Early Childhood Curriculum Update
January 2017
Mott Class - Preschool
With the start of the new year, the Mott Class has begun a study on illustrators. We have been noticing that illustrations in books are important ways to convey information. We have been reading wordless picture books as part of our research and have listed things we saw in the books. We watched a movie of an illustrator and listed the tools she used to create her illustration. We noticed that she used pencils, erasers, crayons, chalk, paper, and paint. Then we went back to our room and studied how we made art this month- we used paint, chalk, crayons, and pencils. We noticed that we used different tools to make art such as hands, paint brushes, and even feet!
The Mott Class has been studying art words such as “tint” (add white), "shade" (add black), and "hue" (the differences in colors). This helped us with our study of what is fair and not fair in preparation for Martin Luther King day. We reviewed the color of our skin using paint chips and realized we all have different skin tones or hues. We made playdough to match our skin tones using different spices - turmeric, cocoa, paprika, cumin, and cinnamon. During our Martin Luther King Day of Service, we baked brownies for Food For Friends. Currently, we are getting ready for a field trip to Kutztown University to visit the illustration department. This has been a fun unit!
Hicks Class - Preschool
The Hicks Class has been learning about authors and illustrators as they explore a variety of books. Students have been creating their own books using different materials for the illustrations. The preschool is getting ready to travel to Kutztown University’s art department to see what materials they use when creating illustrations.
Students have been experimenting with large blocks of ice and salt. As they sprinkle salt over the ice, they watch what happens before using pipettes to pour colored water into the holes that have formed.
The Hicks class has taken walks to see how a building is taken down and what kinds of machines are used. This was very exciting!
Rustin Class - Kindergarten
We have a voice; we are writers and readers and we love literature!
The Rustin Class returned from winter break ready to engage in all areas of the curriculum. We have been busy building, drawing, and creating cards and paper creations. Teacher Sarai read many Mo Willems books aloud; we talked about the characters and analyzed all the misunderstandings and problems encountered in the stories. The students found the stories amusing and extremely interesting. Mo Willems is definitely our favorite author this month.
The Rustin Class's reading skills are improving daily. They are learning how to sound out words, recall high frequency words, look at illustrations, and point to the words as they read. Students are writing daily; they make cards, books, and a variety of stories. The teacher notices excellent phonetic spelling and more and more conventionally spelled words in their writing.
This month was a very busy month. We returned from winter break and were greeted with MLK day, the presidential inauguration, and the Women’s March that was worldwide. The Rustin class learned about Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King Jr. The students made delicious apple muffins for a local code blue shelter on our day of service. The shelter opens its doors to homeless people when the temperature reaches below freezing. The students discussed the inauguration and the Women's March and had the opportunity to make a large sign stating what they want the president to know. The sign made it all the way to Washington for the march. It was returned safely and is now hanging in our hallway, along with posters by artists who are activists.
About UFS
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Location: 1018 West Broad St Quakertown PA 18951
Phone: 215-538-1733
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