Some choice time fun.  I'm almost certain most children would say choice time is their favorite time of the day!

An essential part of our math program is a skill building program called Number Corner. Number Corner has five key components: calendar, days in school, number line, collection, and computational fluency. These components are similar each month, but change slightly, reinforcing and extending skills we are working on.  

For the calendar, each day has a marker that follows a pattern. In September this pattern is focused on shapes, including circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. The number of days we have been in school is tracked by adding written numbers to an ever growing number line as well as adding links to chains in sets of 10 and adding dots to 10 frames, both of which give us an opportunity to explore place value and see numbers as groups of 10 and some more. Each month features a collection of some kind that serves as a springboard for representing and analyzing data. This month we collected cubes each day and found the totals for each week. We have also been working on representing quantities to 5 on five frames and with our fingers, and practicing counting from 1 to 10 and back again.

Earlier this week we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to vote on the Waitsfield dog tags for 2022.  For many years Waitsfield town cleark Jen Peterson has generously given this task to Kindergarten students, allowing us to vote on the shape and color of the new dog tags. She creates a ballot for students to fill out and brings the official lock box for children to drop their votes in when they are done. This is a fantastic and engaging way for children to be part of an actual vote.  This year gold paw was the winner by a landslide.  Look for the new dog tags sometime next spring!

Since the beginning of school we have had several monarch caterpillars in our classroom.  We have had lots of time to observe them in all stages as they grow and change.  We have also spent time talking about how the caterpillars would want to be treated while they are in our classroom, which has led to a broader conversation about how we should treat living things we encounter in nature:  look with your eyes, but please don't touch and use a calm and quiet body while you are observing.  These expectations will become especially important when we begin ECO.

This past week we had 3 butterflies emerge.  After wishing them well, we released them so they could begin their journey south.

During our literacy time we have been working on a variety of skills that are critical for reading development. We use a program called Fundations to learn letter names, letter sounds, and letter formation.  Each letter is introduced with a key word to help children remember the corresponding sound. This week we learned the letters t, b, and f.  We have spent time talking about words that begin with each of these sounds as well as practicing writing the letters.  

We have also been working on phonological awareness skills. Phonological awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in language and is a critical first step in learning to read.  These include rhyming, playing with word parts including syllables and beginning sounds, as well word awareness, which is the understanding that sentences are made of words and each word we say is represented by one written word, with spaces between. Children have practiced reading simple "I can..." and "I like..." sentences, pointing to the words as they say them to help develop the idea of one spoken word for each written  word. We have practiced these skills in a variety of ways, including "write the room," which is an activity kindergarteners tend to love.  Children get to walk around with clipboards and recording sheets looking for pictures that help them practice specific skills. This is a great way to keep part of the class engaged while I work with a small group.  Our first "write the room" involved deciding if two pictures rhymed or not. 

While these are essential skills to practice for reading acquisition, perhaps the most important thing you can do to support your children's development as readers is read books to them. We gather with third and fourth grade learning buddies once a week to do just that (along with other fun activities throughout the year.)  This quickly becomes a much anticipated time of each week and is a great way for kindergarteners to get to know older students in the building.