Counting, Reading, and Chasing Shadows!

Dear Parents,

We hope this blog finds you well! In the Pre-K class, our week was busy as ever, filled with fun, engaging activities. In math, we focused on the relationship between numbers and tally marks, while in literacy, we continued working with CVC words and ending sounds. Additionally, we enjoyed journaling, gymnastics, library visits, and our students' favorite science activity exploring shadows and art sessions.

Since our students have accomplished great things in the first semester, the class has become easier to manage in different ways. Many of our students have leveled up, showing great interest academically and in all the creative activities. This demonstrates how far they've come to reach this level.

In general, the class is very engaging, fun, and participatory, working together as a group and individually. Read on for some more details...

Large Group

This week, our large group sessions were a delight! As we sat together, the whole class learned many things in an enjoyable way. We have been learning about 3D shapes, and now that we have finished all the shapes, we are revising some basic 3D shapes to help memorize them. This week, we focused on the triangular prism and the hexagonal prism.

Additionally, we learned about the digraph "ck" during our large group session. The students are really getting into it, and we provided them with pictures to make the lesson more engaging and assist in reading some words. This will help them as they finish learning about CVC words, making it easier for their reading journey.

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 large group time, whether it's science, literacy, or math. They can articulate this, which shows they are fully getting into the routine.

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.

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

Literacy

This week in literacy, the first group focused on developing early phonics skills using CVC words with the short A vowel in the middle. Students completed a worksheet where they sounded out each word, practiced writing the word independently, and then identified and colored the correct picture from three given options. This activity supported reading and writing development while also allowing students to express creativity through coloring. Overall, students had the opportunity to strengthen their phonemic awareness, letter–sound recognition, and fine motor skills in an engaging way.

As for our other group we started learning about ending sounds. They have already learned about beginning sounds, and now they are practicing ending sounds with pictures that include words to give them a detailed understanding. By looking at the pictures, they name the objects and then sound out the ending sounds. This will continue in the coming weeks in different ways.

Math 

During our first session, Group 1 reviewed the previously learned concept of identifying the number that comes in between two numbers. Students completed a worksheet where they wrote the missing number in between, showing increased enthusiasm and a stronger understanding of the concept. This activity also supported the development of fine motor skills through number writing.

In the second session, we introduced a new math concept: greater than. Students compared two numbers and practiced placing the greater-than sign (>) correctly. They also worked collaboratively on the board, where each student had the opportunity to come up, compare numbers, and practice using the sign. This interactive activity encouraged participation, confidence, and peer learning.

Our second group in math continued learning about tally marks. Our students are practicing counting large numbers with tally marks. They are focusing on counting big numbers, and in the second session, they counted the tally marks and matched them to the corresponding numbers by cutting and gluing. This activity supports their understanding of tally marks and helps develop their fine motor skills at the same time. They are doing really great!

Science

This week, we wrapped up our shadow topic with a fun and interactive outdoor activity. Each student chose a toy from inside and brought it outdoors to explore how shadows are formed. Every child was given a piece of chalk and traced the shadow of their chosen toy on the ground.

As they experimented, students moved their toys to different spots to observe how the shadows changed and compared the sizes of the shadows created by different toys. This hands-on experience sparked curiosity and excitement while helping students deepen their understanding of light and shadows through observation, exploration, and comparison.

Art

In art for our special celebration next Wednesday, we organized a thrilling t-shirt painting activity that had our children beaming with excitement. A huge thank you to all our parents for providing the t-shirts, which served as the perfect canvas for our young artists. We set up an outdoor painting station, where our children took turns spraying a mixture of water and food coloring onto their t-shirts using spray bottles. As they worked together, laughter and giggles filled the air, creating a joyful atmosphere that fueled their creativity. Each child's imagination ran wild as they designed their own unique masterpiece, experimenting with different colors and techniques. The end result was a stunning collection of vibrant, one of a kind t-shirts that showcased their artistic talents. This engaging activity not only celebrated our 100 day milestone but also fostered creativity, teamwork, and self expression.

Journal

Journal time is one of our Pre-K class's favorite sessions. Our students take a moment for themselves to think quietly and calm their bodies and minds. During this journal time, we play calming classical music, and they can either sit or lie down on the mat. Then, it's their moment to freely express themselves, and draw or write whatever comes to mind. This journal is their own; if they want to share with the class, they can, but they don't have to if they prefer not to.

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!