Our Learning ...
Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe it is almost the end of the school year! The kindergartners had another great week learning and playing with their peers.
Our kindergarten readers took all they have learned about being an avid nonfiction reader and applied these skills to their own nonfiction books this week. The kids were each given two books on a similar topic and asked to read and become experts on that topic. They had to use information from both books to tell all they knew about their topic, as well as discuss what was the same and what was different about the books. They looked through their books to notice what text features (table of contents, glossary, index, captions, etc.) their nonfiction text had, and compared their text features with a partner. Please ask your child to tell you what topic he/she became an expert on this week!
Kindergarten writers continue to write narrative pieces that tell who, where, and what happened. Students explored the idea of adding more detail to their story by adding speech bubbles to their illustrations. They studied mentor texts by Mo Willems to notice how speech bubbles can show how characters in a story have a conversation. The children also worked on how to end a story. After they have told all the details about what happened in their story, they should end the story by telling how they felt or what they thought.
Kindergarten mathematicians continued to work hard to strengthen their knowledge of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes this week. They engaged in hands on learning experiences to show their knowledge of shapes using Geoboards, Pattern Blocks, and Play Dough. Students enjoyed building shapes using toothpicks and play dough during workplaces. This workplace was differentiated to encourage students to build both two and three-dimensional shapes. During our whole-group lessons students practiced sorting shapes based on their attributes. They loved seeing real world examples of circles and spheres such as our classroom clock, a soccer ball, and sticker dots. This is a fun game that can easily be played at home or outside during the summer. Ask your child to point out everyday items that are circles, spheres, squares, hexagons, or cylinders. Engage them even further by asking questions such as:
How do you know that’s a sphere and not a circle?
How many sides does a hexagon have? How many vertices?
The best part about finding shapes is it can be done anywhere! Heading to the beach with your beach ball this summer? Making s’mores in the backyard? There are so many ways to connect this to your families’ everyday life.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 31st the students will be participating in field day! All half day students are invited to stay at school for the full day (8:00-2:50)! If you have a half day student, please email your teacher and let her know if you plan to have your child stay for the full day. Thank you!
Next week for the Sheridan Sharks End of the Year Countdown:
Tuesday 5.29: Slumber Day (wear your pajamas to school)
Wednesday 5.30: Hat Day (bring a hat to wear)
Thursday 5.31: Athletic Day (enjoy field day!)
Friday 6.1: Royalty Day (Kings wear red and Queens wear purple)
Have a wonderful long weekend,
Sandy, Amanda, and Emily
It’s hard to believe it is almost the end of the school year! The kindergartners had another great week learning and playing with their peers.
Our kindergarten readers took all they have learned about being an avid nonfiction reader and applied these skills to their own nonfiction books this week. The kids were each given two books on a similar topic and asked to read and become experts on that topic. They had to use information from both books to tell all they knew about their topic, as well as discuss what was the same and what was different about the books. They looked through their books to notice what text features (table of contents, glossary, index, captions, etc.) their nonfiction text had, and compared their text features with a partner. Please ask your child to tell you what topic he/she became an expert on this week!
Kindergarten writers continue to write narrative pieces that tell who, where, and what happened. Students explored the idea of adding more detail to their story by adding speech bubbles to their illustrations. They studied mentor texts by Mo Willems to notice how speech bubbles can show how characters in a story have a conversation. The children also worked on how to end a story. After they have told all the details about what happened in their story, they should end the story by telling how they felt or what they thought.
Kindergarten mathematicians continued to work hard to strengthen their knowledge of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes this week. They engaged in hands on learning experiences to show their knowledge of shapes using Geoboards, Pattern Blocks, and Play Dough. Students enjoyed building shapes using toothpicks and play dough during workplaces. This workplace was differentiated to encourage students to build both two and three-dimensional shapes. During our whole-group lessons students practiced sorting shapes based on their attributes. They loved seeing real world examples of circles and spheres such as our classroom clock, a soccer ball, and sticker dots. This is a fun game that can easily be played at home or outside during the summer. Ask your child to point out everyday items that are circles, spheres, squares, hexagons, or cylinders. Engage them even further by asking questions such as:
How do you know that’s a sphere and not a circle?
How many sides does a hexagon have? How many vertices?
The best part about finding shapes is it can be done anywhere! Heading to the beach with your beach ball this summer? Making s’mores in the backyard? There are so many ways to connect this to your families’ everyday life.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 31st the students will be participating in field day! All half day students are invited to stay at school for the full day (8:00-2:50)! If you have a half day student, please email your teacher and let her know if you plan to have your child stay for the full day. Thank you!
Next week for the Sheridan Sharks End of the Year Countdown:
Tuesday 5.29: Slumber Day (wear your pajamas to school)
Wednesday 5.30: Hat Day (bring a hat to wear)
Thursday 5.31: Athletic Day (enjoy field day!)
Friday 6.1: Royalty Day (Kings wear red and Queens wear purple)
Have a wonderful long weekend,
Sandy, Amanda, and Emily