Welcome to
Curriculum Night!
Hammond Elementary
Kindergarten
2013-2014
Learning throughout the day
in different ways:
 Daily 5/ Literacy Centers – Read to self, read to someone,
word work, listening, and work on writing.
 Whole group - The entire class is involved in the same
lesson at the same time.
 Small group with Teacher – 3 to 5 students working with
the teacher on specific skills at their level.
 Individual – One student working with the teacher, aide or
volunteer on a specific skill.
Ask your child what activities they did for the day. You might
get a more specific response than just “I played”.
Literacy Block
Daily 5/Literacy
Centers
•Read to Self
•Word Work
•Listen to Reading
•Work on Writing
•Read to Someone
What is my child learning in
Daily 5 and Literacy Centers...
Read to Self:
The best way for your child to become a better reader is to
practice each day. Your child will practice with books
he/she chooses, on his/her just right reading level.
Read to Someone:
Reading to someone allows time for your child to practice
reading strategies, work on fluency and expression, and
checking for understanding. Your child can hear his/her
own voice and share in the learning community.
Listen to Reading:
When your child listens to reading, he/she can hear
examples of good literature and fluent reading. Your child
learns more words, thus expanding his/her vocabulary and
becoming a better reader.
What is my child learning in Daily 5
and Literacy Centers?
Work on Writing
The best way for your child to become a better writer is to practice
each day. Your child will practice sentence structure, Modern
Manuscript (which the district has switched to), and learning writing
conventions.
Word Work
Word work allows your child to have hands on activities to practice
with the alphabet and high frequency words.
**If you notice your child is NOT coming home with worksheets or
papers, it is because many of our activities are hands on thru games,
technology, white boards, or kept in a folder at school.
Kindergarten Sight Words
Sight words are words children recognize
instantly because of repeated exposure. Please
practice these words at least 3 times a week to
help your child develop a large sight word
vocabulary.
Ideas for learning sight words: MyON online
books, www.starfall.com, and You-Tube sight
word videos.
Daily Writing
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Writing is an essential part of your child’s development. Since
all students enter kindergarten with their own writing abilities,
the skills taught during reading instruction will aid students in
their writing process. Students will participate daily in Writer’s
Workshop where they will learn what writer’s should do.
In kindergarten, students will be given a Writing Journal in
which they will write everyday.
Research has shown that writing skills develop in a predictable
order:
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Pictures
Approximations
Random Letters
Initial Consonants
Initial and Final Consonants
Vowel/Consonant Combinations
Words (all syllables present)
Standard Spelling
Math
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Calendar
Count, read, and write sets to 20
Generate and compare sets to 20
Graphing
Geometry
Numbers to 100
Estimation
Compose & Decompose Numbers
Add/Subtract
Word problems
Measurement
Personal Finance
Why are we going deep in
teaching Number Sense?
 The math curriculum is a sequential hands-on approach.
It begins with basic concepts and develops into higher
level thinking skills. Real life scenarios are also
incorporated through story problems. Students are
allowed to work with many different types of
manipulatives to reinforce the concepts learned. It is
our goal to promote lifelong problem solving skills as we
encourage the children to explain their “thinking”.
FAIR Testing
FAIR testing is a state of Florida test.
All students will be tested individually using the
FAIR testing criteria. FAIR testing has almost
been complete by all Kindergarten students. The
test measures letter knowledge, letter sounds,
blending, listening comprehension, vocabulary.
The FAIR test is administered a total of 3 times.
On the final FAIR test students will be asked to
read a passage. Questions will be asked after the
passage is read to check comprehension.
Science
 Scientific Concepts
 Scientific Process Skills
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Becoming a Scientist
Matter
Energy
Weather
Space
Force and Motion
Living and Non-living
Earth Science
Plants
Natural Resources
Animals
Social Studies
Rules and the purpose for rules
All About Me!
