(A) General Information
Study/Topic - BIG IDEAS this week: “Friendship” is an extremely important and relevant topic to preschool children. As we explored the concept of mail in recent weeks, we also touched on some ideas about friendship – for example, by writing to pen pals and reading A Letter to Amy. This week, as children continue to write, send and sort mail, we will also delve deeper into ideas about friendship. Children will read books and do cooperative small-group activities that explore the ideas that friends help each other, do things together, and solve problems with each other. / Key vocabulary:1. Friend, friendship 1. Amigo, amistad
2. Help 2. Ayuda
3. Care, share, cooperate 3. Cuidado, Compartir, Cooperacion
4. Problem, solve 4. Problema, Resolvar
5. Together 5. Juntos
6. Symmetry 6. Symetry
(Get assistance, if needed, to translate these words/phrases for ALL children.)
Friday “To Do” List: / - Review Planned Read-Alouds; read books through at least once.
- Review Small Group Activity forms and gather/create materials, including flour, baby oil, butcher paper, postcards, photos/magazine pictures.
- Choose new friendship song and poem (see http://www.indianchild.com/friendship.htm); create song charts.
- Gather/create materials for centers, including photos of friends; “Like/Don’t Like” items and chart; additional post office materials, if desired.
- SS week 17-
Support for Dual Language Learners: / Continue to emphasize new vocabulary or concepts through using simple, clear language, as well as visuals/gestures, and giving children the opportunity for repeated exposure to these items through books, conversations, or repeated use. Continue to encourage families to write letters to their children in their native language and to provide translations where necessary.
Family/ Community Involvement: / In this final week of the theme, make one last request for families to send in letters for their preschoolers. Update family members informally about their children’s letter-writing activities: what have children been writing letters about? what aspects of the classroom post office is their child most interested in? etc. You can also encourage families to write letters with children at home … to send to family members, friends, or even to teachers!
Update families on what you have been discussing regarding friendship, helping friends and solving problems with friends. In particular, let families know if their children have responded strongly to any of the books; have been talking about specific friends in the classroom; or any other individual updates you think families might like to know.
If materials are still needed for the Postcards small-group activity—e.g., magazines with photos, examples of real postcards—ask families to contribute these.
(B) Materials to Enhance Children’s Play
Blocks / Dramatic Play / Toys and GamesAdd:
Photos of friends – either ones that families have sent in, or that you have taken of the children at school. Use these as a prompt/reminder to support children’s cooperative play / Keep: Classroom Post Office / Keep any items from previous week(s) that children were particularly engaged with.
Art / Library/Writing / Discovery/Science
Add:
Pictures of symmetrical paintings/drawings
Cloud dough; playdough tools / Keep: Envelopes, paper, children’s name cards
Encourage children to continue writing letters – to pen pal classroom, to family members, to book characters, etc.
Add:
Other books about friendship (if available) / Add:
“I Like”/ “I Don’t Like”: Have a variety of items for children to smell, with a chart labeled “I Like”/ “I Don’t Like” (or a smile face/frown face). Compare results between different students to find out what they have in common.
Sand and Water / Music and Movement / Computers
Keep any items from previous week(s) that children were particularly engaged with. / Add: / To build on children’s experience with symmetry (see small-group activity):
http://pbskids.org/sid/fablab_snowflakematch.html
Outdoors / Cooking
Play “Friendship Tag,” in which children link arms and run in pairs as ‘friends.’
As children play, comment on kind acts, cooperation, examples of helping or solving problems, etc. You could turn this into a sort of game – “Good Friend Alert!” – Encouraging children to point out examples as well. / Add:
cooking activity
(C) Group Experiences
/ Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday /Arrival
Opening Circle
Movement
Relaxation
Transitions
Closing Circle / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
Welcome song & one other
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Question of the Day (QOTD): What will you do with a friend today? (Write a letter/ Play in the post office/ Read books – or give other choices.) Add visuals for each answer choice. Have children answer during arrival or transition, charting with whiteboard/ pocket chart/etc.
SS- Puppet Script
Transition: Post Office Play Review: Ask children to talk about what they did last week in the classroom post office. Share some observations (or photos if possible). “What else could you do in the Post Office this week?”
