Week of May 1st

Unit Topic: 

Plants 

Essential Question 

How do plants grow and why are they important? 

Focus Questions 

What do plants need and where do we find them? 


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

Plants are living things; every part of a plant has an important function.

Plants grow from seeds and need water, nutrients and light to live. 

Plants are all around us.

There are many different types of plants. Plants are important for many reasons. 

Learning Centers and Activities 

Blocks 

Students will use blocks covered in green and brown construction paper to make stems, tree trunks and soil to create their own plants. 

Dramatic Play

The dramatic play area will be turned into a flower shop for children to pretend to make, buy and sell floral arrangements. 

Art

Parts of plants such as leaves, stems and twigs will be provided in the art center for children to use in place of a paint brush. 

Discovery Area

Students will be provided with lima beans to plant and make predictions on how long it will take for seeds to grow. Students will use rulers to measure plants. 

Math/Manipulatives 

A tree cut out that is approximately the same size as many of the children in the class will be displayed for students to measure if they are shorter or taller than the tree. Students are invited to write their names on the tree to indicate their own height.

Sand and Water / Sensory 

Soil and beans will be added to the sensory table for students to spray water. Students will explore what happens overtime to the beans.  

Library 

Students will be invited to sequence the growth of plants on a felt board.

Computer/Technology-Weekly learning games on iPads are provided.  

Writing

Students will be encouraged to draw a plant and label their plant. 

Books of The Week: 

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Home-School Connections:

Parents talk to your child about plants.

Discuss the colors, shapes, name of plant and how it grows.

Talk about what the plant looks like, how it smells, the way it feels etc. 

After observing the plant join your child in drawing a plant. 

Monday – Unit Topic News Worksheet           

Tuesday – Math News Worksheet

Wednesday - Unit Topic News Worksheet   

Thursday - Unit Topic News Worksheet 

Friday – Unit Topic News Worksheet

Weekly Lesson Plan

Reminders/Important Information:

• •       Students have gross motor during the afternoon. Please make sure your child is wearing sneakers.
• •       Please be advised that UPK dismissal starts at 3:00 p.m.
• •       Thursday, May 4th is Star Wars Day. Students are invited to dress as their favorite Star Wars character.
• •       Friday, May 5^th – Graduation Pictures(optional)

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

Week of April 24!

Unit Topic: 

Plants 

Essential Question 

How do plants grow and why are they important? 

Focus Questions 

What are plants? 

Student Outcomes

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

Plants are living things; every part of a plant has an important function.

Plants grow from seeds and need water, nutrients and light to live. 

Plants are all around us.

There are many different types of plants. Plants are important for many reasons. 

Learning Centers and Activities 

 Blocks 

Students will use blocks covered in green and brown construction paper to make stems, tree trunks and soil to create their own plants. 

Dramatic Play

The dramatic play area will be turned into a flower shop for children to pretend to make, buy and sell floral arrangements. 

Art

Parts of plants such as flowers, stems and twigs will be provided for children in the art center to  paint with in place of a paint brush. 

Discovery Area

Students will be provided with lima beans to plant and make predictions on how long it will take for seeds to grow. Students will use rulers to measure plants. 

Math/Manipulatives 

A tree cut out that is approximately the same size as many of the children in the class will be displayed for students to measure if they are shorter or taller than the tree. Students are invited to write their names on the tree to indicate their own height.

Sand and Water / Sensory 

Plastic plants will be added to the water in the sensory table along with pretend fish, toy boats etc. for students to discuss different places they can find plants and why plants grow in the bottom of oceans, rivers, lakes etc.  

Library 

Students will be invited to sequence the growth of a plant on a  felt board.

Computer/Technology

Learning games on iPad 

Writing

Students will be encouraged to draw a plant and label their plant. 

Books of the week:

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner 

How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

Reminders /Important information

We are following a new schedule . Please be advised that UPK dismissal starts at 3:00 p.m.

Thursday , May 4th is Star Wars Day. Students are invited to dress as their favorite Star Wars character. 

Weekly Lesson Plan

Week of April 3rd

Unit Topic: Water

Essential Question for this unit:

What does water do?

Focus Question: 

What happens to water when it changes temperature? 

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

• Water is all around us.

• Water changes depending on how warm or cold it is.

• Some things float in water and some sink. Some things change when you put them in water.

• All living things need water. 

Learning Centers and Activities

Blocks: 

Pictures of Ice Castles will be displayed in the Blocks/Construction Center. The students will be invited to create ice castles. 

Dramatic Play:

Students will be provided with large boxes of cardboard in the dramatic play area for students to sit in and pretend they are boats. 

Art:

The students will be invited to draw a picture with crayons and watercolor paint. The students will be encouraged to discuss the changes to the picture as they add the watercolor paint.

Discovery Area/Science:

The students will be invited to test how well different substances (e.g., sugar, salt flour, oil, rice, etc.) dissolve in water by placing them in testing tubes.

Math:

Small plastic ducks links will be provided in the math area for students to connect, make patterns and count. 

Sand and Water/Sensory:

Students will be invited to bathe baby dolls and talk about how people use water to stay clean.

Library:

The words to the Itsy Bitsy Spider song will be written on chart paper and place by the library with a couple toy spiders in a basket. 

Writing:

Students will be invited to look at pictures of snowflakes and discuss what types of lines they see. 

Gross Motor

Students will be able to dance to music, run, and climb at the playground or ride tricycles and scooters in the gymnasium.   

Books of the Week: 

Rain! by Linda Ashman 
Snow by Uri Shulevitz 

Weekly Lesson Plan

Reminders: Mark your calendars 

Our Spring Show will be on Tuesday, April 4^th at 9:00a.m.

Dismissal will be at 12:00 noon on Friday, April 7^th. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be on April 7^th from 3p.m. to 8 p.m.

 Home -School Connections: 

Monday – Unit Topic News Worksheet 

Tuesday – Math News Worksheet

Wednesday - Unit Topic News Worksheet

Thursday -  Unit Topic News Worksheet 

Friday – Unit Topic News Worksheet 

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