October 1, 2007

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The kindergarteners are off to a super start. They have learned the daily routines and have adjusted well to the school environment. Throughout our How to be a Star unit, we have discussed and practiced the rules that keep us safe and happy during the school day; on the bus, in the classroom, elsewhere in the school building, and on the playground. In celebration of Constitution Day, the Star Kindergarteners transformed their own set of rules into a Kindergarten Constitution and showed their support of this document by signing it into legislation. The children are aware that rules are necessary in our school environment. Please encourage your child to practice Star Kindergarten behavior by:

• Looking at and listening to the speaker.
• Following directions the first time they are given.

Today we begin our new unit titled Kids’ Choice. During this unit we will focus on the following concepts:

1. A good citizen is a member of a class, school, community or country, and one who gets involved and shares responsibility for making his or her world a better place.
2. Voting is a process that involves registering, being informed, casting a ballot, and tallying votes.
3. American citizens have the right and responsibility to vote, so that they are involved in making choices about leaders and other decisions that affect them.

Week #1 October 1	Sing About Martin	Oo	and
Week #2 October 8	The Chick and the Duckling	Ll	can, is
Week #3 October 15	The Pledge of Allegiance	Mm	no, not
Week #4 October 22	Getting Together	Pp	at, play

As we read our big books, we will focus on the following ILA outcomes:

• Identifying letters, words, and spaces in the text of our stories
• Making predictions (smart guesses) about our books before we read in order to help us understand the stories a little better
• Using photographs and art prints as sources for storytelling
• Using a series of pictures to create a story

Our songs for this unit include:

• Theme Song: Helping Whenever I Can
• Movement Song: Grand Old Flag
• Old Favorite: This Land is Your Land

In math we will work on the following processes and skills:

• Number and Numeration
  • Count and move between 1 and 10 spaces on a game board.
  • Read numbers 1 -10.
  • Practice oral counting forward by ones.
  • Identify numbers 0-19.
  • Develop stroke formation skills to prepare for writing numbers.
  • Compare numbers of coins.
  • Count objects using 1 to 1 correspondence.
  • Represent numbers with concrete materials.
  • Discover that the digits 0-9 can be used to write any number.
  • Count orally from 10 to 19.
  • Recognize teen numbers.
  • Sequence numbers 10- 19.
  • Orally count by ones through 19.
  • Use 1 to 1 correspondence to count movements.
  • Recognize numbers 10-19.
  • Use concrete materials to represent the numbers 10-19.
  • Recognize each teen number as 10 + a digit.
  • Estimate the number of objects in a collection.
  • Count objects in a collection.
• Operations and Computation
  • Use concrete materials and pictures to represent and solve addition and subtraction stories.
  • Begin to distinguish between joining (addition) and take –away (subtraction) stories.
• Data and Chance
  • Consider the likelihood of outcomes on a toss of a money cube.
• Measurement and Reference Frames
  • Recognize and match pictures of coins with actual coins.
  • Identify coin features and begin to use coin names.
• Geometry
  • Find and sort shapes.
  • Identify and name shapes.
  • Describe attributes of shapes.
  • Explore, recognize, and identify shapes by feel.
  • Use spatial vocabulary and concepts in everyday situations.
• Patterns, Functions and Algebra
  • Notice and describe patterns in surroundings.
  • Extend patterns.
  • Recognize a visual pattern of numbers.

We look forward to our October 17th field trip to Brown’s Orchard. Please review your field trip papers and consider joining us for this outdoor classroom experience. If you plan to attend, please return the chaperon slip along with the $3.00 (cash) as soon as possible.

You can contribute to your child’s early school success by checking homework, reading theme-related books together, playing rhyming games, working on related projects and crafts at home, listening attentively as your child talks about school activities, and involving him or her in experiences that reinforce our Kids' Choice lessons. Please send photos of your child participating in theme-related activities for inclusion in the Kids' Choice Photo Album.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,