Day and Night

April 27-30, 2015

Theme: Day and Night

Focus question: What can I learn about day and night?

Letter of the Week: Y

Dear Parents,

During this week children will learn about the characteristics of and the differences between day and night. They will observe, identify, and talk about the different things that they see in the sky during the day. They will compare and contrast things in the daytime sky with those that appear during the night. The books we share will promote thought and discussion about how the colors of the sky change throughout the day. Children will also have fun experimenting with shadows and creating mobiles that show objects visible in the day and night skies.

Learning Together

• Have your child draw or paint two pictures of your home, one showing it as it appears during the day and the other as it appears at night. Talk with your child about the similarities and differences in the two images.
• Identify an object, such as a landmark or building that is usually visible from your home at all times. Together, view the object from a window during the day. Then look for it from the window at night. Discuss why it is more difficult to see.
• Use a lamp and a blank wall to make shadow puppets with your child. Take turns forming animal shapes or letters.

Visiting the Library

Night in the Country by Cynthia Ryland and Mary Szilagyi

Night Becomes Day by Richard McGuire

Black? White! Day? Night! by Franklyn M. Branley

Activities

• This week we will be working on three dimensional shapes: sphere, cylinder, cube and cone.
• We are going to match, sort and identify the shapes.
• We are going to be discussing the differences between day and night and how we know when it is day or night.
• We are going to sort things that happen during the day and night and things we see during the day and night.

Reminders

• Show and Share Thursday, April 30 letter Y.

Outside My Window

Week of April 20-23, 2015

Theme: Outside My Window

Focus Question: What weather can I observe each day?

Letter of the Week: X

Dear Family,

Children will become mini-meteorologists this week as they observe and discuss the weather each day. They will learn about the different types of weather and how each one affects the activities that people undertake as well as the clothing that they wear. Children will also learn about the four seasons and the kinds of weather changes that may occur during each season.

Learning Together

• With your child, make a graph that charts each member of your family's favorite season or type of weather. Together, share the chart with your entire family.
• conduct a science experiment with your child to demonstrate the power of the sun. Cut out cardboard letters showing your child's initials and tape them to dark paper. Put the paper in direct sunlight (outdoors or in a window) for a few days. Then remove the cardboard letters. discuss with your child what happened and why.

Visiting the Library

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee

Feel the Wind by Arthur Dorros

Clouds by Anne Rockwell

Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes by Stuart J. Murphy

The Windy Day by Pat Hutchins

Activities

• This week one of our stories will be The Windy Day by Pat Hutchins. While reading the story we will work on answering some basic comprehension questions about the story. We will sequence the story using picture props.
• We will also be talking about a variety of kinds of weather. We are going to make a word chart of weather words. After making the word chart we will sort the words by what season we typically experience that type of weather.  
• We will also be reading a Scholastic magazine about wind and do some interactive activities that go along with it on the SmartBoard.
• This week is Earth Day on April 22, so please blue and/or green to school on Wednesday.
• We are going to do a recycling sort so please save cans, paper/cardboard, and plastic that can be recycled and send 1-2 items in with your child to school to help us with our sorting activity. 
• We have been doing short brain break activities throughout our school day to help the children get up and move and give their brains a break. Based on brain research the age of a child indicates how many minutes he/she can maintain stamina in a whole group or small group setting, so I have built these brain breaks into our daily routine. One way we do these is through a website called GoNoodle. They have a variety of activities on it that provide movement and even calming activities. One channel they especially love is KooKoo Kangaroo, so if you have heard your child talking about Roller Coaster or Pop Si Coo this is the site it is coming from and if you need a good laugh check it out. As adult we may think they are goofy but the kids love them and think they are fun. 

Reminders

• On Wednesday, April 22 wear green and blue for Earth Day.
• Send in 1-2 recyclable items for our recycle sort.
• Thursday is Show and Share bring in item that either starts with the letter X or ends with the letter X.

The Earth and Sky

Week of April 13-16, 2015

Theme: My World

Focus question: What can I learn about the earth and the sky?

Letter of the Week: W

Dear Families, 

This week our class begins a new unit about the earth and sky, focusing first on our world and the sun. Children will discuss and learn about natural items that are found on the earth, such as sand, rocks, soil and water. Next week the children will also learn more about the sun and the moon and how they are similar to and different from one another as they consider differences between light and darkness, and day and night. Our lessons about the sun will also lead children to a basic understanding of sources of light and heat. 

Learning Together:

• Conduct a simple science experiment with your child. Mix sand or soil, pebbles and water in a clear plastic bottle. Shake it vigorously. Ask your child to observe and describe how the pebbles and sand or soil travel through the water. Have your child also describe what he or she observes after the materials have settled. 

We will be participating in some exploration and experimentation with the earth materials of: sand, water, soil and water. We will be observing them using hand lenses and comparing their weight using a balance scale. We will be doing this activity in two groups and at the conclusion will compare the findings of the two groups looking for similarities and differences.

Visiting the Library

The Earth and I by Frank Asch

Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Elphinstone Dayrell

Into the Sky by Ryan Ann Hunter

Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton

Earth Day-Hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

Activities

• Two of the things we will be exploring about the Earth this week is soil and water.
• We are going to investigate worms!
• We are going to use worms (rubber ones) to measure and compare. 
• We will also have worms in the sensory table in dirt (just rubber worms for this)
• We are going to make a worm observatory to watch how worms move under the earth.
• One of our stories this week is Diary of a Worm. We will work on recalling facts from the story and then illustrating our own book.
• We will also make a fun worm snack this week, the children will make their own snack and will have to follow direction to make it.
• We will investigate water and what objects sink in water and what objects float. We will explore reasons why certain objects sink and other float.
• We will compare and contrast items that are found on the Earth and those are that found in the sky.

Reminders:

• Show and Share is every Thursday, this week the letter is W.
• As the weather continues to warm up we will try to get outside for some gross motor activities. Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing such as tennis shoes and a jacket or sweatshirt.  We have rubber mulch on the playground and if your child wears Crocs, sandals or flip-flops it tends to get stuck in their shoes and they spend more time getting it out then actually playing that is why I recommend tennis shoes. Please also remember if your child is sensitive to the sun you may want to put on sunscreen before school.
• Last day of school June 4th.

I hope everyone had a great Spring Break and I look forward to seeing everyone at school tomorrow.