What Is Happening in Our Class?

What We Are Learning:

May 28th-May 31st

OUR FINAL WEEK! Can you believe it!? Where has the year gone!? We had a fun filled, busy few days! Since Field Day for the school was on a Wednesday we decided to do a little Field Day of our own in our classroom (since the weather wasn't the best). We had a little obstacle course, basketball, hula hoops, and balloon tennis. It was a BLAST! We also did some Summer Bingo and an activity where we wrote down all the things we can now do as preschoolers. We also got invited by the first graders to attend their Summer Camp. We had a blast rotating to the different stations! We got to make a snack, be read to by the "campfire", assemble a tent, go on an egg hunt, create a s'more craft, and play some turtle toss. Our last day we got to see all the students from both AM and PM classes! We went to our next year classrooms! Once  we all returned we practiced for graduation. We ended the day with a little recess on the BIG equipment in the front of the school. It was a great last week of school and we are so excited for graduation! 

May 20th-May 24th

With next week being our last week we decided to end our buildings unit. There was so much more to learn however we wanted to do something fun to wrap it up. We got to draw from a container a building you would see in a town and then use different materials (milk cartons, construction paper, popsicle sticks, tape, tissue paper, etc.) to create that building. Some friends drew houses while others got a bank, police station, and numerous others. They worked very hard on their creations. 

No small groups this week as we were finishing up assessments with the students. 

May 13th-May 17th

We started working hard on our preschool memory books! Each day this week we worked on a page. We also discussed who builds buildings and what they use to build with. We got to use a mystery box and feel inside (without peeking) and try to figure out what object it was. We also worked hard on reading out Tool book that we got to read to Kindergartner! They did great! 

Small Groups

-We played What's Missing Game where I take some objects away and they have to recall what they were.

-We did some measuring of skyscrapers. 

-We practiced extending and creating our own patterns. 

-We also practiced quantifying numbers, telling which has more or less and how much we have all together. 

May 6th-May 10th

This is my favorite week during the building study, The 3 Little Pigs Week! We started off by reading the story on Monday. We then did a retelling of the story by using a flannel board story with pieces. Later in the week we did a cut and paste of the sequence of events and then we got to tell the story ourselves using the flannel board pieces. I think the favorite was when we glued on straw, toothpicks, and red construction squares into the 3 different houses to represent the different materials. 

Small Groups

-We worked hard all week on our Mother's Day gifts. We hope our Mothers love them! 

-We had a race to see who could build the tallest skyscraper using cubes before the timer went off. Then we put them in order from shortest to tallest and tallest to shortest.

-We played a count and build activity. 

-We played the beanbag toss positional words game with cones.

-We painted with gears!

-We journaled about what we would put in our own houses. 

-We did a little activity where we had to decide if the picture was part of the 3 Little Pigs story or not. 

April 29th-May 3rd

We started our new study on buildings! We started off by simply stating and creating a web on information we already know about buildings. We knew quite a bit! We knew different types of buildings such as school, houses, Walmart. We also knew that some are made out of bricks and cement. We are very knowledgeable on buildings and can't wait to learn more! 

Small Groups

-We got new morning tubs! We know have tubs that practice CVC words, picture finds, bead counting, and more! 

-We practiced our name writing for the month of April.

-We got to write letters in shaving cream! 

-We practiced writing in our journals. 

-We "hammered" out parts in words. 

April 22nd-April 26th

We are now in between studies. We will soon be starting our next study on buildings but in the the mean time we just having some fun with some read a louds. We read a story about how everyone has an invisible bucket over their head. If you say or do nice, kind acts then it fills that person's bucket and yours as well. However if you are being unkind and making red choices, it dips from their bucket. When your bucket is empty or doesn't have much water, you feel sad or mad. When your bucket is full, you feel happy. The store cart came to our room and if we had enough tickets we were able to pick a prize! 

Small Groups

-We practiced our cutting skills. We have gotten so much better! 

-We read our Read it Again story, In the Small Small Pond. 

-We practiced our writing skills by doing journals. We are listening to the sounds in words and writing those letters to describe what we are drawing! 

-We've been practicing our tracking by reading sentences! 
-We discussed the importance of personal space. We did a lesson with hula hoops to help show the space of our own personal bubbles we have. 

April 15th-April 19th

We finished our pets study! We discussed all that we've learned from when we started this study. We celebrated our learning with the guest speakers at Family Fun Night. Thank you for all the attended and help us celebrate our learning! Our next study will be buildings. 

Small Groups

-We practiced our cutting skills but cutting out peeps but then also sequencing them from smallest to biggest and biggest to smallest. 

-We read the story Can I be Your Dog? and discussed animals that don't have homes and where they go when they are lost or don't have a place to live. 

-We practiced our counting skills with a roll and count Easter egg sheet. We got to cover the eggs with pretend candy. 

-We did a little Easter egg hunt in the classroom but when we brought back our eggs we didn't find candy in them, instead we found letters! 

April 8th-April 12th

We wrapped up how pets make us feel. We started a pet research project about dogs. We read a book about dogs and we took the information we've learned thus far about dogs and put it onto our Pet Research Sheet. The kids were experts! 

Small Groups

-We practiced sorting pictures of different objects into the different shapes.

-We played a fun new carpet game called Sneaky Pig where the pig hid behinds a barn with a number on it and they have to identify the number before seeing if he is there. 

-We played Feed the Dog again so we could continue to practice rolling and counting then identifying numerals.

-Shapes BINGO 

April 1st-April 5th

We started discussing how pets make us feel this week. We did a fun activity where we read a story about a dog named Fergus then we created a list of all the pet names we could think of. We thought of some very interesting ones! We also realized that pets can  have people names. 

Small Groups

-We sorted pets by pet type, size, and color.

-We got some colored goldfish and practiced making patterns with them. 

-The naturalist were suppose to come for a visit but sadly had to postpone. 

March 25th-March 29th

We reviewed the word habitat and discussed the importance of keeping it clean for our pets. We also discussed and webbed all the different ways he care for our pets. We discussed how we care for our pets at the Vet Clinic and Groomer in our dramatic play. 

Small Groups

-We played feed the dog where we have to roll a dice and put that many scooby snack bones on our dog bowl. 

-We sorted shapes.

-We did a directed drawing of cat! The students rocked it!

-We got to read some donated books from the book fair! 

March 18th & March 19th

This was a SHORT week not only with Spring Break but also the 2:00 dismissal on Monday. We celebrated our good behavior of filling our brownie point pan up with a visit from Ms. Frana's dog, Finn. The kids did wonderful with him and even had some great questions, such as why he has a pink nose instead of a black one (which he is known as a "Dudley Lab" which is a Labrador whose nose, eye rims and feet lack any pigment so they will always look pink in color.)  We did not have Read it Again due to the short week. We also had the school store come visit. If the students had 5 tickets they got to pick something from the store. 

March 11th-March 15th

This week we are back in the swing of things! We discussed communication among pets and how they communicate without talking. We tried a little game were we had to communicate to our friends without talking. We were very creative and used some of our Sign Language! 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming. This weeks objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to talk about the meaning of words, including how words can have more then one meaning, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups

-We practiced writing our numbers! 

-We played number BINGO. We are really trying to distinguish the difference between 9 and the letter P. 

-We played an adding game! We rolled two dice and had to count all the dots to building that many blocks on our pet sheet. 

-We practiced our writing skills with a St. Patrick's Day journal this week.

-We played "Find the Gold" which is a math game where you hid the pot of gold under a leprechaun with a number one. You have to identify the number before you flip it over. 

-We made a St. Patrick's Day college with green tissue paper. 

March 4th-March 8th

This week we are assessing and reviewing! We did however conduct our first survey! We asked friends in our small groups if they had a pet and then we marked on our worksheets if they did or didn't and we added them up to see which had more and less. We also did a free journal this week to practice our writing skills.

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. This weeks objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to understand and use new words representing feelings, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Cc and Kk. 

February 25th-March 1st

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. This weeks objectives are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Pp and Nn. 

Small Groups

-We did a pet roll and build activity.

February 18th-February 22nd

We had a busy week discussing habitats for pets! We looked at some different pictures of pets and labeled the parts we knew. We also went on a little gallery walk in the classroom of pets in their habitats and we discussed what we saw in them. We also did a little habitat puzzle where they had to draw a line to from the pet to the correct habitat. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey. This weeks objectives are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to talk about the meaning of new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letter is Ii. 

Small Groups

-We practiced counting along with describing if there are more or less or the same. 

-We practiced coping, extending, and creating our own patterns out of cubes.

-We played 'Wheres the Beanbag?' where you try to toss the beanbag into the basket and use your positional, describing words to tell where the beanbag landed. 

-We practiced following directions and our positional words with a worksheet. 

-We got to do a free journal, where we get to journal about whatever we want! 

February 11th-February 15th

Thank goodness the weather didn't stop our Valentine's Day Party! We had a great time measuring with heart rulers and playing candy heart race and making a nice "I Love You to Pieces" masterpiece! The students enjoyed passing out their Valentine's to one another.  

Also this week we got to practice our classification skills with a pet sort. Many friends sorted by size and color along with the type of pet! We also got to write in our journals and practice our fine motor skills. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letter is Tt. 

February 4th-February 8th

Welcome Back! We are FINALLY back into the swing on things! This week we will be discussing the difference between animals that are pets and are not pets by doing some pet sorts. We will also be taking a little virtual tour of a pet store. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin. This weeks objectives are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g.. word, letter, spell, read, write), to talk about about the meaning of new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to produce a fictional story that has a setting and characters.

This week EAK/Jolly Phonics letter is Aa. 

Small Groups

-Since we didn't get to do them at the end of January, we will be completing our January name writing and self portrait sheets. 

-We also got new morning work tubs that we got to explore a little this week! 

-We will be doing a number BINGO to help us with number identification.

January 28th-February 1st

This Iowa weather is just plain mean and nasty! We were able to return for a partial day on Friday with new centers! We are now have a Grooming Office in our classroom for our pets! We have new pet words at the writing center. We were able to play and explore with the new items on Friday! 

January 21st-January 25th

We were able to write down some of things we want to learn about pets. We also got to do a puppy spot activity where we had to identify the number then draw that many spots on the puppy. 

Unfortunately the rest of the week was cut short due to weather. 

January 14th-January 18th

This week we have started our new unit on pets! We got started by creating our web and adding what we already know about pets. We discussed if all animals are pets and how pets are domesticated animals, or animals that live with people. We will also chart any questions we have about pets that we would like to learn. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Tally Tosis by Dav Pilkey. This weeks objectives are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use words that describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identify when two words share the same sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups

-Labeling the different parts of picture to help us discuss that letters make up words. 

-We will be journaling about where we can see pets near our school.

-The naturalists are coming to visit us! 

January 7th-January 11th

Whole Group: This week we are still review expectations and rules. We are continuing our Incredible Flexible You books with Thinking with Our Eyes, Body in the Group, and Whole Body Listening. We discussed how we can show someone we are thinking about them or it by looking at it. We also talked about how keeping your body in the group is important so we know we are following the group plan. We will also discuss how we need our entire body to listen and what are body looks like when it is listening. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin. This weeks objectives are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use words which describe objects (adjectives), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Xx and Qq. 

Small Groups

-We discussed how we can hurt others with our words and practiced by taking a heart and crumpling it up. Then we apologized and un-crumpled the heart to see that the words still made the heart wrinkled and saying sorry doesn't take it away.

