May 2021

 My apologies, as it has been so long since I have updated! It is a busy time of the year, as kindergartners are working so hard to push through becoming readers and writers and ready for so much more academic instruction! At the same time as we try to keep these routines consistent, we are balancing doing end of year assessments in literacy in math to measure progress. It has been quite the year, but seeing how far these students have come despite all the challenges of the pandemic is really a huge celebration! 

In literacy we are using our sight word knowledge and CVC words to write sentences. Not only are students hearing beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words, they are working to independently write sentences, keep track of what they're writing about, keep their handwriting neat enough to read, and reread their work to make it better or add more! We have had a larger focus on foundational skills this year compared to past years, following the science of reading that is emerging around these phonological skills being so critical to becoming readers. It has been amazing to see how much it has helped students understand what we are doing when we read and write, and I think these skills will really show in first and second grade. Next week we will start some new independent station activities while I am assessing, where children will play long and short vowel sound games, and do activities with digraphs, CVC words, and more! 

We are growing plants, learning about seed and plant life cycles, along with chick life cycles as we wait for our eggs in the incubator to hatch. This class is incredibly curious and so interested in the world around them! In the coming weeks, we are keeping a journal of what we notice as the plants grow, and we will be writing research reports on chicks, and then an animal of your child's choice. We are working hard to bring all the letter sound knowledge to fruition and help kids grow their independence in this area before sending them to first grade! This month we will also be learning about the the history of our land, and the Abenaki tribes that were here originally. We are participating in a project planting some seeds to grow food for the Abenaki people living in Swanton, Vermont. More to come about this wonderful project!

In math we are focused on teen numbers and problem solving. We are learning how to decompose numbers, write equations, and more. We have been using "double ten frames" to play games and "see" and understand teen numbers on a deeper level.

This week we finally saw some sunshine! We traded one forest morning for an extra visit to the playground, and kids are really enjoying the slides, swings, and monkey bars! Today we played a class soccer game and it was pretty fun! Lots of students (and teachers!) noticing their heart beating fast and feeling out of breath!

As always, I continue to build skills and support around social emotional learning and health, especially in this unprecedented year. We have some Second Step Curriculum lessons to finish up, and students are continuing to build skills in friendship, problem solving, and empathy.