Kindergarten Learners

Writing: We will revisit opinion writing, which we had previously participated in, in the fall. We will be writing opinion pieces about various topics. Students will be able to form an opinion and then use reasons to justify it. Each week students will be able to form an opinion on a different topic and find reasons that support it. Students will be writing about their favorite animal, fruit; they will write about what item they would add to the lunch menu and what game they would want to play at recess. Students will be creative in coming up with their reasons why. They will state an opinion/topic sentence, they will write 3 reasons why (using the word because), and they will write a closing sentence, in the form of a question. They will use sequencing words: first, next, last, to tell reasons. In addition, we will continue to look at parts of grammar such as, adjectives in terms of size, shape, color, quantity and number, as well as when to use punctuation (period, exclamation point, question mark), fixing incomplete sentences, as well as using the past, present, and future tense verbs (ex: I talked, I talk, I will talk). Throughout the module we will reinforce how to be brave spellers (using letter sounds we hear to write unknown words), correct letter formation, the U.P.S checklist  (uppercase, period, space) for conventions of writing. Students will give each other peer feedback, as well self-assess using an editing checklist and the Rainbow Rating tool. Students will be assessed on their writing with an opinion writing rubric. You can help at home by encouraging your child to form opinions about various things and challenging them to use reasons why. In addition, you can inspire them to write opinion stories by reading fiction books with your child and having them look for opinions and reasons. You can also help by encouraging them to label their drawing, motivate them to be brave spellers (use letter sounds to write unknown words), reinforce correct letter formation and re-reading, as well as using the U.P.S checklist. 

Wilson: Students have now learned all lowercase letters and sounds, the digraphs, suffixes, and silent -e.  Students are expected to use what they have learned and apply it to reading and writing strategies. They will use letter sounds to read, segment and write CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. There are charts and videos posted to our Google Classrooms to help with this at home. It is important that your child uses the sound each letter makes so they can read and write independently.  It is time to apply what we have learned these past few months. Many students are doing this already and we are so proud of them!  Students will be expected to use these new sounds, in reading and writing words. Students are participating and advancing in our new phonemic awareness curriculum, Heggerty. This is helping with both reading and writing words.  This is the time of year where students are reading and writing words independently using the skills and knowledge they have been taught. We encourage you to use the resources on Google Classroom to continue to help your child master these skills.  As we approach the end of the year throughout the end of May and June, we will begin to expose students to first grade phonic skills such as vowel teams (ea, ay, ai, ee, ey, and others)

Reading: Does everyone in your family like the same foods? We each have our own opinion about which foods taste best. Over the next month, we will read books about how food gets from plants to our plates. We will even take a look underground to find out about special animal helpers that work behind the scenes to make gardens grow. Students will grow plants from seeds and observe the stages of the life cycle of bean plants.  At home you can support your child to keep conversations going: • Make statements that start with “I wonder” to get your child talking. • When your child answers with one word, ask questions to find out more. • Encourage your child to ask you questions. 

We encourage you to continue to use Raz Kids and our classroom lending library to read at home.  Here is how you can support your child as you read together: Make a special time and place to read with your child every day. While you read: • Ask questions to compare characters, such as, How are the characters the same/different? • Ask questions about sequence, such as, What happens first/next/last? • Look for and talk about words that have more than one meaning (bark, watch, ring).

Math:  In math, kindergarten students will begin to learn about two-dimensional (flat) and three-dimensional (solid) shapes. Students will identify the names of various 2D shapes, including triangles, circles, rectangles, squares, and hexagons, based on the number of sides and vertices (corners) that each shape has. Students will look for these two-dimensional shapes in the environment, such as seeing a circle on the face of a clock, or a rectangle in a birthday card. Afterwards, we will move into learning about three-dimensional shapes, including cone, cylinder, sphere, and cube. Students will match 3D solids to objects in their environment, such as matching a cylinder to a paper towel roll and a cube to a tissue box. Next, students will identify the relative position of shapes in their environment using terms such as below, beside, next to, above, in front of, and behind. Finally, students will analyze, compare, and sort two- and three-dimensional shapes based on their similarities, differences, and attributes. 

Students will end the year learning about different attributes used to measure and compare objects. We will focus on length, height, weight, and capacity. Students will compare objects using words such as shorter and taller, shorter and longer, heavier and lighter, and empty and full. Students will learn about the different tools used to measure these attributes including rulers, tape measures, scales, and measuring cups.

At home have your child practice looking for shapes in their environment. Ask them to describe the position of objects using words such as above, behind, next to, between, beside, and in front of. Also, have your child compare objects in your home using words such as lighter/heavier and longer/shorter.

Activities to do at home:

-Use the resources posted on Google Classroom to practice reading words using the tapping out strategy.

-Make a special time and place to read with your child every day. While you read: • Ask questions to compare characters, such as, How are the characters the same/different? • Ask questions about sequence, such as, What happens first/next/last? • Look for and talk about words that have more than one meaning (bark, watch, ring)

High Frequency Words:

Please continue to practice weekly high frequency words with your child to help build their fluency, stamina, and confidence in reading. Here you’ll find some fun activities you might want to try at home to make word practice a bit more engaging for your kindergartener: https://whatihavelearnedteaching.com/5-hands-sight-word-activities-kindergarten/

Science: In Science we are finishing up our unit about severe weather. We covered hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, ice storms, floods and droughts. We learned why these severe weather events are so dangerous to people and our environment.

Social Studies: We are going to be identifying a need in the community and working on an action plan to improve our community.

Art: K artists will get to dive into the vibrant colors of spring with fun and creative art projects. Using their imagination, they will create beautiful flowers and butterflies to celebrate the season. This will be the perfect way for our little artists to explore their creativity while learning about the beauty of spring.

 Music: Kindergarten is using their knowledge of steady beat, correct singing voice and matching movements to learn songs to perform at their Stepping Up Day Ceremony. The students will be practicing singing as a unified ensemble. They will be discussing themes such as growing up and having happy memories.

Family Comments: 

-Thank you for the chance to be a Mystery Reader!  K013 parent

Student Comments: 

-I’m a good reader! K013 student

-We are writing silly narratives.  They are so funny! I gave my character my friend’s name.  Also, my narrative is going to have the teacher’s character in it too. They are going to do stuff together in my story.   K013 student