-We did a center review. We took a tour of our centers and reviewed what we do and don't do at that center and the importance of putting our items away before going to a new center. 

-We played a body in the group game where we had to practice putting our bodies in the group together by a certain shape. 

-We read David Goes to School and brainstormed some ideas of green choices David could make while at school. 

-We will play a What's Missing game to help us with memory skills.

-We will journal about Christmas. 

January 3rd and 4th

Whole Group: We will be reviewing rules and expectations at school. We will be rereading our social emotional curriculum, Incredible Flexible You as well. We read about Thinking Thoughts and Feeling Feelings and also The Group Plan. 

Read it Again: There is no Read it Again this week. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Yy and Vv. 

Small Groups

-We reviewed expectations at independent group and what it looks like while we are there. 

-We colored a red/green choice sheet to help us determine which choices are red, bad choices and which ones are positive, green choices. 

December 24th-January 2nd

Christmas Break. Happy Holidays! See you next year! 

December 17th-December 21st

Whole Group: This week we are enjoying some Christmas stories! We got to hear some new ones like There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell and Pete the Cat Saves Christmas. We also got to listen to some classics such as The Polar Express and we couldn't forget Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Grinch Day! 

Read it Again" This weeks Read it Again book is The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill. The objectives for this week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use the words for unfamiliar actions (verbs), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Zz and Ww. 

Small Groups

-December name writing 

-Roll and graph

-We introduced new morning work tubs.

-We played "doggy doggy where is your bone" but with a candy cane instead. The children all have their hands behind the backs and one has to guess which child is hiding the candy cane. It's a favorite of ours!

-For our Grinch Party we played pin the heart on the grinch, snowman toss (the students throw a plush snowball at snowmen cups) and then they colored a grinch coloring page. 

December 10th-December 14th

Whole Group: This week we are continuing our Gingerbread Study with The Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Cowboy. We have been comparing the different characters from each book. We've also been discussing the repeated words in the stories along with the different endings. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is The Mitten by Jan Brett. This weeks objectives are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use the words for unfamiliar objects (nouns), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Bb and Jj. 

Small Groups

-We played a gingerbread cookie rhyming game where we decided if words rhymed and then created new words to rhyme with those words.

-We practiced our cutting skills by cutting a gingerbread house and decorating it.

-Some of our friends practiced their letter identification with a game of memory, while others practiced matching beginning sounds with letters. 

-We will play a number identification game.

-We will compare/contrast the gingerbread books we've read this week to look closer at characters that are in both books.

-We will graph our favorite gingerbread book we've read. 

-We will journal about our favorite gingerbread character! 

December 3rd-December 7th

Whole Group: This week we start our Gingerbread Study! We started by reading the original book The Gingerbread Man. We then discussed the characters in the story, the repeated words in the book, and the ending. We will also read The Gingerbread Girl and discuss the retelling of it as well. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. This weeks objectives are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those in some friends or family members, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, to order three or more major events in a story. 

This weeks EAK/Jolly Phonics letters are Ff and Bb. 

Small Groups

-We practiced our sorting skills. 

-We played a gumdrop counting game. 

-We will practice our coloring while working on number identification and counting skills.

-We are going to take a poll to see how many friends have made a gingerbread house before. 

-We will writing in our journals. 

-We practice counting and number identification by building with cubes. 

November 26th-November 30th

Whole Group: This week we have started our author study! The author we are learning about right now is Jan Brett. We first watched a short movie about her, explaining that she lives in Massachusetts with her husband. We learned that it can take her up to a whole year to illustrate a single book. When she was a little girl she liked to draw and that is exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up as well. We also started reading some of her books such as The Hat and The Mitten. We will also be discussing how she gives little previews of her illustrations on the sides of each page. It shows what is happening 'behind the scenes." 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words representing time concepts, to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to identify and describe one or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups

-November name writing! 

-Jan Brett has a popular hedgehog character in her stories which is based off her own pet hedgehog. We created a hedgehog with play doh and had to draw a number and put that many quills in his back. 

-We practiced our pattern skills by doing a hat/mitten pattern sheet.

-We practiced cutting and decorating our own hats!

-We get to decide what would fit into our mitten like in Jan Brett's story. 

-We will be doing a book sort between Jan Brett books and other books. 

-We will be graphing which book we like better-The Hat or The Mitten. 

-We will journal. 

November 19th and November 20th

Whole Group: We read some fun Thanksgiving stories this week! We discussed the different ways of transportation families to take to travel on Thanksgiving to see family and friends! We also read the fun story There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Turkey. The students enjoyed! 

Read it Again: There is no Read it Again this week due to it being a short week with Thanksgiving! 

Small Groups

This week we made our Friendship Stew! We took turns pouring our ingredient into the crock pot. We also took turns mixing our corn bread muffins! We discussed how all of us are different and special in our own ways and when we all come together we make something special as well just like our stew! On Tuesday, the stew was ready for us to taste! We got to watch a little Daniel Tiger Thanksgiving Special while enjoying our stew and corn bread! 

November 12th-November 16th

Whole Group: This week we continued to discuss things we are thankful for. We are thankful for our pets and animals along with books and our school. We also discussed a difficult concept of wants v.s. needs and what we truly need to live and what we can live without but really like to have such as toys. We also discussed being thankful for those who take care of us and make us feel better such as nurses, doctors, and dentists. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Letters are Lost by Lisa Campbell Ernst. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words for unfamiliar actions (verbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to identify and describe one or more major events in a story. 

This weeks letter for EAK/Jolly Phonics is Oo. 

Small Groups

-We each had a turkey head and when given a number had to put that many feathers on the turkey. 

-We then had to match apple baskets with a number to that many apples. 

-We played an apple letter race game. 

-We also had to find letters with an leaf pile activitiy.

