Finding our Rhythm

We are busy with the work of learning!  We are getting a real rhythm to our mornings, starting with a little social time and play, followed by 'line' time.  (You might call it circle time. . .  but we make a line - not a circle, so we call it line time!) While at line we greet each other with a little song, share or tell time, and practice our letters and sounds together.  We read our morning message and say the poem together.  I will tell you more about each of these components as we get further into the year.  At the end of line time, I go over any new work that I am introducing or review any activites that I want to draw the children's attention to.  At the conclusion of line, the snack person gets snack underway and we get to work!  We have established a nice morning work period, with most children being able to sustain their work and learning without direction.  Below are some of the activities that the children have been working on during this time.

These two are playing sight word memory.  It doesn't matter what level children are reading at because those who cannot yet read, can practice matching words by their letters.

Dog's Colorful Day.  Practicing following directions and retelling a story.

This child is playing Climb to the Top with beginning sight words.  This is another activity that is easily differentiated.  Those who are not yet reading can get handwriting practice while doing the activity

Practicing and reviewing initial sounds via a sort of sounds.

Matching picture and word cards and then writing the word down and drawing a picture to go with it.

Butterfly addition!  The child pulls two digits from the cup and places them on the equation mat.  The child then pulls the butterflies out of the basket with the tweezers (building hand strength) and puts them on the jungle mat.  Then starting with the largest digit, the child counts on to find the sum.  Once the sum is found, the child writes the equation and the sum on their record sheet.

So much work and learning getting done as we've settled into a rhythm for our day.