Miss Carrie's Class

 

Literacy – Students will be exploring letters E, F, G and H through many hands on activities – alphabet manipulatives, tactile letters, word and object sorts, alphabet books, shaving cream letters, and letter matching. We will be spending an entire week with the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Students will have the opportunity to work with the letters of the alphabet in ways they never could have imagined! As we explore Thanksgiving, we will be developing our vocabulary and literacy skills. Students will be exposed to the cultures of the Cowboys, Pilgrims and Native Americans through the use of literature and related projects.

Color of the Month-Yellow Shape of the Month-Square

Fine Motor-alphabet Bingo, Alphabet stick puppets, Coconut name trees, Tactile name books, alphabet animals, letter sorts, fishing for letters, covered wagon creations, cowgirl crafts, dream catchers, Totem Poles, Indian Corn, Turkey painting, placemat decoration, Native American Vests, and paper bag turkeys

Perception-Puzzles,creating patterns, object sorting (done with objects that begin with a certain sound), size sorting

Directional and Positional Concepts-In and out

Gross Motor-Gym activities, swinging, The First Thanksgiving Play, Musical Parade, Cultural Clothing parade

Sensory Experience-Multisensory letter collages, magnetic letters, pasta sorts, stamping, sandpaper letters, feather art, Thanksgiving collage, noodle necklaces

Pre-Math-Daily calendar activities, color identification and sorting, shape identification and sorting, geometric patterns, counting 1-5

Self-Help-Vocalizing wants and needs, expressing feelings, eating skills and dressing skills

 If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620

 

Literacy – Students will be exploring letters A, B, C and D through many hands on activities – alphabet manipulatives, tactile letters, word and object sorts, alphabet books, shaving cream letters, letter matching and a variety of alphabet books. We will also be creating classroom books for the topics we will explore this month. As we explore the season of Autumn, we will be developing our vocabulary and literacy skills. Students will have a chance to travel to the Pumpkin farm, explore the grounds around the school and participate in fall games on our playground and in the gymnasium.

Color of the Month-Orange Shape of the Month-Circle

Fine Motor-Creating a Scarecrow classroom book, midnight cats, rubber band painting, leaf prints, apple sponge painting, apple stamping, paper plate apples, colored sand apples, and squirrel wind chimes.

Perception-Puzzles,creating patterns, object sorting (done with objects that begin with a certain sound)

Directional and Positional Concepts-In and out

Gross Motor-Flying crows, spider toss, pumpkin creations, leaf walks, apple toss, apple relays, apple jumping, and pumpkin rolling

Sensory Experience-Corn sensory bags, one of a kind trees, colorful (tactile) candy corn, pumpkin dive, gel bags, fishing for apples, feathered apples, sand table, apple shakers, and feathers

Pre-Math-Daily calendar activities, shape scarecrows, colored Autumn leaves, colored leaf match, roll and count the spots on a box, pizza patterns, shape cover up, match colored apples with their appropriate containers, number and color cards and apple graphs

Self-Help-Vocalizing wants and needs, expressing feelings, and eating skills

Books We Will Read:

This month we will begin with a focus on each child as an individual. As the month progresses, we will focus on shapes: Circles, Squares, and Triangles. Of course, we look at each child's readiness to learn about these shapes and we adjust according to their needs. We will end September and begin October by learning our colors starting with red.

 

          We will introduce the book, About Me, by Jane Belk Moncure. We will work on body part recognition and will focus on our bodies and our individuality as a person. 

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

          We will create life size portraits by tracing each child on big paper and then the children will embellish them to look more like themselves.  We will create books about ourselves emphasizing our individuality! We will be singing Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes and I Can Make My Hands Go Clap, Clap, Clap.  

 

We will continue to work on recognizing our body parts as we talk about ourselves and our emotions: happy, sad, angry and frustrated. We will talk about what we like and don’t like

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

About Me, by Jane Belk Moncure

 

We plan to continue to work on our personal books about ourselves focusing on what we like and don’t like and the things that makes us unique. 

We plan to look at our reflections in the mirror and recognizing emotions on our own faces as well as others.

 

 

          We will introduce the circle shape as we take notice of the various things in our classroom that are circular.   We will begin with things that are very familiar such as the song Wheels on the Bus while manipulating the circular wheels on toy buses.  We will look at everyday objects that are circles and explore how they feel. We will play with them, eat circular snacks such as Cheerios and pancakes.  

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

          We will create cardboard versions of our own busses and attach the round wheels so that they turn.  We will practice recognizing this shape by utilizing the light box. We plan to use circular objects to create paintings as well.   We will read a shortened version of If you Give a Pig a Pancake creating a pancake craft and having pancakes for snack. We have planned activities where children have to choose a circle from two shape manipulatives (Circle and one other). We plan to explore ordinary items that are circular (plate, Frisbee, bubble-blowing wand, hula-hoops, etc.) We have also planned a picture created out of circles and an activity where we climb into a circle (adapted version for those who cannot get in).

          We will introduce the square shape as we take notice of the various things in our classroom that are squares.   We will begin looking at things that are very familiar such as cd case, boxes, and blocks.  We will create squares, feel them, eat them and even get into one.  

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

        Size and Shape by Sara Lynn

What Shape by Debbie McKinnon

 

 

We plan to create a square out of popsicle sticks. We have planned a picture craft with mosaic square pieces and well as a “Crazy Quilt craft. We will explore many objects and determine if they are a circle or a square utilizing tactile shapes as well as light-box manipulatives. We will build with blocks, put square objects into square containers and hunt for squares within our classroom (with adult assistance). We will put square beanbags into square containers. Square crackers will be our snack one day.

          We will introduce and explore the triangle shape, taking notice of the three sides and three points. We will create a triangle shapes and triangular crafts. We plan to read about triangles and form them out of various manipulatives.

       

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

 

          We will do a variety of tactile triangles using things such as playdough, color foam, and tissue mosaics. We will be playing with triangular blocks, light-box manipulatives and musical triangles. We will form a giant triangle with rope being held by the students. We will make a tactile slice of pizza on a triangular shape “crust”. Our crafts will include folding squares to make triangles and we may even make triangle hats. Triangle shaped crackers and cheese will be our snack one day.

 

We will introduce the color red by allowing the children to explore a variety of red items in the “Reach-In” Box with a special focus on red things from the fall season (red leaves, apples). We will have a visit with the familiar Clifford, the Big Red Dog. We also plan to revisit shapes as the week moves along.

Some of the books and poems we plan to read are:

Spot’s Big Book of Colors and Shapes by Eric Hill

We plan to finger-paint with red paint, color a giant apple red with red pieces of paper and other red tactile pieces. We will explore a variety of red objects throughout the week during circle time. We will taste red apples and make apple prints on paper with red paint. We will look at red shapes on the light box. We have a Clifford project planned as well.