September 2010 Archives

Overview: We will continue to use simple and familiar materials as the teachers focus on helping the children make connections, build relationships with one another, and establish friendships. Our umbrella topic for the beginning of the year will be "Families" and "Building Communities." We will explore these ideas and expand on the children's current understanding of what this means in a variety of ways. The centers are arranged to promote these goals and topics as children explore and investigate the classroom. We're excited to get started!

Expressive Arts (paint, collage, clay, play-dough)
•Materials: primary colors (blue, red, yellow) at the easel, natural materials for collage, clay, markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors
•Rationale: to explore with hands and tools to promote sensory awareness, increase fine motor skills, and foster social relationships as children observe and work together with their peers
•Skills: fine motor development (strength, coordination), creativity, symbolic representation, sensory input, color recognition
Sensory (water, sand, corn)
•Materials: sand with shovels, rakes, paddlewheels, and other miscellaneous containers for scooping and pouring
•Rationale: to cooperatively work together while exploring a familiar sensory experience
•Skills: large and fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, cooperative play, building social relationships, sharing materials
Science
•Materials: cockroaches, beetles, mealworms, framed insects, light table with natural materials (leaves, sticks, pinecones, acorns, seedpods)
•Rationale: to support children's curiosity of the natural world around us and to encourage the investigation of nature
•Skills: observation, scientific investigation and inquiry
Dramatic Play
•Materials: housekeeping materials (furniture, dishes, food) and dress-up fabric and shoes; the caves are set as bedrooms with "beds," baby dolls, and baby-care items
•Rationale: to allow for the expression of family life and to encourage social interaction while playing with familiar props
•Skills: creative role-play, peer interaction, social problem solving, symbolic representation
Math and Manipulatives
•Materials: sorting animals, Montessori pegboard, lacing beads, puzzles
•Rationale: to encourage children to work with open-ended materials where they can develop more complex skills and work together in a group
•Skills: color recognition, sorting and classification, seriating (i.e. stacking highest to lowest), one-to-one correspondence, counting, fine motor development
Language and Literacy
•Materials: the writing center has a variety of writing utensils, paper, envelopes, stickers, staplers, tape
•Rationale: to involve children in writing and to give them the opportunity to create their own stories and writings
•Skills: fine motor, pre-writing, letter recognition
•Materials: the library has books that might be familiar to the children on topics about animals, school, families, and friendships
•Rationale: to encourage cozy reading time with friends and teachers
•Skills: receptive language, early literacy, listening, community building
Blocks
•Materials: large hollow blocks and small multi-shaped unit blocks
•Rationale: to support children's creative and problem solving skills, to develop mathematical skills/awareness of geometry, and to allow for opportunities for social interaction as children collaborate and build together
•Skills: large motor development, expressive creation, symbolic representation, cooperative play, problem solving, mathematical
Large Motor
•Materials: gym--slide climber, wall mounted ladders, monkey bars, rocking boat, A-frame jumping station
•Rationale: a simple set-up in the gym is inviting and allows the children to assess gross motor abilities and confidence
•Skills: Risk taking, climbing, coordination, upper body strength, depth perception, balance, jumping and landing
•Materials: playground--shovels, buckets, bikes, and wagons
•Rationale: to support basic motor skills, and to promote social interaction and role play as children dig, haul, run, and pedal
•Skills: upper and lower body development, physical fitness, coordination, and perceptual motor skills (spatial, temporal, directional, and body awareness)
Special Interest
Large Group Meeting--music and movement will be used to help the children learn each other's names and the classroom routines. This time together emphasizes togetherness and fosters the building of classroom community
Snack
Monday: Pears & pretzel sticks
Wednesday: Madeline's Birthday Treat!
Thursday: Apples
**All snacks are served with milk and water unless otherwise noted

Classroom Newsletter from Ross
September 27, 2010

Dear parents,

It has been another great start to the school year and it is quite clear the children are ready (and excited) to be back at Lab School! Although most of the children appear very excited to come each day, I understand that it may take longer for some children to reach a similar level of comfort. Please let me know right away if your child feels at all anxious about coming in the morning. That way we can offer your child the extra support he/she needs during the beginning weeks of school.

Many of you are familiar with the Lab School website, and will we be making a few small changes over the next few weeks, however the website will be the primary location to receive all updates, newsletters, lesson plans, and "daily documentations" created by the teachers about the happenings in the room. I will send weekly reminders to let everyone know when new information has been added. One note about that, I'm sure many of you will bookmark the website, however be sure to check in on the school's main page regularly, as many all-school announcements and updates will be posted there. If you simply bookmark our class page, you may miss important announcements from Barb or about upcoming school events!

As for all the information posted on the website, the lesson plans will be sent out during the weekend prior, allowing you to talk about what new things will be happening in the room before your child arrives Monday morning. Reading through the lesson plan will give you a better idea of what we are planning for the week, and help your child be ready for Monday. Unfortunately the children's perceptions of what they do at school are often very different from the teacher's plans. By reading the lesson plans, you can talk to your child about their activities at school and have a clearer idea of what is happening around the room. The more specific your questions are, the more likely your child will be able to remember and talk about their morning. It is important to remember that the learning doesn't stop once the children leave the classroom. The more you know about what is happening in our room, the better you can support their interests and learning at home.

Reminders & Announcements

Our First "Homework" Assignment

Thank you to the families that have brought in your family picture page! Our board is filling up and the children have already started showing off their pictures to their classmates. We will be talking about families during large group this week, and having each child's picture on the family board helps establish our classroom community - as we can notice that we all have a family! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Our "homework" assignments are meant to create a stronger link between home and school as well as foster the growing sense of community we are working on creating.

