Non-Fiction vs Fiction

We have been learning about the difference between Non-Fiction and Fiction texts. Together, we came up with this checklist to help us figure out whether the book we are reading is a fiction text or a non-fiction one.

You can try this at home when reading with or to your child. Does the book contain real information, table of contents, real pictures? If so, it may be a Non-Fiction text. Does it contain characters, settings, make-believe stories or drawn pictures? It might be a Fiction text!

Poem for week of November 26th

We are learning about the letter A and the two sounds it makes!

Poem for week of November 19th

Poem for November 12th

I apologize for posting this poem late! I had posted it on Monday, but it seems to have gotten lost in cyberspace. In any event, here it is now.

As we have been practicing the proper formation of numbers, the poem this week is about learning how to print numbers 1-5. Students were asked to print the numbers and then try to draw 5 smiley faces. Next week's poem will focus on Numbers 6-10!

Decoding Strategies

We have been talking a lot lately about different strategies we can use in Kindergarten when reading and trying to figure out a word. Below you will find an anchor chart we made together to help us remember some simple strategies.

The first thing we do is look at the picture and make a good guess. In our example it was a picture of a smiley face and we were trying to figure out the word "smile".

The next step is to look at the first letter of the word we are figuring out to see if our guess is correct. For example, if I guessed "face" from looking at the picture of a smiley face, but then see the word begins with the letter S, so it could not be "face" and I would have to make another guess now based on the picture and the initial sound.

Once we've made another guess we look at the ending sound and sometimes the middle sound, to make sure we've got a really good guess! For example, I know it starts with S so I guess "sock" but look at the entire word to hear the other sounds. "Sock" ends in a K sound, but our word "smile" ends in an L sound, so another guess is needed.

Finally, once you've settled on the word you read the entire sentence and make sure it sounds right, looks right and makes sense.

This takes a lot of practice and we continue to work very hard on these strategies!

Poem for week of November 5th

Science Station

Decaying Pumpkin

After all the fun of Halloween we started wondering, "What happens to pumpkins after Halloween is done?" So we've decided to find out!

We are keeping a mini-pumpkin, from our pumpkin hunt, sealed up in a see-through container to observe what happens as time goes on. We will be recording our observations in our Science Inquiry booklets.

So far we've noticed that the pumpkin is "growing fur', it is "getting whiter" and that the container "is wet"!

Poem for week of October 29th

As we are learning about the letter H, the poem for this week focused on Halloween. It is to be sung to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down.

November Newsletter

November 2012

Dear Parents, Students and Guardians,

During the past month we were investigating some of the changes that take place during fall, we have been learning a lot about the important events that took place in October, such as Thanksgiving and Halloween. We have also been learning to create and extend simple patterns. Here is a general overview of what we will be studying in November.

Mathematics
During the month of November our math focus will continue to be on patterns and we will be beginning to learn about shapes. The children will be learning about the attributes of many two dimensional shapes and investigating where these shapes emerge in their daily lives. You can compliment our study of shapes at home by asking your child to recognize different shapes in your house (i..e., the bed is a rectangle, the roof is a triangle).

Language
The children learn letters and sounds in our classrooms in a variety of ways, such as by pointing out specific letters in their names, brainstorming words that begin or end with the certain letter, substituting one letter in their name (e.g., what if the name “John” started with S? It would be “Sohn”, etc.) and many more. We search for letters or words during shared reading, we guess who the Star Student is after hearing clues (e.g., The name begins with S and the last sound is “ah”),
If you would like to help your children further learn their letters and letter sounds, take a scavenger hunt around your home looking for objects that begin with our focus letter. For example, when focusing on N, look for napkins, notepads and Nike running shoes!

We will also begin learning about fiction and non-fiction. For example, a fiction book will have characters, is sometimes animated and is not a real story. Whereas a non-fiction book usually has a table of contents, photographs and real information. You can support your child’s learning in this area by asking them questions about the book you’re reading (e.g. is Franklin a real or fictional turtle?).

Science
In November, we will continue to investigate Seasonal Changes as the weather continues to get colder, and we will also be exploring different ways animals get ready for winter. We will also begin to look more closely at water and the way water changes with the weather! We will investigate and experiment with the rain and at our water table.

Report Cards
During the first term, only students in Senior Kindergarten will receive a report card. However, all JK and SK parents are invited to attend a parent teacher interview during our PD Day on Friday, November 18th. A sign up schedule will be posted in the classroom offering the various time slots.

Outdoor Gear
The weather changes daily and we have to dress in anticipation of different kinds of weather! Please remember that as it gets colder your child should be coming to school with all the appropriate clothes for outdoor wear. We anticipate that the first snowfall will be soon, so it is time to dig out your child’s winter clothes! We will continue to have outdoor play on most days, and therefore it is important that the children are dressed properly for outdoor play. Please also bring a pair of indoor shoes labeled with your child’s name to keep in the classroom throughout the winter. We really appreciate your help in teaching your children to dress into their winter gear independently.

Thank you for your on-going support and interest!
The Kindergarten Team

November Calendar

Please find the November calendar below.