MRS. KRAYER'S KINDER KORNER

The place to find the latest happenings in our classroom!!

  Week of May 14 

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THIS WEEK

Our story this week is Old MacDonald Had A Woodshop.  We talk about how we use different tools to do different jobs, and compare and contrast the different characters. You can build comprehension and share the story with your child by asking him/her to retell the story to you.

RAINFOREST UNIT

Please come!! All are welcome! Grandparents and others, too!!

We have been working very hard on transforming our classroom into a rain forest. Our big presentation for our families will be Friday, June 1, at 10:00.  We will present a Reader's Theatre (in which all the children will read!) to show off our reading skills, as well as give tours around the room of all we have learned about the rain forest. We will also have yummy rain forest snacks! The children are very excited to share this with you. They have all worked very hard. 

UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS

NEXT WEEK !!!!       Wildwood Insectarium      Thursday, May 24

Cold Spring Village     May 31

WORD WALL

 The list of words on our Word Wall is getting longer and longer. Here's our list so far:

my, little, is, like, to, the, see, am, I , a, have, for, he, me, with, she, see, look, they, you, of, do, are, that, one, two, three, four, five, here, go, from, yellow, green, blue, what said, was. 

We are adding where, come to the list this week.

Our Word Wall words are ones that we use often and should know by sight, so we practice, practice, practice.  These words can we reinforced at home by having your child find them on cereal boxes, in books, on labels, etc.

We have started distinguishing consonant blends at the beginning of words, such as cl in clap, sn in snip, and dr in drop. We continue to blend 3 & 4 letter words, first spelling them and then sounding them out. 

We are also discriminating the initial and final sounds of words.

Reviewing the alphabet with you child is extremely beneficial. Try writing the letters on paper and then having your child cut them apart. Reassembling in the right order or calling out 3-letter words for them to spell is fun and reinforces the skills we are learning in class.

TECHNOLOGY IN OUR CLASSROOM

Here's a few great logic sites your child can play at home:

http://mathplayground.com/logic_snoring.html

http://mathplayground.com/logic_snail_bob_2.html

As you probably know, we have a Smartboard in our clasroom. We use it many times during the day.

We also have a computer in our classroom for the children's use during center time or freeplay. 

Some of our favorite sites can be accessed at home as well:

abcya.com

dositey.com

New Everyday Math website for parents: http://bit.ly/x0lU3w

Includes: homework help

vocabulary

games

algorithm example videos

KEEP THAT NIGHTLY READING GOING!

Your child brings a copy of our daily reading book home most afternoons.

This is the book we have read in class that day.

Please try to have your child read this book TO YOU each evening.

These copies should be left at home in a special place to be re-read as the year progresses.

MATH  HOMEWORK CALENDAR

You are doing fabulous with the math calendars. Keep up the good work!

In an effort to reinforce and enrich your child's math learning, a monthly math homework calendar is attached to the inside of his/her take-home folder. The calendar 

includes activities such as fact practice, money, counting, and time. 

These are math concepts that 

students should practice on a daily basis.

All activities are quick and can be done with materials found around your home; some can even be completed in the car or at the dinner table.  I know that your schedules are busy. However, your child will only need a moment or two to complete them and will benefit greatly from daily practice.

 Please initial each box as the activities are completed. Also, please keep the calendar in your child's folder, as I will periodically check progress. Calendars will be collected at the end of the month.

 As always, thank you for your support in helping our students.

I look forward to seeing how  the new calendars further enrich our math curriclum.

We need MAGAZINES!

If you are finished with any you have at home,

please send them in to be used again in our classroom!

And just a little more.........

FOLDERS will be sent home everyday. Check inside to see                                            

some of what we did that day!  These can be kept at home.

The daily folder is a good way to communicate with me. You can

also email me thru this website....just click on "contact our staff."  

Children will need 

sneakers for GYM on 

Thursdays and Fridays. 

BLANKETS/TOWELS sent in for rest time will come home on Fridays

to be washed and brought back on Mondays. 

HEALTHY SNACKS PLEASE! Your child should have a healthy

snack EACH DAY for morning snack time. Try to avoid snacks

high in sugar, as we eat before lunch, and foods low in sugar

help us learn better!

Continue reading for a review of Kindergarten Educational Goals.........

KINDERGARTEN EDUCATIONAL GOALS

SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• speak in full sentences
• sit in a group and take turns
• wait for a short period of time
• express choices
• transition from task to task and from one adult to another
• interact with peers and adults in an age-appropriate manner
• develop social problem-solving skills
• understand that the world extends beyond themselves
• discern right from wrong
• accept being corrected
• develop empathy for others
• follow the rules and routines of the classroom
• show their unique personalities

LANGUANGE ARTS

• enjoy books
• increase reading, writing, listening, and interpretation skills and strategies
• understand conventions of print and spacing
• begin to develop reading strategies
• contribute ideas to discussions
• read own writing
• improve mechanics of writing

MATHEMATICS

• understand the relationship and the use of numbers and shapes within the real world
• use mathematical language appropriately to describe concepts

SOCIAL STUDIES

• explore families, communities, and the world around us
• examine different cultures and their contributions to the world as we know it
• study individuals who have contributed significantly throughout history

SCIENCE

• explore the relationship between physical, life, and Earth science systems
• measure and evaluate evidence using tools
• formulate and justify explanations with reasonable arguments
• predict and interpret cause and effect outcomes
• work collaboratively

CREATIVE ARTS

• show unique personalities and develop self-expression through dance, visual arts, music, and dramatic play