Pigs!

Pigs! Who would have known we could learn so many interesting facts about this animal! Here are a few of our favorite fun facts.

"Big Ideas" from Nancy Carlson

Recently we did an author's study on Nancy Carlson. Nancy is a Minnesota author who writes about interesting animal characters like Loud Mouth George, Arnie, Henry, Harriet, and many more. Nancy's funny stories are not only entertaining, but also teach us a lesson. As we read Nancy's books, we focused on main idea and charted all the "big ideas" we gleaned from Nancy's books. Next we found Nancy's drawing lessons online and made our own illustrations just like Nancy. Using the iPad, we took pictures of our drawings and added our voice to share our favorite "big idea" from the books. Thank you, Nancy, for teaching us a great deal about writing, illustrating, and life!

Aloha from Hawaii

Our trip to Hawaii was hot, fun, and filled with adventure. We loved our plane ride that even had a pilot guiding us. Our snack on board and stations in Hawaii were a hit. Later we enjoyed visiting 2 other Hawaiian islands where we learned how to do the hula and surf. Some highlights from our kindergarten spring break are below. 

Our Bird Mental Images

Ms. Hanus helped us learn that strong readers make mental images while reading. We recently read the book Birds by Kevin Henkes and found ourselves making many mental images while listening to the story.

Next we used the iPad app "Drawing Pad" to help us illustrate those strong metal images. Sharing these mental images helped us understand the story.

Our Bear Songs with Songify

After researching bears in books, magazines, and online, we worked in collaborative groups to share our learning. Next we used the app Songify to share our favorite facts and turn our words into a song! Take a listen!

listen to ‘Bear Fun Facts’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘Where bears live’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘Kinds of Bears’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘What bears look like’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘What bears eat’ on audioBoom

Our Jungle Drawings

Have you checked out your kindergartner's art on Artsonia.com? An info sheet was sent home from art class earlier in the year, but you can also go to www.artsonia.com and search Annandale Elementary to find our kindergarten projects. You can purchase many great gifts displaying your child's artwork. Take a peek at our jungle drawings that you can find on Artsonia.

Valentine's Day 2015

There is nothing better than spending Valentine's Day in Kindergarten! Love is definitely abounding. We were so proud of our monster Valentine boxes and made awesome "heart maps" to label all the things that fill our heart.



Valentine's Day 2015 from Katie Zuehlke on Vimeo.