Kindergarten Morning Work

[ShaunaN]

Is the new Kindergarten Morning Work scheduled in the Curriculum Manual? I purchased my Kindergarten core back in February, so I did not receive the Morning Work book or Manners of the Week wall charts, and I don't see either mentioned in the CM. Was the CM updated when those products were released?

I think I remember reading that they were added for the classroom teachers to have some quiet work for students to do first thing in the morning. Any thoughts on how beneficial they would be in the homeschool setting? Would it be worth purchasing them (and an updated CM, if needed)? FWIW, I imagine all my children could benefit from a "manner of the week" 😉.

[enbateau]

We just finished K, and I know I would have loved to have the Morning Work pages. My guy loved to do worksheet-y things, and some of those tasks are not hit on anywhere else in the curriculum. If you look at the new sample of the MPK guide, both the manner of the week and the Morning Work book are scheduled. The latter is a Monday-Wednesday activity assigned by its corresponding week. So, for week 4, on Monday the student does worksheet 4.1, and on Wednesday, the student does 4.2. The nice thing is that the Morning Work book has the manner repeated at the bottom of the page to aid memory for the week.

[jen1134]

We just finished K, and I know I would have loved to have the Morning Work pages. My guy loved to do worksheet-y things, and some of those tasks are not hit on anywhere else in the curriculum. If you look at the new sample of the MPK guide, both the manner of the week and the Morning Work book are scheduled. The latter is a Monday-Wednesday activity assigned by its corresponding week. So, for week 4, on Monday the student does worksheet 4.1, and on Wednesday, the student does 4.2. The nice thing is that the Morning Work book has the manner repeated at the bottom of the page to aid memory for the week.

I was going to skip this one…can you share what items it covers that aren’t elsewhere?

[enbateau]

I like the review of color words from Jr. K. I have looked all through the Core Skills K-1 sheets and not seen completing the beginning AND ending sound of a word together. I see a few pictures representing words with vowel teams (ai/ay, ee, i_e) where the student is asked to write the word (possibly from a word bank on the board?). There is also skip counting by 4's. That's new from when we did MPK.

Extra practice with rhyming and shape/pattern sequencing (even though Core Skills and Numbers Book cover these respectively) is helpful, as this comprises much of our standardized testing.

[Tibbymia]

I just received my kindergarten package with the morning work and manners charts. In my opinion they are definitely worth purchasing. I plan on using the morning work while doing breakfast dishes to get my kids into the school mindset, definitely some good review and it starts the day on a good note.

[ShaunaN]

Thanks, enbateau. I hadn't thought to check the CM sample on the Kindergarten page. Comparing it to my CM, I can see how those two items are worked into the day.

I'm actually considering using it as independent work after my student is finished working with me for the day. I think she would enjoy having a "test" style page to show Daddy what she's learning (my older kids collect their quizzes/tests throughout the week to show my husband on Friday evening & she really wants something to show him, too). We would use the manners wall charts in Morning Time with everyone.

Now that I'm looking more closely at the updated Kindergarten Core, I'm wondering about adding the Math Challenge book and Cut & Paste book. I can definitely see the benefits of those books as well.

[VAmom]

jen1134 If you decide to skip K Morning Work this school year, you could use it as a summer review book. Since it didn’t come out until late spring, it is how I am using it. My Ker is enjoying it. It takes her less than 5 mins to complete a page but is providing enough review I’m not fretting about the summer slide.

[AngelaM]

For those who have the manners of the week charts, do you feel they are worth purchasing? Or, is it something I could easily come up with on my own? What types of manners lessons does it include? I like the concept, but wish there was a way to see what lessons on manners were included.

[enbateau]

For those who have the manners of the week charts, do you feel they are worth purchasing? Or, is it something I could easily come up with on my own? What types of manners lessons does it include? I like the concept, but wish there was a way to see what lessons on manners were included.

If you have finished MPK since they released the Manner of the Week Wall Charts, they are ABSOLUTELY worth doing, but you can also purchase the Morning Work book, which lists the weekly manner at the bottom of one of the two pages (look at the sample pages for a preview of the types of manners). The manners are already scheduled (on Tuesdays) in the latest MPK guide, so having the paper charts would be icing on the cake. The final way to get all of the manners is the pack of printed wall charts. FWIW, they are printed on a glossy paper that is lightweight (not cardstock) with script that is easy to see from a distance. It would function well in a 3-ring binder in plastic protector sheets to flip through manners learned to date.

[sunflower21]

For those who have the manners of the week charts, do you feel they are worth purchasing? Or, is it something I could easily come up with on my own? What types of manners lessons does it include? I like the concept, but wish there was a way to see what lessons on manners were included.

I feel like they will be valuable for my children, and will be using them this Fall with my K/1st'er. You could come up with your own manners. I found it easier to just let MP do it for me. Basic courtesies and table manners are included. One evening, I setup my laminator on my end table and ran them all through. After I go over the week's manner, I plan to display it on a magnetized clip on the side of my fridge for continued reference.

[AngelaM]

If you have finished MPK since they released the Manner of the Week Wall Charts, they are ABSOLUTELY worth doing, but you can also purchase the Morning Work book, which lists the weekly manner at the bottom of one of the two pages (look at the sample pages for a preview of the types of manners). The manners are already scheduled (on Tuesdays) in the latest MPK guide, so having the paper charts would be icing on the cake. The final way to get all of the manners is the pack of printed wall charts. FWIW, they are printed on a glossy paper that is lightweight (not cardstock) with script that is easy to see from a distance. It would function well in a 3-ring binder in plastic protector sheets to flip through manners learned to date.

Thank you. We just started K in February. I am adding both items to my order.