Mrs. Straight's Kindergarten Korner

Let's Think Math!!!!!

2012-02-05T15:00:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of the week, I display our number for our THINK MATH! time in our Math corner. We take a little time to talk about the number and I ask the kiddos to think about the number in many different ways throughout the week. As Friday Math time comes around, we join together and record our information on the chart writing our number in many different ways! I get them going and let them take off. They tell me the different combinations and how to write our number so many different ways. The boys and girls LOVE to write the story problem. I am so proud of my
kinders --- they really know how to THINK MATH!

Chit Chat

2012-02-05T14:29:00.000-06:00

As I was blog hopping late one night, I came across one of my favorite blog sites by fellow Kindergarten teacher Deanna Jump. She had taken the concept of a morning message to another level to really challenge her kiddos. I thought my kiddos can do that --- and they did not disappoint!

Each Friday, we do our Chit Chat chart. I have a message printed for the kiddos to read with some letters missing. The boys and girls need to use context clues to figure out what is missing and we fill it in our chart. I always end each message with a questions. My boys and girls LOVE the challenge!

I then give them a print out of our little "Chit Chat" and they fill out the information independently and are able to take them home to read to the families.

February Math and Literacy Stations

2012-02-05T14:05:00.003-06:00

It is a new month. Time for new holidays, new units to study, new Kindergarten birthdays, new desk arrangements and new literacy and math stations. I set these stations up so the boys and girls can work independently. The activities are a review of past skills or on-going skills. Take a look at what February has in store for our Kindergarten friends!

Our Literacy Stations

Roll-a-sight word

Sorting word families/chunks and beginning sounds

The art station and dot paints!!!!

Computer station - thinking skills

Listening station - listening to February themed stories

Writing more and more sentences at the writing station!

Our Math Stations

Heart measurement - using standard measurement (a ruler) and

non standard measurement (candy hearts) to measure different sized hearts and then recording the information.

Coin recognition and their value

Roll a love bug

Counting by fives to 100. There is also counting by ones to 20 and by tens to 100. The boys and girls also practice writing the numbers for extra reinforcement.

Broken heart addition - The kiddos roll the die and read the number word to determine how many counters are needed to do their math work. All information is recorded on the math worksheet.

Working with patterns

Groundhog Day!!!

2012-02-05T13:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a little groundhog

Furry and brown

I am popping up

To look around

If I see my shadow,

Down I'll go

Then six more weeks of winter

OH ---NO!

Groundhog Day a fun day to share with my Kindergarten kiddos. I spent a few days leading up to February 2 reading books giving the boys and girls some back ground on the holiday. The boys and girls then made their own predictions and we posted them on our class graph.

We then analyzed our data and recorded our information.

The morning of February 2 arrived and of course and I had to post Punxatawney Phil's prediction:

UGH!!!

More Penguin Activities....

2012-01-29T17:05:00.000-06:00

We are continuing our fun time with penguins. Here are a few more activities we done over the last two weeks...

I found this awesome activity on pinterest. To illustrate how polar bears, penguins and other creatures stay warm with blubber, I filled two baggies with Crisco (our blubber) and put them in a bigger baggie. The "blubber" was put in a bowl of ice water (Antartica). The boys and girls took turns putting their hands between the baggies of "blubber" and in "Antartica". This was a great way to show how the animals stay warm with their blubber. My kiddos could really understand this concept because their hands in the "blubber" stayed nice and warm!!! The other hand well ................ B-r-r-r-r-r-r!!!

It was great fun!!!!

Each kiddo got to see if he or she was taller than an Emperor penguin.

Woo Hoo!! We are ALL taller than the Emperor penguins!!! It is fun to hear my former kiddos talk about whether or not they were taller than an Emperor penguin when they were in Kindergarten. Music to a teacher's ears!!!

This is our story tree. As we learned more and more about peguins, we added the information to a post-it. This will be our graphic organizer when get ready to write our sentences about penguins next week.

More penguin fun coming up...Stay tuned!

We are 100 Days SMARTER!!!!!

2012-01-24T21:32:00.003-06:00

It finally came...the day we have been waiting for ... OUR 100TH DAY CELEBRATION!!!!!! We had soooooo much fun! But you don't have to take my word for it - like they say - a picture is worth a thousand words...... so here we go...

Our plan for the day

Welcome to our 100th day celebration

Making new words from the words "one hundred".

Recording our words

Making our 100 day trail mix ---YUMMY!!!!

"Finger" painting our 100 day hats

The boys and girls made 10 fingers prints on 10 different colored strips of paper for a total of 100 finger prints

Our 100 day hats

Oops! Out of order - a close up look at our 100 day

trail mix sorting sheet.

Working on our 100 link chain

Looking good - the kiddos are wearing their 100 day glasses

Team work

Our chain is finished---beautiful!

100 gumballs!

Working on our very hungry caterpillar --- 100 circles long. The boys and girls made the circles from green squares. Then they worked with Miss Topp and came up with a list of 50 foods for our very hungry caterpillar to eat - two of each kind, of course!

Here he is!!! (Looks like January has been a busy month!)

The favorite activity of all the Kindergarten classes ---the 100 Hershey Kiss hunt. 100 Hershey Kisses were hidden around the room. Each candy had a number written on the bottom. The boys and girls walked around the room and when they found ONE kiss they could come up to the chart to match the numbers. At the end of the day, the candies were divided up between the boys and girls and added to their baggies of trail mix. We found all but

one --- I am sure it will show up.........eventually!!!

Ready --- Set --- GO!!!!

I found the one with the number 100!!!

Can I eat this one, PLEASE!

The boys and girls worked in small groups to build ice cream cones. We practiced counting by tens....

...and by fives.

Each student then recorded their numbers.

We also enjoyed yummy cupcakes, which the boys and girls frosted themselves and some punch.

Zero the Hero also paid us a visit!!!

Here are the projects the boys and girls shared. Each child along with their family was to bring 100 of anything. I know I have the most creative parents in Nebraska!!!

Cooper brought 100 kernels of corn. Cooper's observation, "Mrs. Straight, you know 100 seemed like such a big number but it doesn't really make very much corn!" Yep, I know, I have a class of "smarties"!

Brook emptied his piggy bank. With mom's help, he counted out 100 different coins.

Hayle had a little help from mom as they worked together in the kitchen to make a rainbow made from Skittles.

Keyfer and his mom made G.I. Joe snowman. They used 37 cotton balls, 58 Cheerios and 5 pretzels for a grand total of 100 items!!!

Megan and her mom worked together to make a heart decorated with all kinds of beautiful hearts. Glitter hearts, red hearts, pink hearts --- just in time for Valentine's Day!

Myles collected 100 different animal stickers. His plans - to draw all different kinds of land for all of his animal stickers. I love creativity!!

Natalie and her mom glued 100 pretty beads onto a wonderfully decorated paper. Mom had to use the hot glue gun though, I was told.

Nevaeh and her mom worked on this beautiful egg carton - that is right - egg carton bouquet! Neveah painted them and mom put the holes in them and added the pipe cleaners. It took five days. Makes me wish Spring was already here!

Kortney made her cat Bon Jovi using 100 cotton balls that mom spray painted. Little sister Kadance tried to help too!

Joshua made a necklace with 100 Fruit Loops. His plans --- to eat them!

Reagan made a necklace with 100 beads. Included in those 100 beads is the following "Reagan 100 Days". I love it!

Hunter and his Papa worked together and made this very cool log cabin. Hunter reported to us it took a lot of days to make!

:o)

Savannah is gorgeous in her pink necklace made from 100 beads and the beautiful heart. She got the kit for Christmas!

We had a great day!!!! But I think we wore our teacher out!!!!

:o)

HAPPY 100 DAYS OF KINDERGARTEN!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2012-01-24T18:59:00.000-06:00

It is my impression that what touches Kindergarten children stays with them for a very long time. I take my job very seriously. Young children are so impressionable and learn so much from observation. So much of it is wonderful and some ... well... not so much. Teaching the lessons Dr. King once dreamt about is one of the joys of my job.

I always spend a day or two prior to Martin Luther King Day reading stories about him and leading discussions about what he stood for - equality and fairness for ALL people. It is always instinctive for children to see the world that way - if only everyone could see the world through a child's eyes.

On Martin Luther King day, we do many activities to show and express his teachings. Take a look at a few...

Dr. King, himself

A couple of close up views. Even though the boys and girls follow the same set of directions, each picture is wonderful and unique!!

I read the book The Crayon Box that Talked which is also a famous poem to the class. The premise of the story is that crayons in a crayon box argues that each color is the best. A young child over hears the argument and buys the box of crayons. In the end, the child shows them that they are all beautiful, especially when they work together. I then discuss with my kiddos that our class is like that box of crayons -all different in a special way, no one is better, we are all wonderful in the same way - just like the box of crayons.

So cute!

I found this wonderful idea on - you guessed it - pinterest! Thank you Vicky Moore for sharing!

Our Poetry Page for this week

Penguin Projects

2012-01-15T14:07:00.000-06:00

Penguins are popping up everywhere in Kindergarten!! Our January theme is of course penguins. The weather during the first part of the month didn't call much for the study of penguins - but we are feeling it now! I will be adding more as we study this interesting and comical bird. Here are a few of our projects we've completed so far....

Our Adelie penguins

Our January Quilt

A close up of our penguin handprints and snowflakes.

Our penguin wind socks

One Of My Favorite Finds....

2012-01-15T13:58:00.000-06:00

In one of my past blogs, I admitted to you that I am a blog stalker. Well, now I must admit to you that I am addicted to ------- pinterest. I have found SO MANY ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ideas on pinterest!

