Opening Calendar/Morning Every day begins the same in kindergarten. We start off with reading our daily schedule as a group. We also incorporate a Morning Meeting, or Calendar time to discuss the events of the day. So much goes on here that it would take much space to describe but, among other things, we talk about the days of the week, the months, numbers, counting, the weather, graphing the weather, the temperature and the Daily Message. The Daily Message: I have written a message on the board, part of it is the same every day, and part changes. We read it together and discuss it. Students are asked to come up and point to particular letters or words. Over the course of the year the students learn to read this message. For some, it is the first thing they do in the morning: figure out the Daily Message. This Morning Meeting is our first focused, whole class, academic activity of the day and we really cover a lot of ground.
 

Reading in Kindergarten Various strategies are implemented to give your child a foundation for learning how to be a reader. Phonemic awareness is our major goal in kindergarten to give children the skills to learn concepts about print and to emerge as a reader. Along with phonemic awareness activities daily, we instruct children through the use of shared reading and writing. Just as it is important to read with your children at home every day, (see Look at Books and The NAS Report ) it is also important that kids are read to in the classroom. Several types of Shared Reading occur in our classroom. There is the shared reading experience daily of books related to our theme for the week. We also choose books that help the students to learn the letters and the sounds that they make for each theme. There is also the shared reading of rhyming books, stories and poems that help the students develop phonemic awareness that is so important to learning how to read and write. Also important to developing phonemic awareness is the shared reading and reciting of familiar nursery rhymes, songs, poems etc... Shared reading of favorite children‘s literature is important in helping to develop a love of stories and reading. This also helps to develop a habit of reading.

 

It is our belief that we learn to read by reading. The more we read the better we get. If we develop a habit, and a love of stories and reading, we will read more. By reading more students learn to read and become better readers--by reading. The shared reading, and rereading of big books is also important for our emergent readers. Selection of big books that have interesting pictures, and a pattern to the words, is important. In the rereads the kids will begin to recite the repeating passages. After a few rereads, and several activities using the text, such as acting it out, the whole text becomes memorized. After memorizing the text the students can then "read" the book at Look at Books time. This not only helps the student to begin to think of themselves as readers, but in combination with all our other literacy activities, helps them to begin to recognize a few words and phrases. Then, it really isn‘t long before they are really reading these simple pattern books.

 

Guided Reading

Some time after Winter Break, I will start Guided Reading with the students that are ready. When students can demonstrate that they know what "rhyming" means; when they can tell me if particular words do or do not begin with the same sound; when they can point to one word, show where the beginning and end of a sentence are, and demonstrate which way words go on a page, they are ready for guided reading. In the beginning we usually work in small groups of two or three. We first do a "picture walk" through the book. At this time we talk about the story, maybe repeating an important phrase. We also might point out a word or two that we know to be specially hard or tricky to figure out. This is the time the teacher might also choose to point out a particular punctuation mark. Next, the student reads the book to me. We try to stay out of it. The idea is to get the students to develop ways of figuring out by themselves what is going on. When asked what a word is the teacher might answer, "What word would make sense there?" or "I think we have seen that somewhere before in this story." At this point the student would go looking for the word. When the student is finished the teacher will first praise some of the great work the student has done. Then I will point out one or two mistakes, such as, " You said this word is ... Can that be the word?....Why not?....What word would make sense here?" The next lesson begins with a rereading of the previous book. Again, good work is praised and mistakes are discussed after the reading.

 

Books are kept in a book box. We do have Take Home Books may be taken home that are similar to our beginning guided reading books. The children may select a Take Home Book and check it out from the classroom. The rule is one book at a time. When that book comes back another can be taken home. Please encourage this. Repetitive readings of familiar books are important in learning how to read. (See Homework?)

