Kindergarten has a lot of terrific things happening! We just began our new unit in Math, learning to solve a mixture of addition and subtraction. This week we are completing cycle 5 in Reading, describing the relationship between the illustrations and the story (how illustrations support the text)! We spent the past few weeks working with literary fictional stories we will now be looking at informational nonfiction text and illustrations. Here is a great game for practicing addition and subtraction word problems within 10.
https://www.abcya.com/games/kindergarten_word_problems_add_subtract
In reading, one concept we will continue to work on throughout the school year is phonics. Here is a manipulative kit/ strategy that we use to further assist your student with the breakdown of blending sounds to form words. If possible, laminate or place in a sheet protector and write on it with a dry erase marker so it can be reused.
The students should begin practicing in the 1st set of (purple) boxes with blending 2 sounds together to form a word (the sequence of the letter should be a vowel, consonant) or word family.
Those same letters/ sounds should be carried into the 2nd set of (blue) boxes in corresponding places; then add an additional letter to the beginning of the word to change the word. The student should then begin practicing blending those sounds together to form a word (the sequence of the letters should be consonant, vowel consonant).
Repeat practicing various letters at the beginning of the word then change the blue boxes to a new word family. The student should point to each letter and state the sound of the letter.
Then, the student should practice blending the sound together to form a word. Example:
1st box (purple):- an
2nd box (blue): can, fan, ran, man, pan, tan, van.
You can use this strategy with multiple word families ( words that sound and are spelled the same at the end) such as as, an, ap,, en, et, it, op, ut word families. There are several more word families you can use.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lBZtzgD_Hu42g_NZxSl_iFYqCmhNVy3I/view?usp=sharing
As we continue to work with phonics, we have begun to utilize Orton Gillingham and the pound and tap strategy to help students with writing, blending words. Here is another video to help with using strategy:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rpZkY3hrspnQny_f-wGmT1ylUbL29TOc/view .
We will soon, if we have not already, be utilizing these same techniques for learning beginning, ending blends, and diagraphs.
As we continue to work on mixing addition and subtraction and finish out our current cycle in Reading. A list of fun read at home’s, check out these read-alouds or youtube the read- alouds at home, for math: “12 Ways to get to 11” by Eve Merriam, “Mission Addition” and “Subtraction Action” by Lereen Leedy and, “Rososters Off to See the World” by Eric Clarle. Be sure to pause during the any of the read- aloud’s to check for understanding. Great books for help young readers build their vocabulary are “Hoot and Peep” by Lita Judge, and “The Boy Who Loved Words” by Roni Schotter.
Here are some great read-alouds you can also view on YouTube for helping students understand the illustrations and how they relate to the story, most of which are wordless books if not all: “One Hen” by Katie Smith Milway, “Wangaris Trees of Peace” by Jeanette Winter, “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers” by Mordicai Gerstein
Kindergarten is also excited to announce we will have Black History project due at the end of February. Students will be required to dress and bring props that relate to the African American whom the student has been assigned. They will also take a video of themselves dressed in their attire with their props and state to inform all other students about “who they are” in black history and also give information as to what that African American has contributed or is currently doing for their African American culture.
Thank You,
TMSA's Kindergarten Team