Here is one of my favorites. It is my new clip chart. Each day the boys and girls begin their day in Kindergarten with their clothespin on "Ready to Learn". As I catch my kiddos being good listeners, hard workers, moving through our transition times easily, being helpful, anything postive, they get to move their clothespins up throughout the day. I also use it to remind my boys and girls to keep an eye on their not-so-great behaviors. If we are having difficulties remembering rules, clothespins are moved down the chart. Here is the great part, as I catch the students who are having a bit of a rough day, being good, they have the opportunity to move up the chart during the day. At the end of our day together, we look at our day and cheer on each student for their accomplishments throughtout the day. For those students who have reached the top of the chart, a line or mark is added to the end of their clothespin. Once they have earned fives lines, they receive a red clothespin and we conitnue as we go through each color of the rainbow. Our ultimate goal a - GLITTER clothespin. Ahhhhhhhh!

The boys and girls have responded fabulously to our clip chart. I LOVE it because it really reinforces positive behavior in my little kiddos! THANK YOU to Denise for sharing on pinterest such a fun way to promote positive classroom behavior!

Math Stations

2012-01-12T21:15:00.012-06:00

Our school improvement goal is to improve our students math skills grades K-12. Every teacher, no matter their grade or subject matter, will be incorporating math into their curriculum to help achieve this goal. In the past, our goal was to improve our students' reading skills and our test scores are going up.

In the Kindergarten classroom, we are using a new and challenging math series, incorporating Accelerated Math and now we are adding Math Stations. After a student has completed their AM work, they are free to check the Math Station chart to see which activity they will be working on for the day. At the end of each day I rotate the stations. The stations include activities for: counting, shapes, sorting, number recognition, coins, patterns, measurement, addition, and subtraction. Each month I will change the stations. Here is a look at our January Math Stations.

The boys and girls put these in numerical order - counting by ones to 20, by tens to 100 and by fives to 100.

Then the boys and girls write their numbers for even more practice.

Dice activities are great ways to work on counting and following directions.

A counting activity - the students count the snowflakes and clip the clothespin to the correct number.

The boys and girls make different kinds of patterns then record on a coloring sheet.

Every snowman needs some buttons. The students put the correct number of foam shapes onto the snowman.

Practicing addition. The boys and girls write the math problem on their recording sheet. Pasta "snowflakes" are used to help solve the math problem.

Storage for our Math Stations

The boys and girls check this chart to see which station they will be working with each day.

Below are some snapshots of my kinder kiddos working with their January Math Stations:

Calendar Books

2012-01-12T20:23:00.010-06:00

It is the beginning of a new year and the beginning of new things happening in Kindergarten. One of many new and exciting things is our Calendar Books. This is an idea I discovered on Kathleen Pedersen's Kindergarten website. Unfortunately, I did not come across this fabulous idea until just recently so next year I plan to introduce Calendar Books at the beginning of the school year. We do our Calendar Book activities every morning to reinforce our calendar skills, patterning skills and counting skills. Here is a peek inside....

Each student has their own book. I keep them in tubs at the front of the room.

We are learning the months of the year and our Kindergarten friends' birthdays.

These are our tally marks for each day we are in school for the month.

Counting each day we are in school for the entire year!!

Keeping track of our days---blue days are school days --- red days are days we are not in school.

These are our January patterns We do a pattern a week.

Polar Express

2011-12-30T22:27:00.003-06:00

This day is a favorite for EVERYONE - our Polar Express celebration! The activities are based around a favorite book for the holiday season. In the afternoon, right after recess the boys and girls change into their PJ's and are greeted by the "conductor". The boys and girls find their seat with their ticket on the "Polar Express". I punch their tickets, check my pocket watch and read the story Polar Express to the class. After the story, we drink hot chocolate and stir them with candy canes while we munch on some delicious Christmas cookies. A very cold package mysteriously arrives to our classroom and inside is a train whistle, some magic reindeer food and a silver bell for each student. We then finish our afternoon with some great Polar Express related fun!!! What a GREAT afternoon! Can't beat the smiles!!!

Making our elf donuts. Cheerios dipped in almond bark and decorated with sprinkles.

We made these Santa bags in the morning.

All aboard the Polar Express!!!

We did a train glyph.

Enjoying hot chocolate and cookies while listening to some holiday music!

We graphed -who likes marshmallows in their hot chocolate...

Our Polar Express keepsake.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM MRS. STRAIGHT'S KINDERGARTEN KIDDOS!

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-30T21:41:00.001-06:00

I just LOVE the month of December! The excitement of the holidays, the yummy treats and all of the fun activities. One of my favorites is our gingerbread houses. Our classroom smells so good! Thanks to all of my wonderfully supportive parents for supplying the frosting and yummy candies for such a fun activity!!

Poetry Pages

2011-12-13T20:54:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I introduced Poetry Pages into our Kindergarten routine. Once a week I would introduce the boys and girls to a nursery rhyme or short poem. We would read it together, track print, find our popcorn words, practice blending sounds to read words on our own and finally we would share our poetry page by reading it to the rest of the class with a buddy or small group.

Thanks to a visit at Shannon Martin's blog site, Kindergarten Hoppenings, I put a new twist on our Poetry Pages by adding some cute new poems! Take a peek at our December poetry.

December Art Projects

2011-12-13T20:31:00.000-06:00

Our Santa wind socks

Our December quilt

Happy holidays everyone!

Smarties For Smarties

2011-12-13T20:06:00.000-06:00

This was such a cute idea from Mrs. Bell's blog site, A Place Called Kindergarten, I just had to use it in our own classroom. Whenever the kiddos have worked hard, done well or just because they are awesome thinkers they get a Smartie. What fun!!!! The boys and girls just love it!!!!!

No More Rest Time

2011-12-13T19:46:00.000-06:00

Last week the rest mats were sent home for the rest of the school year and I am almost certain cheers were heard around the world that day. Then the question was asked "What are we going to do since we don't have rest time any more?" Well, like I have told my boys and girls before - it is always good to have a Plan B. I changed the structure of our Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math time to fill in our gap in our schedule.

Our Accelerated Math or AM time is now in the afternoon. AM is a progress monitoring software tool that monitors and manages math skills. The program creates math assignments tailored to each students current level. The computer automatically scores all math practices, assignments and tests. The TOPS reports are printed out and sent home with each child to keep parents updated on their child's progress. Each skill/objective is individually paced for each child. AM is used as a supplement to our regular math curriculum.

Our Accelerated Reader or AR time has also been moved to the afternoon. AR is also a progress monitoring software for monitoring the practice and assessment of reading. It is designed to increase comprehension skills and foster a love of reading. After reading their AR book at home with parents, the boys and girls take an AR test on the computer. Most tests are voice generated if not the teacher or classroom para reads the test questions to the student. There are 5 book questions on each test. The kindergartners are responsible for answering the multiple choice questions. The computer scores the test. TOPS reports are printed out and sent home to keep parents appraised of their child's progress. During our AR time there are boys and girls who are not quite ready to take their AR test, those boys and girls are reading books from their book boxes. They are allowed to find a comfy spot with a comfy pillow and just read , read, READ!

Confessions of a Blog Stalker

2011-12-12T17:30:00.000-06:00

OK I admit it --- I AM A BLOG STALKER! Who needs to eat, do laundry, or clean house when you have blogs to read! My discovery of teacher blogs was quite by accident but it was a good accident. I knew teacher blogs existed as I have my own blog but I have discovered so many wonderful, talented, giving teachers through Blogspot ( yes,that it what I use for my blog.). These Kindergarten teachers have posted so many fabulous units, art work, classroom management, science, math and literacy ideas that they are willing to share. They are also so wonderful to answer questions about their posts almost immediately. Not only that, but much of it is free to download for your classrooms. I am so appreciative of what they have to share. Being a Kindergarten teacher myself, I realize how much outside school time it takes to prepare many of the lessons and units we teach. But these gracious teachers take even more of their time to share with other teachers. I do look forward to checking the many blogs I have found so far and expanding on their ideas so they are able to fit our classroom here in Winside. It has been fun and exciting and I LOVE finding new ways to teach and to grow as a teacher. I am looking forward to sharing these ideas with you as well! I have to run...you know why...gotta check out those blogs!!!

Our Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-20T21:59:00.000-06:00

This one of my most favorite days of the year when the Kindergarten Pilgrims and our First grade Native American friends come together for a yummy feast. The boys and girls had a great time as they mixed and mingled, laughed and visited and ate and ate and ATE! Of course, none of this would have happened without our wonderful parents who prepared such yummy food like deer meatballs, roasted deer meat, deer jerky, deer sausage, beef sticks, cranberry and blueberry muffins, corn bread, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cupcakes, popcorn, trail mix, dried fruit and apple juice. I know I am one of the luckiest teachers around with such wonderfully supportive parents. Thank you for all you do to enhance your child's learning experiences!!

Yep - we ate just about everything!!!!!

November Art Projects

2011-11-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our gobblin' good classroom. The boys and girls love to work on our projects. Most of our art projects take two days to complete. They LOVE to show off their work!

The pumpkins were "picked" and the turkeys came in to let us know turkey isn't the ONLY thing to eat on Thanksgiving!

Our turkey wind socks

This is our November quilt. Each student did a turkey hand print and with some clever cutting and gluing a beautiful fall maple leaf.

PALS

2011-11-20T18:34:00.000-06:00

New and exciting things are taking place in Kindergarten! I just love it! This past week we began PALS in our classroom. PALS is a program that makes sure children are getting a solid foundation in early reading skills. The game-like PALS activities double the amount of practice students get with phonemic awareness and alphabetic knowledge. Students are paired for activities that teach pronunciation, letter knowledge and phonemic awareness. Our regular PALS time is scheduled for 20 minutes two or three times a week. Each month the boys and girls will receive a new PALS partner to work with.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2011-10-31T19:17:00.001-05:00

Halloween just doesn't seem the same unless you carve a jack-o-lantern - and that is just what we did this afternoon. The boys and girls were split up into 2 groups and helped dig out the pulp and design a face for the jack-o-lanterns. Not everyone was convinced the pulp digging would be fun. Several thought it was too gooey and very smelly! We still had a great time! Afterwards we put together some ghostly Halloween snacks! Trick or Treat everyone!!

