• What is Kindergarten Expansion?

    Posted by Jessica Morten on 9/18/2015

    Hello, and thank you for visiting the kinderblog. This is my second year teaching Kindergarten Expansion, and I know many people are curious about what it is and how it is different from Transitional Kindergarten or a general education kindergarten class.

    This year if you have a child enrolled in my class, they will be part of the Kindergarten Expansion program. Kindergarten Expansion is a continuation of Transitional Kindergarten (TK). Transitional Kindergarten is a two-year program. If your child is turning five after September 1st, but no later than December 1st, then your child will be placed in a TK classroom. The TK class best meets the academic and developmental needs for younger kindergarten students.

    The following year, your child will most likely be placed in an Expansion Kindergarten class. Kindergarten Expansion prepares your student to master all kindergarten concepts, and is fully committed for first grade preparation. 

    Both class types use a blended learning approach. That is, they learn to become collaborative and independent through reading workshop activities involving reading on computers and iPads, and a variety of partner and team-building tasks. In an Expansion class, the expectations are set high, and curriculuim is taught at a slightly more excellerated rate. At the end of Expansion Kindergarten, you will be pleasantly surprised how confident your child is in academic areas as well as in their social and emotional development. This is a year where many students "come out of their shell," and win everyone over with their maturity and personal charm. 

    Kindergarten students who do not fall in the TK age range, can still be placed in either one these classrooms. Their needs will still be met because both types of classes use the Kindergarten Common Core Standards as their framework for all instruction. I hope you find this post helpful in understanding our classroom structure. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

     

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  • Back-To-School Night!

    Posted by Jessica Morten on 9/10/2015

    Hello and welcome to our kinderblog!

    Back to school night is an excellent opportunity to meet the teacher, and  learn about your child's school year. I look forward to meeting  I all parents and families this Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 5:30! 

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  • jog-a-thon

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 11/7/2013
    Tomorrow is the Martin Elementary Jog-A-Thon!
     
    dragon  hotdog football runner
     
    Our kindergarten class will be running laps in the Martin Elementary Jog-A-Thon this Friday, November 8, 2013 at 10:10 am. We will need parent volunteers to help check off the number of laps. Our class will be wearing red cards. 
     
    Please make sure to send your little jogger with a pair of comfortable running shoes. Students may also wear a Jog-A-Thon t-shirt and running shorts. We hope to see you there!!!!
     
     
     
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  • Pumpkin Science

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 10/25/2013
    All about Pumpkins!!!!!
     
    Pumpkins are fruit
    Pumpkins grow on vines
    Pumpkins can be big or small 
    Some pumpkins have bumps and stripes
    Pumpkins can be orange, yellow, green, red, white 
     
     
    Students tested different types of pumpkins to see if they would sink or float. Prior to testing them, students made predictions and explained their reasoning using the analyze it, claim it, prove it method to support their language development.
     
    float  
     
     
    We read the book, Pumpkin Jack and discussed the life cycle of a pumpkin: seed, seedling, plant, yellow flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin.
     
     
    We were inspired by the book and put soil inside a pumpkin along with water and sunlight.  It took about 13 days for the first seedling sprout. Today is day 15, and we observed 10 seedlings, one has two leaves. We also observed that the orange pumpkin is beginning to mold and rot. It is very exciting to observe the beginning and ending of life cycles simultaneously.
     
     
     smartboardpump     pumpkinsprouts
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  • Aquarium of the Pacific

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 5/28/2013
    We are so excited for the kindergarten field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach! We have been reading stories and learning about living and non-living things that come from the ocean. Naturally, our students have been very enthusiastic about the ocean animals. At the aquarium, I am expecting our Carver scholars to recognize many of the sea animals and speak in complete sentences using the ocean vocabulary learned in class such as, dorsal fin, caudal fin, pectoral fin, gills, scales, predator, prey, mammal, pinniped, choral, habitat, etc. We will also be adding to our Ocean Reports the new information we learn on the field trip. Students will be expected to make observations about animal habitats, and to ask questions to experts.
     
     
    This will also be an exciting experience for many of our students because  it will be their first time on a school bus. Please remember to send your kindergarten scholar in a red shirt. We will be leaving Carver Elementary at 8:00 am. We aim to be back on school campus at around 1:00 pm. Students will be eating lunch at the aquarium. We are going to have a great time. Photographs to come! Feel free to visit the website to learn more about the Aquarium:
     
    http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/education
     
    sting  
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  • Open House!

