Mrs. Giddings' Kindergarten

I Love to Read and Write Week

2012-02-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have three guest readers this week.

Thank you Phil.......,

(Substitute teacher, Mrs. Landers)

Mr. Heibert!........

AND Mr. Sherman!

All dressed up in the house corner during playtime...

Have a wonderful vacation!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

We started our late afternoon with playtime. As usual, we had lots of creative construction and imaginative play going on.

Here are dinosaurs and blocks.

Car tracks...

Car garages.....

Playtime was followed by board and table games.

Followed by snacks.......

Then we got to open our Valentines.

Thanks to all of the parents who worked so hard at home to support our special day!! Valentines were shared by all, and the snacks were delicious!

Kindergarten News Letter

2012-02-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2012

What a great time we had celebrating the 100^th day of school! Following the plan we made earlier in the week, everybody created a ‘100 collection’ either at home or here at school, some children counted to 100, some counted by 10s, and some jumped 100 times. Zachary and Grady built a gigantic building on the chalkboard using 100 magnetic letters, Max, Braden and Gracie built a tower using 100 blocks, Kaden and Brooklynn made a beach with 100 seashells, Brianna Chloe and Garrett made a huge Valentine with 100 hearts, and Cody made a rainbow using 100 colored pencils. Please go to the DVES website and check out the photos on our class blog.

Next week we will focus on letters K and L in literacy and in math we will finish up with measuring, continue to work with solid figures (cylinder, cone, sphere, rectangular prism and cube) and count by 2s, 5s and 10s.

We will continue to read, talk and draw about castles and kingdoms, and work on our social skills.

There will be a book swap on Monday - your child can bring in a book or two or more that they don’t want and trade for something new.

We’ll have a Valentine’s Day party on Tuesday - healthy snack donations are welcomed; it is also favorite book character dress-up day.

Friday will be early dismissal.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

100 Day Celebration Photos

2012-02-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

100 Blocks

100 Colors

100 Shells

100 Hearts

100 Letters

Playtime

2012-02-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

Working with dinosaurs and cars, we are learning to share, trade and take turns.

Here We Are!

2012-02-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Some people like peace and quiet during snack......

Others like a crowd!

The fun is that we never have the same group arrangement during snack for any two days in a row. The children are allowed to visit Mrs. Swanson's, Mrs. Sullivan's and even Mrs. Mandraccia's room during snacktime - and children from those rooms are often invited to snack with us!

The following are photos from today's math lesson. We were learning about solid figures. If the children could identify a rectangular prism, cube, cone, sphere or cylinder, they could take a shape and build something. We had lots of towers!

The building theme was continued during playtime when structures were built to house cars and trucks.

Here is another playtime creation:

Calendars wanted

2012-02-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

Does anyone have a 2012 calendar to donate? I have 7 but need 5 more so each child can have one. Any regular sized calendar with numbered boxes would be great. Thanks!

Read! Read! Read! And Boxes

2012-01-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday the children disassembled boxboard boxes, discovering how boxes of all shapes are made from a flat piece of boxboard. After taking the boxes apart at the seams, they traced the shape of their boxes, then reassembled the boxes using transparent tape. Here are some photos of the reassembling task.

Sometimes it took teamwork!

Paper Projects

2012-01-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

Last week the children made paper mache bowls - or hats - or nests.
Earlier this week we painted the bowls

and today we decorated them using all different kinds of paper.

The children were as clever and creative as usual!

We Love Mystery Readers!!!

2012-01-19T15:46:00.000-08:00

Phil Taylor came to school on Wednesday as our Mystery Reader and brought a book called, Stuck. When the story began, the children were just sitting back.

As the story progressed, some of the children began leaning in.

and getting closer....

and closer!

The children liked the book so much that they voted to put a copy in the library.

Thumbs up for Stuck! Thanks, Phil!!

Kindergarten News Letter - Friday, January 13, 2012

2012-01-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hurrah for snow!! The children have been outdoors lots today slipping and sliding – laughing and playing. Sledding has begun and is open to all children during lunch recess and will sometimes be available during morning recess depending on if we have enough adults to cover both play areas. If your child brings a sled to school, please put his or her name on it. Sleds do not get used exclusively by the owner; all sleds at school are shared – but your child will have first dibs on that sled when he or she is there. If at any time you want to take the sled back, then you can identify your child’s – lots of sleds look alike!

Because of the snow-day this week, we did not test for the sight word challenge. The words we were working on this week were the ones that can be sounded out: in, it, at, am, an, and, can, on and up. Some children have been writing these words at home and find that it really helps. We can work on these words another week (since next week is another short one) and check who has met the challenge by Friday.

