Kinder Creations

Our 100th Day!

2012-02-16T11:52:00.001-08:00

On our 100th day of school, we dressed like 100 year olds. We had baby powder and rollers in our hair, glasses, sweaters, shawls, and robes.

We made 100 out of household items.

We ate the number 100.

We counted straws, like usual.

We looked forward to it on our calendar.

We extended our number line from 30 to 100. The AM kids wrote the numbers on plain notecards.

The PM class made a PowerPoint presentation of the numbers to 100.

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Meet the Teacher Monday

2011-12-24T14:16:00.001-08:00

I am 26 and live in Las Vegas, NV.

I adore teaching, but besides that...

I have four dogs and a bird.

We love to play dress-up.

We love a good game night.

I collect Hello Kitty stuff. :)

I am an animal lover. I love pink AND bike rides with my 13 year old Poodle, Lucy.

My husband's a cyclist, too.

(Yes, that IS a Swarovski crystal bell.)

Photography is my hobby. Lucky for me, my dogs are models.

I love party-planning and crafts.

The End.

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Merry Christmas to Me!

2011-12-24T10:30:00.001-08:00

I awoke to a surprise in my inbox: I have been awarded the Liebster Award from Team Johnson.

The goal of this award is to spotlight up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.

The rules are:

{1} Copy and paste the award on your blog.

{2} Thank the giver and link back to them.

{3} Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Here are my top 5 picks...

1. "toad-ally" awesome in kindergarten by Mrs. Gant

2. Mrs. Waddingham

3. Fantastic First

4. KinderZoo

5. Mrs. Kimbrell's Kindergarten Kids

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2012 Calendars

2011-12-09T17:05:00.001-08:00

Here is how this year's calendars came out... Without an aide, I had mommy helpers paint and stamp the hands for 12 days. Amazing dedication!

Here's the detailed post, here.

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Upside-down Candy Canes

2011-12-02T11:44:00.001-08:00

When teaching handwriting for the letter Jj, I say Js are candy canes upside-down. I also incorporate the Lively Letters story, how Jack gets down low to jump over the candlestick. Just like the lowercase j is down low, under the writing line. Then, I have the kids get down low and jump.

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Word Cups Solution

2011-11-26T08:15:00.001-08:00

My Word Cups center has had some difficulty this year. The children pull them apart, and even though they are color-coded, they can't figure out which cup goes where. SO, I used a brass brad loosely to hold the two cups together, so it could still spin to build a new word.

The original, vague post is here. Directions: Write the initial letters on the lip of the inner cup. Place it inside one other cup. On the lip of the outer cup, write the word family. The children rotate the cup and write the new word they have created. For example, -at. As you spin it, it becomes sat, fat, bat, hat, etc.

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Thankful Turkeys

2011-11-26T08:13:00.001-08:00

I pulled this idea from our District's kindergarten teachers' forum. I especially liked the idea, since it required minimal planning ahead of time. I let the kids cut and roll the brown paper. I just had to make the copies for the feet and feathers.

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File Cabinet Labels

2011-11-26T08:12:00.001-08:00

Dry Erase markers are great for writing on any hard surface, especially when they are helping me (and my mommy helpers) stay organized!

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Grade Level Gumball Goals

2011-11-10T17:00:00.001-08:00

As a grade level, our goals are to recognize the capital and lowercase letters, produce 26 letter sounds, and identify CCSD's 50 sight words. If need be, we can add another gumball machine for the other 50 sight words, for a goal of 100 sight words. I made every kindergartner 3 gumballs with their names on them. We will staple the gumballs as they reach the goals. They don't move.I used "vintage" flashcards from decades ago I found sitting in my storage room. I have a lot of useless flashcards, that are either missing letter cards or only include capital letters, so I recycled them. I used a circle punch for the gumballs and labels for the names. :)
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Sight Words

2011-11-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

To practice sight words earlier this year, I have decided to send home flashcard lists based on the students reading groups. There are 13 word lists, totalling the CCSD's suggested 100 sight words. I put the cards in a bag, with the child's name on it and the parent letter below.

Lists will be sent home Monday and tests will be given Friday. A student will only receive the next list if he/she reads the list with automaticity. I'm not sure if I will also be doing "Spelling Words" this year.

When they know the first 50, they get a gumball for the goal board!

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New Computers

2011-11-03T17:24:00.003-07:00

We received 3 new computers for our classroom!

We have a lot of passwords and logins for the computers (AR, tickettoread.com, enVisions) so I used this canvas pocket "thing" to store that info and the iPod touches. We used the iPod touches when there weren't enough computers to share and the kids could play on educational apps.

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"Lively Letters" Works

2011-11-03T17:24:00.001-07:00

I took a course over the summer that was recommended to me by the school's speech pathologist. She and the literacy specialist used Lively Letters as a Tier 2 intervention for last year's kindergartners. I took the course in hopes of learning some new strategies to help with any speech issues my kids might have, and phonemic awareness ideas.The website is readingwithtlc.com and I have used Lively Letters and Sight Words You Can See. Both programs are worth the money and time for the course!

Sight Words You Can See have mnemonic clues drawn on the flashcards. There is a story for EVERY sight word, so the students remember the story, too.

I have seen a tremendous growth in letter recognition and MOSTLY SOUND PRODUCTION. The growth far surpasses growth I have seen in previous years.

I bought a lot of the products, but to save the program as a Tier 2 intervention, I only use the letter cards and tell the story. Every morning with the children on the carpet, we review the letters we have learned and produce the sounds. I use Trophies' letter sequence and not Lively Letters. There is a a combined sequence, too.

In small groups, we use the letter tiles to blend and segment. Sometimes I set them on taplights and we turn on the light for each sound.

If you live in Las Vegas, there is a Lively Letters workshop Saturday, December 3rd at the Red Rock Casino!