A Visit With the Winside Fire Fighters

2011-10-27T21:58:00.002-05:00

October is National Fire Safety Month. We spend a lot of time in our classroom learning about being safe around fires, candles, stoves, grills and fireworks. Learning how to be safe and stay safe if there is ever a fire can never be talked about enough. The boys and girls learned how to "Stay low, and Go!" also to "Stop, Drop and Roll". The families of Kindergarten also planned a meeting place at their own homes in case of fire. I hope these are lessons the boys and girls take with them but never have to use. Despite the seriousness of our lessons, we ALWAYS enjoy our visit to the Winside Fire Station as a culminating activity to our unit on fire safety. Chief Don Skokan visited with the boys and girls about fire safety, then it was time to explore the trucks and the equipment and answer questions. We really appreciated the time the Winside volunteers took to help educate our children but we also appreciate the time they take to help keep our community safe. THANK YOU!!!

Don Skokan and Chris Olander talk to the Kindergarten and first grade students about fire safety.

Kyle Skokan (and former Winside Kindergartner) shows the boys and girls all the gear a fire fighter must wear when he goes out to fight a fire.

Taking a look inside an ambulance.

Man - those trucks are BIG!

Yep, they ALL fit inside the truck!

Future Fire Fighters

Posing with Don Skokan, Kyle Skokan and Chris Olander
Thanks guys for a great afternoon!

October Art Work

2011-10-27T20:11:00.001-05:00

October is a busy month as we learn about fire safety, pumpkins and bats. Here is a sample of the boys and girls art work we did in the classroom.....

The boys and girls had fun creating their own pumpkins with finger paints....

No pumpkin patch is complete without a few ghosts lurking about...

Not to mention Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eaters wife...

This is our October quilt. The boys and girls sponge painted their jack-o-lanterns and then we added our patchwork squares in Halloween colors!

Our jack-o-lantern wind socks...

And last but not least - our handprint bats!

Our Trip to the Apple Orchard!!

2011-10-03T18:52:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday September 28, the Winside Kindergarten and First grade classes boarded a school bus and headed north to Yankton to visit Garrity's Apple Orchard. We could not have picked a better day. The boys and girls packed lunches and a lot of enthusiasm for our trip. The bus ride was a pleasant one as they busied themselves with their writing notebooks and a few book from our own class library.

Cheers filled the bus as we arrived at Garrity's!! Mrs. Hebda welcomed us as their first visitors of the season. The boys and girl's first stop was the goat pen where they were able to feed the many goats. What a treat! Then it was off to the hay tunnels. What fun they had climb and running! Next, Mr. Hebda greeted us and we were off to the tractor and wagon to begin our tour. Unfortunately, the hard freeze they experienced for two nights in April didn't allow for their apple crop to prosper so we didn't get to tour the apple orchard but they had plan B ready for us --- a corn maze!!! The kiddos, teachers and paras scrambled through the maze and found their way out. The last to emerge were --- Mrs. Straight and Ms. Loetcher (who both by the way can never find their cars in a parking lot!!!) Our kiddos went right into action coming to our aid as they called out "Ms Loetcher - Mrs. Straight, just follow our voices!!" Luckily no rescue helicopters had to be dispatched - we FINALLY made it out unscathed! Next, it was off to the pumpkin patch. Each child was able to go out a choose their own pumpkins.

Our tour ended in the apple warehouse. We toured the "big refrigerator" where they store their many varieties of apples. We even got to see them sort the apples. As we left the tour, we sampled some yummy apples. Each child left with a goodie bag from the Hepda's along with their pumpkins.

Tummies growling, we were off to picnic in Memorial Park. After our tasty lunches, the boys and girls played and laughed in the wonderful playground. At 1:00, it was time to call it a day as we climbed aboard the bus. We soon realized how hot and thirsty we all were so it was off to the gas station to buy some cold water for the thirsty crew. Thinking the boys and girls would be exhausted from our outdoor adventure, we figured this would be a quiet bus ride home. The excitement still pumping though their veins, conversations and writing a drawing in their books consumed their time. What a wonderful day!!

Special thank you to our bus driver, Brian and our administration that allows us time to take our boys and girls on these wonderful learning adventures.

Enjoy the pictures!!!!

Let's get this show on the road!

At the goat pen

Feeding the goats

Running through the hay bales

Riding in the wagon

Mr. Hebda or is it Johnny Appleseed telling us all about the corn maze

In the corn maze

Selecting the perfect

pumpkin

In the "big" refrigerator

Watching the apple sorter

Lunch in the park

Where did everyone go?????

Playing in the park

A lesson on static electricity!

Friends Forever

Insect Art

2011-09-29T15:28:00.001-05:00

Here are a few of our projects we did in our room to let the insect theme come alive!

Our lovely ladybug windsocks

Our life cycle wheel illustrating the life cycle of a butterfly.

Our beautiful butterflies made from tissue paper squares

We painted white sacks stuffed with newspaper to make our buzzing bees

Work Buddies

2011-09-08T08:47:00.000-05:00

Other teachers may call it Center Time but we call it - Work Buddies - it is the time of day my kiddos look forward to the most each day. For 30 minutes each day each child is paired up with a buddy to work at a station set up in our classroom while I conduct small reading groups at my reading table. The buddies spend 15 minutes at each station. Each station has a specific objective or skill for the students to work on. These skills coincide with what we are working on in the classroom. The objectives at some stations may be developing social skills, being creative, rhyming, practicing sight words, listening to literature, writing lists, creating sentences, retelling stories, sequencing information, matching capital and lowercase letters .......

The number of stations set up in the classroom depends upon how many students I have. There are 6 stations set up at this time. After 15 minutes, I ring our chimes and the boys and girls know that is the signal to clean up "neatly and completely". When they have cleaned up their station, they check our work buddies chart to see which station they rotate to next. Each day I change the cards in our charts so they can enjoy 2 new stations the next day. At the end of the month I change the contents of the station or add a new station.

The boys and girls have quickly picked up on the routine and next week I can begin running our reading groups as they self monitor themselves. I am so very proud of my Work Buddies!

Boys and girls use magnetic letters and white boards to practice their popcorn words at the ABC/Word Work Station .

Boys and girls match capital and lower case letters at the Pocket Chart Station.

These two buddies listen to a story using our wireless headphones. Next quarter we will add a response sheet to the Listening Station.

Students get to be creative at the Art Station. Boys and girls can use stencils, glue, fancy cutting scissors, markers, crayons, pencils colors and gel pens. I will add other art mediums as our year progresses.

At our Writing Station, students use word lists, picture dictionaries, and picture cards to create lists. Later in the year the boys and girls will write sentences and stories.

These two buddies need to work together to complete this floor puzzle. The boys and girls have a variety of puzzles to choose from at our Puzzle Station.

Things Are Getting A Little Buggy Around Here

2011-09-06T20:49:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing and very enjoyable Labor Day weekend - the official end of summer and the beginning of nice cool autumn weather - I hope.

My boys and girls greeted me this morning with bright eyes and big smiles ready to get back into the swing of things. I welcomed each little toothy grin with a hearty "Good morning!" and came eye to jar with grasshoppers, tomato bugs and promises of butterflies, lady bugs, dragon flies and ants to follow - and - I was thrilled!!!!!!! The boys and girls are just beginning a unit on insects for this month and there is nothing more exciting than the real thing - live and up close.

During our afternoons, we get out our magnifying glasses and try to locate the insect's three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen (yes, the kiddos are learning the names of each). They have even learned a little song to help them remember the characteristics of an insect. Check out the tab under "Songs" and you can learn the song too! The boys and girls also look for and count the six legs and locate the antennae. They are always so amazed when they can see the eyes and other features. It has been so much fun watching my kiddos chase grasshoppers at recess and exclaim with pride, "Look Mrs. Straight! I found an insect!"

Not only are we learning the characteristics of an insect but we are discovering what they eat, how they protect themselves from enemies, how they move, and their life cycles. We have started a big classroom chart to record what we are learning about the different insects. We will also incorporate a few art projects along the way.

It will be a great learning experience for the Kindergarten class as we all go just a little buggy this month!

Math Mania!

2011-08-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

This year we started our new Math Series. It is from the same publishing company as our Reading series. I can tell you I absolutely love it! The lessons are definitely geared toward different types of learners. Some children learn best by handling and moving objects. Other children learn best by only listening to information - they do not need a visual or anything to touch. The best way to learn is using all senses or as many of them as you can. Our Math series allows me to do just that. We start out each lesson with Circle Time. This is when I introduce our concept for the day. Let me use today as an example. Today's concept was "less than". We began our activity with some counters - colored plastic circles and red bean shaped counters. Each child had ten of each. We used our "Kindergarten Math Words" like sort, groups, same, different and discovered our two groups had the same number. I then went around and took away two beans from each child. They could observe, touch, and count their objects and determine they were not the same number anymore. This is when I introduced our new math word "less than". We did several more examples engaging in conversation with each other using our math vocabulary. Next, we practiced our new skill on paper but we did it together using our vocabulary once again. This is when we get out our clipboards and sit on the floor in a rainbow shape while we work together on this paper. Next, I check for understanding as I hand out a second paper. This is our independent practice. We use our offices to help us stay focused. It is at this time, I can determine if a child needs a little extra practice on a particular skill. Finally, it is homework time as we go over and discuss our math homework paper that goes home each day. That is a day in the life of a Kindergareten Math lesson. My Kindergarten kiddos are such little troopers and are doing an excellent job becoming Math Maniacs!

