Holiday Traditions Around the World

Theme: Holiday Traditions Around the World
Social Learning Goal: Being culturally sensitive and appreciating similarities/differences in others
Academic Learning Goal: AB/ABC Patterns, letter 'W/w,' counting up to 15
Spanish: por favor (please), de nada (your welcome), festivades (holidays)

Announcements: This Wednesday, from 7:30-9:30 we will be decorating holiday houses! The children are really excited about this, and everyone is welcome to join us (even if your kiddo doesn't normally come to school that day). Feel free to come, and join us for breakfast! We will be talking about holiday traditions the next two weeks and if your family has any traditions you would like to share, I would love to hear about them, and let your child share with the class. Happy holidays!

Books:
Whoever you Are by Mem Fox
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg


Ariann's Project: Candy cane mice (holiday ornament), and holiday wreaths (M, T, F). Dangling snowmen and reading of The Snowman (Thur). Reading group (Wed).

Julie's Project: Spin the Dreidel
Karla's Project: Gingerbread dough ornaments

Dinosaurs Week 2

Theme: Dinosaurs
Social Learning Goal: Appropriately expressing feelings to friends
Academic Learning Goal: Counting up to 15 (with 1-1 correspondence) and the letter 'P/p'
Spanish: Por favor (please), gracias (thank you), de nada (your welcome)

Books:
Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola
Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
Could a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis? by Andrew Plant
Dinosaur! by Peter Sis
Ten Little Dinosaurs by Pattie Schnetzler
Tyranasaurus Math by Michelle Markel
The Dinosaurs Are Back and Its All Your Fault Edward! by Wendy Hartman and Niki Daly
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo by William Joyce
Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe by Brian Moses

Ariann's Project: Stuffed 3-D Dinosaurs, dinosaur memory and reading of Could a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis? 


Julie's Project: Playdough volcanoes
Karla's Project: Digging up Dinosaurs by Aliki, exploring fossils, dinosaur noodle skeletons

Dinosaurs Week 1

Announcements: With winter weather in full swing, we need parents to please send their child to school with appropriate clothing. We go outside everyday! Your child needs snowpants, snowboots, a hat, and waterproof mittens. Also if you can encourage your child to learn how to put these items on themselves, that would be a greatly appreciated! Many of our kiddos can get the majority of their snow clothes on alone, but we are hoping for parents to continue working with their children at home!

Theme: Dinosaurs
Social Learning Goal: Following three-step directions
Academic Learning Goal: AB/ABC Patterns and the letter 'D/d'
Spanish: caballo (horse), conejo (rabbit), gracias (thank you), de nada (your welcome)

Books:
Buying, Training, and Caring for your Dinosaur by Laura Joy Rennert
Dinosaur Dances by Jane Yolen
How High Can a Dinosaur Count? Valorie Fisher
Prehistoric Pinkerton by Steven Kellogg
The Super Hungry Dinosaur Martin Waddell
Theasaurus Rex Laya Steinberg

Ariann's Project: Dino Day (acting) and Ask Dr. K. Fisher about Dinoaurs

Julie's Project: Dinosaur fossiles with plaster of paris and categorizing dinosaurs
Karla's Project: Fossils Tell of Long Ago and clay handprints  

Being Thankful/Thanksgiving

Announcement: There is no school on Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th this week. Enjoy the holiday and time with your family!

Theme: Being Thankful/Thanksgiving
Social Learning Goal: Using our manners
Academic Learning Goal: 'th' and the letter 'T/t' sound and recognition
Spanish: de nada (your welcome), gracias (thank you), color review

Books:
Beauty and the Beaks: A Turkey's Cautionary Tale by Mary Jane and Herm Auch
Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes
Thanksgiving Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer
Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving By Leslie Kimmelman

Ariann's Project: Big Fat Turkeys (part II), What you are thankful for book page, and reading group

Julie's Project: Edible Tepee
Karla's Project: Turkey-lympics

Helping others/Being thankful

Announcements: Parents please help with the following: 

1) Bring in a canned food item for your child to donate to the the food bank.
2) Help your child find a item around your house that begins with the letter 'T' and bring it to school.
3) Talk with your child about what it means to be thankful and write their words and thoughts down on the small leaves located on the check in table. We will begin sharing these the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks to all of the parents/families who have done them so far! They are great!

Theme: Helping others/Being thankful
Social Learning Goal: Sharing and helping friends
Academic Learning Goal: #1-10 recognition, letter 'T/t', AB/ABC patterning
Spanish Words: Gracias (thank you), por favor (please) and morado (purple)

Books:
Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown
The Thanksgiving Door Debby Atwell 
Gus the Pilgrim Turkey By Ellen Joy Sasaki and Teresa Bateman
Gracias the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley
Turkey Surprise! by Peggy Archer
Just so Thankful by Mercer Mayer
Thanksgiving: Stories and Poems by Caroline Feller Bauer

Ariann's Project: Big Fat Turkeys (with paper mache), and reading group (Wednesday)

Julie's Project: If I was a turkey... (story writing)
Karla's Project: Handprint turkeys/turkey facts (Monday-Wednesday) "The Great Turkey Race" and the having the children compete in the 'Turkey-lympics'

Shadows and Light

Theme: Shadows and Light
Social Learning Goal: Using our words 
Academic Learning Goal: Letter 'C/c', letter 'E/e', learning our phone numbers 

This week we are working on using our words. This morning, we discussed using polite words. I am really encouraging the children to use: yes please, no thank you, please, thank you and your welcome. At home if you can encourage this language that would be fantastic. I really want the children to use polite words when speaking to each other and adults.

Books:
Bear Shadow by Frank Asch
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Return of the Shadows by Norma Farber
Suddenly! by Colin McNaughton
Shadows and Reflections by Tana Hoban
Shadows by April Pulley Sayre
Footprints and Shadows by Anne Wescott Dodd
The Dark by Robert N. Munsch

Songs:
My Shadow Likes to Move (Tune: When Your Happy and You Know it) 
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.
Whatever that I do, my shadow does it, too.
Oh my shadow likes to move, just like I do.

I See Shadows (Tune: Frere Jacques) 
I see shadows,
I see shadows,
On the wall,
On the wall,
Some are short and scary,
Some are short and scary,
Some are tall,
Some are tall.

Ariann's Projects: Silhouettes (Monday and Tuesday) and hand puppets (Friday)

Julie's Project: Breaking light
Karla's Project: Shadow puppet theatre: "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak