A Peek Into Reading Group

The kindergarteners listened to the Tin Forest over the past two weeks.  The story was about an older man who lived outside a dump.  He was very lonely and dreamed that he lived in another place. One day he got the idea to create his own forest.  He built a forest made of tin.  Suddenly,  animals started to appear and real flowers and plants started blooming,  and the man never felt lonely again.

The kindergarteners participated in activities to enhance their comprehension skills.  They wrote about what they were wondering while they hard the story for the first time,  drew a  couple scenes from the story, and wrote about if they were the bird in the story,  would they return with their friend. For homework,  the group took home a piece of foil and got to create something just like the man from the story.  The foil creations are are hanging up in the hallway!  Make sure to check them out!

A Peek Into the Next Two Weeks

– Reading Group will reconvene after spring break.

 

 


A Peek Into Art | February

With Ms. Dayna

Students have been using their understandings of the elements of shape to start making shapes!
We have explored this through drawing, cutting, and painting.

You may notice in the hallways some paintings the students have made. They worked on these for two weeks! They were asked to choose between cool colors and warm colors the first week and then were able to choose the opposite the following. Some students were able to use the colors vibrantly and apply them side by side while others became absorbed in the process of spreading the paint all over their paper. Both experiences are wonderful for students to be allowed to enjoy. I hope you enjoy the out come as much as I did.


A Peek Into Reading Group

The last story we read was called Down The Road.  It is about a girl who gets to walk to the store by herself for the first time.  Her parents give her money to buy eggs and told her not to dilly dally and come straight home.  She gets the eggs and starts walking home when she comes to an apple tree and decides to pick apples for her parents.  She ends up dropping the eggs and breaking them. Her parents find her in the apple tree and talk it over, and end up deciding to make apple pie for breakfast instead.

During the readings, the students participated in different activities such as,  discussions, vocabulary exercises,  drawing and writing activities.

The kindergartners are writing about whether they would have gone straight home or have climbed up in the tree after breaking the eggs:

A Peek Into the Next Two Weeks

– The students will be listening to a story called The Tin Forest

– The students will be learning the vocabulary words: emerged, shoot, and rustle.

– The students will be participating in acting out a scene from the story, group discussions,  and choral reading.


A Peek Into Reading Group

The group listened to a story called Screen of Frogs. It was about a lazy, rich, man who refused to work. He bought many things with his money and ended up having a lot of debts. The man was going to sell his land and mountainside to pay off his debts. While he was measuring his land, Koji got tired and fell asleep. He was suddenly awoken by a large green frog dressed in weeds. The frog pleaded with Koji to not sell his land so that the animals don’t go homeless. The man decides to keep his land and work in order to pay back his debts.

The kindergartners participated in interpretive and evaluative activities to aide in comprehension. They wrote down what they were wondering about while listening to the story, drew what Koji was thinking about when the frog talks to him, drew Koji’s land, and whether they would sell the screen if frogs or not.

These students are sharing their drawings of what they think Koji’s land looks like:

 

A Peek Into the Next Two Weeks

-the students will listen to a story about a girl who gets to run an errand o her own for the first time.

-the students  will learn the vocabulary words: stumbled, examined, and nudged

-the students will participate in discussions and evaluative activities.

 

 


A Peek Into Art Class-January

With Ms. Dayna

In art classes students have been learning about the elements of shape, the basics needed to make any shape:
Dots, circles, straight lines, curve lines and angled lines.

We’ve done a variety of exercises to help students identify and create these elements.
We’ve played with noodles and the lines they can make; we’ve used markers and scissors and glue to explore their forms and practice skills; and now students are combining these elements in there own way with paints.


Next month we will be working at putting these elements together to make geometric shapes and organic shapes and create textures. We will even attempt to look at objects around us and try to recreate them on paper!


A Peek Into Reading Group

For Reading Group these last two weeks, we read a poem together about a child who likes to climb trees. The kindergartners learned about how poems have rhythm, so while I read we clapped to the beat of the poem.

The group participated in activities such as drawing what the child saw while she was up in the tree, writting their own poem, and writting down what question they would ask a character from previous stories.

A Peek Into Next Week

– The students will be reading a story about a rich lazy man.

– The students will be learning the vocabulary words: wealthy, valuable, and admire.

– The students will be participating in evaluative activities.


A Peek Into Reading Group

With Ms. Faith

The last story the kindergartners listened to was The Fire Cat. The story was about a cat who got into trouble a lot and didn’t have any friends. One day he chases a little cat up into a tree, and ends up getting stuck. A fireman comes to rescue him and ends up taking him to the fire house to become a fire cat.

Throughout the story the group was able to participate in discussion, share their opinions, and practice reading parts of the story aloud. They also completed comprehension activities that went along with the story.

The students are sharing their drawings of the fire cat chasing smaller cats

A Peek Into After Break

– The students will be listening to a poem called Every Time I climb a Tree.

– The students will learn about rhythm in poems.

– The students will learn the vocabulary words: skin,  dodge,  spot.


A Peek Into Art-December

With Ms. Dayna

Ms. Dayna, the new art teacher, took this time to observe the students abilities and enjoy the season with them. We can’t wait to see what new projects she comes up with for after break! Welcome Ms. Dayna!

This month in art classes students were presented with seasonal projects in a variety of mediums: oil pastels, water color, tempera paints and paper.

Primary students made snowflake paintings using crayons to resist the water color and experimented with the effects of salt in watercolor. They also worked in tempera paints in a guided painting of snowmen.

Lastly, all s the students made paper ornaments to take home for the holidays. Primary students practiced threading with their ornaments and the elementary students flexed their origami skills folding German stars.

 

 

 

 


A Peek Into Reading Group

With Ms. Faith

Our last story we read was called Me First. It was about a brother and sister who argue and have to be first for everything. Towards the end of the story, they end up helping eachother and allowing the other to go first.

The group discussed how they choose who goes first when they are playing a game. They wrote if they think the siblings should get on trouble for arguing, and they said no because they started being nice to eachother, and no because that means they would be in time out.

A Peek Into the Next Two Week

– The students will be reading a story called The Fire Cat.

– The students will participate in discussions and writing activities.

– The students will learn the vocabulary words: Mixed up, suddenly, wonderful.


A Peek Into Art Class-Ms. Courtney’s Class

With Ms. Faith

This month I focused on colors while contiuing to practice with art materials. The primary students learned about warm and cool colors. They found out that warm colors make you think of warm things like fire and the sun, and cool colors make you think of cold things like water and the earth. The students used oil pastels to color their papers then cut them up in strips and glued them to construction paper.

Next, the Primary students learned about complimentary colors. They found out that complimentary colors are opposite of each other on the color wheel, and when they’re combined in the right way create white light. For our project, the students glued down the center of a flower and then glued the complimentary color of tissue paper around for the petals. Then to add a finishing touch, the group decorated the center of the flower with different lines, which they learned is a segment that has a start and an end.