Mrs. DuPont’s and Mrs. Meeker’s AM Class

Welcome to our Village Elementary Universal Pre-K Good News memory Book

Just a quick note to let you know how happy we are that over the course of the school year your child has made amazing leaps and bounds on their journey in education. They are ready for Kindergarten and are truly prepared to successfully embark on their path of lifelong learning.

Mrs. MeekerMrs. DuPont

Our Teachers

GoalThe goal of the Universal Pre-K program at Village Elementary focuses on preparing students for educational success through a hands on learning approach. Students are provided with a safe, nurturing environment in which they can master new skills, overcome obstacles, recognize their true potential, and most importantly develop a genuine excitement for learning.

Each week a new thematic unit of study is introduced and through learning centers children are actively engaged in exploring, practicing, and refining a wide range of concepts that align with the Pre-K curriculum. Through our center based approach we foster child independence and individual growth. For example students have the ability to make their own choices by selecting a center and completing the activity/task. Another benefit of centers is that it is all encompassing. We focus on every aspect of development. Our Pre- K program supports student’s social, emotional, academic, and physical growth and provides them with the skills necessary to successfully transition into Kindergarten.

We are ready to start school!

Arrival and Morning Routines

I raise my hand to show I need help or when I want to take a turn talking.

I practice writing my name.

I put my take home folder in the basket.

I find my name every day.

I put my name in the attendance chart.

The Leader of the Day

The leader wears a helper apron and helps with classroom jobs.

I share in writing our morning message on the whiteboard.

I get to hold our class mascot Brownie.

I move the caterpillar to transition into each part of our day.

If your name starts with the letter A, stand up!

During Calendar Time We…

Use our quiet voices and raise our hands when we know the answer.

We learn the days of the week and months of the year through songs each day .

Graph the weather daily.

Practice counting by ones and put a number of for each day.

During Story Time We…

Track text read (left to right, top to bottom).

Learn where reading begins on the page.

Learn about authors and illustrators.

Make predictions using titles and pictures.

Parent volunteers read to us and we identify characters.

During Music And Movement. . .

To explore music using instruments. Social skills and taking turns.To follow teacher directions and participate in whole group activities.To express our thoughts and feelings and energy through creative movement.To use our singing voices.

We Learned . . .

Sticky Bubblegum

Shake a hand

S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

I’ve got A, /a/ /a/ in my mouthI’ve got B /b/ /b/ in my mouthI’ve got C /c/ /c/ in my mouth

And I can read!I’ve got D /d/ /d/ in my mouthI’ve got E /e/ /e/ in my mouth

I’ve got F /f/ /f/ in my mouth…etc.And I can read!

“We learn letter sounds by singing . . .

I’ve Got The Whole Alphabet In My Mouth.”

A B D

E

L

F

C

G H

K

I

NM

O QP R

J

To follow our class rules and routines.

Self help skills by washing our hands.

To take turns and choose activities independently.

To share clips with friends.

To cooperate in small groups.

We play at the centers in our classroom every day. The activities at our centers are based on the theme we have been learning. We always have tons of fun but we have also learned a lot from the centers. We learned . . .

To sweep the floor and keep our classroom clean.

To try new experiences by completing the must-do centers.

To cut all by ourselves and clean up the scrapes.

To work together with our friends.

The centers have been such an important part of our school year that we want to tell you about each of our eleven centers . . .

At The Table Center We. . .

Make patterns using Lucky Charms.

Sort pictures by hot and cold.

Color healthy teeth.

Color inside the lines.

Cut bear ears.

Use bingo markers to explore art.

Make patters with apple prints.

Draw Shapes.

Make our own shape book. Sort objects by size (small, medium, big).

At The Table Center We Also . . .

Play counting games using toy spiders.

Cut our gingerbread men using scissors.

Work on our fine motor skills through pumpkin pounding.Create pictures

using four or more colors.

Explore length through the use of table toys.

Put out fires using dry erase markers.

Sort leaves by color.

Share materials and work with others.

Sort containers using our sense of smell.

Play matching letter games.

At The Puzzle Center We…

Learn about the lower and upper case alphabet.

Take turns using puzzles with friends.

Sort pictures by season.

Match pictures by season.

String nuts on bolts .

Work together to build a city that is on fire.

Share blocks.

Use dinosaurs while building.

At The Block Center We…

Create ramps and make cars move fast.

At The Dramatic Play Center We . . .

Fish for opposites.

Learn the difference between pretend and real.

Act out stories we read in class like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs.

Count dollar bills and buy groceries at the grocery store.

Hang our rhyming mittens out to dry.

Reenact real life roles.

At The Teacher Center We…

Find matching pictures and words.

Paint and make Easter baskets with Mrs. Meeker in our centers.

Play letter games with Mrs. DuPont.

Peel apples and graph our favorite color. Then we eat them!

Mrs. DuPont works with me on making my own color

book.

Get help from Mrs. Meeker writing our phone number on the computer.

Carve pumpkins with Mrs. DuPont.

Count hearts one by one with Mrs. DuPont.

Know how to hold the books and handle them with care

At The Reading Center We…

Listen to books on tape.

Love reading our homemade class books over and over again!

Practice finding the front cover, back cover, and title page.

Know how to hold the books and handle them with care

Choose books to read that interest us.

Enjoy different types of books.

Retell stories that we enjoy listening to.

Practice reading books and handle them with care.

Listen to stories read by Mrs. Meeker.

Play I spy the alphabet!

At The Sensory Table We…

Experiment with different science concepts. “Does it sink or float?”

Make ice rainbows.

Make family members using play dough

Find dinosaur bones.

Make apples out of play dough.

Play with one our favorites- GOO!.Share toys at the water

table.

Play with snow!Make patters using peppermint play dough. MMM!

Develop hand eye coordination.

Learn about letters at www.starfall.com.

Type our name using the keyboard.

At The Computer Center We…

Type numbers.

Listen to stories on the computer.

Practice fine motor skills by dragging the mouse.

At The Writing Center We…

Color with crayons.

Touch read the dinosaur books we colored.

Use markers to make a Valentine’s Day headband.

Draw pictures.

Brainstorm and then draw pictures of things we can do all ourselves.

Write our friends’ names.

Use chalk to make a bunny picture and label it.

At The Art Center We . . .

Make hearts using negative

space and wooden spools.

Share personal details about our creations.

Choose many colors for our

artwork.

Paint a rainbow. Add details to our pictures.

Put our names on artwork.

Show respect for each other’s works of art.

Work together to create a dinosaur mural.

Student Work

In Universal Pre-K our students experiment with a variety of materials to create works that express ideas, feelings, and experiences. The artwork you see from each child is based on a thematic unit of study our class has investigated and displays each child’s understanding of these concepts. You will also see in the next few pages how our students explore color, shape, and texture through their art creations.

Emily

My favorite part of Pre-K is “I love to play with my friends and share books!”

Emma

My favorite part of Pre-K is “centers. I like the kitchen to play in.”

Alyssa

Evan

My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing in the kitchen.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “the rainbow names, making the lion and snake, playing at the computers, and playing with Rylan.”

Braydon

Jesse

My favorite part of Pre-K is “dinosaurs.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “pretending I’m a lion, elephant, frog, and cow.”

Joseph

MalloryMy favorite part of Pre-K is “playing in the kitchen and the sand table.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “I like to go outside ‘cause its nice out.”

Caitlyn

My favorite part of Pre-K is ”playing outside.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is ”coloring pictures for my mommy and daddy and reading the 3 little wolves and the big bad pig.”

Hannah

Joel

Brooke

My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing ABC starfall in the computer center.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing with all my friends.”

Angelo

Sydney My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing with sand at the back table and playing at the reading center.”

My Favorite part of Pre-K is “playing in the kitchen. I like playing in the reading center. I like playing with teachers.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “everything.”

My favorite part of Pre-K is “the blocks and cars.”

Rylan

Abigail

My favorite part of Pre-K is ”playing with my friends. I like playing with Evan and Abby. When I come to school, I like to wait in line to go in school. I like going back in school. I love you and Mrs. Meeker. “

My favorite part of Pre-K is ”good news notes and leader of the day.”

Brynn

Jessica

5 Senses

Fire Safety

MemoriesThroughout the year we study many child centered curriculum units to introduce students to all sorts of learning experiences. Students explore with classroom materials and follow daily directions and routines. Children try new things and most importantly learn how to work together and respect one another as a class family.

Apples Colors

Halloween

Pumpkins

Alphabet

Thanksgiving

Winter, Christmas &

Holiday Traditions

Nursery Rhymes

Opposites

Bears

Valentines

Transportation

Dinosaurs

St.Patrick’

sDay

The 3 Little Pigs

Weather

Numbers

Easter

Bugs

Dental

Plants

Zoo

Other Units of Study include:

Leaves, Shapes, Family, Gingerbread, Easter, Bugs, Frogs, Butterfly, Farm, and Pets.