I was so excited this week! Our stamina for independent reading is building! We have been reading for 10-15 minutes independently, but needing lots of support to stay on task. This week we introduced partner reading. Now we are reading for 15 minutes independently, followed by 15 minutes of EEKK (Elbow to Elbow, Knee to Knee) partner reading. The kindergarteners are needing less support to read the whole time, so I will be ready to start working with small groups and conducting reading conferences with all students!
Thank you to everyone who donated apples this week. We used the apples to conduct a taste test of red, green and yellow apples. Many students were surprised to find they really liked green and yellow apples too! We also used the apples to do apple prints for a project to go along with the book Ten Apples Up On Top. At a math center, students used classroom objects to find out what was heavier or lighter than an apple using a balance scale. We tried some apple chips and found that they were pretty tasty. Friday we hope to use the extra apples to make applesauce in a crockpot.
In math, we have been working on adding one more. Our goal is to add one more object to a group and know how many there are without recounting. We also tried taking one away. We continue to work on subitizing or recognizing how many is in a group without recounting (dice, dominoes). You can practice the skill of adding one more at home at dinner time. Ask, "How many chicken nuggets are on your plate?" "Here's one more. How many do you have now?" You can also make up stories during playtime. "There are 5 Littlest Pet Shop characters going for a walk. Oh, look, another friend is joining them. How many are there now?"
Our popcorn words this week are yes and no. We have been asking many yes or no questions and spelling the answer. We learned how to form the letter Ll and its sound. We had lollipops.
Book orders were sent home this week. They are due back October 11. You can order with a check sent to the school and made out to Scholastic. You can also order online with our class activation code GNNTW at www.scholastic.com. Look for the link to Reading Club.
