As we continue to learn about the roles people in our community can have, we also worked on reading skills. We started by learning how to partner read with reading one word at a time, following along with our partners. Students read an emergent reader that talked about things that start with the /m/ sound.
Even though we can’t go on real field trips because of the pandemic we learned about places in the community by going on a virtual field trip to a post office. Then students created a flip book with their pictures that showcased different jobs they could have. Then students wrote about what they want to be when they grow up.
This week we are learning about what a community is and the important people that help us in our community. We started out by reading a story called Everybody Works and played a game on the whiteboard where students picked community helpers that could help solve an everyday problem. Then students matched the top of a specific community helper to their uniform.
Today we talked about teachers, a very familiar community helper, and their roles within the community. Then we practiced proper sentence structure for our word work, and adding details to a picture. Students learned how to add the important details that tell the reader that the picture shows a teacher. For example they drew students, number wall, bookshelf, whiteboard, and carpet.
As we continued to learn about our community and the important people inside of our community we took a closer look at different important jobs. Since we are unable to do a field trip due to the pandemic, we took a virtual field trip to the post office and learned about the job of the mail carrier. As part of the virtual field trip we were able to click on interactive links, ask questions through a classroom chat function and learned vocabulary that is used in the post office.
For reading students practiced reading non-fiction emergent reader books that taught us about different community helpers. The All-Stars also partner read books to each other.
For math students worked on matching numbers to the correct quantity of square counters. Students practiced in partners making different sets based on color and side of the counter.
For read aloud we read the book Officer Buckle and Gloria and created paper bag puppets of Officer Buckle. Finally students cut and glued tools that matched the appropriate community helper.
This last week students learned about our community and the different places that our important to our community. We also learned about the different helpers in our community and talked about what we want to be when we grow up. We started with reading the book Pizza at Sally’s and then created an anchor chart with the order of how Sally made the pizza.
For writing students worked on copying writing prompts and completed a sentence talking about what they want to be when they grow up. They also worked on adding details to their pictures illustrating what they want to be.
For art students colored and traced a flip book that illustrated themselves as different community helpers. They glued a picture of themselves on top of the flipbook to make them appear to be wearing the uniform of the community helper.
Last week we finished up our units on fire safety and community helpers. Â We made flip books to illustrate what kind of community helpers we can be and then we wrote what we want to be when we grow up. Â Students practiced adding details to their pictures by using community helpers cut out as a basis for our pictures.
This week we’ve been talking about helpers in our community and the tools they use to do their job. Â We watched the Community Helpers video on Brain Pop Jr. Â Then we picked different community helpers and sorted their tools.
We also read the story Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann and students retold the story during free choice centers with paper bag puppets that we made.
 
We finished up with fire safety week with a variety of different activities.  We learned about the different tools and items that fire fighters use by reading the book Firehouse Dog and then they learned about how to use labels by labeling different fire fighter items.  We also made and read fire a safety words book.
 
 
 
For writing we discussed the things we’ve learned about fire safety and made a list. Â With the list we then wrote about about one thing we could do to stay safe in case of a fire.
The month of October is fire safety month so we have been learning what to do if there is ever a fire, as well things that we shouldn’t play with. Â We started on Monday with fire safety related literacy & math centers from Having Fun in Primary. Â There were also a few centers from Home School Creations.
 
We discussed how there are things that are not safe for kids to touch or play with, we then sorted pictures into two categories ‘safe to touch‘ and ‘not safe to touch‘. Â During free choice centers students got to sort the pictures on their own, working with a partner.
Finally today we read the story Stop Drop and Roll by Margery Cuyler and made a firetruck craft courtesy of Miss-Kindergarten.
This Friday marked the official end to our unit on Community helpers. Â To celebrate all that we’ve learned and to help the students gain awareness of what is out there, we invited family members to come in and talk about the jobs that they’ve had or currently are at.
Before the visitors showed up, we came up with a list of questions that the class could ask the visitors.  We thought up of questions based on Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.  Then students picked their favorite job and thought of a question they could ask a person with that job.
Our visitors came and our students had a lot of great questions including ones that weren’t even on our list. Â We had a former nurse, two teachers, a grocery store manager, and someone that goes crabbing. Â Students had a great time learning about their jobs and then our visitors stayed with students and read to them during free choice centers.
 
 
Sorry for the long absence in updates it has been quite a busy month with Spring Break and basketball tournaments!
Our class has been learning about places in our community and jobs in our community; and around the world!  We went on a class trip to talk to members of Shaktoolik, and created a whole Shaktoolik map of the places that the students felt were important.  We have been reading books about community helpers and their tools.  We have also been doing literacy centers with a community helper twist!
The Kindergarten All-Stars 