Pumpkins: Week 2

We continued focusing on properties of matter this week with the theme of pumpkins. Our read alouds switched from fiction stories to non-fiction stories and we focused on identifying key details!

We made bubble maps about pumpkins using describing words & then wrote sentences with those adjectives. They're on our bulletin board in our classroom!

They are at such a fun point where they know most of their letters & sounds so they're realizing that they can put their ideas on paper! Writing groups are SO fun now!

We also wrote about our Spookley the Square Pumpkins we made on Friday last week. Those are hanging on our bulletin board in the hall!

We had some fun pumpkin centers & did an amazing job with centers in general this week!

We tried out sight word jenga! Now that we know our letters & sounds, we're switching the focus to be more on sight words!

& they're starting to have the lightbulbs go off in reading because of those sight words! They're realizing they can read things ON THEIR OWN! :) It's so fun & so rewarding!

And I feel like we're finally doing kindergarten well here in room 17! We're in a rhythm and they're taking off! We're still remembering how to be kind and be a friend, but far less often than the first 48 days of kindergarten. By going slow at the beginning of the year and really working on those social skills, we're able to take off now because groups and centers are functioning independently for the most part! :) So since they took down my alphabet to install our new projector, I did a little redecorating and we think...

We're having the best days lately & fingers crossed we continue on this path!

Ask Your Child About:

-Phonological Awareness: syllables, beginning sounds, blending CVC words & onset+rime

-Phonics: Ww (w, wind, /w/), Vv (v, van, /v/)

-Writing: Pumpkins, Spookleys, & black cats!

-Reading: Parts of nonficition texts

-Science: properties of matter: pumpkins! We're doing some fun exploration this afternoon during math & science with our pumpkin!

-Math: Doubles! We've worked really hard identifying numbers that are even and making "bunny ears" when they're doubles facts (2, 4, 6, 8, 10). We learned 3 new work station games & have been using our ten frames a lot!

FYI/Reminders:

-Orange half sheets of paper went home with homework folders today with letters and sounds circled that your child needs to master as of this week! There is a typo in the note & I noticed it after I already copied it; sorry! It should say automaticity instead of automatic!

-Halloween party is Wednesday 10/31 from 9:30-10:30! Please see my email about this for all the details

-I still need 2 parents to run centers at our party! If you can, please sign up and email me!

-If you signed up for something on the signup genius, please make sure it comes to school! :) Thank you!

-The kids will have a sub next Friday 11/2 because I will be out of town!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

With SO much love,

Ms. Ham