I will be out of the building at a writing workshop on Wednesday, January 18. Barbara Landers will be in as the sub. The children had her very early in the year and it was a very successful and productive day. I am so delighted that she will be here for the children again. If you see her in the morning, please feel free to introduce yourself and make her feel welcomed.

Our wood and paper unit in science is seeming to go on forever. On Tuesday we made paper mache bowls – unfortunately I could not get my hands free of paste long enough to take photos! The bowls are dry and are just waiting for paint. We will then begin our building projects using all of the wonderful little boxes and paper items that came in.

In math we are working on reading and writing numbers to 20, understanding the tens and ones place, counting by 2’s (called ‘skip counting’) and measuring. Any opportunities you have at home to call attention to daily measuring activities (i.e. weighing yourself! (-; cooking, or using a ruler or tape measure) would be very supportive.

We will focus on the letters V and W next week. You might start a running list of things at home that begin with those letters.

Mystery Readers STILL Wanted! Just let me know when you can come in; we have one person signed up for Wednesday afternoon.

Have a great weekend. See you on Tuesday!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Another good day in kindergarten!

2012-01-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

What a hard working group of children we have! The whole class has been working so diligently with letters and numbers (learning about tens and ones most recently) that we had to have a popcorn celebration while listening to Stuart Little this afternoon. Following that, another group made recycled paper and we ended the day with a wonderful story by our Mystery Reader, Sieglinde Joyce.

To make paper, first we put tissue paper in a bottle.

Then we add water and begin to shake.

And shake.....

And shake!

Then we pour the water and pulp out onto a screen in order to drain the water.

We place a second screen on top of the pulp and press more water out.

Then we dump the wet pulp onto a piece of waxed paper and roll it flat with our bottle, again mopping up extra water with a sponge. We put the final product on the window sill to dry.

Here we are, gathered around Sieglinde as she reads us a story.

We focused on the letter G this week; next week our special letter will be E.

Don't forget that Friday Winter Activities begin tomorrow; the children will leave the classroom at 12:45 and return to class at 2:30.

Have a great weekend!
Cherie Giddings

Recycling Paper

2012-01-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today one group of scientists learned how to make new paper out of old paper. We put tissue paper in a bottle with water and shook it up until the paper turned to pulp. Then we strained the pulp with a screen and soaked up the excess water with a sponge. We rolled the pulp out using the bottle as a rolling pin - soaking up more water with our sponge. We put our flat little piece of paper by the window to dry.

Tomorrow the another group of scientists will get to do it.

Voila!

Earlier in the Year....

2011-12-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken early in the year of the children during math and playtime - before I started the blog.

Look how much the children have grown since then!!

And a happy feast was had by all.....

2011-12-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your donations to share! We had just the right amount of food; it doesn't take much to build on our sense of community and unity! Have a Merry Christmas, everybody!

Another Mystery Reader!

2011-12-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have Mrs. Eithier, DVES's long-time and well-loved former librarian, appear as our mystery reader today. She read one of her all-time favorite books, The Polar Express.
Even though most of the children are familiar with the movie, and some even have the book, the class was completely enraptured as Mrs. Either took them on that famous train ride to the North Pole. And when she rang a bell - just like the one from Santa's sleigh - and asked if anyone could hear it, well of course, every hand in the class went up. Which just goes to prove that every child in our class believes in sharing, caring and giving love at Christmas!

Can anyone hear the bell??

I can!

Don't forget to send in a snack to share tomorrow - we will have a little holiday celebration and give a fond farewell to Skylar as he heads off to a new school after the Christmas break. He will be greatly missed!

Happy holidays, everyone!

We Had Our First Mystery Readers!!

2011-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today we had two Mystery Readers. Early this morning, Abby's mom, Sara Pratt, came to school to read Llama Llama Holidrama to the children. (I am so sorry I didn't get a photo!) Later in the day, former principal, Kathy Larsen, came and read How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The children were so excited, and they were GREAT listeners. We have one more reader coming tomorrow. Does anyone want to come on Friday? The only slot we have available is at 8:45 - right after REP. All you have to do is come with your favorite book, but DON'T tell your child you are coming. Let it be a surprise! Just email, call, or write a note. I will take the first offer I get.

Kathy Larsen reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas

A Little Bit About Our Day

2011-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

In math class we learned the word, probability and talked about things that happen always, sometimes and never. We pulled colored cubes from a tub and using tally marks, we kept track of how many times we got each color.

