Happy March!
What do you think of when the first of March rolls around? I always picture a relaxed quiet month! Don’t worry—we’re going to keep learning lively and scientific. And that’s the kind of atmosphere I try to bring into our classroom. I will include all our lesson plan regulars: circle discussions, literacy, art, science, gross and fine motor skills and much more!
Monthly Curriculum
Value: Respecting nature
Color: green
Multicultural Visit: Ireland
Animal: Dinosaur
Community Helper: Chef
Additional Theme: Plant Life cycles
Letters/Sounds: Uu, Jj, Kk
Shape: diamond /pentagon
Numbers: 30-40
Outing: Natural History Museum
As in every preschool classroom, these plans may evolve to better suit the interests of the children. I will be updating parents with pictures, videos, and write ups of what the children are learning and doing during the day. These will be posted to our Bloomz app.
** Week One
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This week we will focus on weather themed discussions, plant life cycles and dinosaurs.
Math
-Will focus on numbers 30-40 using Montessori materials.
-Will make a 4-shape covered with paper leaf shapes. Since many dinosaurs ate leaves, seeds; this ties in nicely.
-Will explore 2D/3D shapes with marshmallows and tooth picks.
-Will find out how many feet does it take to fill in a T-rex foot print, we then will document their findings.
Reader’sWorkshop
Students will review strategies to support sight word vocabulary: look, read, spell, write, look and read.
Mindfulness
This week in mindfulness we will focus on appreciation and reflecting on what we are thankful for. We will think about people in our lives, who we appreciate and create an appreciation chain.
Writer’s Workshop
We will use our notebooks to focus on proper letter formation for J.
We will practice our Word of the Week activity.
Phonics
This week students will learn the letter J and its corresponding words. Home connection: Find some things around your house that begin with J.
Teaching for Understanding
-We will talk about the dinosaur, its eating habits, and its location. We will read If the Dinosaurs Came Back and talk about the differences between the world with dinosaurs and no people and the world with people and no dinosaurs.
– We will discuss how we use plants (for food, paper, firewood, beauty, rubber products, coffee, tea, food for animals, and so on.) Will ask our Raspberries what plants they like to eat. Brainstorm how plants are different from animals (Plants are stationary, don’t have brains, hearts, and other organs that animals have and so on.)
Activities:
Sensory:
– Dinosaur habitat bin/ gardening sensory bin
Dramatic Play:
– They will become paleontologists and have a digging site in the dramatic area
– We’ll also divide the class in two with each half representing a different dinosaur herd.
Science:
Well make our own fossils.
Week Two
Math
-This week, the Raspberries will continue to work on number order, number writing, and connecting numbers to corresponding quantities.
– Students will count out dried peas or beans to practice math skills.
– We will give each student a half cup of Lucky Charms cereal. Have them count how many of each marshmallow shape they have. Then will have them guesstimate the total number of pieces of cereal they have.
Social Emotional Learning (did not cover last month)
This week’s Tool is our Straight Pretzel, which reminds us to be honest and go straight to the truth. Even if we make a bad choice or have some responsibility in a problem with a friend, our straight pretzel can help us make a repair.
Phonics
-This week students will practice the letter K and its corresponding words
-We will practice sight word list 3.
Writers workshop
This week in Writer’s Workshop, we will continue to practice stretching out words like a rubber band and write down all the sounds we could. We will also write the letter K on rainbow salt trays.
Teaching for Understanding
-We will locate Ireland on a map and talk about its traditional culture, dances and historic landmarks.
-We will learn about chefs and the basics of food preparation
Activities:
Science and discovery:
On a sunny day, we will place a clear glass full of water on the window sill or table. Will Place a large sheet of white paper on the floor where the light will shine through the glass and down. We may need to move the glass around a bit until we get the sun to shine through the glass onto the paper. The sunlight will make a rainbow on the paper!
sensory:
Coins and rainbow rice bin activity
And much more!
Upcoming Events
PLAY Family Outing
Saturday, March 10th!
The entire school community is invited to meet up at The Natural History Museum on Saturday March 10^th at 10am. Please have your child wear their PLAY shirt so others know you are with our school group!
These monthly outings, ‘Field Trips’, are aligned with our themed curriculum and give your child the opportunity to share what they are learning in class with you. They also give families the opportunity to meet each other and make new friends! You might even see a teacher there with their family!
Reminders
– If you plan on parking in our lot, we ask that you please limit your stay to 10 minutes. Lingering in the lot makes it difficult for other parents trying to Pick Up/Drop Off their child on time.
– I know saying goodbye can be hard, but you can do it and so can your child!! Remember to keep a consistent routine throughout the year, prepare your child for your departure, validate their feelings, and remind them that you will be back.
– Hot lunch will continue to be $5 when ordered in advance, however if ordered the day of or by the week it will be billed at $6.
– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.
– Date Night is every other Saturday from 5:00pm-12:00am. $15/hr for an individual child or $20/hr for a pair of siblings (min. charge is $60). Dinner and a movie are also provided.
– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!
– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!
If you have any other questions about the parent handbook feel free to ask myself, Gabriel, or Ms. Annie.
School Calendar 2018
March
Saturday – 10th – Date Night with Ms. Cynthia
Friday – 16th – Celebrating St Patrick’s Day
Tuesday – 20th – Egg Hunt
Friday – 23rd to 2nd – NO SCHOOL- Spring Break
April
Tuesday – 3rd- Back from Spring Break
Saturday – 7th- Date Night with Mrs. Gloria
Saturday -21st – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer