Hoppin' Into Junior Kindergarten!

Hi JK parents!

We have loved all of our Halloween festivities and learning about bats!

 This is my STEAM class I teach on Mondays with Ms. Taylor Pines.  I modify these activities to teach in JK, with differentiated instruction according to each child's needs and developmental level.

 Using manipulatives to count and play-so fun!  This game provided different groups of items to categorize as well!

 Clay is exceptional for fine motor muscle building.  The thickness and pliability along with it being such an open ended material means amazing creativity along with physical advantages!  I love using natural items for them to create art.  Bringing the outside inside is always fun!

Math & Science:
The children studied the skeletal system of bats ad then worked to recreate them using pastels and pipe cleaners to first draw and then glue the "bones" on a bat.

We played a counting game with leaves, squirrels and acorns and worked on the one-to-one ratio while using the manipulatives in the game.  Items are easier and less abstract when counting to give meaning to the numbers.  We also worked on writing those tricky teen numbers at the writing table with a number line for referral.

Language Arts:
We added new words for writing on the vertical white board to include words from home.  Labeling objects around your house is helpful to encourage literacy.  We are playing games to match the upper and lower case letters.  We are consistently reminding children during their sign in time to begin from the top of letters and using a dot as a point from which to start.  Encourage them as they are practicing their writing at home to always begin at the top of their letters.

Fine Motor:
The children made November calendars by glueing turkeys and feathers to their paper and then writing Thanksgiving, and things for which they are thankful.  They copied words or used inventive spelling as they used "stretchy snake" to pick out each sound in the words.  I was happy many of them wrote they are thankful for JK!  (It's also pretty easy to write!)  We painted on fall leaves we gathered using water colors, and made pictures using crayons and water color paints.

Social/Emotional:
We talked about different feelings and role played scenarios in the classroom, providing them with Bugs and Wishes and other words to use when struggling with tough situations.  We began playing "Yes Please, No Thank You" game as we pass around different traditional Thanksgiving food photos on plates and ask each child if they would like some, to which they answer either "yes, please" or "no, thank you".  It's great practice for table manners and developing the habit of always following yes or no with a please or thank you!

We are finishing our bats theme and moving onto Van Gogh next week!

Have a lovely weekend!

Ms. Massey