Gingerbread Stories & COOKIES!

This week, we started reading stories based off of the traditional tale of the Gingerbread Man.  There are many variations of this tale that we will read over the next week or so.  The kids love them!  So far, we have read The Gingerbread Man and The Gingerbread Boy.

You can watch and listen to a version of the story at home here:  http://www.speakaboos.com/story/the-gingerbread-man

We will continue to do learning activities based off of these tales.  Next Friday, Dec. 20th, I'd like for the kids to decorate gingerbread cookies!  But, I need your help.  I need a family that would be willing to bake some cookies for us.  Then, I will ask for donations for decorating materials from others.  If you are willing to bake a classroom set of cookies, please let me know as soon as possible.  Thank you for your support!

Speaking of cookies... last week, we learned a little bit about making cookies.  We did some shared reading of a book entitled We Make Cookies.  We modeled the steps it takes to make cookies and we wrote our own shared writing recipe.  This week in the Drama Literacy Station, we have been practicing following the recipe to "make" cookies!
Take a look:

A great way to extend this learning at home is to bake cookies with your child!  Fun and learning at the same time!  Superstars might even draw and write about each step together ;)

Here are some great pictures from our classroom over the last few weeks:

Putting numbers 0 to 20 in order!  What mathematicians we are becoming.

Playing Monster Squeeze on the lab tops!

Click here to play at home!

Today we learned to recognize and find the first and last letter in our names.  We glued each letter of our names into our literacy journals and highlighted the first and last letters!

The vocabulary of letters vs. words can be tricky.  I encourage you to try this at home with other names from your family and other words that your child knows.  Write the words and prompt your child to identify the first and last letters in the word.  Circle or highlight them.

The Snow & Cold are Here!

Burrrrrr!  The snow and cold are here, so here are some things you need to know and some helpful tips for preparing your child for school in this weather.

1.  First, get a re-usable and sturdy bag.  This will help your child store and carry the extra winter gear that he or she will need for outdoor recess.  Your child can also easily hang this on the hook or store it below the coat rack on the floor.

2.  Your child should have:  a hat, gloves or mittens, boots, & snow-pants.  Scarfs aren't a bad idea either!

Outdoor recess is generally 20-25 minutes after lunch and this can lead to cold and tearful Kindergarteners when they are not prepared for the weather.

I also usually have a few students that don't want to wear all of their gear.  I will hear, "I don't have a hat," or "I forgot my gloves."  But when I look in backpacks, I often find them.  Please have a conversation at home about the importance of wearing all the gear to stay warm.

I strongly suggest water-proof & warm gloves like these:

These stretchy, cotton ones quickly get wet in the snow & aren't great for keeping hands warm for long periods of time outdoors:

3.  Make sure your child has a pair of tennis shoes or sneakers to wear during the school day.  Boots are pretty clunky in the classroom and can lead to falling.  This is also especially important for P.E.  Your child can change into his/her shoes each morning and put boots on again for recess.

4.  Teach your child how to get dressed in winter gear.  First, snow pants.  Second, boots.  Then, jacket & zip.  Then, hat.  And last, gloves.  This order can be difficult for some students and can take some time when students are not used to doing it for themselves.  "Supervise" this process at home;  don't do it for your child!  He/she needs to learn!

Last, if you are struggling to buy winter weather gear this year, please let me know.  Sometimes there are extra pieces at school or special programs that can support families.

Thank you for your support with this process!

Scholastic Books

This week, we have a lot of opportunities to buy great books!  As usual, we have our classroom Scholastic Book Order.  Click here to order online.  Books make great holiday gifts for your child.  If you would like to keep your order a secret from your child, just let me know I will give the books directly to you.


This week, Carpenter is also hosting a Scholastic Book Fair.  You may look at and buy books directly at the school.  This is a fundraiser for the school and you received a flyer showing some of the books for purchase.  Today we will view the fair as a class and your child will create a "Wishlist" in case you cannot visit the fair with him or her.  Here are the book fair times, if you would like to visit:

Tuesday & Wednesday
11:30 am - 1:30 pm (lunch hour)
3:30 - 4:30 pm (after school)

Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00 pm Family Night


However, if you cannot visit with your child and still would like to purchase books, send the cost of the book, plus 6% sales tax with your child to school.  An envelope or baggie works well and if the money is meant for a specific book, please write it down so that we can help your child shop.


Happy Reading!