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Small Group Instruction

2011-11-03T17:22:00.003-07:00

I keep track of who has read what with me, so I can always provide a "Familiar Reading Book Basket." When students come to my table during centers, I usually have a few other centers I have to get started and I don't want my kids waiting around for me. I put out the basket and they can browse books they have previously read with me (or a parent helper) for the 2 minutes I am helping listening center, computers, or getting new paint for art center. Whatever.

When I had some time, I took every leveled reader I had a group set (6 books) of and entered them into a chart. The top of the chart has the centers groups' names, so I can check off the story that we read and discuss. With AM and PM sessions, sometimes I'll have to pretend to be interested in the same story 4 times. Now I can just skip around within the students' ability levels and change things up.

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Helpers

2011-11-03T17:22:00.001-07:00

Every month, I send home a Parent Volunteer Calendar, providing parents with an assigned date and time I need their help on. I schedule Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Mondays are usually days that parent helpers will read a leveled reader with the students one-on-one at a desk, in the hallway. I provide the parents with a basket and the following:

Two copies of the book
Class List to call students from. They check off next to the student's name once they have read together.
Stickers to reward the students for their effort
Before, During, and After questions to check for understanding
Guided Reading flipbook
Number flashcards
Letter flashcards

On Thursdays, the parents call students into the hallway to practice number and letter identification with flashcards. On Fridays, I ask for help with AR tests, assigning new reading books, filing, and checking off homework participation. I always include a To-Do list...

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Objectives and Standards

2011-11-03T17:21:00.001-07:00

I printed off some quick, ocean-themed subject titles and laminated them with a magnet. I write objectives for Phonemic Awareness, Reading, Writing, and Math.

I bought from www.teacherspayteachers.com the ocean-themed Common Core State Standards for kinder. I plan on hanging them around the room. They are super cute!

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Halloween Parade

2011-11-01T17:07:00.005-07:00

In lieu of a Halloween party, we took the last 15 minutes of each AM and PM session to trick-or-treat in the office. The office ladies were so cute and excited to have my babies stop in. Each time we came around the hallway, they would yell, "They're coming! They're coming!" Then they would run to their spots. This was the first time I asked that children wear their Halloween costumes to school. It went very well without any "accidents"! I carried the sign below as we marched through the halls. If a teacher had their door open, we would parade through. Then the grand finale was blasting our classroom surround sound as we marched around the kinder playground to show off our costumes to parents. It was a great day and I would like to do it again next year, since I was still able to teach at our regular schedule.

Of course, we had Halloween cupcakes for snack though!

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Halloween Author Reading

2011-11-01T17:07:00.003-07:00

On Halloween, the AM class had a very special treat. Jarrod Meistle, author of Victor the Vampire, read his book and handed out stickers and pencils!

I talked about this book here!

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"Sea Goals"

2011-11-01T17:07:00.001-07:00

Get it?! Like sea gulls?

Anyway, we are beginning a school-wide goal setting program. We are setting short-term student goals, class goals, and school goals. These Post-Its on my bulletin board are advertising a specific goal for each student to master. When the goal is mastered, they will get a new Post-It. These goals are checkpoints for the long-term goals listed in the Common Core State Standards. We advertise it because we are each others' cheerleaders and every one is working on something positive at their own pace. Our class goal is: we will learn the letter sounds. Once we master that, I printed the next goal on the back, so I can just flip it over. Sequentially, the second goal is: we will sound out to read.

Each child's goal is sent home on this form, so parents can help, too!

I have designated the first day of each month as "Goal Day," when we review our goals and if possible, set new ones. It took me about 30 minutes to set a goal with each child individually. I called one kid over and asked, "What do you want to learn?" Together, we decided on each goal. Below, is a calendar tag I'll put up on the first day for each month.

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Ronald McDonald

2011-10-20T18:36:00.001-07:00

Ronald McDonald came to perform a magic show for our school. Shockingly, only one child was scared to tears by him, but she got through it. :)

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Lesson Planning

2011-10-09T17:29:00.001-07:00

In the Clark County School District, we now use an online lesson planning tool to create and share our lesson plans. The lesson plans are time consuming but extremely thorough. When plans are printed out, there are around 10 pages for a week of plans. For an obsessive person like myself, I enjoy the ability to color coordinate, plan far ahead, and not require paper copies of the Common Core State Standards when planning. Standards can be clicked on and dragged to where you need them. When you click on the colored subjet, the detailed plans come up in a new window.

Another useful feature is sharing the plans. I am able to share lessons with the other kindergarten and special education teachers.

www.curriculum.wiki-teacher.com

Victor the Vampire

2011-10-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

My friend published his first children's book, _Victor_the_Vampire_, in his new series. We will be reading this book for Halloween and the author will also be coming in to read the story to my classes. The students of the week will also receive their very own copy this month, too!

Please check out www.victorthevampire.com. Of course, Victor the Vampire is on Facebook and Twitter, too!

Fall Leaves

2011-10-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

We have been learning about fall. We watched the brainpopjr.com video about fall and collected some leaves. The leaves aren't falling from the trees yet, since we live in Las Vegas.

I used my personal laminator.

We wrote about our "Leaf Art."

Here is the leaf bin I set up in art center for the centers to take from.

As usual in autumn, pumpkins sit on the student tables.

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Octopals and Crabs

2011-10-09T08:56:00.001-07:00

We used our handprints to make these crabs and liven up this wall.

We also used our handprints to make octopi. Then, we named them and wrote about them. The students were very cute and creative when writing their octopus's name, likes, and a describing word.

Now that I have 47 students, I ran out of room on the bulletin board so I hung them from the ceiling, too.

I made the worksheet myself and it only took about two minutes using the LD Traditional Print Lined font, seen here.

I helped each child spell one-on-one, since it was so early in the year.

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Under the Sea in Room 3

2011-08-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

Here is my new theme for my newly renovated room!

Our Groovy End of the Year Celebration

2011-06-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

The calm before the storm. Yes, before. We had so many props we had to lay them out ahead of time!

