a little tlc...

How cute are Kindergartener's pictures? 

Mrs. Smith's kinder friends made the cutest pigs and cows!! 

This was a TLC Directed Art Lesson.  The students are given squares and retangle to create pictures.  The students learn to cut and design their pictures from the directions their teacher gives.  All the students are given the same materials and the same directions.  It is so fun to see how different the creations are.  This is an awesome program we use especially in kindergarten to help students with eye-hand coordination, learning shapes and following directions.  For more information about TLC, go to tlclessons.com.

  

We also love our hats... check out these cute cow hats!!

Mrs. Vaughn's kiddos looking good!!

the pumpkin patch...

 Kindergarten went on a field trip.  Where?  THE PUMPKIN PATCH OF COURSE!!!  We love going to the pumpkin patch.  This pumpkin patch has animals you can actually touch, a hayride, pig shows and pumpkins!

turkeys...

friends...

smiles...

cows...

animals...

pigs...

ducks...

We had a GREAT day!!

we do love our parades...

At JAV, we do like our parades!!

We like watching parades as much as being in our parades!!

Community Helper Parades...

the Kindergarten Rodeo parade...

the Polar Express parade...

the Cinco De Mayo parade...

We line the halls all around the school. 

We play loud music to march to.

WE DO LOVE OUR PARADES!!

we love our handprints & hats...

Mrs. Smith's class makes handprint ghosts!!!

Mrs. Vaughn"s and Mrs. Benesch's class make the ships the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria from their handprints while studying about Christopher Columbus!

We do love, love, love our hats!!  We make hats for EVERYTHING!!

Mrs. Vaughn's class makes -at family hats!  BATS!

Cow hats!!

Abraham Lincoln hats!!

Braden Washington

Lots of Washinton hats!!

first steps

In math, we have been really building our student's number sense.  

It has been a combination of "first steps."  We are actually implementing the First Steps' ideas on how each math task builds on each other.  

We use LOTS of hands on!!!!  

We are doing Guided Math to teach our objectives in math.  We use 3 to 4 stations and a teacher table!  WOW!! What you learn at the teacher table!!

This is our weekly schedule for our guided math groups.  

Unlike guided reading, the groups are not leveled.  They are a good mix of low, medium and high abilities.  This allows the student who might be struggling to be able to learn from their peers. 

  

Here is the form that we use to organize our weekly groups.  It has been great for documenting which students mastered the objective, what troubles they might be having and super for RTI.  It is great for knowing which kiddos need re-teaching.  I number my students, so I don't have to write or insert their names each week (or each year.)  You can find this form for free to download on our TpT account.  You can link to our pages from our TpT button.

We will post some of the stations that have been so effective! 

lindsey...
currently teaching kinder!

This year in Kindergarten, the classes are full!!!  With 22 students, busy is an understatement.  Lindsey is married to a sweetie, Carr and they have a new baby, CQ.  (absolutely the cutest baby ever!)  This is her 6th year to teach with all her experience in Kinder and 1st. 

lauren...
looped up to 1st!

This is Lauren's 2nd year with her kiddos.  Lauren has been teaching 3 years, with Kinder, 1st and 2nd grade experience.  She is dating a real keeper, Mark!
We all approve! 

and me, dana...
also looping to 1st!

This is my 13th year to teach.  I have 7 years of 3rd grade experience and the rest in Kinder and 1st.  I love looping!  I also get to teach with these 2 wonderful teachers.  I feel so blessed.  (All our Kinder and 1st grade teachers at JAV are awesome!!)  I am also Lindsey's mom!  It is a unique arrangement & it has worked wonderfully.  I have been married to my college sweetheart, Alex for 30 years.  And yes, I do have the cutest grandbaby ever!

We are excited about sharing our experiences with "looping."  We are also going to share what lessons have worked for us, not worked, those really funny times and best of all, those WOW moments.  Hope you enjoy.

our kids...

Well, we are Kindergarten/1st grade looping teachers!  

We have these cutie-pies for 2 years!!  

We have so much fun seeing our kiddos grow up.  

They come to us babies and grow up into "mature" 2nd graders!!  

We want to share our experiences.  

We hope that as teachers, we can all learn from each other.

We love planning activities that involve our classes.  

We love to sing, dance, play and learn together.  

We learn to respect and care for others.  

Our principal is awesome!  He loves knowing our kids personally.  

Mr. Chambers reading to Mrs. Vaughn's 1st grade class.

Ms. Benesch's class ready to work in their math journals.