Writing Workshop September Books

This post will share with you the writing workshop book that I created for the month of September to use with my students.

This is the cover of my September writing workshop book. The cover is photocopied on purple paper. I like to have the covers of stories different colors each month to help me with the organization. The circle is for the students to number their stories(I got this idea from Mary Ellen Giacobbe). I love the suggestions Mary Ellen writes about for managing student folders too.

I do have my books stapled together. I put four or five lined pieces in a book. I like to start the year off with writing books. I know many teachers use journals. I don't use journals for writing workshop because I want my students always to be thinking about creating stories. 

This is stapled to the back of their book facing out (photocopied in black and white). I always want to get better at documenting where students are at. 

Of course, the first few months of school focuses on learning all the procedures that kids need to learn during workshop time. 

Below are my mini-lesson's for the start of September!

This summer I read the book What's Next For this Beginning Writer? By Janine Reid and Betty Schultze with Ulla Petersen. I know the idea of kids telling their story is not a new concept, but I love how the authors wrote, "If they can't say it, they can't write it!" One of my favorite mini-lessons from this book was teaching the 3 B's.  

Happy Writing!

Click Here to Download

Reading and Making Counting Books!

The first Investigation, I teach from my math curriculum book, is counting. The students explore many different hands-on stations giving them practice while counting. We also have a counting jar that's a year long station.  This year I plan to read a lot more counting books. I hope to have students create and publish a counting book.

Below are some lessons that connect to some familiar primary counting stories.

  I hope to post some counting songs and pocket chart stuff soon. 

You could give students precut black dots

color the cubes and make an illustration

The counting jar is a station that the students visit throughout the year. I do have a jar in the room, and the students count the different items. I just photocopy the pages to make a little book.

click here for the counting books

This book was new to me, and  I LOVE it! It is recommended from the book Teaching Preschool and Kindergarten Math by Ann Carlyle and Brenda Mercado. 
This book has a simple text with some excellent vocabulary words.
 I look forward to using some of the vocabulary words for our WOW word of the week.

I love the idea of having students create little-counting  books using thumbprints.
Ed Emberley's book is perfect to get ideas! You could also use pattern scrap paper for the little creatures. The illustrations are beautiful.

100 Days of Learning Journal!

I LOVE the idea of having a class diary that records 100 Days of learning! 

 Each day, you create a page in the class journal. I plan on creating pages together at large group time and then making it a class job. I listed below some ideas
I have to put in the journal.

If you scroll down you can find the Crayola site this great idea comes from!!
This is what I came up with for my class learning journal.

I bought this sketchbook at Michael's Craft store. It's a good size   11''X14". You can also find these books at AC Moore, both stores always run 40 percent off coupons each week and teachers get 15 percent too.

I used my Cricut machine to make the cover.

I love that this book has blank pages. They do sell smaller ones too. I have used the smaller ones for class journals. It has a sturdy hardcover.

                 What can we record in our Learning Journal?

 Number each day in big bold colors(Crayola idea)

record something about the number of the day(morning math time)

make an illustration from the class read aloud

let the illustrator of the day draw something they loved about the day
popular recess game
record the Open Circle lesson

record the weather

record the results of the survey question

a special activity

a math game played
use this book as a tool to go back to when making memory books
read all the pages on the 100 day

Starting the year, I plan on incorporating this journal 
into my writing workshop mini-lesson!

Interactive Writing Lesson
labeling Lesson
using Invented Spelling
making illustrations together 


I love this journal idea. 

 This book will be an excellent way to share with parents all of the learning taking place in kindergarten. 
Happy writing and drawing!

 Click below to get there!

Source: crayola.com via Joyful Learning in KC on Pinterest

How many in a handful?

The first math investigation, my, math curriculum focuses on, is counting.

I decided to create this small book of counting different objects.

When students record their answer, they can trace their hand and record.

After students have recorded a few objects the pages, then ask them to make a prediction and circle if their prediction was more or less.

I know predictions will be tricky for students, but I think it is an excellent way to talk about what a prediction is and the math vocabulary words of more and less.

Happy Counting!

How Many Handfuls