Our End of the Year Celebration was today and it was awesome! My kinders were promoted to first grade in 60s fashion, singing songs only by The Beatles.

Before the kids came out, my aide played a slideshow of the pictures I took from the year to "Help!" and "Here Comes the Sun." After, we came out to the "Graduation March."

We began with two kids reading this:

"Welcome to our groovy End of the Year Celebration. Boy, are we glad to see you all. It means we have finally finished kindergarten."

Next child:

"We have worked hard to listen, count, and read. Waiting for recess was the hardest! We are ready to rock and roll!"

The first song was "Hello, Goodbye."

Then, two more kids read:

"In the late 1950s, a band started that would change history. The Beatles came from England and the members were John, Paul, George, and Ringo. They had many popular songs and our class loved to listen to their music during seatwork and centers. Here's one of our favorites!"

The second song was "Octopus's Garden." We used handprints to make ocean puppets and blew bubbles during the bubbly music interlude!

One of my kinders read "All I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten," by Robert Fulghum.

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.

The next song was "Your Mother Should Know." I thought it was cute and they held up pictures of their mommies.

Then, one of my littlest ones read a poem from here:

"When I started kindergarten, I was very, very small. I have grown much bigger now. Can't you see how tall? I learned to write my name and numbers and my ABCs. Oh, I love to go to school now! Take me back soon, won't you please?!"

Of course, we sang "Yellow Submarine" and even had a captain and three sailors act out ship duties. The song ended with the construction of a 20' submarine puzzle!

My last reader read a poem from here:

Now I know my ABC's.

Colors, shapes, and days.
I sang some songs,
Learned some poems, rhymes, and fingerplays.
I played outside on sunny days,
And inside when it rained.
My little hands and feet were busy every day.
My teacher was ____.
I kept her on her toes.
She tied my shoes, combed my hair, and even wiped my nose.
But now it's time to say "Good-bye"
To all my kindergarten friends.
School is over, summer's here.

But learning never ends!

The kids held hands and sang "All You Need is Love" and during the last 30 seconds, they went around and hugged their classmates. Very sweet!

The grand finale was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." We had a drummer, guitarist, 24 pairs of sunglasses, and 22 air guitars!

I ended the show with the Candy Bar Awards. Similar to the ones found here. They were cute and got lots of laughs and smiles.

All of the exhausting work put into this performance paid off!

My AMAZING aide and myself.

Goody bags.

I ordered this from OrientalTrading.com

Portfolios, memory books, and certificates.

Programs

Report Card Comments

2011-05-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

My report card comments include sentences on:

1. letter recognition

2. reading

3. writing

4. handwriting

5. math

6. behavior

7. homework

For example, "Mickey Mouse has made tremendous growth this school year. Mickey has learned every letter of the alphabet and its sound(s). He is able to read simple texts and he participated in the AR (Accelerated Reader) program. Mickey’s handwriting is extremely neat. He is able to write more than four sentences with punctuation. He no longer frustrates easily when doing so. Mickey is able to add and subtract with and without manipulatives. He correctly identified pennies, nickels, and dimes. He was unable to tell the difference between a question and a statement orally. Mickey is a very sweet boy and displays appropriate behaviors in school. He has made many friends and is more outgoing. Thank you for your support with Mickey and his impeccable homework completion. I am very proud of what he has accomplished! Please continue reading with him over the summer. Good luck in first grade!"

Guess who got a Smartboard?!

2011-05-25T12:46:00.001-07:00

I did, to my surprise! Does any one else have one? How do you use your's?

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Writing Progress

2011-05-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

Every trimester, we do a school-wide writing prompt on our best day of school. These samples are from the same student on that same topic. In my class, I require all daily journal writing to be at least four sentences now. We are still working on varying sentence structure. :)
1st trimester student sample:

Her writing 2nd trimester:

Her writing 3rd trimester:

Back and rough draft:

Circle map:

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Coins

2011-05-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

As money review, I got a coin purse and put some coins in it to help refresh some memories. My aide will let the kids "buy" items around the classroom for a penny, nickel, dime, or quarter. They are so excited! It's the best method we've tried!

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Alphabetical Order

2011-05-18T08:12:00.001-07:00

During centers, the children were asked to make the alphabet using cookie cutters. When the alphabet was completed correctly, it made an AB pattern.

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Best Day of School

2011-05-18T08:11:00.001-07:00

Our writing prompt is always the best day of school, here is a list we made of our favorite days. Today, we will complete a circle map and begin our first drafts. Thursday we will create final drafts.

We gave had a lot of fun days!
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Sending a Letter

2011-05-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

We have been reviewing the rules for Mailbox Center, since I had to take it away and now I am bringing it back. I wrote about how I use the center here. I started with the www.brainpopjr.com video, "Sending a Letter". Then, we took the online quiz.

We used a flow map to brainstorm and sequence.

Then we used our maps to write 4 sentences.

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High Expectations

2011-05-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I began teaching our class the songs for our First Grade Promotion. We are using six songs by The Beatles, which are tough. I would sing and teach the motions, expecting the kids to memorize the lyrics. As I left school, I started to panic, as we only had 22 days left of school. How were we EVER going to learn it all?! I started thinking we would never be ready and how it was going to be awful, since I have never used these songs before!

After my class, I went home and printed out 24 copies of the lyrics for each kid to keep on their table. As part of our reading time, we used our "magic reading fingers" (pointer fingers) to trach the print. They did SO much better! They can refer back to them and practice them if they finish early.

My kids are reading and I thought they would be overwhelmed by the three pages of size 12 font. We will only learn the words this week and next week I'll start teaching the motions. They were ready for lyrics and eased my anxiety. I should've had higher expectations to begin with...

Clean Up Song

2011-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

I made up this song to transition during centers rotations, to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching"...

The children are cleaning up the room

Hurrah! Hurrah!

The children are cleaning up the room

Hurrah! Hurrah!

