A Look at Our Week

We had another great week in kindergarten.  It was so nice to have outdoor recess and enjoy the spring like temperatures.

Math

During math this week, we played a new game called The Forest Game, which I played against the class.  We would take turns spinning the arrow and followed the direction on the spinner, either adding or subtracting "squirrels" (game markers).  The "squirrels" hop in and out of the forest, depending on what was spun.  The goal of the game is to be the first one to have exactly ten squirrels in the forest.  This is a game that can be played at home with someone as it will be sent home in the children's Friday folders.

We have also been working on counting to 40, starting at any given number within 0-20.

Two math stations were introduced this week: Foxes and Dens and Beat You to Twenty

Foxes and Dens

In this partner game, the children's "foxes" (game markers) race through dens to the finish.  Two dice are rolled and are added (we have been working on the counting on strategy) and it's determined if that number appears in the next den.  If so, the "fox" can advance to that den.  The first one to reach the fifth den is the winner.

Beat You to Twenty

This is a familiar game to the children as they have previously played Beat You to Five and Beat You to Ten.  In this partner game, parents take turns rolling the die numbered 0-5 and covering the indicated number of cubes on the game board using Unifix cubes.  The first player to cover exactly 20 is the winner.

Number  Corner

The children are becoming more confident in understanding and using number trees to decompose numbers.  You can ask your child the following question and have them show you their work:

What could my number tree look like if I had 3 buttons on my sweater? 5 buttons? 

During our number line activities this week, the children compared numbers and played a game with Hap.  In the comparing numbers activity, the children were introduced to the symbols used for greater than and less than.  Using the number line, 2 numerals were revealed.  After the numerals were located on the pocket chart, the cards were arranged to form an inequality statement using the greater than card.  The statement was read to the class and the children echoed it back.  Then, I demonstrated to the children how to use the same numeral cards and the less than card to form and read a different inequality statement.  Again, the children echoed the statement back.

In the game Hide and Seek with Hap, Hap is hiding behind one of the numbers on the number line (1-20).  With the help of Hap's friends, the children guess where Hap may be hiding.  Each time a guess is made, the number card is revealed to see if Hap is hiding under that specific number.  If he is not under that number, I let them know if Hap's number is greater than or less than the number they just guessed.  This is one of the classes favorite game!

Writer's Workshop

This week we really focused on making our stories sound like stories.  We had a great discussion on what makes writing hard to read and what makes writing easy to read.

Fundations

In this second unit, we've been reviewing uppercase letters and also learning how to tap out CVC (for example: cat).  This strategy will help when reading and writing these words in the near future.  Take a look at the video below showing how a child would tap out of the following cvc word.

Lastly….

Here is a short video showing what the children have been learning in music.