Learning, Curiosity, and a whole lot of Fun!

Dear Parents, 

We hope this blog finds you well! This week in Pre-K was fun, engaging, and full of activities. In math, we focused on the number sequences and continued practicing simple addition. In literacy, we started working with digraph words using CVC words, and we practiced reading two-letter and CVC words.  

 We also enjoyed journaling, gymnastics, library visits, and science our students’ favorite subject. To finish our topic on the seasons, they drew their favorite season.  Overall, the class had fun and participated wholeheartedly. Students worked together and individually without competition, which we are very proud to see. Read on for more details…

Happy Birthday Naod!

Large Group  

Our large group was so much fun, as always! Our students love to sit together and sing, read books, have conversations about different topics, complete classroom job responsibilities, and learn from each other. This session is a great way to boost their confidence because they are all sitting together and participating.  

During the large group, we worked on shapes, including semi-circles and decagons. Because these shapes can be a bit tricky, we will practice them more often and also count their sides.  

For phonics, we reviewed the digraph “kn" and used pictures to reinforce it. This helps remind students of the sound and supports their work with CVC words as they continue learning to read.  As always, we completed our calendar activities and caterpillar work in addition to classroom jobs. For the morning message, we connected it to the day’s activities to provide clues and help prepare the children.  Our students continue to do amazingly well, and we are very proud of all they have achieved so far.

Literacy

This week, in our first literacy group, we focused on three digraphs: SH, CH, and TH. The students explored the different sounds these digraphs make and identified various words that contain them. This helped to strengthen their phonemic awareness and expand their vocabulary.

During both sessions, the students completed a range of worksheets designed to deepen their understanding of digraphs. These activities also supported the development of their fine motor skills and handwriting, as they carefully traced, wrote, and identified words. Overall, the sessions were engaging and helped students build confidence in recognizing and using digraphs in their reading and writing.

 This week in literacy, the second group completed the first lesson of the season. They read and rewrote two words. Since they have been learning to read two letters, this time we also introduced writing together. They did an amazing job. During the second session, they practiced reading three words. We provided them with a printed sheet with simple words to stretch, blend, and read. In this session, they focused only on practice. In the next session, they will continue learning and practicing until they fully understand.

Math

This week in math, our first group went deeper into the topic of addition. Students engaged with a variety of worksheets that supported their learning, including counting objects, writing numbers, and solving addition problems. The students showed great interest in the topic and were eager to take on the challenges presented. Many of them demonstrated increased confidence and felt proud when they successfully found the answers on their own. Overall, the activities helped strengthen their number sense, problem-solving skills, and confidence in working with addition.

This week, for math, the second group learned about number sequencing, specifically: what number comes before the next one. Last week, they learned what comes after a number, and this week they learned the inverse. In the first session, they practiced on the board. In the second session, they completed the worksheet. It was a little tricky to find the number that came before, but they did well. This also helps them build critical thinking skills and their focus.

 Science 

This week, our students engaged in a fun and creative artistic session inspired by nature. They explored different types of leaves, observing their shapes, sizes, and textures. This hands-on exploration sparked curiosity and encouraged them to notice the unique details of each leaf.

The children then moved on to a leaf stamping activity, where they used a variety of paint colors to create beautiful prints on their papers. They carefully pressed the leaves onto the paint and stamped them, discovering the patterns and veins that appeared with each print. This process allowed them to experiment with color mixing and design while expressing their creativity.

To complete their artwork, the students selected real leaves and stuck them onto their papers, adding a lovely three-dimensional element to their creations. The final pieces were vibrant, textured, and full of personality, reflecting each child’s individual creativity!

Social Studies

This week, we noticed a growing interest among our students in identifying countries, flags, and talking about their own backgrounds. Building on this curiosity, we began exploring the topic of countries and their locations around the world.

 We started with a group discussion where students shared where they come from and learned that people around the world live in many different countries, each with its own unique flag. This helped the children appreciate the diversity within our classroom and beyond. To deepen their understanding, we introduced a globe and a world map. The students were very excited to explore them, eagerly searching for their own countries as well as their friends’ countries. This hands-on experience made the learning more meaningful and engaging.

During our exploration, the students also made an interesting observation: that there is more water on Earth than land. This sparked further curiosity and discussion about our planet. We will continue to build on this interest in the coming weeks, exploring countries and the world in more depth.

Art

This week for art, our class started a new art project on a canvas, inspired by our discussions during science about seasons. They collaboratively decided to make a spring tree.

In the first session this week, they painted the background blue to look like a clear sky. Then, for the trunk, we decided to use spaghetti for added tactile interest. The students placed down glue and then stuck the spaghetti onto the canvas.

In the next session, they will paint the rest of the spring tree and continue our work on this project.

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!