Heggerty Phonemic Awareness                                                  Phonemic Awareness is the understanding that spoken sounds are made up of individual sounds, which are called phonemes. A child who is phonemically aware is able to isolate sounds, manipulate the sounds, blend and segment the sounds into spoken and written words. Phonemic awareness is an auditory training process.   We will spend about ten minutes per day working through this process and building our skills!

Math                                                                                                   This year we are using the math program, Bridges, to assist in teaching the state common core standards.  We will cover number identification 0-20, including correct number formation.  Additionally we will work on counting to 100, addition and subtraction within 20, measurement, 2d shapes and 3d shapes. As well as many other key mathematical concepts for kindergarten students.                                                                                     

Amplify  CKLA                                                                                Built on the science of reading, Amplify CKLA for K-2 sequences deep content knowledge with research-based foundational skills. Amplify CKLA is the premier high-quality instructional material (HQIM) offering in elementary and kindergarten language arts programs with research-based content—including an expanding library of authentic texts, videos and other digital resources—that helps educators engage students in any learning scenario. (Taken directly from the website).

Reading                                                                                                   Just as it is important to read with your child at home, it is also important that children are read to in the classroom. Here are some examples of shared reading in our classroom:               

• Rhyming books and poems to help students develop phonemic awareness and basic rhyming skills.

• Alphabet books to help the students learn their letters and sounds.

• Children's literature to develop a love of stories and comprehension skills.  Literature will include both fiction and non fiction.

• We will look at and identify the differences between illustrations and photographs.      

Writing                                                                                           Writing skills will be taught throughout the school year.  Some writing work will be sent home, while others will be collected in a portfolio and saved to evaluate the student's progress over the course of the school year then sent home at the end of the school year.  It is exciting to compare the samples from the beginning of the year to the end. By the end of the year, kindergarten students should be able to:        

• Capitalize the first letters of proper names, first word in a sentence and the pronoun "I"

• Correctly spell sight words, using word wall as a reference

• Punctuate sentences with end marks

• Express a complete thought in a sentence

Learning Centers                                                                            

You may hear your child refer to "Centers" quite often. For centers, students are divided into small groups, which change periodically during the year.  There are typically four to five centers, each one focuses on a different skill or learning target. Each group attends one center per day.  When students have completed their center activity they are then able to choose from a variety of selected enrichment activities. On Friday, we do a whole class activity or fun learning game to summarize the skills and concepts we have worked on throughout the week.