 

Academic Curriculum Centers

Every morning we work at centers to explore our theme of the week. . There is almost always a writing center, a science or social science center, an art center, a math center and a reading center. All of the activities at the centers each week are related to the theme of the week. This is the time that the teachers and assistants and volunteer parents work with kids. This is also the time that most of our big class projects are constructed and strategies are taught. We offer lesson plans for each center activity each week so parents can act as teachers/facilitators. This is important for you as the "teacher" of your group of children to follow the suggestions on each activity card. This is also the time when an adult can help show a child how to use a pair of scissors, white glue or a pencil. When parents volunteer and ask what time would be best, this is the time we choose, because it‘s such a busy time, the more adults the better. And besides it‘s a great way to see what the children are doing!

 

Look at Books Time/Quiet Reading After centers, every day we have a time that we call Looking at Books/Quiet Reading At the beginning of the year the activity is just what it sounds like, the students "look" at the books, because they are not yet readers. This changes over the course of the year so that at the end of the year many are really reading books during this time. This is a time for reading quietly. Students may read from familiar big books, or read around the room (read any of the poems, rhymes, student writing and interactive writing posted on the walls of the room). They may also read from books in their book box. They may also read from our theme books, class library, and author study books. This is an important time. For 10 to 20 minutes each day the students get to relax and enjoy the pleasures of books. Some students have already developed the habit and love of books, others have not. This activity, in combination with Shared Reading and Guided Reading help the students to develop this habit and love of books. . This is an exciting time. Your child is reading!

It is also important to read with your child at home, every day. I realize that you have probably heard this before, but it is important enough to repeat once again. Research shows that reading with children every day is the number one indicator of that child becoming a successful reader and student. (See The NAS Report.) This is why you and your child have homework every night! (see Homework?).

 

Free Exploration Time-After completing a center each day, the children can then choose various activities in the classroom for free exploration time. So what is free exploration time? You might say it looks like play. The kids tend to call it play. And it is. And it might just be the most important part of our day. The children have the opportunity to switch around to as many different areas in the classroom that they wish to during this time. They may use our easels, the reading center, the sand or water table, the computers, imaginative play area, and all of the rest of our toys, games, puzzles and activities. a variety of games, puzzles, manipulative and collections of things geared to help kids learn while doing, to help them create their own knowledge as the play games and other self selected activities.

 

Depending on the child and our schedule for that particular day, this time can go on for as much as an hour. Why so long? Because five and six year-olds learn through play, and because it is a relaxed fun way to begin the day, before the more organized activities begin. Because some of our most important goals for kindergarten are that everyone learns how to get along, to make friends, to be a friend and to develop a real sense of community in the classroom. And also because, in any classroom, what the kids call free time is usually the most favorite time of day, so why not begin the day with it? This time gives kids the opportunity to make their own choices and to begin to feel responsible for their own learning. But it‘s not all play. We also have an area that we usually empty for the kids to follow their own interests. This is called the student designed learning center. We will discuss as a group what interests the children would like to follow and we vote on what we would like to make this area into. The children need to also come up with the supplies and materials that they need in order to transform this are into their center. We guide this process at the beginning of the year to teach them how important it is to make choices and stay with the choice for a period of time

 

Weekly Activities

Interactive Writing Interactive Writing is a powerful teaching technique that is described in the books Guided Reading by Gay Sue Pinnell, and Phonics They Use by Pat Cunningham. We use most days to write something that we need to write. Much of the writing that is on our walls is written this way. We wrote it so we can write it! We also use it at various other times such as when writing a class letter, or doing a story map, or writing our own version of a story. For our Interactive Writing Journals, we write in our own Interactive Writing Journals and the teacher writes on a large piece of paper in front of the class together. The children decide what they would like to write about as a group, we take suggestions, talk about the suggestions and then vote as a class on the sentence that we would like to write. The Teacher does the writing to model the correct letter formation for the students. The children help with sounding out each sound in the words in the sentence. The letters that we figure out together the teacher writes in one color and the ones that the teacher has to help the children out with is written in a different color. The children can then see how many letters and sounds they know themselves and take a lot of pride in their writing. In this way the students learn the letters and the sounds they make. They also learn about blends (two or more letters that make one sound). In addition they learn about capitalization and punctuation. Interactive Writing pieces get hung up in the room at student height so that they can use these to "Read Around the Room." They can "read" these because of all the repetition of the process. (At the completion of every word we go back to the beginning and read all the words that we have written to that point. In this way the text becomes memorized.) At first the "reading" is reciting of the memorized text, but through the repetition of the whole process day after day, the students begin to recognize words, and by the end of the year are indeed reading! This also transfers to their writing. Through Interactive Writing they learn what letters make what sounds, and how to sound them out. This they then begin to use in their independent writing. Of all the literacy activities that we do in kindergarten, we believe that Interactive Writing is the one of most powerful.

