Small Moment Stories in Writing Workshop

In Writing Workshop, we have started learning about and writing our first Small Moment stories.  We read the book "A Chair For My Mother" by Vera B. Williams.  In this story, we saw and heard examples of how the author uses words to add details to every part of this story.  The words she used helped us to get a mental image of what the story looked like while she was telling it.

After hearing this story a couple of times, we decided to give it a try.  We chatted with a partner about what we wanted to write about.  Our partners listened and asked us questions.  This helps us to think of more details to add to our stories.

   

Before we started our writing, we made a list of reminders for when we are writing Small Moment stories.

Then we went to work.  We did not finish our first small moment stories yet.  Sometimes it takes authors a while to finish one whole story.  We will keep working on them next week and for many more weeks so we get even better at them!

   

What is a Family?

In our Social Studies unit "What Is A Family?", our students are exploring what makes families special.  We have been talking about what a family is and how family members feel about each other.  We have already learned that families are alike in many ways, but they can also be very different!  

Yesterday we made our Family Heart Collage.  For this project, the students drew details of each family member on to a family member card and wrote the family member's name.  They cut out the cards and glued them to a large red heart.  The heart represents that we love the members of our families.  When we finished the project, we did a museum walk and admired each other's work.  It was so fun to see everyone's family!!!

   

   

We also had a visit from Granny Goose.  She read us a fun Thanksgiving story!

   

Free Choice Time

One of our most favorite parts of each day is Free Choice Time.  This usually takes place at the end of the day, or during our recess time if the weather is such that we are unable to go outdoors for recess.  Free Choice Time is an important part of our Kindergarten day.  It gives us the opportunity to play with friends.  It helps us practice our problem solving skills.  It also teaches us how to share and most importantly, get along with each other by cooperating, talking and listening.  Participation in Free Choice Time depends on us getting our work done throughout the day and if we are following the All Star Code.  If your work is not done or if your clip is on red, no free choice time.  There are lots of activities to choose from and we really like this.  Besides, it is FUN!!

   

   

   

Writing Celebration

Yesterday in Writer's Workshop, we had a celebration.  The purpose of this was to celebrate all of our learning in writing.  Each student had a chance to choose a piece of writing from their writing folder to share with the class.  We placed the writing under the document camera and projected each student's writing on the SMART Board.  When their writing was on the screen, each student was able to tell the class about their story.

   

     

It was a great opportunity for the students to get up and speak in front of their peers.  We have all really learned lots in Writer's Workshop.  Next week will we start learning about writing small moment stories.

We also came up with a list of words that we want to place on our classroom word wall.  Having these words on the word wall will help us with our writing.

Have a good weekend!

Veteran's Day Project and Math Work Places

Check out these cool dudes who brought the same thing for sharing today!!!

During unit time today, we learned about Veteran's Day and why we celebrate this special day.  It is a day for us to say thank you to veterans, past and present, for serving our country and keeping us safe and free.  Many of us have family members who are either serving now or have served in the past.  Mrs. Kurt's Kindergarten Plus class says "Thank You Veterans!"
  

   

   

In Math, we worked on our work places.  These work places included Pattern Block Pictures, Unifix Cube Patterns, Beat You to 10, Geoboards and Geobands, Which Bug Will Win and Hungry Caterpillars.  We will work on these more tomorrow.

   

   

   

Mrs. Kurt is looking forward to seeing our parents at parent teacher conferences later this week!

Good Bye to Ms. Arboe

Today was a bittersweet day in Kindergarten.  It was Ms. Arboe's last day with us.  She has been student teaching in our classroom for the past ten weeks.  We have worked hard and done our best to help her become a great teacher.  She felt a little sad today, too!

   

We really liked when she read us stories.  She even gave our class a new book to keep.  It is called 

"Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal" by Jeanie Franz Ransom.  It is a great story about tattling.  We are all learning about how to not tattle these days so it went well with what we are learning.    

      

In Writing Workshop, we learned about writing thank you notes.  We each wrote a thank you note to Ms. Arboe.  The notes are going in to a class book for her to keep!

     

Ms. Arboe was really good at helping us learn.  She even got to come to the lunchroom with us every day!

   

The end of the day was kind of hard for all of us.

We wish Ms. Arboe all the best as she heads off to Valley Middle School to teach 7th graders.  It will probably be a little different than Kindergarten, but we know she will do a good job.  Good luck, Ms. Arboe!  Here's a photo of our silly faces so you will always remember us!

Happy Halloween!

What an exciting day in Kindergarten.  We made a pumpkin-cano!  We each put a scoop of baking soda inside our pumpkin.  Then Ms. Arboe added some vinegar.  Our pumpkin erupted and we loved it!

   

   

We finished our candy corn person!

   

We also learned a new Math game.

   

Our Fall Festival Parade and Party was a blast.  Thanks to all the parent volunteers that made it possible!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!