The children are cleaning up the room

The little one stops to grab a broom

And they all keep cleaning

Until the job is done

Progress Reports

2011-05-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

We send progress reports home every other week-ish. :) I include the child's behavior, missing assignments, and academics. It is a carbon copy and the parents have to sign it and return it the following day. Here's what it looks like...

Rainy Day Schedule

2011-05-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had rain, so our school was on a rainy day schedule, which means no recess. It's very rare in Las Vegas. We eat our afternoon snack (provided by the parents) on the playground during recess. The children ate inside during recess, so I used the projector to go to www.sesamestreet.org. I clicked videos and searched "rain". If you watch any of the video results, it goes through all of videos involving rain on a loop without interruption. It was awesome to fill the silence and it was a special treat.

Songs

2011-05-05T20:27:00.001-07:00

I have been taking a class on songs and finger plays, which inspired me to organize my music. I have a pink iPod I use for my classroom and I printed all of the song titles on labels. I also printed the titles of the www.brainpopjr.com and www.sesamestreet.org videos I use. I put them in my theme file folders so I would remember all of the songs and clips to play.

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Organization

2011-05-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have started adding labels to all of my previous posts, in hopes of making posts easier to find. You can find them on the bottom, right side. :)

Story Sticks

2011-04-26T12:29:00.001-07:00

We read our story, Story Sticks. Then we made story sticks of our favorite story. We talked about characters, settings, and events.

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Careers on Wheels

2011-04-15T16:42:00.001-07:00

Career Day pictures! There were 24 vehicle stations!

That's one of the daddies up there!

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What do you do on Easter?

2011-04-14T11:48:00.001-07:00

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Birthdays, Addresses, & Phone Numbers! Oh my!

2011-04-12T11:13:00.001-07:00

We finally know our birthdays, addresses, and phone numbers. We have been taking attendance by them since we started school. Every day, the children come into our room and move their names, then after about a month, we switch to birthdays, and so on. We put them in the tree.

(Obviously the door was not finished during our renovation.)

At the beginning of small groups during math centers, I have them punch in their phone numbers to an old, unplugged phone. No rocket science here. :)

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Rainstick

2011-04-09T10:14:00.001-07:00

I pulled out my rainstick Thursday since I knew it was going to rain. We talked about the history of the rainstick and how it's made. I let each child hold it. To the kids' surprise, it rained that night. Yesterday, we read a story about rain and they wrote in their journals about whether they thought it was magical or not. They impressed me with the adjectives they used: magical, powerful, and unbelievable!

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Authors' Mic

2011-04-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

Here is one of my kindergartners reading about rainy and sunny weather from his journal. He's pointing with a water squirter (Dollar Tree) and speaking into one of our classroom mics. My kiddies LOVE this and are so proud!

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First Grade Promotion

2011-04-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

My theme for "graduation" this year is NEW and I am so excited! We are wearing tie-dyed shirts, girls will have braids with daisies, peace signs everywhere, and we will only sing songs by The Beatles. Here are some of the things I have been working on...

-60s signs
-peace sign stickers for our cheeks
-Candy Bar Awards (new!)
-tie-dyed bubbles
-kazoos
-first grade promotion certificates
-plates and napkins
-octopus, seaweed, and waves
-graduation goody bags
-brown yarn to tie around our heads

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Sneak Peek

2011-04-05T18:57:00.001-07:00

I made this enormous "Yellow Submarine" for our First Grade Promotion Ceremony. Then, I cut it up into 24 pieces and had them laminated. I am SO excited for the performance. It's going to be "rockin'"!

More info to come. :)

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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

2011-04-04T16:56:00.001-07:00

In reading group (Mrs. Payne's Round Table), we read _One Two Buckle My Shoe_. Then, I had my kids think of a new rhyme. Here's what one group came up with...

"One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, my dog snores."

"One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, I will ignore. Five, six, I like tricks. Seven, eight, I don't hate."

"One, two, I do. Three, four, did you say more? Five, six, let's do more. Seven, eight, look at the gate. Nine, ten, why did you say men?" (Almost!)

So cute! Plus, one of our spelling words this week is "one".

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Journal Center

2011-04-02T08:59:00.001-07:00

In Journal Center, I have a picture frame that I put one random picture in it each week. The kids write about the picture in their journals. It took me about 10 minutes to find weeks worth!

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School-wide Read In

2011-04-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

It was pajama day on Friday for Reading Week. We spent 30 minutes with the other classes reading in the hallways. The kids read independently for the first fifteen minutes, then I read _Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type_.

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New Technology

2011-03-31T19:05:00.001-07:00

One of the benefits of our new classroom is the new AV system. We use the projector to watch www.brainpopjr.com videos and the enVisions clips. I also use an iPod daily during seatwork and centers, playing mostly Steven Fite, Dr. Jean, and The Beatles (for our First Grade Promotion Ceremony--more on that later).

We also received two microphones, so one of my aides and I each have one. I love them, especially during centers when it's louder in the classroom. It's great to get everyone's attention. The kids also love to read from their journals or the morning messages using the microphones! They are much smaller than the mic I used in student teaching. You also have to get in the habit of clicking them off when you want to have a one-on-one conversation. Now, I just have to remember to stop taking it home accidentally!

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Dan Crow

2011-03-29T12:03:00.001-07:00

In Trophies, he is a very popular singer/songwriter!

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The Votes are In!

2011-03-24T11:31:00.001-07:00

Next week is Reading Week, so we voted for our top ten favorite books. Each student received two Post-Its and they stuck them above their favorite books.

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Spring is Here!

2011-03-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

My little bugs performed FIVE times for our school. We sang songs, hula-hooped, jumped rope, recited poems, and read!

The boys had wings.

Every one made shirts.

The girls wore matching hair flowers.

I awarded my awesome students.

(Our school color is purple and our mascot is the monarch butterfly.)

b and d

2011-03-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

I made this sign to remind children of the difference between b and d. I have seen less reversals. Maybe it's working?

