This year I will have a full word wall. I plan on having the students read all the words each day and we will play a few games with the words! I have printed several "game/chant" ideas and taped them onto popsicle sticks. I or a student will draw a stick out of the bucket and we will spell/read a few word from the wall in the way that the stick says. (ex. Cheerleader - "give me an 'l', give me an 'i', give me a 'k', give me an 'e' what does that spell? 'like'") I feel that this will really help solidify reading and spelling our sight words.
Last year I had centers set up around the classroom on various tables. I feel that the room is small and over cluttered with all the tables. I am planning on removing a few of them and implementing the Daily 5! The Daily 5 will take over our center time. The kinders will begin the year learning the different parts of Daily 5. The choices they will have will be Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading and Word Work. I will add Work on Writing later in the year when I feel they are more ready for the tasks of this station. While the students are doing their Daily 5 choice, I will be taking the time to call my small groups to work on reading skills! I will be writing frequently about how our learning of the Daily 5 is going as well as posting pictures of the kinders in action!
As you have noticed. I am going all out Owl theme in my classroom this year. Last year I had a few items with owls on them but this year, thanks to Teachers Pay Teachers, I have found an abundant amount of owl material. Here is a sample of the color cards that I will have hanging in the room for the students to practice spelling their color words.
Here is my new Pete the Cat doll!!! The first day of school, I will read Pete the Cat and then we will take a tour of the school in search of Pete and when the students return to the room, this Pete the Cat doll will there to greet them! He will also be used as our tattle friend. If a kinder feels the need to tattle, I will have them tell Pete instead of me!!!
I have also been busy this summer getting our new house together! My kinders from last year were so kind to get me a few things for the house! I have been doing lots of decorating and yard work. We are getting a fence installed in a few weeks so that Buster can run around in his backyard instead of just staring out the window dreaming of running in it. Here is a picture of Buster! Another part about summer is I have really enjoyed being home all day and not having to cage Buster up while I am at work. He also seems to enjoy me being home.
Well, I think that is all I have for right now. I will be sure to write when I have more things to write about. I will be enjoying my last 16 days before I have to begin waking up early again.