-We played wiggly worm! A sneaky worm hids under an apple and you have to identify the number on the apple. 

-We wrote in our journals! 

November 5th-November 9th

Whole Group: We wrapped up our insect study this week. We discussed all the things we've learned about insects! Such as where they live, characteristics they have, defensives they use, and so much more! The kids loved the insect tattoo they each received! With Thanksgiving around the corner, we started discussing what we are thankful for and what being thankful is. We started by talking about being thankful for our friends and family. Then we discussed the importance of fire fighters and police officers and what they do for us! 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use new words representing time concepts, to segment into syllables and to blend syllables into words, to identify and describe one or more major events in a story. 

This weeks letters for EAK/Jolly Phonics are Dd and Gg. 

Small Groups

-We played a game of Rhyming Rockets where we have to place the correct pictures with the correct rhyme in rockets. 

-We practiced where to start reading and which direction to follow while reading an interactive chart story.

-We had to determine and place the different words into groups based on how many syllables they have. 

-We colored a thank you sheet to give to local fire fighters and police officers! 

October 29-November 2nd

Whole Group: We are taking a little break from insects this week and doing some fun Halloween stories! We also had our Halloween party this week! So much fun! 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and describe one or more major events in a story. 

Our letter this week for EAK/Jolly Phonics was Mm. 

Small Groups

-We practiced sorting into by color, shape and size.

-We did a more/less activitiy using ice cube trays. 

-We did a measuring activity where we took a ruler of stars and measured different pictures! 

-We sequenced the events in the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

-At our Halloween party we played at little pumpkin toss, wrapped each other in toliet paper to make mummies, and used paper towels to decorate our mummies! 

October 22nd-October 26th

Whole Group: This week we discussed life cycles! We first looked at the human life cycle by looking at different pictures of Ms. Frana through out my life. We even got to see what she would look like (hopefully) when she becomes elderly! We then discussed the life cycle of insects, specifically starting with the butterfly. We discussed how it starts as an egg, then becomes a larva (or caterpillar), then a pupa (or chrysalis), then an adult butterfly. We played a game of trying to guess when insects are in the larva stage what they look like as an adult. We also discussed shedding and how some insects shed their skin when they are growing. We compared it to when we grow and our clothing becomes too tight for us to wear. We looked at how termites life cycle includes growing and shedding their wings! 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Clifford Goes to Dog School by Norman Bridwell. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top to bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to describe one or more major events in the story. 

Our letters this week for EAK/Jolly Phonics were Hh and Rr. 

Small Groups

-We got to make our very own insect out of play dough, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. We then got to talk about our insect such as where it lives, eats, and describing its features. 

-We did some cutting practice. 

-We sequenced human and insect life cycles. 

-We played a number game where we roll the dice and have to put that many objects on our board. 

October 15th-October 19th

Whole Group: This week we learned about learned about insects exteriors. We wear protective equipment to help protect us from harm and insects have exteriors to protect them as well. We took a look at some insects with unique exteriors such as ladybugs, beetles, and katydids. We also discussed how insects eat. We learned some new words, proboscises (which  is along, tube near insects' mouth that help them suck) and mandible (which is a pair of jaws that insects use to grab, cut, or bite their food). We listened to a song that sang about how butterflies migrate to Mexico because it is is a warmer climate. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is The Night Before Preschool written by Natasha Wing. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use new words representing spatial concepts, to identify when two word share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the setting and characters of a story. 

Small Groups

-We played a game to work on our recalling and remembering skills called What's Missing? when you have to identify which item has been taken away from the group of items. 

-We sang Down by the Bay and added our own lyrics to practice our rhyming skills. 

-We practiced counting while using insect counters. 

-He was wrote in our journals. 

October 8th-October 12th

Whole Group: This week we are learned about the characteristics of insects. Insects have 6 legs, 3 body parts, 2 antennas, and some have wings. We learned the song that tells us the body parts; head, thorax, abdomen, along with the other features of insects. We also discussed how insects communicate with each other. We discussed how not everyone communicates the same, some use words when others may use their hands. Insects communicate differently as well. We listened to how a cricket communicates and then watched to see what part of his body he uses to communicate. Other insects communicate by using light. We practiced communicating with one another by using our flashlights to ask questions. It was BLAST! We discussed have insects are part of colonies and that they work together to hunt for food and create shelter. We worked as a colony to put our blocks back into their designated spot. 

Read it Again: This weeks book was The Letters are Lost by Lisa Campbell Ernst. This weeks objectives are to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, to identify and describe setting and characters in a story, to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use new words representing spatial concepts. 

Small Groups

-We graphed how many pumpkins tall we are. We measured our height and then recording our results to see the range in our class. 

-We played a secret numbers game. We passed a number card from friend to friend and then when that number is picked if the student had that corresponding numeral they had to do some kind of action (jumping jacks, squats, toe touches, etc.). 

-We made our very own Jack O Laterns by gluing on different shapes for our faces!

-We practiced patterning only this time we used our bodies to make a pattern. Then we were able to make our very own and our classmates had to copy it!

-We journaled what our favorite part of our Bloomsbury field trip last week! 

-We played Shapes BINGO! 

-We played Shapes memory game! 

October 1st-October 4th

Whole Group: With it being a short, different week we planned on going for a walk to observe insects however the weather didn't allow that. We then got to watch short Wild Kratz video about insects, specifically bees and butterflies. We also discussed on  how to care for insects and we discussed where they live and how they eat. 

Read it Again: There is no Read it Again this week due to short week and Bloomsbury field trip. 

Small Groups

-We got to look at some different pictures of what we will see at Bloomsbury. We also discussed the importance of staying with the group and following the group plan. 

-We got to trace and practice drawing our shapes. 

-We are reading our new Body in the Group book that discusses how to be part of the group without being too close and too far away. 

-We broke out the play dough and practiced sharing the different materials. 

September 24th-September 28th

Whole Group: This week we are discussing The Group Plan. The Group Plan is when we are thinking/doing the same thing. It is very important to follow the group plan at school. We discussed what our bodies look like when we are following the group plan. We also started our new study this week, Insects! We started the study by discussing what an insect is (it has 6 legs, 3 body parts, 2 antenna, and some have wings). We started a web with all the information we already know about insects. We discussed how to safely catch and observe insects without harming ourselves or the insects. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andraea and David Wojtowycz. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use words for unfamiliar actions (nouns), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the settings and characters in a story. 

Small Groups

-We did an egg pass game. We had to follow the group plan and keep passing the egg until the music stopped. 

-We started discussing sorting and how we can sort by shape, size, and color! We took turns sorting buttons by their different attributes. 

-We participated in a rhyming activity! We had to find the matching rhyming words and put them in the correct rocket!

-Jumping Beans is a new game that got us out of our seats. We placed the letters that we have been practicing in jar and then they had to say the name of the letter and the sound that letter makes. If they pulled the green jumping bean they would all need to get up and jump!

-We did a little science predictions! We got different objects that weighed different sizes and then some straws and predicted if we could blow that object using the straw. We also predicted which object would go further. 

-We participated in a picture/word walk. There were words and pictures spread around the carpet and my friends had to do a specific action to the either the picture or the word.  
-EAK and Jolly Phonics letters Pp and Nn 

September 17th-September 19th

Whole Group: This week we are discussing friendship and how to be good friends to one another. We practiced taking turns when playing follow the leader. We also start discussing problem solving solutions that we can use when we do not agree with a friend or there is a conflict with a friend. We discussed how we use nice words and a good tone with our friends. How we talk and interact with our friends is very important. 

Read it Again: This weeks Read it Again book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the setting and characters of a story. 

Small Groups

-We played a new game called Duck, Duck, Hug. This game is very similar to Duck, Duck, Goose however you hug instead of tag. 

-We read the story Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See? and then we read a What Do You See? which had a picture of all the friends in our class! 

-We played a where is the beanbag game where we use positional words to describe where the beanbag lands. 

-We did some "baking." We had a cupcake and we added sprinkles of what makes us good friends at school.

-Is this your Shoe game was a hit! We practiced using kind words to ask friends if we guessed their shoe from hiding under a blanket. 

-We practiced our sharing skills and having to wait sometimes when it is another friends turn. 

-We did a journal of how to be a good friend.

-We also did a nursery rhyme count with Mary Had a Little Lamb. We had to count her sheep in the grass. 
-EAK/Jolly phonic letters Tt and Ii 

September 10th-September 14th

Whole Group: We are discussing rules this week and the importance of rules! We came up with some of our own class rules that stem around the PBIS words centered around Keystone Elementary: safe, responsible, respectful, and caring. We are discussing how to keep our hands to ourselves and why we keep our hands to ourselves. We will watch a video about how it makes others feel when we don't keep our hands to ourselves. We will also be having a special visitor come and speak to us about the importance of rules! 

Read it Again: This week's Read it Again book is Clifford Goes to Dog School by Norman Bridwell. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures,  to understand and use words for unfamiliar actions (verbs), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, to identify and describe the characters of a story. 

Small Groups
-We discussed Red and Green Choices this week. Red choices are decisions we make that make our teachers, friends, or ourselves sad. Green choices are choices we make to make others and our-self feel good and happy. 
-We learned about our punch cards! We each have a card and each time we are following the group plan and are making green choices we get a punch. Once our punch card is filled we get to pick a prize! 
-We are finished reading our book Thinking Thoughts and Feeling Feelings. We learned about how we each have a thought bubble and that our brain controls our thoughts and our heart controls our feelings. We practiced reading others peoples bodies and faces to see how they are feeling.
-We are practicing making shapes and describing shapes! We got to draw them in rice! We also got to play a ladybug game where the ladybug was under a shaped mushroom and we had to guess which one!
-We also get to celebrate Dot Day! Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration. It is a day inspired by Peter H. Reyonlds' book The Dot.  In the story a caring art teacher dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to "make her mark."
-EAK/Jolly phonics Letters Ss and Aa 

September 4th-September 8th

Whole Group: This week for whole group we discussed things that make us sad and scared while at school. We read a great story, Wemberly Worried, then discussed why she was sad at school and what she did to make herself feel better while being at school. 

Small Groups
-We discussed the Safe Place in our room. This is a place that we go when we are experiencing feelings such as sadness, or when we are scared. We got to practice using our tools to calm ourselves down and practice some techniques to make ourselves feel happy again such as deep breaths, writing how we feel, drawing pictures of things that make us feel happy, talking to Benny the bobcat puppet, and more. 
-We colored our friendship caterpillar that will be hung up in our room!
-We started journaling!
- We got to practice some large motor skills with homecoming balloons!
- We also got to color coffee filters then squirt them with water to watch the Bobcat blue and yellow bleed together! 

May 7th-May 11th

Whole Group: Since we covered if all balls bounce last week, this week we are investigating if all balls roll. We also looked how height affects how fast balls roll. We discussed how the ball went from fast, to faster, to fastest the higher the ramp got. We also learned a new, long word...circumference.  We measured the circumference of a few different balls and compared it to the balls height. 

Read it Again: This will be our last week of Read it Again. This weeks book is Clifford for President  by Acton Figueroa. This weeks objectives are to recognize some common sight words, including environmental print, to understand and use words representing thinking processes, to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to share feelings, ideas, or experiences in a single story that is precise. 

Small Groups

-Guidance with Mrs. Bishop

-May name writing 

-Patterns

-Gumdrops number game 
-Mother's Day gift 

April 30th-May 4th

Whole Group: This week we are investigating if all balls bounce. We tested some balls in our room on carpet then the next day we decided to see if they would bounce on different floor, like the gym. We are also discussing what affects how balls bounce.  

