner Reading- elbow to elbow, knee to knee (EEKK) first by doing a picture walk, then later in the day reading the text. The children had Music and we painted spots on the jellyfish for the PTO dance--almost finished! Everyone bundled up and headed out the door.
Day 83: January 18, 2013
There was loads of Patriots Spirit today in Double K! The boys and girls colored and cut the Patriots' logo and we made them into head bands. We also had a graph to vote for your favorite Patriot. Mr. Rosato was our guest reader. He read "Theo and the Blue Note" by Peter Kuper- a very clever and engaging story! Calendar, Fundations and word work were next on the agenda. It was a chilly day but the Double K got outside for both recesses. While K3 had P.E. K4 began a project for the PTO dance on February 1st. Each Kindergarten class is making decorations with an 'Under the Sea' theme. Double K is making jellyfish! K4 did the first step which was painting paper bowls. Later, when K4 was in Art, K3 made the tentacles. There are a few more steps to be done, and the jellyfish will be adorable! Before lunch we practiced another lock down drill and then read "Henry and Mudge: In the Sparkle Days" by Cynthia Rylant. To end our day we made Patriots' posters for game time celebrations. Mrs. Colby took a class picture with our life size cut out Tom Brady! Have a great weekend and ...GO PATS!
Day 82: January 17, 2013
The morning work was a cut and paste paper that represented Rosa Parks and the bus boycott. We then watched a short video about Martin Luther King, Jr. The children were able to hear part of his "I have a dream" speech, and later on in the morning they colored a portrait of him. Next we practiced a lock down drill in preparation for the one the entire Eveleth School will have in the next week. K4 had P.E. and K3 wrote their text to self connections with "The Snowy Day". We shared some moments of Kindness and Respect and then it was time for Music. Mrs. Perroni followed up on the mini lesson on choosing books with her own bag filled with a variety of books. Then we had a Reading Workshop. Unbelievably it was already time to pack up for the day. Don't forget that tomorrow is Patriots Spirit Day!
Day 81: January 16, 2013
The meteorologists were correct and we woke to a snowy morning. The Double K kids came into school loaded down with bags of clothing for outdoor recess! There was a dot to dot paper to complete and color. Next was Morning Meeting. The D.K.T. decided that an early snack recess was in order so that the children could enjoy the perfect snowman making weather. They bundled up and headed out our classroom doors. They began to team up to build snowmen, make snow angels and to play football in the snow! The boys and girls were creative in finding materials to use for eyes, buttons, etc. We hear very few complaints when children are playing together in newly fallen snow! (Look for some pictures to be added to our photo gallery.) All their wet clothing was draped on the ramp railings to dry. We had snack next. We read "The Snowy Day"by Ezra Jack Keats and talked about our 'text to self' connections. This was followed by a Reading Workshop. K3 went to P.E. and K4 wrote and illustrated their 'text to self' connections and they had time to share. After indoor lunch recess we began the book "Martin's Big Words" by Doreen Rappaport. We continued reading it and discussing Martin Luther King Jr.'s work after P.E. and Art. We connected the work we are doing around Kindness and Respect to Martin Luther King's. Extra time was needed to get dressed for dismissal!
Day 80: January 15, 2013
We began our day with extending pattern block patterns. At meeting, our number one job was calendar because... another Circle 'Round the Zero day! We became a big Double K snake and silently made our way to the gym. We played the game twice which provided extra practice counting by 10s. We returned just as quietly to our classroom. Yes! Two Impress Me points were earned! We reviewed our letters and sounds for accuracy and speed. Then it was time for a Reading Workshop. The mini lesson focused on how we choose books for our bags. Two students got their bags and shared the thinking behind their choices. There was time to add to book bags and find a quiet spot and the timer was set for 7 minutes. Children read alone or to a teacher. After the timer went off we gathered on the rug and the boys and girls had a chance to share one of the books and told us why they like it or why they chose it. After snack, we had a handwriting lesson about names. Many children shared how their parents chose their names. It was established that your name is very important. Therefore when you write your name on a paper, it should be done well and with pride. We discussed how a name starts with an upper case letter which is followed by lower case letters. They then received a practice paper to trace and write their names. We will continue to practice! After lunch recess we read "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes which is a book about celebrating your name. The class then had Music. After a quick energizer we made a human number sentence introducing the + and = signs. The girls and boys then made up number stories of their own, illustrated it and wrote the number sentence. If they finished early they played yesterday's number slate game. As we were getting prepared for dismissal we had the chance to share some stories about buckets being filled! Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, so boots, snow pants, etc may be needed for recess.
Day 79: January 14, 2013
New, new, new! It was a new week, new table seats and best of all our new classmate!
Many Double K students welcomed him in and he had a smile on his face as the day progressed. We did the Starfall calendar because so we had to celebrate lost teeth over the last few days. Then we went to the gym for a meeting, greeting and game. The game was cut a bit short because of some silliness, but we will try again soon! When we returned to the classroom the boys and girls settled in and wrote some Weekend News. We had a chance to share some of our writing, and those who did not get to share will do so tomorrow. After a balmy snack recess we looked for known words in the Morning Message and took turns (boys and girls) reading the sentences. Then we reviewed letter sounds and focused on speed and fluency. Mr. Heafitz, the substitute teacher, read "A Snowman Named Bob". (Mrs. Perroni was out sick.) Mrs. Carroll had a book, "A Home for Hermit Crab" that she had been wanting to read, so she did so right before lunch time. Lunch recess was even balmier than snack recess! After Library we had a math meeting where we reviewed number formation and practiced 2,3,4 and 5. The homework practice is 6,7,8, and 9. When children finished they joined in with Ms. Devin for a slate activity. For instance, she would ask, "The number that comes after 6" and they would write it and show it. Lots of good practice in a very fun way! It turned out to be a good day in Double K. There is nothing new about that!
Day 78: January 11, 2013
The morning work was a sorting paper for words that start with g and h. The morning message focused on the letters w, v, z, y and q. Next we focused on kindness and noticing the good in others. Each child got the name of a classmate, and wrote and drew a note to them describing a way they are special. We generated many key words and wrote them on the easel so that the children could use it as a reference as they composed their notes. Then the children received the notes from each other. There was a warm and caring feel in the classroom! Our new recess rule of playing only on the hot top and wood chip areas kept everyone neater and cleaner! K3 had P.E. and K4 learned how to play a Star Wars Number Grid Game. K3 played it in the afternoon while K4 had Art. This game helps the boys and girls become more familiar with the number grid. Before lunch we built some CVC (consonant, vowel consonant) words on the Teamboard and practiced tapping out the sounds two different ways. The children colored in the vowels on a Fundations alphabet sheet. This sheet will be going home on Monday to use with Fundations homework. After Art we shared some kind and respectful actions that had filled some buckets. Then for the last 15 minutes we had our Impress Me point extra recess indoors. We look forward to welcoming our new member to Double K on Monday morning! Have a good weekend.
Day 77: January 10,2013
The children could choose from 3 fine motor activities this morning--geoboards, tracers and whiteboard practice. At morning meeting we revisited being kind and filling others' buckets. Tomorrow we will begin to document these acts of kindness and put them into our class bucket. The morning was unusual because Mrs. Shapiro and Ms. Devin had to be out of the classroom for a little while so Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Carroll held down the fort! Ms. Mimi often stops in to Double K in the morning so she stayed and pitched in! The children worked on 4 papers--dice rolling sight words and numbers, yo-yo little books and a how to draw people paper. The cooperation and behavior were excellent so the class earned two Impress Me points! Then the children could choose between indoor and outdoor recess. We did Speed Calendar (57 seconds). Ms. Mimi came back and did a Steps to Respect lesson about feelings. K4 had P.E. so K3 had Writing Workshop with the mini lesson on periods. After recess the class had Music. Then we read "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" illustrated by Jim Arnosky which is based on a song by Bob Dylan. The book comes with a CD with Bob Dylan singing the lyrics! We played a category math game. Finally, we got the wiggles out by getting up and moving to a Koo Koo Kangaroo dance video. Big Double K news--a new student will be joining our class on Monday, and yes, it's a... boy!
Day 76: January 9, 2013
We finished our Lois Ehlert bird and birch tree paintings! They are amazing! Peek in the classroom to see them hanging in our big window. We then moved on to a math lesson about missing numbers. The mini lesson was followed by a sheet to work on independently cutting and pasting in the missing numbers. On the back was some challenge work using the same concept. We had a quick mini lesson on building reading stamina. K3 went to P.E. and K4 had a Writing Workshop. Today's mini lesson was about periods as stop signs at the end of a sentence. After lunch K4 had P.E. and K3 had Art. The DKT felt that we needed a refresher course in Kindness so we formed a Philosophy Circle to discuss being kind and respectful and how that feels, both as the giver and receiver. When it was agreed upon that kindness and respect feel good, we posed the question, "Then why are people mean sometimes?" Check out our blog for some of the students' input. We are going to refocus on filling each other's buckets. Children will have the opportunity to share with a teacher an instance when someone was kind and respectful to them. We will fill a bucket with all the examples and then celebrate in some way. It was a positive way to end our day.
Day 75: January 8, 2013
Today the Glover/Eveleth PTO funded a wonderful enrichment program--Wingmasters. The stars of the show are birds of prey, particularly owls. The presenter rescues injured birds and takes care of them. He brings them to schools so that children can learn all about them. Today the children were able to see a screech owl, a barred owl, a Great Horned owl, a Saw Whet owl and a Peregrine falcon. The Kindergarteners sat spell bound during the 45 minute presentation. The presenter had pictures of the owl who lived in our tree two years ago, and we showed him pictures of our owl. He told us that it was a young screech owl who probably left to find a different territory. He thought that we may see our owl again, and if not that owl, another one because our tree is so perfect for an owl's home. He said unequivocally that we did not scare off the owl! They are very tough! Later on in the day, Mrs. Carroll read Gail Gibbons' book, "Owls" and the children drew and wrote about their favorite part of the program. In addition, we had a chance to continue the work on our art projects from yesterday. The works of art should be completed tomorrow. Thank you, Glover/Eveleth PTO for bringing such a wonderful program to the Eveleth School!
Day 74: January 7, 2013
We are back in school and, for the first time in many weeks, will have 5 full days of school this week! The children exchanged books in their book bags and began to read their new choices. At meeting the morning message was about reaching our final two letters of the alphabet--q and y. Q goes nowhere without u so we teach it as a digraph- two letters making one sound. Next each child worked on a page for a new class book, "It is Winter and that Means..." A handful of writers were able to share their page. We moved on to calendar and then voted on the Teamboard voting machine. The question was, " Are your shoes tying laces, Velcro or slip ons. The results were 19 Velcro, 11 laces and 4 slip ons. The results are available in different forms: numerical, bar graph, pie chart and percentages and it is interesting to explore each one. After snack and recess it was time for word work and Fundations handwriting--q and y. Our special was Library and Mrs. Colby shared some Newbery Award Winning books. In preparation of an art project we read "Snowballs" by Lois Elhert. The art project is creating winter birds and birch trees which imitate Ehlert's illustrations in the book. A lot of headway was made on our art work and we plan to finish them up tomorrow.
Day 73: January 4, 2013
Little z books and book bags kept the Double K busy this morning. At 8:30 we had an Eveleth community meeting and we sang to our December birthdays. Then the focus was all about recess and snow! The group generated a list of safe activities and turned negative statements like, "Do not throw snowballs" into positive statements such as "Build a snow fort, or a snowman, or a snow castle..." Clothing requirements were agreed upon and the Double K has adjusted its policy on 'boots no snowpants' to match the Eveleth view. So, no snowpants, no walking on the snow. Mrs. Tully was amazing as she borrowed Lucy's bag of outdoor clothing and put it all on (as best as she could)! Back in the classroom we did Calendar and then went back to the gym to play Ms. Devin's Count by 10s to 100 Sit Down Game. This active practice was followed up later in the morning by revisiting this concept using the Number Grid, noticing the pattern of the numbers. We also rote counted from 1-73 using whispers and louder voices. Mrs. Carroll read Jan Brett's, "The Mitten" and the children retold the story by remembering all the animals who climbed into the mitten. K3 had PE in the morning and K4 had Art with Mrs. Guthartz. She is using the art of Wassilly Kandinsky who used shapes as the focus of his work. These art lessons support the Geometry Common Core standards for Kindergarten! We have to admit that recesses were extended a bit because of the warmer temperatures! After Art we reviewed sight words and practiced writing lower case z and x on white boards. On the Teamboard the children watched "There's Something in My Attic" by Mercer Mayer. Everyone gathered their belongings, and with arms full of bags the children headed off for the weekend.
Day 72: January 3, 2013
This morning each child received two special items: the book they had chosen before vacation and a Dr. Seuss themed book bag for the classroom. The children were able to fill their bags with 5-6 books that they could read during the school day. The handles of the bags fit right over the backs of the chairs which is a very handy! A few children also were interested in practicing to tie shoelaces so some one on one tutoring was going on too!
The morning message focused on sight words and sentences. Simple sentences were constructed just by using our bank of sight words. We read "Squirrel's New Year's Resolution" and prepared for it by discussing what a resolution is. This activity was in preparation for creating school Hopes and Dreams for 2013 which were completed in the afternoon: "In 2013 I am going to knock your socks off by...". After snack recess we continued to 'build stamina' as readers during Reading Workshop. The readers did a great job! K3 did the illustrative reflection on the holiday break while K4 had PE. Lunch recess was indoors and lots of block building, dollhouse designing and Lego construction was observed! The class had Music then worked on their Hopes and Dreams. A new group of students began Jr. Great Books with Mrs. Rosenthal. Then it was time to bundle up and head out the door.
Day 71: January 2, 2013
Puzzles were on the tables for before school work. That type of activity allowed for some back to school catching up chit chat! It was lovely to look around the room and watch classmates and teachers reconnecting after our long winter break. The new K3 and K4 lists were on the round table and children shared the news with each other.Worries about children forgetting if they now were a K3 or K4 were unfounded--they switched without a hitch! The boys and girls lined up in their groups and we went to the gym for a morning meeting so that everyone could share a favorite part of vacation. This time we added on the chance to tell back what someone else had shared, reinforcing this as an active listening activity. Before snack each child drew a picture on a square of paper for a date in January. Then they found the correct pocket on the calendar for that date. Some children also drew pictures for special days such as New Year's Day and MLK, Jr.'s birthday. It was too chilly for outdoor snack recess so Ms. Devin organized some games in the gym. Next was a Reading Workshop and 'building stamina' as independent readers was the focus. The timer was set for 6 minutes and everyone read! While K3 had PE, K4 did a illustrative reflection paper on their holiday break. Everyone got outside for a sunny lunch recess. (Please see our Announcements page for recess rules and clothing requirements.) After PE and Art we reviewed letters and added two new ones x and z, and two new sight words, was and he. We did calendar and then watched two videos showing two different ways to tie shoelaces. Some experts have already identified themselves and we will work together to teach everyone else! Packing up and getting boots, coats, hats and mittens on takes a few extra minutes so were started a little earlier and were ready to go out the door at 2:20. Vacation was great, but the Double K classroom is also a wonderful place to be!
Day 70: December 21, 2012
We are all going on vacation so here is the speed version of our early release day!
Pajama Day!
Poetry Notebooks!
Calendar and Circle 'Round the Zero!
1st Day of Winter Word Whip!
2013 crowns!
"Polar Express"!
10th Impress Me Point extra indoor recess!
Dismissal!
Have a great vacation and see you next year!
Day 69: December 20, 2012
Wishing Wands (Ww) started our day. Then the Morning Message focused on math, and we used our 'attentoscopes' to catch the teacher's mistakes with letter/sound practice. We practiced our sight words by cheerleading them. Off to their tables to do a Ww little book and a sight word practice coloring paper. After snack recess we had a Reading Workshop. The children chose a few books and found a spot to read. The timer was set and the reading began! After 10 minutes K4 had to leave for gym, but K3 was doing so well we extended the reading time! Before lunch the readers sat in a circle and each one shared a book and told the group a little bit about it. After lunch the class had Music and they watched a video of 'The Snowman', paying particular attention to how the music helps to tell the story. Next it was ... party time! Thank you, parents, for the crafts, refreshments and volunteering. The Double K class had a great time!
