Extended Day Kindergarten Classroom News
September amd October 2009 News
Extended day Kindergarten students work to master Kindergarten level skills. In Language Arts, students are exposed to letter recognition, both uppercase and lowercase. Letter sounds are practiced daily. To develop reading skills, students are exposed to simple sight words. Each day, reading groups meet to practice print concepts which include, learning to read from left to right (directionality), one-to-one correspondence (pointing to the word being read), and strategically using the picture clue (to develop an understanding of print). Reading skills will progress as the school year continues to include looking at the first and last letter of the unknown word along with the picture clue to make a reasonable guess.
In the Math area, students are working with number recognition (1-10), counting (1-10) and backwards from 20 - 0, along with developing number sense (what comes before/after 5, 8 ? etc.). The four basic shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle) will be introduced. Other practiced skills include: sorting blocks by attribute, and creating and describing 2 part patterns. Math games and songs are used to reinforce the concepts listed above.
Each day handwriting is practiced using the D'Nealian font. Students are learning correct pencil grip, writing first name (with uppercase letter for the first letter and lowercase letters for the remainder of the name). and letter formation. Writing compostion is a daily part of the EDK day. The teacher and students work together to create a sentence. The students use developmental spelling (listening for the sounds heard & writing the corresponding letter) to complete the sentence. Students also participate in independent journal writing each day by composing a thought and writing down the letters heard in the words. Please encourage this at home as well.
Please take time to practice the skills mentioned above. This will strengthen your child's ability as well as increase his/her confidence level. Reinforce the importance of hard work and praise your child for each demonstration of good effort.
Please use the EDK on line calendar as a reminder for important dates and school closings.