During reading we made words with letter tiles. We started with at and changed it to it. We changed it to in; in to on; on to an; an to am; back to an, then can, an again and then and. We also worked on the proper formation of R, r and n.

We experimented dropping water on many different paper samples; construction paper, cardboard, tag board, corrugated cardboard, waxed paper, tissue paper and paper towels. Through our investigation and careful observations the children learned how the different types of paper react to water. Some paper samples changed color, some tore, water beaded up on some, and some fell apart. We left some paper samples in a tub of water overnight to see what will happen.

Mrs. Restino took our photo as we gathered in front of the Christmas tree.

Happy holidays everyone!

With love,

The Giddings Gang

News and Announcements

2011-12-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

This is sure to be a challenging week in school for Kindergartners, who will be anxiously counting down the days until Christmas. Emotions have already been running high and misbehaviors have been more prevalent than usual. Please keep an open dialogue about the ups and downs of your child's day. The children will need more reminders than usual to use their words, express their needs (and hurts) and to be kind to each other. If your child has a difficult time please keep me informed so that problems can be addressed. If you have told me that things have upset your child and they continue, please let me know that, too. If you don't get a chance to touch base with me at the beginning or the end of the day, email is a great way to communicate.

Several children have been out with colds, sore throats and stomach viruses. As much as I hate to have children miss school, I appreciate your efforts to keep the germs out of the classroom as much as possible. Also, school is not an easy place to be when you're not feeling well! Hopefully everyone will be healthy and back in school this week.

Speaking of being out of school, it will help to know if your child will be out of school on an early holiday toward the end of the week. We will be making gifts and cards to take home; these things will hopefully be ready to go home on Thursday. On Friday the 23rd (1/2 day) I would like to have a shared snack 'party' celebrating the holiday season. Instead of sending individual snacks on that day, please consider sending in a healthy food that can be shared. I am happy to cut things up - a few fruits goes a long way. The children love carrots, seeds and nuts, cheese and crackers, popcorn, etc. I have peanut butter in the classroom, I would spread it on crackers if you have a small package to donate.

Thanks for all you do to support your child in school! Have a good week!

Sincerely,
Cherie Giddings
cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

P.S. I found a crumpled $5 bill under the coat hooks. If you think your child lost it, please let me know so I can return it.

Spanish, Visitors and Table Time

2011-12-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

On Monday mornings, Maestra, ('teacher' in Spanish) joins our morning meeting circle. We greet each other, sing songs, play games and read books in Spanish.

Recently, we have been starting our day with 'Table Time' - a time for children to do quiet learning activities of their choice such as puzzles, writing and reading. Sometimes the tables are not big enough!

On Wednesday of this week Ms. Bacon's 2nd graders came to our class to do a survey. They asked us questions about our favorite things.

Friday Activities

2011-12-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

After morning meeting, we headed off to REP where school-wide miles and book counts were announced, shining stars were introduced and we sang and danced. Max was invited up front to play an instrument for one of the songs.

During our afternoon math class, the children paired up and played concentration matching numeral cards 1 - 10 with cards showing the value of the numerals with dots.

After math we had a 4-Winds science lesson with Judy and Ann. It began with a puppet show about the three kinds of rock: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic.

After the puppet show the children investigated many different shapes and textures of rock by feeling them behind their backs, and then by looking at them.

As a culminating activity we went outdoors and collected rocks that children either took home or donated to our science table.

Here is a copy of the parent newsletter that went home at the end of the day:

Mystery Readers Wanted!

I would love to have one person a week come in and read to the children. Here is how it would work: You contact me secretly and let me know of someone who wants to volunteer ½ hour and read a book of their choice to the class – it could be yourself, a big brother or sister, aunt, uncle or grandparent, neighbor or friend - and a time you/they would be available. The best time of the day for us would be in the afternoon at 2:15, but other times could be arranged. I would confirm a time with the reader – then let the children know that a ‘mystery’ reader is coming!

Our new letter next week is n and we continue to work with numbers 6-10.

We examined many different kinds of paper in science today (Thursday). Take a few moments and look around your house to see how many different ways you use paper – and how many different kinds of paper there are. (Be sure to include all different weights of cardboard!)

Now that we are needing full outdoor regalia, getting all of our outdoor clothes back and forth to school can be a challenge for a 5-year-old. Please have a discussion with your child and let him or her know what needs to come home every night and what can stay at school.

I wish you all a happy and healthy weekend.

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Sharing

2011-12-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

Sharing is a regular activity in the kindergarten classroom. During morning meeting we share thoughts, ideas, likes and dislikes; we talk about places we have been and places we would like to go - the list is endless. Today we had 'turn and talk' which means we turned and talked to our neighbor in the circle and shared what we thought we might like to do when we grow up. We had some very interesting ideas such as being a swimmer and teaching swimming lessons, riding horses, being a scientist and a recycler, being a scientist who watches tornadoes and drives an orange truck, becoming a doctor and a teacher, riding 4-wheelers and dirt bikes, racing 4-wheelers, and plowing snow.

Just before lunch recess each day, we have 'book share', when we get out our book boxes out and look at our favorite books with each other. Mr. Kniffen, Mrs. Fillion and Mrs. Giddings read to us when we ask. It is a lively and animated time in our classroom!

Quiet Time

2011-12-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

Quiet time takes place every day for twenty minutes after lunch. During this time the children are allowed to move freely around the classroom getting what they need and working where they are comfortable on self-directed activities or projects.

After quiet time, we have a math lesson. Each lesson begins with a look at the calendar. The helper of the day helps us count the days of the month and review the days of the week and months of the year in order. Using the 100 chart, we check out how many days of school we have had. We are looking forward to our 100th day celebration which will take place once we have been in school for 100 days! For the remainder of the math lesson, the children paired up and played a game spinning a spinner, moving along a game board and collecting pennies on way to the finish line. Everyone played fairly, worked accurately and had a good time!

Kindergarten News

2011-12-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

Literacy

Our letter this week was I. The key word we use to remember the sound of this letter is ‘itch’. Next week we will study the letter D; the key word to remember the sound of D is ‘dog’. We continue to work on writing our own sentences with a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end. We are learning to use a combination of spelling (our sight words) and sounding out (all other words).

Math

In addition to learning the months and days of the week in order and counting, we have been practicing writing the numbers 6 – 10. We will continue working on these skills and with these numbers next week.

Science

Our study of wood has been quite interesting - yesterday we made our own sawdust using a block of pine and some heavy duty sandpaper. Today we mixed sawdust, wood shavings and water (!) for some investigations and explorations. See photos on the blog. Thank goodness for Mr. Sherman!

Don’t forget to send in empty paper boxes - cereal boxes, cracker boxes, paper-clip boxes, and other small boxes. We are running behind schedule so perhaps you could collect a few things and send them in first thing next week. We will also need scrap paper and wood scraps for making our final projects. We welcome contributions of interesting paper - wrapping paper, crepe paper, wallpaper, tissue paper, etc. by Friday, December 9.

Today we had a 4-Winds science lesson with Judy and Ann about erosion.

I will be at a literacy workshop tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 2. Mrs. Ernest will be the guest teacher. There are some special activities planned; I’m sure the children will have a good day.

Have a great weekend!

More Wood and Water!

2011-12-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

This week we experimented with wood shavings and sawdust. First we explored without water - then we added water. Yikes!

It looks pretty tidy, but as you can imagine, it got interesting when we strained the chips out of the water to see what we could do with wet wood chips! The answer was, not much!

On Thursday we had a 4-Winds science lesson with Anne and Judy on erosion. We learned what can cause erosion: water, glaciers, wind, the pull of gravity, and weathering. Look for examples of erosion in your own back yard - or in your travels.

A kindergartner's day is full of work and play!

2011-11-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

Children are ready for their handwriting lesson.

The children learned to draw rabbits in art class.

Finally, it was time to celebrate our thanks. The children each made a turkey to take home with long lists of things they are thankful for.

And so the Pilgrims and Wampanoags shared a fabulous snack feast. Thanks so much for all the donations of healthy whole foods that came in, and also to Tessa and Sielginde for lending a hand!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!

2011-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Friday News Letter

2011-11-19T05:06:00.000-08:00

November 18, 2011

Literacy

Our letter this week was S. The key word we use to remember the sound of this letter is ‘snake’. Next week we will study the letter I; the key word to remember the sound of I is ‘itch’. We have had fun learning the structure of a sentence with a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end – writing simple sentences about ourselves. We are also working on the structure of a story and oral story telling. See if your child wants to tell you the story called Echo Finds Dinner.

Math

We have finished our math unit on patterns and sorting and began a unit reading and writing numbers 6 – 10.

Science

This week we began a study of wood and paper. We will be looking at the properties of wood and paper (texture, color, absorbency, flexibility, etc.) and how different kinds of wood and paper are alike and different. Then we will investigate how wood and paper can be processed as we sand wood, make simulated particle board, recycle paper, and laminate wood and paper strips into simulated plywood and paper mache bowls. Finally, we will use what we have learned about the properties of these materials to make constructions.

