Jungle week 2

Unit Book: 
Chameleon's Colors
Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

What are jungle animals like?

(parrot, complain, splash, chase, collect, pattern )

We will also have a real parrot visiting our classroom next week.

Meet our Letterlander of the Week: 

Bouncy Ben

We will continue to have a special art project based on this Letterlander.   We are creating an alphabet book that will be completed by the end of the school year.

This week we will be doing the following letter activities in small groups: 

Sorting Uppercase and Lowercase:B and b

Fine motor activity to reinforce letter this week: Black salt strays

We will be reinforcing "alligator fingers" and "always start your letters at the top.

Literacy Small Groups

Patterns- We will use the story Chameleon’s colors to create our own patterned chameleons.  Using colored cubes we will make our own colorful chameleon by repeating an AB pattern.  We will then use colored tissue squares to craft our chameleons.

Roll and Paint Chameleons- We will roll a large number cube by taking turns. We will label the number on the cube then each child will show that many by counting objects. Then we will use watercolors to paint the matching chameleon with the same number.

Nature's Patterns- Patterns can be seen in our natural world.  We will explore patterns on familiar jungle animals by looking at & discussing photos of a zebra, tiger, tropical bird and snake.  We will then roll out putty into snakes. Then we will create patterns using paperclips, beads, buttons, etc.


Reptile Patterns- We will be creating patterns using different reptiles from our unit book

Beginning sounds in the jungle- We will be rainbow writing letters of Letterlanders we have learned. Then we will cut and sort the correct beginning letter onto the correct jungle animal.


Centers

Art Table-Animal prints to add to our mural

Block Area- Zoo animals with labels for children to create zoo cages (Welcome to the Zoo)

Sensory Table- Cornstarch and Water
Book Area- Exploring Books about jungle and desert
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table-Zookeeper Lists
Dramatic Play-Cub Cadet Zoo- Buying Tickets and visiting animals
Rug- Legos and jungle animals

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-What is a pattern?
-How jungle animals camouflage in different environments
-What living things need
-Canopy, understory, and forest floor review.

Jungle Unit Week 1 January 27-February 31

Unit Book: Amazing Jungle

What is a jungle?
(trunk, twig, branch, explore, hunt, graze, jungle)

Meet our Letterlander of the Week: 

Peter Puppy

We will continue to have a special art project based on this Letterlander.   We are creating an alphabet book that will be completed by the end of the school year.

This week we will be doing the following letter activities in small groups: 

Sorting Uppercase and Lowercase: P and p

Fine motor activity to reinforce letter this week: Putty (pulling putty to make P's big line down and building P in a letter tray)

We will be reinforcing "alligator fingers" and "always start your letters at the top.

Small Groups

Jungle Bingo Rhyming- Using jungle animal counters, we will play a rhyming bingo game. After saying the name of the pictures on each of our boards, we will listen to a word a teacher says. Then if we having the rhyming word we will place a jungle animal on the picture.

Jungle Rhymes- To continue our focus on rhyming words, we will match jungle vocabulary to words that rhyme. First, we will color and cut the pictures. Then we will match the pairs on our papers.

Rhythm Patterns- We learn more about patterns by using our bodies to make our own rhythm patterns.  We will practice repeating movements with our bodies (clapping, tapping, etc) then we will make our own pattern strips to make rhythm patterns.  For example, we can tap, tap, clap, tap, tap, clap or shake clap, shake, clap.  Try these at home

Nature's Patterns- Patterns can be seen in our natural world.  We will explore patterns on familiar jungle animals by looking at & discussing photos of a zebra, tiger, tropical bird and snake.  We will then recreate their patterns using cut paper and glue.

One Less Jungle Game- We will practice the concept of one less using a jungle dice game.  After rolling the dice, we will count out that many counters and then take away one.  We will color that many animals on our sheet.  We will challenge ourselves to guess how many without using the counters after a few tries.  We will also discuss more and less concepts.

