Kindergarten

Reading Instruction  

We do literacy centers for our reading instruction. The children rotate through four centers daily. Each center is roughly fifteen to seventeen minutes each. The centers change daily.

"Read With the Teacher" Center

This center is the Guided Reading center with teacher. Students are divided into groups based on their level (determined by district testing).  The teacher will see each group at least 2 times a week.  The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various reading strategies (context clues, letter and sound relationships, word structure, and so forth). The proper leveled books are selected so students are able to read with approximately 90% accuracy which enables the students to enjoy the story because there is not an overwhelming amount of "road blocks" that interfere with comprehension. Children can move guided reading groups as they increase their knowledge or the whole group can increase.  

 "Phonics" Center

This center is with the classroom assistant. It focuses on expanding the lessons taught by our phonics curriculum. We use the letterland phonics program. Please check it out here: http://www.letterland.com.

 "Letterland" Center 

This center has review/extension activities related to what the class is working on daily Letterland lesson. Activities can range from pictures sorts to word building. 

Computer Center

On the computers we often explore the abc portion of starfall.com and do other school programs, such as letterland and reading eggs.

Technology Center

At this center the students explore LeapFrog Tag Reader pens and LeapFrog Leaster activity pags. We also have an Ipad with learning apps that students use.

.Listening Center

During this center students listen to various stories and complete a recording page about their favorite part of the book.

Library Center

This Center has numerous books from different genres and authors that your child can explore. Whisper reading phones, pillows, and stuffed animals are available here.  This is also our “detective” center where child use magnify glasses to located specific letters and /or sight words the class is working on!

  Writing Center 

At this center students use a variety of writing techniques from handwriting to stamping. Students complete copying, prompted writing, and free writing here.

Mathematics  Instruction 

Our school has adopted the Scott Foresman Envision Math Program(http://www.pearsonschool.com/envisionmath)to teach the National Common Core (http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/mathematics/kindergarten/introduction/).

We have math circle every Monday to introduce the weekly skill as a whole group. We use hands-on materials and the classroom projector and elmo document camera to make the lesson interactive and keep students actively engaged in the lesson.

On Mondays we have whole group math to introduce the weekly concept. 

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays students rotate through 3 centers. Our centers are:

 1.) Guided Math

 2.)Partner Work

 3.)Independent Work. 

On Fridays, we play a review game and complete an informal assessment.

Writing    Instruction

In my classroom we have a writing center students rotate through each week. Also student will work at phonics center on developing their writing. Students are sometimes allowed to "Free Write" or they are given a prompt to write about, such as "Write and draw about your family."

Here are some examples of where your child should be in writing at the end of the year.

"At my birthday I got a necklace. It has my name on it. I like it. It is pretty."

"I got a new playstation from my mom and my dad. Thank your mom and my dad. I love my mom and my dad. I loved my birthday. Thank You!"

" We like to sing in class. We like it because it helps us sing better. Mrs. Miller is teaching us to sing."