Digital Learning in Middleton: Kindergarten

Showing posts with label Kindergarten. Show all posts

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Kindergarten STEM project - January edition

Get ready to slide into science! Our junior engineers are taking on the Great Sled Challenge, where they’ll design and build custom ramps to see whose sled can travel the farthest across the finish line. By experimenting with different materials and slopes, students will explore the basics of physics—specifically how the height of their ramp changes the distance their sled travels. We’ll be grabbing our rulers to measure every record-breaking jump, turning our classroom into a winter laboratory of gravity, friction, and high-speed fun!

STEM Concepts We're Exploring

Gravity: Learning what pulls the sled down the hill.

Slope: Seeing if a steeper ramp makes a faster ride.

Measurement: Using tools to track height (inches/cm) and distance (feet/meters).

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Fuller Meadow Digital Happenings: Kindergarten Meteorologists, Lexia for ELA skills and Math Fact Lab for math fact fluency

Hello everyone! Today, we're meteorologists! We're going to talk about severe weather, like thunderstorms and tornadoes, using our cool green screen by DoInk. We've researched severe weather and how you can prepare for it. Thunderstorms have loud sounds and bright flashes of lightning, but we stay safe indoors until they pass. Tornadoes are very strong winds that spin in a circle. They can be scary, so it's important to know what to do if one comes near us. Let's learn more about weather and how to stay safe together!

In this engaging project-based learning (PBL) lesson, kindergarten students became meteorologists. They explored extreme weather and how it affects people and communities, aligning with Massachusetts science standard K-ESS3-2. Through hands-on activities, they investigated different types of extreme weather, such as hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and thunderstorms, and learned how to stay safe during these events. Using creative storytelling and technology, students scripted and recorded their own weather reports in front of a green screen, bringing their learning to life as they "broadcasted" from different weather conditions. This immersive experience fosters curiosity, collaboration, and communication skills while building foundational science knowledge in a fun and meaningful way.

Watch our Kindergarten meteorologists in Mrs. Newton's class.

Students in Kindergarten - 3rd grade in Middleton Schools use Lexia. Lexia is a valuable tool for lower elementary students, providing personalized, adaptive literacy instruction that supports foundational reading skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Its game-like activities engage young learners while offering targeted practice and immediate feedback. Teachers benefit from real-time data that helps them monitor progress and provide individualized support. Lexia’s structured approach ensures that students build essential literacy skills at their own pace, making it an effective supplement to classroom instruction.

Our students in grades 1-5 are using the fun digital math program "Math Fact Lab" to practice thier math fact fluency. Math Fact Lab is a digital program designed to help elementary students build fluency in math facts through engaging, research-based activities. It provides a structured, scaffolded approach that moves students beyond rote memorization by focusing on number sense and strategy-based learning. The program offers adaptive practice tailored to individual skill levels, ensuring that students receive the right level of challenge and support. With visual models, interactive exercises, and real-time feedback, Math Fact Lab makes fact practice more engaging and effective, helping students gain confidence and accuracy in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Monday, April 1, 2024

STEM in Kindergarten

In our kindergarten classes, our students engage in hands-on STEM activities. In March, we had the challenge of constructing bridges capable of supporting a cup filled with shiny pennies. Armed with colorful pipe cleaners, clay, and an abundance of creativity, these budding engineers delved into the realms of science, technology, engineering, and math. With giggles and determination, they experimented with different designs, applying basic principles of balance and stability. Through trial and error, they learned the importance of structural integrity and problem-solving, all while fostering a love for STEM that will undoubtedly shape their future endeavors. As their bridges took shape, so did their confidence, as they celebrated each success and embraced each setback as an opportunity to learn and grow. Indeed, in our classrooms, the foundations of innovation are being laid, one cup of pennies at a time.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Kindergarten Meteorologists

Massachusetts Science Technology and Engineering Learning Standards Kindergarten: Earth and Space Sciences K-ESS3-2. Obtain and use information about weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, different types of local weather. ISTE standards for students

Friday, December 8, 2023

Chatterpix for Teddy Bear Day in Kindergarten

Chatterpix is an engaging and innovative digital app that can add a delightful twist to any classroom activity. Today, we used the app during Teddy Bear Day in Mrs. Newton's Kindergarten classroom. With Chatterpix, students brought their teddy bears to life by animating them through the magic of technology. Working together, we captured a photo of their beloved teddy bears, and with the user-friendly interface, easily added animated mouths and the students' voices to make their bears "talk." This activity not only fosters creativity and imagination but also enhances early language development as students practice storytelling and communication skills. As they shareed their animated teddy bear tales with classmates, Chatterpix transformed Teddy Bear Day into an interactive and memorable learning experience, blending technology with the warmth of cherished teddy bear companions.

The Massachusetts Common Core Standards describe the integration of technology into lessons as "New technologies have broadened and expanded the role that speaking and listening play in acquiring and sharing knowledge and have tightened their link to other forms of communication. Digital texts confront students with the potential for continually updated content and dynamically changing combinations of words, graphics, images, hyperlinks, and embedded video and audio."

Common Core Standard for Grade K: SL. K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

STEAM projects in Kindergarten

Spring has sprung in Kindergarten at Fuller Meadow School. Students in Mrs. Halligan's and Mrs. Newton's classes were given these challenges:

Your peep needs to be kept safe from predators on the ground. Construct a nest that will hold a peep. The nest must be at least 10 snap cubes high and placed over the open end of a cup.

