Kinder-Whale Tales Dear Kinder-Whale Families, I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far! And again, WELCOME BACK from Spring Break! As mentioned before, we have hit the ground running. With less than 30 days left of school, we are doing our best to prepare for first grade and beyond! This week, the students learned about RAINBOWS and how rainbows are formed. Featured above in this week's news is a video of the students singing one of our rainbow songs. Also featured above are the projects that the students completed: A friend called Roy G. Biv, to help the students remember the colors of the rainbow in order; the letters of ROY G. BIV stand for the first letters of the rainbow colors in order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Please read below to learn more about how rainbows are formed! We will also introduce another new SEAL strategy that was taught to the teachers at the last training. We practiced the new SEAL strategy extensively this week, and the students did an amazing job. This week, we also learned an important concept to help us with our last upcoming writing assessment: The difference between a fact and an opinion. Fact vs. Opinion will be covered on the right side of the weekly news. The activities that we've done with SEAL will prepare the students for their pre-writing assessment. Please read on! SEAL: Collaboration & Teamwork The Kinder-Whales have been experts at engaging in collaborative conversations, where they turn and speak with a partner to discuss what we are learning. They have done an amazing job listening to and encouraging their partners to answer the questions. This week, the students focused on the word Collaboration, and brainstormed what it means, using our background knowledge and experience with collaborative conversations to guide us. The students came up with working as a team, helping your friends, including everyone, sharing, and taking turns. We discussed how collaboration is a fancy word for teamwork. Then the students worked together in collaborative conversations to discuss what collaboration looks like and what it sounds like. We talked about how if Ms. Waslif comes into the classroom but she can't hear anything (ears might be ringing from the noise outside at recess duty), what would she see to know that we are collaborating? We also talked about how if Ms. Waslif comes into the classroom but she can't see anything (because her eyes are adjusting from the sunlight), what would she hear to know that we are collaborating? The students came up with excellent ideas, and all of their ideas were written down on the collaboration chart, pictured below. Collaboration in Practice: To practice collaboration (and in preparation for our opinion writing pre-assessment), the students first worked with different partners to ask and answer questions about their favorite season. As the students spoke with one another, I walked around the room and listened in. Anytime we heard or saw students demonstrating great examples of collaboration, we would stop and acknowledge that, and add it to the collaboration chart. For instance, the students solved their own problems and figured out who would go first and who would go second, taking turns. They also spoke in appropriate volumed voices so that only their partners could hear them. They used peacebuilder words and were kind to one another. They offered help to one another, etc. They did a wonderful job! Collaboration in Practice Continued! Next, the students were challenged to practice collaboration at their table in groups of 3 or 4. We had just wrapped up our categorical matrix on the different kinds of Weather. The students worked together to sort pictures of people doing different things. The students discussed with one another where each picture should go and why. I listened carefully to hear how students would solve their problems, especially when there was a disagreement. Any time a group had students who couldn't agree where to place a picture, we stopped the whole class, and listened in, offering suggestions for how they could solve their problem. Students came up with taking a vote to decide, taking turns and compromising, letting one person decide with the understanding that next time, the second person would get to decide, etc. It was amazing to watch the students collaborate and learn how to use kind words to help other to learn. Then, the students worked together to come up with different things that we can do in each season, and they drew little doodles. Again, I watched carefully to see which groups were sharing, helping one another, and including everyone. As each time showed collaboration, they were given points (shown above)! The students are trying to earn as many points as they can before the end of the month. The more points they earn, the more they have shown that they can collaborate and work together effectively. Once the teams were done with their posters, it was time for them to present. Before the activity, I had assigned each student a number from 1-4. If I called on the ones, then the ones would have to present a season. If I called on the threes, then the threes would have to answer the question, etc. This helped the students to know that they would be held accountable for their team's learning. The wonderful thing about collaboration is that if I called on a number and that student wasn't sure what to say, they were allowed to ask their table mates for help. Teams were also awarded points for their patience and willingness to help/support one another! RAINBOWS! The Kinder-Whales were very excited to learn all about rainbows this week! Because we were also learning about opinion writing this week, we will continue to learn about rainbows next week, as we wrap up our SEAL weather unit. First, we started with our inquiry chart. Students were asked what do they know and what do they wonder about