Week of January 9th

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 :

Encourage children to build bridges with blocks and other building materials. Ask them to name their bridges. 

 Dramatic Play:

Turn the Dramatic Play area into a subway station. Invite children to name the station. Show them various subway station signs and invite them to create their own signs and hang them in the Dramatic Play area. 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. Add subway maps and a MetroCard kiosk. Children can pretend to be passengers, conductors, track repairers and other MTA workers who keep the subway clean and running well. 

Art: 

Supply an assortment of shape cutouts and small vehicles or pictures of vehicles. Invite children to reference the vehicles to create their own vehicles. Before children begin working, encourage them to look critically at the vehicles provided and to think about what shapes they will need in order to make their own. 

Science /Discovery Area: Paper Airplanes

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? 

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

Children will be provided with copy of pictures from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems. Children will be invited to sequence the pictures and retell the story. 

Writing: 

A parking lot will be created 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: 

Use a search engine to pull up pictures of bridges. Ask children how they think bridges work and encourage them to try to build bridges in the Blocks/Construction Area.

Books of the week:

The Bus for Us by Suzanne Bloom
 Tito the Firefighter (Tito el Bombero) by Tim Hoppey

Reminders ** Mark your calendars**

School will be CLOSED on Monday January 16^th for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

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

Recommended Home School Connection:

Monday - Math News Worksheet

Tuesday – Universal Handwriting Book pages 10 and 11

Wednesday – Universal Handwriting Book pages 12 and 13

Thursday - Universal Handwriting Book pages 14 and 15

Friday - Universal Handwriting Book pages 16 and 17

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