Weekly News Nov 28-Dec 2

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and enjoyed some down time and lots of laughter with loved ones!  This next month is such an exciting one to experience through the eyes of a child. We will continue to be busy in Kindergarten, but will certainly be taking time to enjoy the  magic of the season.

Important Dates and Reminders:
November 28: Packer Wear Day
December 6: Kaukauna Christmas Parade
                    NDLC will have a float and families are invited to ride/walk along.  We will     
                     communicate a meeting point for the parade as soon as we are assigned our float 
                     position.
December 8: Pajama Day and PJ's and Publishing Family Night 5:30-7:00pm
December 13: NO SCHOOL
December 14: College Gear Day (wear your favorite college team clothing)
December 22: Holiday Color Day (wear red, white and green)

Here is a link to our new homework calendar.

Here is the learning that will be keeping us warm this week:

Reading: As readers this week we will be giving our reading super powers an extra boost!  We will work to strengthen our pointer power so we are always pointing under the first letter, using our sight word power to help us read sentences correctly and we will work to make the most of our sound power by using initial letter sounds and pictures to solve new words.  We will also be introduced to reading mats to help us stay focused and organized during reader's workshop.

Writing: This week we will really work on word spelling strategies to make our writing even better.  We will work to add a vowel sound to every word we write, will push ourselves to use the word wall to spell sight words correctly and will use our writing partner to help us to reread and revise our stories.

Math:We will continue to really focus on addition and subtraction equations and the many ways we can see, solve and draw them.  We will be introduced to a new math tool called a break apart stick that will be used to break apart groups of objects to see the partners that join together to create that number.  We will also be working more on fluency with +1 and -1 equations as we illustrate and write equations to go along with addition and subtraction poems we learned last week.
Our math centers will be:

• Making a +1 poem book
• Making a -1 poem book
• Using break apart sticks and cubes to see partners of numbers and write equations
• Building numbers with tiles and using a backward count sequence to solve larger subtraction problems

Science: This week we will begin to discuss and explore the body coverings of various mammals that have fur.  We will compare the function of fur to that of our skin and will also bi doing some experiments to learn more about body fat and camouflage.

Word Work: We will be introduced to the following sight words this week: come, like, look, my, to.  One way to help support your child's reading at home is to go on a sight word hunt before reading a book so they can be ready and waiting to read familiar words quickly.

Weekly News Nov 14-18

Here are a few pictures from our very fun Friday!  We loved meeting Mr. Hixon and visiting with him.  We asked great questions about his job as a solider and were respectful listeners. 

We also wrapped up our science writing unit with a sparkling cider toast to all of our hard work!

Important Dates and Reminders:

November 15: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 17: 1/2 day- 11:30 dismissal
November 18: Wisconsin Badger Day
November 22: Twin Day
November 23-25: NO SCHOOL

Here is a peek at our week!

Reading: We are continuing to get stronger as readers each day now that we have learned about our reading super powers!  This week (after conferences) your child will bring home a book each night to read to you!  This week we will learn more about rereading books to make them sound smooth and begin to sound more like grown-ups as we read! 

Writing: This week we will launch a new writing unit called "Writing for Readers."  The focus of this unit will be to tell true stories from our lives and then to write them one page at a time.  We will really focus on making sure our pictures and words are easy for others to read.  This will also help us to grow stronger at rereading our own writing.

Math: We will continue to work with the counting mat this week as we explore the operations of +1 and -1.  We will look at how numbers increase and decrease by 1 as we count forward or backward and will work to write equations that reflect this.  We will learn two poems that will help us to become more automatic in solving +1 and -1 equations.  We will also work to identify and create hexagons.  Our math centers will be:

• sorting pictures to help us classify shapes correctly
• using math chips to tell and solve subtraction equations
• working with a 5 frame and dice to master partners of (numbers that work together to make) 5
• playing a card game called "Garbage" to practice number order and look for structure on a 10 frame

Science: We will begin our first Science unit this year: Fur, Feathers, Skin, and Scales.  In this unit we will learn about various animal body coverings and the purpose of each.  This week we will build some background knowledge on the different types of body coverings and then begin by learning about and examining our skin.  We will use magnifying glasses to look closely at our skin and our fingerprints!

Word Work: We will continue focusing on the words: see, in, you, big little.  Looking for them in the books your child brings home is a great way to practice reading them with automaticity. 

Weekly News Nov 7-11

I am anxious to begin meeting with you all for conferences this week!  I cannot wait to show you evidence of the wonderful work your sons and daughters have been accomplishing so far this year. 

This week will be a patriotic one for sure!  New Directions students will be participating in a school-wide presidential election on Tuesday.  We will be reading books some age appropriate books about the important job of the president and will also be learning some fun facts a about the current candidates.  Please see this link to view the info we will be sharing.
http://election.scholastic.com/

We will also be discussing the importance of Veterans and the celebration of Veteran's Day. 
We will have a special veteran (my husband, Vern) join us on Friday! 

Important Dates and Reminders:

November 10: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 11: Red, White and Blue Day
November 15: Conferences 4-7:30pm
November 17: 1/2 day- 11:30 dismissal
November 18: Wisconsin Badger Day
November 22: Twin Day
November 23-25: NO SCHOOL


Reading: This week in reading we will be shopping for books at our "just right" reading level.  I will be able to explain to you exactly what reading skills your child can be working on when we meet at conferences.  Your child will also bring home a book or two nightly.  Please enjoy reading each night with your child and praise the hard work s/he is doing as a reader.  This week we will continue to learn about and practice our reading powers. 

Writing: We are coming to the end of our information writing unit.  This week we will make our writing easier to read by including correctly spelled sight words, spaces between words and writing more and more sounds in the words we stretch out on our own.  We will use both revising and editing checklists to make sure our writing is the best it can be!

Math: We are continuing to focus on the equal and not equal signs and how to use them appropriately.  We will also working with a counting mat to notice that as numbers grow sequentially what we are doing is adding 1.  We will explore and discuss number order and even try to write some +1 equations (5=4+1).  Additionally we will be looking at the attributes of a triangle and learning some position words: above, below, beside, behind and in front of.
Our math centers this week will be:

• Reviewing addition and subtraction by telling stories about pictures
• Creating a book using position words
• Playing a card game to practice recognizing numerals and quantities as equal or not equal
• Making our own 1-10 counting mat 

Social Studies: We are wrapping up our school study this week by creating a map of our school.  We will do a walk-through and take pictures of the spaces in our school that we will create for our map, students will choose which area they want to work on, and finally we will put all of our pieces together into a GIANT map.

Word Work: Our new sight words for the next two weeks are: see, in, you, big little.  It is important that students learn to easily read AND write these words.  Please continue to look for sight words in books you read at home and to find fun ways to practice writing them.