Big Changes

2011-03-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, simply because of chaos. In the past few months, our kinder aide left, we gained a new one, we gained a second one, we packed up our room, unpacked our room, and performed a Spring Assembly five times for the entire school.

Here is the new room...

I didn't put up too many things, but that will change over the summer. I'm thinking of switching to an ocean theme for next year...

Bubble Maps

2011-02-25T11:27:00.001-08:00

We are in the process of moving, so pardon my bare walls. For our new bulletin board, we made flower bubble maps. The stem is the topic and the leaves are the describing words.

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100th Day Pictures

2011-02-08T18:35:00.001-08:00

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Peace Week

2011-01-14T11:19:00.001-08:00

Next week is Peace Week so we are having a door decorating contest. My kindergartners wrote peaceful words.

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iPhones

2011-01-04T08:13:00.001-08:00

I reset the two old iPhones we had in my house and downloaded phonics apps. I grabbed four apps that are like digital flashcards for letters and sounds. I plan on giving them to early finishers or my kids who need extra help during centers. They can only access the four educational apps.

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Santa (and some puppies) Came!

2011-01-03T17:30:00.001-08:00

...to the classroom!

W is for wrestle.

Santa brought new crayons, pencils, and glue sticks.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

We decorated cookies at our holiday party, of course. :)

It's a tradition to watch, "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer," with my kinders. I am NOT a big fan of watching movies. Ever (even at home). But I left the subtitles on, so the kids could read also, while watching the movie, which covers more standards!

I bought board games for the class for centers.

We made "Reindeer Food".

Ingredients: oatmeal and sugar sprinkles.

Then, the kinders have been making handprint calendars for the last month as a gift to their families. Silly me, I forgot to take a picture of December with Santa. Above, is the back of the calendar. The pictures are backwards. Here is the site where I got the poems from, then I copied them into Word...

http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/334/2012-handprint-calendar/

I typed every student's birthday and special school events.

The front!

We wrapped them in (new) trash bags. A few student helpers actually did it for me while I tied the bows with curling ribbon.

To/From gift tags.

We also had a Rabbi come in to teach the children about Hanukkah.

They loved playing with the dreidels!

Lastly, as a center, I had the children write in "snow" (sugar) as a center on cookie sheets. One week, we used flashcards to copy the print. The next week, we sounded out winter words and wrote them in the snow.

Pumpkins

2010-12-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

I have been super busy, but wanted to show you, briefly, what we have been up to.

As always, we decorated cookies at our Halloween party.

We ate orange food.

And did some Halloween crafts, like bat magnets.

My kiddos have been writing up a storm, about everything!

Art instructions for pumpkin bags during centers.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but you can see one here.

October Center

2010-10-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

We are decorating small pumpkins as an independent center. I wrote their names on the pumpkins earlier so they can find their pumpkin. Also I will know who is missing one, especially if someone was absent.

Our shape of the week is triangle so the kids cut out two and I pre-cut the mouths with a circle punch.

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Environmental Print Bulletin Board

2010-10-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

The kids glued on signs and logos they can read for homework last week!

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Letter Recognition

2010-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked, "What do you do to improve letter recognition?"

For letter recognition, I...

host Alphabet Bingo!

go to the dollar store and buy flashcards for my struggling kids and send them home to use with a note.

use cookie sheets and sugar to have them write specific letters in the "snow" (great sensory activity).

use flashcards and when the student gets it right I let them feed the flashcard to "The Muncher" (a monster-like trash can).

(we) sing and dance to Dr. Jean's "Alphardy".

(we) say the ABC chant every day.

make letters out of Play-Doh.

use www.tickettoread.com as a center and on Fridays in the computer lab.

use LeapFrog DVDs, especially "The Letter Factory".

use whiteboards and play, "Simon Says." Simon says write a G.

play Letter ball (a beach ball with letters written on it; kids have to say what letter they touch).

line my kids up by first letters of their name. "If your name starts with A line up."

use fridge letter magnets for ABC order.

That's all I can remember for now... The red activities are links to blog posts and more details.

What do YOU do to improve letter recognition? Leave a comment!

Play-Doh Letters

2010-09-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

About twice a week, I hand out small pre-made balls of Play-Doh, so the children can make our letters, shapes, and numbers of the week.

This also prepares them for Play-Doh center. They learn how to clean up the Play-Doh, stay on task, and keep it off of the floor!

Who does this?!

2010-09-23T17:35:00.001-07:00

Who thought it would be a good idea to give you less border in a package than a standard bulletin board amount?! :(

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Wow.

2010-09-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Shocking-State-of-Our-Schools

Entry Tasks = Buying Some Time

2010-09-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our morning routine entails "moving the children's names"and sitting down to an Entry Task. (Sigh.) I love Entry Tasks because the kids are doing something productive while I collect notes and complete lunch count.

Over the summer, I created 180 Entry Tasks in a single Word document. Each Entry Task is a half sheet of paper with a REVIEW topic. Today the kids were asked to draw their shoes (since it's only Day 6). As they come in the Entry Task is always at their seats and they are trained on what to do.

Entry Task topics I created were drawing shapes, forming letters, name practice, writing words, drawing pictures, and writing environmental print found in the room.

Centers Details

2010-09-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

As I begin to incorporate structured centers, I thought I'd share what works best for me...

For the first two weeks of centers, I do not try to pull kids for a small group since I'm constantly getting up to assist the kiddies. I circulate the room until my feet hurt. When I finally assign centers groups by ability level, I send home a note to the parents listing their child's group, so the parents can help them remember the group name.

I have six groups of 4-5 children in each group. They are the: Yellow Suns, Red Apples, Orange Fish, Blue Cars, Green Turtles, and Purple Stars. Since moving to full-day K, I have two 40 minutes centers sessions, one are Math Centers and one are Reading Centers. During the 40 minutes, I do two centers stations for each group, so the kids visit a total of 4 centers a day.

