Weekly Lessons: April 13 - April 17
Monday: Math Monday No School on Monday. (There is some math on Thursday PE.) - Enjoy your day!
Tuesday: Science Tuesday Block 1: (30 minutes) Objective: Learn about weather.
Read through the What Should He Wear scholastic Magazine and talk about it. Answer questions and do the back of the magazine. (You may also do this online.) Log onto https://mybigworld.scholastic.com/ you will go to the upper right corner to log in. Select “I am a student” and log in with the password KinderPlus (all one word.) Click on the “What Should He Wear” magazine. Watch the video, explore the magazine - do the back of the magazine, have a dance break, play the online game, print the worksheets (or view and create something similar if you don’t have a printer) and complete them. Have your child write his/her name neatly at the top of all the paper sheets using a capital letter followed by all lowercase letters. Remind your child to work neatly.
Create a weather chart, https://www.washingtonusd.org/Page/2103 to graph the weather for the month. The bottom has different types of weather: Sunny, rainy, cloudy(no rain), windy. Use the chart provided, or you may pick your own weather choices. Each day, decide on the weather and draw an x above it. In the end, you can count the x’s and find out how many days there were for each type of weather. You can also see which type of weather happened the most because it has the tallest column of x’s.
Block 2: (30-40 minutes) Objective: To listen to a story and develop comprehension.
Listen to the story, It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw What is the story about? What is it that looks like spilt milk? Think of something else that might fit into the story. Find some clouds in the sky to look at, and take a moment to relax and stare at them. What do some of the clouds look like to you? Use your imagination. If you can’t find any clouds to look at, watch some clouds on this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wimkqo8gDZ0 and imagine what they might be. Use tissue, cotton balls, or white paint and create some clouds on paper. Make sure your clouds look like something. What do they look like?
For Extra Fun: Make a Suncatcher art project: https://www.washingtonusd.org/Page/2086
Block 3: (30 minutes) Objective: Create cloud art and use words to describe it.
On a blank sheet of paper, have your child make some cloud art. You may use cotton, tissue, paint, cut out white paper and glue or tape onto blue (or another color) paper. Your child’s cloud should look like something such as the different objects seen in It Looked Like Spilt Milk. Since it is a cloud, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Your child’s cloud should be different from the objects in the story. Your child may make several pictures with clouds. For those pictures, your child will write “It looked like ______.” to describe each cloud made by your child. You may give your child the sentence starter, but have your child try to sound out as many words as s/he is comfortable with sounding out. Make sure your child puts spaces in between the words.
Wednesday: Writing Wednesday Block 1: (30 minutes) Objective: Learn how to write the letter Yy.
Begin by introducing your child to the letter Y. Watch Ms. Myrick teach the sound that letter Y makes: https://youtu.be/SB4e2Y2feLw. Show your child how to correctly write the letter Y. To review handwriting, find more information here: https://www.washingtonusd.org/Page/2048 Have your child practice handwriting with rainbow writing: you write a Y the correct way, and your child traces over your Y with several different color crayons, making a rainbow. Practice upper and lowercase Y and make sure your child forms them correctly. You may also practice Y on page 68 of the Green Learning without Tears book “My First School Book”. When you finish, go on a scavenger hunt and see how many things you can find that begin with letter Y.
Block 2: (30 - 40 minutes) Objective: Use picture clues, sounding out, repetition, and memory to “read” a story.
Make a Letter Y book with your child. Using some of the items you found on your scavenger hunt, begin making the pages of your letter Y story. (You can do 3-5 pages - and finish the rest during journal time.) You will write a sentence for each object. You may have your child write the sentence if you like. Your sentence will be: “I have _____”. You will write what you have. For example, “I have yogurt.” “I have a ball of yarn” (or “I have yarn”). You may put photos above the sentence in each page, or draw the item. Your child should help. Once finished documenting half of your objects, read your book together. Have your child point to the words and say them as you read.
Block 3: (30 minutes) Objective: Use drawing and writing to communicate. Use sound-letter correspondence to write a sentence.
Finish making the letter Y book. This time your child should try to write the sentences and draw the picture. Your child should try to make at least one page. You may make the rest of the pages together. Once finished, practice reading the Letter Y book. It’s okay if your child used Kinder Spelling for some of the words, your child should practice sounding out what s/he wrote as you reread the book together.
Thursday: (Throwing Thursday) Block 1: (30 minutes) Objective: Coordinate the body in different movements. Toss/throw with accuracy. Move around without hitting people or objects.
Play PE Tic Tac Toe. You will need to make a Tic Tac Toe chart and have markers for each player. Examples of markers could be cutie oranges, coins, beans, etc. Fill in the spaces of the Tic Tac Toe chart with each activity (you may substitute your own if you don’t like these): 1) Do 4 spins and count aloud. 2) Hop on 1 foot 8 times and count aloud. 3) Do 5 jumping jacks and count aloud. 4) Toss 9 stuffed animals into a basket and count as you throw each one. 5) Do 7 frog jumps across the room, count each jump aloud. 6) Jump really high with both feet 3 times. Count aloud. 7) Count how many steps you can take on a balance beam (or long piece of tape on the floor). 8) Catch 10 socks tossed 1 at a time to you. Count each sock that you catch. 9) Take 6 steps backwards without bumping anything, count each step.
