What Are We Experts In?

We started a new writing theme called; All About Writing.  This is writing where we write about things we know a lot about.  Our writing is non fiction/informational writing.  Listen to what we are experts on! 

Vermont Writes Day

 Be sure to go to Mrs. Dyer's Class Blog to watch the Smilebox slide show she created of all the young writer's.  Mrs. Dyer's Class Blog

On Tuesday we celebrated Vermont Writes Day!  We shared our "How To" writing with Mrs. Dyer's class.  It was a wonderful way for us to collaborate and share our love of writing with each other.  Please click here to see a smilebox show that is on Mrs. Dyer's class blog.  What wonderful writer's we have in Kindergarten!

Digital Learning Day

Leader of the Day!

Everyday we have a leader of the day.  This is an opportunity for children to read the morning message with the class, ask questions, interact with the activities on our SMARTboard, make connections with peers, use a variety of technologies that promote the idea of being a responsible digital citizen and build self confidence.  Kindergarten children are amazing.  They love being the leader and sharing their ideas and observations with their classmates.

Creating and Designing With Friends!

 
 We have lots of different materials that encourage children to create and design ideas and understandings of things they experience and see.  In the block area the children have lots of opportunities to work in collaborative groups to create structures, share ideas, make connections with each other and reflect on what thy created.

What is expected?

This morning Ms. Heather came back to Kindergarten.  Today she introduced a new vocabulary word to us, expected.  We had a wonderful discussion about what is expected of us when we are in school.  When we are using "whole body listening" we are able to do what is expected.  We use many different body parts to help us listen and focus when others are talking.  When we practice this we discovered that we are able to listen in a way that we understand what is being said!  Thanks Ms. Heather for coming and sharing these ideas with us.  If you are interested in learning more about Social Thinking go to their website at: http://www.socialthinking.com/

Later in the morning when I was reading with a child, he made an awesome connection!  He noticed the word expect was in a text he was reading.  He also noticed how the words mean similar things even though they were used differently in both the poster and the text.  Great connection and observation!

Gmail in Kindergarten!

Every week the children check their email and reply to their parents and other family members who have sent an email.  This is a wonderful way for the children to begin to understand the importance of becoming a safe, responsible, digital citizen.  The children gain extra reading practice when they get to read their new email.  Then when they reply, they simply type their message.  As young reader's and writer's we have been sounding out words we wish to use as well as leaving spaces between our words.  We discovered that we can do this on our own and that our message is clearer when we leave spaces between our words.  

In Kindergarten we are learning about writing for purpose.  This is another great example of that!  We are using email not only to practice literacy skills, but to make connections with others and to share what we are learning and exploring during the day.