South Dakota Backyard Birds Booklet

I surprised the kids with their very own field guide of South Dakota Backyard Birds.  they were SO excited when they started looking through it.  They were shouting out birds that they knew in the book.  It was really fun to see them so happy and enjoying the book.  These field guides will stay in school throughout the year.  They will use them when for journal writing if they choose to write about a bird.  We will do other activities with them too.  On that last day of school they can take them home for keeps.

 

 

Nature Talk

Each morning we sit out on the sidewalk and have a short talk about nature and our environment.  I am trying to make them more aware and knowledgeable of their surroundings. I may ask, "How many stop signs do you see?  What shape is a stop sign?  How many sides does that have? How do you spell stop? Look at the leaves.  Have they started to change yet?  Look at all of the things that are blue around you, etc.  We have had great luck at seeing birds as they fly over or call in the neighborhood."  They have learned about clouds and the water cycle, parts of a plant, what a utility pole is, about electricity, about playground and street safety.  We have counted windows and doors too.  We have seen: Franklin's Gulls, Turkey Vultures, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Mourning Doves, Common Grackles, and others.  Those 5-10 minute talks before morning recess have been very educational.

Library

Here we are at the school library.  They have such a beautiful 
Dr. Seuss mural on the wall.  We go to the library every Friday, 
so remember to help your child remember his/her book.  Thanks!

Butterfly Release

We had raised two caterpillars and one of the chrysalises became damaged, so we had one left.  That Painted Lady Butterfly emerged while we were in school.  We kept it for a few days and I had flowers in there for it.  We took it out and released it.  It went right to one boy's shirt.  The kids were so excited!  Earlier the kids had caught three other butterflies and put them in the butterfly house, so we released them too.  They all wanted to hold one, but it is impossible to do that.  The other caterpillars just changed into their chrysalis, so we are again waiting for wings.  

Painted Lady Butterflies migrate as Monarch Butterflies do, but they only go as far as they need to and they do not hibernate.  The Monarchs migrate all the way to Mexico where they hibernate.  Nature is pretty amazing!

           

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

One of the boys brought in a dead Ruby-throated Hummingbird to show the class.  The kids were so surprised at how small it was.  One child even asked me if I was sure that it was a bird.  Don't worry...I'm a germ freak, so if anyone happened to touch it, I had them wash their hands well.

They are so small.  Here it is next to a small paper clip.  
It is amazing to think that they fly to Central America and 
some will even cross the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight.

Fall Tree Art

Aahhh...painting with kindergartners is quite an experience and not for the faint of heart.  Ha-ha!  Today the students used their previous science lessons of living things and the parts of a plant to paint a tree.  They sponge-painted the leaves on the tree. They must have enjoyed it because they were pretty quiet as the carefully worked on their masterpiece.  I played some Raffi music as he sang songs that I had taught them.  It was a great time!  I love their creations!

Waiting For Wings

We were waiting for the caterpillars to get big and go into their chrysalis stage.  The kids wanted to see them turn into butterflies.  Our first set came with only two caterpillars instead of five and only one butterfly emerged.  I contacted the company and they sent us five more.  These caterpillars were very small.  After the first butterfly emerged, one of the boys exclaimed, "Do you mean this is real?  They really do turn into butterflies?"  I guess its a good thing that I raised butterflies for all of them to know that indeed it is real.  This is one of the science standards that all kindergartners are supposed to learn as well as the life cycle of the frog.

We raised Painted Lady Butterflies.

Patriotic Songs

Have you heard your child singing patriotic songs at home?  That is because every morning after the flag pledge, we sing one.  So far I've taught them two:  

• This Land is Your Land
• You're a Grand Old Flag
• America - our newest one

Bird Center

The bird center is finally getting some love!  Some of the girls were checking it out during center/play time today.  I heard gasps of excitement as they commented on birds that they knew!  They were pretty happy!  The kindergartners can now identify 30 species of birds and they know most of their songs.  They also know a bit about each bird too.  They have caught on quickly with little effort as this age kids are a bit like sponges soaking up knowledge of things they are interested in. Whenever we have a few minutes here or there, we run through the bird flashcards.  

Do they need to know about birds?  They do not, but it is nice for them to learn about their natural environment, it helps them to be more aware of their surroundings, and it is something they can take with them and use for the rest of their life.  

