Ms. Kranzush's Kinders
January 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Forest Days Receives Grant
Exciting news: Our Forest Days program just recieved a $2,000 grant from financial supporters of the Grey Family Foundation! We'll be able to use this money to purchase science and art equipment as well as get more guests from the Auduban Society, High Desert Museum, SunRiver Nature Center and other local groups. The best part is that the grant was written for $1,500 and we were awarded MORE than we requested because people loved what we're doing.
These three kids all turned 6 in the days leading up to Christmas. Happy Birthday!
Cold Weather Gear Drive
Thanks to everyone who donated to our cold weather gear drive. At last count (and more have come in since), Pine Ridge collected:
9 pairs of boots
18 winter coats
6 pairs of snowpants
29 pairs of mittens
30 hats
15 pairs of socks
5 scarves
We have been able to give a lot of these items to kids here at Pine Ridge, which has been great since the snow has continued to fall.
Thank you!
9 pairs of boots
18 winter coats
6 pairs of snowpants
29 pairs of mittens
30 hats
15 pairs of socks
5 scarves
We have been able to give a lot of these items to kids here at Pine Ridge, which has been great since the snow has continued to fall.
Thank you!
Theme 4 Reading - What do you know about the people and places in your neighborhood?
Week 1 (Jan 4-9)
Essential Question: What do people use to do their jobs?
Oral Vocabulary: equipment, uniform, expect, remained, utensils
Comprehension Genre: Informational Text
Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Decoding
Phonics: short /o/ words (ex: cot)
Heart Word: you
Oral Vocabulary: equipment, uniform, expect, remained, utensils
Comprehension Genre: Informational Text
Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Decoding
Phonics: short /o/ words (ex: cot)
Heart Word: you
Week 2 (Jan 11-15)
Essential Question: Who are your neighbors?
Oral Vocabulary: appreciate, cultures, prefer, proud, tradition
Comprehension Genre: Fiction
Comprehension Skill: Characters, Settings, Events
Phonemic Awareness: Blending and decoding
Phonics: Dd
Fluency: Automaticity in letter names, sounds, words
Heart Word: do
Oral Vocabulary: appreciate, cultures, prefer, proud, tradition
Comprehension Genre: Fiction
Comprehension Skill: Characters, Settings, Events
Phonemic Awareness: Blending and decoding
Phonics: Dd
Fluency: Automaticity in letter names, sounds, words
Heart Word: do
Week 3 (Jan 19-22)
Essential Question: How can people help to make your community better?
Oral Vocabulary: community, improve, confused, harvest, quarrel
Comprehension Genre: Informational Text
Phonemic Awareness: blending and decoding
Phonics: Ii, Nn, Cc, Oo, Dd
Heart Word Review: to, and, go, you, do, we
Oral Vocabulary: community, improve, confused, harvest, quarrel
Comprehension Genre: Informational Text
Phonemic Awareness: blending and decoding
Phonics: Ii, Nn, Cc, Oo, Dd
Heart Word Review: to, and, go, you, do, we
What about Math?
Our math curriculum focuses on a few different things at a time. It's not nicely laid out in themes like reading. Currently, our workplaces are games focused on more/less, counting strategies, probability, and shapes. Ipads are used for solving simple equations using manipulatives for support. In number corner, we focus on patterns, place value (tens and ones), numbers within 100, equations within 10, and explaining our thinking.
Play
Over break I read this article from the Washington Post on play and our need as adults to control play and be the peacemaker. Click below if you'd like to read:
Book Bags
Starting when we get back, kids will have individual book bags in their chair buddies to read. These books are tailored to their reading level. Each bag has a book that should be easy to read, a few that are manageable but take some thinking, and a challenge book. They can bring them home on Fridays and return them Monday if they choose. (If books don't come back, then they'll stay in the classroom only.) You'll see dot stickers on some of them that have a reading level (A, B, C, D, etc) on them. Please remember that our end of the year goal is reading level C independently and level D with help. Kids reading C and above will also be working on reading fluency (reading like you talk, not choppy or like a robot.) These reading levels will also guide small group reading lessons to make sure each kiddo is appropriately challenged.
Forest Day Photos
Goldsworthy Found Art
Before we went to the woods, we learned about and artist named Andy Goldsworthy and the art he creates from found objects. Then we made our own!
Seesaw
Some kids created their own seesaws out of fallen timber.
WInter Hike
We initially planned on doing a scavenger hunt, but quickly realized we weren't going to find anything. So instead, we "followed the rhombuses" and hiked along a cross country ski trail.