Teen Numbers

Teen numbers can be difficult for students to learn.  We are focusing on them throughout this unit in math.  Each day we sing these songs to reinforce the idea that teen numbers are one group of ten and some ones.  

Video 1
Video 2

Teen Number representation in the classroom comes in a variety of mediums.  Here, we used paper chains in a 2 colors.  Each group had a number and worked as a team to make a group 10 with red paper and the number of ones students represented with pink paper.  Students loved the task of working together and this visualization helped students to accurately explain their understanding of teen numbers.

Sight Word Tic Tac Toe

Students love to play games and love to do partner work.  Sight word tic tac toe is a great way to practice these new, more challenging words.  

How to play at home:

Draw a tic tac toe board.  
Choose two sight words and write them on an index card to use as a reference for your child.
Pick which word you are going to be.
As you write the word, say the letters and read the word.
Take turns until someone wins.  
Say Good Game to your partner and now the swap words for the next game with your partner.  

Sight Words that we are practicing:  I, a, we, me, the, can, with, my, and, what, now, are, you, like, to, see

Enjoy!

Writing Workshop

While Writing Workshop was not a favorite of most students at the beginning of the year, 81 days into the school year I can confidently say that is no longer the case.  Check out this amazing video of the students all engaged, stretching sounds independently and working in a space that is best for them.  Look at some of the writing students shared in our classroom during Writing Workshop...

I built an igloo
with my brother.

I am sledding
I hit a bump
I screamed AHH

Remember, writing is a complex task, it requires a story, the fine motor of holding a pencil, the letter sound knowledge to make the words, the letter formation of that sound, spacing, editing (to make sure your writing says what you intended it to say) and needless to say, these are just a few of the cognitive demands that take place during this complex task.  
Celebrate with your child wherever they are at.  It is typical for students to record the beginning sound and the ending sound of words at this point in Kindergarten.  Many students have not yet solidified their letter sound filing system and may default to writing strings of letters.  That is okay too!  They are demonstrating that they understand that letters make sounds, even if they are not yet able to accurately hear or record those sounds in their writing development.  

Literacy Center ❤️

Students continue to amaze me with their love of literacy centers.  Each morning after students check in for lunch they go to their green bin that houses all of their supplies, get their bag of colored clips and make a literacy choice for the day.  Each color represents a different center and each child has a specific amount of each color based on their reading development.   

Literacy choices:

Purple: read to someone

Blue: computer listening station

Red: writing

Pink: word work

Green: iPads 

Orange: read to self/book shop

Yellow: listening station

Wood: this is a rotating center - read in the boat, read in a mic, etc. 

Students are independent in these activities and continue to build stamina in each of them while I work with students, teaching emergent reading skills.  

Our goal is to trim down our transitions and get to the point where we can do two rotations of these centers.