Announcements from Miss Cheryl and Miss Ginger’s SNP Class
This Week in Our Class
Now that we have completed our body parts and senses units we are moving on to fall themes. This week we are learning about apples. Our first story in this unit is Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo. LeSieg (Dr. Seuss). In this book, a lion, a tiger, and a dog count one through ten apples and compete to see who can carry the most on their heads until the surprise ending. It is written in very short, easy sentences with lots of repetition. You may be surprised at all the activities and concepts we will cover using apples. We will be counting, measuring, weighing, following prepositions, doing science and making food activities with apples to name a few things. Soon it will be apple time in North Georgia. I have tried to do this unit close to apple picking time in case your family decides to go to the North Georgia Mountains farms to buy some delicious Georgia apples. Taking a family outing like that will help make learning about this even more real to your child.
Here are the vocabulary words for this story.
apple up stop fall skate mop
top ten bike drop apple cart
This Week’s “Homework”-
1. Go grocery shopping with your child and look at all the different apples. Talk about their color and smell.
2. Taste different ways apples can be eaten-- apple sauce, fresh, baked, dried. Which does your child like best?
3. Do this apple fingerplay with your child. It is not only fun but targets backward counting and is good for their fine motor skills and vocabulary.
Five little apples lying on the floor (hold up 5 fingers).
I'll roll one away(make rolling motion with arms), and that leaves four (hold up 4 fingers).
Four little apples hanging on a tree (hold up 4 fingers).
I'll pick one off (pick an imaginary apple), and that leaves three (hold up 3 fingers).
Three little apples, I know what to do (hold up 3 fingers)! I’ll put one in my pocket (pretend to put apple in pocket), and that leaves two (hold up 2 fingers).
Two little apples sitting in the sun (hold up 2 fingers) .
I'll pick one up (pretend to pick apple up off the floor), and that leaves one (hold up 1 finger).
One little apple waiting in my lunch (hold up 1 finger).
I'll eat it up (pretend to take a big bite!) with a crunch, crunch, crunch!
4. 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 “Apples” by Gail Gibbons; “Autumn is for Apples ” by Michelle Knudsen; ”The Apple Pie Tree” by Zoe Hall; and “Ten Red Apples ” by Pat Hutchens. Remember children love to have the same stories read to them over and over again. This is a good time to read one of these stories several times this week or read the story I am reading if they seem to especially like that one.
Announcement-
This is the last week for our Georgia State University interns- Miss Abi and Miss Megan. This has been their first real classroom experience since they started their education degrees. They have shown great inititative when helping with lessons and when learning how to teach children who have varied and different learning styles. They are both going to be very good teachers. We are all going to miss them.
Pre-Academic Activities for the Full Day Students (Letter and Number Time)—Letter Hh
Remember to continue to review the previous letters of Ll; Ff; and Ee. Don’t forget to use the chants I sent home as you practice writing. The children enjoy saying the chants or hearing you repeat the chants as they write in sand, rice or flour using their pointer finger and on the upright chalkboard with chalk or on an attached paper with a crayon on the upright board.
This week we will be learning letter Hh. Remember the children will learn to write only the upper case H. I will be exposing them to the lower case “h” but will not to writing it. We will learn the letter sounds by practicing the letter sounds found at the beginning of words (ex. hat, horn. house, etc…). Use the vocabulary words I send home to continue to practice letter sound and letter recognition with your child. Try to follow the activities and strategies listed below. Please keep in mind that each child has varying abilities. I will expose your child to the standards that are age appropriate but will adjust each lesson to their individual levels and needs.
More activities for increasing letter awareness, letter sound awareness and handwriting-
- Go on a treasure hunt around your house (inside and/or outside) to find items that begin with each letter sound. (Use the vocabulary words I have sent home to help you.)
- Sing songs or nursery rhymes using only the letter sound instead of the words.
- ALWAYS practice writing their first names in upper and lower case letters—not just upper case (capital letters). At this age children only need to learn to write the upper case letters (except in the first names). They should learn to recognize both upper and lower case letters
- Practice writing the letters.
- Look in books, magazines, etc. to find both the upper and lower case letter of the week. Always go from left to right as you do when you read. They can even use a highlighter to mark the letters they find. This is also a great review exercise for the previous letters we have learned.
Handwriting Strategies to use-
- 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. Markers should not be used until they are established writers. Once your child is an established writer use regular length crayons and begin writing with pencils.
- Writing on a slanted surface such a 3 inch binder helps to keep their hand and arm in the correct position if needed.
- Writing with chalk on an upright easel encourages correct arm and hand position PLUS it increases the need to add pressure.
- While they are writing say the chants I sent home with your child will help remember the correct way to form the letters. (These will be sent home when we begin letter formation.)
- 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.
- Roll playdoh or other modeling clay into balls first and then snakes. Use the snakes to form the letters. Use a rectangle shape such as a picture frame with no glass as a guide to form the letters. ALWAYS form the letters starting from the top to bottom inside the rectangle shape using the edges as a guide.
- 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 Preschool/ Pre-K Content Standards Link
Here is a useful link to the Ga. Preschool/ 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. The standards are set up according to your child’s chronological age. IF you child is older than 4 they will still be concentrating on the 4 year old standards. To access the standards click on the top address for the preschool standards or click on the bottom address for the Pre-K standards.
http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/GELSSection6.pdf
http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/Content_Standards_Full.pdf