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Very Sleepy Sloth by Andrew Murray. This weeks objectives are to recognize some common sight words, including environmental print, to understand and use new words representing spatial concepts, to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to share feelings, ideas, or experiences in a single story that is precise. 

Small Groups

-Guidance with Mrs. Bishop

-Patterns

-Journaling

-Charades with Shapes

We also got to release our butterflies this week too! It was a little bittersweet as we were sad to see them go but it was so exciting to see them fly off! 

April 23rd-April 27th

Whole Group: We started our balls study this week! We started the week by reading another story about recycling and what happens to the materials once they are recycled. We then discussed what we already know about balls. We will also discuss what we what to find out about balls. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Read Leaf Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. This weeks objectives are to recognize some common sight words, including environmental print, to understand and use words for the names of unfamiliar objects (nouns), to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to share feelings, ideas, or experiences in a single story that is precise. 

Small Groups

-Cutting

-Sorting buttons by shape, size, and color 

-Card identification, counting, and number writing

-Beanbag toss

-Journals

-Compound words

April 16th-April 20th

Whole Group: This week we are wrapping up our building study. We took a vote on our next study. The chooses were balls or reduce, reuse, recycle. The majority of students voted for balls. We also read some books about Earth Day and what we can do both at home and at school to make our Earth a better place to live in. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. The objectives this week are to recognize some common sight words, including environmental print, to understand and use new words which describe things or actions (adjectives or adverbs), to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to share feelings, ideas, or experiences in a single story that is precise. 

Small Groups

-Build and compare measuring activity

-Alphabet stew 

-Letter, word, sentence sort

-War game

-Rhyming 

-Number writing 

-Counting spinner 

April 9th-April 13th

Whole Group: We've been talking about a lot about what we need to make buildings, who makes buildings, and what different buildings are made of. Now we are taking a look at the different things that happens inside buildings. We are discussing all the different things that happens in all the different buildings. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is A Color of his Own by Leo Lionni. The objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to share feelings, ideas, or experience in a single story that is precise. 

Small Groups

-Creating our own story

-Beanbag positional toss game

-Skittles Rainbow experiment 

April 2nd-April 6th

Whole Group: This week are discussing what is special about our building at school. We were able to go on a walk around the school and peek at different classrooms and other rooms that we have in the building. We also have new friends in our classroom, some caterpillars. We will be watching them grow and turn into butterflies! We even have a butterfly house for them! 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Clifford for President by Action Figueroa. The objectives this week are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to understand and use words for the names of unfamiliar actions (verbs), to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to produce a fictional story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups

-Move and count activity

-What's missing game

-Memory shapes game

-Number writing

-Journals 

-Letter identification 

Also Mrs. Bishop came in and will be doing short lessons with us one every six days! 

March 26th-March 29th

Whole Group: We are discussed what buildings are made of. He took a picture walk and saw different pictures of buildings made from stones, bricks, glass, wood, mud, ice, and cement. We are also reading The Three Little Pigs and discussing what they used for their houses and if they were strong or weak. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Very Sleep Sloth by Andrew Murray. This weeks objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to talk about the meaning of new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to produce a word starting with a specific first sound, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Small Groups

-Alphabet matching game

-Beginning sound matching game

-Uppercase and lowercase bear bandaids

-March name and self portrait

-Number building game 

-Popsicle stick houses

-Retelling The Three Little Pigs 

March 19th-March 23rd

Whole Group: We are discussing who builds buildings and what tools they use to do so. We will be doing an activity where the students will feel in a mystery box and try to guess what tool they are feeling. We read the book Build it From A to Z by Trish Holland where we looked for the different items that workers wear to keep them safe. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. This weeks objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to talk about the meaning of new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups

-Alliteration sorts

-Rhyming sorts

-Geoboard shapes

-Mystery box 

-Sink and float 

March 12th and 13th

Whole Group: With this short, short week, we read a book about all different kinds of houses. We talked about the similarities of some and also the differences of others. Toy Tuesday we got to make a big circle and everyone took a turn sharing the toy they brought. 

Read it Again: With the short week, we did not have Read it Again 

With the early out on Monday and Toy Tuesday, we did not have small groups this week. 

March 5th-March 9th

Whole Group: We started our new study this week, buildings! We looked at some different buildings and the different features and characteristics of them. We discussed what we already know about buildings. We also listed what we want to find out about buildings. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. This weeks objectives are to recognize the difference between letters and words, to understand and use new words representing feelings, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups
-Smack it with numbers
-Tattling Tongue book
-Telling the tattle ear  
-Popsicle shapes
-Rhyming words
-Beginning Sounds 
-Umbrella numbers 

February 26th-March 2nd

Whole Group: This week we wrapped up our pets study. We discussed some of the new things we've learned from this study such as caring for pets, where pets live, what pets eat, what kinds of animals are pets, and how pets make us feel. 

Read it Again: This week book is A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. This weeks objectives are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to understand and use new words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups
-Cat in the Hat alphabet/beginning sound hat
-February name and self portrait 
-Rhyming game
-Matching letters/beginning sound game
-Jolly phonics/EAK 
-File folder games 

February 19th-February 23rd

Whole Group: This week we discussed how pets make us feel. We made a list of all of our pets names. We also discussed how to show animals that you care for them and how not all pets want to receive the kind of affection that people enjoy. We also made a list of all the different feelings and emotions that pets make us feel. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey. The objectives this week are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to talk about the meaning of new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to produce words that share a rhyming pattern, and to produce a personal story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. 