Day 68: December 20, 2012
The before school work today was a snowman picture with color words. Mrs. Brennan stopped in for a quick hello. We wanted to thank her for being the best substitute teacher and to wish her well as she heads off to Florida for the winter. We hope she can come back to Double K in the Spring! Next we moved on to our Morning message,word/sound work, calendar and some tricky teen practice. The children then went to their tables and completed a Kk little book and cut and pasted some more sight words. We had snack and then OUTDOOR recess-- Yay!!! We read "Mooseltoe" and did our first Reading Response. Each child chose to write and draw about a favorite part of the book. K3 had P.E. and K4 had a Writing Workshop. The mini lesson referred back to Sharing Time yesterday at which some children shared a piece of writing that was not yet complete. We reminded them that writers often don't finish a story in one sitting, and they go back to the work the next time and continue. After lunch, K3 had Art and K4 had P.E. Then it was time for...Snow-doh! We had every color imaginable and added some sparkle with glitter. A few children had not had a chance to make some, but their friends and table mates generously shared. Everyone cleaned up as best as they could. The class watched "There's an Alligator Under My Bed" while the D.K.T. tidied up a bit more so that Mr. Mace wouldn't be overwhelmed with bits of Snow-doh here, there and everywhere! The children are looking forward to our class party tomorrow and pajama day on Friday. Thank you to our room mothers and all the parents who volunteered to help out in some way.
Day 67: December 18, 2012
The children started their day by coloring and creating a 'Snowman Bag'. Later this week they will get it back with a few special things inside! The Eveleth Holiday Sing Along began at 8:25. Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Castiluccio prepared a program of holiday songs and the students and staff had a wonderful time singing together. While Mrs. Shapiro went to the new Glover Groundbreaking Ceremony the classroom turned into an arts and crafts studio. The children finished their snowman bags, painted snowman families and painted a second coat of white paint on their pine cones. After snack, Ms Devin took the class into the gym again to play two new games. They came back thirsty and tired--she gave them quite a workout! We all hope that tomorrow's weather is conducive to outdoor recess! Writing Workshop was with the full Double K. We added a Kindergarten Sight Word list to the plastic pocket in their writing folders. It is a handy tool for checking spelling. Many children wanted to share their writing so half of them shared before lunch and the other half shared after Music. Sometimes students can get stuck for an idea for a story. We suggested noticing routine and special activities that come up in their lives. The upcoming vacation should provide a lot of story ideas for Writing Workshop! David A.'s mother was a guest reader at the end of the day. David's birthday is on January 1st, so she had jazzy 2013 glasses for the whole class! Mrs. Perroni took a funky photo of the class. I bet it will turn up in our Photo Gallery. :)
Day 66: December 17, 2012
Today was a perfectly wonderful ordinary day in Double K! Children, parents and teachers happily greeted each other at drop off. Being Monday it was Book Look time. Children read books from the bins. Many boys and girls chose to connect with a teacher and share their growth as readers. Leo B.'s mother was a guest reader. She read two books to the class. Our Morning Message, letter and word work and calendar followed. The children then worked on two papers- a Jj book about a jar of peanut butter and a fine motor/spelling paper for some sight words. This week is a review week for letters and sight words. After snack, it was recess time. It was too wet to go outside, but instead of indoor recess, Ms Devin led two fun games in the gym. The first is called 'Fruit Salad' and the second is 'Toilet Tag'! When the children returned to the classroom they designed holiday cards for their 3rd grade Learning Buddies. We will send them up to Village tomorrow. There were a few minutes before lunch time so some choices were to read by yourself, make a snowflake or listen to a story. Our afternoon special was Library. We have the Holiday Sing Along tomorrow morning at 8:25 so we practiced all the songs. By this time the Double Ks needed to get up and move so we did the 'Counting Down from 20' song. Then to settle down we watched the Shapes video. We started the book, "Mooseltoe" but ran out of time. Tomorrow we will try again. It was a fabulously normal day. BTW, check out Mrs. Shapiro's new picture on the About the Teachers page!
Day 65: December 14, 2012
It was Pink Day today and one boy took the plunge with a pink shirt, another sported a pink tie and one created a special shirt out of a t-shirt! The children glued the White and Black songs into their poetry notebook for morning work. The morning message celebrated all the color days we have had because pink will be our last. We will have other types of theme days in 2013. There is a birthday on Sunday so we sang to the birthday girl, did Speed Calendar and then interacted with the Starfall calendar. In Second Steps social skills we have moved onto Unit 2, Empathy. Lesson 6 today introduced the topic of feelings. Homework will go home on Monday. K4 had P.E. and K3 had Writing Workshop. Before lunch we started a different pine cone craft- a snowman on skis! It will take a few days to complete this project and the finished project will be adorable! After lunch, K4 had Art and K3 had Writing Workshop. We had our first Lockdown Drill. Ms. Devin read the perfect pink day book, "Pink Me Up" by Charise Mericle Harper. Have a good weekend with your children.
Day 64: December 13, 2012
The 10th Impress Me Point was earned yesterday morning. Instead of an extra recess we decided to give them free choice time when they came in today. Choices included the sand table, water station, Playdoh, painting, stencils and Legos too (of course!) We let the explorations go on a little longer than normal because the children were so involved in their activities! At morning meeting we began with a graph, "What shape would you be?" The children made their choices and we talked a little about why they chose a particular shape. Many had solid reasons but our favorite comment was,"I was going to pick the hexagon, but then I lost my mind and chose the rectangle!" The children then shared information from the graph results--trapezoid was chosen most, no votes for triangle, rectangle and hexagon got the same votes... Then we added up the columns by counting by twos. Lots of strong mathematical thinking was going on! Next we practiced counting back from 20 (part of the Common Core Standards) using a video from HaveFunTeaching. We have found many great videos there for sight words, color words and math skills. The children don't even realize they are learning! Mrs. Carroll read, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". After snack recess we made a little book about pigs (Pp) and played a dice game that helps to practice some sight words. K4 had P.E. and K3 had the same Writing Workshop that K4 had yesterday. After lunch it was time for Music. Ms. Mimi came in for a quick hello, followed by a guessing/elimination game, calendar and word cheerleading. The girls and boys collected their folders and winter pine trees, sang our goodbye song and off they went.
Day 63: December 12, 2012
12/12/12. This was a date that had to be admired! We didn't have time for calendar until the afternoon. We started with a video about the number 12. This kind of date comes around rarely. The children were asked, "How many years until the next 12/12/12?" It only took 3 or 4 tries and a little girl answered 100! Life expectancy for children born now is in the 106-107 age range. The Double K teachers won't be here for December 12, 2112, but some of the Double K students may be! Now back to how our day began. The children used shape templates to make pictures and designs which were inspired by the shape video yesterday. The boys and girls were so involved in their pictures and then cleaned up the tables so well that they earned a 10th Impress Me Point! Then it was onto the bus to take us to our Learning Buddies at Village. The Double K gets so many smiles when they walk through the halls of the Village 'with their zeroes on'! Our 3rd grade buddies greeted us warmly and the children paired up to begin stories and projects. This activity is magical. There are no discipline issues, loud voices or problems during this time. Teachers wander from pair to pair to hear about the books that have been chosen and to see the process of the projects. The teachers also like seeing their Glover colleagues and former students! Learning Buddies always ends with a sharing time when each pair of buddies tells the group about their book and project. (Pictures coming in our Photo Gallery). Then it was back on the bus to the Eveleth. A January date will be chosen soon. While K3 had P.E. K4 had a Writing Workshop at which paper with more lines was introduced. K4 had great ideas for stories and got right to work. As the teachers conferenced with the students we noticed the gains that are being made in written language. The children are using sight words and are also listening for beginning, middle and ending sounds in words. One child used the strategy to draw a line to represent unknown sounds-- ex. sc____l (school). After lunch, K4 had P.E. (cup stacking) and K3 had Art (pinch pots). Ms. Devin brought in a HUGE bag of pine cones which were painted green and then sprinkled with glitter- very beautiful! Some seasonal music played while a fireplace scene was displayed on a team board. It felt cozy and warm in Double K.
Day 62: December 11, 2012
W is one of our letters of the week so the morning work was to turn a W into a slice of watermelon. The children glued green and pink tissue paper on the W. Then they cut out 5 or 6 seeds (depending on the child's age) and glued them on. Pinterest has the best ideas! Morning meeting was all about shapes. We watched a video about shapes. The morning message focused on the definition of each shape regardless of color, size or orientation. Next we filed into the gym for a Responsive Classroom meeting. We said the Pledge and then sang 'The Star Spangled Banner'. The greeting we passed around the circle was Pound Cake, French Fries...and a Milkshake! Then the class was challenged to sit absolutely still and silent for one whole minute- almost perfect. So we tried again-perfect! Being calm and quiet is an important skill to practice. Back in the classroom the boys and girls completed a paper on beginning sounds. Snack, recess and then we reviewed our sight words through songs. A reading of "Inside-Out Grandma", a Hanukkah Story by Joan Rothenberg was begun, and will be completed tomorrow. Early release dismissal was at 11:50. We are excited for Learning Buddies tomorrow!
Day 61: December 10, 2012
We start Mondays with a Book Look. Today's baskets contained leveled books from which to choose. Many children actively read on their own or asked to read with a teacher. Some children were not reading at all! Stop, meet, regroup. We reviewed what Book Look time looks like and sounds like. We would try it again in the afternoon. Morning meeting consisted of a morning message. Children interacted with the message by finding sight words, little words, words that start with an upper case letter, etc. Two new letters were introduced- v and w. Like and in are our new sight words for the week. It is exciting (for them and us) when they recognize these words in text! We followed our calendar routine, did the count by 2 and count by 5 songs. We also sang some sight word songs. Then the whiteboards came out and we did some handwriting practice-- v, w and 7. We also reviewed 5 and 6. Before snack they completed a little book for Ll and a sorting paper for Kk. After snack recess we wrote a class letter to Mr. Tirelli, the director of the Veterans School Select Chorus. We shared what we enjoyed in the concert last Friday and expressed our hope that they can come back soon! All the teachers and children signed the letter and we sent it to him at the Veterans School. Mrs. Perroni read a story and it was time for lunch. Our afternoon special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. We then reviewed the rules for a successful Book Look time, set the timer and began. It was an improvement over the morning's attempt. The children then played the Snowman Challenge dice game with a partner. Everyone packed up, zipped up and puts hoods up to be ready for a drizzly dismissal.
Day 60: December 7, 2012
We quickly realized that gray is a color which has a calming effect! The children put two color songs, Brown and Purple, in their Poetry Notebooks. Then it was time for morning meeting. Ms Mimi stopped in and it was her birthday today! We sang a rousing Happy Birthday to her! Later we sang to Yuri because his birthday is on Saturday. We did Calendar and... 60th day means it's time for 'Circle 'Round the Zero'! We gathered in the gym, said the Pledge, sang 'You're a Grand Old Flag and played 'Circle 'Round the Zero' two times. After snack K3 had Gym and K4 had a Writing Workshop. There was a special treat at 11:00! The Select Chorus from the Veterans School came and performed for the Eveleth Community. They were fabulous! Every child was mesmerized! After lunch K4 had Art and K3 played a sight word bingo game. Next was a Snowman Challenge dice game.
Mrs. Carroll read "The Gingerbread Man" retold by Jim Aylesworth. The children watched the classic story, "The Snowman" on video, and another day was complete in Double K!
Day 59: December 6, 2012
Mrs. Shapiro is SO happy to be back in Double K! She had a wonderful time with her new grandson, but Double K is a joyful place to be. The class made her a book called, "Things to Do If You Are a Grandmother", and Mrs. Shapiro read it out loud to the class. Thank you for all the advice! We did calendar and the Madagascar dance. Backing up a bit, Thursdays is Fine Motor Day so we started the morning by offering a variety of fine motor activities from which to choose. Then it was time for snack. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had P.E. After lunch the class had Music. We read "The Missing Mitten Mystery" by Steven Kellogg. We practiced our sight words by playing a Word Cheerleading Game. Ask your child how to play. Gray day tomorrow!
Day 58: December 5, 2012
We started day 58 with finishing our 'Last Name Snowmen' and math manipulatives. We had morning meeting in the classroom as well as calendar and then headed to the gym for a circle game of counting by 10's to 100. Whoever said '100' had to sit down. Sergio was the big winner of the day. We finished up our Literacy Centers today. After snack and recess K4 got to go to gym and K3 had a writing workshop. It was AMAZING! Readers and writers are blooming! Mrs. Carroll read "The Runaway Latkes" and then it was time to go home.
She's back! The new grandmother is back and can't wait to see all her DoublyK students!
Day 57: December 4, 2012
Busy, busy, busy! Morning work consisted of rainbow word writing. We needed to do seat work because we had Community Meeting. Nurse Deanna promoted Toys for Tots. An email went home and any donations are warmly welcome. Double K performed the 'Tooty-Ta" song and the whole school joined in. After Community Meeting Ms. Mimi (counselor) came and taught a lesson on being assertive...asking for help when you need it in an appropriate way. Finally, after all this busy-ness we had snack and recess:) Ms. Devin taught a lesson on surveys. Each child made up a question with a yes or no answer and then had to survey at least 10 people, recording the results with tally marks. Soon they will be able to be employed at the mall! In the afternoon we had music and then made 'Last Name Snowmen.' Look for them in our window! We are still doing the 'SNOWWISH'!
Day 56: December 3, 2012
Can you believe that it is already December? Our Snowmen windsocks must have worked on Friday since we got snow on Saturday.
This morning we started the day with a little 'Jj' book followed by Book Look. At meeting time we had to take apart the November calendar before we could start to build the December calendar. The children did a great job maneuvering their way through this activity. New shapes on the December calendar include rectangles, triangles and the skinny rhombus. We read the December poem from Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak. We counted by 1's to 100 using the number grid and then sang our counting by 2's and counting by 5's songs. New letters this week are j jug 'j' and p pan 'p'. Our new sight words are 'am' and 'to'. Little kindergarten readers are sprouting and growing daily. After meeting we had two literacy centers. We had a longer recess because the weather was SO amazing! Ms. Devin taught two math games: 'Interrupted Numbers' and 'Guess Who'. Lunch was eaten outside on the picnic tables and while it was a bit breezy it was great to get outside. Mrs. Cool was the substitute for library today. We ended the day with hearing a story about Hanukkah and made menorah hand prints.
Day 55: November 30, 2012
We started the morning by finishing up our snowmen windsocks and they are proudly hanging in our window. They certainly brighten up the room on grey days. Before meeting, Mrs. Perroni read "Snowmen All Year". We had one Literacy Center and then it was time for snack with "Pigs Make Me Sneeze" by Mo Willems as our Reader's Theater followed by recess. (Don't forget to send in hats and gloves...it gets chilly, now.) K3 went to gym and K4 had Writer's Workshop. K4 was still working hard when K3 came back so they just joined in. After lunch, K4 worked with clay in Art and K3 had a math lesson with Ms. Devin. We ended the day with a math game - Roll the Dice, Write the Number. Mrs. Brennan has been our substitute for Mrs. Shapiro. Thank you Mrs. Brennan!
Day 54: November 29,2012
Our morning activities focused on fine motor and included: water trays, sand table, play-doh, bead stringing, white boards and tracing templates. It was so successful that we added a few minutes on. We started meeting with a Dr. Seuss story and then our morning meeting was was lead by teachers and students and included morning message, sight words and our Fundations sounds with sign language. We ended meeting with singing some of our sight word songs and a new energizer - Move It. Check it out in the Song and Dance section. We had one round of literacy centers then K3 played bingo focusing on the tricky teens while K4 was at gym. After music we started our snowmen windsocks and are hoping that once they are hanging in our big window they will bring some snow!
Busy, busy, busy! Morning work consisted of rainbow word writing. We needed to do seat work because we had Community Meeting. Nurse Deanna promoted Toys for Tots. An email went home and any donations are warmly welcome. Double K performed the 'Tooty-Ta" song and the whole school joined in. After Community Meeting Ms. Mimi (counselor) came and taught a lesson on being assertive...asking for help when you need it in an appropriate way. Finally, after all this busy-ness we had snack and recess:) Ms. Devin taught a lesson on surveys. Each child made up a question with a yes or no answer and then had to survey at least 10 people, recording the results with tally marks. Soon they will be able to be employed at the mall! In the afternoon we had music and then made 'Last Name Snowmen.' Look for them in our window! We are still doing the 'SNOWWISH'!
Day 56: December 3, 2012
Can you believe that it is already December? Our Snowmen windsocks must have worked on Friday since we got snow on Saturday.
