WeeK 1

Essential Question:

How and why do we use different kinds of lights?

Focus  Question:

What kinds of lights are around us?

Focus Vocabulary:

candle, curve, electricity, fire, firefly, flame, flashlight, lamp lantern, light, light bulb, lightning, lines, moon, rainbow, stars, straight, street light, sun, traffic light

Foundational Learning Experiences:

We will read the foundational text, Round Trip by Ann Jonas, aloud to in class, I will

pause to ask inquiry and critical thinking questions. 

PK.CLL.1 (Reading Standards for Literature): With prompting and support, ask and answer about details in a text.

Family and Community Engagement:

In class we will read,  Round Trip. I will send your child home with a piece of black paper and a piece of white paper. Please have them create a picture with these two pieces of paper about somewhere they have gone together. They could cut and/or rip the paper and can use glue but should not add other colors or use other materials in their pictures. Please return  the pictures to pre-K with a brief description of the art. We will display the art in the classroom.

Light Centers

*Blocks/Construction

We will add the nighttime NYC skyline to the walls in the Blocks/Construction Center. We will incite children to observe the lights in the picture and create additional buildings to add to the skyline.
We will also keep our traffic lights from our transportation unit.

PK.CKW.3 (Social Studies): Demonstrates knowledge of the re

*Dramatic Play*

We will turn our dramatic play area into a beach. The children will help to create a beach by using paint to create the water, sun and sand. We will also add seashells and sunglasses. 

*Art* 

The children will create stained Glass windows.
We will provide tissue paper and contact paper or clear container lids.  The children will use the tissue paper to create designs and place them on the contact paper or lid. The art will dry and hang in a window. The children will explain what the light did to their art.

*Math center *
We will provide glow sticks for children to use as they build with Magna-Tiles. We will encourage children to place the glow sticks inside their structures and note what they see.

PK.PDH.1: Uses senses to assist and guide learning

*Science*

Children will Explore hand-held prisms (transparent objects that are triangular). We will model how to position the prisms in order to bend light and create rainbows. We will inteoducs  the word prism to the children and use it often throughout the exploration.
PK.CKW.1 (Science): Asks questions and makes predictions based on observations and manipulation of things and events in the environment

*Sensory*

The children will go digging in the sand table to find the light from glow sticks. Laminated stars will be added, as well for the children to explore. 

**Books we will read this week*

 

*Culminating Celebration*- We will have a shadow puppet show. We will spens several days creating stories in small groups. Each group will create puppets for their shadow show. For the performance, We will hang a sheet and place a light source behind it, the children will use their puppets behind the sheet to act out their story while the teachers and other students read their words.

Throughout the year we we will continue to practice writing our names as well as identifying the letters in our name. 
 Please practice this at home with your children. 

*CHECK YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL BAG DAILY FOR ANY NOTES. 
 
*IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN ACCIDENT IN SCHOOL, PLEASE SEND IN REPLACEMENT CLOTHING.