From Miss Cheryl’s and Miss Ginger’s SNP Class
LAST WEEK IN OUR CLASS
The story “Barnyard Song” by Rhonda Gowler Greene was a great introduction to teaching the children about germs, the flu and how to keep from spreading illnesses. Here are a few of their favorite activities. We practiced washing our hands by first creating “germs” by mixing a tiny amount of cooking oil with dried parsley (germs). Once the “germs” were spread all over their hands then they discovered how well you must wash to remove all the germs. Remember to encourage good hand washing at home by reminding them of this science activity. Another fun learning activity was creating a chicken sound using a cup. They were fascinated when they were able to make the cup sound like a chicken when they slid down the yarn using a wet paper towel. Finally everyone enjoyed helping to make soup similar to the soup the farmer fed the animals until they were well. Our soup consisted of frozen peas, dried noodles and seasonings. Everyone tasted the peas when they were frozen and when they were cooked in the soup. Some actually liked the frozen ones better than the cooked ones. They also made predictions about what would happen to the noodles after they were cooked (would they stay hard or get soft?) and how the noodles would look after they were cooked (wavy or straight). Happily everyone ate all the soup they were given and some even asked more! The week was full of other fun activities to encourage proper health procedures including practicing covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze. Most needed frequent reminders (this was a big week for both coughing and sneezing) but this is what learning is all about. Make sure you encourage good health care practices at home to reinforce these skills. I think the children loved singing the song in the story the best. It was to the tune of Old MacDonald. First the animals sang in “their usual voices, in their usual throats” but stopped singing after the sneeze spread the flu to each of them. Their song changed to sneezes, sniffles and unusual sounds which the children loved to make.
OUR FOCUS THIS WEEK
This week we will be reading about the adventures of the gingerbread man. There are many versions of this traditional story so I have chosen the version by Eric Kimmel. He retells the story about the cookie that comes alive after being cooked, choosing to have him run away from an old man and woman, a sow (pig), a dog, and a horse and a cow. Finally it is the fox that enjoys a tasty gingerbread treat.
Some key concepts for this story will be sequencing the story, sequencing the way the fox tricks the gingerbread man, positional words, patterns and measurement.
Our vocabulary words are:
gingerbread man sow pigsty dog fox tail back head snout
wagged barked grazing behind rising
HOMEWORK:
Play the Gingerbread Man game on Starfall.com. Click on the link below.
http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/gingerbread/load.htm?f&n=main
Listen the Mox’s Shop on Starfall.com. This story emphasizes the short “o” sound but it also features a fox which goes along with our story. Click on the link below.
http://www.starfall.com/n/short-o/so/load.htm?f
Another fun computer game is Old MacDonald on Sesame Street.org. This can be used to teach beginning letter sounds by emphasizing the name of the farm animals and pressing the key that starts the animal’s name. It is also a science game emphasizing each animal’s sounds. You can also use this game to count by pressing the key to add the animals to the farm scene.
Songs, Nursery Rhymes, Fingerplays and Poems
The Muffin Man (change the name to the gingerbread man)
Oh, do you know the gingerbread man?
The gingerbread man? The gingerbread man?
Oh, do you know the gingerbread man
who ran down Drury Lane.
He said, "Catch me if you can,
If you can, if you can."
He said, "Catch me if you can,"
Then ran and ran and ran.
I can run like
the Gingerbread Man.
The Gingerbread Man,
The Gingerbread Man.
I can run like
the Gingerbread Man,
Now catch me if you can!!
http://web.archive.org/web/20080110232939/http://www.theteachersroom.com/gingerbread.htm
Ginger Kids (finger play sung to “10 Little Indians”- use your fingers as you add each ginger kid)
One little, two little, three little ginger kids.
Four little, five little, six little ginger kids,
Seven little, eight little, nine little ginger kids,
Ten little gingerbread kids.
(Now do back ward counting starting from ten to one)
Related Literature--- The Gingerbread Man by Harriett Ziefret; Maisy Makes Gingerbread by Lucy Cousins; The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins; Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone; Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
Pre-Academic Activities for the Full Day Students
LETTER TIME-- Letter Ss-
Remember to continue to review the previous letters as we begin to progress. 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 an upright chalkboard with chalk or on an attached paper with a crayon on an upright board.
This week we will introduce the letter Ss. I will emphasize the beginning sound found in words that begin with Ss. Vocabulary words will be sent home for you to practice with your child to reinforce the letter sound. 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.
IF your child is becoming frustrated when writing his/her first name in upper and lower case letters I have chants for the lower case letters that I can give you. Please email me if you need the chants!!
Thursday- Music( full day students)- The class is going to start participating in one weekly Specials class with a kindergarten class. (What are Specials?- Music, P.E. and Art) On Thursdays we will be going to Music. I want to thank Mr. Savage for allowing us to participate in this activity as the students are only in preschool. We will start on a trial basis first to make certain they are ready to attend and participate. This will be a very beneficial activity for them.
Friday Media Center (full day students) —On Fridays we will visit the Media Center and check out one book. Please read this book with your child daily. The book needs to be returned by following Friday or your child will not be able to check out another book. Please help your child learn to respect the books he/she has brought home. Show them the proper way to handle the books and how to put them away. We practice this at school in our classroom library and they need to know the same respect and treatment of books applies at home also.
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.)
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. For those students who can recognize the letters this is a great way to start exposing them to words. Have them find and highlight the word that has the letter in it.
READ to your child. Read a variety of books to them. Ask questions about what you are reading- use “what” and “who” questions at first. Then move on to questions that require higher thinking- where, when, how and why. Talk about the pictures. Point to the words as you are reading. All of these things increase awareness which will help them learn to read
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
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 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 your 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.
Preschool Standards http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/GELSSection6.pdf
Pre-K Standards http://decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/Content_Standards_Full.pdf
