Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: November 17- 25, 2014

Description
Plan-DoReview

Small
Group
Activities

KDIs

Approaches to Learning: initiative, planning, engagement, problem solving, use of

resources, reflection

Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, emotions, empathy,

community, building relationships, cooperative play, moral development, conflict
resolution

Physical: fine motor skills

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge
Math: spatial awareness, part-whole relationships, counting, number words
Creative: art
Science: observing, classifying, communicating ideas, natural world
Social Studies: diversity

2. I Am Thankful Book:
Children used various materials to create their own Thanksgiving
books. In their books, they wrote (with the help of the teachers)
something that they were thankful for and then illustrated the page.
On their last page, they drew a Thanksgiving feast and their favorite
thing to eat on Turkey day!

Physical: fine motor skills

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge,
writing, concepts about print
Math: spatial awareness, shapes, data analysis
Creative: art
Science: observing, classifying, communicating ideas
Social Studies: diversity, decision making

3. Getting Dressed for Winter Weather :

Unfortunately, Winter has arrived early this year. With all the clothing
items that are required to go outside in the wintertime, it can become
overwhelming. We dedicated our small group time to discussing each
of these items and their importance. We then practiced getting
dressed to go outside, piece by piece. We started with snow pants,
then our coats (making sure its zipped before we put on gloves!).
Next came boots and hats and lastly, mittens or gloves. This is great
practice to getting children into the habit of putting things on in the
proper order and avoiding some of the frustration that can come
along with it all. The children work hard to do this all on their own
while theyre at school. Encourage them to keep it up by having them
show you how they can do it on their own at home too!

Approaches to Learning: problem solving

Social/emotional: self-identity, sense of competence, emotions, community
Physical: fine motor, gross motor, body awareness, personal care, healthy
behavior
Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Math: number words, spatial awareness
Science: drawing conclusions, communicating ideas, natural and physical world
Social Studies: diversity, decision making

4. Thanksgiving Bingo:
A great exercise for practicing listening and following direction skills,
as well as a fun gamechildren covered their square when that
picture was called. When the childrens entire board was covered they
yelled out BINGO!

Physical: fine motor skills

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary
Math: spatial awareness, part-whole relationships, unit, data analysis
Science: observing, classifying

PLANNING Time, WORK Time, RECALL Time

This three-part sequence is unique to the HighScope Curriculum.
Occurring daily, it includes a 10- to 15-minute period during which
children plan what they want to do during work time (the area to visit,
materials to use, and friends to play with); a -minute work time for
children to carry out their plans (or shift to new activities that interest
them); and another 10- to 15-minute period for reviewing and
recalling with an adult and other children what they've done and
learned.
1.

Turkey Creations :

Children were each given a basket with a piece of paper, a brown

circle, orange triangles, red sqiggles, googly eyes, feathers and glue
sticks. Children used these materials to create their own version of a
Thanksgiving Turkey.

Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: November 17- 25, 2014

Large
Group

Social Studies: decision making

5.

Stone Soup: After reading Stone Soup by Ann Mcgovern

the children used paper to create their own soup pots. They
then colored pictures of vegetables and cut them out and
used glue to add their choice of vegetables to their soup pot.

Physical: fine motor skills, healthy behavior

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge
Math: number words, counting, spatial awareness, part-whole relationships
Creative: art
Science: observing, classifying, communicating ideas

6.

Pilgrim & Indian Hats + Feast: Using various materials

children chose to make pilgrim or Indian hats. In the
afternoon, children wore their hats to our Thanksgiving feast
where we ate the Stone Soup that we made!

Physical: fine motor skills, healthy behavior

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge
Math: number words, counting, spatial awareness, part-whole relationships
Creative: art
Science: observing, classifying, communicating ideas

Approaches to Learning: engagement

Social/Emotional: sense of competence, community
Physical: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, body awareness
Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, phonological
awareness
Math: number words and symbols, counting, part-whole relationships
Creative: music, movement
Social Studies: diversity

Songs, Fingerplays & Activities:

Song
Birthdays
Seven Days of the Week
Ten In A Bed
The Days of the Week
The Baker Song
Your Face
Lets Be Friends
Stop & Go
Body Part Game
The Number Rock
Learning Letter Sounds
ABC Bones
Cant Sit Still
Dance Like the Turkeys Do
Put Your Finger On

Artist
Jack Hartmann
Jack Hartmann
Greg & Steve
Jack Hartmann
Greg & Steve
Greg & Steve
Greg & Steve
Jack Hartmann
Greg & Steve
Parachute Express

Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: November 17- 25, 2014

Literature:

What
were
working
on at
school
that you
can work
on at
home

Book Title
The Night Before Thanksgiving
Arthurs Thanksgiving
The Littlest Pilgrim
Give Thanks for Each Day
Spookley the Square PumpkinA Family to be Thankful For
I Know an Old Lady Who
Swallowed a Pie
Bear Says Thanks
Thanks for Thanksgiving
The Best Mariachi In The World
Mud Puddle
50 Below Zero
Moiras Birthday Party
The Paper Bag Princess
Over the River & Through the
Wood

Author
Natasha Wing
Marc Brown
Brandi Dougherty
Steve Metzger
Joe Troiano

You Are My Sunshine

There Were Ten In A Bed
The Little Red Hen

Steve Metzger
Byron Barton
Byron Barton

Language & Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, phonological

awareness, alphabetic knowledge, concepts about print, book knowledge

Alison Jackson
Karma Wilson
Julie Markes
J.D. Smith
Robert Munsch
Robert Munsch
Robert Munsch
Roberty Munsch
Lydia Maria Child

Coats and zippers!

Weve been working hard on becoming independent with our skills.
The children can all put on their own coats and jackets and most of
them can zip them on their own. The children that cant quite zip are
encouraged to try before a teacher assists them. You can support us
and your child at home by having them put on their own coat and
jacket when its time to go somewhere, and practice zipping it on
their own too.

Social/Emotional: self-identity, sense of competence

Physical: gross motor, fine motor, body awareness, personal care, healthy
behavior