Music/Movement: Choose 2
Relaxation: SS Song-
Transition: SS Brain Builder-
Closing Circle:
Review QOTD results with the full group, counting each column and writing the numeral
Goodbye song / Arrival: How Many Names start with the letter A? graph, see page 67 High Five Mathematize
Morning Circle:
Welcome song & one other
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
*Revisit, count and write numerals from letter graph at arrival.
Friendship Poem: Read/teach a poem about friends. For example “Make new friends, but keep the old”
Transition:
Music/Movement: Movement: “Partner Simon Says” Have children link arms with a partner and follow directions in unison – jumping together, clapping (one child’s right hand with other’s left), turning in circle, etc. Disregard usual Simon Says rules; the idea isn’t to get children “out.”& SS Song of the week
Relaxation:
Transition: SS- Brain Builder
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
Welcome song & one other
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Discussion: How can you help your friends? Refer to The Lion and the Little Red Bird and talk about different ways children help each other in the classroom: give hugs when a friend feels sad, help clean up spilled milk, etc…
Discussion – Problem Solving: Use puppets to present a brief story about friends who have a problem they need to solve. Invite children to propose solutions; then re-enact.
Transition:
Music/Movement: Choose 2
Relaxation:
Transition:
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
Welcome song & one other
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
QOTD: Should we send more letters to our pen pals? (Y/N) After reviewing results, continue the conversation by asking children why they answered what they did – or by making plans to write those letters!
Friendship Song/Poem: Repeat from earlier in the week.
Transition: SS Brain Builder-
Music/Movement: “Partner Simon Says” (see Wed.) & SS Song of the week
Relaxation: SS- skill practice activity
Transition:
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song
Read-Alouds / Group 1 : The Lion & the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
(initial reading; focus on basic understanding of plot; highlight the idea that friends help each other)
Group 2: SS story and discussion / Group 1: SS story and discussion
Group 2: The Lion & the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven
(initial reading; focus on basic understanding of plot; highlight the idea that friends help each other) / Group 1: SS story-
Group 2: The Post Office Book by Gail Gibbons
(encourage children to make connections to their recent dramatic play) / Group 1: The Post Office Book by Gail Gibbons
(encourage children to make connections to their recent dramatic play)
Group 2: SS story-
Small-Group Activity / Group 1: Friendship Dough TS Gold Objective- 3a,11d
Group 2 : Mural with Friends TS Gold Objectives- 3b,33 / Group 1: Mural with Friends TS Gold Objectives- 3b,33
Group 2: Friendship Dough TS Gold Objective- 3a,11d / Group 1: SS- skill practice activity
Group 2: Exploring Symmetry (activity guide) TS Gold Objective- 21a,24 / Group 1: Exploring Symmetry (activity guide) TS Gold Objective- 21a,24
Group 2: SS- skill practice activity (activity guide) TS Gold Objective- 21a,24
Special Activities
Tangible Acknowledgement System
Inclement Weather Plan
Emergency Drills
Outside
Individual Child Planning Form
Teachers: / Classroom: / Week of:Focus Date / Child’s
Name / School Readiness Goal Focus Domain(s) / Focus TS GOLD Objective(s) / Why Chosen?
(IFSP, observation/assessment
, family input conference goal, etc.) / Strategy/Activity
NOTE: Children with similar needs may benefit from differentiated instruction (e.g. during small-group activity). You can use the “Small Group” column at right to make notes about possible groupings. / Possible small-group? / CHECK when implemented
Soc-Emotional / Approaches to Learning / Language & Literacy / Cogn./ Gen. Knowledge / Physical
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IFSP Child Planning
Child’sName / School Readiness Goal Focus Domain(s) / Focus TS GOLD Objective(s) / IFSP GOAL / Strategy/Activity
NOTE: Children with similar needs may benefit from differentiated instruction (e.g. during small-group activity). You can use the “Small Group” column at right to make notes about possible groupings. / Possible small-group? / CHECK when implemented
Soc-Emotional / Approaches to Learning / Language & Literacy / Cogn./ Gen. Knowledge / Physical
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*Please review all IFSP plans including Speech Only to ensure implementation of all classroom goals.
*For speech goals the what/who would be: Directed by the Speech Language Therapist
*If you have additional goals, highlight the last row for that child, right click with mouse, scroll to Insert rows, scroll to insert row below. Do this as many times as needed.