rainbows? The students came up with lots of interesting questions. Please refer to the inquiry chart below to see how we tracked our learning. Each color means a different time that we came to revisit and add to or change our thinking. Towards the end of the week, as we learned more about rainbows, we also corrected some of our misconceptions. For instance, many of the students believed that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We learned that this is not true. People started saying this because long ago, in Ireland, people used to say that finding a pot of gold was as impossible as finding the end of a rainbow (because it was hard to come by gold). Over time, the saying changed to finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow--so interesting! We learned that it is impossible to find the end of a rainbow because rainbows are actually a full circle. But because of the horizon, or the ground where we stand, we can only see half of it--we only see the top arch/semicircle. Because there is no end to the rainbow, there is no pot of gold! We also learned that there are seven colors in the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. The students were excited to hear the color indigo because they have seen it on their crayons :). The students asked similar questions that had to do with how rainbows are formed/what rainbows are made of. Many of the students questions were also similar in that they asked if they could touch a rainbow: Can you slide on a rainbow? Can you catch a rainbow? Can you feel/touch/walk through a rainbow? I loved hearing all of their questions! Rainbow Chants and Songs! To help the Kinder-Whales remember the order of the colors of the rainbow, we learned the song below. This song is also featured above in this week's news! After learning the colors, we also came up with a list of things that are each color. Then the students wrote sentences about what each color reminds them of. For instance, red reminds me of a strawberry. Orange reminds me of a pumpkin. Yellow reminds me of the sun. Green reminds me of a watermelon. Blue reminds me of the sky. Indigo reminds me of a pair of jeans. Violet reminds me of a field of flowers. The Kinder-Whales did a fantastic job of coming up with an extensive list of items that fall under each color. Then we made our ROY G BIV buddies, also featured above in this week's news. Roy G. Biv will help us to remember the seven visible colors of the rainbow in order. Rainbow Videos & Resources After sharing what we think we know and what we wonder about rainbows in the inquiry chart above, we read several books about rainbows and also watched several videos. As the students learned new information about rainbows, we revisited our inquiry chart to add to our thinking. Please see captions in the pictures below to learn the fun facts that the students learned about rainbows! Rainbow Draw and Label! A rainbow can occur after it rains. Both sunlight and raindrops must be present to create a rainbow. The raindrops must be in front of you while the sunlight is behind you. To better understand how a rainbow is formed, we used a prism and shined a white light through it. The students were amazed to see a rainbow on the ground once the sunlight hit the prism at just the right angle. The students learned that this is called refraction: A light light goes into the prism, bends and changes directions (refraction) and the prism separates the white light into the seven colors that we can see: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (please see picture below). The Kinder-Whales were super excited when they saw the prism, because they remembered when we learned about prisms a month or so ago, when we were learning about 2-D versus 3-D shapes. I was SO proud of them for making that connection on their own--my teacher heart was so happy! After drawing and labeling what happens when a light goes through a prism, we talked about how rainbows are formed in the sky. When the sun is out and it is raining both at the same time, the white light comes from the sun. The raindrops act like little prisms in the sky. The sunlight shines through millions of raindrops. As the light is going through the raindrops, it refracts: The light goes in, bends, and changes directions, and separates into the seven colors inside the raindrop. Because the raindrops are curved, reflection occurs. The curve of the raindrop acts like a mirror and it reflects the refracted light, causing only one color to be seen by our eyes. When millions of raindrops are refracting and reflecting, we see all of the seven colors together, forming a rainbow. This concept is difficult to understand, so we will be reviewing rainbows next week as well. I will break down the terms, refraction, reflection, and dispersion, and explain it in a simpler way, to make it easier to understand. Stay tuned next week! Letter/Sight Word of the Week Letter of the Week: Jj Our letter of the week was the letter Jj. The Kinder-Whales did a wonderful job coming up with things that begin with the letter Jj with Mrs. McLaughlin while I was out at SEAL training. They also practiced writing the lowercase j so that the "tail" goes down below the line and makes a "hook under the sea." Sight Word of the Week: Was Our sight word of the week was, was. We reviewed a previous sight word: is, and how that refers to something happening in the present, or right now. When we use the word was, we are referring to something that happens in the past, such as a long time ago, yesterday, an hour ago, or a minute ago, etc. Then the students practiced using the word was in a sentence. A few students mentioned how if we rearrange the letters in the word was, we would get the word saw. Have I mentioned how proud I am of them? :) Math: Addition! The Kinder-Whales have practiced addition for a while now, during our daily calendar routines. Students