Thursday, September 1, 2016

First Full Day of School

Here are some highlights from a busy and successful first full day of Kindergarten.


We launched into Writing Workshop by drawing/writing/telling an experience at school on the first day.  While we focused on a story about our own self, the underlying lesson was about how to sit at a work table quietly for sustained minutes, working independently and taking care of school materials. Each child received their own box of crayons for which they are responsible for taking care of and storing in their cubby.  Learning to wait for a teacher to help and knowing what to do while they wait was another skill we practiced.  




In math we focused on ways to measure and vocabulary surrounding length.  Students were challenged with finding another child with a paper strip that was their exact same length and describing how those matched.

Choice time is a perfect way to learn how to play with materials, share, create and discover.


Kindergarten Smart Start

During Smart Start Kindergarten we read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn to give students support in the big step of going to school all on their own.  Like Chester, each child said goodbye to their parent and began their brave journey into Kindergarten.  They explored their school and classroom, met new teachers and classmates and had lunch in the cafeteria.  Each child made their own kissing hand as a reminder of their parent's love that they carry with them in the school days ahead.