December 2nd-6th:
HWT -Object I I-Spy -Letter I Writing -Syllable Practice -Letter I Tracing Meeting -Dolphin of Peace: I calm my body. I breathe deep, gentle breaths. We practiced being peaceful by using sensory toys, doing yoga with Maximo, and counting backwards from 10 and doing exercises. With all of the festivities going on at this time of year, it was perfect for us to practice calming our bodies down. Projects -Gingerbread face plate -I Craft -Cards for bus drivers and pick up drivers -Gingerbread Glyph -Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -Where is the Gingerbread Book -1, 2 Buckle My Shoe -Gingerbread Hunt in School Math -Matching two objects together to make a pair -Using one object to jump on top of another object (1:1 correspondence) -One more and one less -Tally marks -Numbers inside of 6 -Numbers inside of 7 Read Alouds -I alphatales -The Gingerbread Man -The Gingerbread Boy -The Gingerbread Man Loose in School
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November 25th:
I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the grandparents and family members who attended our special event! The students were ecstatic and it was lovely to meet and speak with all of you! :) I am very thankful for families like you and hope that you enjoyed the celebration. I appreciate help from parents who set up the event as well! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving and visit again soon! Love, Miss Barber November 26th:
-Stocking for St. Nick -Thanksgiving and Turkey songs -Library -How To Catch a Turkey Book -Name Turkey Craft -Ice Cream Party for filling up our Kindness Jar -Perfect Attendance for November November 18th-22nd:
Birthdays -We wished very Happy Birthdays to Layne and Ellen this week! These girls had been counting down the days and couldn't be more excited to celebrate with our class. Thank you, parents, for coming into the classroom and bringing delicious treats! We hope that your birthdays were amazing! 2nd Grade Buddies -We had our very first Buddy Date and I was so proud of our class! The kids warmed up to their buddies pretty quickly and were giving hugs at the end. :) The kids drew pictures of each other and learned some favorite facts. They also read books together. We can't wait to have them back in December! November 18th-22nd:
HWT -Object T I-Spy -T writing sheet -Say 2 words and jump if they rhyme -Draw a person based off of rhyming words -T tracing sheet Meeting -The Elephant of Forgiveness taught us "When we hold love in our hearts, our forgiveness heals." We practiced forgiving others by talking about what we would do in "sticky situations", playing musical chairs, and playing a rendition of hot potato. Mr. Dziedzic even joined us! The kids worked really hard to be good sports and forgive each other. Projects -Report card writing samples -T craft -Turkey headbands -London Bridge nursery rhyme and partner building activity -How to cook a turkey -This Little Piggy nursery rhyme -Baa Baa Black Sheep nursery rhyme -There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe nursery rhyme -Sound Munching Math -Properties of 3D shapes (number of faces, corners, and sides) -Cylinder, cube, cone, sphere, rectangular prism Read Alouds -T alphatales -Dragons Love Tacos -City Signs November 11th-15th:
HWT -Object F I-spy -Letter F writing -Object H I-spy -Letter H writing -F and H highlighting Meeting -Fox of Joy: Happy or sad, let's share our big feelings -We played Tell Me When (I brought up an emotion/feeling and then one volunteer shared a time when they felt that way. Afterwards, the kids talked in groups about their situations.) -We played Emotional BINGO (I said a feeling and the kids had to find it on the card and explain the facial clues and sensations.) -We made facial and body expressions based on emotions/feelings that were said. The kids really embraced this activity! Projects -Family House Glyph -F Craft -Thankful Turkey -Cards for Grandparents -Gifts for Grandparents -H Craft -Jack and Jill Nursery Rhyme -Sound Munching Guidance -Mrs. Schaefer talked to the group about friendship again and emphasized how important it is to share. Math -Building a triangle with play dough and straws -Building a square with play dough and straws -Building a rectangle with play dough and straws -Building a circle with popsicle sticks and cubes -Building a variety of shapes with popsicle sticks and practicing one more and one less Read Alouds -F alphatales -The Lion and the Mouse -H alphatales -Happy Hippo Holiday November 4th-8th:
HWT -Object E I-spy -Tracing letter E -Number 9: Little Magic c, little line up, big line back down -Number 10: Big line down, Big Magic C, keep going, keep going, and stop at the top -Identifying and tracing letters E and e Meeting -We learned about our first Peacemaker this week: The Bear of Power. We talked about what it means to be strong and in control of our bodies and minds. The first trait that the bear taught us is Perseverance: I stick with things and get things done. -We read a book about trying and trying again, practiced putting together puzzles of various complexity, and cleaning up the classroom. The kids really embraced continuing to try, even when the going got tough, and we found ourselves using perseverance all throughout the week. Projects -Acorn lacing -E craft -Painting snow on bags -Retelling Time to Sleep with animal pictures -Real/pretend bear sort -Teddy bear measuring -3 Little Kittens -Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around -Sound Munching E -Happy Hibernation/Teddy Bear Day! Math -Ascending and descending (1 more and 1 less) -Shapes (triangle, square, rectangle, and circle) and their properties (number of sides and corners) Read Alouds -Squirrel's Acorn -E Alphatales -Going on a Bear Hunt -Time to Sleep October 28th-November 1st:
