N E W S  &  L E S S O N S  F R O M  M S.  R O C A F U E R T E  ’ S  C L A S S

Issue: January 19 - January 29, 2021

Read Newsletter

Hello Alcott Families,

I hope this newsletter finds everyone healthy and doing well. The children have been happily exploring the new winter themed materials on their shelves. They continue to demonstrate a joy for learning new things by asking questions about everything and sharing their own personal thoughts and experiences. Our class has been discussing and sharing all the fun things we enjoy during the cold winter months, such as playing in the snow, going skiing, eating hot asparagus soup and drinking hot cocoa (just to mention just a few.) Some friends have also shared how much they love their family movie nights and snuggling up with a cozy warm blanket. As the weather gets colder, it can be challenging to get outside from time to time due to the frigid temperatures. When our class does not go outside to play, the children do get an opportunity to run, jump and play in the gym. We have also been incorporating movement breaks by inviting the children to do some yoga poses, to move to music, to waddle like penguins, twirl like snowflakes or glide like ice skaters, safely in the classroom. We will continue our unit on the Polar Region and learn some fun facts about polar bears, penguins, narwhals, and walruses through the use of storybooks (fiction and nonfiction), photographs, Montessori 3-part cards and object/picture matching materials. The children will learn about where some of these animals live, what they eat, we will label the basic parts of the body of the polar bear, the narwhal and the penguin. The children will also work on crafts pertaining to animals from the Polar Regions. We will end our unit on Antarctica and the Arctic with a yummy frozen treat.

Warmest regards, Mrs. Rocafuerte, Mrs. Cinquina and Ms.Guglielmi

Our theme: Penguins and Polar Bears

Art:

How to draw a penguin

Arctic and Antarctic Animals

Cultural Arts/Geography:

Continue our study on Antarctica and The Polar Region

Animals from Antarctica and the Arctic

Groundhog’s Day/ storybook and craft

Language:

Read: Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

Opposites activity

Sandpaper Letters/ object boxes [b] and [g]

Polar Bear Nomenclature Cards

Rhyming Objects

Math:

Continue introduction of Addition Strip Board

Memory game of numbers (concrete and symbol)

Bead Bar Addition Cards

Counting by 10s/ Antarctica Numeral Puzzles

Penguins/ count and clip number cards (0-9)

Practical Life:

Penguin scrubbing

Water transferring using a dropper

Opening and closing lids and containers

Sorting and rolling socks

Spreading cream cheese on bread

Science:

Penguins/ 3-part cards

Parts of a Penguin

Parts of a Polar Bear

Read: Narwhal by Katie Marisco

Sensorial:

Sorting penguins by size

Thermic Tablets (stimulates the child’s ability to develop their sense of temperature)

Triangle Box

Introduce Oval and Quatrefoil metal insets (develops fine motor coordination)