Week 23 - Rainforest Habitat

This week, we are learning about the rainforest habitat. We will be reading 

a nonfiction text to learn interesting facts and visiting the rainforest in 
another Jan Brett book, The Umbrella. This will allow us to compare and 
contrast the two texts from this week as well as make connections to other 
texts we have previously read.

This week for our research project we will be finishing up the writing page for

the habitat of their animals, and by Thursday we should be ready to start building

our habitats out of the shoe boxes! I popped over to the other kindergarten class last

week who have already started their dioramas and their creativity was amazing! I can't

wait to see what our little experts will come up with! Looking at their projects, I found

a lot more materials that I think could be useful for our class. If anyone could bring in any

of the following materials by THURSDAY, it would be greatly appreciated :)

• paper towel or tape dispensers
• glue bottles
• small paint brushes
• brown and green pipe cleaners
• fake decorative leaves

In math, we begin a new unit which focuses on numbers to 100. This unit 
begins with a focus on skip counting. Skip counting is an important concept
for developing strong number sense because it encourages students to see 
amounts within larger amounts and allows the to practice seeing and using 
number patterns.

We will be taking the MAPS test on Tuesday. We want the students to do 
their best, but this is not something I want to create stress about. Standardized 
assessments provide valuable information for driving instruction, but we also 
have to keep in mind the mode of assessment and that this is only one source 
of information about how your child is growing and learning.

The students voted on a special activity for this week… and reading won- by 
a landslide! We will be having this special reading time Thursday afternoon. 
For this special reading time, students are welcome to bring in a 
small blanket and stuffed animal to have a super comfy reading session! To 
keep this manageable, the blanket and stuffed animal must fit into a large 
brown paper bag (Winco style). I have plenty of these available so if you do 
not have one, let me know and I will send one home for your child to bring 
their special items in on Thursday. They really need to be in these bags so we
can easily store them while not in use.

Next week, students will be counting out collections of 100 items. This is an

exploration of how it is easier to use our handy dandy groups of 10. A gallon 

sized baggie will be coming home with your child this week, please assist 

them in counting out 100 small objects. Sanity saver: use the groups of ten 

strategy as you help count out the objects- it makes it so much easier to keep 

track when distractions or interruptions happen. These objects need to be 

relatively small as we will be using them to fill 10 frames (like the ones that 

were included in your Math Night goodies.)

HOMEWORK

Reading:

10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in 
the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:

Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night. Time spent 
with the activities you got from Math Night is a great idea, too!

Monday- F.1 Learn to skip-count by twos

Tuesday- F.2 Skip-count by twos

Wednesday- F.4 Learn to skip-count by fives

Thursday- F.5 Skip-count by fives

Please make sure your child has their 100 object bag ready to go for 

next Monday. You can send it in any day this week or next Monday 

morning. If your child does not bring a bag, they will still participate 

in the counting activities, but it won’t be quite as much fun.

Your child may review any past objectives that you feel they may benefit from. 
Those in the D section may be worth a revisit. Some of the shape names have 
been a little sticky for some students- if you noticed that this applies to your 
kiddo, they may also revisit those tasks.

Week 22- President of the USA

This week, we have a Social Studies focus on the President of the United States. We will read a nonfiction text that describes the roles and responsibilities of the position. We will also get to know Duck as a character who runs for office. We will be practicing the skills of sharing information, retelling, and comparing and contrasting. The students will be placing votes in a class ballot box to determine a fun activity for the following week.

Our shape unit wraps up this week and includes many opportunities for building flat and solid shapes. If you are able to send in some miniature marshmallows and/or toothpicks, it would be greatly appreciated. (We could also use paper towel rolls).

Our Research project continues with us writing the information we learned about our animals habitats and adding the information we learned about our animals habitat into our dioramas. The next fact section we explore is our animal’s diet. This includes whether they are herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores and examples of what they typically eat.

We will have a Wildlife Biologist (Gianna's dad) visiting our class to share information about desert animals. I can not tell you how excited I am for this- what a wonderful learning opportunity for our Kindergartners!

HOMEWORK

Reading:

10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:

Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night. Time spent with the activities you got from Math Night is a great idea, too!

Tuesday- W.1 Two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes

Wednesday- W.2 Name the three-dimensional shape

Thursday- W.9 Shapes of everyday objects I

                 W.10 Shapes of everyday objects II

Your child may review any past objectives that you feel they may benefit from. Those in the D section may be worth a revisit.

Week 21- Desert Adaptations and some Valentine Fun!

This week, we continue to study the desert habitat with more of a focus on adaptations. We have great nonfiction books to help us do this! We will continue to practice sharing facts from our reading. We will also be making comparisons and connections between texts about the same topic.

