Tag Archives: American symbols

News of the Week—May 24-28

POPCORN WORDS:  A week of review!

Hooray for the U.S.A!  This week the kinders learned about our most popular American symbols.

First, we learned what a symbol is (it is a picture that stands for something). Next, we practiced identifying some common symbols for popular spots such as Dairy Queen, Target, Jet’s Pizza, etc.  Then we looked at some American symbols like The White House, The Capital, Air Force One, etc.

 After reading a non-fiction book and watching an informational video about each symbol, the kinders labeled parts of each symbol and choose 1 interesting fact to write on their paper. It was fun to make a craft relating to the symbols too.

Fun facts about the Statue of Liberty were:

  • it was a gift from France
  • it is made from copper
  • she is called “The Lady of Liberty”
  • she holds a torch in one hand and a tablet in the other.

  

Fun facts about the White House were:

  • the President lives in the White House
  • John Adams was the first president to live there
  • You need 570 gallons of paint to paint the outside. 
  • It has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms 3 elevators, a swimming pool, movie theatre, a bowling alley
  • some rooms are named after colors like The Red Room, The Blue Room.

  

Fun Facts about the Bald Eagle were:

  • they have sharp talons
  • they build their nests high in trees near water
  • they eat fish.
  • they are the national bird of the United States of America

Fun Facts about the Liberty Bell were:

  • it cracked the first time it was rung
  • it is made from copper and tin
  • it hangs from a wooden yoke.

Fun Facts about The American Flag were:

  • it has 50 stars and 13 stripes
  • it has many names like “Old Glory”
  • it is red, white and blue.
  • Betsy Ross sewed the first flag in 1776

We talked about what it means to be patriotic and what we do to show patriotism. Examples were wear red, white and blue, hang a flag, say thank you to veterans, say the pledge.  At the start of each day, the kinders are learning to recite the Pledge of Allegiance by standing tall, still and straight. They have learned what those very special words really mean and what sacrifices the men and women of our country made for our freedom. We THANK them so much!!! Be sure to have your kinders teach you some cool and interesting facts about ALL of the American symbols we have studied.

We had a RED, WHITE  and BLUE snack today

 

 

LITERACY/PHONICS: We practiced identifying ending sounds, H brothers, middle (vowel) sounds and unscrambling sight words.  We also read some books that included popcorn words. It was fun to do a crossword puzzle and word search too.

MATH: We worked on addition, subtraction, number order and teen numbers that had an American Symbols theme.

The kinders once again dipped their toes into doing some first grade math by learning about odd and even numbers.   We used EVEN STEVEN and ODD TODD to help us understand this math concept better. ( I would love to take credit for this fun game but alas it came from this fabulous website called First Grade Parade.)  This is what we did….   

First, I told the story that Even Steven LOVES things to be fair among his friends.  Everyone always needs to have the same amount.  It is all about being fair! 🙂  However, Odd Todd does not care if friends get a different amount.  It fact, he LIKES that! 🙂  We chose a number between 1-20 and a kinder counted out that many “crackers” (mini unifix cubes). We decided who would get the “crackers”…EVEN STEVEN or ODD TODD. Then, a kinder placed the “crackers” ,one at a time, onto each hand until the cubes were gone. This was a great way for the kinders to visually see if the “crackers” were equal or not equal.  Finally we decided if we were correct in our choice.  Were the “crackers” divided fairly in each of EVEN STEVEN’S hands or was there a different amount in each hand that ODD TODD would like?

READING: The kinders LOVED retelling books that we have read by acting them out again this week.  We acted put  Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall. Each kinder was able to practice being an audience member and actor/actress (if they wanted too).

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: We began celebrating end of May and summer birthdays.  Happy Birthday to everyone and thank you for the birthday treats!!!

UPCOMING DATES:

*Monday, May 31––NO SCHOOL  Memorial Day

*Tuesday, June 1–MUSIC. Please have ALL donations for Kindergarten Olympics at school

*Wednesday, June 2—GYM. Kindergarten Olympics

*Thursday, June 3––ART  If your kinder would like a sack lunch from the lunch service, please email me or write a note by Thursday, 6/3

*Friday, June 4—RECESS. Fast Friday (Early Release) 12:15 p.m. Dismissal.  LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

NEWS OF THE WEEK—May 20-24

POPCORN WORDS:  A week of review!

OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS:  The symbols that were studied this week were:  The Bald Eagle, The Liberty Bell and the American Flag.  We learned that Bald Eagles have sharp talons, they build their nests high in trees near water and they eat fish.

The Liberty Bell cracked the first time it was rung, it is made from copper and tin and it hangs from a wooden yoke.

The American Flag has 50 stars and 13 stripes, it has many names like “Old Glory” and it is red, white and blue.