We will need a collection of empty paper boxes - cereal boxes, cracker boxes, paper-clip boxes, and other small boxes by Friday December 2. We will also need scrap paper and wood scraps for making our final projects. We welcome contributions of interesting paper - wrapping paper, crepe paper, wall paper, tissue paper, etc. by Friday,

December 9.

Social Studies

We have been reading stories and talking about the first Thanksgiving – how it was celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native Americans – and typical traditions practiced today.

Check out the kindergarten blog to see photos of science and art lessons as well as of making potato chips with Lonny Paige!

Have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Team Work!

2011-11-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

With the help of many adults, the K/1 team planted 37 daffodil bulbs in the field along Route 100.

First we dug the holes.

Then we set the bulbs in, roots down, tips up.

We covered the bulbs over with dirt,

and headed back up to school for RECESS!

Where we like to balance.....

slide

and swing on the zip-line.

When we got back into school, the whole team gathered in Mrs. Sullivan's first grade classroom to eat the potato chips our class made with Lonny Paige yesterday (see yesterday's post).

They were sooooo good!

Thanksgiving Pot-luck Snack

2011-11-19T04:09:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Nov. 22 we would like to have a pot-luck snack at the end of the day in honor of Thanksgiving. I’m hoping that a few of you would be able to send in a very small portion of one of the following whole foods - foods that might have been shared on the first Thanksgiving:

2 or 3 pieces of fresh fruit ( I will cut them up)

cut up fresh vegetables

nuts

seeds

Thank you!

Fresh baked, home grown organic potato chips!

2011-11-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

Lonny Paige came to DVES to teach the kindergartners how to make their own potato chips from the potatoes they harvested from the school garden. It was fun and the chips were DELICIOUS! We had a taste test today and will share the chips with the whole K/1 team tomorrow.

First the children brushed oil on the empty pans. Then they spread out a single layer of potatoes.

Love the gloves! One size fits ALL???

Lastly, they brushed a little bit of oil on the top of the potatoes.

Out of the oven; into the tummies. Mmmm-mmmmm good!

Wood and Water

2011-11-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday the children investigated the effect of water on wood. They found that sometimes the water beads up and sometimes it soaks in; the color of the wood changes and sometimes wet wood pieces stick together!

On Wednesday, the children tried to find out how many jumbo paper clips it would take to sink different kinds of wood. We worked with plywood and pine blocks. We will count our paper clips and graph our results tomorrow.

Teddy Bear art on Tuesday

2011-11-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

This week the children learned to draw teddy bears in art class. They were hard at work!

Art and Science!

2011-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

Our day was filled with activities, working on letter identification, sounds and formation during literacy, and identifying coins and making patterns in math. We went to the computer lab to use the computers; and had art class. In art we learned to draw cats. Here are some samples of our work:

At the end of the day we investigated and played with wood samples during science. Here is what that looked like.

Dear Parents,

Our class is beginning a study of wood and paper. We will be looking at the properties of wood and paper (texture, color, absorbency, flexibility, etc.) and how different kinds of wood and paper are alike and different. Then we will investigate how wood and paper can be processed as we sand wood, make simulated particle board, recycle paper, and laminate wood and paper strips into simulated plywood and paper mache bowls. Finally, we will use what we have learned about the properties of these materials to make constructions.

We will need empty paper boxes - cereal boxes, cracker boxes, paper-clip boxes, and other small boxes -by Friday, December 2. We also need to gather scrap paper and wood scraps for making our final projects. We welcome contributions of interesting paper - wrapping paper, crepe paper, wall paper, tissue paper, etc. by Friday, December 9.

Thank you for your help and support!

Cherie Giddings

Worms and wars!

2011-11-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Battle of the Bears..... and Frogs!

A Playtime Creation

We made a habitat for our night crawlers and sow bugs.

Friday, November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

November 4, 2011

Our letter this week is O. The key word we use to remember the sound of this letter is ‘octopus’. Next week we will study the letter F; the key word to remember the sound of f is ‘fun’. We are working hard to learn our sight words. You will find a list of kindergarten sight words on the kindergarten blog at the DVES website. If you have not checked out this site, please do - I will be sharing important information there as the year goes along.

Math lessons have been about sorting, recognizing and creating patterns. Ask your child to help you sort things (laundry??) and see what kind of patterns you can find around the house. Also, we continue to count by ones, and we have begun to learn the names of the months and days of the weeks in order.