Basic Human Needs
Community Helpers
Holiday Customs and Traditions
Patriotic Symbols & Patriotic Holidays
Landforms
Technology
Problem Solving
Historical Figures
Maps and Globes
Technology
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The children are exposed to technology in the classroom to
reinforce concepts learned. The Internet provides
opportunities to explore interesting topics and to promote
research. Each kindergarten class will visit the computer lab
weekly. Each kindergarten classroom also has 2 student
computers and printer access. We also have the use of the
Smartboard Technology and online learning access through:
www.myon.com (for Reading)
****MyON can be accessed from your home.
User Name: Child’s student #
(Lunch Number)
Password: month/year of birth (Ex: 062007)
Testing
 FAIR
October, January, April
 DRA Developmental Reading Assessment
(Administered as needed to check reading levels)
****End of Year Math and Science tests
administered in May.
Our Classroom Community
 Our classroom is a community. In our
community, we have rules to help us get
along with one another.
 Our class rules are:
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Listen & follow directions
Keep hands, feet, & objects to yourself
Work together, get along, & show respect
Small Voices inside…. Tall voices outside
Discipline
Blue: EXCELLENT Day!!!
Green: Great day!
Yellow: Oops! Warning (5 minutes off recess)
Red: Extended Time-Out (Email or Call home)
Rewards:
 Daily Praise
 Sticker or a stamp
 Free Choice/ Free Time
 Treasure Box
You will find the behavior chart in the daily folder.
****INITIAL DAILY the behavior calendar!!!
Kindergarten Odds & Ends…..
Snack…A snack time will be offered to students during our
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afternoon time. There will no longer be a snack on early release Mondays due to
time constraints. Please look to the snack calendar for your child’s snack day.
Fine Motor Skills…..Please work with your child on
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fine motor skills. Let your child use scissors, play with clay or playdoh to build
those fine motor muscles in their hands.
Edsby….
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Kindergarten will not be posting grades on Edsby.
Kindergarten is for the most part the “big picture” and NOT grades. We look
at the “whole child” when marking the report card. For now, Edsby will not
show grades of any kind for our kindergarten students.
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Classroom Websites…Will keep you
updated on important events and
information!
Kindergarten Homework
We highly encourage that you read to or with your child every
night. The students will have a homework packet weekly. The
packet will go home on Fridays or whatever day is the last day
of that week. The homework packet will be due the following
Friday completed. This allows for you to choose the time that
you want to work on the homework throughout the week
according to your own schedule.
In addition to the homework packet, we are highly encouraging the
following websites to enhance your child’s learning experiences
in the classroom: www.starfall.com, www.myon.com, and
www.thinkcentral.com.
These skills will lay a great foundation for your child’s
ongoing education. We appreciate your partnership in
your child’s learning.
Weekly/ Occasional Items
Family Projects: Most months this year your child
will have a “family project” that you can work on
together at home. Due dates will be on the
projects.
Guided Reading Books/ Book Bags: Each child will
bring home leveled library books that are to be
read at home and returned to school.
Library Books: We go to the library weekly.
www.myon.com is to be used when no
book is brought home.
Field Trips
 Two field trips will be scheduled throughout the
year. Chaperones will be needed. Please get your
SERVE forms completed and approved as soon as
possible. It takes approximately 2 weeks to get
these back. We will tell you the dates as soon as
specific arrangements have been made.
 Please remember that field trips are a special
learning experience for our kindergarten
students. Therefore, we ask that no siblings
attend our field trips.
Communication Between
Home and School
Daily Folders
Monthly Newsletters
Conferences
Phone calls, notes
Email is the best way to contact me during
school hours
 Kindergarten website
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Thank You!
 Communicate with your child’s
teacher!!!
 Look in your child’s daily folder or
planner EVERY night. Look at
the behavior. Initial every night.
 Support our school through PTA!
 Become involved at Hammond!
Questions? Comments?
Check the kindergarten website- it
has a lot of valuable information.
Leave any questions or comments in our Kindergarten Parking
Lot in the back of the room. We will work on the answers
for you and send them out in the next newsletter. If the
question only pertains to your situation, you can leave your
contact information so we can call or email you.
Let’s Have a Great Year!