Busy Hands and Curious Minds in Pre-K!

Dear parents

We hope this blog finds you well! In the Pre-K class, our week was filled with fun, engaging, and busy activities. In math, we focused on understanding what comes after a number and on simple addition. In literacy, we learned to write CVC words and two-letter words in their own writing books. Additionally, we enjoyed journaling, gymnastics, library visits, and our students' favorite subject: science. We continued learning about the seasons and worked on a related project.

Overall, the class is very engaged, fun, and participatory, working together both as a group and individually. Read on for more details...

Large group

This week, our large group was a lot of fun! We reviewed shapes, focusing on the hexagon and heptagon.

Additionally, we went over the "ph" digraph, which helps remind them of the digraph and will assist them as they continue learning about CVC words, making their reading journey easier.

As always, we conducted our calendar and caterpillar activities. For our morning message, we related it to the daily activities to provide clues and prepare them for the day. Overall, our students have truly grasped their class job responsibilities and have been doing amazing work, showing significant progress in every aspect of learning.

With all these steps in our students' journey, we are very proud of the progress they have made in every area.

Literacy

This week in literacy, the first group continued working on their mini CVC books, building on the activity we started last week. The students practiced writing simple CVC (consonant–vowel–consonant) words in their books while focusing on blending sounds together.

This time, the students took the activity a step further by creating their own CVC words. They carefully listened to the sounds in each word, blended the letters, and then wrote the words independently in their mini books. The students showed great enthusiasm as they experimented with different letter combinations and proudly read the words they created.

This week in literacy, the Pre-K class's second group wrote two blending letters. Last week, they practiced writing on paper. This week, we prepared their own writing books and gave them two blending flashcards. They wrote the letters in their books. This activity helps improve their fine motor skills, letter recognition, and writing skills. As they write, they will also practice reading what they have written.

Math

This week in math, the first group started a new topic: addition. We noticed that the students enjoy solving simple verbal addition problems, so we introduced the concept in a hands-on and engaging way.

To begin, the students used different classroom materials such as cubes, Unifix cubes, and other manipulatives to explore addition. They practiced combining two groups of objects and counting them together using one-to-one correspondence to find the total.

As the students became more comfortable with combining groups, we also introduced the addition symbol (+) and the equal sign (=). The children practiced using these symbols while solving simple addition problems with the materials, helping them understand how numbers can be added together.

This week in math, the second group worked on understanding what comes after a given number. In both sessions, we learned about the next number by counting and writing it down. Our students practiced writing the numbers, which also helped them recognize and identify them. Next week, we will continue learning in different ways.

Science

This week in science, the Pre-K class finished their mirror project about the four seasons. In the first session, we discussed the fall season, talking about how the weather becomes cooler and how the leaves change color and fall from the trees. After our discussion, the students moved to the class mirror where they sketched and painted the fall tree, carefully adding colorful falling leaves to show how trees look during this season.

In the second session, we explored the winter season. The students talked about how the weather becomes very cold and how many trees lose all their leaves. They were very excited to paint the tree branches and trunk without any leaves and to add the white snow falling around the tree.

To complete the project, the students labeled each section of the mirror by writing the name of the season, helping them connect their artwork with the seasons they learned about. This project allowed the children to observe, discuss, and creatively represent how trees change throughout the seasons.                                         

Art

This week, our Pre-K class continued their planet art project from the previous week. The students worked on the background, creating and painting each planet. This week, they arranged the planets on the canvas, placing them in order from closest to farthest from the sun. After that, they started painting the sun. First, they glued on tissue paper and then painted the sun using red, yellow, and orange colors. By the next session, we will finish up the remaining tasks, such as making the orbits and adding other elements. This project has been a favorite of the whole class, ever since they began learning about planets and incorporating them into their artwork. It has been a lot of fun, blending learning with creativity!

Next week's schedule

Small group

Monday: - Science, Literacy

Tuesday:- Library, Math

Wednesday:- Science, Literacy

Thursday: - Math, Journal

Friday:- Music

Thursday: - Literacy

Our Special

Monday: - Ethiopian center

Tuesday:- Library

Friday:- Art

Reminder

Every Tuesday is our library day, so we will be sending a book that your child picked from our library, which will be returned after a week on library day.

Every Friday is our art day so please send your child with art-appropriate clothing.

Thank you for your time!