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Deedra Mann
Reading Workshop:
Text: Units of Study and Guided Reading Books
Reading is a process. While we may start with individual letters (letter knowledge) and heaing sounds (phonemic awareness) we will quickly move to putting those sounds together with letters (phonics) then sight words and back to blending those letter sounds with vowels. At the same time, we will learn that /ing/ can be used to make lots of words as can /an/, /it/ and /at/. Your child may recognize the sight word /my/ before they learn the /y/ sound. Also, in RISD, we believe in a Balanced Literacy Approach. This framework consists of a number of elements:
- Daily Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Shared and Independent Writing
I know all students can learn to read and write. I also know all students learn by different methods and at different rates. I am confident that I can meet the needs of each child in my classroom in order to help them be successful readers and writers who enjoy and value literacy. I will be your guide and facilitator during the next year. Please know that I understand the importance of this year! I truly believe that a child's first year in school is vitally important to his/her preceding years of school. It is this year that we build the foundation that all other learning will be anchored upon. I take this challenge very seriously. I believe kindergarten students are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. I believe if we have high expectations, children are all too eager to achieve those expectations. I have learned that they can master any skill if it is presented in a "kindergarten appropriate" way. Welcome to kindergarten!
Writing:
Text: Units of Study in Opinion, Information and Narrative Writing for Kindergarten.
Grammar Talks - This is where we use a mentor text to introduce your child to quality writing samples. We then ask them to notice, compare & contrast, imitate, share and apply various rules according to what we have been focusing on in reading or writing workshop.
Handwriting:
I will begin with correct pencil grip, correct formation of letters and move quickly into writing. I sent home a sheet outlining the correct letter formation for all uppercase and lowercase letters. Tip..most uppercase letters require one to LIFT their pencil, BUT most lowercase letters and numerals can be made with one continuous stroke. Each child will be at a different level. Even beginning writers can grasp the concept of "Whatever I think, I can write and whatever I write, I can read". I share this with you to help you better understand that reading and writing are processes. The best way to learn to read is to write. We will engage in writing on a daily basis. First, our sentences will be very predictable. My ball. My house. My dog. I will encourage those who are ready to begin "stretching their sounds" to write ball, house and dog. As we learn more sight words, phonetic rules and chunks, I will encourage those who are "ready" to use their knowledge to write sentences with more words. Our writing workshop time uses the Units of Study for writing, which includes lessons on opinion, information and narrative writing. Once again, this is a process and your children will be at all different levels. As a kindergarten teacher I know that writing at the kindergarten level is hard. However, as we learn and practice, writing is often one of our favorite things to do.
Math:
Text: Developing Number Concepts by Kathy Richardson. Problem Solving & Number Talks by Sherry Parrish
Understanding the number system and number concepts is key in kindergarten. We will also spend time investigating numbers, shapes, patterns and developing our problem solving/critical thinking skills. I will spend this year engaging your child in meaningful math lessons with manipulatives to give a hands-on approach.
Other manipulatives/strategies I will use in developing a rich number system foundation:Number Talks by Sherry Parrish
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- Dot images
- Ten-Frames
- Rekenreks
- Number Lines
- Hundreds Chart
- Literature
- Real-life Contexts
Social Studies: Our Social Studies & Science curriculum is aligned with our TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills. We will learn about our school procedures, our classroom, authority figures, citizenship, technology in home and school and Geography.
Science: We will guide students to investigate, discover, ask questions and defend their observations during weekly Science lessons.