President's Day

Poem: Here Are My Eyes
Sight Words: down, when

Reading: This week in reading we learned about words in the -ock and -ack word families. We are working on using our sounds to stretch out these words and write them using the rules that we learn about when they are first introduced. This week c and k together make a /k/ sound. Students practice listening to words like lock, dock, snack, etc. to write them on their own on dry erase boards.

We also learned about words from the story "Arthur Meets the President". The words that we learned about this week were president, White House, speech, recite, ceremony, and country.

 On iPads this week students scanned QR codes that revealed a picture that they then had to stretch out and write on their recording sheet. They also explored with a new app called Brain Pop Jr. They practiced logging into their account and watching a video about President Lincoln. During another rotation students used the app Face Talker to share what they would do as President. They had so much fun with that app! In math students worked at drawing shapes using popplet.

Writing: This week we learned how to use PebbleGo to research a topic to then write an informational book. PebbleGo is such an amazing tool for kindergartners to use when researching a topic. They can use the pictures to find a topic then go in and listen to the facts on each tab. There are pictures, videos, and sometimes sounds that help teach them about the topic. They are then able to go and write their facts down on their planning page to write their own informational book.

Math: This week in math we learned about the words temperature and capacity. We first sorted pictures into things that are hot and cold. Then we talked about capacity by looking at pictures and determining which container is best for each situation. For example if you were going to a picnic with a lot of people, would you bring a 2-liter bottle of lemonade or an 8oz can? Students were so quick in determining which container was best. Then we discussed temperature further by talking about how a thermometer measuring temperature. We used a chart to circle the temperature that was most appropriate with the article of clothing next to it.

Content: This week we learned about Presidents. We started the week off by learning about the president from PebbleGo. We then made a chart that describes his job and things we know about the president. We also learned more about Presidents throughout the week through Brain Pop Jr. We also used Google to look through the White House, learning more about where the President lives and works.

SEL: This week we started our 2 week unit about confidence and self-esteem. We started the week off by reading the book "I Like Myself!" This book is exactly what the title says. The girl may be different than others, but she likes everything about herself. We talk about how we are all different, but that is what makes us special and unique. We then listened to a story by Howard B. Wigglebottom about how he listens to his heart and doesn't let what others say/do influence his actions. On Thursday we had a very powerful lesson where each kiddo was asked to finish the sentence, "I like myself because..." I wrote their answer on a label that they got to wear and be proud of throughout the day. It was so awesome to see them beam with confidence!

Digital Learning Day: Thursday, February 23 was Digital Learning Day. This is when kids and schools from around the country showcase their knowledge using technology. We use technology in the classroom everyday so we decided to pair with a 5th grade class to showcase some of what we learned about George Washington. In small groups students went to Pebblego and learned about George Washington while 5th graders took notes. Then they went to Popplet to create a web including their facts. After poppplet students worked together to create a script that they recorded using Chatterpix. Finished projects were uploaded to Google Classroom where we were able to watch as a whole group!

We also did our first Mystery Hangout/Skype with a kindergarten class from Texas! We did a mystery shape for this call and it was so much fun! For the mystery hangout each class chooses a shape (2D or 3D) before the call. During the call each class takes turns asking questions about their shape's attributes. We asked questions including, "Is your shape round? Does your shape have 4 corners? Is your shape flat?" The process continues until you narrow it down and can guess the shape. This was a great review of shapes and was fun to connect with another kindergarten class learning the same skills!

NEXT WEEK:
Reading: Students will...
-learn words in the -ame and -ale word families.
-review main idea and key details in a story.

Writing: Students will...
-learn about comparisons (similes) to add to their writing.
-use pebblego to learn about Dr. Seuss and write an information book.

Math: Students will...
-review skills including tens and ones, subtraction, and counting on.

Content: Students will be reading lots of books written by Dr. Seuss. We will celebrate Read Across America on Thursday with some fun things planned to make reading a little more special and enjoyable!