Poindexter Press for March 24th-28th, 2008

Dear Parents,
The chicks have arrived! All 6 eggs hatched between Monday and Tuesday and we have 6 happy, healthy chicks in our classroom. They will be leaving us Friday to go to their new home on a farm.
I was lucky enough to be chosen to try out some new technology in my classroom for the rest of the year and so the children are helping me do so. Each of the children has a “clicker” or “remote control” assigned to them and we use them to respond to questions I ask them. They punch in their answer and they all pop up on a large screen. I like using these with the children because it ensures that everyone is participating, and I am able to see quickly who does not understand and help them.
Today, I am sending home a packet of activities that you can do with your child during Spring Break. Please note that there is an updated Kindergarten Sight Words list attached. We added a few words and made sure that the color words and number words were also included. I am working on making flash cards for each family to help you practice them at home daily. I also introduced the children to a song about color words, which also helps them spell each of the color words, so be sure to ask them to sing it for you! ☺
Our week was spent catching up on odds-and-ends that we needed to finish from the first part of this semester. We talked more about caterpillars and how we will start seeing eggs soon on leaves. We also had the chance to use many of our center materials-Leap Pads, Alphabet games, extra computer time, Alphabet practice activities. The children spent 15-20 minutes at each station. Some children asked if there were any books that they could read, so eventually, we had a small group of children doing that as well. During Writer’s Workshop, we were each given a writing partner and I modeled what sharing with your partner was like. Each of the children sit knee to knee with their partner and take turns sharing what they will write about. It is then the partners’ responsibility to tell their partner one thing they liked about their idea and give them one suggestion or new idea to think about. This is the first group of children I have had who can have those conversations and be productive in doing so. They all have at least one person now who can listen to their story idea and validate it for them. ☺
Kristen Poindexter ☺