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Welcome to our Kindergarten Learning Safari, Elms Families!
I'm so excited to have your children join me, along with our class mascot, Pete the Cat, on the ever changing adventure of Kindergarten (and that will prove truer than ever this year)!
Please check THIS PAGE weekly. Each week you'll find updates, not only about classroom events, but information about our weekly curriculum and goals for learning.
Please consider joining my Remind group, which will be used to inform families that our Class Page has been updated. I'll also be using Remind to inform families of any 'last minute' happenings or changes to events. To join my Remind group, simply text @mslangerk to 81010...if you're joining from your computer, use this link: Ms. Langer's Remind.
Information regarding joining our Google Classroom will be sent to student email addresses by the end of the day on Friday, 9/4/20. Students are REQUIRED to join my Google Classroom, as it will be used for your Remote Learning days. On those days you're home, I will hold a required Google Meet at approximately 2:30. The link to attend our Meets will always be found in our Google Classroom. The link: Ms. Langer's Google Classroom
Updated for the week of: January 11, 2021
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING THEIR RED ELMS FOLDER TO SCHOOL DAILY. Additional daily instructions (with regard to Chromebooks and other items) can be found posted on our Google Classroom. At this time, the Google Classroom is your best resource for what's taking place in our classroom.
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The only required school supply your child will need is a backpack large enough to hold a 9 x 12 folder. Every student will be supplied a red Elms folder supplied by our PTN. I ask that this folder be returned to school daily and be used for communication between school and home. ALL other school supplies will be provided at school. While I suggest you have extra pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue available for use at home, please do not send your child to school with any of these types of supplies. This year, students will be given supplies meant just for them. Your child will have a basket in their cubby in which they will keep their things, and items will all be labeled with their name (or assigned number, to keep it easier for me). While I'm not requiring anything additional, the Kindergaren teachers have agreed to make a few suggestions IF YOU CHOOSE to send in these items specifically for YOUR child:
- laminated-type placemat (to be used as a "sit spot" when we're on the floor)
- hand sanitizer (while we will wash hands with soap and water, you may want additional protection)
- tissues (I will also have tissues available for whole class use)
- water bottle (NO fountain use will be permitted, with the exception of water bottle refill by an adult)
- change of clothes (self-explanatory; please put clothes in a ziplock type bag labeled with your child's name; it will be kept IN THEIR BACKPACK and only used in the case of an emergency)
- hoodie/sweater/sweatshirt (our room temperature fluctuates throughout the day, if there's something light they won't need to bring back and forth to school, it can be kept right in their cubby; please label with your child's name)
Additionally, we are always in need of (unscented) baby wipes, tissues, and paper towels if you're ever able to contribute. I'm set for September, but Kindergarten is messy and we do tend to go through these items quickly! LOL!
Classroom Learning
I am a strong advocate of interactive and play-based learning! While the expectations of Kindergartners has increased, developmentally, these little boys and girls are just that: little 5 year old boys and girls. It is just as important, if not more so, that my kiddos learn the importance of making friends, taking turns, being fearless, exploring their world, and spreading kindness! It may be a bit more challenging this year with our need to social distance, but I aim to provide them with as much "safe" interactive learning as possible!
Our Literacy learning is cross-curricular and I use a Balanced Literacy approach to teaching. Essentially, that means that students are exposed to skills and concepts needed to read ALL DAY LONG. This is accomplished not only through direct instruction, but through shared reading, read alouds, and interactive reading and writing.
THIS WEEK IN LITERACY:
Letters: review of all lowercase letters, a-z/assessment
Kindergarten List Words: this, or, that
Phonemic Skill: letter symbol to sound correspondence
Letters learned to date: t, b, f, n, m, i, u, c, o, a, g, d, s, e, r, p, g, l, h, k, v, w, qu, z
Kindergarten List Words introduced to date: yes, no, I, can, stop, go, to, the, a, we, look, see, like, my, at, play, is, it, am, be, you, and, me, he, she, this, or, that
Readers' Workshop:
This week we'll continue to develop our concepts about print and the role of the author and illustrator. We are also learning about story sequence and retelling familiar stories, such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and Caps for Sale.
Writers' Workshop:
We're currently working with personal narratives; that is, telling stories about ourselves using pictures and words. Please know that Kindergarten spelling IS inventive spelling; children are encouraged to 'spell' things themselves. I use the words "Kindergarten spelling" with the boys and girls. They should "say the word they want to spell and write down the sounds they hear". We will also be learning to make use of our "Word Wall" for writing sight words, most of which cannot be 'sounded out'. A link to our Kindergarten Word Wall can be found below. It's a printable pdf if you'd like a copy for home. Eventually the boys and girls will all have one for their personal use in their writing folders.
Like Literacy, Math skills and thinking is encouraged across the curriculum. I love to incorporate stories, songs, art projects, and hands-on activities when teaching, and Math time is no exception. In fact, Pete the Cat will be making appearances here, too!
THIS WEEK IN MATH:
Topic 6: Understanding Addition
As we finish up Topic 5 this week, we'll be moving on to addition!
At the onset of each new Topic, I will be sending home an introduction for the Topic, as well as suggested 'homework' resources for your use at home. The workbook 'homework' is recommended, but optional and will not be collected or expected to be returned to school. At the close of each Topic, I will send home a review of the material covered. At times, it will be partially completed in class. When this occurs, typically we'll have done it together.
Use what you have around your home to create the concept of number sense for your child!
The following 'chants' are used by me when we're writing our numerals in class:
1: "A straight line down, and then we're done; that's the way we make a 1."
2: "A candy cane, then a shoe; that's the way we make a 2."
3: "Around the tree, then around the tree; that's the way we make a 3."
4: "Down, across, and down some more; that's the way we make a 4."
5: "Short neck, belly fat; the number 5 wears a hat."
0: "Start up top and around we go; that's the way we make 0."
6: "Down and around to pick up sticks; that's the way we make a 6."
7: "Across the sky, then down -a line; we can make a 7 just fine."
8: "Make an S, then do not wait; twist back up to make an 8."
9: "First a circle, then a line; we know how to make a 9."
I often take a thematic approach to teaching across the curriculum. Most of our Science and Social Studies learning is done through our every day interactions, from our Morning Meeting where we build our classroom community, to stories strategically chosen.
RIGHT NOW IN SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES:
Science: Winter
Social Studies: Communities
WE are a team…please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns you may have. I can be reached through the Main Office at 732.833.4680, or via e-mail at vlanger@jacksonsd.org.
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