Pattern or Not- We will play a  fun “Pattern or Not” game.  Using beads and pipe cleaners (snake body) we will create and extend a partner’s pattern. After some practice extending patterns we will challenge one another to decide if the design we made for our partner is a “pattern or not.”  

Centers

Art Table- Sloth for jungle / jungle mural

Block Area- animals with blocks

Sensory Table-Water, leaves, frogs,
Book Area- Exploring Books about jungle and desert
Dramatic Play-Pet Vet (inspired by Peter Puppy)
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Playdough and sticks to make animal "cages"
Rug- Legos

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-What is a pattern?
-Patterns in nature
-Day and Night animals
-Patterns in sounds

Songs, Word Plays, and Language

-Down in the Jungle

-Rhyming Identifying games
-Jungle Movement Song 

Farm Unit Week 4 (An Orange In January) January 21-24

No School January 21, MLK Day
Unit Book: 
An Orange in January
(We will also be discussing and celebrating Chinese New Year) 
(Dragon Day for our group reward will be on Friday. We will be decorating and creating dragons for a dragon parade)

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

How does food get from a farm to your house?
(plump, drenched, transport, journey, segment, gleamed)

Meet our Letterlander of the Week: 

Dippy Duck

We will continue to have a special art project based on this Letterlander.   We are creating an alphabet book that will be completed by the end of the school year.

This week we will be doing the following letter activities in small groups: 

Sorting Uppercase and Lowercase: D and d

Fine motor activity to reinforce letter this week: diamond dust tracing( glitter and Epsom salt)

We will be reinforcing "alligator fingers" and "always start your letters at the top.

Small Groups
Orange Playdough Trees- We will roll a number cube and identify how many dots are on the cube.  Then each student will be given their own orange playdough which they will create that number of oranges on the tree.  Each student will take turns rolling the cube and we will manipulate the group of oranges.  For example, I have 5 oranges on the tree and we rolled 3.  We need to take 2 oranges away.

Syllable Sorting- Using vocabulary for a unit book Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type, we will listen to the words and then sort them into groups based on their syllables. We will also discuss the vocabulary words and what they mean.

Rhyming on the Farm- We will be pairing words that rhyme into a barn. We will learn a rhyming song so children can do this activity at home.

Animal Cube Rolling- We rolled cubes with animal pictures on them then recorded the results from each roll. We observed the animals that were rolled the most, least, and if there were any equal totals.

Centers

Art Table-Orange Tree Creations (Incorporating a Chinese New Year tradition of exchanging kumquats, we will make kumquat trees in a dragon vase)

Block Area- farm animals

Sensory Table-Washing produce(sponges, plastic fruit, soapy water)
Book Area- Exploring Books about farm
Dramatic Play- Chinese Food
Rug- Dragons and castle blocks

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-Planes, trains, and automobiles (How we get food from around the world)
-What Does It Do?
-Good for you food

Songs, Word Plays, and Language

-Farmer in the Dell

-Rhyming Identifying games
-Simon Says (Farmer Lisa Says.....)

Farm Unit (Otis) January 13-17

Unit Book:

Otis

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

How Do Machines Help Farmers?
Soil, Tractor, Startle, Pond, Parade, Fancy
Meet our Letterlander of the Week: 
Jumping Jim
We will continue to have a special art project based on this Letterlander.   We are creating an alphabet book that will be completed by the end of the school year.

This week we will be doing the following letter activities in small groups: 
Sorting Uppercase and Lowercase: J and j
Fine motor activity to reinforce letter this week: salt trays
We will be reinforcing "alligator fingers" and "always start your letters at the top.

Literacy Small Groups
Story Sequencing- After reading the story Otis, we will cut pictures from our unit book. We will then trace numbers on strips. Next we will place the pictures in order to retell the story. We will retell the story orally to recall the events from our book.

