We’ve been working hard to build our team this week. It means getting to know one another, trying on new communication styles and collaboration skills, becoming familiar with the routines of the classroom, and getting excited about the year we're going to spend together.
Check out the kids in action as they work through a series of team-building challenges. Here, they've been challenged to cover every inch of their table using only the supplied materials. They came up with a plan that included input from every teammate, divided up the work, and went to town...
Here we are getting our reading journals organized. The students will keep track of the books they've read and the books that they'd like to read in the future. They will also write reading letters back and forth with me about the books that they're reading during independent reading time.
I introduced the kids to our process for the small-group problem-solving challenges that we work on together in math. The problem they tackled together was inspired by the Common Core math standards that I spent a lot time working with over the summer. I asked them to figure out a reasonable estimate for how many kindergartners could fit on our purple rug. Of course, there is no right answer to this problem. Rather, the groups are successful if they come up with a reasonable estimate and can explain their reasoning using math language. Groups used measuring, multiplication, area models, repeated addition, life-sized physical models on the rug itself, scaled models on paper, and more. On Monday, the groups will trade their presentation posters and present their understanding of a different group's process and findings.
Ask your child how to play The Tile Game!
Here we are, getting cozy for read-aloud. We're starting the year with Frindle by Andrew Clements.
Tomorrow, we'll be challenging ourselves to design an inspiring and reasonable social contract for our class. I'll let you know what we come up with!
