CLNL+December+2010


 * December 2010 ISSUE **


 * December 21st is the first day of winter. **

PARENT CURRICULUM NEWSLETTER

** PRE-K **


 * // READING //****// : //**** Winter, spring, summer, fall! PreK will be studying the seasons of the year during the month of December. Each season offers something new and special. We will be reading books and poems and singing songs about the seasons. We will also continue to develop language as we respond to questions, as well as develop print awareness as we review concepts such as where we start reading on a page and modeling how we read from left to right. **
 * // WRITING //****// : //**** The children’s handwriting skills have been improving as they sign in each day. The children also develop writing skills as teachers model writing for them. We have also been reviewing letters of the alphabet. **
 * // MUSIC //****// : //**** We will be singing our seasons theme song, along with traditional holiday songs such as The Dreidel Song and Jingle Bells. **
 * // MATH //**** : Math skills will include learning about order (first, second, last and next) as well as recognizing numbers in our environment. The children will also practice counting to ten and learn how to create sets of ten. **
 * // TECHNOLOGY: //**** The PreK children work on developing their literacy skills on starfall.com. You can download this website on your home computer. There are lots of holiday games to play during this time of year! **
 * // Social studies/science //****// : //**** What is the weather like during each season? What do children do to stay warm during the winter. How do we dress for cold weather? Can you get dressed all by yourself? Do you know the names of the different clothes we wear on cold days? **
 * // PHYSICAL ED. & HEALTH //****// : //**** The children get their daily exercise by playing games around the carpet. Games include London Bridge, Shake Your Sillies Out, Hokey Pokey and marching games. **

** KINDERGARTEN **


 * // READING: //**** Unit 4 – Readers Use All We know to Read Songs, Poems, and Other Texts. This month we will be adding familiar songs, poems, and nursery rhymes to our reading workshop materials. Our goal is to continue strengthening our reading skills by practicing shared readings of familiar texts, and emergent storybooks in order to be ready for books at our individual levels by January. **
 * // WRITING: //**** Unit – Small Moments - This month, we will return to personal narrative writing. This time around, we will learn how to write stories that are more focused by zooming in on a small moment. We will also remember to write these small moment stories including many, many details. **
 * // Music: //** **Songs will be Jingle Bells – handbells – will be Jingle Bells. The composer of the month is Tchaikovsky and the music will be Nutcracker.**
 * // MATH //**** : **** We will continue to explore addition and subtraction concepts through games. We will learn about measuring weight and continue to explore patterns. **
 * // SCIENCE: //**** Observing and describing objects using all of our five senses. **
 * // Social STUDIES //**** : **** We will learn about community helpers and the services they provide. We will also explore the three types of communities: the city, suburbs, and community and the ways in which different communities celebrate special days and events. **
 * // TECHNOLOGY //**** : We will continue to work on Razkids to develop our literacy skills. SMARTBOARDS will continue to be integrated in classroom activities to reinforce skills in sight word recognition, writing, and math concepts. **
 * // PHYSYCAL ED. & HEALTH //**** : **** We will learn seasonal songs, rhymes, and chants and integrate them as we participate in physical activities to develop gross motor skills. We will also discuss the proper way to dress during the upcoming winter months. **

** FIRST GRADE **


 * // READING: //**** Readers work hard to understand what we are reading by using all we know to figure out words and clear up confusing parts. We pay a lot of attention to comprehension to see if we understand what we have read. **
 * // WRITING: //**** We are still working on our Author Study of Ezra Jack Keats and we will begin our How-To writing by mid December. For our How-To writing we begin to write steps and teach others how to do something we can do well on our own. **
 * // Music: //**** Song will be Jingle Bells. On the xylophones will be Jingle Bells. The composer will be Tchaikovsky and the music will be the Nutcracker, and the 1812 Overture. **
 * // MATH //**// : // **We learn about standard and non-standard units of measure. We learn how to measure using inches and feet. We continue practicing addition facts to build good fact habits.** **// SCIENCE: //**** How do animals grow and change? What are some animal life cycles of mammals and egg-laying animals? **
 * // SOCIAL STUDIES: //**** We discuss the dynamics of a family and how families change over time. We compare families then to families now. We notice changes in clothing, transportation and technology. **
 * // TECHNOLOGY: //**** We practice using our laptops in the classroom to type letters and phrases. We are beginning to incorporate the use of RAZ-Kids into our daily reading lessons and the typing of our writing on our computers. **
 * // PHYSYCAL ED. & HEALTH: //**** We learn how to use our bodies for physical movement by getting our heart rate up after doing simple movements. We learn how exercise helps keep our bodies in shape as well as our hearts. **


 * SECOND GRADE **

• **Interview with a Geographer—Map and globe skills** • **Where People Live—Then and Now**
 * // Reading //**** : Unit 4: Non-fiction (Informational Text) **
 * In this unit, our children will read a wide variety of books on topics of interest. They will sort and categorize information in reading clubs, as well as compare and contrast information across these categories. This unit will also help children tackle new vocabulary, and read with fluency and intonation. **
 * // Writing: //** **Unit 4: Non-fiction (Expert Projects)**
 * In this unit, our students will write about a topic they are experts on and they will also research to learn more about that topic. First the children will choose a topic, they will write everything they know about the topic, they will learn research skills to learn more about their topic, they will bring objects, pictures or artifacts from home related to their topic to write more, and finally they will present their work to the class using their teaching voices. **
 * // MUSIC: //** **Song will be Jingle Bells and on the recorders, it will also be Jingle Bells.**
 * // Mathematics //**** : ** **In Unit 4, addition and subtraction number stories are used as a vehicle for developing mental arithmetic skills. The unit ends with work on pencil-and-paper strategies.**
 * Objectives: **
 * ** To solve number stories (word problems) **
 * ** To develop different strategies for adding 2-and 3- digit numbers. **
 * // Social Studies: //**
 * This unit introduces children to the concept of caring for Earth’s natural resources—its land, water, air, and plants. **
 * Unit 2 Objectives: Our Earth (Part I) **
 * // We will also discuss the following topics this month: //**
 * **// Winter Holidays: Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. //**
 * // Technology: //**
 * Students will continue practicing their reading skills by using Raz-kids.com and math skills by playing Everyday Math games. They will also use the classroom Smartboard to play spelling and other vocabulary related activities. **
 * // Physical Education //**
 * Students will understand the effects of activity on the body, the risks associated with inactivity, and the basic components of health-related fitness (cardiovascular, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility, and body composition). **


 * WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF ALL OUR CHILDREN. **


 * Please note that you may find the Parent Curriculum Newsletter at ps__228q.wikispaces.com__ every month. **