Happy December!
The Seniors have been hard at work this past month. We learned so much about the history of the first Thanksgiving and compared it to Thanksgiving today. We also began a new unit in Language Arts and finished a couple chapters in Math.
Our current unit in Language Arts is all about Teamwork. We read two pieces, one fiction and one non-fiction, about the meaning of teamwork and how people (and animals!) work together. The Seniors love to point out examples of themselves using teamwork throughout the school day. Our favorite story has been Swimmy. In this story, one little fish saves a school of his friends from a hungry tuna by teaching them to swim together to make themselves look like one giant fish. During the story, the Seniors used the comprehension strategies of visualization and predicting to further their understanding. Following the story, the class compared and contrasted the different fish and discussed how teamwork was important to this story.
The Seniors have made tremendous progress in phonics and reading. We have discussed all consonant sounds and short vowels. They are working on putting these sounds together to both read and write words including beginning, middle and ending sounds. Two favorite videos we have watched about vowel sounds are about the “silent e” and “when two vowels go walking.” Both songs help the Seniors to read long vowel sounds.
The Math chapters in Singapore Math this month focused on size, position and numbers to 20. We worked on placing objects in certain positions and following teacher directions. For example, put the bear under the art table or put the bear beside the trash can. We also compared the size of objects, using the words big and small. Finally, we worked on numbers to 20 including counting using a 10-frame and counting past 10 on fingers with a partner.
In Project, we began our visits from local community helper experts. We thoroughly enjoyed a the presentation from two US Coast Guard members and even got to take home a book about the Coast Guard! The Seniors are looking forward to upcoming visits from a nurse and a postal worker!
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Fondly,
Kristen Masiel
Senior Kindergarten Teacher
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