We Are... Mathematicians!
9/29/2017
So far in Math this year, we've been working on number fluency within 5 and 10. This includes quickly recognizing a quantity and composing and decomposing numbers (e.g. 2 and 3 makes 5; 4 and 1 makes 5). We use special math tools, called five frames and ten frames, to help with this. We also play lots of games to reinforce what we learn together and allow students to further explore the concepts. As I've mentioned, we follow the workshop model for Math, just as we do for Reading and Writing. Students get a small burst of direct instruction and then they spend most of their time in work stations exploring and doing. They manipulate numbers, play games that help them build fluency while having fun, and explore our math tools, which gives them the opportunity to not only have fun and be creative, but to collaborate with their fellow mathematicians, explore math concepts in their own way, and draw their own conclusions. This week, we also formally introduced patterns using motion, sound, and concrete materials. Our mathematicians began the work of recognizing, describing, copying, extending, translating, and creating simple patterns. We also worked on labeling patterns like mathematicians do, with letters (e.g. ABAB, AAB, etc.). Patterns are a concept we've also been exploring by slowly revealing the pattern made by our calendar cards. Each month, the calendar reveals a new pattern, so we will continue to study and explore patterns all year. As our curriculum states, "Underlying all mathematics is the study of pattern. The discoveries made in the early grades lay the foundation for future mathematical study." Therefore, this is an important concept that our mathematicians will continue to study and explore as the year progresses.
We Are... Readers!
9/21/2017
I'm sure this is no surprise, but one of my favorite things to do is to read. I am always mesmerized by the way authors craft a great story and carefully string words together to make it sound just right. Reading teaches us new things, transports us to new places, opens up new worlds to us, shows us new perspectives, and shares people's stories with us. As an educator (and lover of words), it is always one of my goals to share the wonder and joy of reading with my students. Kindergarten is an especially fun grade in which to do this because kindergartners find such joy in not only the stories we read, but in discovering that they can, in fact, read! They start the year thinking, "We can't read!," and quickly transition to using the pictures to read independently (to approximate reading or retell stories) and then finally to reading the text. In just these first few weeks of school, I have already seen tremendous growth in our kiddos' reading skills, and I'm happy to report that reading time is becoming one of our most coveted and precious times of the day. This week, we focused on retelling old favorites, connecting our reading across the pages to tell one story, and matching the pictures to the story we're telling. Our little ones are starting to notice the action in the story more as they read, something we will focus on next week. Their approximations of reading are sounding more like narratives and less like a factual smattering of what's on the page. And, most importantly, they are ENJOYING reading by themselves and with partners. They have started to become engrossed in the stories they're reading and interact with the text in a way that they didn't before. They whisper the stories to themselves, laugh out loud, make faces at gross or shocking parts, and point out details to their partners. As I sit amongst my little readers, I soak this all up because I know that they are starting to form their identities as readers and feel that, yes, "We are readers!" As a celebration of our reading, we've decided to make Fridays a special reading day. Every Friday, your little one may bring a stuffed animal of his or her choice. Instead of reading with a partner, they will cozy up and read with their stuffed animals. They are super excited about this, and I'm hoping they will start reading to their animals at home as well! (If you do not want your child to bring a stuffed animal to school, please let me know, so I can have one for them to borrow!)
We Are... Scientists!
9/16/2017
One of my goals this year is for your little ones to see themselves as readers, writers, creators, scientists, mathematicians, explorers, and friends. This week, we became scientists as we investigated the question, "How can I know what the weather will be like on my birthday?" We started out by becoming "weather watchers" and watching the weather around us. Since we noticed that the leaves are changing colors and that it's getting colder and windier, we conducted an experiment to help us further investigate how and why the leaves change color. This was our first taste of the scientific method, and we recorded the experiment in our science notebooks. We started by making a hypothesis, as all good scientists do. And then we got to the very best part - the experiment. Of course, we had to dress the part while we crunched up leaves, added rubbing alcohol with a pipette, and mashed them to release the pigment before adding a coffee filter strip to absorb it. Using our science tools was so much fun, and we could hardly wait to see the results of the experiment! The next day, my teacher heart was happy when I heard squeals of excitement about checking the results of our experiment. We recorded the results in our science notebooks and then turned to children's literature to help us learn WHY the leaves changed color. We discussed our conclusion together as scientists and then recorded it in our notebooks as well. Ask your little one if they remember why leaves change color in the fall! It is such a privilege to see the world through their eyes, filled with so much wonder, excitement, and mysteries waiting to be solved!
Better Together
9/11/2017
This week, we worked on a mini project, focusing on communication and collaboration. After challenging students to build a structure that would fit at least 10 animals in it and keep them safe (a challenge our sweet kiddos were all too happy to accept), I introduced the design process to them. We started with a plan, and each student sketched his or her vision for the animal structure. Next, students collaborated with a partner. They shared their sketch and listened as their partner shared theirs, gave their partner a compliment about their design, and then combined the great ideas from both of their plans to make one plan. The next step was using the plans to build the structure. We focused on making sure we included the elements from our plan. Everyone did a great job with this! After all of the structures were complete, each team shared their structure, telling us about what they built and the spaces for the animals. Finally, teams used feedback from the class to adjust their designs and rebuild if necessary. As you can see below, Bella and Zoey adjusted their design by building separate spaces for predators and prey to keep their animals safe. During this project, our kindergartners accepted my challenge and exceeded my expectations in collaborating with their partners, following their plans when building, and redesigning their plans to better meet the design requirements. We can't wait for our next project!
|
Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
April 2021
Categories |