After observing small red worms we dug in the garden, night crawlers I bought at the store, and sow bugs I found outdoors, we created a worm and bug habitat in a terrarium in our classroom. This way we will continue to observe worm and bug habitat while we begin a new science unit next week. The new unit will be called wood and paper. Stay tuned for more details!

Don’t forget that REP goes from 8:15 – 8:45 each Friday. Family and friends are always welcome!

I am pleased to announce that our class had 100% attendance at parent conferences. No wonder your children are such good learners! Thanks to all of you for supporting the work your child does here at school.

Have a good weekend.

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

Kindergarten Teacher

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Tuesday, November 1

2011-11-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

Indoor play time

Harvesting the pumpkin seeds. Mr. Appel roasted them and we ate them at the end of the day.

play dough

Chutes and Ladders

Candy Land

writing

and building.

P.E. class with Mr. Wallling

Snack time!

Technology with Mrs. Manzke

In math today, we created our own ABC patterns using unifix cubes and presented our work to the class.

In literacy we introduced letter O. Tomorrow we will use o to make words such as top, mop, cop and bop with our letter tiles.

Mrs. Giddings bought night crawlers at the store and we watched them crawl around on our tables. Tomorrow we will talk about the likenesses and differences between the little red worms we dug ourselves and the night crawlers. We read a book about worms and found out that the ring around the larger worms that we were calling a band-aid is really called a saddle, and that just as one child suspected, only the adult worms have them.

Our special classes today were technology and art. In art we practiced drawing a lion in our art journals. In technology we worked and played on the computers.

27 Kindergarten Sight Words

2011-10-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

I a am an at and is it in go no so
like he we me see to do my on you can up the here said

By the end of the kindergarten year, all children will be able to read and write these words.

Kindergarten Special Area Class Schedule

2011-10-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Monday: P.E., Paul Hoak, Project Adventure
Tuesday: Technology, Art
Wednesday: P.E.
Thursday: P.E., Music
Friday: REP, Library, Music

Investigating Earthworms

2011-10-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

What is the structure of an earthworm? What do earthworms do? How do they move, and how do they behave in certain situations? We tried to find out.

We put obstacles in front of the worms to see what they would do. We used cube shapes

and flat shapes..

We watched what they do when they come to the edge of the table!

Which way do they go?

Over, under or around?

We held them in our hands...

And looked real close.

We had a lot of fun learning about worms!

Future Architects of America!

2011-10-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2011

Focusing on the letter C this week, we used letter tiles to write cab, cat and cap. Next week the letter of the week will be M. If your child can identify the upper and lower case letter as well as the sound it makes, all is well. If it is a new letter for your child, please support mastery of that letter by finding as many ways to use it at home as possible. Suggestions are: make cookies in the shape of that letter, put ketchup on the hamburger in the shape of that letter, look for that letter on road signs, see how many words you can think of that begin with that letter sound, etc. Knowing the letters and letter sounds is essential for your child to be successful on the end-of-year reading benchmarks. It is our goal in the K/1 team that every child in kindergarten and first grade meet the standard in both reading and math by the end of the year. With your support we can make this happen!

We will finish the unit in math on numbers 0-5 today. On Monday we will begin Unit 2 Chapter 3 – sorting and classifying objects. See the family letter from the math curriculum attached.

Using our knowledge of the structure of a fish, we created our very own – look for the display next week when you come for conferences.

On Tuesday we dug the potatoes that last year’s kindergarten class planted. We will wash and prepare them for cooking next week. Be sure to see the photos on the DVES website. Go to ‘Classrooms’ and click on ‘Mrs. Giddings K’.

Don’t forget that REP goes from 8:15 – 8:45 each Friday. Family and friends are always welcome!

I am scheduling parent conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday next week from 3:10 – 5:50. Sign-up sheets went out last Friday. If you have not signed up yet, please do. I find conferences informative and helpful as I work to meet the needs of your child.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

Kindergarten Teacher

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Digging Potatoes and Collecting worms

2011-10-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day in the garden. We harvested the potatoes that Mrs. Giddings' kindergarten class planted last spring. We will dry and clean the potatoes, then cook them up into potato chips or french fries and share with as many classes as we can. This was the best potato crop yet! We also collected worms which we will use in the next part of our animal studies in science.

Thank you Sieglinde for your help!

Potatoes and worms! Yummy!

Friday, October 7, 2011

2011-10-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

It was a busy day in kindergarten! Our day started off with our performance at REP. Over the past few weeks the children drew pictures of objects that begin with each letter of the alphabet - at REP Mrs. Manzke ran the projector and gave a slide show of the pictures while the class performed a chant giving the letter and letter sound for each picture. The children performed exceptionally well for their first time on stage!

