Mathematical Thinking in Kindergarten

This week, we looked closely at numbers. We played different math games with numbers including Splat!, Snap! and War and focussed on representing numbers using different ways. Using our math boards, we worked on different numbers and used manipulatives and ten frames to show what the number looks like. We also used Unifix cubes with different numbers and changed them to show different shapes.

We continued to work on writing and drawing in our thinking journals as well after being inspired by the book "Snowfeather" by Cecile Gagnon. Students brainstormed ideas together about what happened at the end of the book and made predictions by drawing, talking, and writing about it.

We continued playing math games and exploring different ways to make different numbers.

We encourage parents to help their child "read the world"! This means having discussions about letters and words they see in their everyday life. For example, when going for a walk in the community, stop and notice what words you see? A STOP sign? Take a moment and help your child notice each letter and sound it out. What letters do they notice in the playground? Does the slide look like a letter they can think of? Does the tree in your backyard remind them of a letter? Do they recognize environmental prints such as "McDonalds" "Walmart" and "ToysRUs"? What letters are in each of those words? Try sounding them out together! Please feel free to take pictures of your own personal letter experiences and email them to us so we can share our words with each other.

Personal Connections

We read another version of The Mitten By Jan Brett and learned about more animals. After comparing and contrasting Brett's version with Aylesworth's, we talked about how to make personal connections to our own life. Students reflected on their own lives while reading the book and began to make connections. For example, "the grandma in the book reminds me of my grandmother who also knits." and "the bear in the book reminds me of the bear I saw when I went camping with my family in Banff." We encourage parents to also make connections while reading stories at home. Students used their thinking journals to make connections to the story by drawing and writing about, "This book makes me think of..."

We used a deck of cards for the first time in Kindergarten and learned a new math game called "War" which helps us recognize numerals, subitize, and compare quantities with our partners. If you have a deck of cards at home, invite your child to teach you how to play.

We looked closely at the Animals from Jan Brett's The Mitten. There is the mole, a rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, a bear, and a mouse. We made a KWL chart.

K stands for "what we think we KNOW"
W stands for "what we WONDER"
L stands for "what we Learned"

Students added to the first two sections and will continue adding to them as we continue to learn more about these animals. We have been talking about migration, hibernation, and adaptation as well especially with these animals. Ask your child to tell you what each of these animals does. Which of these animals hibernate, adapt, or migrate?

We visited the learning commons again. Please don't forget to send the book back as soon as you are done reading it at home. We will visit the Learning commons every Thursday and unfortunately your child is unable to participate if they have not returned their book. Thank you!

We are continuing to look closely at uppercase and lowercase letters and letter sounds! We have also been working on figuring out the mystery morning message and learning more about our unique selves through our "Star Student" sharing.

We encourage parents to help their child "read the world"! This means having discussions about letters and words they see in their everyday life. For example, when going for a walk in the community, stop and notice what words you see? A STOP sign? Take a moment and help your child notice each letter and sound it out. What letters do they notice in the playground? Does the slide look like a letter they can think of? Does the tree in your backyard remind them of a letter? Do they recognize environmental prints such as "McDonalds" "Walmart" and "ToysRUs"? What letters are in each of those words? Try sounding them out together! Please feel free to take pictures of your own personal letter experiences and email them to us so we can share our words with each other.

Winter Wonder Scientists

This week we focussed on literacy! From reading more of the Mitten, to exploring letters, letter sounds, and how they form words, we did it all. Some of us went on a letter scavenger hunt while some of us helped figure out the secret morning message. We also started "Star Student of the Day" where we invite one student each day from each group to share with us what makes them unique. This includes sharing and writing their name, what they like,  their age, and their favorite color. We have been loving learning about one another and getting to know each other CLOSELY. We are all truly unique in our kindergarten class. 

We read The Mitten by Jim's Aylesworth and reflected in our thinking journal about which of the animals in this version was our favorite and why? Kindergarten students participated in a Winter Wonder exploration with Scientists in School this week. Students had hands-on opportunities to create bird feeders using pinecones, looked closely at different snowflakes through a microscope, learned about how snow is formed and made some ourselves, and explored Canadian animal adaptations and habitats. Did you know that like bears, frogs also hibernate? Students are beginning to wonder about changes in animals that happen as seasons change.

We are starting to look closely at what the following words mean: hibernation, migration, and adaptation. We are also beginning to write down our "I wonders..." about the world around us. We shared what we learned with in our workshop in our thinking journals as well.

Did you hang up the bird feeder? Please send us a picture so that we can share it!

We visited the learning commons again and continued having centers, snack, music, and gym!


We also played the SPLAT! game with 10 bingo chips this time. We also played the "Dots and Shapes" game again as well.

AM kindergarten read with grade 5 students who welcomed us into their classroom with forts and campfires they had designed for us. We really loved the space and reading with them. Thank you Grade 5 buddies!

Finally, we had a big map of Canada from space visiting our school this week. We explored the map and looked closely at our country. Please see our pictures below!

We encourage parents to help their child "read the world"! This means having discussions about letters and words they see in their everyday life. For example, when going for a walk in the community, stop and notice what words you see? A STOP sign? Take a moment and help your child notice each letter and sound it out. What letters do they notice in the playground? Does the slide look like a letter they can think of? Does the tree in your backyard remind them of a letter? Do they recognize environmental prints such as "McDonalds" "Walmart" and "ToysRUs"? What letters are in each of those words? Try sounding them out together! Please feel free to take pictures of your own personal letter experiences and email them to us so we can share our words with each other.