This morning we started the day with a little 'Jj' book followed by Book Look. At meeting time we had to take apart the November calendar before we could start to build the December calendar. The children did a great job maneuvering their way through this activity. New shapes on the December calendar include rectangles, triangles and the skinny rhombus. We read the December poem from Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak. We counted by 1's to 100 using the number grid and then sang our counting by 2's and counting by 5's songs. New letters this week are j jug 'j' and p pan 'p'. Our new sight words are 'am' and 'to'. Little kindergarten readers are sprouting and growing daily. After meeting we had two literacy centers. We had a longer recess because the weather was SO amazing! Ms. Devin taught two math games: 'Interrupted Numbers' and 'Guess Who'. Lunch was eaten outside on the picnic tables and while it was a bit breezy it was great to get outside. Mrs. Cool was the substitute for library today. We ended the day with hearing a story about Hanukkah and made menorah hand prints.
Day 55: November 30, 2012
We started the morning by finishing up our snowmen windsocks and they are proudly hanging in our window. They certainly brighten up the room on grey days. Before meeting, Mrs. Perroni read "Snowmen All Year". We had one Literacy Center and then it was time for snack with "Pigs Make Me Sneeze" by Mo Willems as our Reader's Theater followed by recess. (Don't forget to send in hats and gloves...it gets chilly, now.) K3 went to gym and K4 had Writer's Workshop. K4 was still working hard when K3 came back so they just joined in. After lunch, K4 worked with clay in Art and K3 had a math lesson with Ms. Devin. We ended the day with a math game - Roll the Dice, Write the Number. Mrs. Brennan has been our substitute for Mrs. Shapiro. Thank you Mrs. Brennan!
Day 54: November 29,2012
Our morning activities focused on fine motor and included: water trays, sand table, play-doh, bead stringing, white boards and tracing templates. It was so successful that we added a few minutes on. We started meeting with a Dr. Seuss story and then our morning meeting was was lead by teachers and students and included morning message, sight words and our Fundations sounds with sign language. We ended meeting with singing some of our sight word songs and a new energizer - Move It. Check it out in the Song and Dance section. We had one round of literacy centers then K3 played bingo focusing on the tricky teens while K4 was at gym. After music we started our snowmen windsocks and are hoping that once they are hanging in our big window they will bring some snow!
OUR VERY OWN OWL!!!
Day 53: November 28, 2012
This morning the children could choose among a variety of math manipulatives-- pattern block designs, link patterns, geoboards, dominoes and teddy bears. At morning meeting the children were able to investigate the morning message looking for familiar words and hidden words. One boy could not stop hopping up and pointing out words he could read! It is exciting to see the children begin to see themselves as readers. We reviewed sight words and letter/sounds. The Kindergarteners pretended to buckle their seat belts and we did 'Speed Calendar' in 50 seconds! Next was a reading workshop where the children chose books from leveled baskets and read for @ 10 minutes. The D.K.T. were able to move around and read individually with some of the students. After snack the children learned some sight words songs. Then while K3 had P.E. K4 played Bingo. To end our early release day, Mrs. Carroll read a book about being helpful.
Day 52: November 27, 2012
Hh is one of our new letters so we started our day coloring, highlighting and reading a little Hh book. Remember to add it to the other books in their 'Little Book Box'. It is great practice for review and fluency. One little boy came and got me so that he could read his book to me. He knew very few letters or words at the beginning of the year, but in this short space of time he sees himself as a reader! That's why we love this job! We had a Morning Meeting in the gym and tried out a new handshake. Ask your child to show you 'Pound Cake and French Fries! We sang a new favorite song, 'The Circle of We', and then played 'A tooty ta' which is a very silly game. Back in the classroom we shared an anchor chart called "Three Ways to Read a Story". The 3 parts are: 1. Tell a story you already know. 2. Look at the pictures and tell the story. 3. Read the words. After snack, we added some color songs to our Poetry Notebooks, read some books, and colored the sight words the/and. We got them outside for a little of lunch recess but it got too wet. To settle back in they watched two stories on the Teamboard. Music was followed by the book "Tiny For a Day" as a lead in to a math lesson using cubes as a unit of measure. Each table had a variety of objects to measure and then we measured Ms. Devin. She is 92 Unifex cubes tall! Finally, we watched a video about the 'tricky teens', which is a math focus right now. 2:20--Time to go home!
Day 51: November 26, 2012
We often find that after a long holiday weekend, children (and teachers) are a bit slow and sleepy on the Monday morning return to school. Not Double K! The D.K.T. were met with enthusiastic smiles and stories about our Thanksgiving weekends. The children had a chance to verbally share their experiences at morning meeting, and then moved on to Writing Workshop to document their ideas. At the end of Writing Workshop six or seven children shared their writing with the class. We noticed how detailed the pictures were, and the sight words and beginning letter sounds that are being written. During Fundations, three letters were introduced-- h,l and k- and two new sight words- my and. We practiced the letters on whiteboards, reviewed how to make a 5 and introduced how to make a 6. This class is very interested in Legos so they enjoyed listening to the story."Lego City- Work This Farm". After lunch the boys and girls were very excited to have a full Library period. Days off and a dress rehearsal had interfered with this Monday special. Ms. Devin read "Mouse Count" by Ellen Stoll Walsh as a lead in to a mini lesson on number stories. The children had time to work on their own number story which included a drawing and a corresponding number sentence. Addition and subtraction number stories were created! No owl sightings today at all. Hopefully, the owl has just been on an extended Thanksgiving holiday. :)
Day 50: November 21, 2012
Pajama Day! It was very cozy in Double K this morning! Children finished their Turkey family pictures, read books, sketched and snuggled with their stuffed animals(stuffies). We filed out to the gym and said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang "You're a Grand Old Flag" Our greeting incorporated introducing stuffed animals to each other. It was the 50th day of school so it was time for 'Circle 'Round the Zero'. Every 10th day of school we play this singing circle game. It is all about having fun and celebrating counting by 10s.
There was a special popsicle snack and we watched some of "An American Tail". We read "The Night Before Thanksgiving" and Mrs. Carroll read a book about the Patriots. Our owl was peeking out of his hole all morning! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we'll see you on Monday!
Day 49: November 20, 2012
We couldn't be more proud of the Double K class than we were today during the Thanksgiving show! They hit a grand slam home run! They sang beautifully and had the biggest smiles. When we asked them about their favorite part of the show, the #1 answer was seeing their parents in the audience. We were making memories today.
After the show Ms. Devlin came in as a guest reader. Then it was snack time. The owl was visible just about the entire day-- appearing to take a nap with the sun shining on its face. Check out the Homework Blog because we want to give it a name. The children practiced sketching the owl. They also worked on a math paper called My Turkey Family. During Music the boys and girls listened to the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts. They then wrote and drew some 'simple gifts' they are thankful for in life. They earned an extra recess so some chose outdoor while others wanted an indoor recess. With 4 teachers we can accommodate these requests! Lots to pack up and off they went. Pajama day tomorrow!
Day 48: November 19, 2012
Baskets of books awaited the children at their tables for Monday morning Book Look. Ms. Mimi came in at 8:30 and led the 4th Second Steps lesson on listening. This lesson focused on using self talk to help remember directions. This is the last listening lesson. The next major topic will be Feelings. The children had not yet worn their vests and ponchos in a rehearsal, so they put them on and we rehearsed in our spots in the gym. Each vest and poncho is one of kind! After snack we made head dresses to wear in the show. The children created a pattern block pattern across the head band and then traced and cut out 3-5 feathers for the top. After lunch was a full dress rehearsal with the 1st graders as our audience. The children performed well. They are ready to go!
We ended the day with the book, "Thanksgiving at the Tappletons'" by Eileen Spinelli.
No owl sightings today. See you tomorrow at the Thanksgiving Show!
Day 47: November 16, 2012
It was Black Day and Cam C. won the prize for being dressed in black from head to toe! Calendar is a fairly routine activity, but today the children began to notice patterns in our daily pattern! Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, beginning and ending patterns were identified. Predictions about future dates and the continuation of the pattern were made as well. It was very impressive! They were thinking like logical mathematicians. Then the children worked at Thanksgiving themed centers at each table while we began some assessments in preparation for conferences. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshops that reflected on what they are thankful for. K4 made the apple turkey centerpieces this afternoon. During Art something amazing happened...Leonardo noticed something in the big tree outside our window. First he thought it was a chipmunk...but then...he realized... it was an OWL! K4 came running to share the news with their K3 classmates. By then the owl had retreated back into the hole in the tree (33 excited Kindergarteners can do that to an owl). After Art the boys and girls shared their schema about owls and we made a chart. Then we read a book about owls. Everyone is excited to learn more and observe our new classroom pet. After school, when all was quiet, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro noticed that the owl was at the mouth of the hole. Soon his whole face was visible. We took pictures. Mrs. Thomas came in and took pictures. She knows a lot about owls so she identified it as a screech owl. Aren't we so lucky to have front row seats to one of nature's most elusive beings!
Day 46: November 15, 2012
The bus to take us to our Learning Buddies at the Village School was arriving @ 8:15 so our morning routine focused on signing up for lunch, going to the bathroom , looking at books and sketching in sketch pads. There was a quick morning meeting at which we prepared the boys and girls for our visit to Village and then we watched the bus pull up on Brook Rd. A quick bus ride and we were at our destination. The Double K teachers were so proud as the children walked silently through the halls of Village School 'with their zeroes on'. K3 and K4 made their way to the Glover 2nd and 3rd grades on the 2nd floor in the rear building. K3 was paired with Mrs. Smith's class and K4 with Mrs. Conley's and the reading and projects began! This cross grade interaction was always magical at Glover and it was the same today. We will post some photos in our photo gallery. It was also fabulous for Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro to connect with former students! That is something we really miss during this transition time. When the projects were completed, the buddy teams shared the book they read and the project that was completed. It was time to head back to Eveleth but with the promise to schedule a Learning Buddy time in December. Our adventure was followed by snack, K4 in Phys. Ed and K3 in Writing Workshop and then lunch. The Eveleth Kindergartens had another rehearsal for the Thanksgiving show. More vests and ponchos were painted and fringed while others played the turkey dice game. Many requests were made to do calendar (no time in the a.m.) so of course we obliged. Then it was out the door for dismissal. Black Day tomorrow!
Day 45: November 14, 2012
Before school work was dotting Dd- dot starts with a d :) If they had time, they could draw some pictures on the back that begin with the letter d. The morning message was math related. We had a very good Thanksgiving show rehearsal! The white boards came out and we practiced e, u and 5. After snack we had our 3rd lesson in Second Steps which focused on improving listening skills by repeating directions. K4 had Writing Workshop while K3 had Phys. Ed. Strong illustrations telling a story was re-emphasized. The children are able to add more letters and sounds to their writing. After lunch K4 had Phys. Ed. and K3 had Art. Mrs. Guthartz did a fun turkey centerpiece with the children. K4 will make complete this project on Friday. We had another quick rehearsal again and then began to paint and fringe the vests and ponchos for the show. All 35 couldn't paint at the same time so, while they waited for a turn, they played a turkey dice game. Onto the bus tomorrow morning for Learning Buddies with Mrs. Smith's and Mrs. Conley's 3rd graders!
Day 44: November 13, 2012
Our Kindergarten Thanksgiving show is one week away and we have a lot to accomplish! The Double K class will be representing Native Americans. This morning (and at the end of the day) they painted paper vests/ponchos to look like leather. They will add colorful paintings, fringe and beads over the next few days. We have quite a few songs to learn for the show and we tackled the toughest one today. They are very strong on the chorus but the stanzas are a bit complicated. We'll keep working on it! We introduced two more letters--e and u, and three new words--we, with and play. Play is not on the Fundations trick word list, but it is a word that comes up a lot in their writing. The PTO Enrichment committee funded a program, Funance. The children learned about spending and saving in a fun, kid friendly way. The rain let up for a bit so the boys and girls got outside for lunch recess. We are always happy to get them outside in the fresh air! During Music the children practiced their Thanksgiving songs some more. We read two David Shannon books, "No, David" and "David Goes to School" and then finished the day with "A Turkey for Thanksgiving" by Eve Bunting. Our days are SO busy!
Day 43: November 9, 2012
It's Friday and the Daily News reporter is a bit tired! So this report will be brief. Our day started pleasantly with a visit from Leo W.'s grandmother. It was his birthday so she played the keyboard and sang some songs with the class. She also planned an activity--making a thaumatrope! Ask your child what that is! We read books about Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshop with a sharing time. We practiced our songs for the Thanksgiving show. The class finally earned a 10th Impress Me point so they earned an extra recess at the end of this beautifully sunny Fall school day. Enjoy the weekend!
Day 42: November 8, 2012
A few Thursdays ago we put out a variety of fine motor activities and we were intrigued by the level of involvement and conversation that was generated. So we did it again today! Once again the children were creative and cooperative in their explorations. Next was Morning Meeting and the children filled in missing beginning letters in the Chicken Soup with Rice 'November' poem. The boys and girls reviewed sight words and letter sounds. Then it was time for calendar. Leo B. got to share his vacation pictures on the Teamboard. We moved on to the two remaining Math Centers and then it was snack time. After snack recess the entire Eveleth Kindergarten had their first joint rehearsal for the Thanksgiving show. It is so joyful to see eighty 5-6 year olds singing about being thankful. After lunch the Double K had another chance to rehearse some more with Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Castillucio during their regular Thursday afternoon music class. We then transitioned to a Writing Workshop with a focus on telling the whole story in your illustration. We are using Lucy Calkins' Unit of Study as a guide for our Writing Workshop and Ms. Devin is taking a major role in this instruction. A guiding principle of our Double K class has been that our para-professionals would be directly involved in instruction so that our class has 4 teachers, not just two. We hit the jackpot with Ms. Devin and Mrs. Carroll! It is truly a team effort. There was a little time to start a book about the first Thanksgiving. Some students have already shared some schema about the Pilgrims. We will finish the book tomorrow.
Day 41: November 7, 2012
Wednesday's before meeting activity is focused on math. The boys and girls completed a paper by using Unifex cubes to measure different objects. On to meeting where we encouraged the children to construct our morning message. There are certain elements--date, greeting, message and closing-- that are a part of each day's message. Different boys and girls made suggestions for each part, and then we read it altogether. Literacy centers were next which led up to snack time. The children were able to get outside for a bit before the wind and rain picked up. On their return we did some Fundations letter and number practice on white boards. K4 had Writing Workshop while K3 had Phys. Ed. After lunch, Art (K3) and Phys. Ed. (K4) the children gathered on the rug for our second lesson in Second Steps, the program that focuses on developing skills for social and academic success. Today's lesson was 'Focusing'. A home link will go home tomorrow that reinforces this lesson. Finally we practiced some songs for the Thanksgiving Show. Everyone was bundled up as they headed out into the blustery, rainy weather.
Day 40: November 6, 2012
The Indian corn project was on the tables ready to go. The children added pieces of yellow, orange and brown tissue paper for the kernels. Our morning message on the Teamboard was a sight word detective hunt. The children had to find certain sight words and highlight them. For instance, every time someone found the word 'mom' they would highlight it blue. Just another way to practice sight words! Next we reviewed the Reader Respect during Book Look and practiced again for 5 minutes. After that the children moved through 2 math centers. This week's math centers are One More, Top-It (like War), Counting by 10s, and Triangles. All 4 centers focus on different standards in the Common Core. Today we had a safety program, Officer Phil. The children received a booklet with some of the main ideas and activities that are related. In honor of Election Day we had taken an electronic vote on the Teamboard that would decide if we would have indoor or outdoor snack recess. Outdoor recess got 23 votes and indoor recess received 11. So out we went! As the boys and girls lined up to come back in, Mrs. Tully, a 1st grade teacher, commented to them and Mrs. Carroll how impressed she was. She noticed that all children were quiet with their eyes on Mrs. Carroll, listening to her directions. Mrs. Tully's opinion was that they were acting better than most 1st graders do. Impress Me Point! Mrs. Brennan, who was in for Mrs. Perroni today, read "How to Bake an American Pie" right before lunch. After lunch was practice writing the number 4 and Music. The children have begun learning some of the songs they will sing in the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Show on 11/20 at 8:30. Calendar was saved for the end of the day. It is the 40th day of school so we learned a circle game called 'Circle 'Round the Zero' which we can play every ten school days. Once again, the children listened and followed directions so well! Mrs. Shapiro read one of her favorite books, " Ira Sleeps Over" by Bernard Waber. We all made connections about stuffed animals and the silly names we have for them. Anthony suggested we sing the Goodbye Song, so we did! The time on the clock was 2:17. We packed up, lined up and headed out for dismissal.
