Kindergarten Blog 2/3

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Kindergartners are coming in each morning and afternoon excited to read the morning or afternoon message. They are working to read it on their own before the whole class reads it together. Making use of the repetition of the date, newly learned snap words, and a greeting in which only one word changes each day they are excited to see themselves becoming readers.  They love it when there is a “teacher mistake” such as leaving the year off or leaving an initial letter off.  Many children can be found voluntarily copying the message from the board during Quiet Choice Time.

In Math we worked on addition story problems, writing the number sentence that goes with each story. We also started to learn a new game called Double Compare in which partners each draw two cards, add them together, and then determine who has the higher total.

In Social Studies we started our study of families.  We will be learning about the many different family constellations and how they are both similar and different from our own. They began family portraits after a lesson looking at the various shapes they see in bodies as we move away from stick figures. 

In Writing, Kindergartners have begun writing pattern books that use many of our snap words, since they now know quite a few! We looked at some examples of pattern books that follow a repetitive sentence pattern like Look At the Lizard and then Kindergartners got to pick which pattern sentence they wanted to use. Some example sentences include “Look at the __”, “I see a __”, and “I like the __”. 

In Science, Kindergartners have begun a new unit all about plants! We made a What We Know chart of everything we already know about plants, and then made a list of Questions We Have about things we’re confused about or would like to know more about. We then read the book “The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle, and learned about the life cycle of plants.

In Hebrew class, we started the day off by learning to say “Shalom” and “Ma Shlomcha/Shlomech” (how are you). Each student then turned to the student next to them and asked the question in Hebrew. In Judaic studies we continued learning about Tu B’Shvat and the Shivat Ha’Minim (the 7 Species). We brought them into the classroom and each student was able to try them. We explained that 2 out of the 7 species are not fruit, but are actually grains (the wheat and barley). We learned about how to plant seeds. The students put soil into a sock and planted the seeds into the soil. They then decorated the socks. In Hebrew, this fun creation is called a ראש דשא rosh desheh, which translates to “grassy head”.  We can’t wait for it to sprout! We also learned about citrus fruits and what season they start to grow. The students tasted different citrus fruits, such as orange, grapefruit, and pomela. We learned the words in Hebrew to describe the taste of the citrus fruits, like sour and sweet, and the feeling of the fruit, if the peel is soft or rough. We read a book written in rhymes, called Mifletzet Ha’Perot (the Monster of Fruit). 

It’s going to be cold on Saturday! Looking for a new activity? Try a new kindergarten favorite called Paper, Scissors, Tape, Glue Sticks!  You need guess what?  Children have made amazing creations using these simple materials.  We have many different colors of tape, but any tape will do.  

As always, we concluded our week with our weekly K/1 Sing and Kabbalat Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,

K Team