The Weekly Newsletter...What a Chore!

Newsletters… ugh! I know they are helpful, but they can be such a chore!! Every. Single. Week. Write a newsletter. It can be so annoying. And sometimes I wonder, do people read this? Is this a waste of my very precious time!?!

This year I decided to change things up. I thought that I could definitely make my newsletters shorter and to the point. Why send home a two-page newsletter each week? It is not necessary!

Another teacher in my school suggested a classroom newscast. The newscast could be the student’s video taped talking and discussing the classroom happenings and events. I thought this was a great idea! So, I decided to take on the challenge.

I started by telling the students to think back on all that we have done over the past month. Then I give them a reflection worksheet where they can write and draw what they thought would be good to share to our families. This reflection piece is key! There are so many times we are so busy, students don’t get a lot of time to stop and think about what just happened. Reflecting on learning, fun events, and monthly activities has really helped my students understand how much they have improved this year! Not to mention being thankful for all that we have done. :)

When the students write and draw what has happened over the past month, I am always impressed with their ideas. From the reflection ideas, I decide who is speaking. Not everyone gets a speaking part each newscast. There ends up being about 14-15 students who speak. When I film the students, I position them around the room. I tell them what they need to talk about in general, but don’t give them a script. (When we started filming in the beginning of Kindergarten my students couldn’t read, so writing a script was not feasible. But throughout the filming process, I feel that the students speak more authentically without a script. It sometimes takes a couple times without messing up, but they do get it.)

When I have completed filming, I put all the video clips into iMovie and create the complete Newscast. I add music in the beginning and end of the newscast and newscast is all set! When the newscast is complete I upload it onto YouTube and share the link with my families. They LOVE watching the finished newscast! We watch the finished product as a class as well.

All and all the newscast is a little more work then writing newsletters, but the learning and reflection gives the students a great experience! I love these newscasts! And to see the transformation from the first newscast to now, it’s amazing!

Try it! Give those newsletters a break and get out a camera! :)

An Updated and Efficient Reading and Math Workshop Rotation Chart

Every school year I feel like I learn a new way to be efficient and effective with my students. This year my students have been so great at rising to the challenges. They are not afraid to try ANYTHING and this is great! However, they struggle with transitioning from one task to the next. Many students don’t want to stop their work on one task and switch to next. I have always used a rotation chart for Reading Workshop, but never thought to add Math Rotations to the chart.

One day, I was talking with another Kindergarten Teacher at my school. She was showing me her new Workshop Rotation Chart. I liked how small the student groups were (2-4 students) and how organized each round was set up. I was instantly inspired to change mine as well.

Once brainstorming on the updates I planned to change, I thought I could add the Math activities on the same chart. I was hoping this slight addition would keep things organized and not be a huge adjustment for my students. When I first explained the chart, all my students seemed excited and ready to get started.

It’s been two months of using the updated rotation chart and my Kindergartener’s have never been so quick at transitions and purposeful in their work! It is amazing what a little chart could do. 

Here is the final Workshop Rotation Chart:

Here is where their supplies are kept; for easy organization of course! ;)  

 

And here are some students working on the math rotation activities. They are so engaged! I love it! 

 

Thanks for reading!

February Fun!

February may be a short month, but it's full of fun holidays/events that need celebrating…well at least need celebrating Kindergarten style!

We started the month off with Groundhog’s Day. On this day, the students completed Math and Reading groundhog themed centers. I found a lot of great center ideas from Teachers Pay Teachers. (Like this or this or this.)

After the students completed the Math and Reading Centers, we started a STEM Challenge. (I have tried to do something STEM related each week with my students this school year. I really believe they learn so much with these activities.) So for the Groundhog’s Day STEM Challenge the students worked in groups to make a paper groundhog. After, they had to make his shadow and measure how long it was. We compared each group’s measurements to see whose shadow was the biggest. What a great STEM Challenge! The students loved making shadows.

We finish the day with Groundhog mud pudding. It was delicious! Here is the recipe. 

Next up was our Valentine’s Day Party. This is always my favorite school holiday party. I try to make it fun and easy. We start with a pizza lunch, then we open Valentine’s, play a couple games of Valentine Bingo, and finish with ice cream sundaes. Seeing the Kindergarten students open their Valentine cards is always so fun. The students are becoming more fluent readers so they are able to really read their cards and and figure out who wrote the Valentine.

The final event that happens in February is the 100^th Day of School. This is where we celebrate being in school for 100 days. The whole day is full of fun 100 day activities. We changed things a bit this year and decided to have a 100 Day Fashion Show. We asked each student to decorate a shirt with 100 items and wear it to school. The Kindergarten students from all classrooms went to the cafeteria/stage to walk a Red Carpet and show off their fashion. It was so cute!! (We found the idea from Kinder Craze.) Even the teachers got into the spirit with our 100 Day T-shirts we ordered, check out here.

Some other 100 Day activities from the day included drawing what we would look like at 100, rolling dice 100 times, reading 100 books, and making and eating a 100 piece trail mix. 100 Day was so much fun! Just like all of our Fun February events! 

Now, we’re off to March! ;)