Practicing, Practicing, Practicing!

We have been practicing every day!  Can't wait to see you all on Friday at our Kindergarten Pow Wow!

Reading a Million Words

Each year we ask that student read 25-30 books each nine weeks with the goal of reading one million words each year.  Research tells us that the more students read the better they get at reading!  In Kindergarten we log the books in class and also ask parents and students to begin the lifelong habit of reading every single day by having each student take home a "book in the bag" and log that book each night.  In first grade we will hold the students responsible for this habit and only those students who log the 25-30 books will get the Readers-to-Leaders Award each nine weeks.  To encourage students across the school to read, the Principal always promises to do something outrageous or fun for the students who meet the goal.  Last year she was slimed, kissed a pig, invited students to play Bingo with her and invited them to a carnival.  This year she started this first nine weeks by being duct taped to the wall for two hours while she read!  Two of our students were chosen to help tape her to the wall and then all of the students had a chance to go by the wall after lunch and hear her tell them that she would do absolutely anything to encourage them to read.  i guess now they know she really will do ANYTHING!

Knots on a Counting Rope

With this week's homework, you received a short length of rope.  This piece of rope is related to a story that the children have heard in class.  It's a story with some depth and children actually have to hear it several times and talk about it before they realize that the little boy in the story is blind and that his grandfather is preparing him for the time when he will no longer be with him.  Our children have heard the book Knots on a Counting Rope in class where a Native American grandfather tells his grandson stories about his life.  Every child loves hearing stories about themselves - on the day they were born, the stories about when they were a baby - those funny and happy family stories that are a part of your family's oral history.  That is the point of this homework. We want of our children to hear about their life from you.  They are actually writing "All About Me" nonfiction books in class so you may find some of these stories seep into their writing! Before starting, watch the video on this link (look for the story Knots on a Counting Rope) or below and then explain to your child that you are going to do the same thing that many Native American families do - you are going to share stories about your family! Then sit in a family circle and just make this a part of your dinner time each night and tell your children stories - share memories - about your family that make you happy, that make you laugh or even sad stories that are a part of your family's history.  With each story tie a knot in the counting rope.  The day before you bring the counting rope back to school, practice with your child a favorite story that they have heard so s/he can share it with the class.  Happy memories!

Nonfiction

What a wonderful world nonfiction opens up for our youngest children!  This week we began a new unit of nonfiction literature.  The children began by meeting with their partners.  They noticed that these new books have photographs.  They have a Table of Contents with numbers to help navigate the text.  They are about real things instead of stories.  For the next few weeks we will be enjoying this new genre!  Make sure to choose some nonfiction books to read at home!

Homework - Oral Reports

      One of our standards in Kindergarten falls under Speaking and Listening. Kindergartners are expected to be able to talk with a partner and in front of their peers about the books they love. Today they brought in a favorite book and objects in a bag that they could use to give an oral book report. They sat in a circle and took turns reporting and listening. They were amazing as they wowed their friends with pop up books and books with pictures and recording of their grandmothers and so many other heart-felt and funny facts. They each responded in the complete sentence, "I like this book because _________." Believe it or not, this simple homework activity and "show and tell" in the classroom is the foundation for the Literary Analysis of a text that they will be required to write about in 4th grade. They have to be able to talk about the books they are reading before they can write about them. And... to be able to talk about books, they have to learn to be silent when someone else is talking (no small task!) and to look at the presenter while he is speaking and the presenter needs to learn to talk so his friends can hear and to make eye contact with his audience. All of this out of a simple homework assignment!

 

We Won!

We won!  We really, really won!  Our class won the Super Board Award!  This award is given every few months when new bulletin boards go up.  Our award is for the best board in K-1. It is given to the class that best represents the learning that is going on inside the classroom - and our class won!   We represented the work that the students are doing with "Star Names"  each day.  I hope your child has come home and told you who is the "Star Student" each day, and by now, you have probably received a booklet of pictures that the other children have drawn of your child when they were the featured star.

The board was designed by the teachers, of course, but it features the outstanding work of the children and the special artistic talents of our Homeroom Mom, Artist-in-residence, Kim (Will's mom).  Thank you Kim for making our board shine!  Make sure to stop by and see our award winning board!  Woo hoo!

Read all about it!

Independent Reading

Even this early in Kindergarten we have a time devoted each day to independent reading. You might wonder what in the world the children are doing during this time if they can't really read?!! During the first weeks of school we teach the children that they are readers. Before they can read the words they can read the pictures and the pictures tell a story. So... during this time, some of the children are actually reading the words in books and others are "telling" the story through the pictures. The children also have books in their "Book Buddy" such as Nursery Rhymes that they have been studying, alphabet books because they recognize the letters which helps them figure out the pictures and the words and "Star Books", the books they have heard over and over. There is lots to learn during independent reading!

The Ruark Connection

Last Friday our kindergarten class partnered with Mr. Ruark's 5th grade class in a mentor reading program. We thought it would be a great idea to keep it in the family by having both Ruark and Ruark/Timmons classes team up throughout the year. This program pairs one of Mr. Ruark's 5th graders with 2-3 of our kindergartner's. The older students model reading books with intonation, as well as, discussion about the books many elements (characters, setting, plot, etc). This not only provides a great read-a-loud to our class but also builds a big brother/big sister relationship with our older students. Both the 5th grade students and our students loved the experience and can't wait for next Friday's read-a-loud. Mr. Ruark told me later that evening that his students were arguing over how each of their little reading partners were better than anyone elses! They absolutely loved it!