Wow! We made it through three weeks! I have a wonderful class. The kind of class where I get compliments from the specials teachers when I pick them up. There are some challenges but they are all kind and helpful and eager to learn so I am a happy Kindergarten teacher (although very tired!).
I have some random pics for you of some of our activities this week.
The kids come in the room, put away their lunch and folder and backpack, then answer question of the day. Next, they choose a place to work(play). I set out something on each table: playdoh, books, coloring, math manips. It is a different mix each day. We are close to beginning morning journals (our normal morning activity for the rest of the year) so on Friday, I had them draw and start labeling with first letters. We clean up and have Morning Meeting (pledge, schedule, Morning Message, book).
We spend some time (about 30 minutes) each day on our Special Friend. We notice things about their name, the letters in their name, clap their name, fingerspell their name (well, you get the picture) and we draw the Special Friend. So on the day the child is Special Friend, they take home a book with everyone's picture of the Special Friend (they also get a special chair to sit in, point at the schedule, lead the line, and share the Special Friend notebook. This month is environmental print: they are supposed to bring something from home they can read already. My example was Doritos!).They are getting to be great artists (I still have one friend drawing purple people but everyone else is on board). After we finish, we do a short math activity. One day we practiced writing numbers whole group on white boards. One day we matched numbers to ten frames. Yesterday they chose a number from 5-10 and completed the All About the Number activity (write it, draw it, etc). I made up a Freebie for you for a Roll it, Write it, Tally it, Draw it. I plan to use it next week, after I make a tally mark chart with the kids.
Then we go to recess and lunch.
Phew!
After lunch, they wash up and have a quiet time to look at books on the carpet (our rest time). Then we do weather, calendar, days in school. I read them a book then they tiptoe to get their book boxes and we practice read to self (Daily Five). All of my students are building stamina (except two little cutie patooties. You know, the ones wearing the book on their heads.) During this time period, we are visited by different specialists: ESOL, Speech, OT. It's great.
Then we do some centers. This week, at one center, they made their name with dotters. They competed a September book. They did a Roll And Write sight word center (use blank cubes and write the sight words on them. The kids roll the word and write it. If they don't know the word, they ask a friend. I have letter cubes but this class is pretty far along and most of them came in knowing their letters). The last center was writing Rainbow names. I have their names on nametags for them, in case they want to write their last names, too. Fun!
Then we have a little recess break and snack. Then they go to Music or Art or PE or Tech. I collapse (and try to help my team with tech issues or meet.)
We pick them up from specials and we have an art project to demo. This week they made Chicka Boom Boom hats, Pete the Cat puppets, and Big Green Monsters. It takes a few days to go through all 20 kids.
0 comments:
Post a Comment