Day 39: November 5, 2012
The children started their day folding, illustrating, highlighting and reading a little book about the letter o. When it is sent home it can be added to My Little Book Box for added reading practice. At meeting Ms. Devin introduced an anchor chart about Reader Respect during Book Look times. The 4 parts are: Read the Whole Time, Read Quietly, Stay in One Spot and Get Started Right Away. The children then tried it out and were very successful for the time limit of 5 minutes! That is very respectable for this time in Kindergarten! We will continue to practice, and will slowly lengthen the amount of time. After snack we moved through two literacy centers. The Literacy Centers are focused on the same ELA topics each week: Reading, Word Work, Fundations and ABCs. The activity in each center changes on a weekly basis. This week and practiced some Fundations--new letters, d and s and new sight words, mom and look. This afternoon was our Library special. Then we attended the dress rehearsal of the 1st grades Veterans Day program. They did a fabulous job! To end our day we started an Indian corn art project which will be completed tomorrow morning. Another busy day in Double K!
Day 38: November 2, 2012
The "Trick or Treat" song went into their poetry notebooks to be illustrated this morning. Those who finish early can find a book to enjoy. On to meeting and our morning message was the November Chicken Soup with Rice poem. Calendar was introduced by a song called "Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow". The boys and girls did not have a chance to write about Halloween tricks and treats yesterday, so that was our focus during Writing Workshop. We plan to make their writing into a class book. Before snack the children enjoyed a shared reading of "Children Make Terrible Pets" by Peter Brown. It is important for children to see themselves as writers so K3 and K4 had the opportunity to share a piece of writing with their group. Ms. Devin then read a cool book, "Andrew, Drew and Drew" by Barney Saltzberg and the children tried out the technique of sketching lines and seeing what emerges. The class gets very little free choice time so we gave them some choice time near the end of the day. After cleaning up, they gathered on the rug to watch 'Fizzie's Lunch Lab' on PBS Kids. See you on Monday!
Day 37: November 1, 2012
Thursday is Fine Motor Day in the morning so the children decorated their 'My Little Books Box'. Popsicle sticks were set out to use with glue, but many Double K students decided to use them as part of the decoration. We can not stifle their creativity! New seats on the rug were assigned and then we had our meeting with a morning message and letter and sound work. Then we transitioned to the big circle in the gym to share trick or treating stories. Back in the classroom we studied the November 2012 calendar and remarked on what a busy month it will be. Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away! Fundations handwriting practice followed and then it was snack time. K3 played the Spider dice game while K4 was at Phys. Ed. After lunch the class had Music. To end the day the children worked on two more little books to go in their Little Books Box. They can read their books at home for fluency practice. We sang some songs and it was dismissal time!
Day 36: October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween! All the children came to school in good 'spirits' today! They completed a sorting Jack-o-lantern paper for the before meeting work. At meeting we had a Halloween morning message. We took the October calendar apart by looking for different numbers. For instance, a child could find a number for a Monday in October, an even number, a number in the tricky teens, an October birthday, a number smaller than ten, or a number whose two digits add up to six. This kind of activity can be differentiated to meet the abilities of a wide range of students. Then we went to the First Grade Wax Museums! This is a 1st grade tradition at which the costumed children freeze in different poses. The rooms are very dark and flashlights are used to illuminate the 'statues'. Harry Potter music completes the spooky atmosphere. It is lots of fun and the Kindergarteners look forward to their chance to participate next year! Then it was time to change into costumes. We all pitched in to get everyone dressed and then we headed outside and admired all the decorated pumpkins. We had an impromptu parade around the building. Snack, recess and then two groups shared their haunted house team work posters from yesterday. K4 played a spider dice game while K3 was in Phys. Ed. During lunch we had an unexpected fire drill! The Double K earned an Impress Me Point for their behavior during the drill. Popsicles and more stories in "I'll Read to You and You Read to Me" were followed by Art and Phys. Ed. Then it was party time! The parent volunteers organized 3 crafts for the children-- make a ghost, decorate a bookmark and make a spooky picture with stickers, thumb prints and markers. The children had lots of fun. Thank you! We had a little time for a quick story video on the Teamboard and our day was complete. Have fun trick or treating and be safe tonight too!
Day 35: October 30, 2012
Imagine a day in Kindergarten that is sandwiched between a hurricane and Halloween. Pretty scary, isn't it! We survived quite well despite the barometric changes and trick or treat expectations. Miss Mimi came in and presented the first lesson in 'Second Steps' which is a program to develop skills for social and academic success. Her puppy puppet was engaging for the children as she went over some simple behaviors and expectations: eyes watching, ears listening, voices quiet, bodies still and be assertive. This program begins in Kindergarten and continues right up through 3rd grade. We knew that there were 34 storm stories to be shared so we sat around the big circle in the gym and took turns telling our stories. This led seamlessly into our Writing Workshop where the children illustrated and wrote about their Hurricane Sandy experiences. After snack we did some Fundations word work by changing beginning sounds in words, such as bit changes to fit. Then we put on the songs that focus on sight words and color words for practice and review. We read the classic book "Stellaluna" and the children retold the story by completing a sequencing activity. After lunch was story time then Music. Next was a 'Pumpkin Investigation' in which the children described the outside, estimated how many lines, estimated how many seeds and voted on how to carve the pumpkin. Mr. Mace will do the carving tomorrow and will make it look really scary! To end our day the children worked as teams at their tables by drawing a haunted house with exactly 5 bats, 3 pumpkins, 4 windows... Four teams were able to share their posters and the other two will share tomorrow morning. We are ready for the big day tomorrow!
Day 34: October 26, 2012
We were on the bus for Smolak Farm at 8:15. Seatbelts were secured and off we went. When we arrived at the farm, we went into the barn and upstairs for our snack of cider and a cider donut. The children sat on bales of hay while they enjoyed their snack. Delicious! Then we split into K3 and K4 for hay rides through the fields.We saw baby apple trees, grown up apple trees, Christmas trees, raspberry bushes, and peach trees. Next we walked to the pumpkin patch where each child chose a pumpkin. Then we proceeded to the animal/ playground area where we saw a deerbra, turkeys, goats and chickens The children had fun playing in the playground area. A class picture was snapped and we climbed back on the bus for the ride back to school. Lunch was outside (another beautiful fall day!). K4 had Art and K3 had missed Phys. Ed. in the morning so Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro became the gym teachers! Mr. Fargo gave us some tips for success! Another rehearsal of "Going on a Ghost Hunt" followed the specials. We all need a nap after such a busy day!
Day 33: October 25, 2012
We start Thursdays with a Fine Motor activity. Today we had a variety of choices- water exploration (volume and measurement), Halloween tracing templates, Play-doh, letter stamping and stringing beads. Once again we were wowed by this group! Every child was using the materials appropriately and carefully. They were fully engaged in what they were doing. One water table was talking about gravity and had created an entire car manufacturing company! We extended the time because their work was so meaningful. Then the clean up was amazing too. This is a stellar group of cleaner-uppers! Then it was on to more traditional academic pursuits with a morning message, calendar and math centers. K3 had a focused Writing Workshop with a sharing time while K4 had Phys. Ed. Mr. Fargo told us that K4 earned an Impress Me point by listening carefully and following directions. We all celebrated their efforts! Mr. Fargo said that the Double K children are Phys. Ed role models! During recess we watched as children played a variety of games that require cooperation, girls and boys together. Really, this is our daily reality! After Music we had a rehearsal with our rhythm instruments, Mrs. Carroll read "Dem Bones" and then Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro read together, "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You". This one had scary stories and we had fun reading with expression and drama! We are instilling a love of reading by sharing OUR love of reading!
Day 32: October 24, 2012
Before school the children completed a math dot to dot paper. At Morning Meeting we followed our calendar and morning message routine. Next was an activity that was focused on prepositions such as beside, under, between, etc. When the boys and girls finished, they had a picture on which a plastic spider was placed 'in the house', on the pumpkin, between the flowers...! Two Literacy Centers were next on the agenda followed by snack at the picnic tables. While K3 was at Phys. Ed. K4 had Writing Workshop. These young writers blew us out of the water with the work they did today! Mrs. Perroni had tears in her eyes because it was so impressive! After lunch K3 had Art and K4 had Phys. Ed. We read some more of "Labracadabra" and we started "Dragon's Halloween" too. The class will be performing "Going on a Ghost Hunt" and "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" at Community Meeting on Tuesday so we decided to jazz it up with some rhythm instruments. Our first rehearsal at the end of the day was a boisterous one! Practice, practice, practice!
Day 31: October 23, 2012
The children came into class and got their sketch pads out for an early morning free draw. Community Meeting was at 8:30. We celebrated the October birthdays and we sang some Halloween songs. Back in the classroom we began our Literacy Centers for the week. Each group of nine children participated in two centers. Tomorrow they will visit the other two. The focus of the 4 literacy centers are reading, word work, ABCs and Fundations. Then the children had snack out on the picnic tables. After recess we switched to Math Centers, following the same routine we use for the Literacy Centers. This week's Math Centers focus on number stories, symmetry, Ten Frames and a number line game called 'Monster Squeeze'. We read "The Hallowiener" (Mrs. Shapiro's favorite Halloween book!) and it was time for lunch. Lunch was out at the picnic tables! Thanks again to the P.T.O. for funding the tables. Our special was Music. We began a short chapter book, "Labracadabra" and then Mrs. Perroni shared an anchor chart about how to make a WOW picture. The three elements are coloring within the lines, colors make sense and no white spaces. Then the children gave it a go. School pictures were sent home in their folders. Our class photo shows how amazing these Kindergarteners are!
Day 30: October 22, 2012
It is amazing that it is day 30 of kindergarten already. We started the day with Book Look followed by Morning Meeting. We added two new letters and sounds, 'o' and 'g' and three sight words, see, no, and at. Sign language is moving along well, too. Ask your child to show you some letters. After meeting, following along with our theme on friendship, we had a story (Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCourt), about invisible buckets and how we each have one and have the ability to fill them up with good deeds and happiness or we can be dippers and take some happiness away from others and ourselves.We followed with a clozed writing prompt: Being a good friend means...
Fundations included practicing our new letters on whiteboards then it was time for snack(outside) and recess. When we came in we started our 3D jack-o-lantern windsocks, but ran out of time so finished them after library. It takes a long time to make 105 jack-o-lanterns!
The end of the day was extra recess for earning 10 impress me points! Good job!
Day 29: October 19, 2012
No one felt blue on Blue Day! Our Morning Message was our Blue song which the children sang with gusto. We did calendar and then proceeded to the gym for the Pledge and 'Your a Grand Old Flag'. We greeted each other around the circle with a pinky shake. We can move quite quickly around the circle now because the children know each other's names very well. We played a new Responsive Classroom energizer, Go Bananas. We finished our weekly Literacy Centers and had snack. Both K3 and K4 played Number Bingo which is a fun way to practice number recognition. One child shared the fortune that was in a cookie at lunch--Respect: You get what you give. Everyone connected with it because we have been talking about respect so much. After lunch K4 had Art and then we read "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything". We put the Homework Blog up on the Teamboard and read the various posts about being a good friend. On Monday, we will follow this up with a class book about being a good friend. New posts on the homework blog are welcome! Have a great weekend!
Day 28: October 18, 2012
It was a perfect Fall day to finish our House Tours. We gave them the puzzling question: We will visit 5 children's houses, but will only need to visit 3 houses. How can that be? (You need two sets of twins!) We had morning meeting and celebrated another October birthday with the traditonal birthday song with cha-cha-chas! We covered our regular routine of calendar and fundations too. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had Phys. Ed. In the afternoon the class had Music then a story. We colored a fall leaves picture and then our guest reader read Tad Hill's new book, "Rocket Writes a Story". He also wrote "Rocket Learns to Read.
Day 27: October 17, 2012
On Wednesdays our before school work is math related. The children completed a '3' page for their All About Numbers books. Then they found a partner to play the Pumpkin Challenge dice game. We did our Morning Message, letter review and played the Sight Word Cup game. We also had a birthday today so we sang the jazzy birthday song to the birthday boy! The children then bundled up and we headed out for a neighborhood house tour. There is one tree on Clifton Ave. that is magnificent with red, yellow and orange leaves! Some children could not resist collecting a few! Back in the the classroom we did calendar and some Fundations practice. Today's focus was on retelling a story. Mrs. Perroni used the Echo the Owl puppet to act out the story. K4 had Writing Workshop and we reviewed our Writing Topics list. K3 had Phys. Ed. Mr. Fargo made a point of telling us how spectacular K3 is at listening, following directions and team work. This afternoon K4 had Phys. Ed and K3 had Art. At the end of the day we guessed what was in the Mystery Box. The children were able to connect the clues--made of plastic, a tool and scientists use it-- to guess a magnifying hand lens! This is a fun way to strengthen thinking skills at home too. We read some more in Humphrey and did a quick 'm' and 'n' sort on the teamboards. Then it was time for dismissal.
Day 26: October 16, 2012
Our work today became focused on fall leaves because Mrs. Shapiro and Ms. Devin both were prepared with fall leaf art projects! When the children came into the classroom they experimented with pointillism by painting yellow, red, orange and green leaves on a tree using Q-tips. Ms. Devin's project was a cutting and paper tearing depiction of a tree in the fall. We saved her project for the end of the day. Both media were outstanding! We read nonfiction and fiction books about fall leaves. We recited a poem about fall leaves too! The children are anxious to collect more leaves as they 'happily dance down' from the trees. Ms. Mimi, our guidance counselor, ran the Eveleth community meeting and focused on kindness and welcoming skills that the children can use at recess and in the classroom. Students were selected to role play various scenarios. Back in the classroom we exercised our brains by skip counting by 2s and 5s moving our arms across our bodies-- crossing the midline. We reviewed letters and sounds by investigating the ABCs section on Starfall and then by playing the Sight Word Cup game! Ask your child how to play this at home! The children then circulated into two math centers before snack. The mini lesson for Writing Workshop focused on developing a list of topics that young writers could reference when stuck for an idea. Many children tried a new topic in their writing and we had time for 5 writers to share. In the afternoon"Adventure According to Humphrey", Music and Ms. Devin's art project brought us to the 2:20 dismissal time. Today was a very full day!
Day 25: October 15, 2012
Mondays start with a Book Look. Each table has a basket of books to explore. There is no better way to start our school week than by enjoying books! We had a quick morning meeting and then headed out to begin our walking house tour. We can't do them all in one day so we will continue on Wednesday and Thursday. A young mother on Pickwick Rd. opened her door and shared that she remembered when SHE did the house tour in Kindergarten! It is a wonderful tradition! Back in the classroom 'i' and 'r' were introduced followed by handwriting practice. The children enjoyed 'Dinner Theater' during snack which is a story read aloud while they eat! After snack we had math centers which will continue tomorrow. Four groups of 9 children move through the centers. This week's topics are Sorting Money, Unifix Cube Counting, Pattern Block Shapes and Number Line Fun! After lunch it was time for Library. We finished our day with Literacy Centers. The Centers this week are Fundations, Reading, ABC Word Work and Sight Word Work. We practiced "Going on a Ghost Hunt" and finished the day with our first read aloud chapter book, "Adventure According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney. We can't believe this is our 25th day of Double K. Time flies when you're having fun!
Day 1: September 4, 2012
...and what a 1st day it was! There is so much to do as we start out the school year. We gathered with the whole school for our first Eveleth Community Meeting of the year where we echoed Dr. Maass' call for us all to strive to be great! In the classroom our focus was on getting to know each other and learning some classroom rules. The children were excellent "freezing" when they heard the chime or when the lights were turned off. They decorated their canvas bags, made back to school crowns, explored pattern blocks and unifex cubes and enjoyed a few books. With all the rain we had indoor recess and the children played cooperatively and were fabulous cleaner uppers! It was an amazing first day with thumbs up all around.
Day 2: September 5, 2012
Oh, my goodness! Have we only been together for two days! Overnight, 36 children turned into true kindergarteners. We were amazed at how much they remembered about routines and such in just one day! It is no easy task to get 36 little ones lined up and quietly tiptoeing down the hall...but they did it!!!! Today, K3 and K4 each had a PE class with Mr. Fargo. Mr. Fargo hasn't taught a kindergarten class in a few years and he was quite impressed. K3 also had art with Mrs. Guthartz and K4 had their first Writing Workshop. Some children wondered about being split up, but we explained there was just not enough room or supplies for them to all stay together for every special. Echo and Little Echo, our Fundation owls. were introduced. We stayed in for morning recess, but headed out for lunch recess...HOORAY! At the end of the day, we snuck out our own little door and played 'When the Warm Wind Blows'. We are sure to have an amazing year if the first two days are any indication! Well done...
