We visited the PYP Exhibition.

When we go to grade 5, each of us will be designing our own Exhibition project which will help us to inquire into our own "big idea". 

Working hard on our "top secret" Mothers Day Projects

There are many reasons why we love our Mothers.  The children picked 3 of their favourites and composed a sentence that expressed their thoughts and emotions about their moms.  The photo on the front of the mini album had the child holding a sign that said, I love you because.......

Celebrating the love of reading in our Pj's.

Working together in Kindergarten to create a wreath for Remembrance Day

We were so happy to have had these two Kindergarten representatives carry our wreath in the processional this morning at the school assembly.  Each child in Kindergarten worked with a friend to create the tissue paper poppies that were later combined into one large wreath.  We worked together with wishes for peace in our hearts while thinking about the brave heroes who give up lots of fun and happy parts of their lives as they travel to other countries to help other people.

Sounds of the letters - A

The alphabet rap for the letter a

a says a
a says a

Alligator
Alligator

a-a-a

The focus with our work with Orton Gillingham approach in Kindergarten is to have the children recognize the sound of the letter a when they are given a set of words that have the short a sound in them.  This is called auditory discrimination.  A beginning non reader will now have the short a sound availible to them to see and locate in words as the connection to the letter is made. 

They are not expected to be able to read or spell these words below but they are given to you as an example of the words we use in lesons to help the children hear the sounds.  Being able to hear and recognize the sounds in words is an expected skill that children in K will learn.

afghan

astronaut

agree

apprehensive

actor

absent

addition

snack

combat

fact

branch



What is Big, Bright and Beautiful?

Big, Bright and Beautiful drawings in Kindergarten are an inmportant link to building literacy.  Drawing and representing ideas on paper is a form of expression for beginning writers.  It is a step to recording ideas and communicating thoughts.  With this in mind, we have modelled and are using this phrase to foster visual representations that promote clarity, details and effort.  Families will hear this phrase in the classroom, hear it repeated at home when their child is creating and adults are encouraged to restate this phrase when interacting with their child.

Big= An interesting picture details. It fills the space.
Bright= 5 or more colours
Beautiful= I tried my best. I took my time. I coloured back and forth.

We are using our Big, Bright and Beautiful skills in our drawing journals.  This week they were introduced and will appear on the tables in the morning.  Sometimes they will be out on the tables for the children to begin their day.  We have a display of some drawings done in groups, they are on the windows of our classrooms for you to enjoy.  Another drawing done for our own portfolio, where we had to do a self reflection, asking ourselves if we did include all the parts of Big, Bright and Beautiful.  These steps lead up to working in our own drawing journals.

KW Classroom Essential Agreement

The students in KW agree!

The major themes were provided by the teacher to guide the discussion.  We talked about each theme over the course of three sessions.  The children contributed their ideas of what each theme looked like, sounded like, and promised to uphold as a member of the Kindergarten class.  This language becomes key in discussions about expectations and how to live well together.

Be Kind

– help your friends, use kind words, share everything, wait your turn, everybody plays, take care of toys

Be Ready
-raise your hand, pack your backpack, brush teeth and hair, go to sleep when it is time for bed, come quickly when called
Be Safe
- walk or run carefully, hands and feet to yourself, eat slowly, keep your hands clean

Essential agreements as designed by the children

KM Classroom Essential Agreements- The major themes were provided by the teacher to guide the discussion. We talked about each theme over the course of three sessions. The children contributed their ideas of what each theme looked like, sounded like, and promised to uphold as a member of the Kindergarten class. This language becomes key in discussions about expectations and how to live well together.


Be Kind
 – help your friends, use kind words, share everything, wait your turn, everybody plays, lots of hugs
Be Ready
-raise your hand, hand up when ready or need help, listening ears, smiling and quiet mouths, ducktails, walk in sand
Be Safe
- walk or run carefully, hands and feet to yourself, chairs tucked in, use your words, pick up toys

Smile, today was photo day!

All our buttons were done up, ties straightened and smiles were on.
We had out photos taken for Kindergarten today.