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. DuPont’s and Mrs. Meeker’s AM Class
Our Teachers
Mrs. DuPont
Mrs. Meeker
Goal
The 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 put my name in the attendance chart.
I put my take home folder in the basket. I find my name every day.
I raise my hand to show I need help or when I want to take a turn talking.
I practice writing my name.
I share in writing our morning message on the whiteboard. The leader wears a helper apron and helps with classroom jobs.
The Leader of the Day
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 .
Practice counting by ones and put a number of for each day.
Graph the weather daily.
During Story Time We‌
Make predictions using titles and pictures. Learn where reading begins on the page.
Track text read (left to right, top to bottom).
Learn about authors and illustrators. Parent volunteers read to us and we identify characters.
During Music And Movement. . .
Shake a hand
Sticky Bubblegum
We Learned . . . 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.
A
E
G
I
K
O
B
C
“We learn letter sounds by singing . . . I’ve Got The Whole Alphabet In My Mouth.” I’ve got A, /a/ /a/ in my mouth I’ve got B /b/ /b/ in my mouth I’ve got C /c/ /c/ in my mouth And I can read! I’ve got D /d/ /d/ in my mouth I’ve got E /e/ /e/ in my mouth I’ve got F /f/ /f/ in my mouth…etc. And I can read!
S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z
L
P
M
Q
D
F
H
J
N
R
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 take turns and choose activities independently.
To share clips with friends.
To cooperate in small groups.
To follow our class rules and routines. Self help skills by washing our hands.
To work together with our friends.
To try new experiences by completing the must-do centers.
To cut all by ourselves and clean up the scrapes. The centers have been such an important part of our school year that we want to tell you about each of our eleven centers . . .
To sweep the floor and keep our classroom clean.
At The Table Center We. . .
Make patterns using Lucky Charms.
Color inside the lines.
Color healthy teeth.
Sort pictures by hot and cold.
Cut bear ears.
Use bingo markers to explore art.
Make our own shape book.
Draw Shapes.
Sort objects by size (small, medium, big).
Make patters with apple prints.
At The Table Center We Also . . .
Play counting games using toy spiders.
Create pictures using four or more colors.
Explore length through the use of table toys.
Work on our fine motor skills through pumpkin pounding.
Cut our gingerbread men using scissors.
Put out fires using dry erase markers.
Share materials and work with others. Sort leaves by color.
Sort containers using our sense of smell.
Play matching letter games.
At The Puzzle Center We‌
Sort pictures by season. Take turns using puzzles with friends.
Match pictures by season.
String nuts on bolts .
Learn about the lower and upper case alphabet.
At The Block Center We‌
Work together to build a city that is on fire.
Share blocks.
Use dinosaurs while building.
Create ramps and make cars move fast.
At The Dramatic Play Center We . . . Learn the difference between pretend and real.
Fish for opposites.
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. Reenact real life roles.
Hang our rhyming mittens out to dry.
At The Teacher Center We‌
Find matching pictures and words.
Peel apples and graph our favorite color. Then we eat them!
Paint and make Easter baskets with Mrs. Meeker in our centers.
Play letter games with Mrs. DuPont.
Get help from Mrs. Meeker writing our phone number on the computer.
Count hearts one by one with Mrs. DuPont.
Mrs. DuPont works with me on making my own color book.
Carve pumpkins with Mrs. DuPont.
At The Reading Center We‌
Know how to hold the books and handle them with care Love reading our homemade class books over and over again!
Practice finding the front cover, back cover, and title page.
Listen to books on tape.
Choose books to read that interest us.
Practice reading books and handle them with care.
Know how to hold the books and handle them with care
Enjoy different types of books.
Listen to stories read by Mrs. Meeker.
Play I spy the alphabet!
Retell stories that we enjoy listening to.
At The Sensory Table We…
Experiment with different science concepts. “Does it sink or float?” Find dinosaur bones.
Make ice rainbows.
Make family members using play dough
Make apples out of play dough.
Play with snow!
Share toys at the water table.
Make patters using peppermint play dough. MMM!
Play with one our favoritesGOO!.
At The Computer Center We‌ Learn about letters at www.starfall.com.
Type our name using the keyboard.
Develop hand eye coordination.
Type numbers.
Practice fine motor skills by dragging the mouse.
Listen to stories on the computer.
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 . . .
Share personal details about our creations.
Make hearts using negative space and wooden spools.
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.
Emma
My favorite part of Pre-K is “I love to play with my friends and share books!”
Emily
My favorite part of Pre-K is “centers. I like the kitchen to play in.”
Alyssa
My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing in the kitchen.”
Evan
My favorite part of Pre-K is “the rainbow names, making the lion and snake, playing at the computers, and playing with Rylan.”
Braydon My favorite part of Pre-K is “dinosaurs.”
Jesse
My favorite part of Pre-K is “pretending I’m a lion, elephant, frog, and cow.”
Mallory My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing in the kitchen and the sand table.”
Joseph 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.”
Hannah
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.”
Brooke
My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing ABC starfall in the computer center.”
Joel
My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing with all my friends.”
Sydney My favorite part of Pre-K is “playing with sand at the back table and playing at the reading center.”
Angelo 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.”
Rylan
My favorite part of Pre-K is “the blocks and cars.”
Abigail
Brynn 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. “
Jessica
My favorite part of Pre-K is ”good news notes and leader of the day.”
5 Senses
Memories
Throughout 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
Fire Safety
Colors
Halloween
Pumpkins
Alphabet
Thanksgiving
Winter, Christmas & Holiday Traditions
Opposites
Nursery Rhymes
Transportation
Bears
Valentines
Dinosaurs
St. Patrick’s Day
Weather
The 3 Little Pigs
Numbers
Bugs
Zoo
Dental
Plants
Easter
Other Units of Study include: Leaves, Shapes, Family, Gingerbread, Easter, Bugs, Frogs, Butterfly, Farm, and Pets.