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Coffee Hours & 1st Meeting

With many new families coming to the Lab School as well as a number of veteran families meeting for the first time in a new classroom, The PAC has set up a few coffee hours during school time for parents to get to know one another. The will be held on Monday, September 27 and Tuesday, September 28 from 8.30-9.30a in the lounge behind the kitchen. If you have the time, please stop in and meet some of the other families. As we are diligently trying to build a classroom and school community for your child during the fall session, we want to establish a similar feeling of connectedness amongst the families here at the Lab School and we need your help in accomplishing that!

Also, mark your calendars! The first PAC meeting is on Monday, October 4 from 7-8.30p. The PAC is a group of parents that helps make decisions about school events and acts as a link between the parents and staff. Further information about the group and what it does can be found on the Parent Advisory Committee tab on the website's homepage. Please take a few minutes to click on it and learn more about what the PAC is all about. The meeting is open to EVERYONE and your ideas and support are needed! It is through the ideas of the parents that events like the Gym Jam and Spring Soiree have come to fruition.

Fall conferences

Fall parent conferences will be happening during the weeks of October 18 - 22 and October 25 - October 29. This is a time where we will establish initial developmental goals for your child based on my observations as well as from information that you provide. I will be sending home a brief questionnaire for you to fill out which will help us set those individual goals for your child. Please answer the questions and bring the questionnaire to the meeting. The conferences will be scheduled for the afternoons and early evenings during the two weeks listed above and typically take place at school. If these dates/times do not work, other arrangements can be made. Also, please arrange childcare, as it is easier to talk about your child while they are at home. The conference schedule will be emailed as well as posted on the classroom door. Please reply with your desired times (first pick and one or two back-up times) or stop in and sign up on the sheet. I will update the paper copy of the schedule on the door daily, so please check with that to see what times are still available.

Birthdays and Holidays

When it is your child's birthday (half-birthday or any other special day), we welcome you to bring a special snack and have a small celebration at school. The State of Minnesota requires that all snacks are either store bought or prepared at school. With our focus on healthy eating and nutrition, we are asking parents to bring healthy snack options rather than the common cupcakes/cookies. If you need ideas for healthy options, do not hesitate to ask. One popular option, Eddy's All-Natural Fruit Juice Bars (popsicles)...they are always a hit any time of year! Also, we do have a few allergies to be aware of when thinking about bringing in a special snack, and they are: gluten, dairy, and nuts. That being said, I invite you to come to school on your child's birthday/special day and join us for snack!

As a general rule, we do not have special holiday "parties" at school. We do acknowledge the holidays that families in our class celebrate in a low-key, child-centered manner. We have appropriate stories, art materials, and special snacks, which help children understand some of the cultural traditions that go along with celebrations. We welcome parents to come in and share their families' special traditions with the class. On Halloween, which is considered a children's holiday in American culture, we might have a special snack, a special story or two, and materials at the art center that could be used to create "holiday pictures". We will not have the children dress in costumes, as that usually causes so much excitement and confusion that the morning becomes makes the day chaotic.

Extra clothes reminder

Now that the year is underway, the paint will be flying and we will be spending lots of time outside! It is helpful if each child has an extra set of labeled clothes (i.e. pants, shirt, socks, and underwear) in his/her cubby. We have some extras at school, however not enough to go around all five classrooms. Storing the clothes in a labeled Ziplock bag and leaving it in the top of the cubby works the best. That way, we always have a change of clothes for your child.

Toys from Home

The start of a new school can be intimidating for some, and bringing a security item from home (i.e. a favorite blanket, stuffed animal, "lovey," or toy) can help ease the nervousness of starting in a new classroom. To make the adjustment to coming to school as smooth as possible, these items can come to school, however I ask that they stay in your child's cubby. When they leave the cubby, they can be left at school or damaged and that can prove to be far more stressful! Ultimately, I would like to work to keep all toys at home, or at the very least in the car during drop-off in the morning. That way, we know the toy/item will be "waiting for you at home when you are done with school."

Parking Reminder

Please remember to read your handbook as well as the parking letter that was sent earlier this summer. There's no getting around it...parking is tight around the Lab School. If you pull into a slanted spot in front of the building, it is a 20 minute limit. Those spots belong to the Institute and the research labs, and they have graciously shared those spaces with us during our drop-off and pick-up times. If you plan to stay in the morning or for the day, hop to a meter or find a spot in Dinkytown. If you pull along the curb during pick-up, PLEASE stay with your car. We will bring your child to you. When parents leave their cars to "quickly run in and get something," it throws a wrench into the works of keeping cars moving. Also, the U of M police remind us often that they will ticket cars that are left unattended along the curb. Thanks in advance for making our difficult parking situation run that much smoother!

I know this was a long newsletter, but the first one of the year always is, so thank you for reading it. Also, I appreciate any feedback on how things are going for you and your child as the year unfolds. We are working for your child's success together, and keeping lines of communication open will allow us to support the development of your child.

Sincerely,
Ross

2-Day Daily Schedule
Tuesdays and Fridays
Ayuko's Class

7:45-8:30 Set-up and planning with assistant teachers. This includes the classroom, gym, playground and snack.

8:30-8:55 Arrival and exploration time. Self-directed activities from various learning centers will be available in front of the room. These centers include the art table, sensory table, manipulalatives, discovery and science table.

8:55-9:10 Large Group. Activities include, singing songs (good morning, name songs, etc), doing movement activities, and sharing and discussing information about interests, events, and projects that are developing during this time.

9:10-10:00 Free play/Self-directed activities from various learning centers. Children may return to the front of the room and finish an activity started during arrival/exploration time or choose activities in the back of the room: dramatic play and block building. Music and movement spontaneously occur during the day.

10:00-10:10 Clean up and toileting.

10:10-10:15 Large group (regrouping time): The children will sing songs and/or discuss the schedule for the rest of the day.

10:15-10:30 Large motor activities in the gym (Room 40)

10:30-10:45 Hand washing and Snack. The children will begin to learn to pass out napkins and cups, pour their own drinks and serve their own snacks.

10:45-10:50 Transition from snack to the playground

10:50 -11:15 Outdoor play

11:15-11:30 Dismissal and Good-byes.

11:30-1:00 Clean up and daily meetings by teachers.

3-Day Daily Schedule
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Ayuko's Class

Non- small group days

7:45-8:30 Set-up and planning with assistant teachers. This includes the classroom, gym, playground and snack.

8:30-8:55 Arrival and exploration time. Self-directed activities from various learning centers will be available in front of the room. These centers include the art table, sensory table, manipulalatives, discovery and science table.

8:55-9:10 Large Group. Activities include, singing songs (good morning, name songs, etc), doing movement activities, and sharing and discussing information about interests, events, and projects that are developing during this time.

9:10-10:00 Free play/Self-directed activities from various learning centers. Children may return to the front of the room and finish an activity started during arrival/exploration time or choose activities in the back of the room: dramatic play and block building. Music and movement spontaneously occur during the day.

10:00-10:10 Clean up and toileting.

10:10-10:15 Large group (regrouping time): The children will sing songs and/or discuss the schedule for the rest of the day.

10:15-10:30 Large motor activities in the gym (Room 40)

10:30-10:45 Hand washing and Snack. The children will begin to learn to pass out napkins and cups, pour their own drinks and serve their own snacks.

10:45-10:50 Transition from snack to the playground

10:50 -11:15 Outdoor play

11:15-11:30 Dismissal and Good-byes.

11:30-1:00 Clean up and daily meetings by teachers.

Small Group days (Wednesday and Thursday)
*Note: the schedule will change slightly once "small groups" begin.

7:45-8:30 Set-up and planning with assistant teachers. This includes the classroom, gym, playground and snack.

8:30-8:55 Arrival and exploration time.

8:55-9:10 Large Group.

9:10-9:30 Small Groups

9:30-10:05 Self-directed activities from various learning centers

10:05-10:15 Clean up and toileting.

10:15-10:30 Large motor activities in the gym

10:30-10:45 Handwashing and Snack

10:45-10:50 Transition from snack to the playground

10:50 -11:15 Outdoor play

11:15-11:30 Dismissal and Good-byes.

11:30-1:00 Clean up and daily meetings by teachers.

In the cave, the children fed the farm animals with feed. They also took them out for a walk in a stroller.

A teacher pointed out that A and I were shoveling sand into the sand pit. C and S observed their peers and joined by doing the same thing:

Click here to watch a few short clips of a few children working with clay today.

Working with Clay.m4v

Lesson Plan- Ross' Class
September 21-Oct 1, 2010
Ross Lead Teaching

Overview: The school year is officially underway! Welcome everyone! I hope your summers were enjoyable, restorative, and filled with many exciting adventures. As we get started this year, you may notice the room filled (or rather, not so filled), with many familiar materials. At the beginning of the school year, I feel it's extremely important that the children feel comfortable with coming to school. Even the "veterans" of the Lab School sometimes need some adjustment time to get back into the routines of coming to school every day. That is why we start the year off with many familiar materials found in your homes. Also, I feel it is vital that the children begin connecting with one another rather than the materials in the room. A key element to supporting the learning in early childhood revolves around the social relationships of the child, and that is why building relationships will is a primary focus of the fall session. Our goal(s) for the first few weeks is to help your child be excited about coming to school, feeling like the Lab School is a safe and fun place to be while they are here, and get to know their peers (hopefully establishing new or reigniting previous friendships). Again, welcome everyone and let's get the school year started!!