We talked about what it means to be patriotic and what we do to show patriotism. Examples were wear red, white and blue, hang a flag, say thank you to veterans, say the pledge.  At the start of each day, the kinders are learning to recite the Pledge of Allegiance by standing tall, still and straight.  They have learned what those very special words really mean and what sacrifices the men and women of our country made for our freedom. We THANK them so much!!! We practiced identifying ending sounds by sorting pictures, We made & read  books and made patriotic hats. It was fun to learn how to do a crossword puzzle and word search too. Be sure to have your kinders teach you some cool and interesting facts about ALL of the American symbols we have studied.

It was fun to see the kinders dressed in red, white and blue clothing, Thank you for participating!  The kinders were EXCITED (to say the least) to learn that I brought “dessert” for them to eat after lunch…..RED, WHITE  and BLUE POPSICLES!

MATH:  The kinders took their LAST unit #5 math test.  They did an AWESOME, FABULOUS, WONDERFUL job!  They worked hard showing what math skills they learned.  These tests arrived home this week.  I know that you are as proud of your kinder as I am!  We spent the other days “dipping our toes” into first grade math.  The kinders were very excited to use their own mini clocks to show the time by the hour.  

WRITING WORKSHOP:  Each day the kinders met with a group that had the same opinion on a topic, talked about the reasons for their opinion and then wrote about it.  These topics were saying why we like Georgetown school, what holiday we like best and which sport we enjoy playing. Our opinion writing ended by having the kinders  write their ON DEMAND piece about their favorite restaurant. This is when they do all of their writing independently, without teacher assistance. The kinders did an AMAZING JOB!  I am so very proud of them. I am in the process of grading them and will send home the writings home soon.

COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER:  Can you believe it? Ten more days of kindergarten!  Oh my! 🙂 The countdown to summer has officially begun in our classroom.  Each day we will open an envelope to see what fun activity is scheduled.  Today the first activity was…..EXTRA RECESS!!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS:  We enjoyed giving the kinders who have “summer birthdays” (June, July, August) an early celebration.  Thank you for all of the birthday treats.

 Happy early Birthday Brooks!

 Happy early Birthday Aria!

 Happy early Birthday Breslyn!

 Happy early Birthday Elliot!

 Happy early Birthday Alesha!

MYSTERY  READER:  Brooks was so surprised and happy to see his dad step into the room.  He read another new story…one that Brooks’ grandpa gave him.  It was called  The Wolf, The Duck and The Mouse. Thank you so much for coming in….again!

REMINDERS

*LIBRARY BOOKS:  Almost all of the kinders have returned their library books.  Please return your book this week.

*BACKPACK SNACK:  Please remember to send TWO daily healthy snacks for your kinder, as we take a moment to refuel each day.  Thank you.

*KINDERGARTEN OLYMPICS:   A fun morning of games with all of the kindergarteners!  Kinders will need to wear TENNIS SHOES…NO FLIP FLOPS, SANDALS OR CROCS PLEASE!  They will also need a WATER BOTTLE, LABELED WITH THEIR NAME!  Don’t forget the SUNSCREEN…if we have sun :)!  Volunteers  should arrive at 8:45am for instructions. PARENTS & YOUNGER SIBLINGS, YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US FOR A PICNIC LUNCH ON THE PLAYGROUND IF IT FITS INTO YOUR SCHEDULE.  WE WILL BE EATING AROUND 12:00PM

UPCOMING DATES

*MONDAY, MAY 27:   MEMORIAL DAY, No School

*TUESDAY, MAY 28:  MUSIC; Birthday celebration for Colton and Jase;  Countdown to Summer Day 9