It's Zero the Hero Day!

2011-08-30T16:27:00.001-05:00

The kindergarten classroom had a very special visitor today - it was Zero the Hero! Each day as a part of our opening exercises we count the days we have been in school. Today was our tenth day together. Since our day ended with a zero, Zero the Hero paid us a visit. He will continue to see us on each day that ends with zero. It is another great way to reinforce our counting skills. As an added bonus, Zero the Hero always brings us a treat that is in the shape of a zero. Today we enjoyed some very tasty Vanilla Wafers. Yummy! Hurry up day twenty!

New Bee-ginnings

2011-08-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

WOW! Things have been a buzzin' in the Kindergarten classroom! The boys and girls have been busy little bees learning all about being in school. I must say I am really impressed and oh so proud of my Kindergarten kiddos!

For our first full week of school, we began working in our reading series. Our reading time is actually broken down into four separate learning times during our day. First, we have Shared Reading time. It is during this time I share all kinds of literature. We learn about different genres such as poetry, informational text, fantasy and reality. We learn about characters, settings, main ideas and sequencing. We also work on our comprehension skills. After PE we settle back down to ABC/Word Work time. This is where I teach phonics to the kiddos ( letters, sounds and blending to read words), we learn and practice our sight words, and practice our rhyming skills. Next, it is Work Buddies time. The boys and girls break down into pairs and go to their stations while I run reading groups. This gives me an excellent opportunity to work with kiddos in small groups on their phonics and reading skills. Whew! All of this takes place in the morning. The last section of our reading time happens in the afternoon. It is our grammar and writing segment. It is during this time we learn about how letters make words when we write and putting words together can make sentences. We learn about capitalization and punctuation. We learn that we need a great idea first before we can write. We also will learn how to organize our thoughts and write sentences. For our grammar time, we will discover nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns.

All I can say is that after one week successfully finished, the boys and girls in my Kindergarten class did an awesome job adjusting to our busy reading time! I couldn't ask for a better group of busy little bees! Oh what a busy little hive our Kindergarten room will be! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

The New Crop is Just About Ready

2011-03-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

It is a day the whole Elementary School looks forward too. The day the REALLY little kids come to school for Kindergarten Round-Up. Their eyes are filled with a little bit of fear - the fear of the unknown and excitement - it is finally their turn to go to school. Today we welcomed a new group of little kiddos to the world of PAW Power. Our group was a little small as everyone was not able to join us today. We had not a single tear or a frantic look for a parent but only enthusiastic children eager to begin a wonderful adventure. The boys and girls spent sometime getting used to their soon to be new surroundings. We read a story, did a mimio activity, painted, played with magnets and drew faces on our teddy bears. After about an hour, the little kiddos went to the library to play a few more games while I had the opportunity to visit with the parents. I am almost certain they very quickly went into information overload as I introduced them to the new world of Kindergarten. As our morning came to an end, parent and child were brought back together as they joined us for a very yummy lunch.

This was such a special day for child, for parents, and for this teacher as we all get ready to let go and watch our kiddos climb to the next branch of the beanstalk.

Nebraska State Reading Conference

2011-02-26T21:20:00.001-06:00

The 38th annual Nebraska State Reading Conference is officially over. My arms are sore from carrying bags full of catalogs and other information from reading vendors, booklets, and handouts from the various speakers. My notebook is filled with notes of great new ideas, research, and activities for teaching reading to my kiddos. I purchased books to expand on the ideas I received from the various experts. I met many new and wonderful teacher friends from different areas of the state. We shared ideas on what works and doesn't work so well in Kindergarten. Who still has rest time? Who does guided reading? How do you manage centers? What reading series do you have and do you like it? I also had the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time conferring with Ms. Loetscher, Mrs. Kollath, Mr. Stubbs, and Mrs. Stubbs on our own reading series - things we like about it and how we will implement things from the series for next year.

It is a wonderful opportunity to have this gift of professional time from our administrators and the support from the parents of our kiddos as we take time off from our classrooms to learn and grow as teachers.

Every year that I have attended the conference I have come back with so many new ideas, activities, routines, and information on new reading research. This year was definitely no different. Last year I was introduced to the practices of Debbie Diller a reading expert and consultant to many teachers around the country. Her specialty is Literacy Centers and teaching reading using small group instruction along with whole group instruction. I did my research for more information over this past summer after purchasing more books by Debbie Diller during last year's conference. I put some of those ideas into practice this year - but things just didn't feel right as the Kindergarten kiddos went through the procedures of our group time. After attending 3 of my 5 sessions this year at the conference, I received more direct instruction on how to make this component of our reading time more purposeful and child driven. I now have more tools to help my kiddos become GREAT readers and I am so excited to put these practices into play. The other sessions I attended were just as helpful as I gained more information on Phonemic Awareness - another very important component of learning to read.

Once again, I'd like to thank our very supportive parents and administrators as we continue to work to make a difference in every child's life. A job we all love and cherish.

Oh and parents you may want to let your kiddos know that Mrs. Straight learned so much that our Kindergarten day will be even more fun and exciting as ever!!! I can't wait for Monday!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

The Celebration Heard Around the World...I Think

2011-02-20T19:54:00.001-06:00

As a teacher, I have my students best interest at heart. When I work on my schedule, I go through several drafts as I plan out our day together. I take into consideration what things are best to teach during different parts of the day and prioritize them. Reading Math and Writing always come first. Teaching five year olds can be a challenge as they get tired during the day so I always schedule in a rest time during the afternoon. The boys and girls have been troopers as they lay quietly on their mats with classical music playing for 25 minutes. Many of the boys and girls even fall asleep. This last month we have had many special days in which rest time was taken out of our day. I noticed the boys and girls going straight to the agenda for our day and when rest time was no where to be seen, a collective hooray was heard. OK - OK I can take a hint the boys and girls no longer needed their rest time - my kiddos were growing up. So on Thursday, I sent the rest mats home for the rest of our school year and boy was there a celebration in Kindergarten - - - I am almost sure at least everyone in the county heard it! :0)

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Great Teachers In Training

2011-02-20T19:32:00.000-06:00

Each year Wayne State College instructor Cheryl Suehl arranges with area primary teachers to have her students travel to area schools to present 2 stories and a correlating activity to their elementary classrooms. I love it when these young men and ladies visit our Kindergarten classroom. Their nervousness soon turns to enthusiasm as they begin to interact with the kiddos. In the many years I have welcomed these college students I have never been disappointed with their possibilities as young teachers.

This year we welcomed Miss Makayla and Miss Nicole. Each was very professional as they contacted me and made their arrangements to present in our classroom. Each young lady was prompt and prepared with their lessons. Each was great as they read their stories, gave directions for great activities and was wonderful as they interacted with the boys and girls. Each a great teacher in the making!

Miss Makayla reading to the class.

Miss Makayla visited first with a wonderful dental health story and an activity in which the boys and girls glued marshmallows (teeth) onto a paper plate to create a healthy smile. She then present each child with a toothbrush and floss so they could practice brushing and flossing their teeth. On her second visit she read a Valentine's Day story and the boys and girls made flowers made from Tootsie Pops to give to their parents. She also gave one to each Kindergartner.

Miss Nicole was the second to delight the class. She also read a dental health story. The boys and girls then painted yucky yellow teeth a healthy white to help make a beautiful smile. For her second visit, Miss Nicole read the story Big Smelly Bear. The boys and girls then painted their own smelly bears with brown paint mixed with coffee. The boys and girls agreed their bears were very smelly but very cute.

February Fun!

2011-02-14T19:28:00.000-06:00

We decided to take a break from letters, sight words and numbers to have a little February Fun. We have decorated our classroom with a different wind sock adorned with the familiar symbols of February.

                                         A Valentine wish from the Kindergarten class
                                                 "Will you be my Valentine?"

Of course, we had to decorate our Valentine bags to hold hold all the Valentines from our Kindergarten friends. Yes, these are very full!

Our hopes are that each and every one of you have a wonderful Valentine's Day with friends and family.

Hugs and kisses and Valentine wishes

from your child's teacher,

Mrs. Straight

We Went Bananas For Our 100th Day

2011-01-30T19:28:00.012-06:00

WOW! I cannot believe we've already had 100 days of wonderfully fabulous fun! Most of our day was based on the number 100 and we had a great time! Enjoy the pictures of our day ----

Modeling our 100 day crowns and glasses

Our 100 link chain

Working on our 100 acts of kindness

Here is the final product!

100 happy faces!!!!!!!!!!!

100 tractor pictures

100 kernels of popcorn

100 pennies

A house made from 100 Q-Tips

Necklace made from 100 beads

A house made from 100 Legos

A necklace made with 100 beads and a bell

Draped with 100 colorful paperclips

A box decorated with 100 stickers

A volcano made from 100 pebbles
and one inside to make it rumble

A beautiful picture made from 100 art foam pieces

A ship made from 100 Legos

100 peanuts

100 pictures of Derby cars

100 marshmallows

A necklace made from 100 Fruit Loops

100 macaroni shells

100 Fruit Loops in this yummy necklace

It took 100 beads to make this necklace

100 pennies!

Our 100 Hershey Kiss hunt. We matched
the numbers on the bottoms of the Hershey
Kisses hidden around the room.
We even got to eat them later!

A surprise visit from Zero the Hero!!
Other activites from our day included reading 100 words, receiving 100 day pencils and stickers, melting 100 ice cubes, listening to stories about the 100th day of school, and counting to 100 by ones, tens, and fives with Miss Heidi

Not only did we go bananas over all the fun, we enjoyed banana splits with a lot of yummy toppings at the end of our day. Sorry there is only one picture but the teachers decided to finally join in and have our own tasty treat!

