As a Kindergarten teacher, you just gotta go with the excitement sometimes.  Dressing up and being little is fun and far too short lived. This week is all about learning through fun, playful experiences leading up to All Hallow’s Eve. We’re reading some of my favorite halloween stories, learning spooky poetry and doing math using our pumpkins!

This week we will be learning…

English/Language Arts

• Making connections between texts (Big Pumpkin, The Enormous Carrot and The Turnip)
• Fundations Unit 1 Week 6 Dd and Ss
• Writer’s Workshop – labeling

Math

• Introduction to measurement
• number writing

Science

• Pumpkins
• Spiders

Social Studies

• Halloween safety
• Whole Body Listening

Please note: There are no costumes on Halloween. However, your child may dress festively and we will have our fall celebration at the end of the day. Thanks for your cooperation!

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This week we began our Pumpkin Unit in Science complete with Pumpkin journals. These journals will allow the children to show what they know and learn throughout the unit. Kaileigh’s mom sent in a small pumpkin for each child, which we will do something with before the end of October. Thank you Kaileigh’s mom!

As we are now into school about six weeks, the class has become more comfortable with one another, which can lead to new life lessons about how to get along. We reviewed “Words are Not for Hurting” yesterday when there was some exclusion from playing at morning recess. Please remind (and model) for your child at home about kind ways to ask for things and being a good friend. We all need practice from time to time…

Here’s what we are learning this week!

English/Language Arts

• Good writers need to think of ideas
• Fundations Unit 1 Week 5 Aa and Gg
• What makes up a sentence?
• Thematic literature

Math

• Beginning Unit 3
• Numbers and what they stand for
• number sequence

Science

• Life Cycle of a Pumpkin!

Social Thinking

• Expected and unexpected behaviors
• Modeling kind words and actions

Reminders…

Now that the weather is getting cooler (maybe?) please send your child in appropriate clothing (coat, hat, gloves.) Thank you!

Please only put WATER in your child’s WATER BOTTLE!! We’ve had a few sticky situations recently due to juice in water bottles. Thank you!!!

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My cable was out for about 5 days last week. I have a feeling my two curious kitties had something to do with it, but it was a good chance to remember what “quiet” feels like and how reading is a very pleasurable hobby.,

This got me thinking about reading and my students. I love, love, love children’s literature. I don’t seem to mind dropping a few dollars here and there on a good book when it comes to a lesson or to enhance curriculum, but reading for my own pleasure (besides newspapers) during the week does not happen as much as I’d like. I’m sure I’m not alone in the matter – as adults we have a lot going on, especially all of you as working parents, and the ease of those handy devices it makes it harder to actually read, let’s say a novel?

Here’s what we are working on this week:

English Language Arts

• Fundations Unit 1 Week 4
• Retelling key details in a text
• Review uppercase letter formation
• Writing/drawing on a specific topic

Math

• Introduction of ten frames
• practicing fluency up to 5
• counting collections up to 20

Science

• Life Cycle of a Pumpkin

Social Studies

• Understanding Christopher Columbus

In conclusion, I still love reading and that’s because I come from a family of readers. I’ll get a call asking me “did you read this article in the paper?” And if I haven’t, i’ll get it summarized; if I did, we will have a discussion.. My dad was the the one that found this article (see below – hand drawn arrow included) in the paper about how to raise a family of readers. And now I share it with you. Enjoy!

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Our Mystery reader program started Friday with a parent who is also a fire fighter! What fun!

We were a buzz today getting ready for our field trip tomorrow! I am looking forward to another great trip – I think this might be my 6th or 7th Kindergarten class I’ve taken to the apple farm. I haven’t had any apple cider yet this season, so I am looking forward to enjoying the outdoors and a special snack with the class. And making apple crisp with all the apples I bring home!

This week to me really feels like we are in the zone of learning. There’s more lessons on learning objectives and less lessons on behaviors (though we still need reminders of learner behavior – especially after lunch recess.) The class enjoys the work at center time and we have been doing a lot of science in the afternoons learning about weather and life cycles. Once we are back from the farm, we will begin our study of pumpkins.

Here’s what we are learning this week:

English/Language Arts

• Fundations Unit 1 Week three Uu and Ii
• Understanding the purpose of non-fiction texts
• Speaking and listening during group lesson time
• Phonemic awareness of previous letters

Math

• beginning addition and subtraction problems
• sorting
• attributes of circles

Social Studies

• Trip to Brooksby Farm

Science

• Finish up life cycle of an apple
• Seasonal changes

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