Announcements from Miss Cheryl, Miss Ginger and Miss Kelley’s Class
OUR FOCUS THIS WEEK
Hope you had a great week off! Our story this week is The Napping House by Audrey Woods. This repetitive story sequences a crazy, rainy night at Granny’s house. Everyone ends up sleeping in her bed sleeping until the wakeful flea’s bite starts a hilarious chain reaction that wakes everyone up to a beautiful sunny morning. Our key concepts for this unit will include prepositions, sequencing, seriation, day/ night, and weather. We will be playing counting games in our own beds and playing in big box bedrooms with blankets and flashlights as large group activities. Our science activity will be making rainbows in our classroom. It should be another fun week.
Vocabulary Words:
rainbow raining night day sleeping snore dreaming breaks child everyone flea bed
Homework:
- Here is a finger play to do with your child. Finger plays help increase fine motor skills and motor planning as well as increase vocabulary and knowledge. The finger play below is one we are learning in class this week.
Little Raindrop
This is the sun, High up in the sky (Hold hands in a circle high over your head)
A dark cloud suddenly come sailing by. [Slide hands (can use the sign for cloud) to side]
There are the raindrops, pitter-patter down, (make raining motions with fingers)
Watering the plants (pouring motions)
Growing in the ground. (hands pat the ground)
Higher Thinking Question-
How can you tell it might rain?
2. Read other related literature to your child. The more you read with and to your child the more vocabulary, language development and desire to learn to read is nurtured in your child. Point to the words while you read to them. Let your child retell you the story if they are able. Other stories include Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak; Time For Bed by Mem Fox; The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins; and Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathman. Remember children love to have the same stories read to them over and over.
Higher Thinking Question-
1. How do you know someone is sleeping?
2. What do you do before you go to bed (or to sleep) each night?
3.Continue to use a stuffed animal demonstrate prepositions such as on, in, under, beside, for your child. Make a game of it. A perfect connection to our story would be to use your child’s bed with the stuffed animal or your child. Then allow your child to demonstrate what you have done. Be sure you talk to your child about where the animal is to ensure they are learning the words and their meaning. The animals in The Napping House are a cat, dog, mouse and flea (technically an insect but …).
Pre-Academic Activities for the Full Day Students (Letter Time)
Our letter this week is letter Rr. Make sure you review the vocabulary sheets with your child. You can make this fun by making up riddles or descriptions about the pictures. Make an extra copy, cut both up individual pictures, turn over and play Concentration or play a matching game. Be creative and have fun teaching your child.
More activities for increasing letter sound awareness and handwriting-
1.Go on a treasure hunt around your house (inside and/or outside) to find items that begin each letter sound. (Use the vocabulary words I have sent home to help you.)
2.Sing songs or nursery rhymes using only the letter sound instead of the words.
3. ALWAYS practice writing their names in upper and lower case letters—not just upper case (capital letters).
4.Practice writing the letters.
Strategies to use-
a. Using a shortened normal sized crayon or pencil will encourage the correct hand position when they are writing if this is needed for your child. The shortened length requires your child to have to hold the writing instrument using a more appropriate grasp. A crayon helps the writer increase pressure when writing. Pencils tend to slip easily and may not be the best instrument to use for beginning writers.
b. Writing on a slanted surface such a 3 inch binder helps to keep their hand and arm in the correct position if needed.
c. Writing with chalk on an upright easel encourages correct arm and hand position PLUS it increases the need to add pressure.
d. While they are writing say the chants I sent home with your child will help remember the correct way to form the letters.
e. Have your child write while laying prone (flat) on his stomach. This is another way to reinforce the correct position for the arm and hand when writing.
f. Roll playdoh or other modeling clay into snakes and form the letters.
g. Practice writing the letter shapes with their fingers on sandpaper; in rice, sand or flour; or hair setting gel in a sealed plastic bag.
Speech and Language- Miss Allison
Check out the Speech and Language page on the left side of this blog page.
Georgia Pre-K Content Standards Link
Here is a useful link to the Ga. Pre-K content standards. As special needs preschool educators our lessons are planned around these standards and the individual needs of each student. You may find information on this site helpful when you are working with your child at home and in your community. This site will help you as parents become familiar with the standards your child will need know or be exposed to during their preschool/pre-k years.