Day 3: September 6, 2012
We had perfect attendance again today! We're happy when all the name tags have been claimed and are pinned on for the day. We will continue to use the name tags for a while so that the specialists can get to know the children more easily. We started the day with a fine motor actvity in which the children rolled small pieces of tissue paper and glued them to the letters in their names. The child with 9 letters actually completed the task on time! We made a list of rules for classroom meetings and we practiced our first fire drill. The class earned an 'Impress Me point' for a very quiet and orderly drill! We played some counting games and read a few more stories. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 went to P.E. Music was the afternoon special. Best of all there was NO RAIN and we could get outside for some fresh air during snack and lunch recess. We are looking forward to Red Day tomorrow!
Day 4: September 7, 2012
We completed our first week of kindergarten! It was Red Day and even our faces matched because it was very warm in school! We learned a song--R-E-D spells Red. Ask your child to sing it for you. We practiced using white boards in Fundations focusing on the letter t. "You start at the sky line, pull down to the grass line. Then pick up your marker and cross on the plane line". The different lines spatially orient the children and help them form their letters correctly. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshop too. "Ten Apples Up on Top" was one of the shared reading choices for the day. We said goodbye for the weekend with our 'See You Later Alligator' chant. It has been an excellent start to the school year!
Day 5: September 10, 2012
The cooler weather today was a welcome change! The children started their day with a Book Look. Baskets of books are on each table and the children read and share together. The gym is a great break out space in the morning and today we used it to do a Greeting Circle and a Responsive Classroom activity for community building. The letters 'b' and 'f' were added to our Fundations study. Each child participated in 2 math stations, and they will visit 2 more tomorrow. After snack we had literacy stations. Small groups met at 2 stations and will go to 2 tomorrow. Our special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. We ended our day with 'September' Chicken Soup with Rice, a Mystery Box and a movement song called 'Mother Gooney Bird had 7 Chicks'. They have homework in their folders that is due next week.
Busy, busy, busy! :)
Day 6: September 11, 2012
Our Eveleth School Community Meeting was an important part of our morning today. We mentioned the significance of today's date, said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang a heartfelt version of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. We moved on to recess rules and then went out to walk the safe perimeter of the playground. Editorial comment: What an amazing space compared to upper Glover! Back in the classroom we wrote about what we like to do with our families. In the afternoon the children had Music. We also practiced working quietly for short periods of time--very important with 36 children! Each day we are working on bonding as a community and the individual responsibilities that entails.
Day 7: September 12, 2012
Today we were able to use the gym space again for our Responsive Classroom greeting and activity. We also had an extra morning recess because the children earned 10 Impress Me Points! Then we split into 4 groups for math stations. We are using this grouping for literacy as well. 36 is a great number for creating groups of different sizes! This flexible grouping is a big part of our vision for meeting the needs of our students. Later in the morning, K3 had gym while K4 had Writing Workshop in the classroom with 4 teachers. The specials schedule allows us to group like this 4 times a week. T, b and f are the fundations focus and we learned how to represent those letters in sign language. At recess we are emphasizing the 'two finger tag'. Your child should be able to tell you all about it! We hope to see you tomorrow night at 6 p.m. for Open House.
Day 8: September 13, 2012
The children started their day with a variety of fine motor activities at each table. Some of the choices were lacing cards, stencils, geoboards and designs with small pegs and squares. We are working on learning names so our morning greeting gave each child's name special attention by saying it, clapping it and whispering it. K3 were scientists and explored outside our classroom using hand lenses and magnifiers. K4 will have their turn tomorrow. We reviewed the September Chicken Soup with Rice poem and the children highlighted t's, b's and f's. They used their little puppet to read the poem. One teamboard is up and running--hurray! We used it for instruction with the poem, and read a book magnified with the camera so that it was as big as the teamboard! Of course we ended the day with two songs.
Day 9: September 14, 2012
Orange, orange everywhere! Friday mornings begin with the addition of this week's poem into each child's Poetry Notebook. This week's poem was 'September Chicken Soup with Rice'. They glue it on the next page, make an illlustration and then they can practice reading it. One child was very proud because she could "read" it with her eyes closed! She had memorized the whole poem! The Morning Message and today's calendar were projected onto the Teamboard. It is truly and amazing tool! The Mystery Box contained a mini pumpkin-- orange of course! As an introduction to our tide pooling field trip we read the big book edition of "A House for Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle, who is one author we focus on in Kindergarten. K4 were scientists while K3 had Phys. Ed. After lunch, K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had Art. We ended our day with a Jack Hartmann pirate song with cumulative lyrics and movements. The favorite part by far was "Hey dude, surf's up!" It was an active way to head off for a long weekend.
Day 10: September 17, 2012
The children came in ready to go after the long weekend. They explored with pattern block templates and then it was time for Morning Meeting. We had a Morning Message and did calendar. Being the 10th school day we introduced the concept of place value--concretely!
We talked about the tide pool field trip tomorrow and we made a Tide Pool Pledge: "I promise to only leave footprints and to only take pictures. Visit with care. Touch gently. Watch my step. Be safe." Then we sang a tide pool song! The shared reading was "Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom" and "Chicka, Chicka 1,2,3". Writing Workshop was Weekend News. We are practicing knowing names so K4 played a Name Game while K3 was in Gym. K3 will play tomorrow. Learning 36 names takes time and practice! After specials we had math centers and finger painting the letter f. Our first guest readers came in at 2:00 p.m. and read three "If you give a ___ a ___ " books! The day flew by!
Day 11: September 20, 2012
The day could not have been more perfect for tide pooling at Gracie Oliver's Beach! The tide was very low, the sun was shining and the air was crystal clear. The children got off the school bus (which was exciting in itself!) with their boots and beach shoes with pails in hand. They set off with hand lenses to explore. Excitement filled the air as rocks were overturned and crabs, crabs and more crabs were discovered! We hit the jackpot on crabs again and again. The children also collected shells, sea glass, hermit crabs, periwinkles and sea weed. They were completely engaged for an hour and a half. Then we made a big circle and shared. There was lots of talk about working together in teams which was fantastic. Then all creatures were released back into the sea. Back at school we had snack, K3 played the name game while K4 had Gym. In the afternoon the class had Music.
In preparation for a class book, we talked about the shapes of the creatures we saw and demonstrated how to draw them. Then we made a chalk mural of our tide pool adventure on the hot top outside our classroom. We finished our day with another reading of "A House for Hermit Crab". We can't wait to go tide pooling again in the Spring!
Day 12: September 21, 2012
The children colored and read an 'f' book to start the day. We had our Morning Message and calendar routine and then went to the gym. We gathered in a big circle on the black line, saluted the flag and sang 'God Bless America'. Personal space is important for respect and safety so we played a freeze game in which the children moved freely in their own 'bubble' and froze when the music stopped. They were encouraged to make eye contact and wave to a nearby classmate. Then we had fun with the community building activity called 'The Popcorn's in the Popper'. The girls and boys enjoyed it when their 4 teachers were the ones in the popper! Back in the classroom each child wrote a page for our Tide pool book. K3 and K4 had white board practice with t,b and f and also 0 and 1. K3 also participated in a phonemic awareness activity with a magic wand that changes the beginning letter to a focus letter. For instance, computer becomes tomputer. These kinds of activities are important for reading readiness. The day ended with some stories and our Pirate song. It was another great week in Double K!
Day 13: September 24, 2012
Book Look is how we start Mondays. Each table has a basket of books to explore. Later in the day we modeled how readers can read a book in different ways. They may do a picture walk, find letters and words they recognize or be able to read some text. They used their newly borrowed library books to practice these skills. Ms. Devlin was our guest reader today. Then in the middle of Writing Workshop we had our first official fire drill with the fire alarm ringing and firefighters observing. The children were amazing! Everyone was impressed. We HAD to give them 2 Impress Me Points! We had a class meeting after the drill because a few children were a little unnerved and we needed to talk through our feelings. Our two sight words this week are I and me. M and N were introduced in Fundations. Ten Impress Me Points were earned so the reward was an extra afternoon recess. Homework and a Scholastic book order form went home in their folders. The D.K.T. couldn't be happier with this group of children!
Day 14: September 25, 2012
All the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes gathered at 8:30 for Community Meeting. Nurse Deanna and her student nurse did a presentation about proper hand washing to ward off illnesses. We also recognized the children with September birthdays. We all sang to the 'September Apples'! Back in the classroom we reviewed the letters m and n in Fundations and practiced the proper formation. Then we focused on apples. The children made a booklet about apples and Ms. Devin read a book about Johnny Appleseed, whose birthday is on the 26th. Before we went to recess we had a class meeting about self control in two areas- kissing others and physical contact. We reinforced that both behaviors are inappropriate in school. The children seemed to understand, but we will continue to remind them to be respectful to others. In the afternoon the class had Music and then we spread out newspaper on the tables and the children made apple prints. Our closing circle was a time to reflect on and share what was learned today in school. Then we had our goodbye chant and off they went!
Day 15: September 27, 2012
The before school work today was an Nn book. We learned a yellow song to the tune of Dayo (which is stuck in all of our heads!) We had more handwriting practice on white boards, reviewing m,n, 0 and 1. Then we learned the curvy number 2. Before recess we had Literacy Centers focused on Fundations skills. After recess we had Math centers which focused on measuring volume at the sand table, template practice, number puzzles and sorting. We will continue with all the centers tomorrow. In Music, Mrs. Fraser told us that "the children are learning to find their singing voices." To end our day, we enjoyed our class book "Tide pooling" by Double K. We sat outside at the picnic tables (thank you Glover/Eveleth PTO!) to color their House Tours permission slip. It was a refreshing way to complete some work while enjoying a beautiful September afternoon.
Day 16: September 29, 2012
We all survived a rainy Friday in Double K! We checked more than once to see if we could get outside for a bit, but it was not to be. Luckily it was Yellow Day so we had some sunshine IN the classroom! We interspersed learning times with music and movement so that energy was channeled properly! Morning meeting began in the classroom and finished in the gym for a new group activity. The children wrote about "It's Fall and that means... " and we are making it into another class book. (See the blog for a related story!) After snack math centers were continued from yesterday. Mr. Fargo told us that he is finishing the Parachute Unit which focuses on cooperation, team work and personal space awareness. Mrs. Guthartz's art goals are primary colors, shapes, sunflowers and Mondrian designs. Before dismissal the children watched "Fizzy's Lunch Lab" which is a nutrition program on PBS Kids. Have a great weekend!
Day 17: October 1, 2012
"Find your chair at a new table!" We change it up every month and the children have the opportunity to sit with a new group of classmates. Each table had a basket of books with a particular focus such as books with math, social studies, Biscuit and number/color books.
At meeting we welcomed the new month of October with calendar activities. Our morning message helped to introduce two new letters- a and c and two new sight words- the and it. They practiced letter formation on white boards. Right before snack we read" A Trip to Grandma's" which to their surprise was not about a visit at Grandma's. It was literally about the events along the way to Grandma's! After snack we had math centers focusing on shapes, patterns, All About Numbers and graphing phone numbers. Each child went to two centers and will visit the other two tomorrow. Our special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. Her goal right now is to teach library procedures and to show the children how to take good care of books. They had a quiet 8 minutes to look at their Library books. Next we read the big book, "The Napping House". We will be doing some activities about houses in preparation for our house tours starting next week. Transition times still can be challenging so every transition time that is quiet and orderly a cotton ball will be earned. Cotton balls are quiet :) When we fill a jar with cotton balls we will have a pajama day! We think that will be a big motivator!
Day 18: October 2, 2012
Tuesday is Community Meeting day so the whole school met in the gym at 8:30. The children recited the September and October Chicken Soup with Rice in unison and worked on sounding like one voice. We learned a song in honor of Christopher Columbus in recognition of the holiday on Monday. Back in the classroom the children worked on a project that related to 'The Napping House'. Skills that were practiced were coloring neatly, cutting, sequencing, gluing and recognizing letters and words in the text. Snack was out on the picnic tables! We enjoyed some stories and learned the Green song in preparation for Friday's Green Day. Our special was Music. Some behaviors in Music were disrespectful to the teachers, so we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about respect. In one book that we read these thoughts stood out: "I can decide how to act. I think about what I do. EVERYONE deserves respect". We plan to put that on a poster and recite it each day. A class letter of apology was sent to the Music teachers, too. We will start with a clean slate tomorrow.
Day 19: October 3, 2012
Picture Day was amazing! The photographers and some staff members could not believe how quickly and cooperatively 36 children posed for a class photo. The DKT could not have been more proud! We followed some regular routines with Morning Meeting, calendar and Fundations. Each child decorated a star to be displayed on our House Tours. Tomorrow we add glitter! Mr. Fargo and Mrs. Guthartz were very flexible with the schedule today due to school pictures and rainy weather. Mr. Fargo came to our classroom and the children were introduced to three cup speed stacking! We will be adding photos of this sport to our website! In the afternoon Mrs. Guthartz led a lesson with the whole class centered on "Where the Wild Things Are". We ended the day by K3 teaching K4 how to play the dice game, Pumpkin Challenge. The DKT are learning how to download photos on our website. We have a photo gallery of our tide pooling trip to Gracie Oliver's. Check it out!
Day 20: September 4, 2012
Today's calendar was interesting because it was the 20th day of school and we got to trade 10 cubes in for one group of ten! Place value is very concrete in Kindergarten.
We had our morning message and then finished up our math centers for the week. The rain stopped enough for us to be able to get outside for snack recess! We read a little book called "Houses" and then the children illustrated their own copy and read the repetitive text to a teacher. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 was in Phys. Ed. The children had their first opportunity to share their writing in a sharing circle. After lunch the class had Music and the report from the Music teachers was that the children were respectful and focused. Then we divided the class into two groups and turned on both Teamboards for an interactive lesson on 'a and c. The children also got to write their names on the Teamboard! Right before dismissal we had a shared reading of the big book, "A House is a House for Me". The language, rhyming and connections are very rich, and we plan to read it again tomorrow! Don't forget it will be Green Day tomorrow!
Day 21: October 5, 2012
Green Day got off to a great start when Ramona noticed an amazing spider and spider web in a bush near our door. Pictures were taken (in our photo gallery). Then Grady just HAD to sketch it. Everyone wanted to join in so chairs and sketch books were carried outside and the children were scientists/artists as they recorded this snapshot of nature! None of this was planned but we call it a teachable moment! Then we got back into our routine in the classroom. 'October Chicken Soup with Rice' went into poetry notebooks, we celebrated Green Day in our Morning Message and did the calendar. Then crowns were made in honor of Christopher Columbus. We sang a song about him then read a simple biography of his life. We used a globe to track his voyage which also served as an introduction to globes. K4 had Writing Workshop and we had a sharing circle for them.
The children finally earned a 10th Impress Me point so we had an extra recess. We finished our day with a retelling of "A House is a House for Me". We will all be back on Wednesday and will start our House Tours on the bus.
Day 22: October 10, 2012
We had 100% attendance coming back from a 4 day weekend! A half an hour into our school day the Marblehead School Bus pulled up on Brook Rd. to take us on our House Tours. The children were tickled when we stopped by their homes. Stars were proudly displayed on front doors, and a few family members were able to wave and greet us. Mr. Hughes, our bus driver, received 3 cheers for being such a great driver! Back in school we had snack and a short indoor recess. Then K3 went to Phys. Ed. and K4 had Writing Workshop. The children are using the environment to find words and letters that they can write on their own. It was fascinating to watch one student search his alphabet strip for the correct letters in a word! He was focused, determined and quite proud of his accomplishment. We had a sharing circle at which the writers could share their work. After Art and Phys. Ed the children made houses using shapes. The task involved tracing, cutting and gluing. Also it was a quick check for us to see who knows his/her address. We finished our day with a double reading of the big book 'Fly, Fly Witchy. October is a fun time of year in Kindergarten!
Day 23: October 11, 2012
We had a wonderfully routine day! We had fine motor practice before meeting. Our Morning Message was focused on a new Fall poem and then we completed our calendar report. Off to the gym for a full class greeting and we were pleased to hear that most of the children know their 35 classmates names! Then we sang an enthusiastic version of 'Mother Gooney Bird'. Fundations letter practice followed and then it was snack. K4 had Phys. Ed. and K3 had a writing workshop with a sharing circle. Many children are taking the risk and doing some writing on their own. After the class had Music, we introduced the book 'The ABC's of Yoga' because Mrs. Perroni will be conducting her 1st yoga lesson tomorrow! The children then designed butterflies that will help them with directionality on the yoga mats. "Fly, Fly Witchy" and our day was done. Every day gets better!