Two of our classmates received shining star awards (they will be sent home through the mail): one for using a strong clear voice when sharing, and another for reminding friends to be quiet during independent work time. Using the right level of voice at the right time is an important skill, allowing optimal learning in any classroom.

In Language Arts we practiced writing lower case 'b'. It is important that the children learn to form their letters correctly. When we write a lower case b we say, "Down, up and around."

After a short recess and snack, the children went to the library, had a story with Mrs. Manzke and checked out new books.

After library the children went to music, had book share back in the classroom, went to recess, had lunch, quiet time and math. In math the children presented the data they collected and recorded on graphs yesterday. Ask them what data they collected and what they found out!

We went to the library again for technology since we missed our regularly scheduled technology lesson on Wednesday due to the field trip. After technology we had our first 4-Winds science lesson with Judy and Anne.

We saw a puppet show about the importance of the sun, then Judy showed the children how the earth revolves on its axis creating day and night, and revolves around the sun creating the seasons.

We traced our shadows before the puppet show, and then revisited our shadows about 30 minutes later.

Guess what! Our shadows moved!

After 4-Winds we played on the playground, then came indoors for read-aloud with Mr. Sherman. He read us a book all about kittens.

That was a BIG busy day! Have a great weekend; hurrah for the beautiful weather!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

2011-10-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Parent conferences are coming up. Look for the paperwork in your child's backpack and be sure to sign up. If you cannot make an appointment, please let me know as soon as possible so that I can offer your time slot to somebody else.

On Monday we will begin official reading groups. Some of my kindergartners will go to Amy Swanson's room for their reading lesson. We will each have a group of 10 kindergartners. On Monday, ask you child who their reading teacher is. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a great weekend!

Stonewall Farm Field Trip

2011-10-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous day to be outdoors!

The first thing we did was eat our snacks!

Then we played on the playground.

We saw horses......

calves........

cows,

and a llama!

We went on a hayride,

and made apple cider.

YUM!

The Great Pumpkin taught us about the life cycle of a pumpkin.

We pollinated pumpkin flowers with our bee puppets,

and took a hike through the woods.

This was a BIG tree!!

Mrs. Giddings' class and chaperones.

THANK YOU chaperones!!!

REP Assembly: Bash the Trash Concert

2011-10-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Bash the Trash came to our school to teach and to entertain. As Mrs. Fillion said, they came to give us cheer and to lift our heavy hearts after the flood. The children learned, and they laughed! It was a wonderful hour long presentation!

Read-aloud with Mr. Sherman

2011-10-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

By the end of the day today, children should be able to say:

"I can sound out and read words that rhyme with BAT." Examples: CAT, RAT, HAT, SAT, MAT, and FAT. (We worked with small colored letter tiles.)

"I can write 'T' top to bottom, left to right" We used our individual mini-chalk boards to practice writing the letter T then followed up with a handwriting sheet.

"I can count to 19". We look at and count the days in the month and the number of days we have been in school. We have been in school for 19 days.

"I can count dots on a die, 1-5. I can fill in a graph and draw conclusions from the information shown."
To accomplish this, we played a game as a whole group and then split into groups of 2 and 3. Each child took a turn rolling the die, counting the dots and filling in a graph to show what they rolled. When the game was over we read our graph and determined which numbers were rolled the most and the fewest times.

Parts of our morning meeting was conducted in Spanish with our Spanish teacher, Maestra.
This morning the children went to P.E. and worked with the behavioral specialist, Paul Hoak. He uses a game format to help the children develop strong focusing skills. The more they listen and stay focused, the more successful they are at the games, and ultimately, the more fun and rewarding the games are.

In the afternoon the children went to Project Adventure with Mr. Walling and Inger.

Our read-aloud book was about fish!

Field trip on Wednesday!

I will keep you posted on our lessons and activities as frequently as I can. And don't forget to let me know if you do not want your child's photos used.

Friday, September 30

2011-09-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

September 30, 2011

We’ve had a busy week in kindergarten working on writing the letter Bb, writing numbers 1 – 3, and studying the life cycle of a butterfly. We have put letters together to make the words bat, tab and at. We are also learning to observe and record observations as we look at the newest additions to our class: five gold fish and two guppies! Our swallow tail caterpillars are in the chrysalis stage; they should be hatching any day now.

We will not take on a new letter study next week, but will prepare to present the sounds of all 26 letters in our REP presentation next Friday. REP starts at 8:15; family and friends are welcome!