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 4/16/2013
    invite
     
     
    You are invited to Mrs. Morten's Kindergarten Class Open House. This is an excellent opportunity for you to see what your child has been learning this school year. It is also great for parents with younger siblings to see what we accomplish in kindergarten, so you can best prepare your child for their academic and social future. Please feel free to bring the family and friends.  I look forward to seeing you this Thursday,  April, 2013! 
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Mrs. Morten 
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  • 100th day of school!

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 2/12/2013

    Happy 100th day of Kindergarten!

     
     
     
     100
     
     
     
     
    I can't believe that today was the 100th day of school. It has been such an awesome year and we have a terrific class. The 100th day of school has always been one of my favorite days of teaching and learning. As a class, we celebrate 100 days of being together by completing a variety of number and mathematical related-activities. All of our 100 day activities were academic and rigourous for our kindergarten students. We wrote in our journals about our 100th day wishes: "On the 100th day of school I wish for 100________________." They wrote their wishes on their own wishing star. Students counted and collected 100 edible items. Many students brought their own 100 items from home to count as well. We practiced writing the numbers on a number chart and highlighted the tens, fives, and twos. We made 100th day crowns. Each student even received their own large construction paper $100 bill to remember this very special day.  I had to clarify to our students that today was not the last day of kindergarten because we still have plenty of learning left to do over the next 80 days. 
     
     
     
    Here are some things we will be learning over the next 80 days:
    • Read 30+ high frequency words 
    • Sound out consonant vowel consonant words e.g. hat, dog, met, rug, pig
    • Write a complete sentence independently beginning with an uppercase letter, appropriate spacing, and ending punctuation
    • Count, recognize, and write numbers 0-30
     
     
    Help your scholar master these concepts at home; practice reading and spelling the high frequency words, and reviewing numbers everyday. 
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  • The Wind

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 1/15/2013
    wind
     
     
    We are currently reading stories an studying the wind. In our expository text we learned:
    • A gentle wind is called a breeze 
    • There can be cold and/or warm wind
    • The wind can move whisps of clouds
    • The wind can carry pollen from a flower
    • The wind can wear away rocks
    • Storms have strong winds: hurricane, tornado, dust storm, blizzard
     
    Please feel free to bring or create something that needs wind e.g. pinwheel, kite, wind chime, parachute, balloon, sailboat, wind instrument. 
     
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  • Parent Conferences

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 12/10/2012

    Parent conferences begin Friday, December 14th!

     
    meeting  
     
    I want all my students to have a very happy and successful school year in Kindergarten. We can all make this happen! I would like to have the opportunity to meet with all my students’ families in a one-on-one parent conference.  In our parent conference, we will be discussing your child’s academic progress up to this point in the school year. This is a time for us to set individualized goals to help your child meet the standards of the kindergarten curriculum. Each conference will be about 20 minutes. The school will be providing translators. However, you are more than welcome to bring someone to translate. I will be sending out additional forms for everyone to verify the time and date of our scheduled conference. If you need to reschedule, please contact me Mrs. Morten I am looking forward to meeting you!

     

     

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  • Common Core

    Posted by Mrs. Morten on 11/13/2012 3:00:00 PM
     
    Thanksgiving
     
     
    One of the most delicious holidays of the year is coming up and so our kindergartens have been learning all about this annual American tradition, Thanksgiving. Our first Kindergarten Common Core unit explores how "Working together helps us with our needs." This Big Idea connects our students to their understanding of how the Pilgrims and Wampanoag worked together to create a community.
     
    Our kindergarten students have been learning to collaborate in "elbow groups."  In order to complete all assigned tasks students must do their role/job.  In one activity, students identified pictures that Wampanoag and Pilgrms harvested, planted, or hunted.
     
    map
     
    Mrs. Morten created a map to show how the Pilgrims traveled to America. This map was created in front of the students so they could experience the story.
    sort  
     
     This was a guided activity to help students understand the different things the Wampanoag and Pilgrims hunted, gathered, or planted.
     
    pilgrim writing  
     
     
    pilgrim  
     
     Students labeled the clothing of a pilgrim. They also wrote "This is a pilgrim." 
     
     
     double bubble
     
     
    Our class shared how the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims were alike and different. I wrote their ideas on this double bubble thinking map.  
     
     
     
     
     
     
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