What a Kindergartener Wonders About

As I go through the hallways delivering birthday pencils, I often get to see wonderful examples of students' work. I recently noticed the kindergartners had some great things they wonder about. How would you answer them? What do you wonder about?

Here's some examples:

Sometimes I wonder...

why the sun is made of fire
why my dad goes to a golf course to work
when I can make brownies with my mom
about all kinds of dinosaurs
why my friend moved to Michigan
about how to plant a garden and water it
about John Deere tractors
about my new friend at school
how our world got started
why shirts have different things on them
when I'll hold my bunny again
why there is so much room up in the sky
why there are cracks in the sidewalk
when I'll have a picnic at the zoo again
about my imaginary friends
what my brother is doing
who I will make friends with at school
how fish can hold their breath for so long in water
about butterflies and where they fly
why snow melts in the summer
why my dogs lick me so much
how a rainbow is made with so many colors
where everyone goes when they leave the classroom at the end of the day
why dinosaurs do not live with us now
how the clouds float in the sky
how fish grow under water
what it would be like to ride a real horse
how my grandpa know so much about gadgets
how a star stays up in the sky at night
if I could build a rocketship with Legos
how sharks live and breathe under water
if my brother will take me for a ride in his car
why clouds look like cotton candy, but are only made of water
how birds stay up in the air
if monsters are coming in my room at night
how birds fly so high in the sky
how people make balloon animals
why my sister goes to a different school
how muscles are made
why dogs sniff each other
how to take care of dogs
how crystals in caves are made
why trees fall down
what my teacher does at school when I go home
how to weigh things
what to play after school
how cars go so fast on the race track
how tv works
how heros get their powers
what my cousins are doing
how airplanes fly
how to spell words
when I will get my new puppy
what it is like to fly the airplane
how my brain works
when I will get to eat candy
if people have stayed in space
how the earth was made
how plants grow

In school, it is important to learn how to read and write, but it is just as important that we be ready to help kids find the answers to what they wonder about.

Have a geat summer break!

Mr. Hoppy is taking the summer off. Have a great break and make sure you are reading every day!

Clifford Writes a How-To Book

Mr. Hoppy's good friend, Clifford the Big Red Dog, has been hard at work writing in Mrs. Wilson's Kindergarten class. This week he wrote 'How to Catch a Leprechaun.' He even tried to catch one himself! Unfortunatley, Clifford fell asleep and missed the leprechaun. The good news is the leprechaun left a How-to book for Clifford. 'How to Evade Capture' might give Clifford some good tips for next St. Patricks Day.

Writing How-To books is a very impotant part of the writing process for young writers. Clifford and his friends in Kindergarten write How-to books (also called procedural writing) to help them write with more clarity, sequence, explicit detail, and with the needs of the audience foremost in their minds.

Kids write about everything from making paper airplanes to making pancakes to carving a pumpkin. Think of the last time you had to explain how something was made and how you explained it to people. It's not so easy sometimes. By building this skill and by building the complexity of the skill over the years, our students are becoming much better writers.

'How to Catch A Leprechaun' by Clifford
1. First, build a leprechaun trap.
2. Next, get the leprechaun to come close by leaving out some food.
3. Last, ask the leprechaun if you can keep the gold.

'How to Evade Capture' by the Leprechaun

1.First, be alert to your surroundings. Notice potential hazards like leprechaun traps with watchdogs

2. Next, if you find food inside the trap, carefully remove it without triggering the trap door. DO NOT WAKE UP THE SLEEPING WATCHDOG!

3. Last, enjoy your tasty treat. As you make your speedy getaway, try not to spill the gold.