Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: April 20-24, 2015

Description
Plan-DoReview

Small
Group
Activities

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.

Planting Seeds:

After reading Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, we planted our

own seeds. Children decorated their flower cups, helped to scoop
the soil into their cups, used their finger to dig a small hole,
placed their seeds in the hole, covered the hole with soil and then
watered their seeds to help them grow!
2.

Garden Journals:

After planting seeds yesterday, we created garden journals to

document our garden happenings and progress over the next few
weeks. Children are given their journals and materials to decorate
their journals. Children decorate the front cover of their journals.
Children then open to the first page and draw and write the things
that they did on the first day of their gardening endeavor.
3.

Earth Day Paintings & Dictations-

After reading several books about earth day and what it means,
children used watercolor paints to paint a circle. They painted it like
the earth using whatever colors and method they felt was best to
represent their world. Afterwards children answered the question I
can help to take care of the Earth by.. Our Earths are currently
hanging outside of our classroom, if you get a chance, stop by and
check them out!
4.

Cards for our Secretaries-

Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day we took the time to

make our secretaries cards. Using our writing skills, we wrote Thank
You Ms. Jenny or Thank You Ms. Jillian on our cards, signed them
with our names and then used stamps, crayons, markers and stickers
to decorate them. Afterwards we stopped by the office to drop off

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

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, reading, concepts
about print, book knowledge
Math: part-whole relationships, measuring, data analysis
Science: observing, classifying, experimenting, predicting, drawing conclusions,
communicating ideas, natural and physical world, ecology

Physical: fine motor, body awareness

Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge, writing
Math: shapes, part-whole relationships, spatial awareness, data analysis
Science: observing, classifying, drawing conclusions, communicating ideas, natural
and physical world
Social Studies: ecology

Physical: gross motor, fine motor

Language/Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, reading, book
knowledge
Math: shapes, spatial awareness
Creative: art
Science: experimenting, communicating ideas, natural and physical world
Social Studies: geography, ecology

Physical: fine motor, large motor

Language: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, book knowledge, writing,
alphabetic knowledge
Creative: art
Math: counting, shapes, part-whole relationships, data analysis
Science: observing, classifying, communicating ideas
Social Studies: diversity, decision making

Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: April 20-24, 2015

our cards to our hard working secretaries!

5.

Patterning-

Using pattern strips and small manipulatives, children placed the

matching maniupulative over that picture on their pattern strip, they
then filled in the blanks on their pattern with the manipulatives and
completed the patterns. (ex. Blue star, orange star, red star, blue star,
orange star, red star, blank, blank, blank)
Large
Group

Physical: fine motor skills

Language/Literacy: speaking, vocabulary, comprehension
Math: number words and symbols, counting, part-whole relationships, shapes,
spatial awareness, patterns, data analysis
Science: observing, classifying, drawing conclusions, communicating ideas

Songs, Fingerplays & Activities:

Song
Marching Band
Green Grass Grows
Your Face
Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley
Five Spring Flowers
7 Days of the Week
Birthdays
5 Little Frogs
Tooty Ta
Simon Says

Literature:

Book Title
Spring
The Odd One Out
Planting a Rainbow
Eating the Alphabet
Dora Celebrates Earth Day
Biscuits Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day
Frog and Toad Are Friends

Author
Ron Hirschi
Britta Teckentrub
Lois Ehlert
Lois Ehlert
Emily Sollinger
Alyssa Satin Capucilla
Margaret McNamara
Arnold Lobel

Approaches to Learning: engagement

Social/Emotional: sense of competence, community
Creative Arts: music, movement, appreciating the arts
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
Social Studies: diversity

Language & Literacy: comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, phonological

awareness, alphabetic knowledge, concepts about print, book knowledge

Costello Building Blocks- Weekly Happenings: April 20-24, 2015

Sensory
Table

Sand, jewels, gems, digging tools and various containers

Science: classifying, communicating ideas
Creative: pretend play

Play Doh
Table

Playdoh & letter & number stampers

Physical: fine motor
Math: part-whole relationships, shapes, spatial awareness, patterns, data analysis

Activity
Table

Color Sorting

Children sort jewels by color and place them on the

matching color crown

Candy Land the game

Physical: fine motor
Math: number words, counting, part-whole relationships, measuring, data analysis