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
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)