Week of January 23rd

Unit Topic: Transportation 

Student Outcomes 

Enduring understandings that the student should have by the end of the unit: 

• I use transportation to get to pre-K and other places.
• We use different types of transportation for different reasons. 
• Vehicles move in different ways.
• My family is important and unique.
• Some vehicles are operated by community helpers such as bus drivers, conductors, firefighters, police officers and mail carriers. There are many ways to stay safe when using transportation. 

Learning Centers and Activities

Blocks :

The children will be encouraged to build bridges with blocks and other building materials. The children will be asked to name their bridges. 

Dramatic Play:

The Dramatic Play area will be turned into a subway station. Children will be invited to name the station. The teacher along with the children will create a pretend train with chairs, make a route map and add child-friendly advertisements inside the train. Children can also look at MetroCards and create their own. Children will be encouraged to pretend to be passengers, conductors, track repairers and other MTA workers who keep the subway clean and running well. 

Art:

The children will be supplied with an assortment of shape cutouts and small vehicles or pictures of vehicles. Children will be invited to reference the vehicles to create their own vehicles. 

Science /Discovery Area:

Provide simple directions for folding a paper airplane and invite children to try to fold their own. Ask children if they think the airplanes will fly. Why or why not? See

Math

The children will be provided with cubes as well as an assortment of vehicles to measure vehicles. Children will be invited to compare the sizes of the vehicles: Which is biggest? Smallest? Heaviest? Lightest? 

Sand and Water / Sensory

Boats will be added to the water in the sensory table. Invite children to play with the boats and discuss where the boats are going to/coming from, what they are carrying, etc., as they play. 

Library

The teacher will select a few books the class currently enjoys and create a graph for children to share which books they like best. 

Writing: 

The teacher will create a parking lot for vehicles on a piece of cardboard. A letter will be written on each of the parking spots as well as on an assortment of small vehicles. Children will be invited to park the vehicles in the correct parking space. 

Technology:

The teacher will use a search engine to pull up pictures of bridges. The children will be asked how they think bridges work and encourage them to try to build bridges in the Blocks/Construction Area.

Books of the week:

Whose Vehicle Is This? by Sharon Katz Cooper

Things That Go! Collection by National Geographic Kids

Reminders 

Pre-K Parent Workshop "Who's the Boss"  with Ms. Annette Castro on Tuesday, January 24th in the Library. 

School is CLOSED on Thursday, January 26^th for Teacher Conference Day.

Recommended Home School Connection:

Monday - Universal Handwriting Book pages 26 and 27

Tuesday – Universal Handwriting Book pages 28 and 29

Wednesday – Universal Handwriting Book pages 30 and 31

Thursday - Universal Handwriting Book pages 32 and 33

Friday - Math News Worksheet

Weekly lesson plan

Dear parents, 

If you have any questions about the UPK for All program that I, Mrs. Gonzalez or Mr. Woods are unable to answer please feel free to contact :

The Archdioceses Help Line at  888-227-8175 from 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. 

or by Email at catholicschool.upk.arch.ny.org