*WEDNESDAY, MAY 29:  GYM;  Countdown to Summer Day 8

*THURSDAY, MAY 30:  ART;  Countdown to Summer Day 7

*FRIDAY, May 31:  STEAM;  KINDERGARTEN OLYMPICS  Countdown to Summer Day 6

*FRIDAY, JUNE 7:  Last Day of School.  Dismissal at 12:15p.m.

~~~Have a great long weekend. Enjoy the wonderful weather while you celebrate Memorial Day!  Mrs. Bohl

NEWS OF THE WEEK—May 13-17

OUR AMERICAN SYMBOLS:  Hooray for the U.S.A! This week the kinders began to learn about some of our most popular American symbols.

First, we learned what a symbol is (it is a picture that stands for something). Next, we practiced identifying some common symbols for popular spots such as Dairy Queen, Target, Jet’s Pizza, etc.  Then we looked at some American symbols like The White House, The Capital, President Trump, Air Force One, etc.

The Statue of Liberty and The White House were the first two symbols we studied.  After reading non-fiction books and watching an informational video about each symbol, the kinders labeled parts of each symbol and choose 1 interesting fact to write on their paper. It was fun to make a craft relating to the symbols too.

Some fun facts we learned about the Statue of Liberty were it was a gift from France, it is made from copper, she is called “The Lady of Liberty”, she holds a torch in one hand and a table in the other.

  

It was fun to learn that The White House is big and white! You need 570 gallons of paint to paint the outside.  It has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms 3 elevators, a swimming pool, movie theatre, a bowling alley and some rooms are named after colors like The Red Room, The Blue Room.

  

WRITING:  More topics were introduced, more opinions were given, more reasons were written and more writings were shared with friends this week.  These topics included preferring to eat home lunch or hot lunch, playing at the beach or at the pool; eating ice cream in a bowl or a cone; deciding which special class (art, STEAM, gym or music) they like best.  I am very proud of them. We will write a few more opinion writings as a whole group before ending the week with the kinders writing their ON DEMAND Opinion writing next week.  This is when the kinders use all of the strategies they have learned and write without teacher assistance.  I know that they will do awesome job!

MATH:  The kinders showed tens and extra ones for teen and twenty numbers and compared numbers using terms Greater than, Less than and Equal.  They compared objects using math terms such as longer than, shorter, heavier than, lighter than.  Friday math games had an American symbols theme and consisted of adding tens and extra ones for teen numbers, putting numbers in correct order, solving subtraction problems, counting by 10’s to 100 and sorting 3D shapes.

 

The kinders will be reviewing various math skills the first part of the week and taking their LAST math test…Unit #5 towards the end of the week. Please encourage your kinder to do their best.  The test will cover addition & subtraction problems; comparing numbers using terms shorter, longer, heavier, lighter; showing tens & extra ones for teen numbers; and  more.

READING:  We are AVID Readers and we LOVE to read.  We are working on staying focused on reading for 115-18 minutes.  What an accomplishment as the kinders move into first grade. It was SO much fun reading each other’s clothing of places in Michigan such as Mackinac, Central Michigan, Michigan State, John Ball Zoo and of course…Hudsonville.  We also read some books written by Michigan authors. Thank you for helping your kinder participate.  Next week we will celebrate AMERICA! by coming to school wearing red, white and blue clothes.

MYSTERY READER: Wednesday Sidney was glad to see her mom in the doorway.  She read Dream I’ll Be.  A sweet story reminding the kinders that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up.

Friday it was Jacob’s turn to jump up and welcome his mom and younger brother, Austin into the room.  She read Bunny Cakes, a Max and Ruby story by Rosemary Wells.  We like Max and Ruby stories!  Thank you so much for stopping by.  We love your visits.

TAKE HOME BOOKS: Thursday was our last day of reading our TAKE HOME books. I can’t believe it that we are finished. Thank you so much to everyone for reading each night at home with your kinders! They have become such good readers! Thank you so much to all of the parents and grandparents who came to listen to our readers! I couldn’t have done it without you!!! 

SPLIT LIT:  During our time this week, the kinders wrote popcorn words, read sentences and matched them with pictures, identified vowel sounds, worked with rhyming words, read books and sorted H brother (ch, sh, th) pictures.

OUR 5TH GRADE BUDDIES:  In preparation for our buddies going on their “sleep over field trip” (actual term is 5th grade camp) on Thursday and Friday, the kinders made them a card.  They also gave them a fun bag filled with a mini game booklet, a marker, starbursts, fruit snacks and a rice krispy treat because “we hope they had “bursts” of fun at camp.”  Another way to spread random acts of kindness.  Our buddies were surprised!  Yeah!

  

POPCORN WORDS:    TODAY    PLAY     AWAY      UP    Thank you so much for working with your kinder to learn their sight words.  They know soooo many words!  Oh my goodness!  I am so proud of them!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS:

 Alivia will celebrate her ” real” birthday on June 22.

 Sidney will celebrate her “real” birthday on July 8.

REMINDERS

*PLEASE RETURN….LIBRARY books   Please return your library book if you still have it at home.  Inventory has began.  Please consider checking out library books from the public library throughout the summer.  

*BACKPACK SNACK:  Please remember to send TWO daily healthy snacks for your kinder, as we take a moment to refuel each day.  Thank you.

UPCOMING DATES

*MONDAY, MAY 20:  STEAM; Celebrate Brooks’ (July 18) birthday

*TUESDAY, MAY 21MUSIC; Celebrate Aria’s  (July 19) birthday

*WEDNESDAY, MAY 22: GYM; LIBRARY…we are finished checking out books for this year. Please return any library books you have at home to school. Thank you! Celebrate Breslyn’s Aug 8) birthday

*THURSDAY, MAY 23:  ART;  Celebrate Elliot’s (Aug 13) birthday

*FRIDAY, MAY 24: STEAM; Celebrate being READERS: CELEBRATE AMERICA!  Wear RedWhite and Blue to school!!  Celebrate Alesha’s (Aug 15) birthday;  Popcorn Friday

*MONDAY, MAY 27:  Memorial Day, No School

*FRIDAY,MAY 31:  Kindergarten Olympics  If you’d like to help, we are still looking for volunteers! Please email me or return the sheet that was sent home. Looking forward to a fun day! Thanks!