Small Groups:
-Measuring 
-Alliteration sorts
-Dog breath prepositions 
-Jolly phonics/EAK
-Patterns 
-Lacing cards
-Puzzle 

February 12th-February 16th

Whole Group: This week have been discussing different ways we care for our pets. We did an activity where we communicated with our friends not using words. We discussed how pets communicate in many different ways. We will also be discussing pets habitats and how to keep them clean. We will then talk about our class pets different habitats he has been living in and how we have cared for him. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill. This weeks objectives are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g, illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to understand and new words representing feelings, to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to produce a fictional story that has a setting and characters. 

Small Groups

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Hh, Gg, Rr 

-Heart Toss game

-Alphabet Valentine's BINGO

-Heart patterning 

-Sequencing puzzles

-Alliteration sort

-Measuring 

-Smack it Letter Game

-Shaving cream letters

-Graphing 

February 5th-February 9th

Whole Group: This week we are discussing what pets eat. We had a group discussion and listed the different foods that different pets eat. We also discussed how we sometimes eat the same foods as pets. We also are discussing how pets eat and how much they eat. We learned 3 new words-carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin. The objectives this week are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g., illustrator, author, cover, title page) and print (e.g., word, letter, spell, read, write), to talk about the meaning of the new words, including how words can have more than one meaning, to identify when two words share the same first sound, to produce a fictional story that has a setting and characters. 

Small Groups

-Rhyming activitiy

-Make a pattern snake

-Rereading familiar stories

-Journals 

January 29th-February 2nd

Whole Group: This week are discussing where pets live. We talked about nesting and how pets make their beds. We will also discuss cages and kennels. We had a visit from Dr. Jen Feuerbach this week. She not only told us some stories how she helps animals daily but showed us somethings that she has collected from animals surgeries. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Mitten by Jan Brett. The objectives this week are to understand and use new words describing aspects of books (e.g, illustrator, author, cover title page) and print (eg. word, letters, spell, read, write), to understand and use words representing thinking processes, to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to produce a fictional story that has a setting and characters. 

Small Groups

-Goldilocks retelling flannel board

-Name writing

-Ice cube tray quantities 

-Humpty dumpty spacial relationships 

January 22nd-January 26th

Whole Group: We discussed the characteristics of pets and what makes animals pets. We did a pet sort to determine what animals would be safe to be pets and what would not. We also tallied to see how many students have dogs and cats at home as pets. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll. The objectives for this week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use new words representing thinking processes, to identify when two words share the same first sound, to produce a fictional story that has a setting and characters. 

Small Groups 

-Tallying 

-Pet sorts

-Journaling 

- Beginning sounds charting 

January 16th-January 19th

Whole Group: We are starting a new study all about pets! We started this study by discussing what we already know about pets. We will also discuss what we want to find out about pets. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey. The objectives for this week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use words that describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identifty when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups

-EAK/Jolly Phonics Letters Ss and Aa

-Journaling about our pets 

-Bounce and Count activity 

January 4th-January 12th

Whole Group: As we return we will be discussing how to be safe, responsible, respectful, and caring students. We will discuss those traits and brainstorm ways of how we demonstrate those traits at school. We will also review our rules at school. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Giggle, Giggle, Quack  by Doreen Cronin. The objectives for the week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those in some friends or family members, to understand and use words which describe objects (adjectives), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups

-Body in the Group review

-Whole Body Listening review

-Matching beginning sounds 

-Practice cutting

-Review Jolly Phonics songs

December 22nd-January 3rd

Christmas Break. Happy Holidays! 

December 18th-December 22nd

Whole Group: This week we are discussing what can all harm and damage trees. We are also discussing all the things that come from trees! Not just food for ourselves, animals, and insects but also wood, rubber, and paper! We are also reviewing all that we have learned about trees such as the difference between evergreens and deciduous trees, the parts of the tree, who takes care of trees, how trees grow, and everything that we can get from a tree. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Recess Queen. The objectives for this week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use the words for unfamiliar actions (verbs), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups

-Which has more? math activity

-Pin the nose on Rudolph 

-Christmas roll and graph

-Letters to Santa 

December 11th-December 15th

Whole Group: We discussed that people, known as arborists, take care of trees. We also learned that they help the trees by pruning them, feeding them, and protecting them. We also made a list of all the foods that come from trees, including maple syrup! We will also be discussing how trees grow and what they need to grow. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Mitten. The objectives this week are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those of some friends or family members, to understand and use the words for unfamiliar objects(nouns), to identify when two words share the same first sound, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups:

-EAK/Jolly Phonics-Letters Xx and Qq 

-Nursery Rhyme Count

-Decorating Stockings

-Geoboards

-Name File Folders

-Jolly Phonics Review 

December 4th-December 8th

Whole Group: We discussed that Evergreen trees have their leaves all year, while Deciduous trees shed their leaves each fall. We also read a book and discussed the different things that live in trees. We will also be discussing what food comes from trees. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Biggest Snowman Ever. This weeks objectives are to learn some uppercase letter names, including those in own name and those in some friends or family members, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to order three or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups:

-EAK/Jolly Phonics-Letters Vv and Yy,

-Stick letters-making different letters using tooth picks

-Patterns

-Story problems

-Letter walk

-Making and eating S'mores

November 27th-December 1st

Whole Group: We took advantage of this great weather and went on a little nature walk. We collected items that fell from the trees. We will then use those items to make a collage! We will also discuss the different parts of a tree. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Night Before Preschool. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words representing time concepts, to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to identify and describe one or more major events in a story.

Small Groups

-I'm thinking of a shape activity

-November name writing and self image picutre

-Nature walk

-Nature collage 

November 20th and November 21st

Whole Group: After discussing what we already know about trees, we then focused on what we would like to know about trees. The students were very curious about what trees have to be cut down and how we get paper from trees! With Thanksgiving later this week, we went around and told the class one thing we are thankful for. A lot of our friends are really thankful for their bikes! :) 

Read it Again: No Read it Again this week. 

