Week of January 13th!

Reminders / Notices:

• We are celebrating National Hat Day on Wednesday, January 15^th.  Your child can wear their favorite hat to school.  A hat contest for all the prekindergarten classes will take place in the auditorium at 9 a.m. Parents are invited.  

• School is Closed on Monday, January 20^th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

• Dismissal is at 12:00 noon on Friday, January 31^st.  The After-School Program will end at 6 p.m.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Friday, January 31^st from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

     Unit Topic:

     Transportation

     Essential Question for the Unit:

     How does my community use various modes of transportation?

     Focus Questions for this Week:

     How are various modes of transportation similar and different?

     Focused Learning Activity for the Week:

     Ms. McGarry and Mrs. Madera will work with students in the block center. Students will be assisted as they build ramps with wooden blocks. Students will be asked higher order thinking questions as they build ramps, such as, "What would happen if we add another block?" and "Which ramp will make the car go the fastest? Why?"

  

    Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed:

    PK.SCI.2: Uses tools and materials to design and build a device that causes an object to move faster with a push or a pull.

      Foundational text for the week:

     

 What do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince

 Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard Addressed:

       PK.ELAL.5: Participates in discussions about a text.

QUESTIONS THAT WILL BE ASKED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK:

Level 1: Recall

What are three things wheels do?

What are some of the things you saw in this book that have wheels?

Level 2: Skill/Concept

In this book there are many vehicles and other things people can use to help them move (e.g., stroller, motorcycle, bus). What do all of them have in common?

What vehicles and things with wheels do you use?

The book says that some wheels “spit and sputter.”What does it mean for wheels to spit and sputter?

Level 3: Strategic Thinking

This book is all about wheels. Can you think of some vehicles that do not have wheels?

What are some ways to move without wheels?

This book says that helicopters and airplanes have wheels. Why do helicopters and airplanes have wheels? What else do helicopters and airplanes use to move?

Level 4: Extended Thinking

Why do you think so many vehicles have wheels?

What would happen if _____ (cars, buses, etc.) did not have wheels?

Lessons and activities for the week:

Blocks- Students are invited to create a variety of ramps and use different vehicles to race, predicting which one will go down the fastest and why. 

Pretend Play- Pretend Play will be transformed into a fire station. Students are invited to create a fire truck using large pieces of cardboard.  

Art- An assortment of shape cutouts and pictures of vehicles will be added to the center.  Students will be invited to reference the vehicles to create their own vehicles.

Science- Teacher will model how to draw a simple map with roads.  Students will be provided with metal cars and magnetic wands.  Students will be encouraged to make their car move down the road by using the magnet wands.

Math- Students will be invited to match numbered cars to the corresponding amount of people each car holds. 

Library- Students are invited to sequence the pictures and retell a familiar story, using a felt board.

Writing-  Students will be invited to match lettered cars to their corresponding spots in a "parking lot".

Sensory- Sand and water, or play-doh.

For more information on 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