From Miss Cheryl’s and Miss Ginger’s SNP Class
LAST WEEK IN OUR CLASS
We have looked at the globe and discovered where we live and where the penguins live. They discovered the penguins live very far away from us and there is a lot of water between both places! The children enjoyed Penguin Pete’s New Friends and trying to do some of the things that Penguin Pete does with his new friends. They balanced “snowballs” on their noses like the sea lions and seals(we used a small paper cup to get our balls to balance). Another activity was ice skating. We practiced our ice skating using wax paper as ice. The children did not realize how hard it is to balance and stand on ice even if our ice was wax paper. However, once they got the hang of it they “skated” all around the room—some were even doing spins!! Still another activity was trying to balance an “egg” (we used beanbags) on our feet and walk like the penguins do. Most of the children could only waddle if the eggs were tucked safely between their knees. The teachers were surprised how much the children enjoyed the food activity. We ate penguin food – tuna fish and salmon. Most liked the tuna the best. To our surprise EVERYONE ate what they had on their plates. We washed it down with water.
Oh I almost forget about Valentine’s Day. The children loved exchanging their valentines, decorating cookies and eating them. Thanks for the great participation that took place at home. The children were so proud of their signatures. They also had fun passing out the valentines to their friends. It is so great to see them feel so proud of themselves when they can “read” the names and put their valentines in the correct bags for each of their classmates!
OUR FOCUS THIS WEEK
This week we are traveling to the rainforest to continue our world environment unit. We are reading Over In the Jungle by Marianne Burkes. This is a rainforest rhyme is based on the traditional song Over In the Meadow. If you do not know this tune go to http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/childrens/fishiesmid.htm to hear the midi. In the rainforest story the author provides the readers with animals and insects found in this jungle plus their actions or sounds and a little description about them in each rhyming stanza. This story focuses on counting by starting at 1 baby then adds 1 more baby with each new stanza until the last rainforest animal has 10 babies..
Vocabulary Words:
snake (boa constrictor) frog (poison dart frog) ant (leaf cutter ants) parrot monkey (howler monkey)
rainforest rain tree stripes spots
Upcoming Important Dates:
1. February 21-24 Staff Appreciation Week
2. February 27- March 2 Exceptional Children’s Week
HOMEWORK:
- Look at pictures (images) on the internet of rainforests and the animals that live there. If you have a globe point out where we live and where the rainforests are located. (Brazil has the world's largest rainforest.)
Higher thinking question-
What animals live in the rainforest?
If you lived in the rainforest what animal would you like to be?
- Go to http://christiananswers.net/kids/sounds.html to hear sounds from the rainforest. (Please note I am not endorsing this website. I found the varied rainforest sounds featured on this website work well for this unit.)
Higher thinking question-
What sounds do you hear in the rainforest?
What sounds do you hear when you are outside your home?
- Create a rainforest trail mix. Measure and count the different amounts of the ingredients that are mixed together. Rainforest ingredients can include chocolate chips, dried bananas, dried mangos and papayas and coconut.
Higher thinking question
What is your favorite ingredient?
Using blocks, legos, or whatever is easy to use for graphing find out what your family members favorite ingredients are.
- Boa Poem (based on the poem by Shel Silverstein)
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, boa constrictor, boa constrictor.
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor,
Now what do you think of that?
Oh no---he's got my toe (point to toes)
Oh gee---he's has my knee (point to knee)
Oh my---he's up to my thigh (point to thigh)
Oh fiddle---he's up to my middle (point to stomach)
Oh heck---he's up to my neck (point to neck) Oh dread—he’s up to my head (point to head)
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, boa constrictor, boa constrictor.
I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor
No! No! No! (In a high squeaky voice)
- Related Literature--- 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. Related stories to this week’s theme include The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell; The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry; Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow; Verdi by Janell Cannon.
Pre-Academic Activities for the Full Day Students
LETTER TIME-- Letter Review Aa-
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 is a review of the letter Aa. I will emphasize the beginning sound found in words that begin with the “Aa” 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.
Thursday- Music( full day students)- On Thursdays we will be going to Music with a kindergarten class.
During the month of February we will be going to the Media Center on Thursday or Friday. (full day students) —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 the following Thursday 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-
1. 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. 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-
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. 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.
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. (These will be sent home when we begin letter formation.)
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 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.
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 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