October Perfect Attendance A big shout out goes to all of the kids who held off illnesses this month and came to school every day! I know how hard this can be but the kids were very excited to pick prizes out of the treasure box Veteran's Day Program Our class attended the all school assembly and honored those who have served our country. It was a beautiful tribute and the 4Kers did an amazing job. Birthday We wished the happiest of birthdays to Alex this week! :D Thank you for building the greatest cake of all time, dancing with us, sharing all of your favorite things, and bringing in delicious cookies. We hope that your birthday was amazing! October 28th-November 1st:
HWT -Object L I-Spy -Writing and building L -Number 7: Little line across, big slide down -Number 8: (begin with an S) Little Magic C, little cuve, curve back up to the top -Identifying and tracing L and l Meeting (Emotional ABCs) -Using the Emotional Toolbar (pause/breathe, rewind, and play) to work through a series of emotions -Using the toolbar to work through feeling mad -Using the toolbar to work through feeling sad -Using the toolbar to work through feeling worried *WE COMPLETED EMOTIONAL ABCS! I'm so proud of the kids for tuning into their feelings along with the body clues of others. We're going to use this knowledge to dive into the next social emotional curriculum that I design based on some tools from Generation Mindful. Stay tuned!* Projects -The Spider book -L craft -Bat project -Little Boy Blue -Sound Munching for letter L Guidance -Mrs. Schaefer talked to our class about friendship. Math -Graphing numbers 1-5 in ascending and descending formats -Talking about one more and one less Read Alouds -L Alphatales -L book -Thanks for Sharing, Tommy -20 Bat Facts -We're Going on a Ghost Hunt -Ten Little Pumpkins October 21st-25th:
Birthday We wished a very, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Charlotte this week! Thank you for partying with us and bringing a delicious treat. :) We hope that you had an amazing day! Pumpkin Farm The biggest of THANK YOUS goes out to all of the chaperones who joined us at the pumpkin farm! :D It was very bittersweet knowing that this was the last field trip that they would host. The kids had a blast watching a video, riding on the tractor ride, picking out a pumpkin, and playing in numerous areas with mazes, corn pits, horses, duck races, and spooky sheds. I had a lot of fun with everyone and the kids really seemed to enjoy themselves. Halloween Party Once again, I cannot thank you enough for your GENEROUS donations, whether that meant your time or money. We sang about each other's costumes, played games (freeze dance, ghost bowling, pumpkin bag toss, Halloween BINGO, and skeleton puzzle), ate snacks, made a candy corn craft, watched part of Spookley the Square Pumpkin, and paraded around the school. It was such a busy day and I could tell that the kids were tired by the end of it BUT there was much fun had! I apologize for the blurry pictures but they were wiggling up a storm! Enjoy trick or treating everyone! October 21st-25th:
HWT -Number 3: Little curve, little curve -Number 4: Little line down, little line across, jump to the top, big line down -Number 5: Little line down, little curve, little line from the top Meeting (Emotional ABCs) -What a sensation is and how we can pay attention to the feelings in our bodies -Analyzing people's bodies and faces and matching their emotions -Learning to take deep breaths to calm our bodies -Beginning to discuss handling big emotions by pausing, rewinding, and playing Projects -Pumpkin, Pumpkin writing sheet -Spookley -5 Little Pumpkins song and project -Hey Diddle, Diddle -Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater Math -Popping up multiple fingers at once to show a quantity -Rolling dice and matching the quantity with a numeral and number of objects -Graphing numbers 1-5 -Drawing a quantity of objects to match a spoken number Read Alouds -Pumpkin, Pumpkin -The Legend of Spookley October 14th-18th:
HWT -Number ONE: Big line down -Number TWO: Big curve, little line across the bottom Meeting (Emotional ABCs) -Analyzing people's whole bodies to determine how they are feeling -Spotting the person who feels a certain way among 9 other characters Projects -Leaf positional book -Tissue paper trees Guidance -We learned about self control this week. Math -Graphing numbers 1-4 -Practicing counting objects that are in a line, group, or circle -Matching numbers 1-5 using objects, numerals, dot patterns, and fingers Read Alouds -Going on a Leaf Hunt -Mouse's First Fall October 7th-11th:
Treat We are so thankful for one of our classroom volunteers who was kind enough to bring in food items for each student to make their own edible fire trucks! They were absolutely delighted and you could tell because they were all wearing the snack by the end. ;) We also tried on some fire fighter gear in the classroom! Fire Station The kids had a blast at the fire station and I'm so happy that the weather was nice this year! Here's what the kids got to do: -See fire fighters' tools -Watch a fire fighter get dressed -See water from a fire truck get poured into a tank -Watch different types of hoses get sprayed -See fire fighters break into a car -Touch the foam/bubbles -Spray a hose by themselves -Walk through a fire truck -Try on some clothing All in all, there was a lot of fun being had and the smiles were endless. :) Thank you again to all of the chaperones who joined us and helped make this event possible! October 7th-11th:
HWT -Sorting lines and curves -Writing letters, numbers, and shapes -Making a journal entry by drawing a picture and writing about it Emotional ABCs Meeting -Analyzing how two different emotions can look similar -Guessing the emotion by looking at someone's body and face -Drawing an expression -Matching two pictures of children who are demonstrating similar body and facial clues Projects -Fire fighter coloring page -Smoke detector plates -Humpty Dumpty -Fire truck shapes Activities -Fire safety talks -Stop, drop, and roll lesson and practice -Smoke detector talks -Fire station and fire fighter videos Math -Working with numbers up to 5 -Practicing lining up objects and touching each object while counting -Matching a quantity of objects to a dot pattern -Counting on fingers (the math way-starting with pinky on left hand) Read Alouds -Fire Engine No. 9 -What Can We Share -Clifford the Firehouse Dog October 4th:
The 4K kids AMAZED me during the Walk-a-thon! It was a little chilly but they made it around the school like champs. After one lap, they still weren't ready to call it quits so we paraded throughout the school! It was neat to let the kids see everything since we are usually secluded in the basement. ;) We got a whole lot of steps, shared tons of giggles, and filled our bellies with fuel! So proud of this group! September 30th-October 4th:
HWT -Drawing a circle (start at the top, make magic c, keep going, keep going, and stop at the top) -Drawing a triangle (big slide down, big line across the bottom, big slide up) -Drawing a rectangle (little line down, big line across the bottom, little line up, big line across the top) -Drawing an oval (make squished magic c, keep going, keep going, and stop at the top) -Drawing a square (little line down, little line across the bottom, little line up, little line across the top) Meeting -What is a feeling? -How can music affect our mood? -Reading upper facial cues -Reading lower facial cues -Knowing that some cues can look similar with multiple feelings so we have to analyze someone's full face Projects -Shape pages -Going on a shape scavenger hunt and sorting them into groups -Shape hokey pokey -Sorting a variety of shapes and learning about the shape of everyday objects -Monster shape book (will show you at conferences) -Jack Be Nimble Guidance -Mrs. Schaefer talked about self-discipline and helped the students control their bodies by following movement activities. Math -Organizing objects in a bar graph -Moving a counter a specific number of spaces on a game board -Graphing numbers 1-3 -Matching a quantity of objects with a written numeral -Using unifix cubes to match numerals, fingers, or dots Read Alouds -Shapes -Families Together -Show Respect September 23rd-27th:
HWT -Body parts -Positional words -Tracing letters, numbers, and shapes with curves and lines -Sorting objects with lines and curves -Drawing vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines Meeting/Emotional ABCs -Looking at Moody (the monster) and the background to determine how he is feeling -Connecting emotions to types of weather (sad=rainy, happy=sunny, bored=cloudy, mad=stormy) -Realizing that some people may like certain types of weather while others do not (you cannot play baseball on rainy days=sad BUT you can play with toys inside=happy) -Emotions can change rather quickly depending on the events that occur within a certain time frame Projects -Apple Stamping Book (counting and tracking print) -Apple Life Cycle Activities -Brainstorming nice things to do or say to someone and thinking of unkind things (we tested this out with two different apples and then cut them open to see their insides) We learned that words affect others so we should think before we say or do something. "Is this going to be helpful or hurtful?" Words are not for hurting and we should always ask others if they are okay and how we can help. -Apple Pie in a Cup (Happy Birthday, Johnny Appleseed!) -Balancing "apples" (bean bags) on our heads to practice counting along with a book Math -Sorting groups of objects two different ways (i.e. first by color and then by object) -Using our fingers to count the math way up to 3 -Discussing small, medium, and large Read Alouds -Words Are Not for Hurting -Be Patient, Maddie -Johnny Appleseed video -Ten Apples Up On Top September 16th-20th:
HWT We started our writing curriculum this week! The kids learned a song called Mat Man which teaches them about basic body parts. We pointed to our body parts along with the song, tried to draw Mat Man, built him with materials on the carpet, drew him part by part as a whole class, and finished by making a self-portrait. You'll see the portraits at conferences. :) I was very impressed by the progress that they are already making! Meeting We started working with Emotional ABCs this week. This unit focuses on facial recognition in regards to feelings. The students had to find images of children who looked like they were feeling the same way and justify how they knew. They've been learning a lot of new vocabulary and coming up with a variety of facial cues to help them recognize how someone is feeling. Projects -Pete the Cat color Book -Aim and color Dog -Color mixing activity with twistables and paint -Ways to color -Classroom color scavenger hunt -Hickory Dickory Dock Guidance Mrs. Schaefer reviewed being respectful and "filling people's buckets" with our class by reading a Clark the Shark book and brainstorming acts of kindness. Math We kicked off our math curriculum as well! Here are some of the concepts that we are practicing: -Counting up to 3 -Counting up to 3 (the math way-starting with pinky finger on left hand) -Finding objects that are exactly the same and explaining why -Finding objects that are the same but different and explaining why -Finding objects that go together and explaining why Read Alouds -Dog's Colorful Day -The Color Monster -Mix it Up -The Crayon Box that Talked -A Color of His Own September 9th-13th:
Bucket Filling We read a book about everyone having an invisible bucket full of feelings. If something good happens, your bucket gets filled. If something bad happens, your bucket gets dipped in. The students talked about ways to fill each other's buckets and their own. We also discussed that it is not nice to dip into someone's bucket. We have a classroom jar to fill with "warm and fuzzies". When I see someone do something kind, they get to add a warm and fuzzy to the jar. The class voted for an Ice Cream Party upon filling the entire jar! We already started our kind acts with a couple students who gave compliments and tried to cheer up sad peers. I am very excited to watch kindness spread in 4K! :D Birthdays We wished two more friends the happiest of birthdays! :) Everyone had a lot of fun hearing about birthday plans and wishes and enjoying some birthday treats. Thank you for celebrating with us! Birthdays are so magical at this age and I am sad to report that the students started to think we were having "parties" every day and became disappointed! :P Until the next birthday! Family Night A huge THANK YOU goes out to all of the families who tried to come to our Family Night and to those who made it! I really enjoyed talking to all of you and seeing the smiling faces. :) I'm glad that the kids got excited about the board games and that the S'mores were a success. Thank you for setting other commitments aside and attending a special event with your child. It meant a lot to me and your kiddo. September 9th-13th:
Meeting We've spent the last week and a half kicking off our Social Emotional Program. We've practiced a variety of calming techniques and some of the students have started using them in the classroom already! We also spent some time talking about taking Calm Down Breaks and how to use certain strategies. Calming Techniques -Tracing 5 fingers -Deep breathing -Blowing out candles -Grounding (2 things you can touch, 2 things you see, 1 thing you hear, and 1 thing you smell) Break Strategies -Drinking water -Deep breathing -Using a fidget -Reading a book -Coloring a picture -Doing a puzzle -Closing your eyes -Stretching -Counting to 10 -Hugging a stuffed animal Projects -Creating name tags with ink on fingers -Mr. Golden Sun song and craft -Watercolor painting a person -Squeezing just a dot of glue onto paper -Putting together a name puzzle and writing our names Guidance Mrs. Schaefer came to our classroom to talk about everyone having an invisible bucket that is filled with feelings. The children learned how to fill their friends' or family's bucket, along with their own bucket. They also discussed ways that they could dip into someone's bucket and what they would do to fill it back up. Activities -Pretending to paint our bodies along with a story -Name games -Chicka Chicka Boom Boom letter identification -Fire Drill discussion -Hickory Dickory Dock song, sequence, and coloring page Books -Ain't Gonna Paint No More -Too Much Glue -Have You Filled A Bucket? -Brown Bear, Brown Bear September 4th-6th:
First Week We successfully made it through the first week of school and these 4Kers took it like champs! We talked about a variety of first week feelings and emotions. The kids came up with: happy, excited, scared, nervous, tired, and shy. I am so impressed by their participation and comfortability already. We're making strong connections already and they are working on trusting one another and me. :) We tried to get rid of some of those first day jitters by drinking "jitter juice"! I loved hearing them voice that it was delicious and some of their tummies were feeling better. I had to snicker when the second day rolled around and one of our classmates raised her hand and politely said, "I'm ready for my jitter juice now!" I wish that we would've had more! Birthday We were lucky enough to celebrate our first birthday in the classroom! Happy 5th Birthday, Riven! :D Thank you for celebrating with us by decorating a cake, sharing your birthday plans, making a wish, and dancing with us! I can't wait to hear about your weekend! First Friday Assembly As you probably noticed, your children came home with popcorn! This will happen during each Friday Assembly, even if it is in the morning and our classroom doesn't attend. We went to the gym with the whole school and got to hear about some school basics. The character crew put on a few skits and taught us what the word RESPECT means. I will select three children, at the end of the month, to receive an award for academic achievement, effort, or the character trait (respect). The kids are pretty excited! We also got to learn a camp song and dance with the whole school! 4K did an amazing job staying seated for the duration of the assembly and participating when necessary. :) September 4th-6th:
Hello everyone and welcome to this year's first post! Do you have a 4Ker who isn't able to remember what happened throughout the week? Then this is the place for you! Check back every weekend to get updates about the learning that is happening in 4K and give you specific subjects to ask your children about. :) Routines We spent a lot of time these first few days talking about different rules, expectations, and routines. Of course, it will take all of us a while to settle in but the kids are doing a terrific job already! Activities -Name games -GoNoodle dances -Classroom tour -Question of the day -Sharing time -Calendar and weather Projects -Coloring a cookie (practicing the pincer or "pincher" grip with crayons and pencils AND coloring in a circle) -Creating our own Elmer elephants (using glue sticks to stick tissue paper onto Elmer AND emphasize why all of us are unique)' Read Alouds -First Day Jitters -If You Give a Mouse a Cookie -Elmer To my 2019 4K class: (Click the YouTube video below before reading) Dear Students, It's unbelievable that this is my final post for the school year. Time went by so quickly after spring break but I can tell that you're ready for 5K. :) I would like to thank you for all of the kindness that you have shown one another and me. You learned how to be friends and help any chance you could. You shared the work and always confronted challenges, even if they were scary. I was always amazed at how responsible you were at school. You filled your kindness jar TWO TIMES this year and ultimately, ended your school days with a day filled with ice cream and extra recess! Thank you for helping ME grow and become a better teacher. As you spread your wings and flew out of 4K, I wanted to leave you with our classroom rules... WE ARE A FAMILY: and we always will be. I am here for you, just like you've been there for me, and I hope that you come to me next year to tell me about all of your wonderful successes and adventures. I'll be waiting before the bell rings! WE RESPECT EACH OTHER: I couldn't be more proud of you for going above and beyond to show great kindness and love towards one another. Your actions will always be remembered and hopefully they follow you throughout your school experiences. WE MAKE MISTAKES AND PERSEVERE: I know that life is hard sometimes and you'll be presented with new challenges in 5K but remember that making mistakes means you are learning and persevering means you are growing. Someone will always be there to guide you. WE DREAM BIG: I loved hearing about the fantastic career choices you already have picked out and I hope that you continue to reach for the stars! I also loved how much you all believed in yourselves and worked so hard to accomplish something once you set your minds to it. Always keep that mindset. WE HAVE FUN: This year was a BLAST and I know I'll find myself looking through all of our pictures this summer. :) Saying "see you later" has already brought me to tears many times, which I know made you guys giggle, but I hope you know that my heart is happy. I hope your sense of curiosity remains with you and you focus all of your good energy on incredible things in life! Enjoy your summer vacation and have fun going places, seeing friends and families, and making memories. I will miss you ever so much and love you with all of my heart! See You Later, ❤ Miss Barber ❤ June 3rd-7th:
We spent a lot of time this week cleaning up the classroom, packing up materials, and tying up any loose strings. We did complete a few summer crafts like: beach ball positional words, fish coloring, ice cream cone, and crabby day. We practiced sound spelling some words and celebrated the students with perfect attendance for the month of May! We also completed our last social emotional animal: The lion of balance and learned about being a leader through games such as: red light, green light, follow the leader, and brainercises. |
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