 

Homework?

In general, we do not believe that homework is appropriate for kindergarten age students. This age learns through play and that is what we feel they should be doing at home. But as a parent: You have homework: Read to your children---every night. This could be mom, dad, grandma, brother, caregiver, it does not matter who reads but each student is to be read to every night. There will be a monthly calendar sent home each month for you to fill out the time read with your child. This is to be signed and turned in each month. We encourage the homework by giving Pizza Certificates for completed homework and later in the year, gold cards and other award certificates. We do keep track of student’s homework calendars for reporting purposes. Homework that is not regularly done will be so noted on the report card. I‘ll say it one more time: Research shows that reading with a child every day is the number one indicator of that child becoming a successful reader and student. (See the NAS Report) You have other assignments as well.

 

Remember kids learn by doing. TV and video games are not the best ways to encourage doing or learning. Please limit your child‘s time on these activities to an hour or two, or less, per day. Your child‘s time is much better spent in creative dramatic play, playing with construction manipulative such as blocks or Legos, or drawing. Always allow your children access to paper, crayons, pencils markers etc. Drawing is an important prewriting skill. It helps to get those small muscles in the hand doing what the child wants them to do. This is often especially important in some boys whose large motor muscles tend to develop first and are therefore used more than the small motor muscles. When your child develops in his/her emergent reading skills. Please encourage this: Repetitive readings of familiar books are important in learning how to read. Your participation in your children‘s homework shows them that you believe that school is important, and it is!

 

More Homework for the Parent:

Your homework is this: Read with your child every night. Give your child a good start on the day with a full nights sleep (10-12 hours for most 5-6 year olds), and a good breakfast. Pack or supply a healthful lunch including a drink. Please go easy on the sweets. Please, please, please put your child‘s name, and maybe even your phone number, on absolutely everything that you send to school. This will save you time and money in the long run. Try to keep toys at home. Things brought to school may get broken or lost. The best thing to do with a toy that is important to the child is keep it home. Please let me know if there are changes occurring at home that may affect your child‘s behavior or attitude at school... Enjoy your child‘s kindergarten year. It is a very special time.

 

Beginning writing/Monthly Writing Journals

Journals are an important part of our reading program. We write in our monthly writing journals once a month and our Interactive Writing Journals once a week. When we do not write in our journals we do some kind writing activity at the Writing Center each week. This is a part of the day that the kids look forward to. They may draw a picture, but they must write about something. In the beginning this "writing," for some could be "squiggle" writing. For others it might be shapes that look like letters. Others might actually write the letters that make some of the sounds that they hear. YES, we do practice and teach proper letter formation and encourage the children to start off using these strategies. We start off the teaching of writing to instill proper letter formation by teaching the children the first rule for writing is to write from the top down. For example, when you start a letter f, you begin at the top and go down, then you cross the f to finish. We call this phonemic based, or temporary spelling, and all are encouraged to try it, and if you can not hear any sounds in that word you can always draw a "magic line." By the end of the year many kids are spelling many words correctly, and using capitalization and punctuation appropriately with just a few reminders. This process is important so that the students begin to think of themselves as writers, and begin to figure out how words and writing work. Here‘s a link to learn more about inventive spelling or what we call phonemic based, or temporary, spelling.