This bird knowledge carries over into their school work.  I have noticed that students are more aware of details in text and in pictures after learning to distinguish between different bird species.  Kindergartners become more excited about learning since they now know something that many other kids and adults do not.  A parent told me that their child became more confident because knowing a lot about birds made her feel special and gained her more attention from family and friends.  I love that it gives us a common interest to build on.  They come into the room in the morning announcing the birds they had seen.  I think it is a good thing for teachers to share their passion with their students.  I can work birds into their curriculum and that makes reading, writing and math more interesting to them when its about birds.  

Center Time

Here is a glimpse of center time.  This group is working 
on matching uppercase and lowercase letters.

Cutting, gluing and matching the pictures that rhyme 
is keeping this kindergartners busy.  Center time also 
teaches the students responsibility because they have to 
get out the supplies they need, put their name on 
their work, get started and clean up after themselves.

Here is a closer look at that rhyme worksheet.

At the beginning of the year, I try to have one "play" 
center, so that they have a break from thinking so hard.

I love this activity!  This is called "Write the Classroom".  
The kids walk around the room looking for text/words 
to copy onto their paper.  This makes them more aware 
of the words in the classroom and it encourages them to 
practice writing.  You could do this at home too!
  You can see that they are using hardcover books, 
but clipboards would be better.  Let me know if you 
see a deal on clipboards.  I would need 4-5 clipboards.

Show and Tell

As a child I thought "Show and Tell" was just for fun, but as a teacher I see the benefits of the activity.  Children share about themselves helping the rest of their class to get to know them better.  Students learning vitally important speaking and listening skills.  They also can work on their manners by practicing to wait their turn when speaking and by thinking before they speak.  We have "Show and Tell" every Friday morning, so check the newsletter to see what they theme for the week is and help your child remember to bring something for that day.

Weekly Testing

Each week I test the students individually to see how they are doing on their skills.  I have found that this is the best way at the beginning of the year to track their progress, although it can be time-consuming.  I use flashcards and classroom manipulatives to find out if they understood the skills taught for the week.  This is a good way to monitor how they are doing and who needs more assistance.  The other students are in small groups working on activities in different areas of the room.  They did a great job at staying on task today! 

I would love to send the report home on Fridays, but it takes time and I will need the weekend to get them scored, so they will usually be sent home on Mondays.  You can check the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus to see how your child is doing.  Let me know, if you are unable to check your child's grades online.

I also take the time to ask the kids how they are feeling about school and what is going good for them or what concerns they may have.  They enjoy testing time and often beg to be next!

Journal Writing in Kindergarten

Kindergarten students write in journals.  It is true!  They write in their journal every day.  At first the pages may have a basic drawing and you will see where they tried to write their thoughts using lines, circles or random letters of the alphabet.  Throughout the year the drawings become more advanced and your child will start to draw letters of that sound and then words using inventive spelling or by looking at the Word Wall in the classroom. In time they will be able to write on their own.  Some kindergartners come in knowing how to write, so then they are challenged to write more, use details and adjectives. 

Each child is at a different level and that is okay.  I try to get them to keep advancing at their own pace.  Each day I do a lesson teaching them how to write and how to use a "magic line", if they just can't figure out how to sound out a word.  I model the writing for them at the board to demonstrate how it is done.  We review our anchor chart on how to write a sentence.

I explain to the kids that their writing is called "kid writing" and mine is "grown-up writing".  We don't want them to think that their writing is wrong, but it just different.  The goal is to get each child to feel free to write and express themselves without the pressure of it being perfect.  I think that you will enjoy seeing what your child was thinking about at this young age.  Its very interesting to watch them progress throughout their kindergarten year.  

We also keep a class nature journal where together we write about what is happening around us in nature.  Encourage your child to write at home by providing them with paper, markers, colored pencils, and crayons.  You could even buy a "primary" journal notebook and together you could journal his/her life as a small child.  What a great keepsake that would be!

Journal writing teaches students:

• how to read from left to right 
• how to write a sentence 
• how to read 
• how to spell and sound out words 
• how to use correct punctuation 
• how the spoken word can be put into written words  
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Bird of the Week Posters

I created "Bird of the Week" posters for each end of the hallway to help past kindergarten students and other onlookers to learn some of our common birds in the area.  Hopefully it will make a difference.

Meet Spike

One of the boys brought in a live snapping turtle.  This one was really little and it was sure different than the Painted Turtles that we normally see in our area.  When fully grown, the snapping turtle has a shell that's 9"-20"" long and can weigh around 12#.  The record weight for a snapping turtle is 44#!  Snappers are usually carnivorous and have long tails. This snapping turtle spent the week in school in a dry aquarium filled with leaves and small branches.  The kindergartners thought Spike was pretty cool!