Day 24: October 12, 2012
What a busy, busy, rainy Friday we had! Mrs. Shapiro and Mrs. Carroll were both out today, so Mrs. Perroni and Ms. Devin had big shoes to fill! Luckily, Mrs. Brennan, Patrick's grandmother came in as a substitute. We started the day by gluing a fall poem into our poetry journals. After morning meeting,we sang Tooty Ta and then we headed to the gym for yoga. It was a great start to the day! Organizing 36 yoga mats took a little patience, but the kids were great! K3 had gym and K4 had writing workshop. We continue to add to our tools for writing. Ms. Devin read aloud, "We're Going on a Leaf Hunt" and then we were scientists and worked in cooperative groups to classify hundreds of leaves. After lunch, K4 had art and K3 played bingo in two groups. Today we earned 4 cotton balls and enough Impress Me Points to have extra recess at the end of the day! YIPPEE! Have a wonderful weekend:)
Ch-ch-changes: I am starting at the top from now on! :)
This morning the children could choose among a variety of math manipulatives-- pattern block designs, link patterns, geoboards, dominoes and teddy bears. At morning meeting the children were able to investigate the morning message looking for familiar words and hidden words. One boy could not stop hopping up and pointing out words he could read! It is exciting to see the children begin to see themselves as readers. We reviewed sight words and letter/sounds. The Kindergarteners pretended to buckle their seat belts and we did 'Speed Calendar' in 50 seconds! Next was a reading workshop where the children chose books from leveled baskets and read for @ 10 minutes. The D.K.T. were able to move around and read individually with some of the students. After snack the children learned some sight words songs. Then while K3 had P.E. K4 played Bingo. To end our early release day, Mrs. Carroll read a book about being helpful.
Day 52: November 27, 2012
Hh is one of our new letters so we started our day coloring, highlighting and reading a little Hh book. Remember to add it to the other books in their 'Little Book Box'. It is great practice for review and fluency. One little boy came and got me so that he could read his book to me. He knew very few letters or words at the beginning of the year, but in this short space of time he sees himself as a reader! That's why we love this job! We had a Morning Meeting in the gym and tried out a new handshake. Ask your child to show you 'Pound Cake and French Fries! We sang a new favorite song, 'The Circle of We', and then played 'A tooty ta' which is a very silly game. Back in the classroom we shared an anchor chart called "Three Ways to Read a Story". The 3 parts are: 1. Tell a story you already know. 2. Look at the pictures and tell the story. 3. Read the words. After snack, we added some color songs to our Poetry Notebooks, read some books, and colored the sight words the/and. We got them outside for a little of lunch recess but it got too wet. To settle back in they watched two stories on the Teamboard. Music was followed by the book "Tiny For a Day" as a lead in to a math lesson using cubes as a unit of measure. Each table had a variety of objects to measure and then we measured Ms. Devin. She is 92 Unifex cubes tall! Finally, we watched a video about the 'tricky teens', which is a math focus right now. 2:20--Time to go home!
Day 51: November 26, 2012
We often find that after a long holiday weekend, children (and teachers) are a bit slow and sleepy on the Monday morning return to school. Not Double K! The D.K.T. were met with enthusiastic smiles and stories about our Thanksgiving weekends. The children had a chance to verbally share their experiences at morning meeting, and then moved on to Writing Workshop to document their ideas. At the end of Writing Workshop six or seven children shared their writing with the class. We noticed how detailed the pictures were, and the sight words and beginning letter sounds that are being written. During Fundations, three letters were introduced-- h,l and k- and two new sight words- my and. We practiced the letters on whiteboards, reviewed how to make a 5 and introduced how to make a 6. This class is very interested in Legos so they enjoyed listening to the story."Lego City- Work This Farm". After lunch the boys and girls were very excited to have a full Library period. Days off and a dress rehearsal had interfered with this Monday special. Ms. Devin read "Mouse Count" by Ellen Stoll Walsh as a lead in to a mini lesson on number stories. The children had time to work on their own number story which included a drawing and a corresponding number sentence. Addition and subtraction number stories were created! No owl sightings today at all. Hopefully, the owl has just been on an extended Thanksgiving holiday. :)
Day 50: November 21, 2012
Pajama Day! It was very cozy in Double K this morning! Children finished their Turkey family pictures, read books, sketched and snuggled with their stuffed animals(stuffies). We filed out to the gym and said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang "You're a Grand Old Flag" Our greeting incorporated introducing stuffed animals to each other. It was the 50th day of school so it was time for 'Circle 'Round the Zero'. Every 10th day of school we play this singing circle game. It is all about having fun and celebrating counting by 10s.
There was a special popsicle snack and we watched some of "An American Tail". We read "The Night Before Thanksgiving" and Mrs. Carroll read a book about the Patriots. Our owl was peeking out of his hole all morning! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and we'll see you on Monday!
Day 49: November 20, 2012
We couldn't be more proud of the Double K class than we were today during the Thanksgiving show! They hit a grand slam home run! They sang beautifully and had the biggest smiles. When we asked them about their favorite part of the show, the #1 answer was seeing their parents in the audience. We were making memories today.
After the show Ms. Devlin came in as a guest reader. Then it was snack time. The owl was visible just about the entire day-- appearing to take a nap with the sun shining on its face. Check out the Homework Blog because we want to give it a name. The children practiced sketching the owl. They also worked on a math paper called My Turkey Family. During Music the boys and girls listened to the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts. They then wrote and drew some 'simple gifts' they are thankful for in life. They earned an extra recess so some chose outdoor while others wanted an indoor recess. With 4 teachers we can accommodate these requests! Lots to pack up and off they went. Pajama day tomorrow!
Day 48: November 19, 2012
Baskets of books awaited the children at their tables for Monday morning Book Look. Ms. Mimi came in at 8:30 and led the 4th Second Steps lesson on listening. This lesson focused on using self talk to help remember directions. This is the last listening lesson. The next major topic will be Feelings. The children had not yet worn their vests and ponchos in a rehearsal, so they put them on and we rehearsed in our spots in the gym. Each vest and poncho is one of kind! After snack we made head dresses to wear in the show. The children created a pattern block pattern across the head band and then traced and cut out 3-5 feathers for the top. After lunch was a full dress rehearsal with the 1st graders as our audience. The children performed well. They are ready to go!
We ended the day with the book, "Thanksgiving at the Tappletons'" by Eileen Spinelli.
No owl sightings today. See you tomorrow at the Thanksgiving Show!
Day 47: November 16, 2012
It was Black Day and Cam C. won the prize for being dressed in black from head to toe! Calendar is a fairly routine activity, but today the children began to notice patterns in our daily pattern! Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, beginning and ending patterns were identified. Predictions about future dates and the continuation of the pattern were made as well. It was very impressive! They were thinking like logical mathematicians. Then the children worked at Thanksgiving themed centers at each table while we began some assessments in preparation for conferences. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshops that reflected on what they are thankful for. K4 made the apple turkey centerpieces this afternoon. During Art something amazing happened...Leonardo noticed something in the big tree outside our window. First he thought it was a chipmunk...but then...he realized... it was an OWL! K4 came running to share the news with their K3 classmates. By then the owl had retreated back into the hole in the tree (33 excited Kindergarteners can do that to an owl). After Art the boys and girls shared their schema about owls and we made a chart. Then we read a book about owls. Everyone is excited to learn more and observe our new classroom pet. After school, when all was quiet, Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro noticed that the owl was at the mouth of the hole. Soon his whole face was visible. We took pictures. Mrs. Thomas came in and took pictures. She knows a lot about owls so she identified it as a screech owl. Aren't we so lucky to have front row seats to one of nature's most elusive beings!
Day 46: November 15, 2012
The bus to take us to our Learning Buddies at the Village School was arriving @ 8:15 so our morning routine focused on signing up for lunch, going to the bathroom , looking at books and sketching in sketch pads. There was a quick morning meeting at which we prepared the boys and girls for our visit to Village and then we watched the bus pull up on Brook Rd. A quick bus ride and we were at our destination. The Double K teachers were so proud as the children walked silently through the halls of Village School 'with their zeroes on'. K3 and K4 made their way to the Glover 2nd and 3rd grades on the 2nd floor in the rear building. K3 was paired with Mrs. Smith's class and K4 with Mrs. Conley's and the reading and projects began! This cross grade interaction was always magical at Glover and it was the same today. We will post some photos in our photo gallery. It was also fabulous for Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro to connect with former students! That is something we really miss during this transition time. When the projects were completed, the buddy teams shared the book they read and the project that was completed. It was time to head back to Eveleth but with the promise to schedule a Learning Buddy time in December. Our adventure was followed by snack, K4 in Phys. Ed and K3 in Writing Workshop and then lunch. The Eveleth Kindergartens had another rehearsal for the Thanksgiving show. More vests and ponchos were painted and fringed while others played the turkey dice game. Many requests were made to do calendar (no time in the a.m.) so of course we obliged. Then it was out the door for dismissal. Black Day tomorrow!
Day 45: November 14, 2012
Before school work was dotting Dd- dot starts with a d :) If they had time, they could draw some pictures on the back that begin with the letter d. The morning message was math related. We had a very good Thanksgiving show rehearsal! The white boards came out and we practiced e, u and 5. After snack we had our 3rd lesson in Second Steps which focused on improving listening skills by repeating directions. K4 had Writing Workshop while K3 had Phys. Ed. Strong illustrations telling a story was re-emphasized. The children are able to add more letters and sounds to their writing. After lunch K4 had Phys. Ed. and K3 had Art. Mrs. Guthartz did a fun turkey centerpiece with the children. K4 will make complete this project on Friday. We had another quick rehearsal again and then began to paint and fringe the vests and ponchos for the show. All 35 couldn't paint at the same time so, while they waited for a turn, they played a turkey dice game. Onto the bus tomorrow morning for Learning Buddies with Mrs. Smith's and Mrs. Conley's 3rd graders!
Day 44: November 13, 2012
Our Kindergarten Thanksgiving show is one week away and we have a lot to accomplish! The Double K class will be representing Native Americans. This morning (and at the end of the day) they painted paper vests/ponchos to look like leather. They will add colorful paintings, fringe and beads over the next few days. We have quite a few songs to learn for the show and we tackled the toughest one today. They are very strong on the chorus but the stanzas are a bit complicated. We'll keep working on it! We introduced two more letters--e and u, and three new words--we, with and play. Play is not on the Fundations trick word list, but it is a word that comes up a lot in their writing. The PTO Enrichment committee funded a program, Funance. The children learned about spending and saving in a fun, kid friendly way. The rain let up for a bit so the boys and girls got outside for lunch recess. We are always happy to get them outside in the fresh air! During Music the children practiced their Thanksgiving songs some more. We read two David Shannon books, "No, David" and "David Goes to School" and then finished the day with "A Turkey for Thanksgiving" by Eve Bunting. Our days are SO busy!
Day 43: November 9, 2012
It's Friday and the Daily News reporter is a bit tired! So this report will be brief. Our day started pleasantly with a visit from Leo W.'s grandmother. It was his birthday so she played the keyboard and sang some songs with the class. She also planned an activity--making a thaumatrope! Ask your child what that is! We read books about Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshop with a sharing time. We practiced our songs for the Thanksgiving show. The class finally earned a 10th Impress Me point so they earned an extra recess at the end of this beautifully sunny Fall school day. Enjoy the weekend!
Day 42: November 8, 2012
A few Thursdays ago we put out a variety of fine motor activities and we were intrigued by the level of involvement and conversation that was generated. So we did it again today! Once again the children were creative and cooperative in their explorations. Next was Morning Meeting and the children filled in missing beginning letters in the Chicken Soup with Rice 'November' poem. The boys and girls reviewed sight words and letter sounds. Then it was time for calendar. Leo B. got to share his vacation pictures on the Teamboard. We moved on to the two remaining Math Centers and then it was snack time. After snack recess the entire Eveleth Kindergarten had their first joint rehearsal for the Thanksgiving show. It is so joyful to see eighty 5-6 year olds singing about being thankful. After lunch the Double K had another chance to rehearse some more with Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Castillucio during their regular Thursday afternoon music class. We then transitioned to a Writing Workshop with a focus on telling the whole story in your illustration. We are using Lucy Calkins' Unit of Study as a guide for our Writing Workshop and Ms. Devin is taking a major role in this instruction. A guiding principle of our Double K class has been that our para-professionals would be directly involved in instruction so that our class has 4 teachers, not just two. We hit the jackpot with Ms. Devin and Mrs. Carroll! It is truly a team effort. There was a little time to start a book about the first Thanksgiving. Some students have already shared some schema about the Pilgrims. We will finish the book tomorrow.
Day 41: November 7, 2012
Wednesday's before meeting activity is focused on math. The boys and girls completed a paper by using Unifex cubes to measure different objects. On to meeting where we encouraged the children to construct our morning message. There are certain elements--date, greeting, message and closing-- that are a part of each day's message. Different boys and girls made suggestions for each part, and then we read it altogether. Literacy centers were next which led up to snack time. The children were able to get outside for a bit before the wind and rain picked up. On their return we did some Fundations letter and number practice on white boards. K4 had Writing Workshop while K3 had Phys. Ed. After lunch, Art (K3) and Phys. Ed. (K4) the children gathered on the rug for our second lesson in Second Steps, the program that focuses on developing skills for social and academic success. Today's lesson was 'Focusing'. A home link will go home tomorrow that reinforces this lesson. Finally we practiced some songs for the Thanksgiving Show. Everyone was bundled up as they headed out into the blustery, rainy weather.
Day 40: November 6, 2012
The Indian corn project was on the tables ready to go. The children added pieces of yellow, orange and brown tissue paper for the kernels. Our morning message on the Teamboard was a sight word detective hunt. The children had to find certain sight words and highlight them. For instance, every time someone found the word 'mom' they would highlight it blue. Just another way to practice sight words! Next we reviewed the Reader Respect during Book Look and practiced again for 5 minutes. After that the children moved through 2 math centers. This week's math centers are One More, Top-It (like War), Counting by 10s, and Triangles. All 4 centers focus on different standards in the Common Core. Today we had a safety program, Officer Phil. The children received a booklet with some of the main ideas and activities that are related. In honor of Election Day we had taken an electronic vote on the Teamboard that would decide if we would have indoor or outdoor snack recess. Outdoor recess got 23 votes and indoor recess received 11. So out we went! As the boys and girls lined up to come back in, Mrs. Tully, a 1st grade teacher, commented to them and Mrs. Carroll how impressed she was. She noticed that all children were quiet with their eyes on Mrs. Carroll, listening to her directions. Mrs. Tully's opinion was that they were acting better than most 1st graders do. Impress Me Point! Mrs. Brennan, who was in for Mrs. Perroni today, read "How to Bake an American Pie" right before lunch. After lunch was practice writing the number 4 and Music. The children have begun learning some of the songs they will sing in the Kindergarten Thanksgiving Show on 11/20 at 8:30. Calendar was saved for the end of the day. It is the 40th day of school so we learned a circle game called 'Circle 'Round the Zero' which we can play every ten school days. Once again, the children listened and followed directions so well! Mrs. Shapiro read one of her favorite books, " Ira Sleeps Over" by Bernard Waber. We all made connections about stuffed animals and the silly names we have for them. Anthony suggested we sing the Goodbye Song, so we did! The time on the clock was 2:17. We packed up, lined up and headed out for dismissal.
Day 39: November 5, 2012
The children started their day folding, illustrating, highlighting and reading a little book about the letter o. When it is sent home it can be added to My Little Book Box for added reading practice. At meeting Ms. Devin introduced an anchor chart about Reader Respect during Book Look times. The 4 parts are: Read the Whole Time, Read Quietly, Stay in One Spot and Get Started Right Away. The children then tried it out and were very successful for the time limit of 5 minutes! That is very respectable for this time in Kindergarten! We will continue to practice, and will slowly lengthen the amount of time. After snack we moved through two literacy centers. The Literacy Centers are focused on the same ELA topics each week: Reading, Word Work, Fundations and ABCs. The activity in each center changes on a weekly basis. This week and practiced some Fundations--new letters, d and s and new sight words, mom and look. This afternoon was our Library special. Then we attended the dress rehearsal of the 1st grades Veterans Day program. They did a fabulous job! To end our day we started an Indian corn art project which will be completed tomorrow morning. Another busy day in Double K!
