Friends Are Special Unit (Unit 1 Week 1)

Unit 1 Friends Are Special

Unit Books

The Lion and The Mouse 

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

What makes each of us special?

(thank, help, protect,kindness,patient, mighty)

Literacy Small Groups

-Sound Search- We will use Ipads to listen to sounds we hear.  We will use descriptive language to describe each sound. 

-Letters in my name game- Each child will have their name card.  Letters will be in a bag.  Each child will pull out a letter from the bag.  If they have the letter in their name they will keep it.  If it is not in their name they will find a friend that has the letter and give it to them.  The goal for everyone to make their name.  We will compare letters their letters in their name to a friend.  

-My self/My friend portraits- Each child will choose a friend at their table to draw.  They will draw themselves then draw a friend.  We will be trace letters/copying letters of our friends.  

-My name/Your name- We will create a chart and compare our names.  What letter do most friends have in their name? We will create a chart on our smart board.  

-Sound 1 and 2- We will be listening to sounds.  We will identify the initial and second sounds we hear.  This activity helps develop our listening skills in order to listen to beginning and ending sounds in words.  

Handwriting/Letter Groups

-Handwriting Without Tears Program-Letter L and F pages
-Mat Man (How to draw a person)

Math Small Groups

(Focusing on creating sets of 5)

-Using manipulatives we will count sets of 5 and placing them on a set of 5 frame (modeling 1:1 correspondence) Watch me count/Now you show me how you count

-Digging for Treasure-In sand, each child will dig and find objects in the sand. We will find 5 objects then we will find objects based on size, color, size.

-Using colored flip counters, we will flip then record the colors we flipped.  Each set of counters will be 5.  How many are red? How many are yellow? How many in all?

-Mouse Tails- We will color and cut out paper mouses.  Then we will put on a tail. Then we will put on 5 beads on the mouse tail.  

Centers
Art Table- Lion painting with plastic forks to create manes for lions

Block Area- blocks

Sand Table- sand exploration
Book Area- Exploring Books about school
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table- crayons and paper
Dramatic Play- Pet Shop (Pets are our friends too)
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Letter Puzzles
Science - Looking in mirrors (to connect with drawing our faces during small groups)
Rug- Jungle Animals

Science/Social Studies Circle
- We will be focusing on our curriculum of Preschool Life Skills during this time to help us transition into our new classroom.

1. When I call your name, stop what you are doing, look at me, and say ,"Yes".
-Discussing how we sit and listen in a group (our community classroom)

Songs, Word Plays, and Language

-Nursery Rhymes: Hey Diddle Diddle / Mary Had a Little Lamb

-Our Good Morning Chant

-ABC Rock by Steve and Greg

-Number Rock by Steve and Greg
-Shake Break Song (following directions)

Classroom Motivational System
We will be learning classroom routines and expectations within our new classroom.  In order to create a successful and rewarding environment, each child will have a motivational system. Our classroom system promotes positive classroom behavior through positive peer modeling and teachers providing positive reinforcement for desired behaviors.