Today's Centers:

Fall Bingo

Tangrams

Build a hundreds chart or calendar

Listening to good books

Writing Cards

Reading Nook

Celebrate!

Our 5C word for this week is Celebrate!  We are celebrating the end of a successful Face the Facts month here at Discovery.  Children of all grades were asked to do activities at home and at school that would help sharpen their math skill and understanding.

To celebrate that hard work, students were treated to a bowl with apple slices and carmel dip.  It was a big hit!  I wonder how many apple slices ended up being cut to serve at the Discovery students!!!

Our Class enjoying a treat!

All Discovery students got to celebrate our math success together!

Making Connections

Today we had a chance to buddy read with Mrs. Nelson's class.  This is a great way to build connections between communities in the school, across grade levels, between neighbors and across families.  This is a favorite school activity!

The room is full of reading children!

Readers here, readers there...

Readers, readers everywhere!

These two found a quieter place to read.

Reading with little brother

Reading with big sister

Two cousins reading together

Neighborhood friends reading together

The Video!

Free Choice Time

There are two different times of the day that children are given "Free Choice."  One is at the beginning of the day, the other is at the end.  Parents often get to see this activity and I am sure it sometimes looks less than 'instructional.' Sometimes people will ask me WHY do I let the children have such time during the day.  Here is one reason:

(I am trying to post a video here but having some technical difficulties.  I know I did it last year so I will keep trying!)

Yesterday, one student decided to use some small rolled paper in the writing center to make a number line.  Today our class is full of number lines!  And there are awesome discussions about what number should come next!  They are using a blocked 100's chart as a reference and writing those numbers out in order on a line.  They are going back and counting and rechecking that they have the numbers right and didn't miss any.

They did this all on their own!  This is the kind of thing students will do to enhance their learning if you give them an environment in which they can create and make choices.  That is one of the many benefits free time offers to your child!  Yes, it sometimes looks and sounds messy.... but if you look closely.....

A Discovery Tradition

It has become a tradition at Discovery that former Kindergarten students come back and do Reader's Theater presentations for the current Kindergarten students.  They read a 'script' and have simple props or masks to help the story along.

Today was our first presentation.  It was a story about Dog and Cat.  

After the presentation, students introduce themselves and talk to the Kindergarteners about how they practiced and practiced to become better readers.  The Kindies are told if they practice, too, when they are older they can come back and do the same.

Hoppin' Good Work

There is a poster outside our room called the Star Work poster.  At times students will get to have their work displayed on it along with their picture.

Pieces of work are chosen for this poster for many differing reasons.  Sometimes it is because the piece shows extra care or exceptional work.  Other times it may be there because the student worked and worked on it and never gave up.  Sometime the piece shows an important new learning for that student.

If your child's work is chosen for the Star Work poster, (as all do get chosen many times before the end of the year) it will come home with a note attached to it explaining that it was displayed on the Star Work poster.  The note has a picture of a frog and says:

Hoppin’ Good Work!

This piece of work was displayed

on our STAR WORK poster..

It was chosen because it displayed

outstanding work quality,

persistence, or new achievement!

Fall Break

Students will not have school this Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  Enjoy your fall break!

Tuesday Night:

Domino's Pizza is offering a Dough Raising Night this Tuesday evening.

They will donate $2.00 for each pizza ordered along with an extra $100.00 if 75 pizzas are purchased.($ to DES's student activity account)

Mention Discovery Elementary School and turn in your form if you head there for pizza this Tuesday.

This is the form you need.  On white paper... sent home last week.

The class that orders the most pizza gets a pizza party!  :)

Fire Safety

October is Fire Safety month.  Yesterday, the Buffalo Fire Department came to show the children what equipment is on one of their fire trucks.  The children even got to get into the truck one at a time.

Probably the best part was having the firefighter try on all his gear so the children could see what he looks like in it.  Sometimes children will become afraid of a firefighter in full gear and hide rather than let the firefighter help.

This was a great chance to review fire safety rules.
The only question the children seemed to have trouble with was:  Where is your family's meeting spot once you are out and away from the fire?  You may want to review this one at home!

Meet the Snack Cupboard :)

Our snack cupboard is getting bare!  We ask each child to bring in a box of crackers or cereal.  (Once in awhile a box of cookies will sneak in there too!)  Some of you send in boxes a few at a time.  But if you have not sent in a box for October yet, we would really appreciate it.  Thank you!

Next Puzzle Accomplishment

Students in the class who enjoy working on puzzles were presented with quite a challenge last week.  I purchased a 100 piece table puzzle that 'morphs' when you tip and turn the pieces!  It was also tricky in that sometimes pieces fit where they did not belong!!!!!  The only help I gave was to remove pieces that 'fit'but were in the wrong place.

