Language Arts:
OS/DRA midyear testing : In January, we re-evaluate all of our Kindergartners' progress using the DRA reading assessment and Observational Survey. The data we obtain will be used to guide our instruction during the second semester of school and help us ensure that we are best meeting your child's educational needs. It also gives you an opportunity to see the progress your child has made, their strengths, and the areas they are still needing support in.
Types of Text: Throughout January our class will continue to consume and examine the features of a variety of texts (newspapers, magazine articles, biographies, poems, etc.) and will begin to compare their formats and purposes. We will also practice using what we have learned as we study these forms of writing by creating our own pieces for each type.
Retelling Stories: This month students will practice retelling stories that we have read together as a class. The ability to retell a story, recalling important details and story elements, is a necessary skill to build comprehension of text. We begin by placing the story on a story map and/or story arc. This task will also lend itself to writing as we analyze how an author created their story structure and how we can effectively plan and construct our own stories.
Students may use the following face masks to act out and retell "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. The masks were printed directly from her website which has a multitude of neat activities related to her books for youngsters (http://www.janbrett.com/index.html).
After we have read another version of The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt as a class, we compare the two versions and the story elements on a Venn diagram. A neat way to create this diagram can be seen on the Froggy Friends Kindergarten website below:
Later, students can use stick puppets, a mitten, and background props to retell the story.
Students can also retell A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats by sequencing events from the story (I took pictures of the pages and printed them on cardstock). This activity also allows the students to practice using sequence vocabulary, or transition words, such as, 'first', 'second', 'then', 'next', 'finally', etc.
Pocket Chart Poem:
After our class has become familiar with "The Chubby Little Snowman" poem (sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"), the students can practice putting the sentences from the poem back in order. The stanzas are colored coded and have a picture beside them to help students who need extra support with this task. Next, students will read the poem by tracking the print with a pointer. There is also a dot beneath each word to help the students who need support with one to one correspondence.
Students who are ready for an added challenge can put a the poem back together word by word vs. sentence by sentence using magnetic word cards. The sentences move in a rainbow color order and the words have numbers on the back of them in the order they appear in the sentence to support students as they tackle the task. An answer key is also kept at the center for students to check their work.
We also read a variety of other seasonal poems as we practice using our Concepts About Print skills (tracking print from left to right, differentiating from letters and words, locating letters, punctuation, capital letters, and so on).
Writing Center:
At writing center this month, students can refine their friendly letter writing skills by writing thank-you cards to all of the special people in their lives who gave them gifts over the holidays. I provide sentence stems for the students to use as they writing as well as a January word wall.
Since we are entering the second half of the school year and most students have increased their writing vocabulary and stamina, I will also encourage the students this month to write complete, descriptive sentences to go with the pictures they create, instead of just labels:
ABC Center:
Beginning Sounds: Students can strengthen their ability to hear beginning sounds in words by matching a clothespin with a letter on it to a picture on a mitten that begins with the corresponding letter's sound.
Digraphs: Students will also practice hearing digraphs (sh, ch, wh, th, etc. sounds) in words by sorting penguin eggs with a picture that represents a word containing a digraph beneath the penguin with the appropriate digraph (this idea was taken from The First Grade Parade). The words have digraphs in a variety of places (beginning, middle, and end of the words) in order to help students hear them no matter what part of the word they are found in. Some examples are, "bath, shower, mother, teacher, etc.".
Rhyming Words: Students will brush-up on their ability to hear rhymes in words by throwing a 'snowball' with a picture on it into the paper bag containing a corresponding rhyming word tacked to the front of it. I found this ideas at Kindergarten Rocks.
Word Families: Students will build snowmen by sorting pictures on plates into their appropriate word family. 'Clap' and 'map' would be sorted into the '-ap' family, for example. Like the rhyming activities, word family sorting helps student to analyze words and will be part of the foundation they need to build in order to be successful when decoding as they read.
Making Words: This activity is used for students to practice hearing sounds in words as they write and arranging them in the correct order. Students will practice creating labels for our January snowman by placing the word tiles for each boday part in the correct order to
The answers are kept in the inside flap of the envelopes for students to check their work.
Making Sentences: Using the following center from the Kindergarten Diva, students will re-arrange the winter hats in the correct order to form a winter sentence. They will then copy the sentences they made in their journals.
Sight Words: This month, the classic "Don't Break the Ice" game will be converted into a sight word race to the finish! Students will take turns hitting a sight word that they are able to read. Upon hitting the word, they will write it in their journal to further help them store it in their memory. When all of the cubes have been 'broken', students will count to see who has the most words written in their journal and that player will be the winner.
Library Center: Now that the students have had some experience with consuming and identifying features of fiction and nonfiction text, they will use what they learned to determine which category the books they are reading at the center fall into. For their journal reflection for the center, the students will write the title of the book they read, indicate whether it was fiction or nonfiction, and will indicate which features in the book led them to this conclusion. Students who are working on writing words will do this by writing labels, while students who are ready, will do this by writing a sentence. To support students with this task, they can use the fiction and nonfiction word walls left at the center:
This awesome nonfiction text resource below was taken from: http://ilove1stgrade.blogspot.com/
These handy story element vocab cards were taken from: http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2012/03/follow-yellow-brick-road-retelling.html
Art: This month at Art Center, students work on creating a poster of themselves with a party hat and their New Year's resolution. Students also have an opportunity to use the speech bubbles that they have noticed in the books our class has been reading.
Students can also use their fine motor skills to create handmade snowflakes or digital snowflakes using the website below:
January Books:
Math:
Temperature: In January, we will learn how to compare situations and objects according to temperature using the phrases, "hotter/colder than____" and "the same temperature as____". Students tap into their background knowledge by sorting pictures into 'hot' and 'cold' groups with a partner. We will then share out what we know about these events/seasons/places and why we sorted them the way we did- what makes them hot or cold.
Because we are also studying seasons, landforms, border states, and weather/seasonal patterns during this month, we integrate everything we are learning to help us determine and compare temperature. We begin by making a list of what we would tell someone about Texas who has never been here before. We discuss the weather and the clothes a visitor would need to pack and what landforms they may see as they travel.
The students will then work in groups and each group will have a poster of a different country. They will use the pictures on their poster (pictures of landforms, clothing the people who live there are wearing, and photos of the type of weather the country most often has) to draw conclusions of what the overall temperature/climate is like in that country.
The groups will then come back together and they will tell the class which country they had and will explain whether or not they think their country is hotter, colder, or the same temperature as Texas and why.
Sequence: This month we will also practice sequencing up to 3 events using the words 'before' and 'after'. We will do this using the blocks in our schedule and students will record themselves using the words to describe our day on an i-touch:
Students will later practice ordering cards for various activities such as washing hands and the life cycle of a flower. I will pass students the cards in random order and they will place themselves together in a logical sequence:
Students will do the same activity with cards as I orally read them a poem with the steps of how to construct a kite. This tasks offers students an opportunity to put into practice their visualization skills they have worked on in Language Arts as well.
As students become more advanced in sequencing, they will each receive a strip with 10 squares like the one shown in the picture below. I will give them oral descriptions of what they should draw in certain squares (out of order) using ordinal numbers and sequence vocabulary such as, draw a moon in the box after the fifth square, and so on. Students will then compare their strip to mine to see if they have done it correctly.
Later, students will use the sequence vocabulary they have used to give three step 'how-to' directions. We fold our paper into thirds and students each choose an action card to give directions for. Students will tape the 'train words' (sequential transition vocabulary) in between the steps.
Time: After learning about sequence, students will compare events according to the length of time, using thee words 'more' and 'less'. One way the class does this is by comparing the duration of time it takes to complete activities depicted on cards. I give all students an action card and pair them up with another student. The students discuss the pictures on their cards and the time they think it would take to do the task, and then use the sentence stem, "It would take more/less time to _____ than _____" to compare the actions.
Shapes: In January, we begin to take a more detailed approach to talking about and creating shapes. We start off the unit by reading "Color Zoo" and/or "Color Farm" by Lois Elhert and we see how many different shapes we can recognize in the books. Then, I provide students with an array of various die cut shapes and the students create their own animal (real or imaginary) that they would most like to see at the farm or zoo. We also practice labeling the shapes to reinforce letter-sound connections. This year we even had a 'Vampire Dog'!
Shapes Book: In math center, students can cut shapes out of magazines or bring in pictures from home or from the shapes scavenger hunt we did in class to create their own shapes book. They can add on to this book at home too in order to have a place of reference when they encounter a new shape. It also helps them to see that when a shape is rotated, it still is the shape shape and retains its attributes (a triangle will always have 3 sides, for example). Students will also be able to see the many different ways the same shape can look- i.e., a rectangle can be thin or wide. On the last page, the students will try making their self portrait out of shapes!
Comparing Shapes: We will use students' favorite medium- food- to pinpoint the differences between 2-D and 3-D shapes. Students will sort a snack bag with a partner between flat and solid shapes:
Next, the class will find similarities between the groups, recording them on a class chart as we go:
As we work with 3D shapes, the students will explore to see which can be stacked, roll, or slide on a recording sheet:
The videos below are some great shape songs to help your Kindergartner learn their names and begin to recognize them:
Problem Solving: This month we will also continue to reinforce our problem solving skills by practicing all of the different strategies we can use to solve problems (acting it out, using manipulatives, drawing a picture, finding a pattern, guessing and checking, etc.). The most crucial part of this process is having the children explain their thinking each step of the way to be sure they are gaining a clear understanding of the underlying mathematical processes. Here are some of our actors acting out a flower pattern story:
Count to 80: This month students are expected to count to 80 orally. During January, we use the following video to practice counting by tens:
Estimation Jar: Students will test their accuracy this month by estimating the number of 'snowballs' (chocolate covered raisins) in our estimation jar.
Math Centers:
Patterns: Students will continue to create and extend patterns this month by placing buttons on a snowman. Before beginning, we discuss the different ways we can sort the buttons (by color, texture, number of holes, size, etc.), and then practice creating patterns using those attributes. Students can create a color pattern, shape pattern, size pattern, so on and so forth.
Students will then practice orally describing their patterns by recording themselves with an i-touch.
Students will also arrange the cups in numerical order and will practice counting orally as they do so.
Students who need extra support at this center may use the set number cards to help them link the correct quantity with the oral/written numeral. They will first match the number on the cup to the number on the card, and will then place one bean on top of each picture on the card. See the picture below for an example:
Area: This month the class will practice measuring the area of 'windows' taped to the floor by covering them with snowflakes.
Each window has a number written on the bottom of it and, after measuring the area of the window, students will find this number on their recording sheet and write the number of snowflakes they used to cover the window inside.
Weight: We also continue to practice our measuring skills as students weigh a variety of 'snowballs' (ping pong balls, golf balls, Styrofoam balls, rubber balls, etc.) and order them from heaviest to lightest and vice versa. They then draw the snowballs in this order in their journals.
Measuring With Non-standard Units: Snowmen of varying heights are kept at this center where students will measure them with 'snow' (cotton) balls.
After measuring, the students will record the number of snowballs that was equal to the height of the snowmen by writing it on a recording sheet.
Graphs: We will apply our graphing skills this month using a bag of winter shapes.
Students will first sort the die-cuts into like groups:
They will then transfer the information from their sorts onto a graphing sheet:
Length: Using a set of scarfs, students will compare their length by ordering them from shortest to longest and from longest to shortest. They will use the title label cards to support them, and will then copy the order they arranged the scarves in in their journal.
Students who are struggling with this task can line the scarves up against a piece of yarn in order to make sure they are measuring the scarves from the same starting point.
Blocks: At blocks center this month, students will practice creating winter sights and scenes.