have made numbers using domino dots, dice dots, ten frames, number bonds, and tally marks. They have already done such a fabulous job with putting numbers together to make a new total, and they have had multiple opportunities to practice writing number sentences to demonstrate their thinking. This week, we officially called it addition! We started our lesson with a math meeting: Students practiced counting around the circle by ones and tens to 100. Then they practiced counting with a partner and took turns. We also practiced counting forwards and backwards up to 10 (we are making our way up to counting backwards from 20). Being able to count up to 100 is an important skill that will help us with our addition! The Kinder-Whales learned how to "count on" to add or make numbers. The students practiced making numbers up to 5-10, using the counting on strategy. For instance, students solved problems such as, if they are given 4, how many more will they need to make 10? The students first put 4 in their brain and use their fingers to count on to 10. 4 in their mind, then on their fingers: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Afterwards the students count how many fingers they have up: 6. That means 4 and 6 make 10. The students worked with a partner to figure out how many ways they can make 10. One partner rolled the dice. Whatever number it landed on, they would put that number in their head, and then count on on their fingers. For instance, if they rolled a 5, they would put 5 in their head and then count on: 5 in head: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Then they counted how many fingers they had up, to figure out that they would need 5 more to make 10: 5 and 5 make 10. We will continue to practice this strategy next week. Also pictured below is the thermometer page of our daily calendar. Students have been introduced to the term and symbol for degrees, and are learning how to read a thermometer. | Reminders and Updates Next Week:
We are in need of the following items to keep our classroom clean and organized. Please let me know if you might be able to donate a few of the following items. Thank you so much for your support!
RECAP: Fact or Opinion? This past week, the students learned the difference between a fact vs. an opinion. A fact is a statement that is true and can be proven. It is based on research. For instance, an example of a fact is: A dog needs food and water to survive. An opinion is a statement that tells what someone feels or believes. It is not always true because someone else could disagree with the statement. For instance, someone might say, Dogs are the best pets. Another person might disagree and say, Cats are the best pets. We practiced identifying whether something was a fact or an opinion. Mrs. Lorenzana is a teacher: Fact. The 49ers are the best football team: Opinion. We also practiced listening closely for words that are usually used when someone is expressing an opinion. Please see below for opinion sentence starters. The Kinder-Whales practiced using the opinion sentence starters to share their opinions with a partner and then aloud with the class. We had a lot of collaborative conversations this past week! Fact vs. Opinion Videos The Kinder-Whales watched a few videos to help them further understand and practice distinguishing between a fact vs. an opinion. When someone uses the words, best, always, very, worst, never, all, favorite, it gives you a heads up that they are sharing their opinion. At the end of the video, students practiced determining whether something is a fact or an opinion and why. Seasons: Opinion Writing As mentioned on the left side, the students have been focusing on collaboration and working together effectively to help each other learn. We also used this life skill to prepare students for our upcoming writing benchmark assessment in May. First, we created a Seasons Categorical Matrix. The students discussed and worked in collaborative conversations to describe the weather, holidays, and things to do in each season: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. When sharing out loud with the class, students were provided with sentence frames to refer to:
Opinion Writing: Pre-Assessment Practice At the end of the day, after all of the activities, the students were asked: What Is Your Favorite Season? Which Season is the Best and Why? The students had many resources to pull from, including our completed weather categorical matrix, our completed Seasons Categorical Matrix, and all of the posters that each group collaborated on to create. Students were also encouraged to use the sentence frames provided to get them started on their writing. It was amazing to see how engaged the students were, and how confident they felt about their writing, after reviewing, and sharing ideas about all of the seasons. We will continue to practice our opinion writing in preparation for our upcoming writing benchmark assessment in May! Students are encouraged to discuss their opinion in their daily conversations. I encourage you to ask your child about their favorite ice cream, favorite color, favorite holiday, favorite movie, favorite book, etc. and why! Help the students use the sentence frames in their conversations with you on car rides home or while waiting in line or waiting at the doctor's office. Students should say, "My favorite ______ is ______ because _______" and students should provide you with supporting reasons why. Next week, I will be asking the students to give me their opinion about whether or not we should have recess at school, and why. Students will be challenged to convince me to give them more/less recess time ;). Earth Day Preview! On Friday, we celebrated Earth Day. Many of the students were unfamiliar with Earth Day, and didn't realize that it was something that we celebrate every year. We read aloud Dr. Seuss's The Lorax and had