ChristinaH+Letter

October 2011 Dear Parents,

The students in kindergarten are very excited to begin their first Interactive Multimedia Project (IMP) this week. In the next couple of days I will be introducing the students to the books __I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly__ and __I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell__. We will be comparing and contrasting these two stories by discussing the characters, setting, and similarities and differences. The children will get into groups and create their own version of this type of story. They will use learn how to use digital cameras, Itouches, and the computer to create their final story. These stories will then be uploaded to our classroom website and YouTube for everyone to enjoy.

Building an Interactive Multimedia Project for Social Studies requires patience and persistence as students learn and apply new skills. By using various multimedia tools in this project, students will “use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers,” which is one of the kindergarten Common Core Standards.

As a class, we will follow the below timeline. This timeline will allow for us to showcase our final projects during our Fall Party at the end of the month. Since we do not give grades in kindergarten, your child will be assessed on the following standards for their standards based report card.

** K.RL.1 ** With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. ** K.RL.2 ** With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details. ** K.RL.3 ** With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. ** K.RL.6 ** With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story. ** K.RL.9 ** With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in   familiar stories. ** K.RL.10 ** Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. ** K.W.7 ** Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite  author and express opinions about them). ** K.SL.6 ** Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
 * K.W.6 ** With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers.
 * K.SL.2 ** Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Sincerely, Mrs. Herring