It is SO IMPORTANT to practice finding their centers, walking to their center quietly, completing the center, and then CLEANING UP the center the way they found it. I include pictures of what the centers look like neatly organized for my visual learners.

My Math Centers include: blocks center, board games center, computer center, small group with me ("Mrs. Payne's Round Table"), whiteboards, seatwork, puzzles, manipulatives, etc.

My Reading Centers are: reading group, computers, listening center, LeapPads, whiteboards, file games, mailbox center, friend center (where they match each classmate's picture to their written name), write the room center (writing environmental print), journals, teacher center with the overhead, alphabet puzzles, art center, etc.

Here's a link to a previous year's half-day centers.

Lesson Plans

2010-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some generic plans that I use...

Full-Day, Page 1

Full-Day, Page 2 (I put the pages side-by-side in a three-ring notebook, shown here.)

Half-Day, Page 1

Half-Day, Page 2

Let me know if you would like a copy emailed.

Thanks, WalMart!

2010-09-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

I would just like to give a shout out to WalMart and their Teacher Rewards program. Two managers from the school's nearest WalMart visited our school this morning during our staff meeting. Not only did they bring EVERY baked good for breakfast including fruit platters, but they also brought TEN $100 classroom giftcards... AND I WON ONE! So, thanks WalMart for buying my kinders some extra-special things for our room!

Day 3

2010-09-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

Full-day kindergarten makes such a difference. The children have had so much more time to adjust to the routine. My aide is fantastic! I have also noticed that most of the children have had exposure to pre-k material, so they have done great on the assignments thus far. I'm so pleased and grateful!

First Day Greeting

2010-09-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Each year, on the first day of school, I wheel out my table and set up nametags and a basket of notes for the parents. The children find their name tags and the parents take a note. I posted the note here. I use the nametage for the first week of school. I remember their names by day two, but now we have Specials (P.E., Music, Library, and Art) each day and it helps out those teachers.

First Day

2010-08-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today, I honestly felt like I was herding sheep. It was an exhausting first day, but much better than last year's! I can't wait for them to get used to the routine... Good luck tomorrow kinder teachers, we are all in the same boat! :)

Orientation AND Open House

2010-08-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our school has Open House BEFORE the first day of school, so students can meet their teachers and check out their classroom. At "my" school, there are only 2.5 kindergarten teachers. Lucky for us, we have a lot of say in how we conduct our classrooms, so we (I) decided the mornings of Open House each year should be dedicated to a Kindergarten Orientation. At Orientation, we go through all of our classroom policies, in hopes to clarify confusion regarding homework and behavior expectations. It really does work! I use a Powerpoint presentation so I remember ALL I have to say.

I have the parents sign-in so I can send home a "Thank You" for attending.

At the Open House, I have a cute jar filled with Hershey's kisses and the parents/children have to estimate how many kisses in the jar. The person closest gets to keep the whole thing! I also give out these mints...

Mission Accomplished

2010-08-26T20:07:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of the new, smaller room!

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Divine Design

2010-08-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Do you remember when I told you I was moving? Well, the movers come Thursday to take my stuff out of Room 3 and lug it all the way down to Room 21. I had to make a map to show them where I want (most of) everything. I felt like Candice Olson (I modeled my own kitchen after the "Fashion-Forward Kitchen Update"). Anyway, here is what I came up with...

Welcome Letter to Parents

2010-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my Welcome Letter. I call it my "syllabus". It is included in the manila Welcome Packets, shown here.

"Dearest Parents,

Welcome! I am very excited about meeting each and every one of you. I’m looking forward to teaching your child and providing meaningful experiences to develop a lifelong love for learning. I truly want their first year of elementary school to be a positive experience. This letter will explain how I run my classroom and what one should expect this year. It will probably be a good idea to keep this letter at home so you may refer back to it if necessary. If you ever have any questions, you may email me (hpayne@interact.ccsd.net) or call me at school. It is best to email me, since I am able to check messages from home.

Our school is currently undergoing renovation. Therefore, we will begin the school year in room 21. Approximately 6-8 weeks later, upon completion of our beautiful new classroom, we will move to room 3 permanently.

This class is the only full-day kindergarten at this school. We are very lucky to have Mrs. Bragg as a kindergarten aide.

Mornings

The playground is unlocked, in the morning, at 8:40am. Please bring your child to the playground dot, labeled “21”. Children are brought inside at 9:00am and the tardy bell rings at 9:10am. Those students dropped off after 9:10am, must be taken to the office in order to be admitted to class.

Dismissal

Students are to be picked up, in-person, at 3:21 pm from our dot (#21). If you are running late, you may find your child waiting in the office. Please be courteous and pick up your child on time.

Daily Schedule

I try to follow the class schedule as closely as possible. The following schedule pertains to Mondays-Thursdays. Fridays will have a slightly different schedule, due to computers, show-and-tell, and “free choice” centers.

Pledge/Entry Task 9:00-9:10

Calendar 9:10-9:40

Reading/L.A. 9:40-10:30

Break 10:00-10:10

Writing Workshop 10:30-11:00

Lunch 11:00-11:30

Reading Centers 11:30-12:25

Specials 12:35-1:25

Math 1:25-2:00

Math Centers 2:00-2:35

Recess/Snack 2:35-2:45

Science/Social Studies 2:45-3:15

Dismissal 3:21

Snack

Every two months, I will send home the “Snack Schedule Calendar.” If you see your child’s name on a particular day, I ask that you please send a snack for the entire class with your child that day. It is not required though. We have about 26 students. It is easiest for me, if snacks are individually wrapped. Popular items include animal crackers, chips, fruit snacks, goldfish crackers, fruit, crackers, pretzels, etc. I try to avoid anything with peanut oil or chocolate due to those students with allergies. Snacks will be eaten during afternoon recess.

Discipline

In our classroom, we will be following the “Star Rules.” They allow learning to take place in a safe and productive environment, while emphasizing respect. The rules are as follows:

S – Share with others.