Small Groups

-No small groups on 11/20 due to early out

-Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie with a special treat of popcorn and pretzels 

November 13th-November 17th

Whole Group: We started our new unit on trees. We generated a list of things we already know about trees. We also had discussion about what we might see on trees by our school. Later that day we took a little walk and looked at the different trees around our playground. The new camping dramatic play center is a hit! We love sitting by the fire, eating s'mores, going in the tent, and exploring the cave! 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Letters are Are Lost. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words for unfamiliar actions (verbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to identify and describe one or more major events in a story. 

Small Groups:

-EAK/Jolly Phonics-Letters Ff and Bb 

- More or Fewer Towers Math activity

-Tongue Twisters

-Tallying 

-Shaving Cream Letters

-Lining it Up 

-Jolly Phonics review

-File Folder Names 

November 6th-November 10th

Whole Group: We are finishing our clothing study and begin our new study about trees next week! We will be camping in dramatic play center! We will also have dirt in the sensory table. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Rumble in the Jungle. This weeks objectives are to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, to identify and describe one or more major events in a story, to recognize the left-to-right and top-to bottom directionality of print, and to understand and use new words representing time concepts. 

Small Groups:
-EAK/Jolly Phonics-Letters Uu and Ll 

-Read it Again 

October 30th-November 3rd

Whole Group: We are discussing what special clothes people wear for work. We have add various uniforms into our dramatic play center. We will be discussing the different uniforms people wear to work. We will also share the different clothes the students parents wear for work.   

Read It Again: This weeks book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This weeks objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to segment words into syllables and to blend syllables into words, and to describe one or more major events in the story. 

Small Groups:

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Gg and Oo 

-Journals

-Postional Activity

-Halloween games-Ghost bowling, ghost bean bag toss, and candy corn counting

-Self image and name writing 

October 23rd-27th

Whole Group: We had discussion about the different materials we could sell to make clothes at our new store in dramatic play. We also discussed the different sizes of clothing available at the store. We have a special visitor joining us on Thursday to show crocheting and different types of yarns and the different materials used to crochet. 

Read It Again: We are now cycling back to the books we first read. So this weeks book is Clifford Goes to Dog School. This week objectives are to recognize the left-to-right and top-t0-bottom directionality of print, to understand and use words which describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to describe one or more major events in the story. 

Small Groups:

-Incredible Flexible You: Whole Body Listening

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Mm and Dd 

-Fall Cover Up game

-Same Sound Sort 

October 16th-20th

Whole Group: We had a discussion on what materials we will need to make clothes and then created a list of those materials. We have a special visitor joining us on Thursday to show us how to sew and the different materials she uses to sew. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Night Before Preschool. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use new words representing spatial concepts, to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the setting and characters of a story. 

Small Groups:
-Incredible Flexible You- Whole Body Listening

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Hh and Rr 

-Tshirt designs

-Patterns

-Shared Writing-What do we need to make clothes. 

October 9th-13th

Whole Group: We have discussed how to take care of our clothes. What we need to do to clean our clothes. We also had a closer discussion on what the workers at the laundromat do. 

Read it Again: With no school on Monday and our Bloomsbury Field Trip on Thursday we decided to not have Read it Again this week. 

Small Groups:

-Incredible Flexible You- Whole Body Listening 

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letter Ee 

-Shaving Cream Letters 

October 2nd-6th

Whole Group: We have discussed the features of clothes such as the different sizes. We also explored with different tools we use when we measure such as measuring tapes and rulers. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is The Letters are Lost. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use new words representing spatial concepts, to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe setting and characters in a story. 

Small Groups:
-Incredible Flexible You- Body in the Group 

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Cc and Kk

-Math- Measuring and comparing 

September 25th-29th

Whole Group: We started our new unit on clothes this week! We are discussing what we already know about clothes and what we would like to learn about. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Rumble in the Jungle. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use words for unfamiliar actions (nouns), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the settings and characters in a story. 

Small Groups:

-Incredible Flexible You- Thinking with our Eyes

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letters Pp and Nn 

-Math- Clothing Search and Find

-Shared Writing-What do we know about clothes, what do we what to learn about clothes, what makes our clothes special 

September 18th-22nd

Whole Group: We are discussing what are friends and how we can make friends at school. We are discussing taking turns with one another and how this makes us happy. We listed solutions to problems may arise with our friends. 

Read it Again: This weeks book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This weeks objectives are to recognize that print carries meaning and to distinguish print from pictures, to understand and use words describe things and actions (adjectives and adverbs), to identify when two words share a rhyming pattern, and to identify and describe the setting and characters of a story.

Small Groups:

-Incredible Flexible You- Thinking with our Eyes. 

-EAK/Jolly Phonics- Letter Ii  

-The Adventures of Gary & Harry A Tale of Two Turtles book discussion 

-Math-Nursery Rhyme Count-Mary Had a Little Lamb 

September 11th-15th 

Whole Group: We have started our Read It Again curriculum this week. The first book we will discussing is Clifford Goes to Dog School. We will talk about the title of the book along with what the words in story do. We will learn in new vocabulary words such as: begging, kneeling, sitting, walking, shaking. We will be reading this book all week.

-EAK (Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge): This is a new strategy we are using to learn the alphabet. We will not be learning one letter a week. Instead we will be cycling through the letters multiple times throughout the school year. The first cycle will be completed before Christmas break. During this first cycle we will be working on each letter for two days. After Christmas, we will cycle through two or three more times working on the letters that the students need additional support with. We will continue to use Jolly Phonics as well. 

Small Groups:
-Incredible Flexible You- The Group Plan 
-Jolly Phonics Letter Aa and Tt
-EAK Letters Aa and Tt 
-Charlie Andersen Book Discussion
-What Are Rules? Why Do We Have Rules? What Are Our Rules? Shared Writing