The End of Our First Learning Expedition

 We wrapped up our first learning expedition, Toys and Play.  Thorough-out this expedition, students have been engaged in close reading of engaging fiction and non-fiction texts.  In the first module, we learned all about playing together and created our Play Commitments.

In our second module, we began to study toys and used attributes to describe toys.  Students interviewed their families about toys from the past and we began the hard work of writing about the toys in our classroom using adjectives.

During our last module of this expedition, students interviewed a friend to find out about the toy he/she liked most.    We shared our learning on SeeSaw.  We celebrated the end of the expedition, by creating a toy using recycled materials.

Let's PLAY!

 

We believe PLAY to be an important part of kindergarten.  When we play, we are learning many life skills.

Students have choice every day what they will play.  We offer opportunities to create, explore, build and collaborate.

Students choose different things and practice life skills during this time.

In fact, we are so passionate about the importance of play, that it is the first Learning Expedition of our kindergarten year.  Students help to create and practice our Play Commitments not only during our daily Discovery Play Time, but also in the other times of our day and on the playground.

Not only do we play daily in our classroom, we know the importance of getting out in nature to play and explore.

The Fun Days of Kindergarten

 

We are a couple of weeks in to Kindergarten!  We are doing the work of kindergarteners and having lots of fun!

After our Crew morning meeting, we spend time doing the work of mathematicians.  

We are modeling our thinking by using manipulatives, drawing pictures and solving math problems.  We have worked hard to understand the math vocabulary of equal, less than and greater than.  

Our crew is already doing the work of readers by exploring books.  We have explored song books, ABC books and pattern books.  Students are growing their identify as a reader by reflecting using "I am the kind of reader who...."  We are learning about the books we love and the places in our classroom to sit that help us do the hard work of readers.

After lunch, we are persevering to do the work of writers.  Students have been drawing pictures to tell stories.  We are reflecting on what makes pictures that we draw high quality.  

The most important work we are doing in our day is PLAYING!  We are a couple of weeks into our Play and Toys Learning Expedition.  Students are doing the hard work of sharing, including others, taking care of materials and using kind words.  This important work is helping us create a culture of belonging, kindness, respect and fun!

Welcome to Kindergarten

 

(Ms. Jen, Ms. Kelsey, Ms. Sara)

Welcome to Kindergarten!  This is our kindergarten team this year.  We are so excited to partner with you this year.

Our classroom is all set up and now all I need is a brand new crew full of curious, kind and resilient kindergarteners!

This year will be full of learning, laughter, exploring indoors and outdoors and building relationships with each other.

I can't wait for the walls to be filled with student thinking and work!  See you soon.

The Last Days of Kindergarten

 What a year it has been!  I am so proud of our crew's perseverance, kindness and resiliency during a challenging year!  We sure had fun celebrating the last days of kindergarten.

Field Day was so much fun!  We got to play games, do an obstacle course (outside and inside) plus end with a fun water game, Drip, Drip, Drop!  

We met our other kindergarten crew from Ms. Kelsey's classroom.  We had fun chit chatting and drawing with chalk.  We look forward to having some of these friends in our first grade crew.

Our crew had a great time blowing bubbles with bubble gum and playing with donated bubbles.  There was lots of joy and giggling!

We loved going to our first all school North Star Assembly outside.  We are sure sad to see our wonderful leader and principal, Mr. Brian leave us.

It was a perfect last day for a picnic with ALL of kindergarten crew to have lunch outside under trees.  We are so excited about our new friends!

EL Education Better World Day

 We were so excited to celebrate Better World Day today!  

We started the day by painting kindness rocks.

Each student painted rocks and wrote BE KIND!  Students will go on a walk with their family to place these kindness rocks in our local community.

We headed outside to plant seeds of flowers to make our school more beautiful!

Our last project of the day was to clean up our school's Lost and Found!

Students showed contribution by folding clothes, hanging items on hangers and sorting mittens and hats.

Students organized all the items so that our school would be easily be able to find their missing items.

We sent an email to our fellow crews to have students come find all of their items.

We are so proud of the way we made our neighborhood, outside space and our school better!

Collaboration

 

We focused in on our Habit of Character of Collaboration.  Throughout the year we have discussed that collaboration was about working together.

Students learned that it means a lot more than that!

We learned to actively listen when others were sharing their ideas.  We used a "talking stick" to give each person a chance to share their ideas and the other team members an opportunity to listen closely to others' ideas.

Each small group was given a group of supplies to collaborate to create something.

After many days of listening, discussing and working together, each team collaborated and made a creation.  It was a week full of feedback, some conflict and productive problem solving.  Collaboration is hard!  As a crew, we are committed to continue to keep practicing to help our collaboration muscles get stronger.