A Box of Crayons

2011-01-23T19:31:00.000-06:00

"We are a box of crayons

Each of us unique

And when we get together

The picture is complete."

The book The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane DeRolf, was the perfect springboard for introducing the lessons taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We read several books about the life of Dr. King which led to many great discussions with the boys and girls. They instinctively knew people were treated wrongly and were genuinely confused. We also talked about bullying others and how we as people should handling bullying situations. We ended our week long mini-unit as I gave each student the book The Crayon Box That Talked to remind them how even though we look differently, we need each other to help our world be a better place. We even turned our own Kindergarten class into a box of crayons which is displayed outside our classroom door.

One of the most wonderful things about being a teacher of young children is how they see the world. I am proud to say our class sees each and everyone of us for who we are - not what we are. The boys and girls are caring to all in our class - no matter their color - no matter their special needs. We should all be so lucky to see the world through a child's eyes.

Your child's very proud teacher,

Mrs. Straight

Growing Snowflakes

2011-01-13T12:19:00.002-06:00

As I have mentioned many times before, there is nothing like hands on learning. When we came back to school after Christmas break, we had a little fun in Kindergarten with penguins and snowflakes. On that Friday before we left for a very long and snowy weekend, we started an experiment growing our own "snowflakes". Through many great books, we learned a lot about snowflakes. We discovered that even though all snowflakes had 6 sides they were all unique and different. We also learned that snowflakes were made from water that turned to crystals due to the cold, cold air in the clouds. We decided how great would it be if we could make our own snowflakes from a different kind of crystal. We started with a basic snowflake shape made from a white pipe cleaner. We tied it to a Popsicle stick to help hold it in our jars.

We added one quarter cup of Borax laundry soap to the jars and some very very hot water. We carefully placed our snowflake forms into the water to let the crystals form onto the pipe cleaners.

We let them set through the weekend plus a couple of snow days. By Wednesday, we had some wonderful and unique snowflakes to take home and share with our families!

Snow Days

2011-01-11T09:53:00.000-06:00

Winter has arrived as we all hibernate in our homes and wait out the snow and wind. I, unfortunately, am hibernating with a few Christmas goodies left over (cookies and candies) from the holidays. So I have taken this opportunity to clean out a few closets and drawers and organize a few things. Lo and behold, I came upon a few pictures from our Thanksgiving feast! We had a great time that day sharing yummy food with our "Native American" First grade friends. We had so much food to share that our feast lasted three days just like the real first Thanksgiving ! I hope you enjoy the photos.....

Waddling into Kindergarten

2011-01-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

Penguins are popping up everywhere in Kindergarten! January is an awesome month as we've begun learning about those cute cuddly birds of Antarctica. We started off with a few art projects. Adelie penguins greet all those who walk in the hallway. Penguins dressed in bow ties and stocking caps adorn our classroom and a very beautiful January quilt the boys and girls made from hand prints turned to penguins along with their own snowflakes can be seen from our doorway. We also measured each boy and girl and compared their heights to that of an Emperor penguin. We could tell that the Emperor was very tall but we soon discovered many of us we not too far behind. We then compared our measurements to a King penguin, Chinstrap, Macaroni and the smallest penguin Little Blue. We will continue to delight in learning more and more about the penguin as the month progresses - so stay tuned!

Reversible Change

2011-01-08T20:36:00.000-06:00

We've had a little fun coming back to school after Christmas break. Sid the Science Kid made an appearance as we learned all about why things melt and freeze. We did a little class survey as each child drew what they knew about why things melt. We then viewed an episode of Sid the Science Kid, as Sid and his friends with the help of Teacher Susie, melted an ice block filled with fruit. They soon discovered that the melted ice block could be refrozen and melted again. This was called "reversible change". On Friday, we had our own ice block of fruit and did the same experiment as Sid and his friends did. Hands on learning has so much more meaning as the boys and girls saw first hand what they viewed on Sid the Science Kid. Our kiddos then drew in their Science Journals what they observed. We then made some fruit pops (bananas and orange juice) and put them outside in Mother Nature's freezer to enjoy at snack time. The boys and girls did me proud later that day as I read them our afternoon story about a snowman and a little girl who saved him when he melted and froze the liquid to reuse him as a snowman. Almost in unison my very observant Kindergartners told me "Hey Mrs. Straight, that's reversible change!"

My New Year's Resolution

2011-01-01T21:43:00.001-06:00

OK OK I admit I have been slacking on the blog lately. I have discovered technology is like a new child. With your first born, you take pictures of every yawn, smile and hiccup but as you get more children the amount of pictures begins to dwindle until you are reminded that you do have other children. Unfortunately, our blog site was like my "first born" as I dutifully blogged once to twice a week but then the amount of time spent on the blog site became less and less. For that I apologize. Many of you have expressed how much you enjoy our blog site and I do have fun as I write and try to let the "voice" of our wonderful classroom shine through. So my resolution to you is to keep our blog updated as we explore more and more in Kindergarten. My other resolution is to remember to get those birthday cards out to my nieces and nephews on time. Do you sense a pattern here....

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday. I spent it with my daughter, son-in-law, three beautiful granddaughters, two dogs, pneumonia, bronchitis and had a fabulous time despite the illness. The Christmas magic has left Nana's house and is tucked away in totes on basement shelves. Now I am ready and excited (as I am sure you are) to get back to my Kindergarten Kiddos!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

A Season for Giving

2011-01-01T21:27:00.000-06:00

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED TOWARD OUR FOOD DRIVE AND FOR ITEMS FOR HAVEN HOUSE. YOUR OVERWHELMING GENEROSITY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Polar Express

2011-01-01T21:21:00.000-06:00

This is probably one of my most favorite days of the year! The wonderment and excitement of the holidays through a child's eyes is such a perfect thing! We started off our afternoon getting into our PJ's. I arranged the chairs into rows for our "train ride". Each child was given their ticket to board the train as I dawned my conductor hat as everyone found their seat on the Polar Express. With lights out, I read the story to the boys and girls. At the end of the story, I pulled out my own silver bells and we listened to it's wonderful sound to all our enjoyment. Then low and behold, we heard bells outside and there next to our playground door was a bag from old Mr. C. himself. Inside the bag he had a silver bell, a train whistle and some magic reindeer food for each of Mrs. Straight's good little boys and girls. After the squeals and smiles, we had hot chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, and candies while we listen to some Christmas songs. After all the excitement, we grabbed out rest time towels, laid them out on the floor and watched a little Christmas video. Soon it was time for all the fun to come to an end as we changed back into our school clothes but I hope the memory stays with them for a lifetime as it will with me.

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Gingerbread Houses

2011-01-01T20:48:00.000-06:00

Boy, did we ever have a good time letting those creative juices flow! The boys and girls worked so hard building and decorating their own gingerbread houses. The project took two days. On the first day, we used our graham crackers and our "glue" the yummy frosting to build the walls and roof of our houses around our milk cartons. We let the delicious smelling houses dry overnight and the next day we divided up all the goodies donated from home to decorate the houses. The kiddos had such a great time - however - I'm not sure if it was the licking the frosting or sampling the goodies that brought about all those smiles!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Mr. Turkey Says ...

2010-11-07T12:32:00.001-06:00

This past week, we spent some time getting ready for Thanksgiving. Turkeys are everywhere in Kindergarten! Those turkeys are becoming a little concerned as families begin planning their Thanksgiving menus. They left a few messages for you and I hope you enjoy them. The turkeys, of course, hope you take their advice.

Hannah's turkey says, "Eat Valentine cookies!"
Cooper's turkey says, "Eat steak!"
Jake's turkey says, "Eat ham!"
Mason's turkey says, "Eat chicken with bar-b-que!"
Colbey's turkey says, "Eat chicken nuggets!"
Megan's turkey says, "Eat macaroni and cheese!"
Kailen's turkey says, "Eat fish!"
Caden's turkey says, "Eat a hot dog!"

Dax's turkey says, "Eat ham!"

Hunter's turkey says, "Eat a hot dog on a bun!"

Tavin's turkey says, "Eat macaroni and cheese!"

Brook's turkey says, "Eat a hamburger!"

Kortney's turkey says, "Eat chicken!"

Savannah's turkey says, "Eat ice cream!"

Mark's turkey says, "Eat mac and cheese!"

Koda's turkey says , "Eat hot dogs on a bun!"

Tristin's turkey says, "Eat chicken nuggets!"
Micah's turkey says, Eat fried chicken!"
Noah's turkey says, "Eat bar-b-que!"
Sierra's turkey says, "Eat chicken!"

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, - It's a BAT !!!!

2010-11-04T20:00:00.018-05:00

This past month the Kindergarten class had a lot of fun learning about one of the creatures of the night - bats. I, particularly, am not fond of the nocturnal creatures but learning about them and teaching the boys and girls about uniqueness of bats is,well, like therapy for the teacher. The kids learned some great science words like: mammal, nocturnal, echolocation. We learned how bats live in colonies and that bats have - fingers and thumbs! We read the story Stellaluna and compared bats and birds - how they are alike and how they are different. We learned there are many kinds of bats. There are bats that eat fruit and bats that eat bugs. This makes bats very helpful and the farmers love this about bats. We learned that there are vampire bats that live far far away and like to eat fish and lick the blood. We learned vampire bats DO NOT live by us and DO NOT suck people's blood and turn people into vampires. That stuff is just for the movies. We listened to what bats sound like when they use echolocation. We even saw a short video featuring a little brown bat and learned a song about echolocation. The link is posted below. You have got to check it out! To top it off, we made a bat snack to celebrate our Brownie Points. We used Oreos and candy - very tasty! I hope the boys and girls learned a lot and the therapy always helps the teacher!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

The Echolocation Song http://www.surfnetkids.com/video/bat_echolocation_song.htm

"And the Award Goes To..."