The students really seem to be enjoying our shape unit. We continue this week with a focus on flat, 2D shapes. We will discuss their characteristics as well as where we see them in real life.

Our Research Project continues with us diving deeper into our group texts. This week will begin with a focus on their animal’s habitat, including both the living and nonliving things found there.

We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with some fun stations. Please plan to purchase or make valentines cards for your child to share.  There is no need to address the Valentine to any child, just have your child sign the from section and they can pass them out without trying to match names. If they want to write something in the "To:" spot, please have them write friend, pal, or buddy. Thank you for your help. I am looking for one more volunteer to join us to run party stations. If you would like to volunteer to run a station, you would be responsible for overseeing a center activity with 4 kiddos at a time. We will be cycling through the stations at 15 minute intervals. All materials would be provided for you. Our party will be Wednesday, February 14th from 8:15-9:45.  HUGE thank you to those who have already volunteered and sent in requested items.

HOMEWORK

Reading:

10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:

Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night. Time spent with the activities you got from Math Night is a great idea, too!

Monday- V.1 Name the two-dimensional shape

Tuesday- V.5 Select two-dimensional shapes

Wednesday- V.6 Count sides and corners

Thursday- V.7 Compare sides and corners

Week 20- Desert Habitat

This week, we kick off our Desert Animal and Habitat Project! Yippee! Students will be choosing their focus animals and forming small groups on Tuesday.  It is difficult to predict the exact pace a project will progress at, but it is possible that we may begin building our dioramas as early as next week. At last count, we had 12 shoe boxes, so we still need quite a few more. If you do not think you will be able to supply one for your child please let me know ASAP so I can reach out to other community members for assistance. Two families have sent in additional materials (Huge thank you!), but we could still really use more sandpaper, blue and green felt, and rocks. Thank you for your help with our project! As a Project Based Learning school, it is very important that we introduce our little ones to this concept.  It will expand each year and is an important part of how we learn at Oasis Academy. 

Our theme this week will be desert. Since we are moving into our research project, writing will look a bit different for the duration of this unit. We will be reading, writing, and building their dioramas with different focuses related to the animal they chose to study. This project will last for several weeks. As we get further into this project, and can make some timelines for finishing, please watch for an email about project presentations. This will be several weeks away.

We will be reading A Desert Habitat and will practice pulling facts out of the text to share with others. This book is rich with information and will help us learn about common desert weather, plants, and animals. This information will add to what students learn about their focus animal during our project.

We will also be reading The Three Javelinas, which is a southwestern retelling of the three little pigs. This allows us another great opportunity for comparing and contrasting fiction and nonfiction texts, as well as contrasting between two similar fiction texts.

We will be starting our shape unit in math this week. Our unit will begin with an exploration of 3D, solid shapes. We will be learning the names of these shapes that can be found all around us. Kindergartners love finding these shapes as everyday objects and using the new terms (a party hat is a cone, a tissue box is a rectangular prism, a can of soup is a cylinder). We will also be exploring some of their characteristics- like if they can roll, slide, and stack. We will also be learning about 2D, flat shapes as well. 

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Please plan to purchase or make valentines cards for your child to share.  There is no need to address the Valentine to any child, just have your child sign the from section and they can pass them out without trying to match names. If they want to write something in the "To:" spot, please have them write friend, pal, or buddy. Thank you for your help. I am looking for volunteers to join us to run party stations. I could also use some help with a few supplies and prep. If you would like to volunteer to run a station, you would be responsible for overseeing a center activity with 4 kiddos at a time. We will be cycling through the stations at 15 minute intervals. All materials would be provided for you. Our party will be Wednesday, February 14th from 8:15-9:45.  

HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night. Time spent with the activities you got from Math Night is a great idea, too!
 

Monday- W.3 Spheres

Tuesday- W.4 Cubes

Wednesday- W.5 Cones

Thursday- W.6 Cylinders

Week 19- Jan Brett Author Study

This week we will be revisiting the stories The Hat, The Mitten, and The Three Snow Bears by Jan

Brett. With these three stories, we will be strengthening our retelling skills. We will also be reading

a new story by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread Baby. Along with all of these stories we will be working

on our comparing and contrasting skills.

In writing, we will be making a class book about our favorite Jan Brett story and really working on

our opinion writing skills.

Our Desert Habitat research project is just around the corner (we will be 

beginning next week). If you haven't already, please send in a small/regular 

shoe box (please no extra large/boot type) if you are able. If you have an extra 

you don't mind sending in, it is always appreciated as not everyone is able to 

send a shoe box in. We will also need sandpaper, green and blue felt, and rocks.