Stuck in the Mud- We will use animals counters to recreate a scene from the Otis story.  This time more than one animal will be stuck in the mud.  Using our counters we will hide animals under a card and leave some showing.  We will have to guess how many animals are stuck in the mud given out total number of animals.  Using dot stickers, we will make our own number stories to share

Onset Rime Bingo- We will segmenting words by onset & rime.  Using things found on a farm, we will practice saying words by segmenting the beginning sound and entire ending. We will work on a new skill to take away the beginning sound and say only the ending of each word (deleting the onset) to cover a spot on our board.

Animal Patterns- Using farm animal manipulatives then moving toward a sequencing board, we will create animal patterns. (For example: cow, duck, cow, duck / pig, pig, duck, pig, pig, duck, etc)

Handwriting Books- We will be completing our Magic C Handwriting without Tears books. In small groups, we will practice rainbow writing along with adding a review of our past Magic C letters.

Making 5- Using cubes, we will manipulate sets of 5. For example, if you have 2 how many more do you need to make 5.

Centers

Art Table- Barn animals for a farm mural/ using bubble wrap on rolling pins to paint corn on the cob

Block Area- Making pens for animals

Sensory Table- Mud, tractors, farm animals(role-play of story Otis)
Book Area- Exploring Books about Farm

Dramatic Play-Chicken Coop (collecting eggs from chickens)
Rug- Farms and Tractors

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-Farm Food Sort (What is the difference between fruits and vegetables)
-Machines on the farm
-Farm to Store process

Farm Unit Week 1 (January 2-3 and January 6-10)

Unit Book:
What is a Farm
Farmer John

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

What is a farm?
(barn, farmer, wool, silo, gate, map)

Meet our Letterlander of the Week: 
Sammy Snake
We will continue to have a special art project based on this Letterlander.   We are creating an alphabet book that will be completed by the end of the school year.

This week we will be doing the following letter activities in small groups: 
Sorting Uppercase and Lowercase: S and s
Fine motor activity to reinforce letter this week: Tracing S in sand
We will be reinforcing "alligator fingers" and "always start your letters at the top.
(How to make an S: S is a Center Starter " Start at the Top in the Center, Little Magic C, then turn and make a backward Magic C to the bottom) S is a Magic C Letter

Literacy Small Groups

Letterland Letter Review- After a long winter break, we will try to remember all of the Letterlanders we have learned so far. We will label the letters and sounds and then pair a picture with the same sound we hear in the Letterlander.

-Farm Same Sound Bingo- We will practice identifying rhyming pairs with farm rhyming bingo.  After listening to the teacher say a word, children will repeat the word and then find a rhyming farm picture on his/her mat while working to get five in a row.

How Many Animals in the Barn?- We will work on our counting and subitizing skills to fill our barn with animals.  Using a dot dice, we will roll to determine how many animals to place in our barn using a 10 grid.  We will discuss how many animals we have and how many more we need to fill our barn. After playing this game with counters, we will play our final round with dot stickers to make our own animals to take home. 

-We share sounds- We will be listening to sounds we hear in the beginning of words. We will match words that share the same sounds in the initial sound of each word. For example, cow and corn share the same sound. Gate and goat, wig and wagon, etc.

Stack and Take Down 5 (Subitizing to 5)- We will use farm pictures to sort by number.  Using the skill of subitizing we will recognize quantities in dots and fingers.  We will decide quickly whether there are 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.  We will work to be sure this skill is automatic.  The more practice we have with this the more automatic our responses will become

All the Ways to 5-We will play a game and try to show different ways to make 5 such as 2 fingers, 2 dots, or the number 2 are all different ways to show 2. We will play a game to demonstrate this skill up to the amount of 5.

Centers

Art Table- Barn animals for a farm mural

Block Area- farms

Sensory Table- Corn kernels (feed for hungry chickens) Wind up chickens
Book Area- Exploring Books about Farm
Easel-Markers and paper
Dramatic Play-Farm Stand with pumpkin patch
Rug- Farms and Tractors

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-Farm Food Sort (What is the difference between fruits and vegetables)
-Animal Differences (2 legs/4 legs animals, animals that lay eggs/not lay eggs)
-Farm to Store process
-Farmer To Do List: What would be on the list?