Expressive Arts (paint, collage, clay, play-dough)
• Materials: primary color paint at the easel, various natural and "beautiful" materials for collage (e.g. wood shavings, pinecones, bottle caps, corks, puff balls, etc.), markers, crayons, clay
• Rationale: foster creativity and artistic express through the use of familiar and intriguing materials, as well as create opportunities for children to work together/observe the work of their peers - building social relationships
• Skills: color recognition, creativity, fine-motor strength/coordination, artistic expression, symbolic representation, social skills
Sensory (water, sand, birdseed, etc.)
• Materials: sand will be available with scoops, rakes, paddlewheels, and various shaped containers
• Rationale: exploring the properties of sand is extremely engaging for children, and allows for many opportunities for children to play together; working cooperatively to fill containers, load and operate the paddlewheels, as well as create countless dramatic play storylines
• Skills: large-/fine-motor strength, hand-to-eye coordination, math conceptions related to counting/measurement/comparing-contrasting, fostering new/existing social relationships
Science
• Materials: leaves, rocks, seedpods, pinecones, cockroaches, beetles, mealworms, and interested framed insects
• Rationale: during the homevisits, it was clear that there was a coming interest in insects and bugs and well as a strong connection to being outside. I want to support that enjoyment and use that interest to go further with the investigation of nature, especially as we are seeing the beginning of the autumn "bloom."
• Skills: scientific investigation and inquiry, observation skills, learning about the natural world (comparing plants and non-living elements to insects and other living creatures), observing the changing of the seasons
Dramatic Play
• Materials: house furniture (e.g. stove, fridge, sink, and cupboard), plates, pretend food, shoes, fabric, stuffed animals, baby-dolls, and care supplies
• Rationale: playing house is one of the most common themes for young children to play, as it is what they know the best. This will help support the children's growing comfort with school and each other as they can play with extremely familiar props and storylines
• Skills: imaginative/creative play, symbolic representation, fostering social relationships,
Math and Manipulatives
• Materials: multi-colored animals, seriated Montessori pegboard, puzzles, and large lacing beads
• Rationale: these open-ended materials allow the children to sort, order, and arrange the materials in various ways while allowing the teachers to ask specific content questions that help us learn more about what your child knows. They also create great opportunities for children to work together, which has been proven to show strong learning potential when children work in groups
• Skills: color recognition, seriation (i.e. stacking highest to lowest), patterning, counting, one-to-one correspondence, sorting, opportunities for collaborative problem solving
Language and Literacy
• Materials: pens, pencils, markers, paper, envelopes, stickers, staplers, tape, computer used for word-processing
• Rationale: many children have already shown an interest in writing during the homevisits, and the teachers feel it is imperative to support the pre-/early-literacy skills involved with writing. Also, I want to begin the year off with opportunities to tell and create stories with the children, and I want the writing center to feel like a hub for my (and ultimately the children's) stories to be created and come alive!
• Skills: pre-/early-literacy skills, letter recognition, introduction to storytelling, fine-motor coordination/endurance (as children hand muscles grow stronger with holding writing utensils)
Blocks
• Materials: large hollow blocks, small multi-shaped unit blocks, cardboard tubes
• Rationale: blocks (large and small) offer amazing opportunities for children to create and represent the world as well as how they make sense of it! The vast building potential allows for children to symbolic represent almost anything: planes, trucks, homes, planets, and even math problems! They also are a seminal component to building/supporting social relationships with the children!
• Skills: large-/fine-motor skills, symbolic representation, concepts of balance, counting, comparing/contrasting skills, social relationships, opportunities for endless dramatic play
Large Motor
• Materials: slide, a frame climber and padded donut (jumping station), monkey bars, climbing wall, wooden rocking boats
• Rationale: the gym is another great venue to help the children get to know one another; cruising around the space and observing their peers, taking turns, and often finding someone who enjoys the same activities. The gym also lends itself to be a space to teacher-facilitated large motor activities. To begin the year, we will place a few games a week that will help the children meet each other (e.g. Barnyard, Follow the Leader, Sleeping Children). In the gym, the children will be able to exert their bodies is safe ways and the challenge themselves to tackle the various equipment available.
• Skills: large-motor strength/coordination/endurance, eye-to-hand and eye-to-foot coordination, body in motion (i.e. jumping and sliding), cardiovascular strength, depth perception, turn taking, social skills

Special Interest (large group, music, cooking, fire drill, etc)
• PLEASE remember to bring any and all enrollment forms if you haven't done so already!
• It seems to be staying rather wet outside, so if you have wet weather gear, send it along. We do have some hear at school but not enough for all the classrooms to share at the same time.
• Please remember to walk your child in the first few days. Curbside drop off will happen as early as Friday, but Monday for sure!

Snack (As we are still waiting for the last of the allergy information to come in this week, snack will remain quite simple...it will change for next week!)
Monday: NO SCHOOL
Tuesday: Rice cakes and apples
Wednesday: Rice cakes and apples
Thursday: Rice cakes and raisins
Friday: Rice cakes and raisins
*All snacks served with water and milk, unless otherwise specified*

Typical Daily Schedule
Ross' Class

Monday & Friday (Non-small group days)

8.30-9.05 Arrival/Exploration Time/All-Gym Day

9.05-9.20 Large Group

9.20-10.15 Activity Time

10.15-10.25 Clean-up and handwashing

10.25-10.45 Whole-group snack

10.45-11.15 Toileting, getting ready to go outside, and playing on the playground

11.15-11.30 Pick-up/end of the day story reading

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (Small group days)

8.30-9.05 Arrival/Exploration Time/Choice Gym

9.05-9.20 Large Group

9.20-9.40 Small Groups (time varies group-to-group)

9.40-10.35 Activity Time / Open Snack

10.35-10.45 Clean-up

10.45-11.15 Toileting, getting ready to go outside, and playing on the playground

11.15-11.30 Pick-up/end of the day story reading

Each child's adjustment to school will be different. Some will jump right in, others may need more time to establish trust and feel comfortable. As time passes they will become comfortable, develop feelings of competency and confidence. In order to help them in the beginning, you can instill confidence in your child by letting them know that you trust the teachers and also trust your child's ability to become more independent. When you convey the feelings of "you can do this" they will believe it themselves as they go through this process.

You know your child best and what their needs will be as they begin their school experience and you are welcome to stay in the classroom as long as you would like. For those of you who need to (or would like to) leave but your child is having a hard time saying goodbye, let me know so I can provide support.

Sometimes it helps to make a plan with your child ahead of time. If they are involved in making the plan it will give them a sense of control over the goodbye process, a feeling they may be craving. Your child may decide to show you something in the room, work on a puzzle together, or listen to a book with you on the couch. As the parent you decide a reasonable number of activities ahead of time so you can manage your time. Always say goodbye and let your child know when you will see them again.

