Shadows and Reflections-Week 4

Shadows and Reflections-Week 4

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, Shadows and Reflections. During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Special Event:  On Tuesday, the Burlington Science Center will come to our school for a special presentation about animals we have been talking about in our classroom.  Ask your child on Tuesday what animals they saw.

Stories:
Kitten for A Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Dreams by Ezra Jack Keats

Small Groups:
-Math- comparing our books (Play with Me by Marie Hall and Raccoon on His Own by Jim Arnosky) to create a chart to show which animals are different or the same in both stories.
-Science-Exploring Shadows-we will discuss what we need to make shadows. Then we will use classroom objects to try to cast our own shadows
Language- matching animals with the first sound/letter of each animal (snake, lizard, grasshopper, raccoon, alligator...)

Choice: -
-Easel – sticky paper to attach blocks onto
-Sensory– sand
-Dramatic Play-Playing with pets
– Reflection Station-playing with our child made kaleidoscopes
-Math-create patterns for puddle pails
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Photographs of Animal Puzzles (Raccoons and crocodiles)
-Blocks – "shadow blocks"- building with blocks and using flashlights to cast shadows
Songs, Word Plays and Letters
-Change, Change, Rearrange (using the word cao, we change the beginning
sound to make new words clap, snap, map, lap)
-Whose Reflection is in the Pool?
-Five Green Speckled Frogs (using child created props)
-Bingo – with the word Snake
-Old Macdonald had a "swamp"

**look for our frogs on a log to come home soon. Ask your child to show you how we sing the songs using these props at home.

Let's Find Out About It/ Let's Talk About It
-We will shut the lights off in our room and use flashlights to try to guess the "mystery letter"
-Looking at photos of shadow and guess what made the shadows

Shadows and Reflections Week 2

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, Shadows and Reflections. During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.


Theme Concepts:

Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Frog Update-We have eight tadpoles that are swimming in our tank.  We have a bubbler in the tank. This makes the tadpoles active and happy. The children are looking forward to starting to see legs grow next.

Stories:
Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets
Raccoon on His Own by: Jim Arnosky
Puddle Pail by Elisa Kleven

Small Groups:
-Writing- Students will choose a favorite animal from the books we have read in this theme.  They will create a page for a class book by drawing an illustration for their favorite animal.
-Science-Hand Held Mirror Exploration-Students will hold child safe mirrors and explore reflections of themselves and classroom objects.  We will also be using flashlights and put the light into mirrors and try to make the light reflect to the other side of the room.
-Animal Memory Game-We will be playing memory with animal pictures from our story books this week.

Choice: -
-Easel – Painting meadow, pond, and stream animals
-Sensory– Sand (then making it wet to mold)
-Dramatic Play – Dress Up with mirrors 
-Math-Using swamp animals to measure objects (For example, the chart is 6 frogs long; my hand is 3 lizards long)

-Art- making turtle reflections

-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals

-Puzzles – Photographs of Animal Puzzles (Raccoons and crocodiles)

-Blocks – legos

Songs, Word Plays and Letters

Change, Change, Rearrange (using the word cat, we change the beginning
   sound to make new words such as hat, bat, mat, sat)
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant
Sammy (a movement song that you can move like various animals)
Five Green FrogsEentsy, Weentsy Spider
Bingo – with the word Snake
The Turtle
Five Little Fishies

Reminders:
This time of year the sun is beginning to get warmer. As we love to play outside, you may want to add sun block to your child’s face and arms before sending him or her to school.

Posted by Lisa at 5:08 AM 0 comments

Shadows and Reflections Week 1

Shadows and Reflections – Week 1

Theme – This is our first week of our new unit, Shadows and Reflections. During this unit students will explore shadows and reflections, using observations, experiments and books to learn what makes a shadow and a reflection. Through Story Time books, children hear about a girl playing by a still pond, a puppy who thinks he is a kitten, a crocodile collecting reflections in a pail, a sleepy boy who sees a shadow save a cat, and a raccoon who has an adventure with only his reflection for company.

Theme Concepts:
Reflections are images thrown back from a shiny surface.
There must be light or there is no reflection.
Mirrors and still water reflect light well; dull surfaces do not.
If water is moving, its reflections are blurry or crooked.
Objects are opaque, translucent, or transparent.
Shadows are the dark areas made when an object blocks light.

Frog Update-One of our tadpoles has hatched. We will be observing it today.

Stories:

Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets

Raccoon on His Own by: Jim Arnosky

Small Groups:

-Language – Book Browsing and Letter chart of beginning sounds of animals for the book Play with Me

-Math–Number Go Fish Game

-Fine Motor Activity- Pinching "leaves" on our trees for spring

Choice: -

-Easel – Painting meadow, pond, and stream animals
-Sensory– Sand (then making it wet to mold)
-Dramatic Play – Dress Up with mirrors
-Art – Reflective-Paper Collages
-Writing Center – Drawing and writing about animals
-Puzzles – Animal Puzzles (Raccoons, crocodiles, grasshoppers, and fawns).
-Blocks – Construction Zone

Songs, Word Plays and Letters
Open Shut Them
Five Green FrogsEentsy, Weentsy Spider
Bingo – with the word Snake
Whose Reflection is in the Pool?
Little Letter/Big Letter Chant
The Turtle
Five Little Fishies

Reminders:
This time of year the sun is beginning to get warmer. As we love to play outside, you may want to add sun block to your child’s face and arms before sending him or her to school.