Last week we learned about the letter J. Students During the week we will hear several versions of Jack and The Beanstalk. This is a familiar story and it is fun to share elements of different versions with each other. The class also began to write "How To" papers in writer's workshop.  This week our letter was Y.  However, our language arts and science focus was on Earth Week.  We read many books about ecology which emphasized recycling, saving water, reusing materials, conserving energy, and protecting our environment.  Several activities and writing responses came from wonderful class discussions.  We also enjoyed a great play put on by our school's EcoClub about our namesake May Watts who led the way in environmental awareness.

Our main focus in math right now is subtraction. The class will learn some new games and work on their fluency on math subtraction facts 1-10. Fluent means they can solve subtraction equations without having to use fingers, objects, etc. But they also must be able to EXPLAIN what subtraction is. We will continue to focus on problem solving in math but will begin to solve more multiple step problems. When we work on multiple step problems we often try to solve them in small groups. Students work together and learn from each other's "math talk". Our goal is to help our students become problem solvers who understand there are multiple ways to solve a problem.


During these last few weeks we will be busy preparing for first grade. The students will be asked to read and write more independently and they will be expected to complete some more difficult tasks. At this time of year we really want to be sure that each child is using capital/lowercase letters appropriately in both their names and in their writing. Students should also have spaces between their words and be experimenting with punctuation. We hope all children will be reading at level C by the end of the year and that they begin to read and write the 1st grade sight words. As the year winds down, you will be getting some ideas for things you can do at home to help with the transition to first grade. In the meantime, you can be working through the jolly phonics spelling lists and the math homework sheets. As always, thanks for your support at home.

Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

April 8-12

During this week we introduced the letter V. We reviewed verbs and vowels. Your child has been introduced to nouns, verbs, and adjectives this year. They may not be able to recall those names (nouns, verbs, adjectives) but when we talk about them in regards to their writing, they understand how to use them to make their writing more interesting. Vowels are tricky in Kindergarten. It is typical for your child to mix up e/i, and o/u....but we really want to do a push this last quarter to see if they can master the vowel sounds (this will be an expectation when common core LA is adopted). It would be helpful if you have a chance to practice this skill at home. A good way to practice it is by showing them a list of nonsense words and having them sound them out. For example, have them sound out words like vej, zop, dev, faz, etc. Our goal would be to have them able to "read" these words without having to sound them out first.( They should always use the short vowel sound.) It is ok if your child needs to say the individual sounds first, but encourage them to then blend the sounds together. Another way to practice vowels is to have them sort pictures of things that have the same middle vowel sounds ( cat, cap, jam, mat, and jet, red, bed, set). Having a good grasp of vowels will help your child be more prepared for first grade! Students will also learn about how to use a venn diagram to compare things.

In math this week we will continue to work on problem solving and subtraction. The kindergarten students need to be fluent in subtraction facts up to 10. This means they should not have to use their fingers, objects, or drawings to solve problems within 10. This is a new expectation for a K student. We are working on this through exploration, games, and continued practice. We also want them to understand WHAT subtraction is and not just have memorized the facts. You can work on this at home using real world examples. For example...have your child put away groceries with you...count how many objects are in the bag. Put away 4 and ask how many are left...check and see if they are correct. Students should be able to generate their own problems too. Ask them to come up with a subtraction problem that has a difference (answer) of a specific number...example....7...students can write 10-3=7 or 9-2=7. They should be able to draw a picture or use fingers/objects to show you what this problem "means".

Thank you to Mrs. Karellas for leading the Art Awareness lesson on Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.  The kids were very creative in their own interpretations of this famous painting.

Please read below for a volunteer opportunity!!!

Calling all Kindergarten Parents!

Kinderpress will be kicking off in May this year and we are in need of at least 25 volunteers to make the project a success for our Kindergarteners. Kinderpress is a PTA sponsored activity in which the kids create stories. The stories are transferred to a hard cover book and illustrated by the kids. It is such a great project and keepsake! As you can imagine, their little fingers need a lot of help to make their books special.

The big day in the classroom is the morning of May 10. After that, we'll need parents to help assemble the books at home. It is helpful if the volunteers can both spend time at school on May 10, and work with the same books at home. However, if you are only able to help out at school or at home, we would still appreciate your help. Detailed instructions and materials will be provided. If working at home, you will need access to a computer and printer.

Please sign up via signup genius:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B4BAFA62AA20-kinderpress

If you are unable to access Sign Up Genius, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you in signing up.

Some of you may have already indicated you would volunteer for this program on the PTA form at the beginning of the year. Even if you did, please sign up via signup genius to confirm that you are still able to help out.

If you have any questions please can contact Kanela Afshari (630-369-7061 -nkafshari@aol.com) or Tamara Stamenkovic (630-848-1324 - tamaroza@yahoo.com).

Thanks in advance for your help!

Kanela Afshari and Tamara Stamenkovic

Co-Chairs, Kinderpress

 

Please read information about the upcoming Book Exchange.  You will find it in my latest email.

 

We hope to see all volunteers at the dessert tea on Thursday , April 18 2:00-3:30.

 

Have a great weekend!

April 1 - 5

This week we did not introduce a new letter.  We will resume next week with the letter V.  We spent the week focusing on ELEPHANTS!!!! We read both fiction and nonfiction stories about elephants and again focus on the retelling of fiction stories. When retelling stories we are looking for a clear beginning, middle, and end and also want the students to mention characters, setting, and any problem/solution that moves the story along. With repeated practice of this important skill, students will begin to understand how to WRITE a story with these elements. At this time of year we really begin to do a lot of independent reading. We want all students to be able to read at a C level by the end of the school year. At home reading practice (and celebration) is very important in obtaining this goal. Thank you so much for doing your part at home.

In math this week we worked on estimation with a focus on reasonable/unreasonable guesses. Students got to collect data, make graphs, and then interpret their graphs with a peer. Being able to draw conclusions based on a graph is very important. Something you can work on at home is coin naming and knowing the amount a coin is worth. Children are not exposed to coins like they were in the past. Please try and find opportunities for your child to interact with money. This is a tricky skill to master in K and not something common core focuses on but something that is still important.

We are back to having recess after lunch and in the afternoon.  Make sure your child is dressed for the weather.

We have a new classmate joining us this week.  Welcome to May Watts, Divya!

Our Voulnteer Appreciation Tea is just around the corner. If you have been a volunteer in our school/class this year (LMC volunteer, computer lab helper, art awareness volunteer, class party planner, literacy center helper, at home projects, room moms, 100 day helper, etc) please come and be celebrated! May Watts is a wonderful place because of all of you! THANK YOU! Please read the upper right hand of the blog for the information!

Have a great weekend!