Science:
Soil: We have begun our study of soil and its properties this month. Groups of students each were given an i-touch to take pictures and we went outside to find different objects that make up the soil:
Below are some of the photos the students took from our scavenger hunt:
We found small plants and grass:
We also learned that some soil is made of sand:
We found plant roots and twigs:
We even found feathers!
It's hard to see in this photo, but some students found insects and plant leaves too:
We also found small sticks and broken tree branches:
...and acorns!
Students will then observe soil samples in the classroom and we will record what we find on a class chart. We will then use our senses to create descriptions of what we notice. We use analogies ('the soil feels as crunchy as a peanut's shell', etc.) as we do this in order to challenge students to make comparisons with their observations.
I have also used an interactive chart to record our learning, with the students helping to write it as they practice our sight words 'are' and 'there'. After creating the chart, we place it in our Read and Find Center where students will re-read it throughout the rest of the month:
Students will record their findings from their investigations in their journals too:
Students will repeat this activity in groups as they use the graphic organizer below to compare the different types of soil with their five senses:
The students will work in groups and will rotate to posters with different types of soil on each. The students will complete the graphic organizer as they observe the different soil samples:
As the students are working with their groups observing the samples, each member will have a specific job to ensure that everyone is contributing to the group. One of these jobs will be the 'writer'. This team member will be responsible for recording the groups' observations on a giant chart next to each soil sample (each group will have a different colored marker):
These charts will be used at the conclusion of the investigations to compare the results the different groups found:
After learning about the different types of soil, the students will conduct investigations to observe how the properties of each type of soil changes when water is added to it. They will use the following sentence stems (on a card for each group) to discuss their learning as they go: I observe..., I predict..., and I learned..., and will record their observations in their Science journals:
The students will also learn about the clarity of water by creating a 'content dictionary' chart to help them internalize the new vocabulary (we will do this as a group, while students create their own copy of the chart that includes their self-generated examples that are meaningful to them):
Simultaneously, students will conduct an experiment to discover which substances will dissolve in water (they will also use this opportunity to compare the clarity of water before and after adding the various substances):
The students will then learn how rocks, soil, and water are used to meet different needs. They will watch the videos below to understand how these resources are important to them, and will then work in a small group to come up with ways that we can conserve these resources. Before watching the videos, the students will share out their predictions re: why the resources are useful to them, and upon watching the videos, we will record what they learned re: why the resources are important (we will also use this opportunity to practice writing our sight word 'for'):
Upon learning why rocks, soil, and water are vital resources, I will tell the students that our earth is in danger. I will show them pictures of how our resources are being wasted and destroyed, and will then charge them with the responsibility of 'saving our earth'. They will work with small groups and will come up with a plan of how we can conserve our resources by reusing or reducing our use of them, or recycling:
Each group will create a poster that they will later share with the class:
"Making cans" (illustrated using an old can to make a pencil jar):
"We can make stuff into a can and statue [recycling the metal from a can to make a statue]'. We can make stuff into a soda and another can [reuse the old can to make a new one]."
"Don't put napkins in the toilet [to avoid wasting water by flushing multiple times]. Don't use too much water when you are getting water. Help pick up [trash on the beach]."
"Pick up trash. Short shower."
Weather and Seasons: We will begin our study of seasons and weather by having groups of students take a seasons card and then recording their predictions regarding the season on their card and the weather patterns that can be seen within. At the end of our studies, the students will make a new video to record all of the new information they have gathered. We then compare these videos in order for students to see how their thinking/ideas have changed.
We also create a seasons wheel as we learn about the seasons, and throughout the unit, the students and I will add drawings and labels to record our findings.
As warm-ups throughout the unit, the class watches one of the following Animoto videos and will draw conclusions in regards to which season they believe the video depicts based on what they have already learned and what they see in the videos.