Handwriting Review for Homework

Handwriting is an important Kindergarten skill.  In Kindergarten, students learn to:
* Form letters from TOP to bottom
* Write from LEFT to right
* Return sweep to the next line
* Form letters clearly and fluently

Although we do formal handwriting practice in the classroom, sometimes when students write on their own they forget the proper letter formation.  To give a little extra practice with each letter, I am going to begin sending home extra handwriting practice.  This is great fine motor practice.  These are letters we have learned in the classroom.  They will look like this:  (There are TWO SIDES each day.)

Your child should:
1.  Review the formation steps
2.  Trace the first example letter (first box) with a pencil.
3.  Write in the second box with a pencil, starting at the dot.
4.  Continue from left to right (trace, write, trace, write, etc.) and return sweep to the next line.
5.  The last line (without the box) is for your child to write the letter him/herself.
6.  Circle the best one!
7.  Copy the word.
8.  Color the picture.
9.  Draw and write other examples of words that begin with that letter in the extra space.


This homework starts tonight with M and N!

Report Cards

Yesterday, your child brought home his or her first report card.  Yes, they are lengthy!  I encourage you to look them over carefully so that you may see what your child can do and is expected to do before the end of the school year.  This can give you a good idea of what you might work on with your child at home as well.

Here are some beginning ideas to work on at home for math.  Yesterday was our 60th day of school; so practice counting to 60!  Or, if your child seems ready, practicing counting to 100!



Here are some resources for working with shapes:
Shapes Reference Sheet
Building Shapes






For reading, we have all started Guided Reading in Level A texts.  Your child's reading level is determined by how accurately he/she can read words as well as your child's understanding of the text.  In the beginning of the year, there are some procedural things your child must learn (pointing to the words, talking about the text in depth, etc.).  Some students start out at Level A and quickly jump up in text level once they get the hang of it  Here are some resources for understanding text levels:

Reading Levels Parent Handbook
Reading Text Levels
(You may also find these in the sidebar under Helpful Parent Links.)

Here are some links from which you may print Level A texts for home reading:
Loving2LearnLevel1
KidzClub
* Here your child can watch the book being read too!

Are you reading aloud to your child every day at home?  This is one of the most important things you can do as a parent.  Below are some links to printable storybook props.  You might check these books out from the library and then print out the props for your child to decorate and use to re-tell the story.  I suggest reading these books multiple times before attempting to re-tell.
Classic Tales Patterns
Storybook Patterns



If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.  For the learning behaviors section, if I see steady progress in a behavior that is relative to your child, I mark P for progress.  If I see a decrease in a behavior, I mark I for improvement.


Now for logistics.  You are to KEEP the report card.  However the envelope needs to be RETURNED TO SCHOOL with your signature and date.  We will use this envelope for your child's next 2 report cards this school year.  Please return the envelope on Monday.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Project this Weekend

Over the last month, we have been focusing on linking letters with their sounds.  Many of you have noticed these developments at home, which I love to hear!
We are also begining to work on making connections between words.  We can use what we know about familiar words to help us spell other words.  So, we brainstormed words that start like our names:

So, your child has homework this weekend! :)  Help your child brainstorm words that start like his or her name.  Then, draw or find pictures of things to turn into a project.  I have given you an explanation and example to go by, but please feel free to make the project bigger and better!   Your child should also practice writing the words (you may model this for them first on another paper OR help your child "stretch it out").  I look forward to seeing the projects next week!

Speaking of homework, I'd like to talk about what your child should have at home to support learning and completion of homework.

Here are some supplies you should have on-hand at home for your child:

* scissors

* glue sticks

* crayons and/or colored pencils

* pencils

 

Really want to foster learning at home?  Try these materials:

* whiteboard & dry-erase markers

* Play-Doh (you can use to build letters and words!)

* board games to play as a family

* post-its (write numbers or letters on them and put them in order!)

* notebooks and/or paper

I suggest keeping these materials in a specific location, that your child can access him/herself.  Get your child a special basket/container to keep his/her materials.  Or, decorate a large shoe box!

For your education:

Click here for ideas to foster writing at home!

Board Game suggestions:  click here and here and here

At the computer lab today, we learned a new game from abcya.com called "Fuzz Bugs."  My, was it fun!  It is a sorting, counting and comparing game that works on a various math-based skills.  Click here to play at home!

NO Bagel Sales Tomorrow!

There will be NO bagel sales tomorrow morning.  Please make another plan for breakfast.

