Thoughts From a Kindergarten Teacher Now a First Grade Teacher

Reading Oath

2013-03-05T01:11:52Z

This week we are celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday at my school. In today’s homework packet the children received a reading oath. They are being asked to turn off the TV/ or turn off the video games one day this week and read!! Then child and parent sign...(read more)

Learning About Authors and Illustrators

2013-02-28T23:18:08Z

Kindergartners and First Graders are curious and interested in learning about the authors and illustrators of the books that they are reading. Here is a site that has it all in once place. It is full of links to the websites of over 600 authors and illustrators....(read more)

Books Available at All Times

2013-02-20T23:28:11Z

Books Available At All Times Learning to read is just like learning any other new skill, it takes practice…lots of practice. This is especially true for first graders. We do lots of reading at school. There is guided reading in small reading groups, reading...(read more)

20 Questions to Ask Your Child At Bedtime

2013-02-10T17:29:48Z

When I was a young mother, I really looked forward to the time of the day when all of the hustle and bustle had ended, homework was done and baths and teeth were finished. Story time. Our children looked forward to this special time each evening as much...(read more)

Sentence Starters

2013-01-06T12:00:16Z

Yesterday I talked about making short patterned books for the early reader and writer. For more detailed information, please read yesterday’s blog and remember that only 1 sentence starter should be used per book. The same sentence starter should be used...(read more)

Sentence Starters for Simple Books

2013-01-04T12:00:34Z

Blog 90 Sentence Starters for Simple Books Your Kindergarten child is just about half way through the second quarter of school. One popular second quarter goal is to encourage more writing from our Kindergartners. How to do that? Easy. I am sure that...(read more)

15 Minute Reading Activities

2013-01-03T12:00:33Z

Fifteen-Minute Reading Activities by the National PTA Make 15 minutes go a long way. Try these quick reading activities with your younger kids. 1. License to read . On car trips , make it a game to point out and read license plates, billboards, and interesting...(read more)

The Importance of Play in Kindergarten

2013-01-03T00:03:19Z

The children in my Kindergarten classroom have the opportunity for indoor play every day that they come to school. I am all too well aware of the Reading Readiness, Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies that I am required to teach to these young...(read more)

Emotional Growth of 5 and 6 Year Olds

2012-12-30T12:00:45Z

Your child 5 year old child will experience enormous physical and emotional growth this year. We focus on the physical because we can measure it and see it but we cannot measure the emotional growth of a 5 year old as easily. You’ll have to make observations...(read more)

Responsibilities for 5 and 6 Year Olds

2012-12-29T12:00:21Z

When we clean up in our classroom, the children are expected, and required, to clean up after themselves. This seems pretty simple, you make the mess, you clean it up. However, this is a new concept for many Kindergartners and First Graders who come to...(read more)

Newsletters From Your Child’s Teacher

2012-12-28T12:00:47Z

Newsletters sent to you from your child’s teacher or school should be read as soon as you receive them. Most Kindergarten and First Grade teachers send out newsletters weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in order to keep parents informed of what has happened...(read more)

How TV Affects Your Child

2012-12-27T18:19:52Z

Watching too much TV can affect your child and not in a good way. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under 2 years old not watch any TV and that those older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming....(read more)

Pattern Books Part 2

2012-11-07T11:00:31Z

This is a continuation of the list of pattern books that I began in yesterday’s blog. Children will enjoy listening to these books and will begin to recognize the pattern in the text. 26. Lizard’s Song George Shannon 27. The Magic Fish Freya Littledale...(read more)

Pattern Books

2012-11-06T15:42:52Z

Kindergarten and first grade teachers and Kindergarten and first grade children everywhere are talking about patterns. We talk about them every day and encourage the children to not only find them in the world around them, but to create their own patterns...(read more)

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

2012-10-26T20:29:34Z

In Kindergarten we eventually will learn to tell time on the hour but for the moment teachers are working on your child’s sense of time. Does your child understand about the passing of time? Is your child able to correctly distinguish between yesterday...(read more)