 

In math we will be wrapping up our unit focus on teen numbers. Developing 

the understanding of these numbers as "10 and some more" is foundational to 

strong number sense and can be a bit tricky (also some of the names are just 

weird so continued reinforcement can be very beneficial for our Kindergartners).

Our Math Night is this Tuesday and I really hope to see you there! 

Oasis Academy Math Night!

When: Tuesday, January 30th, 5:30 pm

Where: Cafeteria (then break out to grade level rooms)

Who: All parents and students of Oasis Academy

Why: To obtain at-home math activities for students and to support your child's love of math!! 

Take home sets of Mini Eraser Activities will be available for Kindergarten families.  Stop by our classroom to try out some activities and to pick up your child's own set to keep. In addition to the materials, I will be sharing directions and helpful tips, so please be prompt when we break out so you can hear the details. 

 

HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night.

Monday- D.15 Count blocks - up to 20

Tuesday- Come to Math Night! If you are unable to attend, your child many review any skill you think may be beneficial.   

Wednesday- D.16 Count tens and ones - up to 20

Thursday- D.17 Write tens and ones - up to 20

Week 18- Polar Bears

This week we will be reading a nonfiction book about polar bears. We will also be reading another book by our focus author, Jan Brett-The Three Snow Bears. This is a version of the familiar 3 Bears story that is set in the Arctic. We will continue practicing making connections and comparisons between texts.

This week, our nonfiction writing expands to include more specific details as we gather and sort facts by subgroups. This is helping lay the foundation for understanding "main idea".

In math, we continue to explore numbers 10-20 with an emphasis on understanding these numbers as "10 and some more". 

We will have a special guest coming in on Monday to reinforce proper hand washing.

We are expanding our Habits of Discussion to include a focus on really building on what others are saying. Here are some sentence starters that you can model using and encourage your child to use:
* I agree...
* I disagree...
* That makes me think about...
* I wonder...
* Tell me more about...

We will soon be beginning our Desert Animal Research Project which involves the students making a diorama in addition to a written report. Each child will need a small/regular shoe box (please no extra large/boot type). If you have an extra you don't mind sending in, it is always appreciated as not everyone is able to send a shoe box in. We will also need sandpaper, green and blue felt, and rocks.

We have a special event coming up next week:

Oasis Academy Math Night!

When: Tuesday, January 30th, 5:30 pm

Where: Cafeteria (then break out to grade level rooms)

Who: All parents and students of Oasis Academy

Why: To obtain at-home math activities for students and to support your child's love of math!! 

Take home sets of Mini Eraser Activities will be available for Kindergarten families.  Stop by our classroom to try out some activities and to pick up your child's own set to keep. In addition to the materials, I will be sharing directions and helpful tips, so please be prompt when we break out so you can hear the details.

HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night.

Monday- D.4 Show numbers on ten frames - up to 20

Tuesday- D.5 Represent numbers - up to 20
Wednesday- D.6 Count up - up to 20

Thursday- D.9 Number lines - up to 20

Week 17- Making the World a Better Place

This week, in honor of the esteemed Martin Luther King Jr, we will be focusing on ways that we can make the world around us an even better place.

We have several read alouds that will help us explore this social studies topic as we practice our important comprehension skills of predicting, making connections, picturing (identifying strong words), and retelling.

In writing, we will be thinking about ways we can improve our school, our homes, and our community.

In math, we really dive into Numbers 10-19. We have been laying the foundation for really having a strong number sense of these numbers. Getting kindergartners to understand that these numbers represent amounts that are "10 and some more" is HUGE. We are also working on being able to build combinations of numbers to 5 (ex: 1 and 4, 2 and 3, 5 and 0) and combinations of numbers to 10 (ex: 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 5 and 5). Being able to easily make groups of 5 and 10 helps students to be able to understand and manipulate amounts later on. This is a really important math unit! We are working towards being able to use these skills with ease and fluency.

On Thursday, we will experience a hands on lesson about perseverance.


I would also like to thank you for reinforcing the use of Habits of Discussion and Formats Matters at home. These are important academic habits that are so beneficial for our young students to learn. When they practice skills in more than one setting, it makes them so much more likely to "stick" and to become part of the way they think and communicate with others. 

HOMEWORK
Reading:
10 minutes each night. Reading can include reading stories, the poems in the binder, sight words, and working on alphabet letter sound fluency.

Math:
Remember, math should be done for 10 minutes each night.
Tuesday- D.1 Count to 20
Wednesday- D.2 Count dots - 0 to 20
Thursday- D.3 Count on ten frames - up to 20