Overview
It was wonderful to have so many children and parents visit our classroom during Open House! It is quite obvious that the children are ready for school to start. Home visits and Open House are the first steps into building relationships between the teachers and the children. During the first weeks of school we will focus on getting to know each other and continue to build relationships between children and teachers and children between themselves striving to achieve a sense of community. The staggered and slow start during the first few days will allow us to get a good sense of the children and their unique personalities. We will be vigilant and aware of children who might need extra support during the first weeks. Please don't be surprised if the first transition days to school seem easy and children have a challenge later on. We will work with each family individually to make this transition successful for all.

We have put lots of thought into the classroom set-up and have made intentional choices regarding materials and activities. We wanted to make sure that we had enough exciting and appealing materials for the children these first weeks. We also wanted to make sure that the classroom projects warmth and is welcoming without overwhelming the children. As the days go by, and the student teachers and I will observe and record the children's passion and interests as well as consider the classroom and individual goals'; we will make the necessary changes and adaptations. It is very important that the children feel ownership of their classroom and understand that their needs and interests are important and respected.

Our umbrella topic for the year will be "Life Cycles" and "Transformations." We will expose the children to these ideas and work on expanding their current understanding of these topics through a variety of ways. I will provide additional information as the weeks go by and welcome any insight from you!

Expressive Arts
-Materials: Clay, paint, colored pencils, collage materials
-Rationale: To provide materials to inspire children's creative expression.
-Skills: Self-expression, creative risk-taking, fine motor development

Sensory
-Materials: Water, cups, pitchers, bottles, and funnels
-Rationale: To provide the children with a soothing and familiar sensory experience and to promote social interactions.
-Skills: Experimentation, sensory stimulation and pleasure, beginning to understand the concept of conservation, taking turns and sharing materials.

Science
-Materials: Vegetables, balancing scales, vegetable matching by color; variety of natural found items on light table; aquarium with six fish.
When we head outdoors we will draw children's attention to explore their surroundings, paying attention and noticing the changes taking place. We will draw their attention to the vegetable garden, animal and plant life.
-Rationale: To support children's intrinsic curiosity of the world around us. Pay extra attention to the natural world available in our own playground and use these observations to spark conversations and discussions. Encourage children to develop their own theories and engage in discussions to expand their knowledge of the natural world. Draw children's attention to seasonal changes.
-Skills: Observation, inquiry, sorting, weighing, asking questions, hypothesizing, interpreting and reasoning about events

Dramatic Play
-Materials: Kitchen with dishes, fruits and veggies, and dress-up clothes. In the animal cave there are stuffed woodland animals.
-Rationale: To encourage social interaction and the expression of children's knowledge of family life by taking on familiar roles. The cave provides a cozy close place that promotes small group interaction.
-Skills: Role-play, peer interaction, social problem solving, creating imaginary scenarios

Math and Manipulatives
-Materials: Colored shape sorter/stacker, inset puzzles emphasizing color/shape, interlocking puzzles reflecting natural themes such as animals, plants, fruits and vegetables
-Rationale: Our focus to start the year will be on sorting and classification by shape, color. We will also encourage children to find other unique ways to sort and classify materials available in the classroom. Sorting and classifying are foundational skills that will support and allow children's development of more complex skills.
-Skills: Color and shape recognition, matching, one to one correspondence and whole/part relationships, fine motor development

Language and Literacy
-Materials: A variety of writing materials, paper, envelopes, and a posting of the upper and lower case alphabet. A well stocked library with books about animals, vegetables, school and families.
-Rationale: To provide children with many opportunities to enjoy the spoken and written world.
-Skills: Letter recognition, listening and receptive abilities, fine motor control

Blocks
-Materials: Hollow blocks and unit blocks with farm animals and small fabric squares.
-Rationale: To support children's creative and problem solving abilities, develop awareness of geometry and allow for opportunities for social interactions.
-Skills: Construction skills, dramatic play, symbolic representation, problem solving, cooperation

Large Motor
-Materials: Slide climber, wall mounted ladders, monkey bars, rocking boat, A-frame jumping station. The playground will offer shovels, buckets, bikes, and wagons.
-Rationale: A simple set-up in the gym is inviting and allows us to assess gross motor abilities and confidence.
-Skills: Risk taking, climbing, coordination, upper body strength, depth perception, balance, jumping and landing. On the playground there are opportunities for digging, hauling, pedaling, running.

Special Interest
- Large Group: Music conversations
- -Rationale: Introduce the children to classroom routines, each other, and start building a sense of community.
- Skills: Listening, discussing, enjoyment of group activities

See you all soon!!
Dalia

Overview
It was lovely to see so many of you at the Open House! Home visits and the Open House are great ways to begin the relationship building process that will be a primary focus these first few weeks of school. Those meetings help make the transition to school easier for the children, parents and teachers. This first abbreviated week will be a period of adjustment for everyone. Getting up early and heading off to school may be exciting the first day, but may be difficult for the rest of the week. I will be taking cues from the children to figure out what kind of support each of them needs. Please talk to me if you have concerns about your child's adjustment to school.

To begin the school year, the materials selected are meant to be familiar and appealing. The student teachers and I will be observing and recording developmental abilities and themes we see in the children's play. We plan curriculum by incorporating individual and group goals with the children's ideas and interests. This helps give children a feeling of ownership of their school experience. An umbrella topics for the year is life cycles and transformation, which we will explore in a variety of ways through hands-on experiences. I will provide more information and explanation as the topic continues to emerge and grow.