We will bring a new book home to add to our collection. Be sure to ask your child to read it to you. There are a few tricky pages, so please lend assistance as needed.

Our field trip is on Wednesday. The weather is supposed to be sunny but chilly. Please make sure your child brings a snack, a lunch (if you have not ordered a bag lunch from school), a car seat and an extra layer of warm clothes.

I have started a BLOG to keep you informed of things going on in the classroom on a more regular basis. You can access it by going to the DVES website, clicking on Classrooms and then my name. I will be putting photos up throughout the year so that you can see the children in action. I will not use any names. If you DO NOT want photos with your child used please let me know right away.

Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

Kindergarten Teacher

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Deerfield Valley Elementary School

Monday evening, September 26

2011-09-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Through our work and play tomorrow, we will do a lot of important things!
We will look at our friends and smile as we greet them with a voice loud enough to be heard by others.
We will tell about a pet we have or have known, giving a topic sentence and several supporting details.
We will listen to others and remember what they say.
We will find out that we can make words with the letter sounds we have learned. (at, bat, tab)
We will write the letter B.
We will form B and b with play dough.
We will be able to tell which of two towers we build has more and which has fewer linker cubes.
We will play with our friends using words to explain our thoughts feelings and needs and we will listen to the thoughts feelings and needs of others.

It will be a busy day!

Don't forget that there will be no school on Wednesday, September 28.

September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

September 21, 2011

I’m sending home Friday notes on Thursday because illness in my family will take me out of town on Friday. Barb Landers will teach for me; she is a retired teacher, new to our area. Plans will be in place, and with the children’s help, I’m sure she and they will do fine. She will not know which parent goes with which child at the end of the day, but she will tell the children to stay with her until they see their ride. I’m planning on being back in school on Monday.

The children attended a wonderful presentation brought to us by the Estes Organ Company in Brattleboro on Wednesday morning; two musicians demonstrated many flute and reed instruments from around the world and talked about how they make the sounds.

We have worked with letters A and T thus far. Next week we will study letter B.

If you wish to support your child in his/her letter work, you can point out words that begin with T. It is important that they learn to associate letters with sounds – and, that they learn to listen for and identify the sounds in words. So when you serve toast, ask, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of toast?” The child would make the t sound and then you can ask, “What letter makes that sound?” We do this a lot in school, but the more the better. And of course, keep reading those bedtime stories! If anyone needs books at home, please feel free to come into the classroom and take some home. We have a huge class library and I don’t have nearly enough time to read all the books the children want to hear. It is inspiring to work with children who already have a love of books.

I hope you all found the little book with the children’s first sight word, ‘a’, in their backpacks. Just a reminder to keep these little books in a special place and look for opportunities for your child to read to anyone who will listen: a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, friend, etc. I will send a new one home next week.

In math we continue to work on reading, writing and counting numbers to 10. Math vocabulary words so far include top, middle, bottom, inside, outside, above, below, over, under, right and left.

Don’t forget to send the Stonewall Farm permission slips in.

Next Wednesday, September 28 there will be no school; teachers will be at an all day conference.

Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,

Cherie Giddings

Kindergarten Teacher

cgiddings@dves.k12.vt.us

Deerfield Valley Elementary School

September 20, 2011

2011-09-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Our letter of the week is 'T'.

New math words are over and under.

Our read aloud was a book about taking care of books! Ask your child what s/he remembers!

The children went to P.E., Spanish and Project Adventure today.

September 19, 2011

2011-09-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

September 16, 2011

Thank you to so many who made it to open house last week - how excited the children were to invite their families into their space and to share their work! If you did not make it, please feel free to stop in any time after school to look around, and see some of your child’s recent work on the walls and let them give you a tour of where they work and play.

We had a great week studying the letter ‘a’ - capital A, little a (formed as we write it), and crazy a (as seen in print). We have also learned that the letter ‘a’ makes a word all by itself. To support that understanding, each child received a copy of their very own first reading book. Please find a safe spot at home where your child can keep this book and the ones to follow. The more your child practices reading them, the stronger his or her skills will be. You can take turns reading books to each other!

In math we are working on reading, writing and counting numbers to 10. Math vocabulary words this week include the positional concepts of top, middle, bottom, inside and outside.

If all goes as planned, this afternoon we will have taken a hike through the woods and have watched a video about the constitution of the United States in honor of Constitution Day which falls on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Reminder - the K/1 team will go to Stonewall Farm on October 5. Don’t forget to save the date as drivers will be needed. Details and permission slips will be sent home on Monday.