The students were VERY excited when they finished this challenge today!  Other teachers even came in to fuss about their accomplishment!

The most impressive thing about this accomplishment is the fact that the students did not give up.  That kind of persistence is a valuable student trait!  (I couldn't get the camera to capture the image of the transformer - just the truck.)  Way to go, Kindies!

We LOVE Library Day!

Tuesday is Library Day for our Kindergarten Class.  Each child is allowed to have one book checked out of the library.  When they bring theirs back, they can check out a new one.  Kindergarten students are encouraged to look for choices in the picture book section.  However, sometimes we sneak into the nonfiction section to find books about animals and bulldozers and such!

The picture book section.

After making their selection, the children line up and wait for a turn to check out their book.  Each child knows how to find the bar code and scan it so the computer records which book they are taking.

Children line up to check out the book they chose.

Children can bring their book back as soon as they are done with it.  We have a basket they go into until it is library day.  Or, children can keep the book right up until the next Tuesday and then turn it in on the actual library day.  If they forget to return their book, they do not get to check out a new one until the next time.

They really do love library day and are always very excited to know it is a Tuesday!

CALENDAR

Every day the Kindergarten class will 'do' the calendar.  Calendar is a very important tool for learning math, science, numbers order, patterns, and more!

Each day during calendar the students:

Practice the days of the week
Practice the months of the year
Locate Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday on the calendar
Choose the weather symbol for the day
Add the next number to the 100's chart
Count to that number
Count backwards from 20
Show the day's number in the place value chart
Show the day's number in tally marks (counting by 5's)
Write the day's number on the number line  (later used for adding/subtracting)
Tally any new teeth that may have fallen out since the day before  :)

The day's number shows how many days of school we have had so far this year.  This is a very important responsibility the Kindergarten class has is to know this number!  Older students do come and ask at random times.  We are also expected to let the whole school know when we are getting near the 100th day of school!  This is one way our class contributes!

By the end of the year we will also use the 100's chart for skip counting.  We will count by 10's, then 5's and eventually even by 2's!!!!!  It is amazing how this simple classroom tool can be so full of learning!

Our Patterns

Some of the children used their morning 'play' time to make patterns.

Patterns Patterns Everywhere!

Seeing, making, and identifying patterns helps our brains learn and remember things.  Our newest math unit is patterns!  We start with simple color patterns such as red/blue/red/blue.  Then we move to shapes such as square/circle/square/circle.  By time we are done we hope to be doing patterns with three colors or shapes.

Our class is also noticing that there are patterns everywhere!  We are finding patterns in numbers, music, language and MORE!  Have fun finding them with your child at home and in the community!

Turn & Talk

Turn and talk is a strategy we teach the children to use during circle time.  In fact, teachers use this strategy with students all the way through 5th grade.  Each child knows which 'neighbor' is their turn and talk partner.

In our room when I have a question or topic I want the partners to discuss, I say, "One, two, three... knee to knee."  The children then turn to their partner and discuss the assigned topic.  I walk around and listen to their ideas as they talk.  When it is time to be done, I say, "Three, two, one... talking's done!"  Then the children turn back and face the circle quietly.  Then there is time to ask follow up questions or have children share their thoughts with the whole group.

"One, two, three... knee to knee!

This strategy was introduced by our Literacy by Design curriculum.  I am always impressed with the quality and variety of ideas the children have brought up.  It has been a great addition to our classroom learning strategies!

Reading Books

There are two different types of books that will come home with your child for homework.  One type is printed on paper, is cut and then stapled.  Those books can stay at home and become part of your child's collection of familiar books.

Professionally published books like these need to be returned.

The other type of book is professionally published, bound, and is on harder stock paper.  These books need to be returned to school in the purple envelope they come home in.  Replacement cost for those books runs about $6.00.  Thank you for returning them!

October is FACE the FACTS Month!

All the K-5 students got together for the kick-off for Face the Facts!  

Our theme this year is Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3!

October at Discovery is a month for learning, practicing and celebrating math!  We will spend the month reading math books, learning math games, practicing our numbers and much much more!  At eh end of the month there will be a Math-a-Thon Celebration (Oct. 31st)!  The children will get a snack of apples and carmel dip.  Then they will have time to pick their favorite math games or math tubs to work with.

At home during this month you can help by pointing out all the ways math is used in every day life.  Your child will also bring home a sheet with math activities to do at home.  Once all those activities are done, you can send the sheet back with your child and they will be rewarded for doing that extra practice at home.

We know that being successful at math correlates to being successful in life!  Lets enjoy this chance to focus on this important part of learning!