Expressive Arts
-Materials: Clay, paint, colored pencils, collage materials
-Rationale: To provide a variety of materials that will inspire expression of ideas and creative design.
-Skills: Self-expression, creative risk-taking, fine motor development

Sensory
-Materials: Water, cups, pitchers, bottles, and funnels
-Rationale: Warm water is a soothing sensory experience that is familiar and promotes social interactions as children negotiate sharing ideas and materials.
-Skills: Experimentation, sensory stimulation and pleasure, fluency with objects, and beginning understanding of the concept of conservation

Science
-Materials: Vegetables, balancing scales, vegetable matching by color, a variety of natural items on light table, aquarium with fish. On the playground we will encourage exploration of the natural areas and draw children's attention to the vegetable garden, plant and animal life.
-Rationale: Through these hands-on experiences, conversations with other children, and interactions with adults, your child will formulate their own theories and develop foundational knowledge about the natural world. He or she will use this knowledge as they grow to make sense of more abstract concepts such as seasonal cycles and life cycles. To reflect the seasonal changes outside, we have brought in natural items such as colored leaves, acorns, and pinecones for sorting.
-Skills: Observation, inquiry, sorting, weighing, asking questions, hypothesizing, interpreting and reasoning about events

Dramatic Play
-Materials: Kitchen with dishes, fruits and veggies, and dress-up clothes. In the animal cave there are stuffed woodland animals.
-Rationale: To encourage social interaction and the expression of children's knowledge of family life by taking on familiar roles. The cave provides a cozy close place that promotes small group interaction.
-Skills: Role-play, peer interaction, social problem solving, creating imaginary scenarios

Math and Manipulatives
-Materials: Colored shape sorter/stacker, inset puzzles emphasizing color/shape, interlocking puzzles reflecting natural themes such as animals, plants, fruits and vegetables
-Rationale: We are starting with sorting and classifying by shape and color not only to emphasize recognition and labeling, but also to lay a foundation for later mathematical concept development.
-Skills: Color and shape recognition, matching, one to one correspondence and whole/part relationships, fine motor development

Language and Literacy
-Materials: A variety of writing implements, paper, envelopes, and a posting of the upper and lower case alphabet. A well stocked library with books about animals, vegetables, school and families.
-Rationale: The library is placed near the couch for cozy reading time with new friends and teachers. Throughout the room there will be many opportunities to enjoy the spoken and written word.
-Skills: Letter recognition, listening and receptive abilities, fine motor control

Blocks
-Materials: Hollow blocks and unit blocks with farm animals and small fabric squares.
-Rationale: Children use creativity and problem solving while developing their awareness of geometry through building. Communal building with hollow blocks encourages cooperation.
-Skills: Construction skills, dramatic play, symbolic representation, problem solving

Large Motor
-Materials: Slide climber, wall mounted ladders, monkey bars, rocking boat, A-frame jumping station. The playground will be set up with shovels, buckets, bikes, and wagons.
-Rationale: A simple set-up in the gym is inviting and allows us to assess gross motor abilities and confidence.
-Skills: Risk taking, climbing, coordination, upper body strength, depth perception, balance, jumping and landing. On the playground there are opportunities for digging, hauling, pedaling, running.

Special Interest
-Morning Meeting: Music and rhythmic movement will be used to help the children learn each other's names and the classroom routines. The morning meeting also emphasizes togetherness and fosters the building of classroom community.

Lesson Plan-Ayuko's 2AM Classroom
Weeks of 9/21 and 9/28
Ayuko Lead Teaching

Overview: The first couple of weeks we will focus on helping the children say goodbye to their families and adjusting them to the school environment. As the children explore and investigate the classroom, we hope they begin to think positively of the teachers and school. Slowly we will begin to learn the routines of the classroom and give children the support they need to make transitions throughout the morning. The play areas are arranged to promote these goals and encourage the development of positive relationships with classmates and teachers.

Expressive Arts
**Materials: Wooden paint brushes, paper, and primary color paints
Rationale: To explore brush strokes and color mixing.
Skills: Fine motor grip, creative expression, and hand-eye coordination.
**Materials: Paper, markers, stickers, and scissors.
Rationale: To explore the properties of a variety of art materials.
Skills: Fine motor control, creative expression, and hand-eye coordination.
**Materials: Playdough and a variety of molding tools.
Rationale: To produce an outlet for creative expression and promote social interaction.
Skills: Fine motor development (squeezing, poking, and pinching), observation, generating ideas, and sensory input.

Sensory
**Materials: Water, measuring cups, large and small jars.
Rationale: To encourage a practice of pouring and filling and develop the concept of empty and full, less and more, and in and out. To encourage social awareness as children notice what those across from them are doing with the same materials
Skills: Observation, math skills (volume and spatial relations), comparison, prediction, and fine motor.
**Materials: Four noise sticks.
Rational: To promote experimentation with sound and how to produce sound. To challenge children's thinking while creating a satisfying trial and effect game with teachers and peers.
Skills: Physical coordination, observation, and sensory input.

Science
**Materials: Variety of foliage and camouflaging frogs and turtles.
Rationale: To observe and investigate the items in the terrarium using magnifying glasses. To provoke the idea of hosting a real turtle or frog in our class: what kind of care does it entail.
Skills: Observation, prediction, comparison, classification.
**Materials: Natural materials such as bark, skin of a birch tree, and a large pine cone.
Rationale: To observe and feel the texture of the natural materials that are found in their everyday lives.
Skills: Observation, exploration, record, try out, and comparison.

