Thanksgiving Celebration

Today we had a WONDERFUL parade and celebration! 

Thank you to all of the parents who were able to change their schedule to attend. The kids had a great time! Here is a group photo before we started.

Here are a couple pictures I received today from parents!

Independent Reading

Throughout the week I try to schedule in some Independent reading time for our class. This allows the students to look at their library book or another leveled book of their choice. They also are building their ability to work independently for longer periods of time. We are up to 10 minutes of Independent Reading time.

Most of the kids are finding their sight words in the book and they are beginning to use their decoding skills (sounding words out, using picture clues, etc.) to read.

I allow the students to choose where they want to read as long as they are being safe and are making good choices. They looked so sweet that I had to take a few pictures.

Writing: Buffalo Skin

All week long we have been talking about how people used symbols to write and tell stories. We learned several Native American symbols, made stories in our journals, and "published" them on some Buffalo Skin (grocery bag).

They are so proud of their stories!

 

 

KC Club

This week a few students who are members of the KC Club came into our classroom to help me with different tasks. Sometimes they help me organize things in the classroom and other times they help me with student projects. 

The class is so excited to have older students come in and help!

Math: Skills Needed

This week we discussed income during math. We talked about the difference between money that is earned and money that is received as a gift. We learned that skills are needed for different jobs. 

The class worked in small groups to choose a Community Helper, and brainstorm skills that were need in order to be successful at their job. For example, a Firefighter needs to be able to read, write, do math, drive a fire truck, know about equipment, understand how fires move, etc. 

After they created a poster, they presented their "skills" to the class.

Writing with Symbols

This week we talked about how people used to draw symbols to tell stories. We used Native American symbols to create our own stories. A couple kids volunteered to share theirs in front of the class.

Afterwards, each student wrote their own story using pictures. They had the opportunity to share them with each other. The next step is to publish their stories on "Buffalo Skin".

Vest Project

Today we sent home a large grocery bag with directions on making a vest for our performance next week. I talked with the kids about how to make the vest and made an example. Here is a student "modeling" how to wear the vest. I can't wait to see the finished products!

Please contact me if you have any questions. The class is looking forward to wearing them!

Turkey Project

THANK YOU for working with your child to create a fun and creative turkey project. The kids are SO excited about them. I love all of the creativity that went into making each one different! 

Science: Positional Words

I can describe the location of an object in relation to another such as above, below, under, in, behind, in front of, and beside.

  

We are beginning to read!!!

This week we have started to read simple CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant). I am amazed at how quickly this group is picking it up. Here are a few videos I took. There are more! :)

Mystery Reader

Our class was so lucky and had another Mystery Reader stop by on Friday. Thank you Candace Martinez! We LOVED all of the wonderful books you read to the class!

I have more SMARTY PANTS!!!!

I've been assessing the kids these past few days and I've found that I have more Smarty Pants in the class! Yippee! So proud of these kids for all of their hard work! :)

I know all 39 Spalding Spelling Sounds!

I know all 26 uppercase letter names!                          I know all 26 lowercase letter names!

Parents,

Keep up the GREAT work! I've seen some amazing growth these past few weeks. Remember to continue to read each night with your child and practice the letter names and sounds. It really makes a difference!!!!

Story Problems: Part-Part-Whole

In Math we are practicing solving story problems using a Part-Part-Whole mat. The students were given story problems and then used the unifix cubes to show their thinking as they found the correct answer. We practiced this in whole group and then they practiced independently. I then told the kids they were going to create their own story problems for the kids at their tables. Each student took turns being "the teacher". They are such a smart group of kids and did great as mini-teachers!

PArt-Part-Whole: Students find "part" of the problem and build that number with unifix cubes. Then they find the other "part" to the problem. They figure out if they are going to add or subtract. (Today we focused on adding) Then they slide all of the cubes to the "whole" area and count how many in all.

Science: Movement Words

Today we practiced some new Science vocabulary words with some shaving cream and toy cars. As you can predict, the kids had a GREAT time!

New vocabulary words: zigzag, round & round, fast & slow, back & forth, straight line, and up & down. 

This video shows the kids practicing a few of the words. I directed them first to make sure they knew the movement, then each child had the opportunity to be the "teacher" for their table and give their classmates movement direction words to try. Such messy fun!!!

Kindergarten Teachers

We finally have a new team photo of all of the Kindergarten teachers. I thought I'd share it with you all.

Standing from left to right: Mrs. Dominguez, Ms. Cone, Mrs. Champion, and Mrs. Newman.

Sitting from left to right: Mrs. Bayley, Mrs. Ryan, and Mrs. Tillett.

We are ALL so happy and proud to work with your children this year! We are a team and we are "In It Together".

Creed + Pledge

Every morning we say the Slaughter Creed. Here are the words if you want to practice with your child. We also say the Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge.

Slaughter Elementary Creed

I am proud to belong to the Slaughter Team

and committed to our pack.

Positive attitude, accountability, courage, knowledge,

P-A-C-K Power of the pack.  

Learning and success for all… (Howl).

 

 

Texas Pledge

Honor the Texas flag;

I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas,

 one state under God,

 one and indivisible.

Number Line

We've been working with a number line this past week to put numbers in order. We played a little game  to help the class practice working together while putting their numbers in order.

Magnets

This week we learned about magnets. On Friday we did a fun and simple experiment with magnets.  I placed a paperclip in a clean cup filled ¾ of the way with water. They had to  get the paperclip out of their cup without reaching in with their hands. They found that they could use a magnetic wand on the outside of the cup to retrieve the paperclip.

We drew pictures of the materials we used and labeled them. Here is a sneak peak into our classroom:

Here a student is explaining the science experiment.