Friends Are Special Week 3 (Oct.11-14)

Unit 1 Friends Are Special
Unit Books
Reminder: No school October 10 (Columbus Day)

Oscar is Cold

Read Aloud:We Are Friends
-We will reenact the story of Oscar is Cold with props


 Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

How Do Friends Help Each Other?
(listen, arrive, exclaim, share, help, shiver)

Literacy Small Groups

-Syllable Segment:We used dot markers to keep track of the different parts we heard in words.  Using compound words, we made one dot for each part of the word and then said the words altogether.

-Blend and Break:(Word Parts) We used our hands to clap compound words and hear their parts.  For each part we heard, we moved one cube on our paper and colored in squares to record our work.

-Sequencing The Story Oscar is Cold
-Constructing New Words- We will take 2 words and create a new word (compound words) We will cut then assemble a compound word chart to reinforce the blend and break concept.
-Journal Writing.

Handwriting/Letter Groups

-What’s My Letter? Small Groups (Tt)

We learned what the uppercase and lowercase letter Tt  look like.  We sorted magnetic letters to find matches for Tt.  We hunted for them in our names and the names of our classmates.  We used crayons to hunt for them on our papers.  Search for these letters at home.  Remember to help your child name the letter.
-Letters T -We will be using a hands-on approach(ie. sand, colored chalk, shaving cream) to reinforce correct letter formation.  Then we will practice in our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) books

Math Small Groups

-What is my rule? We will create a rule and sort by that rule.  For example, if it is red, it goes in the circle: if you can eat it, it goes in the circle.  We will use props then completed a fine motor task with this skill.
-Who’s First? We will learn about ordinal numbers (1-5) by using dot cards to line up in order of our cards.  Then we  will use animal counters to and dot cards to line up our animals by ordinal numbers as well. Then we will draw the animals in their order.
-Count my number- We will reinforce counting to 10.  A teacher will show a dot number card and then have children show that amount on a ten frame mat? Discussing how many more we need to make 10? Count empty spaces. If we put one more on how many will will have? ....

Centers
Art Table- Color color painting (blue shades)

Block Area- blocks

Sand Table- water with Artic animals and icebergs
Book Area- Exploring Books about school
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table- Friendship writing
Dramatic Play- Camping (Making Smores)
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Finding Letters in a room hunt using clipboards
Science -Living and Non-Living
Rug- tracks and cars

Science/Social Studies Circle Concepts
What keeps us warm?
Living and Non-Living

Preschool Life Skills 
- 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".
2. When I give you an instruction, do it "right away"
(Ask your child what do you do when your teacher tells you to do something.  They should reply "I do it right away." You can reinforce this at home too.  "Put your legos away and do it "right away""

Songs, Word Plays, and Language

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

-Our Good Morning Chant

-Friendship song involving words to identify.  They will play their instrument when they hear their word

-Shake Breaks (Go Noodle)
-Sing and Move- We will sing a song that has the word friend and together.  Each child will have one word and one instrument.  When they hear their word they will play their instrument.

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. 

Unit 1 Friends Are Special (Week 2) What is a friend? Oct 3-7

Unit 1 Friends Are Special

Unit Books
Corduroy

Read Aloud:Friends Share

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Related to book:

What is a friend?

(friend, play, laugh, admire, together, enormous)

Literacy Small Groups

-Sentence Stack- We will segment a sentence into words. We will cut the sentence then put it back together. This concept will be introduced first with blocks to touch as a teacher models.
-Is it a Letter? We will cut then sort a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols.
-Sentence Clap- We will listen to a sentence then show how many words are in the sentence by touching blocks.  Then we will demonstrate this skill in a fine motor task.
-Write to Convey meaning- We will "write" a word then draw a picture to show its meaning.
-Corduroy Sequencing Story Pictures

Handwriting/Letter Groups

-What’s My Letter? Small Groups (E,e) (H,h)

We learned what the uppercase and lowercase letter Ee and Hh look like.  We sorted magnetic letters to find matches for Ee and Hh.  We hunted for them in our names and the names of our classmates.  We used crayons to hunt for them on our papers.  Search for these letters at home.  Remember to help your child name the letter.
-Letters E and H-We will be using a hands-on approach(ie. sand, colored chalk, shaving cream) to reinforce correct letter formation.  Then we will practice in our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) books

Math Small Groups

(Focusing on creating sets of 5 and introducing set of 10)

-Let's Trace our fingers- We will trace our fingers then color.  We will then use dot stickers with numbers 1-10 to show a set of 10
-Button Sorting by 3- We will sort by size and shape in three ways. After reading the story Corduroy we will use buttons to practice sorting.  We will sort our buttons into various groups and record our work on our sorting sheets
-Sets of 5 Assessment- In groups, children will be asked to count out 5 objects and place them in clear bags.  They will hold them up and a friend will count their bag and tell them how many are in their bag.  (Peer Review)
- Sets of 5 or Sets of 10- We will be using 5 Frames or 10 Frames to count sets of objects.  Some groups will review how to create sets of 5 and some groups will be introduced to creating sets of 10

Centers
Art Table- Number Sculptures

Block Area- blocks 

Sand Table- buttons
Book Area- Exploring Books about school
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table- crayons and paper
Dramatic Play- Toy Store (related to Corduroy)
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Letter Puzzles
Science -ramps
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)
2. When a teacher tells me to do something, "I do it right away."

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 Breaks (Go Noodle)
-Down in the jungle song
-Sing and Move- We will sing a song that has the word friend and together.  Each child will have one word and one instrument.  When they hear their word they will play their instrument.

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.

Unit 1 week 1 Friends Are Special

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.   

-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

-What’s My Letter? (L l)

We learned what the uppercase and lowercase letter Ll  looks like.  We sorted magnetic letters to find matches for Ll.  We hunted for them in our names and the names of our classmates.  We used crayons to hunt for them on our papers.  Search for these letters at home.  Remember to help your child name the letter.

-What’s My Letter?(F f )

We learned what the uppercase and lowercase letter Ff looks like.  We sorted magnetic letters to find matches for Ff. .  We hunted for them in our names and the names of our classmates.  We used crayons to hunt for them on our papers.  Search for these letters at home.  Remember to help your child name the letter.
-Letters L and F-We will be using a hands-on approach(ie. sand, colored chalk, shaving cream) to reinforce correct letter formation.  Then we will practice in our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) books

Math Small Groups

(Focusing on creating sets of 5)

-This week, we read a story about a lion & a mouse who lived in the jungle.  We will use animal counters in the jungle to practice counting to five.  After each of the following tasks, we will count our animals as a group.  No matter where the animals are placed, we had 5 animals every time.

This will help us understand that as long as there were no animals added or taken away, the quantity remained the same.  Use the mat and included animals to review these skills at home.

-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, shape.

-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
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)
-Dino Stomp

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. 

First Weeks of School September 12-16/ September 19-23

First Weeks of School
We will begin our school year getting to know each other and establishing classroom routines. During the month of September, we will be focusing on developing classroom expectations, routines, and getting to know each learner. Our books for the first several weeks will pertain to transitioning to school and feelings about coming to school.
We will also use these books to have the students become familiar with our curriculum approach which is to use books to build on our classroom activities.
We will begin our first unit during the week of September 23rd.  Our first unit will be "Friends".

Books These Weeks:

The Kissing Hand
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom
How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?