Dramatic Play
**Materials: Familiar household kitchen, baby items, multi-ethnic babies, various dress-up clothes, and dump trucks and cars.
Rationale: To support pretend play, symbolic play, foster social interaction and cooperative play.
Skills: Communication, cooperation, turn taking, role play, symbolic representation, and social skills.
**Materials: Scarves, pillow, and books.
Rationale: To promote social interaction, peek-a-boo games, and provide a room/cozy area to read and relax.
Skills: Social skills, turn taking, and communication.
**Materials: Farm animals (horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, and cats) and "feed."
Rationale: To stimulate pretend play, reflect on a trip to the state fair, and promote social interaction among the children and teachers.
Skills: Social skills, cooperation, communication, turn taking, and role play.
Math and Manipulatives
**Materials: Shape sorters, seriation and color stackers, and puzzles.
Rationale: To promote fine motor development, shape and color differentiation, and hand-eye coordination for spatial awareness.
Skills: visual discrimination, turn taking, fine motor control.

Language and Literacy
**Materials: Signs, questions, and related books posted in various curriculum areas and a variety of books on the book shelf.
Rationale: To support their development in language, literacy, and emergent reading, such as the process of independently turning pages in a book and dictating a story from the pictures.
Skills: Listening, speaking, phonological awareness, vocabulary expansion.

Blocks
**Materials: Hollow and cardboard blocks.
Rationale: To support mathematical skills, social interaction, and collaborative building. To be incorporated into buildings or roads for the vehicles located nearby.
Skills: Communication, collaboration, large motor, expressive creation, mathematical and scientific concepts.
Large Motor
**Materials: Indoors - Climbing equipments, stairs, slide, and rocking boat. Outside - Natural materials such as grass, plants, and trees, wooden house, picnic table, slide, and tools for digging and molding sand.
Rationale: To support basic skills such as jumping, climbing, balance, coordination, and upper and lower body development and promote social interaction and role play.
Skills: Perceptual Motor Skills (spatial, temporal, directional, and body awareness) and physical fitness (cardio vascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and agility).
Large group
**Materials: name songs, books, fingerplay.
Rationale: To begin a routine, familiarize the children with each other's names, and promote a beginning sense of group, community, and collaboration.
Skills: fine motor development, hand eye coordination, listening, speaking, patience, taking turns, communication, and social skills.

Music - Music will be apparent throughout the day to support transitions and encourage participation.
**Materials: Piano
Rationale: to promote exploration of sound, volume, rhythm and social interaction.
Skills: turn taking, fine motor development, and mathematical concepts such as beats and patterns.

Snacks:
Tuesday 9/21 and Friday 9/24 - grain based food, apples, milk and water.
Tuesday 9/28: TBD
Friday 10/1: TBD

Lesson Plan-Ayuko's 3AM Classroom
Weeks of 9/22 and 9/27
Ayuko Lead Teaching

Overview: The first couple of weeks we will focus on helping the children say goodbye to their families and adjusting them to the school environment. As the children explore and investigate the classroom, we hope they begin to think positively of the teachers and school. Slowly we will begin to learn the routines of the classroom and give children the support they need to make transitions throughout the morning. The play areas are arranged to promote these goals and encourage the development of positive relationships with classmates and teachers.

Expressive Arts
**Materials: Wooden paint brushes, paper, and primary color paints
Rationale: To explore brush strokes and color mixing.
Skills: Fine motor grip and hand-eye coordination.
**Materials: Paper, markers, stickers, and scissors.
Rationale: To explore the properties of a variety of art materials.
Skills: Fine motor control and hand-eye coordination.
**Materials: Playdough and a variety of molding tools.
Rationale: To produce an outlet for creative expression and promote social interaction.
Skills: Fine motor development (squeezing, poking, and pinching), observation, generating ideas, and sensory input.

Sensory
**Materials: Water, measuring cups, large and small jars.
Rationale: To encourage a practice of pouring and filling and develop the concept of empty and full, less and more, and in and out. To encourage social awareness as children notice what those across from them are doing with the same materials
Skills: Observation, math skills (volume and spatial relations), comparison, prediction, and fine motor.
**Materials: Four noise sticks.
Rational: To promote experimentation with sound and how to produce sound. To challenge children's thinking while creating a satisfying trial and effect game with teachers and peers.
Skills: Physical coordination, observation, and sensory input.

Science
**Materials: Variety of foliage and camouflaging frogs and turtles.
Rationale: To observe and investigate the items in the terrarium using magnifying glasses. To provoke the idea of hosting a real turtle or frog in our class: what kind of care does it entail.
Skills: Observation, prediction, comparison, classification.
**Materials: Natural materials such as bark, skin of a birch tree, and a large pine cone.
Rationale: To observe and feel the texture of the natural materials that are found in their everyday lives.
Skills: Observation, exploration, record, try out, and comparison.

Dramatic Play
**Materials: Familiar household kitchen, baby items, multi-ethnic babies, various dress-up clothes, and dump trucks and cars.
Rationale: To support pretend play, symbolic play, foster social interaction and cooperative play.
Skills: Communication, cooperation, turn taking, role play, symbolic representation, and social skills.
**Materials: Scarves, pillow, and books.
Rationale: To promote social interaction, peek-a-boo games, and provide a room/cozy area to read and relax.
Skills: Social skills, turn taking, and communication.
**Materials: Farm animals (horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, and cats) and "feed."
Rationale: To stimulate pretend play, reflect on a trip to the state fair, and promote social interaction among the children and teachers.
Skills: Social skills, cooperation, communication, turn taking, and role play.
Math and Manipulatives
**Materials: Shape sorters, seriation and color stackers, and puzzles.
Rationale: To promote fine motor development, shape and color differentiation, and hand-eye coordination for spatial awareness.
Skills: visual discrimination, turn taking, fine motor control.

