Kindergarten March Authors & Illustrators Lesson Plans

 Wow! It's the 27th week of Kindergarten and March is only a couple of days away! This is when the school year really seems to step into high gear as we start winding down into the last quarter.

3 Big Goals:

Catch Up From (another!) NTI Day

Wrap Up All February Content

Explore Authors & Illustrators for RAA

Famous Words: 

"A little glitter can turn your whole day around." -Barbara Park, Junie B. Jones, Shipwrecked

If you've been following along you may have noticed that I made it through February without an (official) theme on Black History. BUT, that's NOT because I don't cover it in my class. We've discussed the fact it is Black History month, but Black History is a part of our lessons all year long. This year I've worked hard to weave themes of Black History and leadership through our entire school year. We have celebrated the big stories like President Barak Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, but we've had the tough conversations, too, like, "Why did it take so long to have the first Black leader in office?" We learned that while George Washington was a great general and the "Father" of our country, he also owned slaves and that was not okay. We've learned about so many leaders through our weekly "Famous Words" activities, always with the underlying idea that NO ONE is perfect, but that doesn't mean imperfect people can't make great contributions. This week will be no different... It's Read Across America week at my school and our theme is "Authors & Illustrators." We will cover several different authors and their books over the course of the week and make sure to include cultural diversity. We will spend a brief amount of time on Dr. Seuss. We will talk about the impact his books have had on literacy, but we will talk about his racism as well. Our overarching theme is "Forming an Opinion," and we will talk about how we form opinions and how we choose our favorite books. We will complete a persuasive writing piece on favorite books as well. In core math we are continuing a new unit that introduces measurement. We will use several hands-on activities to practice measuring length with both standard and non-standard tools. In addition, I'm excited to use my new Science-themed Guided Reading books to reinforce math measurement and science concepts during my reading groups. We will continue to explore fact families, numbers bonds, and teen numbers, as well. In literacy we are pressing on with Saxon Phonics, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, and with basic sight words. 

This week students will have access to SO many books by a wide variety of authors and illustrators. As we form opinions about favorite books I'll share some of my personal favorites including my very favorite, Laura Numeroff.

21st Century K Resources for the Week:

Kindergarten February Valentine's Day Lesson Plans

It's amazing what putting together a solid five days of instruction can do for your mindset! We just finished a full-five-day week with no parties, no interruptions, no bad weather, and no NTI! I feel accomplished and positive and centered. So... bring on the 25th week of Kindergarten... Valentine's Week!

3 Big Goals:

Valentine's Day Theme Day and Party

Dental Health Review & Dentist Visit

Begin Accelerated Reader 

Famous Words: 

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we move forward this week, we're hopeful for another 5 straight days of learning, but we have a holiday thrown in that will start the week off with a little craziness. Party days are so much more fun, when everything is planned. The tendency is to build in down time or deviate completely from the normal routine, but, over the years, I've found that this just creates more chaos. Students are excited from the moment they walk in the door and we put the party off until the end of the... which could make for a stressful day for teachers. To combat that, I start the day with an in-depth explanation of our day so that there are no surprises and so that students know what to expect. Then I work hard to stay on-schedule as much as possible. In core math we continue to forward with a more in-depth look at 3D shapes and teen numbers. We will practice the Number Bonds concept. In literacy we are pressing on with Saxon Phonics, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, and with basic sight words. Our theme is Polar Animals.

This week we will read lots of Valentine-themed books and also include a unit on dental health that will culminate with a visit from a local dentist. 

21st Century K Resources for the Week:

 

 

Kindergarten February Polar Animals Lesson Plans

We are ready for the 24th week of Kindergarten! February is a fun month packed with lots of learning themes and fun! Once again, we're coming back off of two snow days so I find myself scrambling to cut/copy/paste some plans together.

3 Big Goals:

Wrap the Winter Theme

Explore Polar Habitats and Animals

Dive into Nonfiction Texts

Famous Words: 

"Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give." -Dr. Ben Carson

After 2 more snow/NTI days, we are finally going to wrap up our winter lessons this week.  Moving on from animals in winter to animals in polar habitats, we are going to compare and contrast polar bears and penguins. In core math we are moving forward with a more in-depth look at 3D shapes and teen numbers. We will introduce the Number Bonds concept. In literacy we are pressing on with Saxon Phonics, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, and with basic sight words. Our theme is Polar Animals.

This week we will read a story from our (very old) basal series called, If You Go to Antarctica by Fay Robinson. My students love it every year and it's a wonderful switch to nonfiction from all the fiction animal stories we've read the last few weeks.

21st Century K Resources for the Week:

 

Kindergarten February Groundhog Day Lesson Plans

It's the 23rd week of Kindergarten and I couldn't be more excited to see a month end. Maybe it's because our winter break ended January 2, maybe it's because we've had 4 snow days and the dreaded NTI has returned, or maybe it's because we are STILL battling the pandemic, but this has to have been the longest-seeming January on record!

3 Big Goals:

Finish the month of January!

Celebrate Groundhog Day with lots of Science and Social Studies Connections

Emphasize Story Sequencing through Jan Brett's The Mitten

Famous Words: 

"Let your light shine. Shine within you so it can shine on someone else. Let your light shine." -Oprah Winfrey

We were finally able to string together 5 days in a row last week and I'm proud to report my class had perfect attendance on Friday to celebrate the 100th day! Boy, it felt good to laugh, dance, sing, and snack our way through the 100th day (it almost felt like 2019 again!)  This week we are wrapping up our winter lessons and using Groundhog Day as a segue into a study on various animals and habitats. In core math we are slowing down to make sure and cover everything since we've missed days here and there since winter break... we will be continuing a focus on 3D shapes and our study of teen numbers. Thankfully, this concept has been a large part of our calendar activities for months and usually comes easily to my kinders as a result. In literacy we are pressing on with Saxon Phonics, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, and with basic sight words. Our theme is Groundhog Day and Winter Animals.

This week we will read my very favorite winter story, Winter is the Warmest Season by Laura Stringer. We will discuss the contrast between warm and cool colors in the illustrations and the idea that winter really is when we are warmest. And, of course, no winter theme would be complete without Jan Brett's The Mitten. It's great for practicing story retelling and sequencing and a good introduction to animals and their winter adaptations and habitats.

21st Century K Resources for the Week: