Week of December 17!!

WEEKLY REMINDERS:

• Our Holiday Party will be on Wednesday, December 19th!  Pizza will be provided for the children for lunch.
• Our Holiday Presentation will be on Thursday, December 20th at 9:00 a.m.
• There is No after-school on Thursday, December 20th. 
• Christmas break begins on Thursday, December 20th at Dismissal.  School resumes on January 3rd.

Unit Topic:

Where We Live

Essential Question for the Unit:

Where do the people and animals around me live?

Focus Question for this Week:

What types of homes do the people in my city (NYC) live in?

Focused Learning Activity for this Week:

• Pictures of animals and their habitats will be added to the science center.  Students will be encouraged to talk about the arrangement of animals as well as the arrangement of habitats.  They will then be asked to match the pictures, placing the animal in the appropriate habitat.  Students will be asked why or how they made the matches. The teacher will ask students higher order thinking questions, such as, "why do you think an animal would need thick fur to live in the arctic?

Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed:

PK.CKW.5 (Science): Observes and describes characteristics of living things.

Foundational Text for the Week: 

The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf

by Mark Teague

Note: This version of the classic tale, The Three Little Pigs does not glorify violence or show violence in a graphic or frightening way.

Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed: 

PK.CKW.1 (Technology): Describes types of materials and how they’re used.

QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ASKED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK:

Level 1: Recall

• When the farmer and his wife moved to Florida, what did the pigs want to do with the money the farmer and his wife paid them?
• What did the first pig use to build his house? What did the second pig use to build his house?

Level 2: Skill/Concept

• How do you think the first and second pigs felt when the wolf blew their houses down?
• How do you think the first and second pigs felt when they got to the third pig’s house?
• How do you think the third pig felt about sharing her house with the other pigs?

Level 3: Strategic Thinking

• Why couldn’t the wolf knock down the brick house?
• The wolf was very hungry so at the end of the story the pigs shared their food with him.
• What else could he have done to get food instead of trying to blow down the pigs’ houses?

Level 4: Extended Thinking

• The pigs used straw, sticks and bricks to build their homes; if you could build your own home what materials would you use? Why?
• When all of the pigs lived together in the brick house the third little pig asked all of them to clean their rooms. What are some things you can do at home to be helpful?

Learning Centers Available for the Unit:

Blocks-Pictures of different types of homes and buildings will be posted in block center and students are invited to build the homes in the pictures or similar homes.

Pretend Play- Students will continue to decorate a building facade that will be used in the pretend play area.  

Art- Students will be supplied with popsicle sticks in order for them to create a home by gluing sticks onto paper.

Science- Multiple pictures of animals and their homes will be provided in science center for students to match.

Math- People figures, number cards, and pictures of homes will be placed in the math center.  Students will be encouraged to pick a number card, and place the corresponding number of people into a home.

Library- Students are encouraged to look at two non-fiction books about homes and compare and contrast what they see.

Writing-  Students will discover blueprints and create their own blueprint with write and wipe blueprints mat. 

Sensory- Sand and water, or play-doh.

For more information about the lesson plan, click HERE!

If there are any questions regarding the Pre-K for All program that can not be answered by the office or classroom teacher, please feel free to contact the Help Line at 888-227-8175.