We will also use the opportunities to practice using and writing the new sight words we are learning to create interactive charts (that the students help make) to record our findings about the seasons:
In our Science and Social Studies center, students will further their exploration of seasons using the following websites (click on the pictures to go directly to the sites):
At the Science and Social Studies Center, the students may use the National Geographic poem to act out the different seasons and choose the appropriate clothing for the weather:
Students will also record their observations of weather and seasonal patterns in their Science journals. During calendar time, students will make predictions regarding the type of weather they think we will see throughout the day and in the days to come based on these patterns.
Seasons and Weather Books:
Making Snow: At Science and Social Studies center this month, in order to give students more authentic experiences with the seasons and weather, students will have the opportunity to make snow and will use their five senses (minus taste, of course) to observe the snow and record their observations in their journals.
Social Studies:
Texas and Border States: This month we are expanding our knowledge of Texas to include the border states as well. Before beginning our studies, in order to assess and activate the students background knowledge, I have the students rotate around the room and write their predictions regarding what they think the shape is that they're looking at on a piece of construction paper (a picture of each state). I allow the students to either write on the paper what they think the shape is, or make a video to record their predictions on an i-touch. As the students rotate to the different states, they can also add on to the comments from the students before them:
We then practice by locating Texas and the border states on the globe and a variety of different maps, including the giant map outside. As an extension of our map studies begun earlier in the year, students will apply what they have learned to describe the relative locations of the states on the map, using vocabulary such as "near, far, left, and right".
At the Social Studies center, students can explore the states by using a variety of state books, videos, and websites.
Students can also play the online game, Stateris, to explore the placement of the different states (click on the image below to go directly to the game):
Students then color Texas and its border states on a state map:
They can also complete the state puzzle to practice spatial awareness:
Or they can order the states from smallest to largest and vice versa:
Additionally, we explore the sizes of the states by finding their area (which state covers more or less space on the United States map, how many New Mexicos can fit inside of Texas compared to how many Louisianas can fit inside, etc).
Landforms and Bodies of Water: As we study Texas and the border states, students are also introduced to landforms and bodies of water. Students record their predictions re: what they think the different landforms may be in the same way the did with the seasons. They will make a video sharing their predictions and the different teams will share their videos to see what their classmates were thinking. We do this to gather our background knowledge and to give students a comparison point to see how their research has helped them form new conclusions at the end of our studies.
After making predictions, students will put into practice the question and answer format of writing in order to guide our research of the different landforms and bodies of water. We will record our questions on a giant chart and we will refer back to them as we do our research.
Generally speaking, we will spend one day per landform and students will work in teams using videos, books, poems, and pictures to find the answers to our questions from the previous day.
Students will use graphic organizers in a book format to record the information they find as they go. I take the questions from the previous day and turn them into subtitles for the non-fiction book that they will create to communicate the results of their research. This gives students experience with expository writing too.
Students will also add to their landform mats using play-doh to recreate the landform we learned about while adding a written label beside each mold. This activity helps solidify their learning by giving them a tactile experience to connect it with.
To complete our studies of landforms, we create a sentence patterning chart. This activity helps students form complete detailed sentences using the new academic vocabulary they have acquired and is especially beneficial to those students learning English as a second language.
Students first share out the names of all of the landforms and bodies of water that they can think of, followed by a list of words that describe these landforms, and then a list of 'action words' associated with them. Students will then take turns using stickies to choose a word from each category and we will sing the sentence using the words they've chosen to the tune of "The Farmer and the Dell". Students will then vote on whether we created a 'true' or 'silly' sentence.
Finally, in order to combine all that we have learned regarding the seasons, weather, landforms, and border states, students will work in groups to create a travel brochure for one of the border states. They will use a variety of resources to tackle the task, and will describe the weather, landforms, and things to do in their state. I will first model this for students on a giant brochure, as the students help find the information together for Texas (we will complete one page of our brochure a day):
After I model a page in my brochure, the students will work in groups to research the same information (weather, landforms, etc.) for their group's state:
At the end of the week, when the students have finished their brochures, they will take turns presenting the information they have gathered to the rest of the class:
As each group presents, the other students will use a graphic organizer to record one new fact they learned about the state being presented by recording it on a graphic organizer (I will model this first for the students):
Not only does this help the students learn about each state, but it also helps keep them engaged and accountable while the other students are presenting:
Texas Heroes: In January, we spend some time getting to know our local leaders.
We compare what the United States looks like now versus what it did during SFA's time, and students are shocked to find that Texas is not on the map!
To coincide with our study of different types of text that we have begun in Language Arts, we will practice reading and writing biographies of Stephen F. Austin and Jose Antonio Navarro to learn about their accomplishments. Students will receive their own copies of these biographies to use and mark on as we simultaneously review our CAP skills (locating letters, words, punctuation, and so on) while reading.
Martin Luther King Day: We also dedicate our time this month to researching one of our country's heroes, Martin Luther King Jr. Before beginning our studies, I have students observe two eggs- one with a dark shell and another with a light shell. We talk about the differences we see between the two. I then crack the eggs open and the students notice that we cannot tell which egg was which- they're both the same on the inside.
We also use this opportunity to talk about bullying and I pose certain scenarios for the students such as, "How would you feel if I said all of the people wearing any clothing with red on it have to go sit out while the rest of us play a game", and so on. The students talk amongst themselves about how the different scenarios made them feel and if the rules were fair and why/why not. We then transfer these experiences over to what was happening in America during Dr. King's time and how critical his work was in shaping the future of our country.
We start our research of Dr. King by listing our predictions about what we think we know about him, then coming up with questions about him that we want to find answers to, and lastly recording what we have learned as a result of our research. Students help record the answers by creating stickies and/or interactively writing on a class chart. We also use Stephanie Harvey's lesson in regards to reading with a question in mind to help us with this process as well. Any time we are doing research, we expose the children to a variety of resources (videos, interactive websites, poems, songs, pictures, and a variety of literacy sources) to gather their information from. In this way, we are ensuring that we are meeting the needs of each unique learner.
Students help write the answers to their questions that they find too...
Students also have an opportunity to put their question and answer format of writing into practice to communicate the information they learn re: MLK Jr. from a Scholastic article. First, we read the article which is divided into four subsections.
Students then work in teams on one of the subtitles from the article that I have turned into a question for students to answer. Their group will write/illustrate the answer to that question on their poster, using information they gathered as we read the text together. The groups will then come back together to present to the rest of the class the answer to their question.
As the groups present, the rest of the students will be held accountable for listening to the other groups by recording the information they learn from that team on a graphic organizer.
As our class learns the new sight word 'was', we will take another opportunity to revisit Dr. King by making an interactive, predictable chart (meaning, the students and I will share the pen as we make the chart and the sentence pattern with the word 'was' will repeat). We begin by using a topic web to plan our writing (we will be using these a lot this month as we focus on non-fiction writing). The students will brainstorm words that we can use to describe Dr. King, and we will write them on our web:
The students and I will then use the bubbles from our web to form sentences about Dr. King using the word 'was' (we will continue using the webs as a planning tool for our writing as we create books in Writer's Workshop. However, we will use each bubble to help us plan a page for our writing vs. a single sentence). After we have used a word in one of the bubbles to write a sentence, we will place a check on the bubble to help us keep track of the information we have already wrote down. After making the chart, we will place it at our Read and Find center for students to practice reading the sentences and locating the sight words they know within it:
Once we have done this activity as a whole class, the students will repeat the process independently to create their own topic webs and sentences to share what they've learned about Dr. King. I will also keep the sentence stem up for students who need a little extra support:
In art center, students can create a portrait of Dr. King by tearing and gluing construction paper. This is a great task for students who need practice strengthening their fine motor skills. After completing their portrait, they will write one fact about Dr. King to pair with their artwork.
Our class also reads the true Story of Ruby Bridges, a six year old student who was the first African American girl to attend an all white school in New Orleans in the 1960's. Through Ruby's eyes, students gain a deeper understanding of what African Americans were facing during this period of history and how significant Dr. King's work was in bringing equality and freedom to all Americans.
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