Daily 5

I have started Daily 5 with my kinder kiddos this week. I can't wait to see the DVD produced by the sisters that highlights implementing Daily 5 in Kindergarten. Since we are waiting its arrival, I had to get started. We read "Dex The Heart of a Hero."
     Our class decided that we would like to be a class of "superhero" readers. They love to try each day to increase their stamina. On day 1 we read for one mi ute on our first try and a minute and a half in our second try.  On the second day I told the our goal was 2 or 3 minutes. Wow! Was I excited when we got to 5 minutes. Our thud day slipped a little on our first attempt, so we tried again. Five minutes again. Today was the fourth day. We read for 6 minutes! I was happy with that especially since we did our Daily 5 at the end of the day on a day that started out with 45 minutes of MAP testing.  I guess it's time to implement another daily. I'm thinking writing, since that's what the sisters now recommend as the second daily.
     I am working on what my Cafe board will look like. It is very important, but wall space and proximity are a bit of an issue.

Here is a view of our cubbies. The top section is much larger than necessary. My wonderful dad made me these dividers that allow our cubbies to serve two purposes. With the divider in place, the bottom half holds our book baskets. The top top half can then be used as a mailbox for take home folders and papers etc.

Here is a close-up of the top of the cubbies. I have used them for several years and the dividers are still going strong.

Our chart about three ways to read a book. They loved the first time we worked on retelling. We used Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes.  

Here are a pair of my students retelling the story with the book we made together.

I am excited to see what Daily 5 Brings for next week. My kiddos are earning extra recess when we get to stamina of 10 minutes. They are very excited!

Open house etc

It has been so much fun working with my kindergarten kiddos individually this week. They each have such a unique personality. Their excitement is contagious! We are giving our reading diagnostic as well as the KRAL test. I am looking forward to working with my kiddos on a regular basis. We have a staggered start agin this year. Half of the kinder kiddos come on Monday, the others on Tuesday. Then all come on Wednesday. What fun that will be.
     After meeting with each child they received this special gift Baggie.

The note inside explains the meaning behind each thing in the Baggie. 

Here is the inside note:

Beginning of the year

Two of my kiddos brought me special beginning of the school year gifts. It was so nice of their families to think of me. We will have a great start to our year.

This cute pot of dry erase marker "flowers" is so creative. It says, " Mark my words! This will be a great year! The kiddo even painted and decorated each individual flower. 

A family after my own heart. Caffeine and chocolate, perfect!!!!!!!

I love it! Thanks!

Open house

It was so fun this evening to meet my new kindergarten kiddos. The are all so full of energy and excitement.  Here is a picture of our "giving tree" that was part of our open house.

Generous parents took many coconuts off the coconut tree to make donations to our classroom. Thank you parents.

Silly Sally

After reading Silly Sally to the class, 

This is a child's page in a class book. I take a picture of each child doing something he or she enjoys at school and the picture is attached upside down to the page. Each child programs the page to match the upside down picture.

They love reading this book over and over again.

Milkshake boogie

The letters we are using to build words are put on paper ice cream scoops. The vowels are all the same "flavor". Three students hold cvc letters in front of the class. We sing this song and blend the word together.

At the end of the song, we shake our whole body and say the blended word.

Umbrella Poem

This is a really cute poem for spring. It also goes along well with the book Disappearing Desmond

My students have made walking umbrellas in two different ways. One year each child water color painted on a large sheet of paper. I traced a large umbrella on the back of each painting after it dried. 

During a year when we had less time due to a schedule change, students traced a large umbrella on a patterned piece of paper.  Then kids cut out their umbrella and cut legs from construction paper and glued them together. They look great as a display in the hallway.

This sample is from patterned paper. I do not have a picture of the painted example.