January 7, 2019 9:39 pm
Pre-k Highlights
Week of: January 7 – 11, 2019
Theme: Arctic Animals
Letters Uu
Number: 11
Hello Pre-K Families! Hope you are still basking in the glow of the holiday season and have started off your year with peace and happiness. We had a great short week back, reviewing our letters learned before break: Oo, Ii, Ff, Ee, Hh, Tt, Dd, Ll, Pp, Bb, Aa and Rr. I loved the class’ enthusiasm and confidence in knowing the sound of these letters and words that start with the beginning sound. I am looking forward to moving ahead and getting back on schedule this week. Although the weather has been mild so far, January’s usual icy cold weather is a perfect precursor to our theme of the Arctic.
In conjunction with a continued review of the letters we have learned so far (half the alphabet) and our numbers 1-10, this week the children will be introduced to the letter /Uu/, the number eleven/11 and some animals that live in the Arctic. The first animal we will meet is the narwhal (the unicorn of the sea.) We will read Nigel the Narwhal in order to discover some fascinating facts about this whale. I will be introducing more science in the new year, so this week our focus will be on blubber. Blubber is the extra layer of fat that Arctic sea animals have to protect them against harsh temperatures. In order to experience how blubber helps an animal, the children will put their little hands in blubber(Crisco) then place their hands in cold water. Did the blubber help keep their hands from feeling the cold? Hmmm…we shall see!
At the children’s request, we will be starting show and tell this week. I love to integrate what your children are excited about as it aides to higher learning. We will have “Show-and-tell Wednesday”. This activity is meant to enhance their understanding of the letter of the week. Talk to your child about the two sounds of /Uu/ and help them brainstorm words that start with this letter. Look around the house for items that may start with “U” or you may copy a picture of from the internet.
After they have their item, then have them think about clues to help the other children guess what’s in their bag or box. Write the clues (1-3) down on a piece of paper and place it in the bag or box with the item. As you can see, this activity encourages growth in speaking, phonics and critical thinking. We are really looking forward to this as a class.
Lastly, we will be starting our “Student of the Month”. I will send home more information about this when we pick our first person. It’s going to be so exciting for them!
Happy Birthday to Aiden A. on the 12th!!!!
Here are a few reminders for the New Year:
- Please have the children do their “review” work if they haven’t already. This is for you to understand their progress and mastery.
- Please always remember to sign in and out
- Always look for information sent home in the folders. This is important for our class, as well as Reading Groups.
- I am still taking volunteers for Mystery Reader if you are interested. We have our first one coming in next week! Yay!
Have a very Happy and Healthy New Year!
-Mrs. M
Literature:
Arctic Animals by Melvin & Gilda Berger
Alphatales U: Umbrellabird’s Umbrella by Heather Feldman
Nigel the Narwhal by Joseph Pino
Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss
Where have the Unicorn’s Gone? by Jane Yolen
The Midnight Unicorn by Neil Reed
Categorised in: Mrs. Martorano, News
