C is for Cass!

During our second week of school we were introduced to our first Superkid, Cass, who loves to cook foods that start with the letter C.  Cass' song (lyrics below) and video animation were a huge hit, and the class requested to hear it throughout the day! 

 

This week we focused on listening to the sound the letter C makes, recognizing the letter C when we see it, and saying the name of the letter.  Next week we will practice writing capital C and lowercase c on Ice Cream Lines.  Ice Cream Lines are handwriting lines with a pink (strawberry) line on top, a yellow (vanilla) line in the middle, and a brown (chocolate) line on the bottom.  These colored lines will help us learn top, middle, and bottom, and remember where to place our pencils when forming letters.

Cass' Song

My name is Cass

And I love to cook.

So come into my kitchen

And take a good look.

Chorus:

Creeping Crocodiles!

So much to eat,

When Cass is in the kitchen

Cooking up treats.

My cat's named Coconut.

She's fluffy and white.

She helps me make goodies

That taste just right!

(Chorus)

I like to play baseball,

And swim and read and run

But cooking up concoctions

Is my favorite kind of fun.

(Chorus)

Carrots are crunchy,

Corn is sweet.

My casserole concoction

Is really a treat.

(Chorus)

To learn more about the Superkids Reading Program, please view this short video: Superkids Video.

F is for Fifth Grade Buddies!

At the end of our first week of school, we met our fifth grade buddies.  We are excited about all the activities we will do with our buddies throughout the year, and can't wait to sit with them at next week's Kabbalat Shabbat!

S is for Shabbat!

Our first Shabbat as kindergarteners was very exciting!  We started off the morning with the entire school in the gym, and were led by Rabbi Greengrass and Cantor Nelson in song, prayer, and learning.  When we returned to our classroom, this week's Abba and Ima were revealed.  They received their Abba and Ima crowns and stickers, and led the class in our own Shabbat blessings before snack.

Our Shabbat snack, challah and "wine"

Our Abba, Elias, and our Ima, Amanda

 

  

 

M is for Math Mats!

Throughout the year, we will be using our Math Mats during our hands-on activities.  The Math Mats not only give us a specific space to work within, but it allows us to take a gallery walk around our classroom to see whose thinking was similar to yours and whose was different.  Taking a gallery walk enables us to see that there is more than just one way to solve a problem!

Our first Math unit is on sorting.  During one of our hands-on activities, students were given different manipulatives to sort by color.

 

After completing the activity, the students were given time to explore the manipulatives.  During this free exploration period, several students began creating and sharing their patterns with others, who also began creating and sharing patterns.  Even without a gallery walk, the sharing of ideas occurred spontaneously!

  

P is for Puzzle Pieces!

Like anything new and different, the first week of school can seem a little scary.  But, it only takes a short time to learn that you fit in perfectly in our class!  To show that we all fit in, we decorated puzzle pieces to display on our first bulletin board!

 

P is for Play!

"Young children work hard at play,".... even especially in kindergarten! 

Library Center

 

Wipe-Off Boards Center

 

 

 

Family Center

 

 

Blocks Center

 

Art Center

“The power of play as the engine of learning in early childhood and as a vital force for young children’s physical, social, and emotional development is beyond question. Children in play-based kindergartens have a double advantage over those who are denied play: they end up equally good or better at reading and other intellectual skills, and they are more likely to become well-adjusted healthy people.”

Edward Miller and Joan Almon, Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood, 2009.

S is for Singing!

Every Tuesday and Thursday we have a half hour of music with Mrs. Sacks.  The children love singing and dancing along with her!