Small Groups:
Literacy Small Groups

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
-Letters in my Name/Letters not in my name- Students will cut strips of letters then sort into 2 categories of in my name and not in my name
-Chicka Letter Stamping- Each child will pull a letter card and then use a bingo dobber to stamp the same letter
-Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bowling- We will roll a "coconut" to knock down bowling pins with letters on them.  We will stamp on our bowling recording sheet which letters we knocked down.
-Uppercase and Lowercase Sorting Coconut Trees- Each child will cut and sort a variety of uppercase and lowercase letters.
-Coconut Tree Letter Bean Bag Throwing- Each child will receive a bean bag with a letter.  They will name the letter, then gently toss it onto a coconut tree(brown paper with green leaves on top)
Kissing Hand
-Alphabet Bingo- Students will identify and label uppercase letters on their bingo boards.  We will then color the box or trace the letter on the board.
-Tracing Letters in our Name Bingo- We will playing a bingo game where each child will have the letters in their name on.  When a teacher reveals a letter, they will look on their boards and trace the letter.
-Story Sequencing-After listening to our story, we will discuss events that happened.   Then we will cut pictures from the story then place in order to retell the story to reinforce left to right progression.  Students will verbally retell the events.


Math Small Groups/Fine Motor Small Groups
Kissing Hand
-Patterning- We will create patterns using pictures from the Kissing Hand
-Graphing- We will spin a spinner that has pictures from our story.  Then we will record by coloring one box to show which picture the spinner landed on. We will then count to see which picture we recorded the most and least.
-Roll a Dice- We will roll a number cube. We will identify the number then find the same number on our papers then color it.
-Memory Game- We will use picture cards from our unit story to play a memory game.
-Number Recognition Roll and Cover- We will roll a number cube with the numbers 1-6.  Each child will roll the cube and place a cube on the number they rolled onto their recording sheets.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
-Roll a Dice Coconut Trees- We will roll a number cube. We will identify the number then find the same number on our papers then color it. 

-Self Portraits and Name writing samples (We will add these to your child's portfolio to monitor the wonderful progress they will make in preschool this year)
-Playdough Pinching and Rolling to create letters to place on coconut trees
-Squeezing sponges (to develop pincer grasp) to transfer water into a cup
-Pom-Pom pickup (We will roll a number cube then use our alligator fingers to pick up the correct number of pom-poms)

Centers
Art Table- Tissue Paper Collages for first letter in our names/Raccoon Masks/Hand tracing and decorating for a class mural

Block Area- blocks

Sand Table- Sand/ Chicka, Chicka Trees, beans(as the coconuts), and letters
Book Area- Exploring Books about school
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table- crayons and paper
Dramatic Play- dishes, cookware, and food (restaurant role play)
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Pattern Blocks
Science - Looking in mirrors (to connect with drawing our faces during small groups)
Rug- Legos

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

-Action Bingo Song:

There was a class that had a boy/girl, and _____was his/her name-o

(Each child chooses an action for others to follow)

Jump, Jump, (name), Jump, Jump, (name), Jump, Jump, (name) ,

We're glad you're in school today.
-If your happy and you know it.
-Here we are together at school
-Our Good Morning Chant
-The Cub of Day, Who will it be?

-ABC Rock by Steve and Greg

-Number Rock by Steve and Greg
-Dino Stomp

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.  This system can be explained more thoroughly in a tab on this blog.  

What to Bring the First Day of School

What to bring on the first day of school

1. Backpack with the communication folder you received at the open house.

Please have Class directory information and nurse emergency cards inside.

2. Lunch and Snack

Lunch- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

Please pack a lunch for your child including a drink. We are unable to heat or refrigerate lunch boxes, so remember to add an ice pack or put hot food in a thermos.   Also please label your child’s lunch box.  We follow the district food policy.  Your child may bring peanut/tree nut products for lunch as we will be eating in the cafeteria rather than in the classroom.  We have a designed table for our class and the Kickstart class.  Once we have established a lunch routine, we will be sending home lunch menus and Pay Pams information if you would like your child to purchase lunch.    

Snack- Please pack a NUT FREE SNACK daily.  We will provide water at snack (see below).  Please pack your child’s snack outside of their lunch box.  This will help with our morning routine of placing snack on top of their cubbies.           

No Lunch on Friday

On Friday, we will be dismissing at 11:30. Please send in a snack on Friday

3. Water Donation

During snack time we will provide cups and poland spring water. We also will provide the students water after hot playground times. We will be purchasing small cups for the school year as well as paying for Poland Springs for our classroom.  A suggested donation is $3-$5 for the school year. Thank you for your help.

