Counting, Creating, and Crew Missions: Our Pre-K Week in Action!

Dear Parents,

We hope this blog finds you well! In the Pre-K class, our week was filled with fun and engaging activities. In math, we focused on identifying what number comes next, while in literacy, we started working with CVC words and identifying letters and their sounds. Additionally, we enjoyed journaling, gymnastics, library visits, and our students' favorite science rocket ship and art sessions. The class has become more engaged, fun, and participatory, working together as a group and individually. Read on for more details...

Happy Birthday Yoli!

Large group

This week, our large group was so much fun! We all sat together and covered a variety of topics in an engaging way. Our shapes for the week were triangular prisms and cube. We brought shape toys to the class to help grasp these concepts easily, which proved very helpful based on last week's experience. Additionally, this week we took turns naming CVC words, which helped the students practice and gradually improve their reading levels. Since everyone was participating at the same time, this also encouraged the second group.

Another thing we did this week was learn about the digraph "th". The students are really getting into it, and we provided them with pictures to make the lesson more engaging and assist with reading some words. As always, we conducted our calendar and caterpillar activities, and for our morning message, we related it to the daily activities to give them clues and prepare them for the day. Overall, our students have truly understood their class job responsibilities and have been doing amazing work, showing significant progress in every aspect of learning. They now know the routine, the classroom rules, and what comes after the large group, whether it's science, literacy, or math. They can articulate this, which shows they are really getting into the routine.

Besides all that, we also enjoyed new songs during music time and book time. Overall, our large group has become more enjoyable, engaging, fun, and exciting, allowing everyone to learn from one another by sharing ideas, building confidence, and showing respect for each other while learning and growing together.

Literacy 

In our first group this week, we began learning about CVC words. We started by explaining what a CVC word is, then reviewed the vowel and consonant letters along with the sounds they make. After that, we looked at different CVC words, practicing how to sound out each letter and blend them together. In both sessions, the students worked with the CVC wooden spinner materials. They enjoyed reading in pairs and also by themselves. They are doing really well, and we will continue working on their blending and reading CVC word skills until they master them.

For our second group, we worked on identifying letters. In our first session, we went outside the classroom to the sand area, where we hid letters in the sand. The students searched for the letters, and when they found one, they shared the sound it makes. This was an exciting activity for them to explore letters in a fun way. In the second session, we matched letters with pictures on a worksheet. This helped them connect the pictures with the first letter of their sounds. They are doing really great and have made a lot of progress!

Math

In our first math group this week, we worked on identifying the number that comes next without having all the numbers displayed in front of the students. We began with a flashcard game where each student received a number flashcard while some of the cards were laid out on the mat. Each student first looked at their card to identify their number, and then we looked together at the flashcards on the floor. As we pointed to each number and said it out loud, we checked which number would come next. The student who had the flashcard with the next number stood up, came forward, and placed their card in the correct spot.

In the second session, we played the same game again to reinforce their understanding. We also added a writing component, where students took turns coming up to the board to write the number that comes next. This allowed them to practice not only identifying the next number but also strengthening their fine motor and writing skills.

This week in math for the second group, we focused on counting and identifying the numbers 11-15. We stuck the numbers on cups, and the students used toys to fill the cups by counting. This activity helped them identify and count larger numbers. We did this activity in both math sessions, and they are really doing great!

Science 

In this week’s science session, we began learning about rocket ships, a topic that connects perfectly with our previous learning about planets. The students had already shown interest in this topic—they were even trying to build their own rocket ships using different materials—so we introduced it in our first session.

We started with a discussion about rocket ships, asking the students what they already knew. They were very excited to share their ideas. Then we looked at a picture that showed the different parts of a rocket ship and talked about the importance of each part. We also learned a little about astronauts—what they need when they go into a rocket ship, how large the rocket engine is, and what it needs in order to turn on. Additionally, we discussed gravity—how it exists on Earth but not in the same way on other planets, and why astronauts float in space. The students showed great enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the session.

In the second session, we started by singing a song together called “Five Little Rockets.” Then we asked the students to recall what they had learned in the first session. After each student had a chance to share, we divided them into three groups and gave each group different materials. The students worked together as a team to create their own rocket ship. This activity allowed them not only to design something they liked but also to practice teamwork and collaboration.

Art

This week, in our Pre-K art class, we made a rocket ship! Since our class has been learning about rocket ships, we incorporated it into our art sessions to make the concept clearer. First, we discussed how the students would create their own rocket ships. Then, we provided them with paper, scissors, and glue. They cut out the shape of the rocket ship and glued it onto their paper. While doing this, they paid careful attention, demonstrating their understanding of the topic. Next week, we will continue exploring fun activities related to rocket ships.

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!