2010-11-04T19:46:00.000-05:00

At the end of each month, grades K-6 meet in the multi-purpose room for our PAW Assembly. It is at this assembly that Mr. Messersmith awards a student the monthly citizenship award. The birthday boys and girls are recognized and each receives a birthday pencil as we sing them a happy birthday song. Mrs. Witler gives us an update on AR --- which students have met their goals and how many days are left for the rest of the kiddos to reach their AR goals. If it is at the end of the quarter, special recognition is given to honor roll students as they receive a certificate for their hard work. And finally, one special class is awarded the listening trophy for sitting quietly during the assembly and this month the award went to .........THE KINDERGARTEN!!!! It was great ! The entire class all rushed up to get the trophy and held it high in the air commenting on how big and shiny it was. Their teacher?? Well, she was beaming from ear to ear - very proud of her little kindergarten kiddos. The very big and shiny trophy is on display in the Kindergarten classroom for the rest of this month.

Your child's very proud teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Red Ribbon Week

2010-11-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

Traditionally the last week of October schools across the nation celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon week is dedicated to a Federal Drug Enforcement Agent, Enrique Camarena, who was killed by drug traffickers in Mexico in 1985. In response to his death, angered parents across the country began wearing red ribbons to symbolize their commitment toward the creation of a drug free America.

To help our youth in Winside, Mrs. Volwiler's high school YLC students came up with slogans to help them reinforce their commitment to stay drug free. On Monday these students visited each class handing out red ribbons for the boys and girls to wear throughout the week. Each day a special dress-up day and slogan was introduced.

Monday - Wear Red Day

Tuesday - Shade Out Drugs

Wednesday - Don't Be Ridiculous - Don't Use Drugs

Thursday - Use Your Heads - Don't Use Drugs

Friday - We Are PAWS itively Drug Free

OHHHHHHHH - This is FUN !!!!!

2010-10-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

When I was in college ("in the dark ages" as I like to joke), I took classes on teaching phonics. As the years went on, I took more training in phonics and there was a common theme - teach to the senses children will learn and retain more information. It made great sense and was backed up with lots of data. I still include those techniques while teaching reading to this day. We do "air writing" to reinforce what we have learned through movement. I use song and dance to reinforce learning through auditory and through movement. We read letters on crackers and eat them to reinforce what we've learned through taste. We "write" on the rug as we reinforce what we've learned through touch. All of this is better than only doing worksheets. Today instead of using a paper and pencil we used shaving cream and our pointer fingers. I put a dollup of shaving cream on each student's desk and they hesitantly - at first - spread it over their desks. We then practiced writing our names, letters, numbers and shapes. It was messy - but Ohhhhhhhhh it was fun!!! Check out the pictures below.

A Visitor in Kindergarten

2010-10-19T21:27:00.001-05:00

Every moment is a teachable moment. Even though we had finished our unit on insects, one of our Kindergarten Kiddos brought something in many of us had never seen before --- a praying mantis. It was very cool! It's long body made it so very easy to see the three body parts. It's tiny slow moving head with two big eyes on either side and very noticeable jaws was fascinating to see. Then we got brave (or I should say - finally I got brave) and we took him out of his jar and watched him move his very long legs. The boys and girls got closer and closer as we watched him move around. It was very hard to draw ourselves away to start our day. We all decided --- VERY COOL ! Thank you to Mark and his family sharing their find with us. Anytime something great like that comes your way, don't be afraid to bring it to Kindergarten --- we love visitors --- of any kind!

Yep - That is me touching a praying mantis!! As my granddaughter would tell me "Be brave Nana!"

Morning Message

2010-10-16T21:29:00.001-05:00

On Friday, I introduced our first Morning Message. Technology is a wonderful thing as I am able to use our ELMO and project the message onto the white board . The Morning Message serves many purposes. I use it to reinforce our popcorn words. The boys and girls look very carefully at the message for any of our popcorn words. It is amazing how these words just pop up when we are reading! They then get to come up to the white board and draw a "popcorn" shape around the word. The Morning Message also gives Punctuation Pirate a chance to come and talk to the boys and girls about different punctuation marks in the message. Punctuation Pirate also reminds the boys and girls that punctuation marks are very important as they come at the end of a sentence. Captain Capitalization also pays us a visit as she teaches us all about capital letters and how we find them at the beginning of each sentence. She also helps us remember that names of people and places begin with capital letters. The boys and girls become familiar with how a sentence looks. They also begin to blend and recognize familiar words. I also get to share positive things I see the boys and girls doing and I write about things that are current in our lives. I will send home a copy of the Morning Message home with the boys and girls so you can practice finding popcorn words at home. I plan to do this once or twice a week . Look for these in your child's BEE book.

Congratulations to Savannah Paulsen for making the closest estimation of the pennies Hannah brought for our Estimation Jar. Savannah estimated there were 50 pennies. The actual amount was 65. Thank you to Hannah and her family for providing items for our Estimation Jar. Now it will be Savannah's turn to bring something new for us to estimate.

Congratulations also goes to Caden Reed for receiving the Subway Award for the week. His name was drawn from the PAW basket. Next week, we will fill it again with the names of boys and girls who exhibit good character in the classroom. It doesn't take much to fill the basket as the boys and girls work very hard to get a PAW card.

Your child's teacher,

Mrs. Straight

Brownie Points

2010-10-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

What a wonderfully delicious Wednesday! Today the boys and girls got to make a special snack. As promised, our Kindergarten kiddos were given the opportunity to make this treat if they filled the class brownie pan when they demonstrated good listening skills as a class. Since we have been learning about fire safety, we made a fire truck snack using graham crackers, frosting tinted red, pretzels, cereal and gum drops. Unfortunately, due to my new "old age" status, I left the mini Oreos at home so our fire truck had square wheels. One of my very wise students noted that now Mr. Straight will get to eat them all ! :o)

The kiddos had a great and very messy time spreading their frosting on their crackers and of course licking their fingers. Transforming these ordinary ingredients into something creative and yummy was so much fun!!
The brownie pan is empty once again but oh what fun we will have creating another yummy treat once it is filled again!

Check out the photos of our Brownie Point fun in the Photo section of our blog.

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Great Things Happen in Three's

2010-10-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

It was a fantastically fabulous Friday. Three great things happened.

First, we counted how many items were in our Estimation Jar. Well, you may wonder, what is so wonderful about that --- the Estimation Jar has been done before in Kindergarten. Ahhhh - but on this Friday it was different. This Friday, we were going to find out which of the Kindergarten kiddos made the closest estimation. Congratulations to Hannah Gubbels! Her estimation was exact, as she estimated 19 popsicle sticks in our jar. Hannah takes the jar home over the weekend to bring it back to school with whatever she would like to put in it. We will make estimations on what Hannah put in the jar and on Friday we will find out who the next lucky Kindergartner will be to take home the Estimation Jar.

The second wonderful thing that happened is when I got ready to draw a name for our PAW basket to see who would get to take home the Subway award, I was awed by all the cards that were in there!!! The boys and girls are doing a great job illustrating good character traits in the classroom by being respectful, responsible and kind. Our first name drawn was Kortney Rees. Way to go Kortney!

Of course, the highlight of our Friday was our field trip to the Winside Fire Station! Chief Don Skokan and volunteers Chris Olander, Brian Petzoldt and Kyle Skokan did a SUPER job as always talking with the Kindergarten and First Graders about fire safety. They had a very informative video for the kids to watch on exactly what to do if there ever is a fire at your house. It stressed the importance of practicing at home fire drills and planning TWO ways out of your house. You should always have a meeting place once everyone has safely left the house. Kyle Skokan demonstrated for us all the things a firefighter needs to wear to stay safe so they can help rescue people in case there is a fire. Then we divided into four groups as each fire fighter took the boys and girls around to take a closer look at all those trucks. We got to see all of the very important equipment they need to use to do their very important jobs. We all gathered back into one big group as the firefighters passed out important information for us to take home to our families. We all also got to take home fire fighter hats.

Before we left, we showed our appreciation to all of the volunteers on the Winside Fire and Rescue Squad as they give us their time to help keep us all safe. If you see a Winside volunteer fire fighter walking down the street, I hope you will join us in telling them THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!

Oh and please check out our pictures from our visit on the "Photos" page of our blog.

It was a fun day as great things happen in three's!!!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Go Big ---- Kindergarten!!!!!!!!

2010-10-07T23:46:00.000-05:00

Well, the Huskers won big against Kansas St and all is good with the world! All is great with Kindergarten as the class earned all of their Brownie Points today. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon the Kindergarten class helps me assess their listening skills for the day. If we come to the conclusion the boys and girls were great listeners and worked hard to get all of their work done, the class gets to put a "brownie" in the pan we have hanging on our white board. When the pan is full of "brownies", the boys and girls will help Chef Bon Apetit' make a special snack. The Kindergarten class has worked very hard so on Monday we will make our surprise snack. I will empty our Brownie pan and we will start again earning those brownie points.

Tomorrow is a fanatically fabulous Friday as we visit the Winside Fire Station. We will also count the items in our Estimation Jar to see who got the closest with their estimation. The student with the closest estimation will get a turn to take the Estimation Jar home. The kiddos have also been working hard on earning PAW cards. PAW cards are earned by students who demonstrate good character. When a student earns a PAW card, he/she puts it in the PAW basket. On Friday, I will draw a name from the basket to see who will receive the Subway certificate for the week. A special THANK YOU to Subway for donating the Subway certificates. That student will then have his or her name submitted to Mr. Messersmith for an opportunity to get a free movie pass.

Well, it is way past this Kindergarten teacher's bedtime so I will sign off by saying Go Big Red and GO BIG KINDERGARTEN!!!!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Read Me A Story Please!