Day 38: November 2, 2012
The "Trick or Treat" song went into their poetry notebooks to be illustrated this morning. Those who finish early can find a book to enjoy. On to meeting and our morning message was the November Chicken Soup with Rice poem. Calendar was introduced by a song called "Today, Yesterday and Tomorrow". The boys and girls did not have a chance to write about Halloween tricks and treats yesterday, so that was our focus during Writing Workshop. We plan to make their writing into a class book. Before snack the children enjoyed a shared reading of "Children Make Terrible Pets" by Peter Brown. It is important for children to see themselves as writers so K3 and K4 had the opportunity to share a piece of writing with their group. Ms. Devin then read a cool book, "Andrew, Drew and Drew" by Barney Saltzberg and the children tried out the technique of sketching lines and seeing what emerges. The class gets very little free choice time so we gave them some choice time near the end of the day. After cleaning up, they gathered on the rug to watch 'Fizzie's Lunch Lab' on PBS Kids. See you on Monday!
Day 37: November 1, 2012
Thursday is Fine Motor Day in the morning so the children decorated their 'My Little Books Box'. Popsicle sticks were set out to use with glue, but many Double K students decided to use them as part of the decoration. We can not stifle their creativity! New seats on the rug were assigned and then we had our meeting with a morning message and letter and sound work. Then we transitioned to the big circle in the gym to share trick or treating stories. Back in the classroom we studied the November 2012 calendar and remarked on what a busy month it will be. Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away! Fundations handwriting practice followed and then it was snack time. K3 played the Spider dice game while K4 was at Phys. Ed. After lunch the class had Music. To end the day the children worked on two more little books to go in their Little Books Box. They can read their books at home for fluency practice. We sang some songs and it was dismissal time!
Day 36: October 31, 2012
Happy Halloween! All the children came to school in good 'spirits' today! They completed a sorting Jack-o-lantern paper for the before meeting work. At meeting we had a Halloween morning message. We took the October calendar apart by looking for different numbers. For instance, a child could find a number for a Monday in October, an even number, a number in the tricky teens, an October birthday, a number smaller than ten, or a number whose two digits add up to six. This kind of activity can be differentiated to meet the abilities of a wide range of students. Then we went to the First Grade Wax Museums! This is a 1st grade tradition at which the costumed children freeze in different poses. The rooms are very dark and flashlights are used to illuminate the 'statues'. Harry Potter music completes the spooky atmosphere. It is lots of fun and the Kindergarteners look forward to their chance to participate next year! Then it was time to change into costumes. We all pitched in to get everyone dressed and then we headed outside and admired all the decorated pumpkins. We had an impromptu parade around the building. Snack, recess and then two groups shared their haunted house team work posters from yesterday. K4 played a spider dice game while K3 was in Phys. Ed. During lunch we had an unexpected fire drill! The Double K earned an Impress Me Point for their behavior during the drill. Popsicles and more stories in "I'll Read to You and You Read to Me" were followed by Art and Phys. Ed. Then it was party time! The parent volunteers organized 3 crafts for the children-- make a ghost, decorate a bookmark and make a spooky picture with stickers, thumb prints and markers. The children had lots of fun. Thank you! We had a little time for a quick story video on the Teamboard and our day was complete. Have fun trick or treating and be safe tonight too!
Day 35: October 30, 2012
Imagine a day in Kindergarten that is sandwiched between a hurricane and Halloween. Pretty scary, isn't it! We survived quite well despite the barometric changes and trick or treat expectations. Miss Mimi came in and presented the first lesson in 'Second Steps' which is a program to develop skills for social and academic success. Her puppy puppet was engaging for the children as she went over some simple behaviors and expectations: eyes watching, ears listening, voices quiet, bodies still and be assertive. This program begins in Kindergarten and continues right up through 3rd grade. We knew that there were 34 storm stories to be shared so we sat around the big circle in the gym and took turns telling our stories. This led seamlessly into our Writing Workshop where the children illustrated and wrote about their Hurricane Sandy experiences. After snack we did some Fundations word work by changing beginning sounds in words, such as bit changes to fit. Then we put on the songs that focus on sight words and color words for practice and review. We read the classic book "Stellaluna" and the children retold the story by completing a sequencing activity. After lunch was story time then Music. Next was a 'Pumpkin Investigation' in which the children described the outside, estimated how many lines, estimated how many seeds and voted on how to carve the pumpkin. Mr. Mace will do the carving tomorrow and will make it look really scary! To end our day the children worked as teams at their tables by drawing a haunted house with exactly 5 bats, 3 pumpkins, 4 windows... Four teams were able to share their posters and the other two will share tomorrow morning. We are ready for the big day tomorrow!
Day 34: October 26, 2012
We were on the bus for Smolak Farm at 8:15. Seatbelts were secured and off we went. When we arrived at the farm, we went into the barn and upstairs for our snack of cider and a cider donut. The children sat on bales of hay while they enjoyed their snack. Delicious! Then we split into K3 and K4 for hay rides through the fields.We saw baby apple trees, grown up apple trees, Christmas trees, raspberry bushes, and peach trees. Next we walked to the pumpkin patch where each child chose a pumpkin. Then we proceeded to the animal/ playground area where we saw a deerbra, turkeys, goats and chickens The children had fun playing in the playground area. A class picture was snapped and we climbed back on the bus for the ride back to school. Lunch was outside (another beautiful fall day!). K4 had Art and K3 had missed Phys. Ed. in the morning so Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro became the gym teachers! Mr. Fargo gave us some tips for success! Another rehearsal of "Going on a Ghost Hunt" followed the specials. We all need a nap after such a busy day!
Day 33: October 25, 2012
We start Thursdays with a Fine Motor activity. Today we had a variety of choices- water exploration (volume and measurement), Halloween tracing templates, Play-doh, letter stamping and stringing beads. Once again we were wowed by this group! Every child was using the materials appropriately and carefully. They were fully engaged in what they were doing. One water table was talking about gravity and had created an entire car manufacturing company! We extended the time because their work was so meaningful. Then the clean up was amazing too. This is a stellar group of cleaner-uppers! Then it was on to more traditional academic pursuits with a morning message, calendar and math centers. K3 had a focused Writing Workshop with a sharing time while K4 had Phys. Ed. Mr. Fargo told us that K4 earned an Impress Me point by listening carefully and following directions. We all celebrated their efforts! Mr. Fargo said that the Double K children are Phys. Ed role models! During recess we watched as children played a variety of games that require cooperation, girls and boys together. Really, this is our daily reality! After Music we had a rehearsal with our rhythm instruments, Mrs. Carroll read "Dem Bones" and then Mrs. Perroni and Mrs. Shapiro read together, "You Read to Me, I'll Read to You". This one had scary stories and we had fun reading with expression and drama! We are instilling a love of reading by sharing OUR love of reading!
Day 32: October 24, 2012
Before school the children completed a math dot to dot paper. At Morning Meeting we followed our calendar and morning message routine. Next was an activity that was focused on prepositions such as beside, under, between, etc. When the boys and girls finished, they had a picture on which a plastic spider was placed 'in the house', on the pumpkin, between the flowers...! Two Literacy Centers were next on the agenda followed by snack at the picnic tables. While K3 was at Phys. Ed. K4 had Writing Workshop. These young writers blew us out of the water with the work they did today! Mrs. Perroni had tears in her eyes because it was so impressive! After lunch K3 had Art and K4 had Phys. Ed. We read some more of "Labracadabra" and we started "Dragon's Halloween" too. The class will be performing "Going on a Ghost Hunt" and "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" at Community Meeting on Tuesday so we decided to jazz it up with some rhythm instruments. Our first rehearsal at the end of the day was a boisterous one! Practice, practice, practice!
Day 31: October 23, 2012
The children came into class and got their sketch pads out for an early morning free draw. Community Meeting was at 8:30. We celebrated the October birthdays and we sang some Halloween songs. Back in the classroom we began our Literacy Centers for the week. Each group of nine children participated in two centers. Tomorrow they will visit the other two. The focus of the 4 literacy centers are reading, word work, ABCs and Fundations. Then the children had snack out on the picnic tables. After recess we switched to Math Centers, following the same routine we use for the Literacy Centers. This week's Math Centers focus on number stories, symmetry, Ten Frames and a number line game called 'Monster Squeeze'. We read "The Hallowiener" (Mrs. Shapiro's favorite Halloween book!) and it was time for lunch. Lunch was out at the picnic tables! Thanks again to the P.T.O. for funding the tables. Our special was Music. We began a short chapter book, "Labracadabra" and then Mrs. Perroni shared an anchor chart about how to make a WOW picture. The three elements are coloring within the lines, colors make sense and no white spaces. Then the children gave it a go. School pictures were sent home in their folders. Our class photo shows how amazing these Kindergarteners are!
Day 30: October 22, 2012
It is amazing that it is day 30 of kindergarten already. We started the day with Book Look followed by Morning Meeting. We added two new letters and sounds, 'o' and 'g' and three sight words, see, no, and at. Sign language is moving along well, too. Ask your child to show you some letters. After meeting, following along with our theme on friendship, we had a story (Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCourt), about invisible buckets and how we each have one and have the ability to fill them up with good deeds and happiness or we can be dippers and take some happiness away from others and ourselves.We followed with a clozed writing prompt: Being a good friend means...
Fundations included practicing our new letters on whiteboards then it was time for snack(outside) and recess. When we came in we started our 3D jack-o-lantern windsocks, but ran out of time so finished them after library. It takes a long time to make 105 jack-o-lanterns!
The end of the day was extra recess for earning 10 impress me points! Good job!
Day 29: October 19, 2012
No one felt blue on Blue Day! Our Morning Message was our Blue song which the children sang with gusto. We did calendar and then proceeded to the gym for the Pledge and 'Your a Grand Old Flag'. We greeted each other around the circle with a pinky shake. We can move quite quickly around the circle now because the children know each other's names very well. We played a new Responsive Classroom energizer, Go Bananas. We finished our weekly Literacy Centers and had snack. Both K3 and K4 played Number Bingo which is a fun way to practice number recognition. One child shared the fortune that was in a cookie at lunch--Respect: You get what you give. Everyone connected with it because we have been talking about respect so much. After lunch K4 had Art and then we read "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything". We put the Homework Blog up on the Teamboard and read the various posts about being a good friend. On Monday, we will follow this up with a class book about being a good friend. New posts on the homework blog are welcome! Have a great weekend!
Day 28: October 18, 2012
It was a perfect Fall day to finish our House Tours. We gave them the puzzling question: We will visit 5 children's houses, but will only need to visit 3 houses. How can that be? (You need two sets of twins!) We had morning meeting and celebrated another October birthday with the traditonal birthday song with cha-cha-chas! We covered our regular routine of calendar and fundations too. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had Phys. Ed. In the afternoon the class had Music then a story. We colored a fall leaves picture and then our guest reader read Tad Hill's new book, "Rocket Writes a Story". He also wrote "Rocket Learns to Read.
Day 27: October 17, 2012
On Wednesdays our before school work is math related. The children completed a '3' page for their All About Numbers books. Then they found a partner to play the Pumpkin Challenge dice game. We did our Morning Message, letter review and played the Sight Word Cup game. We also had a birthday today so we sang the jazzy birthday song to the birthday boy! The children then bundled up and we headed out for a neighborhood house tour. There is one tree on Clifton Ave. that is magnificent with red, yellow and orange leaves! Some children could not resist collecting a few! Back in the the classroom we did calendar and some Fundations practice. Today's focus was on retelling a story. Mrs. Perroni used the Echo the Owl puppet to act out the story. K4 had Writing Workshop and we reviewed our Writing Topics list. K3 had Phys. Ed. Mr. Fargo made a point of telling us how spectacular K3 is at listening, following directions and team work. This afternoon K4 had Phys. Ed and K3 had Art. At the end of the day we guessed what was in the Mystery Box. The children were able to connect the clues--made of plastic, a tool and scientists use it-- to guess a magnifying hand lens! This is a fun way to strengthen thinking skills at home too. We read some more in Humphrey and did a quick 'm' and 'n' sort on the teamboards. Then it was time for dismissal.
Day 26: October 16, 2012
Our work today became focused on fall leaves because Mrs. Shapiro and Ms. Devin both were prepared with fall leaf art projects! When the children came into the classroom they experimented with pointillism by painting yellow, red, orange and green leaves on a tree using Q-tips. Ms. Devin's project was a cutting and paper tearing depiction of a tree in the fall. We saved her project for the end of the day. Both media were outstanding! We read nonfiction and fiction books about fall leaves. We recited a poem about fall leaves too! The children are anxious to collect more leaves as they 'happily dance down' from the trees. Ms. Mimi, our guidance counselor, ran the Eveleth community meeting and focused on kindness and welcoming skills that the children can use at recess and in the classroom. Students were selected to role play various scenarios. Back in the classroom we exercised our brains by skip counting by 2s and 5s moving our arms across our bodies-- crossing the midline. We reviewed letters and sounds by investigating the ABCs section on Starfall and then by playing the Sight Word Cup game! Ask your child how to play this at home! The children then circulated into two math centers before snack. The mini lesson for Writing Workshop focused on developing a list of topics that young writers could reference when stuck for an idea. Many children tried a new topic in their writing and we had time for 5 writers to share. In the afternoon"Adventure According to Humphrey", Music and Ms. Devin's art project brought us to the 2:20 dismissal time. Today was a very full day!
Day 25: October 15, 2012
Mondays start with a Book Look. Each table has a basket of books to explore. There is no better way to start our school week than by enjoying books! We had a quick morning meeting and then headed out to begin our walking house tour. We can't do them all in one day so we will continue on Wednesday and Thursday. A young mother on Pickwick Rd. opened her door and shared that she remembered when SHE did the house tour in Kindergarten! It is a wonderful tradition! Back in the classroom 'i' and 'r' were introduced followed by handwriting practice. The children enjoyed 'Dinner Theater' during snack which is a story read aloud while they eat! After snack we had math centers which will continue tomorrow. Four groups of 9 children move through the centers. This week's topics are Sorting Money, Unifix Cube Counting, Pattern Block Shapes and Number Line Fun! After lunch it was time for Library. We finished our day with Literacy Centers. The Centers this week are Fundations, Reading, ABC Word Work and Sight Word Work. We practiced "Going on a Ghost Hunt" and finished the day with our first read aloud chapter book, "Adventure According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney. We can't believe this is our 25th day of Double K. Time flies when you're having fun!
Day 1: September 4, 2012
...and what a 1st day it was! There is so much to do as we start out the school year. We gathered with the whole school for our first Eveleth Community Meeting of the year where we echoed Dr. Maass' call for us all to strive to be great! In the classroom our focus was on getting to know each other and learning some classroom rules. The children were excellent "freezing" when they heard the chime or when the lights were turned off. They decorated their canvas bags, made back to school crowns, explored pattern blocks and unifex cubes and enjoyed a few books. With all the rain we had indoor recess and the children played cooperatively and were fabulous cleaner uppers! It was an amazing first day with thumbs up all around.
Day 2: September 5, 2012
Oh, my goodness! Have we only been together for two days! Overnight, 36 children turned into true kindergarteners. We were amazed at how much they remembered about routines and such in just one day! It is no easy task to get 36 little ones lined up and quietly tiptoeing down the hall...but they did it!!!! Today, K3 and K4 each had a PE class with Mr. Fargo. Mr. Fargo hasn't taught a kindergarten class in a few years and he was quite impressed. K3 also had art with Mrs. Guthartz and K4 had their first Writing Workshop. Some children wondered about being split up, but we explained there was just not enough room or supplies for them to all stay together for every special. Echo and Little Echo, our Fundation owls. were introduced. We stayed in for morning recess, but headed out for lunch recess...HOORAY! At the end of the day, we snuck out our own little door and played 'When the Warm Wind Blows'. We are sure to have an amazing year if the first two days are any indication! Well done...
Day 3: September 6, 2012
We had perfect attendance again today! We're happy when all the name tags have been claimed and are pinned on for the day. We will continue to use the name tags for a while so that the specialists can get to know the children more easily. We started the day with a fine motor actvity in which the children rolled small pieces of tissue paper and glued them to the letters in their names. The child with 9 letters actually completed the task on time! We made a list of rules for classroom meetings and we practiced our first fire drill. The class earned an 'Impress Me point' for a very quiet and orderly drill! We played some counting games and read a few more stories. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 went to P.E. Music was the afternoon special. Best of all there was NO RAIN and we could get outside for some fresh air during snack and lunch recess. We are looking forward to Red Day tomorrow!
Day 4: September 7, 2012
We completed our first week of kindergarten! It was Red Day and even our faces matched because it was very warm in school! We learned a song--R-E-D spells Red. Ask your child to sing it for you. We practiced using white boards in Fundations focusing on the letter t. "You start at the sky line, pull down to the grass line. Then pick up your marker and cross on the plane line". The different lines spatially orient the children and help them form their letters correctly. Both K3 and K4 had Writing Workshop too. "Ten Apples Up on Top" was one of the shared reading choices for the day. We said goodbye for the weekend with our 'See You Later Alligator' chant. It has been an excellent start to the school year!