4. An extra set of clothes  

Please label the clothes and place them in a labeled zip lock bag.   Please include underwear and an extra pair of socks as well.  We will keep these clothes in school.

5.Name tag

Please place the name tag that is in your child’s folder on them the first day.

6.Bear tag

Please attach the bear tag onto your child’s backpack. This helps with live drop off procedures and bus arrivals.

End of the Year Video

It was a wonderful year in the Cub Cadet Classroom! 

Enjoy our end of the year video!

Moving Machines (June 6-16)

Our Last Day of School is Thursday June 16!!
Have A Wonderful Summer!!!
Make It Move  Unit 8 

Unit Books: The Cool Pool
                            Dr. DeSoto

Weekly Question and Vocabulary Words:
How do machines help us move things?
(build, crane, pulley, dump, empty, lever, scoop, repair)

Literacy Small Groups

Journals -As we wrap up our school year, we will spend our literacy group time working on a special Yearbook.  We will write and illustrate pages that outlined our favorite parts of our year.  We hope this will serve as a nice keepsake of your child’s year- enjoy! This acitivty will take place across several days. Each day will be a different topic (ie. favorite acitivity, favorite lunch, favorite playground acitivity, etc)

Board/Card games- We will play cooperative board games within our small groups. (Alphabet Go fish, Popcorn lowercase/lowercase game, Cariboo)

Special Letter Books- We will finish our focus on lowercase letters that do not follow the other "rules" such as sliding letters and work on "special" letters in our books

Math Small Groups

How Much Can I Hold? We will recalled how in our unit book The Cool Pool how someone used scoops to fill empty objects.  We will use our hands as scoopers to pull out counters from a container.  We will record how many counters each friend collect will collect,    We will then compared who collected the most, least, and if any amounts were equal.

Which is Heavier?

We will compare the weight of classroom objects using a balance scale.  After determining which object is heavier we will record them in our books.  

Construction Count
We will use a special number cards to play a fun counting game.  We will practice counting to 20 or 30 by rote using number cards.  We flipped one card each time we said the number with the group.  We will take turns being a mystery hider. The mystery hider will place the “stop & build” card in place of a number card.  While counting we will be on the look out for the “stop and build” card.  When that card was turned over, we took a break to build blocks.  We continued until everyone had a chance to hide the card.

Counting and Numeral Writing Review

We will practice counting and writing numbers by counting and coloring summer items  found in a picture.  We will write the corresponding numeral for each item we counted.

Roll & Write

We will continue to practice writing numerals with another math game.  Using two dot dice, we will roll and added the dots.  We traced each number on our sheets to see which number won the race.  

Centers

Art Table- construction collage

Sensory Table beans and scoopers
Book Area- Exploring Books about construction
Easel-Markers and paper
Writing Table-Construction Words
Dramatic Play-Construction Site
Math, Puzzles, and Manipulatives- Wind Power Station
Rug- Building a Castle
Block Area- blocks

Science/Social Studies/Math Circle Concepts
-What is a pulley
-Moving and building
-Ramps to help us
-Compare Weights
-All kinds of energy

Preschool Life Skills 
- 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".
2. When I give you an instruction, do it "right a
way"
(Ask your child what do you do when your teacher tells you to do something.  They should reply "I do it right away." You can reinforce this at home too.  "Put your legos away and do it "right away""
3. When I give you  instructions, do them "right away" (multi-step directions)
4. When something is too hard say "Help me please"
5. When you want something from a teacher or friend, say "Excuse Me" to get their attention
6. When you want something from a teacher or friend, say "Excuse Me" to get their attention and then use your asking words(ie. May I have a turn?)

Songs, Word Plays, and Language

-Our Good Morning Chant
-Vowel Bat
-Big Pig
-Windy Weather song

-Alphabet Chant using sign language
-Letter Sounds Song

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 behavior