2010-10-06T19:55:00.000-05:00

Today was a very special Library Day. The girls and boys were treated to something very special as Mrs. Hansen's Jr/Sr high School study hall group read to the Kindergarten kiddos. I could tell something was up as we entered the library, I heard some of the kids squeal "Oh goody ! Here come the Kindergartners!" Each child was able to find a comfy spot in the library as the "big kids" read their library books with them. It was a wonderful sight all the smiles - big and little. The library was full of noise but a joyful noise of kids sharing books. Mrs. Witler took some pictures and Mr. Messersmith walked through liking what he saw. When it was time to line up I don't know who was more disappointed, my kids or the big kids. We are really looking forward to our next library day!

Just a reminder, our first quarter of school comes to an end next week. This week and next week I will be assessing our first quarter skills. Many of these assessments will be done in a one on one situation. We will also be doing some assessing in small group and whole group settings depending on the type of assessments.

Check out the Song page as new songs have been added - with more coming soon!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

STOP-DROP AND ROLL

2010-10-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

This week begins Fire Safety Week, a very important and serious learning time for our Kindergarten Kiddos. We started our unit with a book titled I Am Fire by Jean Marzollo. It is a great book written for young children showing how fire can be helpful when handled properly by adults and when fire can be harmful.

It is my goal not to frighten or distress the boys and girls but stress the importance of knowledge and always being prepared. We will learn the basics of Stop Drop and Roll, "stay low and go", "get out and stay out", the importance of practicing fire safety at home, knowing how to dial 9-1-1, and learning how to keep our families safe. We will finish off the week with a trip to the fire station. It is a lot of information and I encourage you to discuss fire safety at home as a family. Check the batteries in your smoke detectors, practice at home fire drills and discuss a meeting place for your family.

On Tuesday, I will teach the boys and girls a couple of fire safety songs. Don't forget to check out the Songs page of our blog tomorrow. I know you'll want to sing along!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Conferences

2010-09-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

Parent-Teacher conferences are over and Kindergarten had 100 percent parent attendance! A firecracker cheer for the parents - ask your child to demonstrate for you. :o) It was very nice getting to spend a little time with each of you. I apologize if your conference with me was a little later than scheduled or you were a little late to your next conference after attending your Kindergarten kiddos conference. I do love to visit and get to know the parents. Sometimes we do get a bit off topic but communication is very important to your child's education and it is important for your child's teacher and you, the parent, to be on the "same page" so to speak. Great questions were asked and I hope I was able to answer them all. But conferences are not the only time to communicate. Feel free to e-mail me, drop a note or give me a call and I'll be happy to help you out.

October is just around the corner and I am amazed at how fast September has flown by. October is a busy month for us. We will spend time on fire safety as October is Fire Safety Month. We will walk to the fire station with the first graders and get a good look as those big fire trucks. We will study pumpkins and bats in as we get into the Halloween spirit. ( No pun intended) Red Ribbon Week is in October as we pledge to be drug free! Before you know it we will be dreaming about drumsticks and pumpkin pie....

Thanks to all of you, for all of your wonderful support for all we do in Kindergarten. You are a big part of a successful start to your child's school career.

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

What Can I Do At Home?

2010-09-23T21:26:00.001-05:00

A question I am often asked is "How can I help my child at home?" There are so many things parents can do to reinforce learning at home. Reading to your child is so very important. Share this time to enjoy a good book or an old favorite. Remember it is my job to teach the boys and girls to read, it is your job to teach them how to love books by reading to them. But before children are even ready to learn to read they need to develop their phonemic awareness skills. This simple means teaching them to listen to sounds and patterns in words. It is strictly a listening skill. Phonemic awareness activities are incorporated into our reading on a daily basis. These are simple activities you can do while driving with your child, or while strolling down the grocery store aisles or while tucking your child in before you read that bedtime story. I have listed some phonemic awareness activities that you can easily do at home with your child.

Same/Different - say two words to your child if the words are the same word they say "same" or give you a thumbs up. If the two words are different the give you a thumbs down. You can also do this activity with rhyming words.

Stretch Out the Word - say a word but stretch out the sounds  c-a-t   then have your child say the word put together

Three in a Row - say three words that all begin with the same sound   map, mouse, man have your child tell you the sound all three words begin with

Which One Does Not Belong - say three words, two of those words begin with the same sound   sun, sing, tree   have your child tell you which word doesn't belong and has a different beginning sound

Syllable Count- say a word to your child have them clap out how many syllable/word parts are in the word

I hope you enjoy these activities and I am looking forward to seeing you at our Parent-Teacher Conferences next week!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

A Little Older - A Lot Wiser - and Even More Blessed

2010-09-22T16:36:00.002-05:00

Boy - What a day! It was such a fun fun day. I can't feel anything but young at heart today. If you haven't already heard, the teacher turned 50 today! The boys and girls filled my day with smiles and laughter as they walked into the classroom wearing their "my teacher turned 50 today" stickers. The tons of hugs, smiles, well wishes, and cards from so many students past and present just reminded me of why and how much I LOVE teaching!

It wasn't all party time in Kindergarten today. In reading, we started blending our two sounds a and m to form the word am. They learned how to say the word slowly, then sing the sounds, and finally read the word. Have your little one demonstrate this at home. This is the procedure we will use to sound out unknown words. We also read sentences using our popcorn words and photo cards. Today's sentence was We see the ______. They were nothing but smiles when they discovered just how easy it is to read.

We also had a little science mixed in with our reading today. (which is another reason I love this new reading series) - many of our literature selections are science and social studies based. We discussed mammals and their characteristics and how some mammals are nocturnal. See if your Kindergartner can tell you what a mammal is and what nocturnal means.

Thanks to all of those who have helped the start of our insect exhibit. The jumbo magnifying glasses are out and all insects are ready to be inspected. Real life learning is so much fun and the children remember it better as it has more meaning to them. To help our room feel more comfortable for our new crawly little friends, we started making our lady bug windsocks today. We will finish them up tomorrow and have them ready to be hung in our classroom in time for Parent-Teacher conferences.

In Math, we have been working on number formation for numbers 1-4. We have also introduced our first two shapes - circle and rectangles. We used crackers - you guessed it - circle and rectangle shaped to help introduce the concept. We love any excuse to eat in Kindergarten!

Special thanks to all my Kindergarten Kiddos, wonderful colleagues, and friends for making this a truly Wonderful Wednesday. Now I am going to go home and take a nap!!! I guess you get to do that when you're my age!

Your child's teacher ,
Mrs. Straight

Bugs BUGS BUGS

2010-09-20T19:48:00.000-05:00

Creepy crawly things are so much fun to learn about. Last week we started our unit on insects. It is so much fun as we share our stories about bugs and where we've found them. (Ask your little one to tell you about Mrs. Straight and her kitchen and ... the ants.)

We began our unit by learning about the general characteristics of an insect - an insect has three body parts and six legs. The boys and girls even learned a song to help them remember the names of the three insect body parts. The words are found under the song tab of our blog if you'd like to sing along with your Kindergarten kiddo. :0) Once we became insect experts, we began the study of different insects, beginning with ants. As we discover each insect, we will study where they live, what they eat and how they move. We will chart our information and look for similarities and differences in the different insects. It all sounds so "grown-up" but these boys and girls are up to the task.

Literature is how I've chosen to introduce our different insects. Anyone who knows me or has stepped into our classroom knows how much I love, love, love books. It has give me the opportunity to introduce fiction and non-fiction to the boys and girls. I will incorporate technology through the use of the Internet as we look at close up pictures of the different creepy crawly critters. Art activities will also be incorporated as we have fun learning about lady bugs and the life cycle of a caterpillar. And nothing is more fun as hands on learning as the boys and girls begin bringing in insects they find and we examine them with magnifying glasses.

I hope you will share in the fun and help your young one contain an insect for us to examine ... no bees or wasps please :o) ... I think you know why. We welcome ants, crickets, ladybugs, grasshoppers, caterpillars, butterflies, beetles...the more the merrier! I can supply the ants...did I tell you to ask your little one to tell you the story about Mrs. Straight and her kitchen and the...ANTS!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

A Little Time Away

2010-09-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

This post will be very short. I am in Shelton, Nebraska today and will be here until Sunday. I am on Nana duty helping out my daughter with the girls as she gets back into the routine with a newborn in the house. I did let the boys and girls know I would be gone and their first concern naturally was "But who will teach us?"
Routine and structure are very important to young children. I try to keep things as normal as possible when I know I am going to be gone but that's not to say it might be a bit of a struggle for everyone.

Well, one needs a bottle and another needs her hair brushed...the life of a Nana.

Looking forward to an exciting new week when I return.....

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Sid the Science Kid

2010-09-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

I love being a grandma actually a "Nana". It keeps me young and hip with the 3-6 year old population. Last summer my granddaughter, Karrigan, introduced me to a show on PBS called Sid the Science Kid and I was hooked! I thought what a wonderful way to teach science to young children. The vocabulary is perfect, explanations are easy for little ones to understand, the characters are lovable and very relatable to young kids, and the science that is taught is awesome! I wanted to record every episode and bring it back to the classroom. I wanted to be Teacher Susie. Then I found out you can buy the episodes on DVD - so I did.

As you've guessed, I have incorporated Sid the Science Kid into our science lessons. For every episode, we will take a class survey similar to the one Sid will give his friends and then we will discus our survey results. This will set up what we will be learning about. I will show the Sid the Science Kid episode to the class the next day. On the third day, we will do the experiment similar to what the boys and girls just watched. We will go back to our survey again and then journal our findings. I don't know who will have more fun me or the kids!

Well, we did just that this last week and finished up today. Our first Sid the Science Kid episode was all about estimation. We estimated balloons and lollipops. We will carry this skill over with our math as we introduce a traveling Estimation Jar. We will do a few more estimation activities at school before we begin this take home adventure. Please watch your BEE Books for information at a later date.

