Week of April 8th!!

Reminders / Notices:

•Dismissal is at 12:00 noon on Monday, April 8th.

•Parents are invited to join their children on Thursday, April 11th at 8:30 a.m. to celebrate The Week of the Young Child.  Parents and children may participate in science experiments that will be set up in the gymnasium. 

•Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Friday, April 12th from 2 pm to 6 pm.

•Dismissal is at 12:00 noon on Friday, April 12th.

•Easter Recess begins Friday, April 12th, after dismissal.  School resumes on Monday, April 29th.

Unit Topic:

• Plants

Essential Question for the Unit:

• How do plants grow and why are plants important?

Focus Question for the Week:

• What do plants need and where do we find them?

Focused Learning Activity for the Week:

• Mrs. Gonzalez and Mrs. Tavares will work with students in the writing center.  Teachers will model drawing and labeling the parts of a plant.  Students will have a discussion about each part of the plant and it's importance.  Students will then be encouraged to draw and label their own plants.

Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed:

• PK.CKW.5 (Scientific Thinking): Observes and describes characteristics of living things.

Foundational Text for the Week:

• The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons

Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed:

• PK.CKW.5 (Scientific Thinking): Observes and describes characteristics of Earth and science. 

Questions That Will Be Asked Throughout The Week:

Level 1: Recall

What parts of plants can be vegetables?

What are some different types of vegetables?

Where do vegetables grow?

How do vegetables get to grocery stores?

Level 2: Skill/Concept

What are some different ways that you eat vegetables?

What are some things people have to do if they want to grow a vegetable garden?

Level 3: Strategic Thinking

Some people grow their own vegetable garden. If you were going to grow a vegetable garden, what vegetables would you grow? Why?

Why do you think farmers on big farms sometimes use machines to harvest the vegetables?

Level 4: Extended Thinking

Vegetables are good for your body. How do they help your body?

Why is it important to take good care of your body?

Vegetables can be different colors. Why do you think vegetables are different colors?

Lessons and Activities for the Week:

Blocks- Students will be invited to build a garden using blocks and materials added to the block center.

Pretend Play- The teacher will turn Dramatic Play into a flower shop by adding pretend flowers, containers, pictures of flower arrangements, cash register, notepad, writing utensils etc. Children can pretend to make, buy, and sell floral arrangements. Vocabulary words such as bouquet, floral arrangement, florist, and flower will be highlighted.

Art- The teacher will supply pipe cleaners as well as tissue paper circles. Children can pierce the middle of the tissue paper circles with the pipe cleaner, adding as many as they would like, then fold the circles up to create a flower. After creating these flowers children can use them in the dramatic play flower shop or in the block center garden.

Science- The teacher will provide individual pictures of the plant life cycle. Students will be asked to sequence the pictures. The teacher will provide pictures / diagrams for children to refer to as they discuss each stage in the life cycle. 

Math- The teacher will cut out several paper watermelons, add a number to each one, and ask children to put the appropriate number of seeds on each watermelon. Students are encouraged to write the corresponding number.

Library- Students are invited to read books about our theme, plants.

Writing- Students will write letters on a sheet of construction paper.  They can glue or place seeds onto the letter.  The teacher will talk with students about words that start with the letter.

Sensory- Sand and water, or play-doh.

For more information on the Lesson Plan, click HERE !