Our Final Penguin Project - Virtual Fact Book

Writers read their books

We have transitioned from writing in our journals to taking our stories across several pages. The girls are working at varying levels of book writing but at the end of each week we read finished books and books in progress to one another. Each pair finds a quiet space in the classroom to read their books.

Journal Writing

We often write in our journals. On Friday we were able to virtually observe Kindergarten during their writer's workshop. The question I posed to the Pre-k girls was, "What are good habits of a writer?" We observed how a writer sits, holds their paper, etc. We were then able to practice what we had observed during our journal time.

The Ball Bounced

Our Handwriting Without Tears Work

Why did my daughter write a summer story?

Learning about each other and our school is what the first two weeks of school is all about. Your daughter's summer story provided a mode of familiar content for your daughter to share a bit about herself. We were able to discuss and practice the responsibilities of speakers and listeners during our summer story morning meeting presentations. Most importantly, it is empowering to share something that you have created and answer questions about it. Here is footage from our very first summer story. Mekhi told us about her very eventful summer.

Chester Chase

The Important Thing About Moms

We read The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown and then made this tribute for our moms.

Exploring letter sounds around our school

Becoming a Reader

Above all we strive to have each girl in Pre-k find the confidence to view themselves as a learner. As a learner, one thing many four and five year olds strive for is being able to read. “Reading readiness” is an intricate set of skills that have roots in your daughter’s earliest experiences. Literacy is formed on the cornerstones of four major components: reading, writing, listening and speaking. We incorporate each of these components into all portions of the curriculum in Pre-k. Along with the cornerstones and more specific details they entail (phonological and phonemic awareness, alphabetic knowledge, etc.) there are three other critical elements to reading success that must be present. These are motivation, self-regulation, and risk taking. Motivation for reading is born through positive experiences, especially being read to often. Children also connect to reading by observing adults use print and language in their world. Self-regulation involves your daughter’s ability to control her behavior. Listening to a story or directions and sitting still when necessary are skills in the classroom and in life. You'll find that self-regulation is more difficult for some children than for others, and is learned only with patience and persistence. Finally, risk taking is paramount in learning to read. Research has shown a powerful correlation between a child’s ability to read and risk taking. It takes a great amount of bravery for your daughter to take whatever skills she has in her repertoire and attempt to read aloud. Mistakes are evident and children must be willing to make them. The adults in their life must be willing to let them experience these mistakes as they continue to learn the patterns and rules of written language. Over the next 7 weeks we will continue to support your daughter in her journey to becoming a reader.

How a flower makes its smell

Many girls have been kind enough to bring in the flowers blooming in their gardens. Whitney had brought in Daffodils and asked, "Ms. Moore, how does a flower make a smell?" I decided to ask the girls what they thought.

How a Flower makes its smell:

Libby From the pollen
Sky The bees because they put honey in it
The bees make honey out of flowers
Lucy Maybe the flowers have honey in them or maybe the flowers are made out of honey
Ashley I think they have honey in them. Because they are pretty.
Whitney I think there is nectar in them
Gretchen Because some have honey in them and some don’t
Ella Because they might have pollen
Storrie Because the flowers have a little seed that grows and the seed has honey in the middle of it

Thoughts from the Pre-k Girls

Silvia was wondering why there was a big star on the flag of China.

This is why the flag of China has a red background and stars according to Prek:

Emma: There is fire inside. Stars are yellow because that's what color stars are.

Lucy: It is warm in China. Maybe the dragon is red and yellow.

Ella: There is a dragon in China. The red and yellow might be about the dragon.

Claire: Because there are stars n China.

Olivia Z.: Maybe because there is war.

Some girls asked what war was and Storrie said: War is where people fight.

Technology in Preschool

Welcome to the first posting on our class website. While reflecting on what to first share using this medium I thought what better topic to highlight than how we are using technology as a tool for learning and assessment in the class. In the slideshow you can see just a few of the many ways we have been using our SMART board in class. You can see the girls practicing initial consonant identification and letter formation while writing with their "magic finger." We have also been working on letter formation by using our magic finger to write the names of our friends. The name is not provided on the slide so they must either use phonological cues or clues from the classroom to help them with this task. The class was so excited to share the SMART board game they named "Penguin, Penguin, Predator" during our Penguin Party. They each walked a TK girl to the board and showed them how to advance. They then were able to share if the team was "safe" or "eaten" by a predator. Along the way they were able to name penguins and predators and I was able to assess their knowledge of the topic. There are so many more ways we use the SMART board and other technology in the classroom. Please be sure to keep checking back to see what we are exploring.