T – Talk when the teacher says it’s okay.

A – Always keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself.

R – Respect others by listening, caring, and sharing.

If a child chooses to break a rule, I will “move their clothespin.” On the wall, I will have four categories: “E” for excellent, “G” for good, “N” for needs improvement, and “U” for unacceptable. Each day your child will begin with their clothespin on “good.” The clothespin will be moved down if he or she breaks one of the star rules. Clothespins may also be moved up if your child shows exceptional behavior. If a child moves down to “N,” he or she will sit out from recess partially, for five minutes. If a child moves down again to “U,” I will call the parent or send a “Tough Day” Notice home, explaining which infraction was made and the student will lose all ten minutes of recess.

Homework

Please look in your child’s backpack every day for handouts or letters. Often times, children forget what papers they were given. Homework packets will be given on Monday for that week. Homework packets will be due on Friday. Homework packets will include our classroom newsletter, homework for that week, and the snack calendar (if applicable). Homework typically consists of 1-2 nightly review worksheet(s) and fifteen minutes spent reading with your child. Your assistance with your child’s homework is necessary. Directions are often too hard for the kindergartner to read; therefore your help is needed. A manila envelope will be sent home with the homework packets containing one or two reading books that can be used towards your nightly reading minutes. Please practice reading these books with your child.

Grading

All work that is completed as homework will count towards a student’s letter or effort grade. Neatness, accuracy, understanding of the concept, and completing work in a timely manner will be a part of the grading process. Some work will have one of the following marks:

Advanced (exceeds grade level standards) [Star] = Outstanding

Proficient (meets grade level standards) [Smiley face] = Good

Approaching grade level standards :).k. = O.K.

Below grade level standards Oops = Keep trying

Star Student of the Week

Each week I will select a “Star Student of the Week.” When your child has been selected, I will send home a packet for you to complete with your child. The packet will be displayed on a bulletin board, so pictures or drawings are encouraged (they will be returned)! The Star Student of the Week may sit in the designated chair, have special jobs, and have time to share with the class each day about what makes them special! A trophy will also be placed at his or her seat to keep at school for all to see.

Volunteers

The first couple of weeks of school are a period of adjustment for kindergarten children. Leaving home, getting to know new friends, and learning about the classroom and school are very big steps. This adjustment can be made easier if parents postpone visiting the classroom until after the first two weeks of school. Once the adjustment period is complete, I welcome parents in our room and love having the extra hands, especially on Fridays. Please let me know if you are able to volunteer! Most of the time, I need assistance with assembling papers/homework packets, which may be done at home as well. I have attached a “Help Wanted” form for your convenience.

Supplies

Please see the attached letter for a list of supplies your child will need. I ask that children bring a change of clothes in a plastic bag to keep in their backpacks. Accidents do happen, especially in new environments!

Birthdays

Birthday party invitations may not be sent to school unless there is one for every student or every student of their same gender (i.e. “girls only” or “boys only”). Simplicity is best for in-class celebrations. If you would like, you may send a simple snack that day for your child to share with classmates, keeping in mind we have about 26 students. Please no punch or cake.

Thank you!

I am eager to start the year and get-to-know your child!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Payne & Mrs. Bragg"

Welcome Handouts

2010-08-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Every year I make manila envelopes for each student containing a massive amount of forms for the parents to complete. These forms help the parents get to know me, the rules, procedures, and the forms give me a lot of information. I read every form and take note of allergies, trnsportation to and from school, which children have NOT been to preschool, and which parents want to help. :)

The forms are...

Welcome Letter (Syllabus)

Help Wanted - Volunteer Sign Up

Allergy Information

Child Pick Up Info

Snack Calendar

Questionnaire for Kinder Parents

School Supplies List

Below is the Questionnaire.

Magnetic Fridge Letter Fun

2010-08-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

I got a master of the alphabet arch and made 25+ copies on large paper. Then, LUCKILY, I found 25+ sets of magnetic fridge letters at Target's One Spot. The children can practice alphabetical order and letter recognition.

I labeled ziploc bags and put a set in each bag. The children will grab an alphabet arch mat and their set of letters to take back to their desks.

Orientation Information

2010-08-04T09:32:00.001-07:00

Here are the PowerPoint slides I show during Orientation. Orientation is different from Open House. Open House is much more casual as families walk around the classroom and I simply greet them.

Back-to-School

2010-07-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things I have purchased and/or been working on for the new school year...

Apples for my new bulletin board to welcome the new kinders to school. They were blah, so I added ribbon and cardstock.

New jumpropes for recess.

We have one of these in the computer lab at our school. As the teacher circulates, she places this "Good Work" cone on a student's computer who is following the rules. I bought one for the classroom, I'll try it out during centers.

Lots of new decor for my new room. I love puppies, so that fabric is great for a dog-themed bulletin board!

Instead of the traditional alphabet ending, "Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me," I will sing, "Now I will never forget how to say my alphabet."

With more time in full-day kindergarten, I will be incorporating the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting workbooks, so I made bookmarks for each student to mark their pages.

More great dollar store finds.

I made this clipboard for my new aide, so I can post her to-do lists. The poor thing is stuck with me and my OCD tendencies.

A welcome note for my new kinders.

In the past, I usually memorize all 52 names by day 3, but I still made five days of name tags for my 25 kiddos. Hopefully, this helps my aide and the specialists.

With full-day kinder, I will be using ALL of the Social Studies materials, so I put together this basket to easily grab from.

Orientation and Open House items, explained here.

As part of homework for the second week of school, I ask my students to make a "Life Box". A "Life Box" contains items that are special to that child. We present these in a Show-and-Tell format, so we can get to know each other better. This is my "Life Box" with pictures, seashells, a Maltese figurine, pink things, sparkly things, and a little bit of Hello Kitty.

Hula hoops for recess.

Our new and improved crayon caddies.

