A Visit from Spiderman!

We started our Readers Have Superpowers unit on Wednesday!  This is such a fun unit because Spiderman visits our classroom and brings the kids tools to enhance all of their reading powers.  Usually when he visits, he runs past our room, bangs on the door, and leaves a cobweb-covered package outside of our door.  Sometimes he visits at night and leaves the package hidden in the room for us to find in the morning.  Other times he just sends us a text or email. ;)

So far, the kids have Pointer Power and Picture Power!  They got finger flashlights and witch fingers to practice highlighting words they know and pointing at words as they read. For Picture Power, students got a hidden picture activity to remind them to look closely for text clues in pictures.

For more information on the first two lessons, please READ THIS POST. 

We've started our Writing for Readers narrative unit in writing.  This unit began with the kids sorting their own writing from the previous unit into a readable pile and a non-readable pile.  As a whole class, we took a look at a piece one child said she couldn't read.  She said "I know what it was supposed to say, but it doesn't say that."  We worked together to sound out what she was actually trying to say to the reader.  It helped all of the students focus on what makes writing easy for others to read: applying as many sounds as possible, adding finger spaces, writing legibly.  After this lesson, students began work on a true story.  We're still working on stretching a story across pages with a solid beginning, middle and end.  I expect we'll have lots of story topics after Halloween!

In math, we've been working on modeling addition and subtraction with objects and pictures.  We've been using number bonds a lot to show the part-part-whole relationship.   We've also been using our Math Mats for addition.  It clearly shows two groups which you slide across to combine, and has a space for students to write the number equation.  You can grab your own copy HERE.

We've got a lot of fun planned this week, with Spooky House creation tomorrow and some Apple Races in Science! Stay tuned! :)

Kindergarten Superheroes

Students were given a blank superhero logo on Friday and asked to come up with their own Superhero identity with a personalized logo.  Here's what they came up with! I love, love, love their alter egos.  

From top left: Bug Boy, Superman, Laser Lady, Super Camden, Cancer Hero(!), Animal Boy, Super Girl, Waterboy, Super A, Green Man, Lava Girl, Dayson the Daring and K The Great. These are going to be on display in our hallway all year. AWESOME!

We started a few new routines this week.  For starters, when students came in on Tuesday, the puzzles were gone for morning work.  Those were just for while we were getting settled.  We've transitioned to our handwriting notebooks, copying letters and drawing things that begin with the given letter sound.  

We've also begun legitimate Reading and Writing Workshop.  Students got their writing folders (I'll do a post on what I included in those later) and have started writing some true stories.  We have some work to do on what's true/what's not, since I've gotten some stories about turning into owls, zombies attacking, wolves protecting a boy whose mom disappeared from getting taken by some bad guys....   the good news is that this is a creative group!

In reading, we've been looking at nonfiction books and 'reading' what we can in the pictures, trying to figure out what the pictures can teach us.  Students have been self-selecting their books based on what they're curious about (!) and we've worked up to 10 minutes of independent reading and 10 minutes of partner reading.  

We also started number talks in math and had our first round of math stations today.  Tonight, I printed and laminated the students' pictures for our rotation board. Hooray! 

I forgot to post about these things last week, so I'm including them here:

Last Friday we continued going over rules with No, David! I always love to see how these turn out.  So stinkin' cute. 

We read all kinds of counting books in math before continuing manipulative exploration.  We counted up to 10 and back down from 10.  We used up to 10 dots to make a picture after reading Donald Crews's 10 Black Dots.

It's amazing that we're wrapping up our second full week already. 

Oh... and we've been having some wonderful read-alouds.  I've introduced this group to Otis. ❤

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And now I'm freaking out because in doing a quick Google search of the Otis titles, discovered that Otis and the Kittens is available September 20! (This is the newest book that Loren alluded to in his letter to our class last year!) YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are not enough exclamation points to convey my excitement for this one! 

P.S. I'll suggest these titles, among other class favorites, in the book order coming home.  

5-minute-later update: Don't worry, all. I've gone ahead and pre-ordered it on Amazon so I'll have release-day delivery. ;)