Week of January 27-30, 2014

Week of January 27-30, 2014

Theme: Animals at Home

Letter of the Week: Kk

Dear Parents,

We will continue learning about animals and where they live. We will explore the types of houses that different animals live in and how they may differ by where they live. This week we are going to focus on Jungle animals. We will learn about a variety of Jungle animals, however, the classes voted on a particular animal they would like to focus on so that will be one animal of focus this week. Over the next two weeks we will also learn about Arctic animals and water animals. At the end of our animal unit we will compare and contrast the animals the class has chosen from each area.

We will also be practicing patterning. We will be practicing basic patterns and then moving on to more challenging ones. We will also continue to work on rhyming words. At home you can make a game of coming up with words that rhyme with each other, even nonsense words are fun to use.

I realized as I was beginning this post that I did not post the last blog entry for the newsletter, I apologize for that. It was written, however, I think the cold may have effected my memory so it did not get posted.

Report cards were completed and sent home on Thursday. Everyone should have gotten one if you did not please let me know, there is always the chance that it was left in a mailbox. Along with report cards we will also be having parent/teacher conferences. At the beginning of the school year at orientation there was a sign up sheet for a conference date and time. I will be at an in service on Monday so reminders regarding your date and time will go home on Tuesday. If the date and time are no longer convenient please indicate on the form what would work better and I will try to accommodate that, if it is difficult to make it to school I can also do a phone conference. 

Just two quick reminders please have your child bundled up for this cold weather. We obviously have not been going outside to play but that short walk to cars and buses can be chilly. Also flu season is upon us, I was struck with it on Friday, so please remind your child about hand washing that the best way to get rid of those nasty germs.

Week of January 13-16, 2014

Week of January 13-16, 2014

Theme: Moving Along

Letter of the Week: I

Dear Family,

This week, our class will complete Unit 4 by observing and exploring how things move. We will begin by pretending to float like bubbles in the air. Next, we will learn about vehicles with wheels and use words such as roll, spin, and zigzag. Finally, we will compare vehicles that roll on wheels and other vehicles that fly through the air. 

Learning Together

• Together, roll toy cars down a ramp. Change the height of the ramp, and have your child predict whether the cars will roll faster or slower.
• With your child, look through  magazines for pictures of vehicles with wheels. Cut out the pictures, and take turns sorting the vehicles by color, size, or purpose.
• Take a walk with your child, and make a list of the different kinds of vehicles, such as cars, bikes, wagons, buses, trains, trucks, tractors, and airplanes, that he or she sees. Then discuss how the vehicles on the list are alike and different.

We will also be comparing similarities and differences in a variety of the Three Little Pigs stories. We will compare characters, story line and ending. We will also compare shapes and how they are similar and different and where we may see the different shapes in our natural environment.

Reminders:

Show and Share: January 16, Letter I

No School-January 20th-Martin Luther King Day

Week of January 6-9, 2013

Week of January 6-9, 2013

Theme: Making Comparisons

Letter of the Week: B

Dear Family,

I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday break. This week, our class will learn how to make comparisons. We will read a book titled Nature Spy. In addition to teaching children about fascinating and beautiful objects in nature, the book introduces the concept of sorting objects by attributes such as size, color, and texture. Children will have opportunities to use their sense of sight and touch to sort items in the classroom. they will also learn to put items in order according to length.

Learning Together

• With your child, become "Nature Spies" in your neighborhood. Closely observe natural objects such as twigs and stones, and compare their sizes, shapes, colors and textures. You could also do this while playing in the snow and making snowballs in a variety of sizes.
• Together, compare characters in stories such as "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" or "The Three Little Pigs." Talk about how the characters in each story are similar to and different from one another.
• Assemble items that can be sorted by color, size or purpose, and have your child arrange the items in groups. Socks, plastic eating utensils, and crayons are good items to use.
• While at the grocery store compare fruits and vegetables describing how they look or feel the same and different.

 Mr. Martin has asked us to remind all of the students not to bring toys or  items from home to school as they can be lost and can be distracting throughout the school day. Just as a reminder please have your child only bring something to share on Thursdays for Show and Share that pertains to the letter of the week.

Now we know that the cold weather is here to stay please have your child dress appropriately for the weather and label all extra items of clothing such as mittens, hats, scarves and boots. As much as we try to keep all of their little items together when they are trying to be independent and dress themselves things often get dropped along the way. If your child wears boots to school please pack shoes for them to change into while they are at school. If there is a day that isn't too cold we may have a play in the snow day at preschool, if this is going to happen I will give you advanced warning so that extra items such as snow pants can be brought to school for that day.

Special Activities:

Show and Share: Letter B and one small gift they received during the holidays, January 9.

No School-January 20th Martin Luther King Day