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Saturday, May 31, 2025

Assessing Writing Progress

One of my favorite parts of teaching Kindergarten is teaching students how to write. There is nothing like the moment a student brings their paper up to you and it says "mi cat is prte" and you read it to them "oh you wrote--my cat is pretty". Their face lights up and they say "that's what I wrote! How did you know?". For the first time they are able to communicate in writing. 

When students begin Kinder they are at a range of different abilities. Some are just making squiggles. Some are able to sound out words. By the end of the year the goal is that they can write a complete sentence. One of the things I personally work on with my students is word choice-using more descriptive language when they write. 

Now my district was taken over by the state 2 years ago. Our curriculum is very scripted-we are strictly monitored to teach the required slides and they actually have no lessons at all on writing besides handwriting. So I have to sneak in those lessons. Sneak in the mentor texts. Sneak in the journal writing. I am so proud of the progress these kiddos have made this year. I take pictures of their journals from the beginning and the end of the year to share with parents as well. 



















Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Making the World More Beautiful

I know it's a kind of old-fashioned classic. But I have always LOVED the book Miss Rumphius (maybe because I hope to someday retire by the sea). :) 




Thinking literally! :)


Put trees everywhere



Control the ocean and put it everywhere



















Saturday, May 24, 2025

If I Lived in a Van Gogh Painting

We use the reading program Amplify. It has a unit on Art. We read Vincent and the Sunflowers and discussed the art of Vincent Van Gogh. We analyzed his famous Starry Night painting and then I asked the students to paint their own version just using watercolors. I asked them to write from the perspective of someone who lives inside a Van Gogh painting. How does it feel? Would it be good?





















Thursday, May 22, 2025

Summer Poems

Nikki Giovanni is one of my favorite poets. Her poem Knoxville, Tennessee:


Knoxville, Tennessee

I always like summer
best
you can eat fresh corn
from daddy's garden
and okra
and greens
and cabbage
and lots of
barbecue
and buttermilk
and homemade ice-cream
at the church picnic

and listen to
gospel music
outside
at the church
homecoming
and you go to the mountains with
your grandmother
and go barefooted
and be warm
all the time
not only when you go to bed
and sleep

I asked the students to analyze the imagery in the poem. How she uses the 5 senses to describe what summer means to her. I asked the students to visualize what they see, hear, taste, smell and feel in the summer and then put that into words. Here is what they came up with:





















Thursday, May 8, 2025

Mother's Day Digital Stories

One of my favorite projects of the year is our Mother's Day Celebration. We invite moms in to view digital stories the students have written. I ask them to think about what they love about their moms, why they are grateful for them. All kids think their mom is pretty--go beyond. Think of a simile or metaphor you can use. Not just "I love my mom" but "I love my mom as much as....".