The last 26 Days of Kindergarten- "A" Day

Today we started our countdown of the last 26 days of Kindergarten. Today was "A" day- Art day. We read the book, The Night Before Kindergarten and painted our own summer vacation plans. At the end of the day, the entire Kindergarten got together to color together in the hall- A day was a hit!






Tomorrow is "B" Day- Bubble day!

Kindergarten Informational Non-Fiction Report Writing & FREEBIE offer

Twice a year my Kindergarteners conduct research on animals and write their own animal report. I give my class a choice for the first animal report; Arctic, farm, jungle, or zoo. This year my kiddos chose arctic animals for their first report. Then, in the spring we conduct research on ocean animals.

Report Example: Arctic Animals
I like to use the same format for both reports. When it comes to doing their spring report on ocean animals they are a pro at it and know just what to do! I created report writing templates for my students to use when completing their reports. They have so much fun while doing so and learn a ton of information!
Report Example: Ocean Animals
Non-fiction report writing has motivated my students to want to learn more and more facts about various animals. My students are very proud of their reports and take great ownership in them.

The following are the animal report writing units I have created:
I have also bundled all of these units:
FREEBIE OFFER:
Like what you see? I am offering your choice of one of these report packs for free (excluding the Bundle pack). All you have to do is the following:
  1. Blog about this post
  2. Follow me on Facebook
  3. Follow me on Pinterest
  4. Follow my TPT/TN store
  5. Leave a comment
  6. Finally email me at dmastand@hotmail.com with your blog post link, name on Pinterest & report writing pack of your choice :-)
Click the following to check these out:

Click on the link below to visit Kindergarten Works Show and Tell for more great Kindergarten ideas!

KindergartenWorks

Five for Friday- Earth Day, Animal Reports & More!

Linking up with Doodle Bugs- Five for Friday

Ahhhh...It's Friday! This week sure did fly by. Next Tuesday begins our ABC countdown- The last 26 days of Kindergarten. You think my kiddos would be excited, instead they are a bit sad to start. They told me they want to skip Z day (Zip up your bags and Zoom home for a wonderful summer). They say they will miss Kindergarten soooo much- Too cute! :-)

This week we have continued to journal our observations in our butterfly journals- We are getting a bit impatient waiting for our butterflies to emerge!
 
We learned all about the three R's- Recycling, Reducing, & Reusing. Now my Kindergarteners want to recycle EVERYTHING & ANYTHING!
If you like these Earth Day headbands- Grab them here FREE for next year!
 
We just had to add a recycling poem to our poetry notebooks
Our sunflower seeds started to grow- Time to take them home to plant!
Next week we will start our vegetable/fruit plant unit- Sprouting seeds in a glove.
We have also been working on our non-fiction animal reports- Check out the detail in this picture!
 
Animal habitats were due and look amazing!
And finally we ended our week with a nice cold popsicle!

Plant Reports- Sprouting Seeds in a Glove!

I usually dedicate the months of April and May to doing many non-fiction activities with my class. We do a lot with plants, insects & animals during these months. Last week we planted sunflower seeds. Next week, we will be sprouting our fruit and veggie seeds in food handler gloves. I am lucky enough to be one of the few classrooms in my school that has windows. Although these windows are at the top of the ceiling and we can't see out of them, the sunlight that shines through makes having these windows well worth it! Plus I get to use my windows for sprouting seeds- can't beat that!

We will be using the scientific method to complete our plant reports. If you would like a "kid friendly" way to teach the scientific method as well as complete non-fiction plant reports then this unit may be just what you need! This plant unit is more than just report writing. There is a seed tracking journal to track the progress of the sprouting seeds, a life cycle page, seed diagram, fruit/vegetable fact sheets, and much more!

The seeds featured in this unit are lettuce, tomato, pumpkin, radish, & carrot seeds. If you purchase this plant report unit and are interested in planting a different type of seed just email me and I will change the glove analysis and journal pages to reflect your choice of seeds.

A few pictures of the plant report from one of my Kindergarten students from last year:
 
Click on any of the pictures to below to check out this plant report unit. 

You can view this product here:
TPT  
 
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Be sure to download my scientific method poster freebie here:
Scientific method poster set

Let's Get Acquainted Linky- Favorite Classroom Area

Every Sunday Latoya from Flying into First Grade hosts her Let's Get Acquainted Linky with a new topic to blog about.

This weeks topic is favorite classroom areas. If you are like me, you spend countless hours setting up your classroom each school year and making it as cozy, fun, and educational as possible. I often spend waaaay too much money every summer on things for my classroom. I swear if I buy anything else my principal may not hire me back!! I must admit I have a ton of stuff in my classroom (can we say HORDER), but hey it's Kindergarten so why not!

I did decide that this summer I would do things differently- No more buying anything for the physical environment of my classroom, but instead I will spend my money on resources for the classroom. I want to redo my classroom centers for math and reading. With the implementation of the Common Core Standards, I plan to amp up my centers to align with them. If you have any good center ideas please send them my way!

Okay, enough of my rambling, back to the linky...

Favorite Classroom Area #1
My ultimate favorite- My classroom library (my pride and joy!!)
Favorite Classroom Area #2
 Quiet Reading Area with mini recliners (love those recliners!)
 
Favorite Classroom Area #3
 Science Wall
(If anyone is interested in the posters on my science wall- Grab them here for free :-)
*Scientific Method Posters
*Five Senses Posters
  
 
Be sure to head on over to Flying into First Grade's Blog and Link up!
 
 
If you are interested in winning an awesome bundle filled with super products from great bloggers head on over to Forkin 4th's blog and enter to win!