students compare and contrast what the world was like before and after the Onceler came to the town where the Lorax once lived. It was once bright, colorful, and a wonderful place to live. But now it is dark, gloomy, and a dreary, polluted place to live. We also talked about cause and effect and how cutting down the trees can affect the rest of the world. In the story of The Lorax, all of the truffula trees were cut down to provide materials for the factory to make thneeds for profit/money. Meanwhile, the clouds became dirty and the air became so polluted that the swomee swans had to leave. The waters became so dirty that the humming fish had to leave. And because all of the truffula trees were being cut down, there were no more fruits for the brown barbaloots (bears), so they also had to leave. The Onceler only cared about making more money and he "biggered" (nonsense word) his factory and made more thneeds until it was too late. We discussed the conditions of the Earth where we are living, including how paper comes from trees and how all of the cars and traffic in the world are polluting the air, creating more smog. We also talked about how some people are wasting water by taking really long showers or leaving the water on as they are brushing their teeth. Wood from trees are used to build tables, chairs and to make other things that people use. We talked about how we are using nature's resources for things that we both need and want. Then we talked about how we can make the world a better place. Students were asked, What are some things that we can do to help save the Earth? The students came up with taking shorter showers, speaking for the trees (like the Lorax) and fighting for the animals to have a home, picking up trash, no littering, telling people to stop smoking so we can keep our air clean, planting more trees, and RECYCLING PAPER. It was a wonderful and lively discussion! After our discussion, the students wrote down a few things that they can do to make the world a better place. Then we used shaving cream and paint to create an art project of the Earth. They turned out beautifully! However, because most of the Earths are drying, I will post pictures of the finished products in next week's news! Below is a preview. Starfish of the Week: Annie! Annie did a marvelous job as our Starfish of the Week! She told me she has been waiting a long time to be Starfish of the Week, and she finally had her turn! On Tuesday, we read aloud one of Annie's favorite books, Read with Dick and Jane: Guess Who by Penguin Young Readers. The book had a few chapters in it, where we follow two children on their adventures around the house. The students enjoyed being able to read along with the book and being able to use context clues to make predictions about the next part of the book, using rhyming words and patterns. Many of the students' favorite part was when the students used their imaginations to make a car using two chairs placed back to back, and a plate as a steering wheel. The students shared that they were going to try and do that once they got home :). It inspired them to play with household items that they already have and to use their imagination. On Wednesday, we read aloud a letter to Annie and the class written by Annie's parents. They shared how proud they are of Annie and all of the progress that she has made in school. They remembered when she first started TK at Spangler, and she wasn't able to read, but is now able to read books. Annie's parents also shared how when Annie was a baby, she wouldn't want to sleep. So her dad would take her in his arms and walk her around until she grew tired and fell asleep. Because of work, her dad had many business trips, but he always made sure to pack enough baby formula so that Annie had enough to drink each day. They believe that this is the reason why Annie is taller than many of the kids who are her age. They shared how Annie is so cheerful and energetic. She loves to paint and do art projects at home, just like how her Dad used to be when he was her age. Annie brought in her special item: A baby doll that she can take care of by dressing it up, feeding it its baby bottle, She shared how her parents got it for her as a gift from Walmart, and she loves taking care of the baby every day. On Friday, Annie had her Starfish Talk Show. She introduced us to her family and shared how she wants to be a teacher some day :). She already does an excellent job of teaching other students who might need help in the classroom! A few things that she enjoys doing include going on i-Ready and reading books. Her favorite things include ice cream and books, which many of the classmates agreed with, too! Terrific job as our Starfish of the Week, Annie! We are all so proud of you, and we enjoyed learning more about you this week! Next Week's Starfish: Ingrid! Ingrid will be our last Starfish of the Week! Thank You! As always, thank you so much for all of your support and for taking the time to read through the weekly news! I apologize for the delay in posting this week's news -- My husband is a teacher at Milpitas High School, and he asked me to be his prom date/help him chaperone, so I spent most of my weekend chaperoning prom at Levi's Stadium. It was quite an interesting experience, and we kept getting mistaken for students :D. Please leave a quick comment on the weekly news sharing what you did this weekend! Or you can simply just state that you have read and received the weekly news! P.S. Did you happen to see any rainbows? We will be conducting some rainbow experiments this week, as we wrap up our SEAL unit. Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday, and an amazing week ahead! Best wishes, Mrs. Lorenzana |
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Mrs. LorenzanaKindergarten Teacher at Spangler Elementary Archives
June 2016
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