Friends Unit Week 1 Oct.27-31

Dress Up Parade This Thursday (October 30)
No School Reminders: Nov. 4(Election Day), Nov.10(Teacher PD), Nov. 11(Veteran's Day)

In Unit 2, children will be talking about friendship, how to be a good friend, and ways to resolve conflicts with friends. Through the Story Time books, children hear about the importance of being who you are, helping friends, enjoying special times together, and getting along. In addition to listening to stories, children will learn to idenify rhyming works and beginning letters and sounds in words, as they build vocabulary and comprehension skills. They will also participate in a variety of music, poetry, math, science, and art activities.

Theme Concepts:

-A friend is someone we like and want to spend time with. Friends like to do things together. They enjoy each other's company.
-We can have more than one good friend, and we might like to do some things with one friend and other things with other friends.
-Friends usually share with and help one another.
-Friends may have arguments and get mad at one another. Usually, friends work out their problems and continue to be friends.
-We can make new friends and also keep old friends.

Books this week

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats

Small Groups
-Science/Math- Exploring "Pizza Dough"- Children will be given "pizza dough".  It is really play dough.  They will use language to describe they observations such as how does it feel and what does it look like. They will be encouraged to knead the dough and shape it just like at a pizza shop.  We will be adding toppings to our dough and talking about math concepts as we create our pizza. (more/less; counting how many; equal; comparing our pizza with a peers)
-Math- Pizza Books- We will put toppings onto pizzas, count, then write the number for each pizza.   -Language
-Phonemic Awareness- Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza Beginning Sounds in unit words sorting activity.
-Pumpkin Fine Motor Activity- We will cut on lines and assemble an oval from the pieces to create a pumpkin.  Children can add eyes, nose, and mouth to create a jackolantern if they wish.
-Memory Game- We will be playing a memory game using the names of our friends.  They will only see the text without a visual.

Centers
Blocks-Block and Dinosaurs
Sensory Table-Washing Dishes with soap and sponges
Dramatic Play- Pizza Shop
Library- A variety of books about friends
Art Table-Painting Boxes to create instruments for  "jazz" band
Easel- Water Colors
Puzzles- Vegetable Puzzles
Manipulatives- Stringing Beads to make friendship bracelets
Writing Center- Creating Handmade Stationary

Song, Word Play and Letters
Poems- Five Juicy Apples, Five Little Owl in an old oak tree
Songs- Come On and Join In To The Game, Down by the Bay, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Literacy Skills- Clap out our names(counting the syllables in our friends names), If your name starts with a __  raise your hand, Chiming in with rhyming words.

Handwriting
-We will be working on on "straight line" letters (ie. L,T,I) for the Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum within our workbooks as well as other hands on activities.
-Magnet Tracing Boards, Wooden Letter pieces, and chalk boards

Preschool Life Skills
We are continuing to review our previous skills 1-4.
1-When a teacher calls your name, stop, look and say, "Yes".
2-When a teacher tells you to do something, do it "Right Away".
3-When a teacher tells you to do 2 things, do it "Right Away".
Skill we are continuing with this week:
4-When something is too hard, first try then say,"Can you help me please?"