Day 5: September 10, 2012
The cooler weather today was a welcome change! The children started their day with a Book Look. Baskets of books are on each table and the children read and share together. The gym is a great break out space in the morning and today we used it to do a Greeting Circle and a Responsive Classroom activity for community building. The letters 'b' and 'f' were added to our Fundations study. Each child participated in 2 math stations, and they will visit 2 more tomorrow. After snack we had literacy stations. Small groups met at 2 stations and will go to 2 tomorrow. Our special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. We ended our day with 'September' Chicken Soup with Rice, a Mystery Box and a movement song called 'Mother Gooney Bird had 7 Chicks'. They have homework in their folders that is due next week.
Busy, busy, busy! :)
Day 6: September 11, 2012
Our Eveleth School Community Meeting was an important part of our morning today. We mentioned the significance of today's date, said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang a heartfelt version of 'The Star Spangled Banner'. We moved on to recess rules and then went out to walk the safe perimeter of the playground. Editorial comment: What an amazing space compared to upper Glover! Back in the classroom we wrote about what we like to do with our families. In the afternoon the children had Music. We also practiced working quietly for short periods of time--very important with 36 children! Each day we are working on bonding as a community and the individual responsibilities that entails.
Day 7: September 12, 2012
Today we were able to use the gym space again for our Responsive Classroom greeting and activity. We also had an extra morning recess because the children earned 10 Impress Me Points! Then we split into 4 groups for math stations. We are using this grouping for literacy as well. 36 is a great number for creating groups of different sizes! This flexible grouping is a big part of our vision for meeting the needs of our students. Later in the morning, K3 had gym while K4 had Writing Workshop in the classroom with 4 teachers. The specials schedule allows us to group like this 4 times a week. T, b and f are the fundations focus and we learned how to represent those letters in sign language. At recess we are emphasizing the 'two finger tag'. Your child should be able to tell you all about it! We hope to see you tomorrow night at 6 p.m. for Open House.
Day 8: September 13, 2012
The children started their day with a variety of fine motor activities at each table. Some of the choices were lacing cards, stencils, geoboards and designs with small pegs and squares. We are working on learning names so our morning greeting gave each child's name special attention by saying it, clapping it and whispering it. K3 were scientists and explored outside our classroom using hand lenses and magnifiers. K4 will have their turn tomorrow. We reviewed the September Chicken Soup with Rice poem and the children highlighted t's, b's and f's. They used their little puppet to read the poem. One teamboard is up and running--hurray! We used it for instruction with the poem, and read a book magnified with the camera so that it was as big as the teamboard! Of course we ended the day with two songs.
Day 9: September 14, 2012
Orange, orange everywhere! Friday mornings begin with the addition of this week's poem into each child's Poetry Notebook. This week's poem was 'September Chicken Soup with Rice'. They glue it on the next page, make an illlustration and then they can practice reading it. One child was very proud because she could "read" it with her eyes closed! She had memorized the whole poem! The Morning Message and today's calendar were projected onto the Teamboard. It is truly and amazing tool! The Mystery Box contained a mini pumpkin-- orange of course! As an introduction to our tide pooling field trip we read the big book edition of "A House for Hermit Crab" by Eric Carle, who is one author we focus on in Kindergarten. K4 were scientists while K3 had Phys. Ed. After lunch, K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 had Art. We ended our day with a Jack Hartmann pirate song with cumulative lyrics and movements. The favorite part by far was "Hey dude, surf's up!" It was an active way to head off for a long weekend.
Day 10: September 17, 2012
The children came in ready to go after the long weekend. They explored with pattern block templates and then it was time for Morning Meeting. We had a Morning Message and did calendar. Being the 10th school day we introduced the concept of place value--concretely!
We talked about the tide pool field trip tomorrow and we made a Tide Pool Pledge: "I promise to only leave footprints and to only take pictures. Visit with care. Touch gently. Watch my step. Be safe." Then we sang a tide pool song! The shared reading was "Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom" and "Chicka, Chicka 1,2,3". Writing Workshop was Weekend News. We are practicing knowing names so K4 played a Name Game while K3 was in Gym. K3 will play tomorrow. Learning 36 names takes time and practice! After specials we had math centers and finger painting the letter f. Our first guest readers came in at 2:00 p.m. and read three "If you give a ___ a ___ " books! The day flew by!
Day 11: September 20, 2012
The day could not have been more perfect for tide pooling at Gracie Oliver's Beach! The tide was very low, the sun was shining and the air was crystal clear. The children got off the school bus (which was exciting in itself!) with their boots and beach shoes with pails in hand. They set off with hand lenses to explore. Excitement filled the air as rocks were overturned and crabs, crabs and more crabs were discovered! We hit the jackpot on crabs again and again. The children also collected shells, sea glass, hermit crabs, periwinkles and sea weed. They were completely engaged for an hour and a half. Then we made a big circle and shared. There was lots of talk about working together in teams which was fantastic. Then all creatures were released back into the sea. Back at school we had snack, K3 played the name game while K4 had Gym. In the afternoon the class had Music.
In preparation for a class book, we talked about the shapes of the creatures we saw and demonstrated how to draw them. Then we made a chalk mural of our tide pool adventure on the hot top outside our classroom. We finished our day with another reading of "A House for Hermit Crab". We can't wait to go tide pooling again in the Spring!
Day 12: September 21, 2012
The children colored and read an 'f' book to start the day. We had our Morning Message and calendar routine and then went to the gym. We gathered in a big circle on the black line, saluted the flag and sang 'God Bless America'. Personal space is important for respect and safety so we played a freeze game in which the children moved freely in their own 'bubble' and froze when the music stopped. They were encouraged to make eye contact and wave to a nearby classmate. Then we had fun with the community building activity called 'The Popcorn's in the Popper'. The girls and boys enjoyed it when their 4 teachers were the ones in the popper! Back in the classroom each child wrote a page for our Tide pool book. K3 and K4 had white board practice with t,b and f and also 0 and 1. K3 also participated in a phonemic awareness activity with a magic wand that changes the beginning letter to a focus letter. For instance, computer becomes tomputer. These kinds of activities are important for reading readiness. The day ended with some stories and our Pirate song. It was another great week in Double K!
Day 13: September 24, 2012
Book Look is how we start Mondays. Each table has a basket of books to explore. Later in the day we modeled how readers can read a book in different ways. They may do a picture walk, find letters and words they recognize or be able to read some text. They used their newly borrowed library books to practice these skills. Ms. Devlin was our guest reader today. Then in the middle of Writing Workshop we had our first official fire drill with the fire alarm ringing and firefighters observing. The children were amazing! Everyone was impressed. We HAD to give them 2 Impress Me Points! We had a class meeting after the drill because a few children were a little unnerved and we needed to talk through our feelings. Our two sight words this week are I and me. M and N were introduced in Fundations. Ten Impress Me Points were earned so the reward was an extra afternoon recess. Homework and a Scholastic book order form went home in their folders. The D.K.T. couldn't be happier with this group of children!
Day 14: September 25, 2012
All the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes gathered at 8:30 for Community Meeting. Nurse Deanna and her student nurse did a presentation about proper hand washing to ward off illnesses. We also recognized the children with September birthdays. We all sang to the 'September Apples'! Back in the classroom we reviewed the letters m and n in Fundations and practiced the proper formation. Then we focused on apples. The children made a booklet about apples and Ms. Devin read a book about Johnny Appleseed, whose birthday is on the 26th. Before we went to recess we had a class meeting about self control in two areas- kissing others and physical contact. We reinforced that both behaviors are inappropriate in school. The children seemed to understand, but we will continue to remind them to be respectful to others. In the afternoon the class had Music and then we spread out newspaper on the tables and the children made apple prints. Our closing circle was a time to reflect on and share what was learned today in school. Then we had our goodbye chant and off they went!
Day 15: September 27, 2012
The before school work today was an Nn book. We learned a yellow song to the tune of Dayo (which is stuck in all of our heads!) We had more handwriting practice on white boards, reviewing m,n, 0 and 1. Then we learned the curvy number 2. Before recess we had Literacy Centers focused on Fundations skills. After recess we had Math centers which focused on measuring volume at the sand table, template practice, number puzzles and sorting. We will continue with all the centers tomorrow. In Music, Mrs. Fraser told us that "the children are learning to find their singing voices." To end our day, we enjoyed our class book "Tide pooling" by Double K. We sat outside at the picnic tables (thank you Glover/Eveleth PTO!) to color their House Tours permission slip. It was a refreshing way to complete some work while enjoying a beautiful September afternoon.
Day 16: September 29, 2012
We all survived a rainy Friday in Double K! We checked more than once to see if we could get outside for a bit, but it was not to be. Luckily it was Yellow Day so we had some sunshine IN the classroom! We interspersed learning times with music and movement so that energy was channeled properly! Morning meeting began in the classroom and finished in the gym for a new group activity. The children wrote about "It's Fall and that means... " and we are making it into another class book. (See the blog for a related story!) After snack math centers were continued from yesterday. Mr. Fargo told us that he is finishing the Parachute Unit which focuses on cooperation, team work and personal space awareness. Mrs. Guthartz's art goals are primary colors, shapes, sunflowers and Mondrian designs. Before dismissal the children watched "Fizzy's Lunch Lab" which is a nutrition program on PBS Kids. Have a great weekend!
Day 17: October 1, 2012
"Find your chair at a new table!" We change it up every month and the children have the opportunity to sit with a new group of classmates. Each table had a basket of books with a particular focus such as books with math, social studies, Biscuit and number/color books.
At meeting we welcomed the new month of October with calendar activities. Our morning message helped to introduce two new letters- a and c and two new sight words- the and it. They practiced letter formation on white boards. Right before snack we read" A Trip to Grandma's" which to their surprise was not about a visit at Grandma's. It was literally about the events along the way to Grandma's! After snack we had math centers focusing on shapes, patterns, All About Numbers and graphing phone numbers. Each child went to two centers and will visit the other two tomorrow. Our special today was Library with Mrs. Colby. Her goal right now is to teach library procedures and to show the children how to take good care of books. They had a quiet 8 minutes to look at their Library books. Next we read the big book, "The Napping House". We will be doing some activities about houses in preparation for our house tours starting next week. Transition times still can be challenging so every transition time that is quiet and orderly a cotton ball will be earned. Cotton balls are quiet :) When we fill a jar with cotton balls we will have a pajama day! We think that will be a big motivator!
Day 18: October 2, 2012
Tuesday is Community Meeting day so the whole school met in the gym at 8:30. The children recited the September and October Chicken Soup with Rice in unison and worked on sounding like one voice. We learned a song in honor of Christopher Columbus in recognition of the holiday on Monday. Back in the classroom the children worked on a project that related to 'The Napping House'. Skills that were practiced were coloring neatly, cutting, sequencing, gluing and recognizing letters and words in the text. Snack was out on the picnic tables! We enjoyed some stories and learned the Green song in preparation for Friday's Green Day. Our special was Music. Some behaviors in Music were disrespectful to the teachers, so we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about respect. In one book that we read these thoughts stood out: "I can decide how to act. I think about what I do. EVERYONE deserves respect". We plan to put that on a poster and recite it each day. A class letter of apology was sent to the Music teachers, too. We will start with a clean slate tomorrow.
Day 19: October 3, 2012
Picture Day was amazing! The photographers and some staff members could not believe how quickly and cooperatively 36 children posed for a class photo. The DKT could not have been more proud! We followed some regular routines with Morning Meeting, calendar and Fundations. Each child decorated a star to be displayed on our House Tours. Tomorrow we add glitter! Mr. Fargo and Mrs. Guthartz were very flexible with the schedule today due to school pictures and rainy weather. Mr. Fargo came to our classroom and the children were introduced to three cup speed stacking! We will be adding photos of this sport to our website! In the afternoon Mrs. Guthartz led a lesson with the whole class centered on "Where the Wild Things Are". We ended the day by K3 teaching K4 how to play the dice game, Pumpkin Challenge. The DKT are learning how to download photos on our website. We have a photo gallery of our tide pooling trip to Gracie Oliver's. Check it out!
Day 20: September 4, 2012
Today's calendar was interesting because it was the 20th day of school and we got to trade 10 cubes in for one group of ten! Place value is very concrete in Kindergarten.
We had our morning message and then finished up our math centers for the week. The rain stopped enough for us to be able to get outside for snack recess! We read a little book called "Houses" and then the children illustrated their own copy and read the repetitive text to a teacher. K3 had Writing Workshop while K4 was in Phys. Ed. The children had their first opportunity to share their writing in a sharing circle. After lunch the class had Music and the report from the Music teachers was that the children were respectful and focused. Then we divided the class into two groups and turned on both Teamboards for an interactive lesson on 'a and c. The children also got to write their names on the Teamboard! Right before dismissal we had a shared reading of the big book, "A House is a House for Me". The language, rhyming and connections are very rich, and we plan to read it again tomorrow! Don't forget it will be Green Day tomorrow!
Day 21: October 5, 2012
Green Day got off to a great start when Ramona noticed an amazing spider and spider web in a bush near our door. Pictures were taken (in our photo gallery). Then Grady just HAD to sketch it. Everyone wanted to join in so chairs and sketch books were carried outside and the children were scientists/artists as they recorded this snapshot of nature! None of this was planned but we call it a teachable moment! Then we got back into our routine in the classroom. 'October Chicken Soup with Rice' went into poetry notebooks, we celebrated Green Day in our Morning Message and did the calendar. Then crowns were made in honor of Christopher Columbus. We sang a song about him then read a simple biography of his life. We used a globe to track his voyage which also served as an introduction to globes. K4 had Writing Workshop and we had a sharing circle for them.
The children finally earned a 10th Impress Me point so we had an extra recess. We finished our day with a retelling of "A House is a House for Me". We will all be back on Wednesday and will start our House Tours on the bus.
Day 22: October 10, 2012
We had 100% attendance coming back from a 4 day weekend! A half an hour into our school day the Marblehead School Bus pulled up on Brook Rd. to take us on our House Tours. The children were tickled when we stopped by their homes. Stars were proudly displayed on front doors, and a few family members were able to wave and greet us. Mr. Hughes, our bus driver, received 3 cheers for being such a great driver! Back in school we had snack and a short indoor recess. Then K3 went to Phys. Ed. and K4 had Writing Workshop. The children are using the environment to find words and letters that they can write on their own. It was fascinating to watch one student search his alphabet strip for the correct letters in a word! He was focused, determined and quite proud of his accomplishment. We had a sharing circle at which the writers could share their work. After Art and Phys. Ed the children made houses using shapes. The task involved tracing, cutting and gluing. Also it was a quick check for us to see who knows his/her address. We finished our day with a double reading of the big book 'Fly, Fly Witchy. October is a fun time of year in Kindergarten!
Day 23: October 11, 2012
We had a wonderfully routine day! We had fine motor practice before meeting. Our Morning Message was focused on a new Fall poem and then we completed our calendar report. Off to the gym for a full class greeting and we were pleased to hear that most of the children know their 35 classmates names! Then we sang an enthusiastic version of 'Mother Gooney Bird'. Fundations letter practice followed and then it was snack. K4 had Phys. Ed. and K3 had a writing workshop with a sharing circle. Many children are taking the risk and doing some writing on their own. After the class had Music, we introduced the book 'The ABC's of Yoga' because Mrs. Perroni will be conducting her 1st yoga lesson tomorrow! The children then designed butterflies that will help them with directionality on the yoga mats. "Fly, Fly Witchy" and our day was done. Every day gets better!
Day 24: October 12, 2012
What a busy, busy, rainy Friday we had! Mrs. Shapiro and Mrs. Carroll were both out today, so Mrs. Perroni and Ms. Devin had big shoes to fill! Luckily, Mrs. Brennan, Patrick's grandmother came in as a substitute. We started the day by gluing a fall poem into our poetry journals. After morning meeting,we sang Tooty Ta and then we headed to the gym for yoga. It was a great start to the day! Organizing 36 yoga mats took a little patience, but the kids were great! K3 had gym and K4 had writing workshop. We continue to add to our tools for writing. Ms. Devin read aloud, "We're Going on a Leaf Hunt" and then we were scientists and worked in cooperative groups to classify hundreds of leaves. After lunch, K4 had art and K3 played bingo in two groups. Today we earned 4 cotton balls and enough Impress Me Points to have extra recess at the end of the day! YIPPEE! Have a wonderful weekend:)
Ch-ch-changes: I am starting at the top from now on! :)