Language and Literacy
**Materials: Signs, questions, and related books posted in various curriculum areas and a variety of books on the book shelf.
Rationale: To support their development in language, literacy, and emergent reading, such as the process of independently turning pages in a book and dictating a story from the pictures.
Skills: Listening, speaking, phonological awareness, vocabulary expansion.

Blocks
**Materials: Hollow and cardboard blocks.
Rationale: To support mathematical skills, social interaction, and collaborative building. To be incorporated into buildings or roads for the vehicles located nearby.
Skills: Communication, collaboration, large motor, expressive creation, mathematical and scientific concepts.
Large Motor
**Materials: Indoors - Climbing equipments, stairs, slide, and rocking boat. Outside - Natural materials such as grass, plants, and trees, wooden house, picnic table, slide, and tools for digging and molding sand.
Rationale: To support basic skills such as jumping, climbing, balance, coordination, and upper and lower body development and promote social interaction and role play.
Skills: Perceptual Motor Skills (spatial, temporal, directional, and body awareness) and physical fitness (cardio vascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and agility).
Large group
**Materials: name songs, books, fingerplay.
Rationale: To begin a routine, familiarize the children with each other's names, and promote a beginning sense of group, community, and collaboration.
Skills: fine motor development, hand eye coordination, listening, speaking, patience, taking turns, communication, and social skills.

Music - Music will be apparent throughout the day to support transitions and encourage participation.
**Materials: Piano
Rationale: to promote exploration of sound, volume, rhythm and social interaction.
Skills: turn taking, fine motor development, and mathematical concepts such as beats and patterns.

Snacks:
Wednesday 9/22 and Thursday 9/23 - grain based food, apples, milk and water.
Monday 9/27: TBD
Wednesday 9/29: TBD
Thursday, 9/30: TBD

Phase-In Schedule
Wednesday 9/22, Thursday 9/23
and Monday 9/27
Ayuko's 3AM Class

8:45-9:00 Free play time - front of the room

9:00-9:05 Morning meeting

9:05-9:30 Free play time - whole classroom

9:30-9:40 Clean up

9:40-9:50 Gym

9:50-9:55 Hand washing and toileting

9:55-10:10 Snack

10:10-10:30 Outside and Goodbye

Phase-In Schedule
Tuesday 9/21, Friday 9/24
and Tuesday 9/28
Ayuko's 2AM Class

8:45-9:00 Free play time - front of the room

9:00-9:05 Morning meeting

9:05-9:30 Free play time - whole classroom

9:30-9:40 Clean up

9:40-9:50 Gym

9:50-9:55 Hand washing and toileting

9:55-10:10 Snack

10:10-10:30 Outside and Goodbye

The first weeks at school are part of the children's adaptation period. Some children will have no trouble saying good-bye and engaging in play by their classmates. For others saying good-bye will be somewhat more challenging. This is a necessary learning period. Children will learn that school is a safe place and will become more and more comfortable as the days go by. It is important that as parents, you trust your children and know that we will nurture them and take care of their needs. The children need to feel that you understand them, trust and support them. The best way to do this is by accompanying them into the classroom, maybe asking them to show you one or two THINGS in the classroom and then calmly and naturally say a quick good-bye. Make sure you do say good-bye and tell the children that you will pick them up after they have had lots of fun and after outdoor play. This gives the children a point of reference. If you would like to, you can head to the observation booth and follow up for a while (make sure not to engage in conversations while in the booth, this is distracting and disrupting for all the children in the classroom). If you feel it is best that you accompany your child for a longer time on the first days of school, I will support you and encourage you to stay. You are your children's first teacher and know them best. I will follow your lead. Each child has his/her own way of adapting to new situations and we respect each individual and their unique needs. Please make sure that you follow your child's lead.

Let's work together to make this a wonderful and joyful learning experience for the children!

Dalia

Please note that we will have gym only once a week, on Mondays. We want to make sure that we take advantage of the outdoors when possible.
This schedule does not include Small Groups' Project Work (this will start later this session)

Mondays
11:45-12:30 teachers meeting, environment preparation
12:30-1:00 explore time
1:00-1:15 large group
1:15-1:35 gym
1:35-2:20 choice time
2:20-2:30 clean up and washing hands
2:30-2:45 snack
2:45-3:15 get ready and outdoors
3:15-3:30 pick up and good byes
3:30-5:00 teachers clean up and discussion

Wednesdays
11:45-12:30 teachers meeting, environment preparation
12:30-1:00 explore time
1:00-1:20 large group
1:20-2:20 choice time
2:20-2:30 clean up and washing hands
2:30-2:45 snack
2:45-3:15 get ready and outdoors
3:15-3:30 pick up and good byes
3:30-5:00 teachers clean up and discussion-planning meeting

Thursdays
11:45-12:30 teachers meeting, environment preparation
12:30-1:20 explore/ cooking activity
1:20-1:40 large group
1:40-2:20 choice time
2:20-2:30 clean up and wash hands
2:30-2:45 snack
2:45-3:15 get ready and outdoors
3:15-3:30 pick up and good byes
3:30-5:30 teachers clean up and discussion-classroom set up

We have a wonderful playground and quite interesting places to explore around our school. Our curriculum will intentionally incorporate outdoor activities when possible. This includes whole classroom, project work and small groups.

Wednesday, September 22nd (children whose last name begins with A-I) 12:30-2:30

Thursday, September 23rd (children whose last name begins with J-Z) 12:30-2:30

Monday, September 27th (All children) 12:30-2:30

Wednesday, September 29th (All children) First day-regular schedule 12:30-3:30