Room 11 Newsletter
April 24 - May 10, 2018
Integrated Learning
We are wrapping up our Oceans study and the students have learned so much! They are so excited to "swim" through our hallway ocean each day and find their creatures they added. In May, we will begin learning about Farmers' Market. We will talk about where food comes from, how we get it and conclude our study with our own Pre-K Market. Students will sell crops from our garden, goods that they've made and treats, such as, popsicles and popcorn. They will also have the opportunity to buy items from the Pre-K Market with pennies. Some centers include:
- Making an apron
- Sorting fruits and vegetables by color
- Tractor addition
- Combine color code
- P-L-O-W flip book
- Farmers' Market words I can write
- Farmers' Market book
- Banana and apple pin punch
- Painting rocks
- Udder painting
- Egg letter matching with upper and lower case letters
Literacy
In Literacy, we will be learning all about the letters "X" and "Z"! We will read A xylophone for X-ray Fish and Zach the Lazy Zebra. We will also practice letter formation and brainstorm words that start with those sounds. Some of our centers will include:
- Book Page: ______________ is EXCITING to me!
- Play tic-tac-toe
- Look at real x-rays
- Draw x-rays with white pencils on black paper
- Play a xylophone
- X-ray flip book
- X Bingo
- Xylophone color code
- Patterning with zipper, zucchini, and zoo picture
- Zebra stripe addition
- Z language master cards
- Zero Color code
- Pattern block
- File folder-beginning sounds
- Practice zig zag cutting
- Maze (help the zebra get to the zoo)
Science and Gardens
Social Studies
In Social Studies we will be finishing our study on respecting the Earth and the water cycle. Following that unit, we will discuss friendship, what makes a good friend, and make a classroom friendship quilt. We will end the year by reading The Relatives Came and share our summer family traditions.
Media Center
The Media Center Book Fair will take place Tuesday, May 8 through Thursday, May 10 from 7:30 to 4:30 and Friday, May 11 from 7:30 to 12:30.
Please make plans to attend. Your child’s summer reading list will be available as well as books to purchase for summer reading.
Art
In art, EC students recently explored sea animals. They viewed dried seahorses and created detailed drawing after noticing all their intricacies. Crabs, fish, sharks and octopuses were also made with oil pastels, then covered with blue watercolor paints to place their creatures in a sea environment. Next, students will create collages and paintings using cool colors - blue, green and purple hues - while continuing their sea life studies.
Drama
Pre-K has been enjoying some undersea adventures. This month they will have performed short movement plays about a deep-sea dive and a visit to the aquarium. In the middle of all this, Pre-K played an exciting game of Magic Apple Alphabet. Students got to choose a favorite letter of the alphabet and chose a word that started with that letter. Sometimes the student chose by themselves and sometimes they received help from their friends. Then the student got to rub the magic apple and change their friends into the thing. For example, some “M” words chosen were “mommy”, “mountain” “mouse” “milk” and “migration” (that one had sharks!).
Woodworking
Students have been learning the proper way to use many different tools. This year they have used tape measures, screwdrivers, sanding blocks, hammers, wrenches and pliers. They’ve been learning coding for Bee-Bots in their regular classroom throughout the year. In woodworking students are creating mazes with wooden blocks they sanded and then coding the Bee-Bot to navigate the maze. They will soon begin their last project that will have their own personal touch.
Important Dates
Friday, May 4 at 7:30AM - Muffins with mom on the playground
Friday, May 11 at 2:30PM - Pre-K sing
Friday, May 11 - Last day of Nightlight classes
Wednesday, May 23 - Last day of school
Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25 - Parent Conferences - sign up through PTC wizard
Ask you child about....
- What is a penny? How much is it worth?
- What are some foods a cow can give us?
- What they created for our Pre-K market?
- What is your favorite summer tradition?