Last week we were lucky to have the New England Aquarium visit Horace Mann. We have spent many afternoons learning about the ocean, reading nonfiction books about the ocean, and doing ocean related art projects, so having this visit was very fun! After the presentation we came together and made a list of things that we learned about. Here’s what we came up with:
-We learned about star fish. They are also called sea stars
-We learned that sea stars have 1 eye on each leg and their stomach is in the middle of their body.
-We learned about shells that clams live in.
-Clams keep their shells stuck together.
-We learned that horseshoe crabs have 10 legs.
-We learned that horseshoe crabs have shells that look like helmet.
-We learned that snails hide inside their shells and we learned that their shell grows with them.
November Updates:
CONFERENCES
Thank you for signing up and attending a fall conference. I am enjoying meeting with each family about the progress your child is making in kindergarten. I am looking forward to working with each child during the rest of the year as we continue to develop as learners in kindergarten.
MORNING DROP-OFF & AFTERNOON PICKUP
Now that November is here, it’s time to encourage your kindergartner to be more independent at morning drop-off. Most kindergartners are now ready to say good-bye at the door and begin their day in the classroom on their own. Hanging up coats and backpacks, signing in, doing their morning work, and greeting teachers and classmates are all things a kindergartner can do independently or with the help of a teacher. Of course, if you need to speak with me, feel free to come see me. Otherwise, I kindly ask that you say your good-byes in the hallway and let your child enter the classroom on his/her own. In the afternoon please meet us outside by the back doors. As always please make sure that your child has said goodbye to me with a handshake.
BALANCED LITERACY
Phonics: This month in Fundations we will learn the following letters: I (Ii-itch-/i/), U (Uu-up-/u/), C (Cc-cat-/c/), O (Oo-Octopus-/o/)
Writing: Kindergartners are using their writing folders and writing toolboxes, making a plan for their stories as well as stretching and writing words. It may be helpful to chat with your kindergartener about some things that they could write a story about. The focus for kindergarten Writing Workshop is writing “teaching stories” (about things we know about).
Reading: During our daily read aloud and shared reading times we will be focusing on several important concepts of print including: uppercase & lowercase letters, letters vs words, beginning vs end of word, and directionality (reading from left to right).
SOCIAL STUDIES & SCIENCE
During the early part of November, we will continue our study of the Sensational Season of Fall. We are having two exciting science afternoons where the three afternoon kindergarten classes will join together to create leaf rubbings, make observational drawings and use a Proscope (a digital microscope) to examine autumn leaves, pumpkins and acorns. Toward the end of the month we will begin our study of Living & Non-Living Things. When we return from Thanksgiving Recess, we will study the life cycle of living things when we plant and care for Narcissus bulbs.
MATH
This month we will continue with games and activities to develop consistency and accuracy with counting skills. We have been working with 5 frames to help students visualize numbers and see the relationships between numbers. We will soon start using 10 frames.
PERSON OF THE WEEK
Person of the Week is starting in Kindergarten! Please be sure to look for more information about Person of the Week in your child’s Friday folder this week.
