Farm Unit

We are getting ready to go to the farm!  Hidden Villa Farm, that is!  Last week, we began our Farm Unit and practiced the reading comprehension strategy of visualization, or "making movies/pictures in our minds."   First, we visualized as we read Cook-a-Doodle-Doo and Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.  We continued to practice visualizing with non-fiction books.  Students were asked to visualize an animal before they read and then again after they read.  They found that reading and paying close attention to details in books allows you to make a better picture in your mind.

Visualization of a goat before a student read.

Visualization of a goat after a student read.

This week, we are reading more non-fiction books about farm animals.  Before and as we read, we create "I wonder..." statements.  Good readers ask questions as they read, so they become more curious and focus more on the text.  We are also learning about the Table of Contents and bolded words.  We are gathering the answers to our wonderings in graphic organizers.

We will continue to work on the Farm Unit for several more weeks.  Check back later to see more work!

Diary of a Tadpole

Dear Diary,
I must be about 14 days old today.  Wow, I need to tell you about my weekend!  On Sunday, I was swimming around the pond in a principal's backyard when someone with big boots came near me!  Next thing I knew, I was swimming in a bowl with three of my friends in a kindergarten classroom!  And guess what?  There are no fish here to worry about gobbling me up!  Mrs. Riccomini, the teacher in the classroom, said we are just visiting, and once we are big we will go back to our home.  By then, I think I will be able to hop away from fish!  I also heard her say that it was a former 3rd grade Eisenhower teacher, Ms. Cuenca, who saved us from the fish.  Thanks, Ms. Cuenca!

I love to swim around and find algae to eat.  I feel like I need to eat a lot since I am growing so quickly!  I bet I will look different the next time I write to you, Diary.

ABC Book

When I was a kindergartener at Cumberland Elementary School in Sunnyvale, I made an ABC Book at the end of the year.  I was so proud of it!  For me, writing the book meant I was all ready for first grade!  I dedicated it to my dog, Auggie, because he did not know his alphabet, but I did!

 My cover

My "e" page

I have always thought this book was important and have saved it.  The book gave me an idea...have our kindergarteners complete a similar book!  A book to show so much of what they have learned...a book they could be proud of.  Thanks, Mrs. Brown, for the great idea!

Kindergarten is a bit different nowadays, and we are asking them to do much more than I did as a kindergartener.  I am always amazed at how fast they learn and how much they are able to do.  You may notice that they are writing their own sentences, while I dictated my sentences to my teacher.

The students are completing about 2 pages a week, and will continue to work on it until the end of the year.

Color Wheel Flowers

Students learned about primary and secondary colors with this wonderful art project I found on Deep Space Sparkle.  Students mixed red, yellow, and blue to make green, yellow, and orange.  They then cut out petals and put them in the order of the color wheel.   Thanks, Deep Space Sparkle!

Most Innovative Garden

The SF Flower and Garden Show results are in...both AM and PM classes won for Most Innovative Garden!!!!!  Congratulations, kinders, on all your teamwork, ideas, creativity, and hard work!  I am so proud of you!

Here are our ribbons....

Some more pictures of the innovative gardens...

Oops...I think they accidentally gave us the blue ribbon at the show!

Horton Hears a Who Garden:

 Here is Vlad-Vlad-i-Koff flying over the field of covers in Horton Hears a Who.

 Horton at the Jungle of Nool in the cool of the pool.

Field of clovers and Who-ville.

The cage to capture Horton.

 Whickersham brother

The Lorax Garden:

 Thneed Factory

Once-ler's House and the Lorax

The Lorax, Swamee Swan, Humming Fish, and Truffula Trees

By the way, three ribbons were given out for "Most Innovative."  Two out of the three went to Room 36, and the third went to a middle school class.  Just goes to prove what kindergarteners are capable of.  Our beloved Horton was right...size does not matter!

Mini-Garden

The Lorax

Horton Hears a Who

We created miniature gardens to supplement our Dr. Seuss Literature Unit. We used the garden to illustrate the lands of The Lorax and Horton Hears a Who. The AM focused on Horton Hears a Who, while the PM class focused on The Lorax. After reading the stories, each class discussed the characters and setting, so they knew what to include in the gardens. Once each student had a chance to plan out their garden on their own, we integrated the ideas from all the plans to create one design for our miniature garden. Then, it was time to get to work! Students were assigned different tasks. While some students enjoyed getting their hands dirty with planting, others preferred to contribute by making clay figurines, backdrops, and structures. The kindergarteners were very excited to see the book come to life in their design. We hope you enjoy!

Below are some pictures of the chart we used to brainstorm what to include in our garden:

SF Flower and Garden Show

To supplement our Dr. Seuss unit, we created a miniature garden to show the setting where Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax took place.  Our two mini-gardens will be shown in the SF Flower and Garden Show in the Children’s Garden section.  Below is a link about the Children’s Garden.  From that website, you can find more information  about the show if you are interested in attending.

http://sfgardenshow.com/index.php/the-gardens/childrens-gardens

The show runs from March 21-25th, from 10AM to 7PM.

Children are admitted for free.  Adults pay $20.

Attending the show is NOT REQUIRED, I am just telling you about it in case you want to see our classroom’s garden showcased.  If you cannot make the show, feel free to stop by Friday after school to take a look before I drive it over to the San Mateo Event Center.  We will also have it back in our classroom after the 25th.