¡Feliz fin de semana, familias!
I hope you have enjoyed a couple of extra days to your weekend! I really enjoyed spending time with you all on Monday and Tuesday evenings during conferences to talk about your child. At the end of the week, I spent Thursday and Friday at a training with the Center for Cultural Intelligence. Boy, it was exhausting being a student again. :) It feels like it's been a while since our last school day, but here is an update from our busy short week!
Our Week
Bible
We spent Bible time this past week continuing to learn about Joseph (José). We reviewed parts of the story we'd learned last week and then talked about how he was sold by his brothers to the Egyptian traders, taken to Egypt, and soon after, thrown in jail (la cárcel). Even after he interpreted the cupbearer's dream (el sueño del copero), Joseph still felt like his life was at a standstill. Even though he felt alone, we remembered that Dios se acordó de José--God remembered Joseph. Next week we'll learn how he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and became an important man in Egypt!
Reading
This week we did not learn a new syllable; instead, we reviewed ma, me, mi, mo, mu and pa, pe, pi, po, pu. We did this by working with words, reading books, writing the syllables on white boards, and quizzing each other with flash cards (see picture at right). We always use lots of variation--physical movement, song, dance, writing, reading, etc.--to practice words, reading, and language learning in general!
Writing
In writing this week, we shared about some foods we like to eat (la comida). We've also been practicing describing types of food using adjectives like color, shape, size, taste, and other words we know. Here is a fun song the kids love watching that talks about interesting combinations of food, using the common phrases te gusta...? (do you like...?) and me gusta (I like).
Math
In math class, we have had fun incorporating lots of new vocabulary in our "number stories" (historias de números). This week we practiced telling stories and solving math problems based on the idea of eating around a table. We learned the words plato (plate), vaso (cup), tenedor (fork), cuchara (spoon), cuchillo (knife), and servilleta (napkin). In centers, the students were able to practice these words while creating number stories.
Science
In science this week, we had the chance to explore una calabaza--a pumpkin! We first examined how it looked, sounded, and felt on the outside. Then, much to the class's excitement, we cut it open and got to look, feel, and smell the inside! (We did not taste it, although some kids would have liked to!) It was a fun activity, a great way to review lots of vocabulary, and a learning experience for everyone.
Reading Tip of the Week
Your child brought home books from the library--one in English and one in Spanish (or bilingual). Try to read the Spanish one to your child (or read in both languages, if it is bilingual), and ask your child to tell you about the story. This will give him/her great practice in comprehension, and he/she will probably be excited to tell you what the story is about! If your child has trouble, make sure to look at the pictures and talk about them too!
Immersion Tip of the Week
Make sure you expose your child to a lot of rich vocabulary in English (and in Spanish, too, if you speak the language!). You can do this by reading, talking about what you see in books, describing pictures, talking about what you see in the supermarket--pretty much any activity you do! This will help your child continue to make connections between languages, as well as strengthen verbal skills.
Announcements
*Lunch Duty Signup: If you have not been able to sign up for lunch duty on Wednesdays, please consider doing so. I have a Kindergarten team meeting that day and use the time to touch base with the other K teachers. We need more volunteers in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for your help!
*Library Books: Please return your library books by Wednesday.
Here are some pictures from our week (mostly of the pumpkin carving!):
¡Hola Familias!
We had a full, fun, and busy week this past week! On Wednesday we learned about how we use our five senses (los cinco sentidos) in nature, and how animals use them too, at the DeGraaf Nature Center. On Thursday we had a fun pajama day and enjoyed a concert (un concierto) from a brass quartet from the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. We also spent lots of time learning, reading, practicing our numbers, and exploring nuestro mundo en español!
Our Week
Bible
This week we started learning about Joseph (José) and his family. We learned about how he was his father's favorite and was given a coat of many colors (un manto de muchos colores). After he told his brothers about his dreams--los sueños--his brothers were jealous and threw him in a pit (un pozo). Then, they decided to sell him to some egipcios for veinte monedas (20 coins). Can you tell how much rich vocabulary is learned, practiced, and acquired during Bible story time? :)
Reading
This week we learned about the syllables with "p": pa, pe, pi, po, pu. Here is the Monosílabo video we watched about it. We have been working on recognizing these syllables with automaticity, as well as starting to blend words with "m" and "p" syllables together to read words! (See an example of this in action at the end of the above video.) Be on the lookout for books and papers your child will take home to read to you!
Writing
In Writing this week, we looked at a book about how children in many countries get to school. Using this book as our model, we started to talk about and practice transporte (transportation) vocabulary. We practiced describing different types of vehicles and writing about our own experiences with them.
Math
The students enjoyed some fun calabaza (pumpkin)-themed activities in math this week. From practicing addition with pumpkins, to creating a pumpkin face with pattern blocks, to putting numbered pumpkins in order, this was a fun way to do math centers! We are now practicing counting by 10s and identifying/recognizing groups of 6-10. Children are encouraged to see these numbers as "5-groups": for example, 6 is 5 + 1, 7 is 5 + 2, and so on.
Science
As previously mentioned, we had a great field trip to DeGraaf Nature Center on Wednesday. It was impressive to me to hear the kids making the seamless transition to English as they spoke about what we'd learned about our five senses. The field trip leaders also did a nice job asking our class how to say words in Spanish! Also, we performed a fun experiment with Froot Loops cereal where kids go to use their five senses to describe them. Which sense do you think was their favorite? :)
Immersion Tip of the Week
I am gradually starting to require more and more Spanish to be spoken in the classroom. Remind your child that he/she already has A LOT of vocabulary, even though sometimes he/she won't know the exact word to use. Ask your child how to describe an object in Spanish, using colors, shapes, numbers, and adjectives like big/small, hot/cold, hard/soft, fast/slow, etc. I think you will be impressed!
Reading Tip of the Week
When you read with your child, encourage your child to look for words, vowels, sounds, and/or syllables that he/she knows. As they begin learning to read, the students will become much more aware of print. Call their attention to features of the text in a fun, non-pressured way as you enjoy a book together.
Upcoming Dates to Remember
*Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23: Parent Teacher Conferences. I look forward to spend time talking with you about your child's progress! Please be on time for your reserved time slot!
*Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26: No school; CEA Convention
Other Announcements
*Lunch Duty Signup: If you have not been able to sign up for lunch duty on Wednesdays, please consider doing so. I have a Kindergarten team meeting that day and use the time to touch base with the other K teachers. We need more volunteers in the upcoming weeks. Thank you for your help!
*Library Books: If you have not brought back your child's library books, please do so this week. We will go to the library on Wednesday to pick out more books. (We didn't get to go last Wednesday because of our field trip!)
Enjoy some pictures from our week below! ¡Adios, amigos!
In science this week, we had the chance to explore una calabaza--a pumpkin! We first examined how it looked, sounded, and felt on the outside. Then, much to the class's excitement, we cut it open and got to look, feel, and smell the inside! (We did not taste it, although some kids would have liked to!) It was a fun activity, a great way to review lots of vocabulary, and a learning experience for everyone.