Youngest player goes first. Place a marker on a space. To keep the space, do the activity. Next player's turn. Keep taking turns until someone has tic-tac-toe - 3 in a row. Play again as many times as you like. Change the spaces for the activities or make up new activities. Have fun.
Block 2: (30-40 minutes) Objective: To listen to a story and develop comprehension.
Pick your favorite story - depending on length, you may do 2 or 3. For each book, look at the cover, what do you see? What is the title? Open it to the title page. Read the title, find the name of the author and of the illustrator. Now, have your child turn the pages of the book and use the pictures to tell the story. (This will be hard for those of you whose kids can read - you might have to cover up the words.) Let the kids use the illustrator to tell the story - it helps them pay attention to the details in the pictures. In the end, ask who the characters are, ask about the setting - try to get detailed answers from your child and show him/her how to use the pictures to find more details. Now, you read the story to your child. This is the author’s story. When you are done, ask your child if the author and illustrator did a good job telling the story. Is it the same story? Have your child retell the story giving details and the main ideas. (Depending on time, the 2nd or 3rd story might just be read and enjoyed by you - you don’t want to take more than 30-40 minutes doing this with lots of stories, it’s okay to enjoy reading just as reading.)
Block 3: (30 minutes) Objective: To communicate through drawing and writing.
Have your child think about what s/he wants to draw. Once your child knows and tells you what s/he is going to draw, give your child the journal paper and crayons to draw. Remind your child to draw slowly and neatly. Coloring should be neat and the picture should be easy to tell what it is. Once the picture is complete. Help your child give a message to describe the picture. The message is only about 5 or 6 words long. Before writing the message, your child should draw one line for each word in the message. Lines should have spaces in between and should go from left to right and top to bottom. There should be room on top of the individual lines to write the words. Your child should end the lines with a period. When the lines are done. Have your child touch each line and say the word in the message that matches that line. Once your child can say the word for each line, it’s time to write the sounds your child hears. You may use the sound map or alphabet chart (included in your packet) to help them figure out the letter for each sound. Let your children do all the sounds that they can first, then you may help your child hear sounds by breaking apart words. You may also give choices from the sound map or alphabet chart in order to help your child find the correct letter. It is not necessary for your child to spell words correctly or write all the letters in the message words. They should do as much as they can. You may finish by writing the message underneath.
Friday: Friendly Friday Block 1: (30 minutes) Objective: Learning how to calm down when upset.
One of the best ways to calm down is to go to a soothing place to be alone and regain self control. This should be a place where your child feels safe and has things that make your child feel relaxed and happy. It isn’t a time out or punishment spot, but rather a spot to feel emotions and be vulnerable until ready to deal with what is upsetting in life. It’s a place that is an option for a child to choose to go in which everyone else knows to give space and ask permission to come in and visit. It gives privacy, security, and a little piece of control when life seems out of control. Sometimes the spot is a physical space, other times it’s a physical object, such as a blanket or favorite stuffed animal. Talk with your child about what comforts your child when upset. Find out where your child likes to go when upset and needing some “alone” time. Help your child create this safe calming down space. Share with your child what you do to calm down and a space that you may go. (Perhaps you take a walk, or maybe go to the garden, or perhaps there is a reading space, office, or quiet room that you retreat to until you’re ready to be giving and face the world's demands once more. Maybe you just snuggle up with the family pet, or like to give the dog a good brushing.) Your ideas for how to calm down will help your child learn what can work to help him or her calm down and will teach your child that it’s okay to have big feelings and emotions. It’s okay to feel and express them, and it’s okay to tell others (or leave others) when you need some space to deal with those emotions. Make sure your child has everything s/he needs for this calm down space and perhaps have your child teach a favorite stuffed animal how to use this space when the stuffed animal may “feel upset.”
Block 2: (30 - 40 minutes) Objective: Listen and learn about calming down. Make connections when reading/hearing a story.
Listen to Sonia Snail’s story, https://youtu.be/Rtomksd_ekI, about how she has learned to calm down and manage her strong emotions. Review the steps that Sonia suggests for calming down. Where is Sonia’s calm down space? (In her shell.) Practice taking deep breaths, make sure the exhale is as long as possible (it is the exhale that actually causes physical changes to your body that help you to calm down.) Next listen to Tucker Turtle’s story, https://youtu.be/TLluk9sFsB8, as he describes what he has learned about calming down. Discuss what is similar about Sonia’s methods and Tucker’s methods. Where does Tucker go to calm down? How are Sonia and Tucker’s calm down spaces similar to your child’s calm down space. What is different? Have your child practice deep breaths for calming down, and review the steps that Sonia and Tucker use to help them deal with problems. Step 1: Something happens that is upsetting, Step 2: Stop and identify feelings (realize you need to calm down), Step 3: Tuck and calm down in your calm down space with your 3 deep breaths, Step 4: Express your feelings and think about and figure out a solution to your problem. If your child wants to, you may create your own story for calming down, just like Sonia Snail and Tucker Turtle did. This is a great way to connect a story to another similar story as well as connect a story to your own life.
Extra: Try this art project, https://preschoolinspirations.com/6-ways-to-make-a-calm-down-jar/, in which you make a glitter bottle to use to help your child calm down. You will find 6 different recipes and a troubleshooting guide at the end that will help you with your bottles. Pick the recipe that works best for you.
Block 3: (30 minutes) Objective: To communicate using a picture and words.
Have your child draw a picture of his or her calm down space. Your child should write a simple sentence about this space.
Happy Friday!