Some notes on Behavior:

It is that point in the school year where Kindergarten students get comfortable with routine.  I have noticed that we have been a bit "squirmy" lately, which is a part of this process.  This is also the point in the year where I begin to expect more self-regulation of behavior, as the students are familiar with the expectations.  If you haven't already figured it out, I have a high expectation for my students :)

We will be using the behavior system to support the kiddos in this process.  Whereas before I may have given a verbal reminder first,  I will more often have students change their color without a warning.  This will happen with on-going issues that we have discussed before.  This quick change reminds your child of the expectation, without needing an explanation, and it makes your child more responsible and independent.  If your child fixes the behavior, he or she will move back up.  However, if the issue continues in the day, he/she will stay put.

Similarly, if I speak with a student about it first (give a reminder) and he or she continues the behavior, there will be a color change.

This system is a tool, both for me and the students.  If your child is on yellow for the day, it's ok!  Simply talk about how he or she can do better and turn it into a learning experience.


So, if you see more yellows coming home than normal, this is why.  Please continue to contact me with questions and concerns.

Fire Safety

We have learned a lot about fire safety.  Here are some things we learned and discussed:

* Do not play with matches or lighters.  If you see them, tell an adult so that he/she can put them in a safe place.  (The firefighters told us that this is a common cause of fires.)
* If the smoke alarm goes off, it means there is smoke and possibly fire inside your house.  If you see smoke, get low and crawl to get outside.  Leave all of your things behind.  If there is a closed door, touch it first to see if it is hot.  If it is, do NOT open it.  You may need to go out a window.
* If you are stuck and cannot get out the window, sit by the window.  A firefighter can find you easily there.
* Establish a fire escape plan and meeting place with your family.
* Never hide if you are scared.  Go outside.
* Never go back inside a burning building.  If you have a pet, tell the firefighters when they arrive.
* Firefighters wear lots of gear to keep them safe (special clothing, masks, air tanks, etc.).  This can make them look scary but don't be scared.  We got to see a firefighter all dressed up and hear what he sounded like with the mask.
* Call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
* If a part of you is on fire, STOP, DROP, and ROLL.  We practiced this in the classroom - have your child show you at home!

We got to see and explore a police car.

We got to see and explore a fire truck.

Office Mack talked to us about staying safe around strangers.  We discussed making a lot of noise if a stranger approaches us or tries to take us somewhere.  The best thing to say might be, "This is not my parent," or "I need help!"  I encourage you to go over this with your child at home.

We saw and heard what a fire man sounds like in all his gear.

Fire truck!

Here are some things you should do at home:
1.  Locate the smoke detectors in your house and check the batteries.  Give your child the opportunity to hear what it sounds like.
2.  Make a plan for your home.  Talk about different ways to get out of the house in case there is a fire.  If your child's bedroom has a high window, consider buying a collapsable latter to place below their window.  I suggest practicing different situations.
3.  Establish a meeting place for all family members to meet once they are out of the house.  We discussed waiting there no matter what.  It might be a tree, a neighbor's house, or a mailbox.  You should also practice going to this place.

Here are some videos to watch at home together:






We also watch a fun sing-along book.  The kiddos LOVED it!


And we learned how to draw a fire truck with all of their tools:

I love how the truck is driving to a house on fire!  Very creative!

I love the extra ladder on top!  Very thoughtful!

Learning about fire safety is not over.  Please continue this conversation at home and make a plan for your home!

For your education:

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/parents/

http://www.firefacts.org/parents.htm

Fire Station Thursday!

On Thursday, we will be heading to Pittsfield Fire and Police Station for our next field trip!  Please return the blue permission slip for the trip.  We are in need of a few chaperones, so please indicate that on the permission slip if you are interested.  As we have limited seating on the bus, I will give priority to chaperones on a first-come, first-serve basis.  There is no cost for this trip.  Thank you!

Visit http://www.sparky.org/ with your child at home this week!

Here are some photos from the Apple Orchard:

When we got back to school, we measured how tall our pumpkins were with unifix cubes and recorded it in our math journal.

Then we compared the size of our pumpkins.

We put all of our pumpkins in order from largest to smallest.

On Friday, we learned how to make apple sauce!  It was tasty.

We used words like first, next, then, and last.

Cooking and baking are a great way to introduce order and sequencing for Kindergarten students.

Reading recipes together show your child that reading and writing have important and useful purposes in life.

Here are some pictures of us tasting the apple sauce during snack:

This Thursday, we will also have our next Carpenter Reads Book Distribution.  Every child in the school will get to choose and take home a new book to keep in your home library!  To get students excited about reading at home, you can fill out this owl to send back to school:

Put your child's name and the title of the book you read at home together.  We will display the owls on a tree in the gym hallway.

For your education:
10 Things You Can Do to Raise a Reader
Simple Yet Powerful Things to Do While Reading Aloud