I put each child's name on a cup. The theory is, if their name is on it, they'll take better care of the items... Fingers crossed.

Welcome to School gift bags.

**I am so excited for the new school year to start!...**

Office Overload

2010-07-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

fiMy office is currently in shambles. Boxes, bags, and piles cover my floor. I have been back to school shopping for my classroom.

I have also been sorting, counting, and organizing our consumables. We will have THREE teachers in the fall, instead of our previous two. I brought the boxes home so I could count them, bundle, and label the chapters with the teachers' names on them. Then, we had a lot of random extras from previous years that had been cramping my storage room.

Here are the chapters for my class. I keep them at home.

Extreme Makeover: School Edition

2010-06-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my beautiful classroom, seen here and here? Well, my school is undergoing "rehab," or as I like to call it, a "renovation." So, I had to pack up my entire room and bathrooms into about 40ish? boxes, consuming 15 hours of my life. My room is the first to be fixed up, so I am moving into a MUCH smaller room (without attached bathrooms) for the first 6-8 weeks of the school year. Upon completion of MY room, I then move back to my room, which will have pretty new walls and fancy new toys... so it's definitely not ALL bad. :) Happy 20th to my school!

Drum Roll Please...

2010-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

In August, I will be teaching full-day, tuition-based kindergarten. I am so excited to have 25 students ALL day with an aide! I love kindergarten and would never leave, but I am happy to try something new! I am staying at my current school and this program is new to my school. Yay!

Celebration Songs & Poems

2010-06-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here are my notes/slides for our End of the Year Celebration.

The Perks

2010-06-23T13:20:00.001-07:00

I LOVE homemade gifts and this year I had some VERY talented mommies. I included the Scentsy warmer, since the kindergartner who gave me the warmer told me, "When I was a tiny baby, I made those handprints since I knew one day you'd be my teacher." (That fabulous warmer comes with the handprints on it :)

End of the Year Celebration

2010-06-23T13:15:00.001-07:00

This year I hosted the End of the Year Celebration for BOTH of my classes. All 52 kiddos came at 9:00am and we started the show at 9:30am. Here are my notes for the program, including the songs and poems.

I printed out and wrapped water bottle labels, which say End of the Year Celebration. My mom made 10 dozen cookies for the families.

The stage is decorated. When more than one class is on the stage, ALWAYS LABEL which class is on which side of the stage. For this celebration, I had a sign on the left that read, "AM," and a sign on the right that read, "PM."

Programs are laid out, which say:

The Itinerary

The Kids who are reading special parts

Special Thanks

Every child's name

I laid out kindergarten certificates, bundled with memory books and these folders. The parents pick them up after the show (or before).

Circus Circle Map

2010-06-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

When brainstorming in kindergarten, always include a picture with each word. It's not a bubble map, sorry about the lines.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2010-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

"Do shamrocks bite?"

"I don't think caterpillars eat cookies."

Listening Center

2010-05-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

During the last full week of school, I recorded myself reading this book. Before I sent them to Listening Center that week, I told them there was a special surprise and to keep it a secret. They loved hearing my voice and the special message I left for them!

Gus the Bus

2010-04-20T17:06:00.001-07:00

This week, Gus the Bus came to our school to teach the kinders about bus safety. In the CLark County School District, this is a free service, in which you simply make an appointment and they'll even stick around for BOTH sessions. Definitely a hit!!!

Spelling Word Review

2010-04-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

I created a simple PowerPoint with the previous and current weeks' spelling words. When they correctly identify the word, I move on to the next. To spice things up, I projected the slideshow onto the ceiling. They loved it!

Potpourri

2010-04-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

I recently took a professional development class. The instructors stressed the importance of entry tasks. Typically, my entry tasks for my kiddos are finding their birthdays, unstacking chairs, putting away their belongings, getting out notes for me, and a welcome worksheet. I gave them a hands-on activity that focused on Trophies' letter of the week.

Students were asked to make the letter "y" using a pipecleaner that fits the flashcard.

Entry task supplies have to be ready for the students, as they enter the room, so they can dive right in!

I displayed my example on the overhead.

At the PDE class, they encouraged us to make flashcards and randomly in the stack, add pictures of familiar faces to keep the students' attention. They love looking to see who pops up next!

We made frog puppets, during our Frog-themed week.

At my class, they encouraged us to get fun, new pointers for students to track print. Here's a water squirter.

We did the same writing activity as previously posted here.

Father's Day Gifts

2010-04-07T18:16:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of Mrs. ElCid.

The Father's Day gifts turned out great this year. Last August in Target's "One Spot", they had three-packs of picture frames for $2.50, so I loaded my cart with 54 frames. In the 4"x6" frame I put in a picture of each child holding the sign above. On the frame, I hot-glued random puzzle pieces. They frames were much nicer than last year's, so hopefully I find the same frames again!

Also, my husband and BIL wrapped the frames in scented 1 gallon trash bags and tied green and blue ribbon. The same trash bags from Mother's Day, but not in pink.

Butterflies!

2010-04-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

K-9 Demonstration

2010-04-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

A Plant's Needs

2010-04-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

Today was our first day back from Spring Break. Last week, I only went in to my classroom once, to find our garden dead, of course. I decided not to discard the sad garden. Before break, the children and I talked about what a plant needs to grow and since our garden had no sunlight nor any water, I took this as a learning opportunity for the classes. We talked about why the plants died, what we could have done to prevent this, and the importance of sunlight and water. I gave the students a chance to feel the crunchy, shriveled up plants and we compared them to the soft, perky alive sprouts we once had. During recess, I wheeled the garden to our grassy area and dumped the plants out, where we touched the roots and discussed their job. Luckily, there were no tears over our "loss". (Sigh of relief.)

Spelling Word Baskets

2010-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

A DEFINITE favorite, like last year.

We made baskets for our spelling words. The baskets are filled with Easter grass and the spelling words are printed on cardstock. My kiddies love these!