Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 34

The World of Pool magazine near white flowers
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt
Hello Montessori Kindergarten Families,
You can definitely feel the wrap up of the year on our campus.  MAP testing has begun for Kinders as well as assessment in class in order to report for final report card/ILP assessments.  Thanks to all who have taken the time to connect with me about the best fit for first grade. I am sad as the year is ending but so proud to have witnessed all of the joy in learning that has gone on this year.
You child may have mentioned that first graders are in our class for about 45 minutes in the afternoon.  We as a community who strives to make sure all students are at their cutting edge of learning and prepared for their next academic step.  Holding true to that vision, our Montessori first graders are coming in for additional Montessori support.  This is a two fold blessing because they get to experience our classroom dynamics and the kinders get a chance to meet potential future classmates in the Lower El classroom.  
MONDAY:
Video: "Tacky the Penguin" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSZyC3BGB4U
Writer's Workshop: Write a personal narrative for Tacky
Geography: Begin study of Antarctica
TUESDAY:
Video: "I Broke my Trunk" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11UEBW_zJ1o
Writer's Workshop: Write your own Ouch Story/Work on sequencing: beginning, middle, end
Language: Blends review
Informative Writing: Pretest for Quarter 4
WEDNESDAY:
Art: Aurora Borealis
1/2 Day Beautification Day at School/Kindness Day
THURSDAY:
History: Telling Time Review
Math: double digit addition no regrouping
New works in practical life
FRIDAY:
Art: directed line drawing - penguins
Reading: Penguin by Polly dunbar
Conservation and Ecology Video: King Penguins as an endangered species - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1_8rRDHtQ8
Here's to another great week!
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 33

numbering start line on concrete floor
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@jontyson

Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,
I hope you had a restful weekend.  We had a cooking activity and we made kites - all while Ms. Gonzalez was away!  We sure missed you Ms. Gonzalez and hope you had a great birthday!
MONDAY:
Writers Workshop - Opinion Writing
Lesson on book reviews 
Sight words review
Lesson on how to build a sentence
Math/Handwriting - free choice all week
TUESDAY:
Inventions- "Real Machines" by Rebecca Rissimen
Language - Blends review: br,dr,sm,fl
Art/Geography- brown coiled snake
WEDNESDAY:
cooking day: chicken and chickpea patties, cucumbers 
Art: kite making
THURSDAY:
Writers workshop - personal narrative: family portrait
Geography review: Australia
FRIDAY:
no school
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 32

assorted-color bag lot hanging on brown wooden wall rack
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@thefoxicon

Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,
Week 32 is in the books.  We are having more conversations about the privilege to choose your own work in the Montessori environment and many are handling that responsibility well. For those whom this type of environment is hindering their ability to grow in their academics, I am having one of one coaching time with them as well as small group sessions in an effort to ignite this desire and foster this skill.  As we close out the year, we will have conversations as a team to make sure the next right choice for your child is a Montessori classroom.  San Tan's passion is to ensure that each child is in the right environment to grow his/her love of learning and keep him/her on the cutting edge of his/her learning ability.
MONDAY:
telling time
work on student treasures book
begin Harmony day mural
reading/sound table
Math/Language/handwriting all week
TUESDAY:
Opinion Writing Workshop- What is your favorite thing to do at recess?
Complete Harmony Day mural
Game: Who am I? Australian Landmarks
Art: Honeyeater Bird mixed media project
WEDNESDAY:
finish honeyeater project
Writing workshop: "I am happy as a honeyeater because..."
20 addition problems - no counters
FINISH STORYBOOK TREASURES
THURSDAY:
15 minutes of quiet reading time
Time: writing hands on a clock to tell time
Opinion Writing: Is it a Duck or a Rabbit?
FRIDAY:
15 minutes of quiet reading time
missing addends
present Australian projects all week
Teams: Brainstorm possible inventions for household jobs
RECYCLED PROJECTS OF AUSTRALIAN LANDMARKS PRESENTED ALL WEEK
Please make sure to check out the signup genius link for our cooking project next Wednesday.
Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren

Diary of a First Year Montessori Kindergarten Teacher - Week 31

group of student smiling inside room
photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@mclaren1
 Good afternoon Montessori Kindergarten Families,
Our indoor planting activity was a glorious success.  There is something about getting our hands messy and dirty that truly delights the soul - and you know I am always up for these kind of adventures!
We continue to work on opinion writing in Writers Workshop.  We continue to be AMAZED by the cleverness of the projects that are coming in the classroom to represent the landmarks we have studied with our Geography unit: Australia. We have an Invention library in our classroom as part of our new works for April.  We continue to talk about recycling and composting.  We reviewed how to use a dictionary for Language work.  And we discussed the times in which we do certain activities during the day for our Time/History unit.  Handwriting, math and language continue to be daily activities.  
We worked on addition words problems and discussed what clues we are given in the story to help us figure out how to solve the problem: in all, altogether, more
Week 1 of our sight words mural - we use this to have an all class review of sight words
MONDAY:
Morning conversations
Read/Spell Draw Groups - leader at each table
Math Journal: draw tens and ones
Comic book: Do Unicorns Recycle?
Sound table/reading
sight word cards sent home
TUESDAY:
Morning conversations
Addition word problems
Dictionary lesson: compost, recycle
label Australia map
5 minute timed math drill - 20 addition problems
WEDNESDAY:
Evie's birthday celebration
Sing a long
Read: Simple Machines by Rebecca Rissman
Time Game: What time of day do we do this activity (group game)
Sound table
THURSDAY: 
planting day
decorate tin cans and plant grass seed
prep potatoes and plant in clear bins
Addition words problems
Writers Workshop: pick a sight word sentence, come up with a complementary sentence, draw a picture that make sense with your sentences
FRIDAY:
work on student treasures book
Opinion writing: What is your favorite musical instrument?
sight word mural
talk about invention brainstorming letter (IN YOUR CHILD'S BACKPACK)
Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
Mrs. Norgren
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