peace

In the past I have used the week prior to our Holiday break as an opportunity to begin conversations about peace. This is a time in the year when children feel excited and uncertain about plans with family and friends and what to expect. It is also a time to remember what is important about our gatherings with loved ones. Peace is a big and beautiful word. It holds different meanings for all of us.

I have investigated peace with children in different ways, we have written our own class book about what peace feels like. I have transcribed their words and used our morning message as a way to document our powerful conversations. This year, I've transcribed their words and asked the children to represent their feelings and write a sentence to go with their representations.

Their writing is authentic. They used the skills taught in our writing workshop; planning their sentence, using finger spaces between words, recognizing and using sight words, and stretching words. I invite you to ask your child what peace means to them and share what peace means to you. I find feelings of peace amongst the trees. Where do you find feelings of peace? What does peace mean to you and your family?

Wishing all of our Kindergarten children and families a peaceful 2019!

 

 

winter trees

12-13-18

As a continuation of our learning about conifers, we discussed other kinds of trees we see this time of year- trees without needles. We read a poem about trees and passed a small birch stump around our oval, noticing the patterns and feel of the bark. Using tape and watercolors on a small canvas the children painted winter skies behind and over strips of tape. When the paint dried, we slowly pulled the tape away, revealing white trunks and branches against a blue and purple background- birch trees!

We talked about outlining and continuing to practice and develop our line work. The children outlined the trees, carefully pulling their sharpies down and around each tree. We then used what we know about triangles to create the pattern in the birch bark- a collection of big and small triangles.

Following the children's work, we went on a museum walk, admiring our forest of white birch trees. We will continue to read storybooks and nonfiction books about trees and life in winter.

What do the trees know?

Buds can weather ice and snow.

Dark gives way to sunlight's glow.

Strength and stillness help us grow.

 

 

 

nature- conifers

On Friday morning Janice and Kirsten taught our community about conifers- trees with cones- through an engaging puppet show, read aloud, and hands on exploration. We learned about four different kinds of conifer trees in our woods and how to identify them;

Spruce - needles are stiff and sharp

Fir- soft needles spread individually on branches

Hemlock - drooping branches, needles on opposite sides, tiny cones

Pine- bundles of needles!

 

 

Using pine cones, sun butter, and seeds the children made bird feeders to bring home!

 

 

We later connected our learning to a new choice during academic choice; pine cone painting. Providing a cone still life, children practiced drawing the cone and adding color with crayons and liquid water colors.

 

For outdoor classroom, we brought our learning with us into the woods, walking the perimeter of Misty Meadows and identifying the different conifers we saw. 

 

publishing true stories

At the end of the week, as children finished adding final details to one true story, we began the publishing process.

The children's work as storytellers and writers has been an ongoing and rich process. We have developed a culture of storytelling in our classroom, celebrating the language, sounds, expression, and life in our stories. Children have worked hard to show what, who, and where in their drawings and writing. They have used words to connect the parts in their stories together;

One day...Then...After that...Finally...

The publishing process involved the writers to think and record what, who, and where. Again, this supported students stretching out words and writing the sounds they heard. For some, I transcribed their words. I was observing if students were able to think about and say the important details in their stories and continue to stick with one true story.

Our publishing will be in the form of digital storytelling. Using an app, the children's drawings of their characters (who) and their background (where) will come alive.

On Friday morning the writers represented their characters on a larger scale, ensuring careful drawing and colorful details. Every child was able to say how many pieces of paper they needed, based on how many characters in their story. Following their drawing of who, we worked on simple backgrounds using liquid watercolors to represent the where of their stories.

This week, each child will use our storytelling app to tell their story one more time. I will put their stories together, creating a movie of our Kindergarten True Stories. Look in your email in the coming days for an invitation to a movie night celebrating the children's hard work as writers!

 

 

 

Using one of our pictures from building fairy houses, TB was able to look at and represent his mom- public documentation can support the drawing of the important people in our lives!

On Friday afternoon, DH practiced using our app- providing a visual for his peers as to what to expect in the coming week. Integrating technology in the Kindergarten classroom takes time, testing, and exploring. With the incredible help of Ms. Feller, we have another teacher to support the children's use of the storytelling app!

the writing process- kindergarten true stories

One night we were playing in the goat barn.

I climbed up to the hay loft and yelled, ATTENTION GOATS!

- Ana

An introduction to the learning experience;

From the beginning of the school year the children and I have worked together to build a literacy rich environment, recognizing that the development of literacy skills is not contained within one workshop. We celebrate the development of literacy skills across content areas, supporting the making of connections and transferring of skills. One important part of our literacy curriculum is engaging in the writing process.

In the recent weeks, children have grown as writers. They have practiced thinking about a true story, engaging in the oral telling of their story, planning their story across pages, and using pictures and words to tell and represent their story. They have shared their oral and written stories with their peer community in a variety of ways, seeking feedback and support.

November

1. Developing a Culture of Storytelling

We have worked together to create a culture of storytelling in our classroom. Children are natural storytellers. Every experience, play script, and structure has a story. We have the opportunity to encourage children to tell their stories, to listen, and to share. Storytelling is an intimate experience between the storyteller and their audience. Through our stories we connect, excite, and inspire.

Our storytelling oval- a time to gather and practice our oral storytelling skills. We turn off the lights and light a candle, placing it in front of our storyteller.

 

2. A Collaborative Piece

As we progress in our unit on writing true stories, I take the time to support the whole class in engaging in the writing process. The children think about something that happened or something that we did, practice telling our story, plan across pages, and use pictures and words to represent our story. This collaborative piece supports the children's transition from our storytelling oval to more conventional writing. With a little scaffolding, the children write a true story about the time we played on the BIG playground. After telling and planning, they use whiteboards and dry erase markers to represent each page of our story. I document the experience and later print and laminate the images- creating a large class book available to reread and reflect back on. Working on a collaborative piece provides whole class instruction and ensures that our true story comes from the children- they decide on their community story, they plan it, and they represent it.

 

 

 

3. Independent Work Time

During the week prior to and the week following Thanksgiving Break, the children use all that they know to add detail to their stories, continuing to share their work with partners and their peer community. They have time in our day to tell their story to a partner, looking for feedback; did they tell who, where, and what?

Many of their shares are with their whole community, as I record their stories on our iPad. These shares and recordings help to remind and reinforce what we've learned about telling stories; choose one small moment, connect the parts together, and use expression. One storyteller screeches as she tells about the time she thought she saw a mouse in the basement and another excitedly shares about the time he found Butter Elf on a basket!

On Friday, November 30, the writers chose one true story to prepare for publication.

 

 

 

Below is a small collection of children's work;

The Time I Thought I Saw a Mouse

 

 

True Story from Thanksgiving

Our Butter Elf