Post Office Dramatic Play

We are introducing community helpers this coming week. The students were getting sick of the home living center-just starting to use the materials inappropriately.  I went into my closet in which I keep my various dramatic play materials and found a mail man messenger bag. So was born the idea to make the whole center based off of that bag.

  We started with some paper and pencils/colored pencils.  This is to encourage the students to write letters and more!

I then found a poster in the messenger bag in which I hung on the wall.

 It is a poster of all the processes in which the mail goes through to get to the destination.

I then put some envelopes we had around school  in a basket.  I went on google images and found an image of a forever postage stamp.  I printed it the index size photo.  I cut them all out and put a glue stick in there.  I also made directions on what all envelopes in the center must have.  I kept it simple for this age: who it is to, where they are, who it is from, where they are, and a stamp.There is also a mail box (logo printed from google images) for them to deposit all of their mail.  The mail carriers will then bring it to their work station to stamp.


I have made a directory for the kids to use as well.  I used a photo of each child and typed out their names in a font that is how they write their letters.  This way they can properly address their letters to their friends.  I still have to add the staff at school so they can write them letters to. To the right of that is a bin of stamps.  The mail workers can put a stamp over the stamp to prove they saw the stamp and then put it in the infamous blue messenger bag hanging on the rack next to it. They can then deliver the mail.


The students all have their individual cubbies in which they use daily. That will also be their mailbox. Students can venture across the room and deliver mail to the students cubbies. Still coming, teacher and staff mailboxes as well.


I will introduce this center on Monday and then allow the students to use it.  I will make sure to give them similar directions to those above and demonstrate filling out an envelope.  I am excited to see if they use the center correctly!

Elf on the Shelf, St. Nick

Our topic this week was Welcoming the Elf on the Shelf and St. Nick.

We started our week right away meeting our Elf.  Once we met him, we read his note on the board (by sounding out some letter sounds), read his book, and then: he needed a name!  We took a variety of options and then we voted and graphed our choices.  The one with the most votes would be our Elf's name.  Tiger wins!  We then watched the movie, the kids loved it!


On Monday, we also "sewed" our stockings and stamped our hands to have stockings to hang by the fire.  Lacing was a little tricky, but once students got it down, they had the most adorable stockings ready for St. Nick.

We also worked on making snowmen, putting three circles we cut out in size order, small on top, then middle, and then big.  We then used scrap paper and a whole punch (for the first time) to decorate or snow men.  


Tuesday Tiger was hanging out on our dry erase board and wrote nice in magnets.  N is our letter of the week, and he was sending us a message.  We worked really hard at being Nice.

Wednesday, the silly geese were being sassy so Tiger was trying to tell Santa on them.  The geese tried to cover it up, but we still know!  "Put the geese on the naughty list!"

We worked on an early reader of winter clothing and their colors and we will work on reading it in the next week.  We also started reading and practicing our Reader's Theater for Reading with the Stars.  

We also began a measuring activity. Students need to count how many big snowflakes they are tall and then take small snowflakes around the room and measure various objects. This also worked on counting, the concept of measurement, and writing the numbers.  Students are off to a great start in these areas.

It is so great to see the students using the writing center to write letters to Santa and to Tiger.  Any time we can get them to use writing tools, try to get letter sounds, and get the mechanics of writing (left to right, top to bottom, etc) is wonderful!  Tiger takes the notes to Santa when they leave them in Tiger's mail box.

Thursday, Tiger was hanging out by our stockings that were stuffed with love from St. Nick.  He wanted his own stocking too!

The story of St. Nick:

Nicholas' parents died when he was just a teenager. His parents left him a lot of money which made him a rich young man. 

Nicholas heard about a man who had lost all his money.  He had three daughters.  This family was so poor they had nothing left to eat. They were very sad. A daughter washed her stockings and put them in front of the fire to dry. Then all of them went to sleep.  In the morning the daughter saw a lump in her stocking. Reaching in, she found a small, heavy bag. It had gold inside! Enough to provide food for the family. Oh, how happy they were!

The next morning, another bag with gold was found. Imagine! Such joy!

And the next night, the father planned to stay awake to find out who was helping his daughters. He dozed off, but heard a small "clink" as another bag landed in the room. Quickly he jumped up and ran out the door. Who did he catch ducking around the corner?

Nicholas, the young man who lived with his uncle. "Nicholas, it is you! Thank you for helping us—I hardly know what to say!" Nicholas said, "Please, do not thank me. Do not tell others about me."

Nicholas continued helping people. He always tried to help secretly. He didn't want any attention or thanks. When there wasn't any food, he found wheat; so no one went hungry. He always helped people in trouble. All his life Nicholas showed people how to love God and care for each other.

Everyone loved Nicholas. After he died, they told stories of the good and kind things Nicholas had done. Sailors took these stories about Nicholas everywhere they went. Some of the stories were about his special care for children—helping and protecting them when danger threatened. And so more and more people learned about good, kind Nicholas. They wanted to be like him. He is an example of how we should live.

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/real-santa/

Kindergarten Guided Math Centers

It is my first year teaching kindergarten.  I wanted to have a way to teach math at the student's level and with the tools/manipulatives they personally needed.  This made me think of guided reading and how well that works that maybe I could make guided math work.

I decided I was going to use my math curriculum Math Expressions with the small groups and the other students would do their centers while we are doing this.  I was doing math tubs and guided math following our math journals, but I found the calendar journals to take to much time.  I teach calendar and then I make that one of the centers they need to rotate to.

Here is what a math lesson looks like:
1. Students come in the room, and get out their math binders.
2. Students erase the page protector holding their Calendar Journals (by: Erin Eberhart) **I use a page protector so they can use dry erase markers and reuse the paper every day.**

3. Students put materials down and we cover the calendar, days of school, tally marks, 120 chart, and place value chart.

4. Students open to the newest Math Journal page from Primary Possiblilites.  I read the directions, they complete the activity and leave at their spot.

5. Students then turn to the board for "job assignments"  I got their "job charts" from Reagan Tunstall's blog: Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits.  I printed one for each student and laminated it so they could write on them with a dry erase marker each day.

•  I declare the group that I am giving jobs to (right now I have 5 students total so this is two groups of two and one friend on his own, but if I have a larger class, I would have them be in groups noted by a shape or color and tell that shape or color which one we are working on)
• For example: Group RP here are your job assignments today. 1. Teacher Table, 2. Math Tub #6, 3. Math Journal. Group SG 1. Math Journal, 2. Teacher Table, 3. Math Tub #4 J 1. Math Tub #6, 2. Math Journal, 3. Teacher Table.
• Ready, Go!

6. Once they go to their assignment they work through their assigned area/tub.  To show evidence of

learning, they take a picture with their pre-made (laminated) name cards.

7. When I am done working with my first group, I state, "it is clean up time, I need you to move to number 2 on your job list."

8. When all the centers are done, they leave all their binders out and go to their specials.  While students are in specials, I read their Math Journal page and note understanding of that common core standard.  I then read their Calendar journal and draw a fun picture in dry erase to let them know I saw it and I note their progress.

If you have more math time, you can do more than one center, maybe two tubs and a technology or one tub, and one math technology.  Students are doing GREAT with this process. As I said, rather than initials, students can be put into groups and giving that group a name.

I hope this was helpful and please comment or email me (contact information at right) and I can help you out! Good Luck!!