Busy in Tech

Pre-first has been busy in tech this month!  The girls have learned a variety of new iPad skills and apps.  During the first week of school, the girls learned iPad basics (home button, lock key, volume, how to close an app, changing the home and lock screen image) and acceptable use (how to hold and travel with the iPad, rules of use, etc.).  Next, the girls learned how to use the Face iMake app while Google Drive was set up on each iPad.  This year, students will be able to save work to Google Drive.  Information on accessing your daughter's Drive will be coming home in the future so that you can view the work from home!  Finally, the girls learned the app My Story in order to create a book about themselves.  The girls have also started using some of the Creation Station centers.   

Short a and Cooperation

We started reviewing the short vowel sounds this week and today we focused on the short a sound.  We watched a short Starfall video on the short a sound and then did a class sort where the girls matched short a words with pictures.

We also added the fifth petal to our daisy people today--cooperation.  The girls listened to Horsefly and Honeybee and we had a class discussion about what it looks like when a group of people cooperate.

After that, we gave the girls a cup, paperclips, a gummy worm named Sam, and a gummy lifesaver.  The girls had to cooperate and "save" Sam (flip the cup over, put the lifesaver on Sam, and put him in the cup) without touching anything except the paperclips.

Check out their cooperation below!

Make sure you ask your daughter if her group "saved" Sam!

Prediction, Mystery Reader and Word Wall BINGO

On Friday, the girls became fortune tellers as they learned about prediction during our author's study.  We read Shortcut by Donald Crews and discussed why predicting what happens next in a story is important to overall understanding.  We stopped reading the book halfway through and gave the girls "crystal balls."  The girls had to draw what they predicted would happen next in the story.

When they were done, we turned off our lights and held a flashlight to the bottom of their "crystal balls" while they shared their predictions.

The girls also had their first Mystery Reader!  

We are encouraging the girls to use our Word Wall as a reading and writing aid.  Today we played Word Wall Bingo (which the girls love) and it was wonderful to watch the girls as they grow more comfortable with these words.

Art: Stamps to Our Imaginary World

The girls used art materials to make oversized stamps which we will use to "travel" to their imaginary worlds in art.

Sequencing and Word Study

The girls worked in math centers today and this week we have been working on sequencing numbers.  Here the girls are sequencing foam shapes with different numbers written on them.

They worked in pairs to complete a sequencing worksheet.

The girls learned a new app called Line 'Em Up, which focuses on putting numbers in order.  The girls loved how the app continued to challenge them!

Today in word study, the girls completed a "no-peek" sort.  Be sure to ask your daughter how it works!

Labeling, ant parts, and word study

In Writer's Workshop, the girls continued to work on their personal narratives and today we taught them the importance of labeling.  The girls studied a Richard Scarry book and learned that labeling meant giving an object a name.  Then the girls went back to their seats to label items in their illustrations.

As we continue our study of ants, the girls learned the main parts of an ant's body.  We played a fun "Simon Says" game and finally, the girls had to glue an ant back together.

We also started our word study this week.  Every Monday the girls will get a new group of words focusing on a certain feature.  This week our feature was beginning consonants (b, r, s, m).  Each day the girls will be completing a different activity with their words:

Monday--introduction to the focused feature and cut and sort words
Tuesday--sort and draw 6 of their words
Wednesday--sort and read words to a friend
Thursday--sort and write words
Friday--sort and glue words

Ten Black Dots and Swimmy

We started our "fun Friday" by reading 10 Black Dots by our author of the month, Donald Crews.  He incorporates black dots in funny and creative ways throughout his book.  After we read the story, the girls had to create their own picture using mini Oreos as their black dots.  The girls had a great time creating their own unique pictures.

The girls added another petal to their daisy people today--resilient.  We read Swimmy by Leo Lionni and had a great discussion about when they've had to be resilient in their lives. The girls then drew in crayon their favorite scene from the book where Swimmy had to show resiliency.  After that, they painted over their scene in blue paint, creating a wonderful underwater picture.

Writer's Workshop, Ants, and DEAR

We introduced Writer's Workshop this week and the girls' first step was learning how to illustrate a beginning, middle, and end of an event that personally happened to them.  

Today, the girls added more detail to their original drawings. Through this process (and as they work their way up to writing stories), they are understanding that a writer is never truly finished with just one draft.  We are so proud of how hard they are working on their stories!

We also had our first Author's Chair today.  The girls will get a chance to share and celebrate their work with their peers after every Writer's Workshop.

In math, the girls have been reviewing different methods of sorting.  This is both a math review lesson as well as a "secret" lesson to prepare them for their word sorts, which will start next week.  

Today during science we discussed what an ant might eat if they were to eat out at a restaurant.  The girls put on their "scientist" hats and predicted what the ants would like the most.  

We prepared our Ant Cafe and waited for 2 hours.

When we investigated later, the girls were delighted to see that the ants had happily set up camp in their cafe.

Make sure you ask your daughter what food the ants enjoyed the most!

The girls are learning how to choose an appropriate book for their D.E.A.R. time.  We reviewed the three different ways to read a book (ask your daughter) and which of those ways were their favorite.  The girls are excited as we are slowly working towards earning our first Coffee House.

Art: Experience

All the girls started the year with a material exploration and then connected their work and their ideas while working to their grade level theme.  Kindergarten's theme is EXPERIENCE. You can see the long list of connections they made and why it is such a relevant theme for this grade level! Our future units will explore a range of materials, genres, artists, and concepts related to their theme.  The overarching reflection question for the year is: How does art inspire and reflect the way we see and feel? 

Art: Imagination

All the girls started the year with a material exploration and then connected their work and their ideas while working to their grade level theme.  Pre-First's theme is IMAGINATION. A relevant theme for this grade level! Our future units will explore a range of materials, genres, artists, and concepts related to their theme.  The overarching reflection question for the year is: How can art develop and extend our ideas?

First days of school

These past few days with your daughters have been a lot of fun. We are having a blast getting to know the girls and they are doing a wonderful job learning our pre-first routines.  

Practicing writing our classmates' names with sidewalk chalk.

Working with unifix cubes to make and write numbers.

Making daisy suncatchers for our big window.