Build a bird nest to fit 2 eggs and balance the nest in a tree.

Teachers followed these guidelines to engage their students in this STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) project.

What materials will you use to build your project?

Small plastic cups, large plastic cups, half pipe cleaners, large toothpicks, unifix / linking cubes. Nest building project: popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, aluminum foil, straws, index card, clay.

Plan and draw a picture of your project design.

Create your project.

Mrs. Newton's Class

Mrs. Halligan's Class

Test - Place your nest on top of the cup. Set your peeps in the nest. Can you make it higher?

Test - Place your eggs in the nest. Put the nest on a cup (tree). Do the eggs stay secure in the nest?

Draw your final project design below:

Reflect:

How many cubes high is my nest? ____________ cubes

How many peeps fit in my nest? ____________ peeps

Which part of my nest design worked well and why?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Which parts of my design did not work well and why?

Discussion questions: What is the purpose of a nest? How is your nest design similar to a real bird nest? What challenges did you face that real birds might face when building a nest? If you could design the ideal bird nest, what would it look like and how would it be useful to birds ? What other types of animals build nests and how are they different from bird nests?

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Using Skype for Pre-School Step Up Day

The Pre-School students at Howe Manning had a virtual Step Up Day with the Kindergarten students and teachers. Since we aren't physically in the same building, we used Skype to communicate and connect with each other.

The Pre-School students are a little nervous to go to Kindergarten. They wrote some questions to ask the Kindergarten students and teachers. They feel much better after having their questions answered.

Here are the questions:

1. How many colors do we need to use on projects?

2. What do you do in Kindergarten?

3. How long are we going to stay there?

4. Do we have rest time? 5. Do you have blocks in Kindergarten?

6. Do you have a schedule to look at?

7. How many toys do you have?

8. Do you have a job chart?

9. What color paints do you have?

10. Do you have a calendar?

We'd like to thank all of the teachers and students for taking the time to answer our questions.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

QR Codes in Kindergarten

Essential Question: How do I use letter names and sounds to form words?

Ms. Libby's Kindergarten students got a chance to use the iPads in their literacy class. They were given a lesson on how to use the iPads correctly, including how to carefully hold and use it. They learned how to access the apps on the iPad including the app, "QRafter" an app to read QR Codes.

In this lesson, students get the opportunity to practice CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word building while integrating technology.

This lesson features 8 CVC word task cards, covering all five vowels. The words included are: bat, bed, lid, log, sun, and cat.

Each of the task cards has a picture depicting one these words and the written word with a missing letter (except on the cards with the missing whole word - these are blank). Students use the picture and/or word clues to find the missing letter/word, then they write the answer on their recording sheet.

All cards are numbered for easy recording on the provided sheet. Once students have written their answers, they can self-check using the QR codes at the bottom of their cards!

All class lesson on how to do the activity.

QR Code Lesson

Student pairs rotated to eight stations, read the card and said the missing letter. Then, they used the app QRafter to read the QR code to find the missing letter and check to see if they had the correct answer. They wrote down the letter.

Massachusetts and Common Core Standards for ELA

RF. K. 2.Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

RF. K. 2.4 Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Thanksgiving at Fuller Meadow

"Why you don't want to eat me for Thanksgiving."

Students at Fuller Meadow School have had turkeys on the brain. When you walk down the hallways, you see turkeys that are in disguise, mathematical turkeys, poetic turkeys, and turkeys in tutus. I had the opportunity to help some of these turkeys TALK. In Kindergarten and 2nd Grade, students have been working on a very important project. Students worked with their family on designing a turkey that you won't want to eat, then they wrote about the turkey in the first person. In 1st grade, students worked on alliteration as well as improving their writing skills as they told what their turkey would do if he came to visit the student's home.

2nd Grade Project

Letter to 2nd Grade families about the Turkey Project.

To enhance the writing lesson and work on their speaking and presentation skills, we used the app 'Chatterpix' and 'iMovie' to make each turkey come to life. To start, Kindergarten and 2nd grade students created their picture with their family and wrote a few sentences explaining why they shouldn't be 'eaten' for Thanksgiving. In 1st grade, students made their turkeys at school. Then, Mrs. Baker used Chatterpix to record the student's voice. After the recording session, students reflected on the process.

Check out these Turkey Project videos

2nd Grade:

Mrs. Begin's 2nd Grade Class

Mrs. Kennedy's 2nd Grade Class

Mrs. Kennedy's Reader's Theater

Mrs. Kennedy's Class is Thankful for...

Mrs. Ochoa's 2nd Grade Class

Ms. Simonelli's 2nd Grade Class

Mrs. Vickerman's 2nd Grade Class

1st Grade:

Mrs. Anderson's Class Makes Butter

Mrs. Fuller's 1st Grade Class

Mrs. Fuller's Class gives a "Cranberry Challenge"

Mrs. Thomson's Kindergarten Class

Kindergarten

Mrs. Scharffenberg's 1st Grade Class

Mrs. Baker works in Scharffenberg's Class

Students reflected on the process of making their class video.

Common Core Standard for Grade 1: SL. 1.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Common Core Standard for Grade 2: SL. 2.5 for Language Arts states, " Students will Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings."

Digital Learning in Middleton

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