Painting with M&Ms???

We are nearing the end of our five senses and the kiddos have learned so much. Some of the things that we have done are; made a graph of all our eye colors, put Mr. Potato Head together, listened to a tape of different sounds and decided if we would hear the sound outside or inside, talked about our favorite foods and graphed them, painted with M&Ms. 

On Thursday I had about 10 cups of water and in each cup I put the same color of M&Ms. We talked about how we would use all of our senses to eat M&Ms; smell, touch, see, taste, hear. 

 The kiddos made some beautiful paintings and had such a great time doing it!

Sept. 24 - 28

A quick peek at our week!

In reading we will...

• Draw a dad
• Learn the letter "T"
• Draw a top
• Learn the letter "S"

In math we will...

• Draw a scene of one...A SELF-PORTRAIT
• Graph our self-portraits
• Take the MAP test
• This is a test that all K-5 students take, at their level. We use the information to help us see who might need some extra support. 

In science we will...

• Put together Mr. Potato Head
• Paint with M&Ms
• Make a 5 senses book

Math Mats

In math I am starting to teach the kindergarteners some math games. Eventually they will be playing these games by themselves during our math intervention block. There will be 3 rotations of 10 minutes each. A sample rotation may be: Mrs. Mitchell, math tubs, and Mega Math on the computer. It is an independent time and when we get into the full swing, great things will happen during this half an hour. Here is a picture of the math game that we played today.

Sept. 17 - 21

This week we are moving into the 20s! 20 days of school that is. I am so proud of all that they are doing and how hard they are working. We are moving right along with Daily Five. So far we have done Read to Self, Word Work, and Listen to Reading. It is an independent time when the kiddos are working to improve their literacy skills. I am beyond thrilled at what they can do already. It makes me so excited to think about what they will be like by December. Wow! Here's a sneak peak at our week...

In reading we will...

• Learn the letter "A"
• Draw an ax
• Learn the letter "D"
• Draw a dad

In math we will...

• Use shapes to show a number
• Practice completing dot-to-dots

In science/social studies we will...

• Continue our 5 senses unit by exploring taste, smell, and sound
• Discuss the American flag and what it means
• Discuss the pledge of allegiance

Kindergarten Corner

Sept. 12, 2012

Mitchell's Mathematicians

The kinders are making some great progress in math already. We are working on talking about the why's and how's of math, instead of just the what. For example, we know that we add one more clip to our clip collection everyday, but why? I want the kids to understand and be able to verbalize the answer, which is, "because it's another day, so another clip!" They are also using words like equation and add. For only being in school for 17 days, that is pretty awesome!

When we work on putting objects with a given number, we do it in a variety of ways. One way is to use manipulatives like tiles, centimeter cubes, or pattern blocks. Today we used our shape cards, that we colored and cut, to show a number.

September 10th - 14th

This week in reading we will...

• Work on noun substitution by singing the song "Skip to my Lou" 
• Learn the letter "X"
• Draw an ox

This week in math we will...

• Work with shapes
• Use fine motor skills to manipulate shapes and blocks

This week in handwriting we will...

• Practice making the letter "D"

This week in science we will...

• Begin our 5 senses unit

Wow!

Well, it was a short and very sweet week. On Thursday the school was told that at 1:45 there would be an assembly about the fundraiser for our school. Our class showed up, got seated and awaited the speakers. Our PTO president and vice president came up to the mic and gave a pretty lackluster speech and that's when I realized that this wasn't about a fundraiser.

Up by the podium stood Dr. Dole, our superintendent, and a woman that I recognized from KU Credit Union. Something was up. Dr. Dole came up to the mic and started talking about how we have great teachers at Kennedy (of course we do!) and went on to say that today one of them was getting an award. He then preceded to quote faculty members and our principal. When he got to my dear friend Ann Lounsbury's quote, I looked over at her and she winked at me. That's when I knew, this was an award for me. A huge wave of emotion came over me and I was fighting back the tears.

On Thursday at our assembly I won the Horizon Award. It's an award given to new teachers that show promise and exemplary teaching. I am incredibly honored that I was nominated and that I, out of the whole district, was chosen. When Dr. Dole said my name I came up to the podium, gave our principal a big hug and fought back the tears. I don't need an award to validate what I do, I really don't, but wow, does it feel nice. My parents and husband were also in the gym and it wasn't until Mrs. Anderson pointed it out that I realized. They made me get up to the podium and say a few words, but at the moment I really couldn't summarize what I felt, so I think I'll do that now...

Being a teacher is everything to me and it just "fills me up." I would be lying if I said it was easy or that my kids are angels. It is hard work and some days I have to muster everything I have to get through our day. They make me laugh and sometimes they make me cry, both out of frustration and out of joy. Last year was hard and I was mystified that no one told me just hard it would be! And then, just like my friend Mrs. Holland told me, it got better. The kids started to get it and I did too.

What I love most about teaching is seeing kids come to life. I love reading them a story and watching their faces fill with anticipation as to what will come next. I love listening to them congratulate a friend or help one of their classmates out who really needs it. I aspire to teach them, but I also aspire to show them that they are worth it, no matter where they come from or what they look like, that they are worth something. I strive to teach them that they can do what they thought they could not. I hope that they begin school with dreams of becoming something great and that they will continue through school thinking just that. No, my class is not full of angels, but in the end, if I have done my job, they are all learners and dreamers.

My deepest and most sincerest thank you to all who have supported me. And thanks to all my teachers over the years.

Kindergarten Corner

August 30, 2012