If you ever get the opportunity, I hope you will watch Sid the Science Kid at home and join in on all the fun!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

It's a Whole New World

2010-09-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

On Friday, we finished up the Smart Start section of our reading series. It was basically an introduction of our daily reading format. We reviewed the alphabet as a whole and introduced four popcorn words (sight words).

On Monday, we begin the meat of our reading series. We will concentrate on one letter per week (on most occasions). We will learn correct letter formation, listen for beginning and ending sounds for that letter and when appropriate we will begin blending sounds together to begin reading words. We will also be introducing three popcorn words each week.  I will begin working with the boys and girls on sentence structure as they will soon begin writing. I will be introducing the concept of naming words (nouns) and action words (verbs).  The boys and girls will also be working in small reading groups as well as participating in whole class instruction. Our reading series runs in cycles. Week one and week two will be an introduction to new skills and on week three, we review the previous two weeks. the cycle will begin again.

There is also a Home to School connection for each week.  These will help you to become an active participant in your child's learning.  Watch your child's BEE Book for these activities and take-home readers.

It seems like so much but these primary years are the foundation for building great readers and writers. It is a lot different from when you and I were in Kindergarten. It is a whole new world!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

It Takes a Village

2010-09-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

I know you've heard me say it before but I have to say it again - I love my job! There is nothing better than seeing bright-eyed eager learners that love coming to school walk into your classroom. And of course - the hugs! But I have a confession to make, I don't do my job by myself. From time to time you may hear your son or daughter mention some of these individuals and I thought you might like to know who the unsung heroes are. After all it takes a village to teach a Kindergartner.

First and foremost there is Miss Topp. She is my right hand gal. She works with many of the boys and girls in the classroom. We work very closely together planning out learning activities that help boys and girls learn in their best way. Miss Topp is in our classroom all day everyday.

Miss Angie is the occupational therapist. She comes to our school twice a month from the Educational Service Unit. She is there to give me advice on how to strenghten fine motor skills for our kiddos. She gives me ideas for activities to strengthen muscles to help with better gripping their pencils or crossing the mid-line. There is also Miss Kim, our Speech and Language pathologist, also coming to us from the ESU. She helps me out with the boys and girls who are having troubles with some of their sounds and gives me ideas and activities we can do in the classroom to help them speak more clearly. She is at our school twice a week.

Now there are my "other" little helpers. There are many who are not physically present in our classroom but share their talents via the Internet or DVD or CD. First there is Miss Heidi, a Kindergarten teacher who has developed a series of movement based videos put to music to help young children learn basic skills. We have been doing our Alphabet Actions along with Miss Heidi and her DVD. Later in the year, we will be doing some counting by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's with Miss Heidi. Dr. Jean is also an educator and she has put a series of CD's together also using movement and music. We have learned her Days of the Week song. We will learn the months to the Macarena with Dr. Jean. And of course the kids LOVE Dr. Jean's "Tooty Ta'. Research show that children retain more information when it is learned by/through song.

The Internet is always a great source as there are so many wonderful teachers who are willing to share their ideas with others. From them I have implemented our B.E.E books, Brownie Points, Zero the Hero, our Birthday bags, and a few other surprises for the class.

My job is always exciting and certainly rewarding. With all of us working together, we can help your boys and girls be the best they can be - and I want you to know - I don't do it by myself - it really does take a village. I must say our village is pretty great!

Your child's teacher and village coordinator,
Mrs. Straight

Fabulous Friday!

2010-09-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

Here I am on sleep-in Saturday telling you all about our Fabulous Friday. Unfortunately, my allergies got the best of me on Friday and I didn't get much done but I still wanted to fill you in on something very special about our Fabulous Fridays and that is Show and Tell.

Show and Tell is a very important part of our Kindergarten classroom. It gives the boys and girls an opportunity to develop speaking skills - looking at their audience and using a strong leader voice. These are things I work on with each student. It also gives them a chance to build a vocabulary while the rest of the class learns good listening skills and how to ask a question. But one of the best things I see happening during Show and Tell, is giving each boy and girl and chance for their "ME " moment - a chance to shine as they share something very special to them. It really brings a fabulous end to a Fabulous Friday!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. My plans - I am staying indoors where there is no ragweed!!!

Your child's teacher,
(Achoo!)
Mrs. Straight

Thrilling Thursday !

2010-09-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

What a thrilling day we had. Today, I experienced one of the many joys of teaching Kindergarten - when a child says "Mrs. Straight, I can read!" We have been working on our first four popcorn words and student name recognition. The boys and girls have done a super job learning to recognize and read these words. When we have a big book we share, a sentence written for our morning message or one of our papers, many of them can instantly recognize these words. When I gave them their first decodable reader last week, many big eyes looked up at me in fright and many a voice said "But, Mrs. Straight I don't know how to read a book". It wasn't long before the boys and girls were "discussing" over who was going to get to read the next book first. You got to love it!!!

Don't forget - Show and Tell is tomorrow.

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Wonderful Wednesday!

2010-09-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

I am so very blessed. I can honestly say everyday when I go to work, I am so happy to be there. I love my job! The boys and girls are so enthusiastic about learning new things and love the path we travel even if that path is a silly one. They encourage my indulgences in have fun while learning.

Today we introduced two new activities into our Kindergarten classroom. The first was our "brain tickets". An average person would just see a colored piece of paper with the words "brain ticket" written on it. No big deal. Ahhh - but what its represents is something of vast importance. Our brain tickets are handed out with much reverence as we begin to use our brains and use great thinking skills in the classroom. There is much ceremony in what they represent and boy do we have a good time passing them out! I hope you will take some time and congratulate your little one on bringing home the coveted brain ticket and for being such a good thinker at school.

The second activity was the introduction of Punctuation Pirate to our classroom. By just putting on a pirate hat and using my "Arrrg!" - pirate voice, I transport the kiddos to a different place as he teaches us all about punctuation marks. Today he introduced to the boys and girls that a period comes at the end of a sentence. He will continue to visit our classroom along with some other great characters to help make learning fun and not quite so ho-hum.

So I thank my all of boys and girls for letting me be so silly and have a little fun while learning!

All parents get a thumbs up and a firecracker cheer ( ask your child to demonstrate) as all the boys and girls remembered their library books for Library Day. Fantastic!

I can't wait for tomorrow - Thrilling Thursday!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Teriffic Tuesday!

2010-08-31T18:02:00.000-05:00

We had our special visitor on our tenth day of school today - it was Zero the Hero! Zero the Hero is a special hero that comes to our classroom on any school day that ends in a ZERO! The great thing about Zero the Hero (according to the boys and girls) is he always brings a yummy treat in the shape of a zero to share with the class!

Everyday during our calendar time together we keep track of our days using straws. We add a straw each day until our very last day of Kindergarten. Today we took the 10 straws from our ones pocket and bundled them up with a rubber band and moved our new group of 10 to the tens pocket. Tomorrow - you guessed it - we will add one straw to our ones pocket to illustrate our 11th day of school. By the time March comes the boys and girls wonder if we will have enough straws to finish out our year together. Calendar time is an excellent opportunity for us to explore number patterns together. Soon we will add pennies to help us count our days for each month. We will gradually add nickels and dimes as we learn coin recognition. Already we are using tally marks to help us count our days for the month. This will help us learn to count by fives. Each month we begin our tally marks again.

Don't forget tomorrow is library day as we celebrate Wonderful Wednesday!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

Marvelous Monday!

2010-08-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

It was my first Monday with my Kindergarten kiddos. For those of you that haven't heard, I am a grandma again and I was staying with my daughter's family as we welcomed little Kyla last Monday. Mondays at the beginning of the year are a little interesting as we get back into a routine we are just beginning to learn about. The first weeks of Kindergarten are like that - just learning how to be in school. I am amazed at these little people who have adapted to the structure and routine of lining up and raising their hands. We are still working on when it is OK to talk and not OK to talk in the classroom. Some of them like to see how strong they are and try to "pick up" a special friend. These are are typical behaviors we work on in the first few weeks of school. After Labor Day I hope to have the boys and girls all on the "same page" as they learn appropriate behaviors at school.

However it isn't all about the behaviors. We have started our new reading series "Treasures" by McGraw Hill. I have introduced 4 popcorn words or sight words. We call them popcorn words because they just pop up whenever we read. I will have a running list for you as a tabbed page at the top of our blog. I encourage you to make flashcards for these words and practice at home. We are also learning songs to go with our color words - another page to our blog I hope to add by the week's end.

In Math, we have begun exploring math tools like our pattern blocks and our teddy bears. We have also started our numbers. Don't forget to check out the number jingles in your child's BEE Book when working on number formations at home with your little one.

The beginning of the school year is an exciting time but more excitement is on the way as we expect the arrival of a special visitor in the very near future...stay tuned....

Your child's teacher,
Mrs. Straight

WELCOME!

2010-08-29T17:03:00.000-05:00

Technology is a wonderful thing when it is used appropriately. It is fascinating how many of us have given in to try some amazing new tools - texting, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other sites. This summer I had the opportunity to attend a technology institute in Norfolk with many of my fellow Winside teachers and learned many new things that will help me and my little students in using some great tools for learning. It is a very exciting yet scary time for me to wander into this new world. I would like to invite all of you to come along for the ride. With this site, it is my goal to provide you with some insight as to what your child, grandchild, niece and/or nephew experiences in Kindergarten. I will highlight some great learning experiences, activities, songs, and projects for you. With the help of Mrs. Kollath, our elementary technology teacher, I will share with you some photos of our classroom and great links for you to try at home. As a result I hope to give you a glimpse into our world and hope you will love kindergarten as much as do!

Your child's teacher,
Mrs Straight