Week One of Our Neighborhood Unit
Monday
Morning Circle: Students gather on the rug and sing the good morning song, each student singing their own name. One student will point at and/or say today’s date while it is being read by the class. Another student then spins the arrow to the appropriate weather for the day.
- Concepts: name recognition, choral response (sing-along), date recognition, fine motor skills (using pointer and spinner)
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class
- Concepts: relationship (quick, quicker, slower, slowest), vocabulary (fast, speedy, relaxed, sleepily), gross motor skills and spatial awareness
- Method: Cooperative Learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: Introduction to buildings in the neighborhood, pre reading skills
- Method: Cooperative learning, whole class
- Concepts: Spatial relations, number recognition, fine motor (writing, drawing, manipulatives)
- Method: Station (small group) learning, technology and manipulative experiences
Traditional Indian and South American music will be played in the background from snack time until dismissal
Snack: Students will have empanadas (Columbian) and pakoras (Indian) while the teachers ask them for some similarities and differences between the two.
- Concepts: cultural foods, adaptive skills (eating and serving themselves), expressive and receptive language, compare and contrast, fine motor
- Method: Multi sensory experience, small group learning
Books on neighborhoods will be displayed on shelves by the large rug. Large cardboard boxes will be placed outside for building. Fire fighter outfits and traditional dress from a few different countries will be added to the dramatic play area.
- Concepts: Spatial relations review, choice making, cooperative play
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class, child centered, small group and individual
- Concept: Adaptive skills (Independent dressing/packing)
Tuesday
Morning Circle: Students gather on the rug and sing the good morning song, each student singing their own name. One student will point at and/or say today’s date while it is being read by the class. Another student then spins the arrow to the appropriate weather for the day.
- Concepts: name recognition, choral response (sing-along), date recognition, fine motor skills (using pointer and spinner)
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class
- Concepts: one verses many, parts of a whole, gross motor skills and spatial awareness
- Method: Cooperative Learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: receptive listening, one, parts of a whole, expressive language
- Method: Cooperative learning, whole class
- Concepts: One, many, parts of a whole, receptive listening, fine motor (manipulatives)
- Method: whole class and individual learning, manipulative experiences
One of the students will choose the music for the rest of the day.
Snack: Clementines (parts of a whole) and cheerios in a cup (one verses many) will be served. Students will be asked some questions about these snacks.
- Concepts: One, many, parts of a whole, receptive and expressive language, fine motor, adaptive skills
- Method: multisensory experience, whole class and small group learning
Books demonstrating the ideas of parts of a whole and one verse many will join the neighborhood books facing out towards the large rug. A Chinese dragon costume will be added to the dramatic play area, where many children will have to work together to make one dragon. If a student chooses outdoor play, they will be asked to bring one natural found item to the science center. The student will be asked about its different parts.
- Concepts: spatial relationships, fine motor skills, parts of a whole, one, cultural celebrations, receptive and expressive language
- Method: cooperative learning, individual, child directed
- Concept: Adaptive skills (Independent dressing/packing)
Wednesday
Morning Circle: Students gather on the rug and sing the good morning song, each student singing their own name. One student will point at and/or say today’s date while it is being read by the class. Another student then spins the arrow to the appropriate weather for the day.
- Concepts: name recognition, choral response (sing-along), date recognition, fine motor skills (using pointer and spinner)
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class
- Concepts: working together, gross motor skills and spatial awareness
- Method: Cooperative Learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: Different helper jobs, receptive listening, fine motor skills (sign language), expressive language (singing)
- Method: Cooperative learning, whole class
- Concepts: Helper jobs, group writing, receptive and expressive language, inquiry experience
- Method: whole class and small group learning
“The People in your Neighborhood” and other Sesame Street songs will be played in the background from snack time until dismissal.
Snack: A student from each table will be chosen as the helper for snack time, and will serve apple slices to the rest of the students at their table. This will be a quick snack, as the class will be leaving on a field trip at 10:15.
- Concepts: Helpers, adaptive skills, receptive and expressive language, fine motor
- Method: multisensory experience, whole class and small group learning
- Concepts: Gross motor skills, helper jobs (specifically firefighters), receptive and expressive language, fine motor skills, inquiry experience
- Method: Cooperative learning, whole class
- Concept: Adaptive skills (Independent dressing/packing), fine motor skills (drawing), expressive language
Thursday
Morning Circle: Students gather on the rug and sing the good morning song, each student singing their own name. One student will point at and/or say today’s date while it is being read by the class. Another student then spins the arrow to the appropriate weather for the day.
- Concepts: name recognition, choral response (sing-along), date recognition, fine motor skills (using pointer and spinner)
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class
- Concepts: trees and nature, gross motor skills and spatial awareness
- Method: Cooperative Learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: receptive and expressive language, vocabulary (quivers, pleasant, droops) different types of trees, compare and contrast
- Method: Cooperative learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: Adaptive skills, tree identification, gross and fine motor skills
- Method: whole class, hands on experiences
Nature sounds will be played in the background from snack time until dismissal.
Snack: Breadsticks and seaweed chips will be set up in the shape of a tree and the students may take what they want from this tree. If students finish early, they will be asked to share their rubbings with the class.
- Concepts: Trees, adaptive skills, receptive and expressive language, public speaking, fine motor
- Method: multisensory experience, whole class and small group learning
Books about helper jobs and trees will join the other thematic unit books facing out towards the large rug. A few police officer and doctor costumes will be added to the dramatic play area. Helper job puppets will be prominently displayed in the puppet theater. If a student chooses outdoor play, they will be asked to bring one part of a tree to the science center.
- Concepts: spatial relationships, number recognition, fine motor skills, helper jobs, receptive and expressive language
- Method: cooperative learning, individual, child directed
- Concept: Adaptive skills (Independent dressing/packing)
Friday
Morning Circle: Students gather on the rug and sing the good morning song, each student singing their own name. One student will point at and/or say today’s date while it is being read by the class. Another student then spins the arrow to the appropriate weather for the day.
- Concepts: name recognition, choral response (sing-along), date recognition, fine motor skills (using pointer and spinner)
- Method: Cooperative Learning, whole class
- Concepts: cultural music, gross motor skills, receptive listening, and spatial awareness
- Method: Cooperative Learning, kinesthetic experience, whole class
- Concepts: receptive listening, different languages
- Method: Cooperative learning, whole class
- Concepts: public speaking, different languages, text to self reference, one to one correspondence, graph making, counting, and fine motor skills
- Method: cooperative learning, whole class
Art Project and Room Preparation: Students will be asked to draw or paint a picture depicting the food that is eaten in their house. After a few of the students have shared their work, and it has been displayed in the classroom, “The People in your Neighborhood” song will be sung a couple of times, with the students practicing the singing and the sign language learned on Wednesday. The students will then help the teachers move the tables and chairs around, and hang some flags for the party, or finish their art work.
- Concepts: fine motor skills, expressive and receptive language, adaptive skills
- Method: cooperative learning, whole class, and individual, child directed
Party: Parents are invited in at 10:30 to set up their dishes. There will be a short performance of “The People in your Neighborhood”, and the students will be encouraged to show their parents where their house is on the floor map. All teachers will rotate the room and greet the parents, pointing out their child’s work or answering questions.
- Concepts: parental involvement, multi cultural dishes, public performance
- Method: cooperative learning, whole class
- Concept: Adaptive skills (Independent dressing/packing)