First Week Re-cap

Our first week back in K was amazing!  I have some of the sweetest kids on the planet.  They are eager to learn and happy to be in school.  Each day they get a bit more comfortable with each other and with our classroom.  Oh sure, I have those who still aren't quite sure what a cubbie is and those who really don't care to be a part of a circle time.  But they are learning and starting to participate, which I LOVE! 

Academically speaking:  we learned letters Aa through Hh, started a book of our friends' names, we painted twice, played with shapes and objects to sort and classify in math, and read a lot of GREAT books! 

Socially speaking:  I know that one child knows all about raccoon poop, another collected special crystals from his seawall, and still another loves going to eat out at fine restaurants with the family!  And we celebrated two birthdays already complete with cake and singing. 

On the "keeping it real" front: I've already tied at least 2,000 shoe laces, put wet towels on several bumped knees, hugged away a few sets of tears, peeled a couple off their parent in the morning, cleaned up pee, blood and barf, and opened several gogurts, fruit roll-ups and other lunchbox treats. 

And all I can think is "Early Childhood friends, you wear me out...but I've missed your general zest for life and learning!"  Because of this, I know that for me this return to my teaching roots (in primary) is going to be a powerful learning experience.  I'm excited to see where the road leads this school year and I couldn't be happier to share it with these sweet youngsters! 

My Wheels are TURNING!

This Fall I will be returning full time to the classroom!  Not just any classroom, but the Kindergarten classroom.  I could go into the reasons for it here, but I won't.  Still, I couldn't be more excited to be making this move!  The thing is, my head is SPINNING!

I've set up a classroom website.

I've been visiting blogs like CRAZY and am blown away at all the FABULOUS blogs that I see out there.  In fact, it is a reminder that it's time to step up the game here on Literacy Coaching!

I've been finding treasures galore in stores, thrift shops, goodwill and online.  So, needless to say, we may be BROKE by the time school starts again.  (Just kidding!)

Anyway, I've just discovered "Pinterest" where you can organize all the things you find on the Internet that are of interest to you.  So I'm starting to store some things there.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a little of my handiwork thus far.  I decided to have a theme for the classroom, so here it is:

And, along with that theme, I created my very own classroom website (thanks to the coaching of one of my colleagues).  The site is "Mrs. Nations' Learning Garden"  and can be found over at http://www.weebly.com
If you're looking for an easy and FREE way to create a website for yourself...head on over there now.  It's a great user-friendly site!

While planning for the garden theme, I discovered this little gem in one of our local children's bookstores:  

So I started collecting flowers for it and am now praying for an arts-inclined parent to be connected to one of the kids in my new class!

My Mother-in-Law has been a Godsend as she has started printing out some of the resources we've discovered on the Internet for K.

Here are a few center activities that are already done and ready for this Kindergarten class:

 Attach the mouse with ribbon so he can run up the clock.

 Use oven mitts to clap and sort picture cards.

Manipulate the word cards and the flies to say this fun poem!

Hopefully when I get into the room, I can do some before and after photos.  And people think teachers take "off" in the summer!

Reader's Workshop Model: Read Aloud

Reading TO Students “There are many little ways to enlarge a child’s world.  Love of books is the best of all.”  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Read Aloud (10 - 20 minutes daily) with a discussion question or writing connection, set a purpose for reading and/or writing---integrate into the total language arts focus for the day. 

Ø     Refer to weekly reading skills from your district curriculum or benchmarks as you think aloud 

Ø    Use any classroom library materials or Media materials that you deem appropriate

Ø     Use a variety of genre (include current events, poetry, picture books, simple chapter books when appropriate, etc.)—See attached list

Ø     Model “book thinking” for students using weekly focus skill

Ø     Kids will want to read what you want to read—make these books available to them to revisit during centers.(If you don't like it, don't read it!  They will know)

Ø     Poetry makes a wonderful read aloud, especially for struggling readers. 

This summer we have begun compiling lists of 100 suggested read alouds for each grade 

level.  It's not that these are comprehensive by any means.  They are simply suggestions as

you are considering what to share with your students during the year.

Classics

The Runaway Bunny by M. Brown

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Madeline by L. Bemelmens

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Swimmy by Leo Lionni

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Make Way for Ducklings by R. McCloskey

Curious George by H.A. Rey

Where the Wild Things Are by Sendak

Caps for Sale by E. Slobodkina

Freight Train by D.Crews

The Carrot Seed by R. Kraus

Animal Stories  

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Bark, George by J. Feiffer

Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by D. Fleming

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest

Kitten’s First Full Moon by K. Henkes

A Mother for Choco by K. Kasza

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

The Stray Dog by Marc Simont

Farmer Duck by M. Waddell

Owl Moon by J. Yolen

Old Black Fly by J. Ayelsworth

Whistle for Willie by E. Keats

Folk and Fairy Tales

The Three Bears by P. Galdone

The Mitten by J. Brett

Chicken Little by S. Kellogg

The Gingerbread Boy by P. Galdone

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by P. Galdone

Seven Blind Mice by E. Young

Rumpelstiltskin by P. Zelinsky

The Little Red Hen by J. Pinkney

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by J. Brett

The Three Little Pigs by J. Marshall

Little Red Riding Hood by J. Marshall

Letters, Shapes, Numbers and Colors

Mother Goose:  Numbers on the Loose by L. Dillon

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.

Color Zoo by L. Ehlert

Ten Nine Eight by M. Bang

Alpha Oops!  The Day the Z Went First by A. Kontis

Planting a Rainbow by L. Ehlert

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?  by Bill Martin, Jr.

Black? White! Day? Night!: A book of Opposites by L. Seeger

Ten Naughty Little Monkeys by S. Williams

Ten Black Dots by D. Crews

Rhyming Stories/Language Play

Move Over, Rover!  by K. Beaumont

Old MacDonald Drives a Tractor by D.Carter

Is Your Mama a Llama? by D. Guarino

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Green as a Bean by K. Kuskin

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by J. Yolen

Jamberry by B. Degen

Old Black Fly by J. Ayelsworth

Silly Stories

The Baby BeeBee Bird by D. Massie

Down the Back of the Chair by M. Mahy

Click, Clack Moo: Cows that Type by D. Cronin

Smash! Crash! by J. Scieska

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Williams

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Williams

Sheep in a Jeep by N. Shaw

Fantasy/Daydreams

Abuela by A. Dorros

The Gingerbread Boy by R. Egielski

There’s a Nightmare in my Closet by. M. Mayer

The Magic Hat by Mem Fox

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by C. Shaw

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini

Duck on a Bike by D. Shannon

Crocodaddy by K. Norman

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by L. Williams

Go Away, Big Green Monster by E. Emberly

Cumulative/Circle Stories

The Bridge is Up! By Babs Bell

Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by J. Burningham

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by S. Neitzel

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by L. Numeroff

The Great Gracie Chase by C. Rylant

Jump, Frog, Jump! by R. Kalan

Rosie’s Walk by P. Hutchins

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by H. Oxenbury

Edward the Emu by S. Knowles

Friends and Families

Olivia by I. Falconer

Amazing Grace by M. Hoffman

A Chair for My Mother by V. Williams

Are You My Mother? by P. Eastman

No, David! by D. Shannon

Leo the Late Bloomer by R. Kraus

Guess How Much I Love You by S. McBratney

The Kissing Hand by A. Penn

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by J. Viorst

School Stories

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by N. Carlson

Kindergarten Countdown by A. Hays

Officer Buckle and Gloria by P. Rathmann

Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener by Amy Schwartz

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by J. Slate

If You Take a Mouse to School by L. Numeroff

Froggy Goes to School by J. London

The Twelve Days of Kindergarten by D. Rose

      My Kindergarten by R. Wells 

Tomorrow we will share the list for first grade.