Georgia's Pre-K Program teacher newsletter, Vol. 1, Issue 3 (Oct. 2004)

October 2004

PHONEMIC AWARENESS IDEA

Bright From The Start www.decal.state.ga.us

Rhyming is the second step on the phonological awareness continuum. The purpose for teaching rhyming is to direct students' attention to the similarities and differences of the sounds of language, to use meaning and rhythm to predict rhyming words and to generate rhymes.
Use lots of literature that offers rhyming. While reading books, emphasize the rhyming words by whispering or saying them louder than the rest of the text. After you have read the story several times, deliberately pause and allow the children to provide the rhyming word.
Make a rhyming basket. Place a collection of items that rhyme and place them in the

basket. Identify and discuss the items. You can then pass the basket around the circle and allow the children to choose a pair of items that rhyme. (sock/rock, map/cap). You can also give each child an item from the basket and let them find the child with the rhyming item that matches.
Play the rhyme game. Purchase a clear, nine-pocket sheet used to hold baseball cards. Use a set of purchased rhyming flash cards or make your own. Insert one picture card from each rhyming set into a slot in the plastic sheet. To play, show a card and the player who has the rhyme places it on his/her game

board. The game is over when all cards are matched. You could also use an acrylic picture frame and stick on hooks to make a matching rhyme game.
Add a verse. Choose a song like "Oh, A Hunting We Will Go." Encourage children to think of new verses to the song. Illustrate the new verses to make a class book.
A-hunting we will go
A-hunting we will go
We'll catch a fox and put him in a box
And then we'll let him go.
We'll catch a bear and put him in a chair......
We'll catch a rat and put him on a hat.....

Volume 1, Issue 3
October 2004
Special points of interest:
Phonemic Awareness Activity Assessment tips Pumpkin Ideas Fire Safety Month Book Recommendations

Contact information:

ASSESSMENT TIPS

Are you planning daily for assessment? If not, you should be. This is the only true way to be sure you are not lagging behind and that you are keeping track of which objectives or standards you have met. Your assessment and your lesson plans should go hand in hand. According the PQA (Item C5) you should be planning an activity for each of

the Content Standard areas over the course of a week. If you are doing this--you already have your assessment mapped out for you. Not all activities can guarantee you will collect something for assessment, but if you are planning daily you will collect the majority of the time. Before you begin your day, ask yourself this question, "What am I going to do today for assessment?" Maybe you will collect work samples from an activity you set

up during WT in the art area? Maybe you need to take your camera to the small group table? Maybe you need to take your clipboard outside to get some physical notes? Or, maybe you need to take notes in the math area during WT? Jotting down your plan may help you!

Consultant of the Day 404-656-5957 888-4GA-PREK
Suspension/Disenrollment Mary Rieck 404-656-4965 Mary.Rieck@.decal.state.ga.us

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are one of the reasons why children are so interested in the fall of the year. It is still amazing, the number of children who have never seen or touched a real pumpkin and even more amazing, how many had never carved a jack-o-lantern. One great way to introduce pumpkins is to hide one under a towel or blanket or in a box and let children feel and touch and guess what you are hiding. You can estimate and then measure the circumference of the pumpkin. You can do the same thing with the weight. You can record their guesses on chart paper. Cut out the top of the pumpkin. Let the children help you scoop out the seeds and "guts" from inside the pumpkin. Ask them how it feels while they are working. Be ready to record some super descriptive words. After the pumpkin is cleaned out, weight the pumpkin again and have them compare the dif-

ferences. Then have the children hy-

pothesize what they think will happen if

you place a lit candle inside the pumpkin.

They can draw their response on paper.

Go ahead and do this and see if anyone

guessed correctly. You could also graph

their predictions. The candle will go out

almost immediately when the oxygen in-

side the pumpkin is used up. Next, carve

out the mouth for the jack-o-lantern and

have the students predict what will hap-

pen if you now place a lit candle inside the

pumpkin. Again, you can have them draw

their responses or you can graph them.

Go ahead and see if the candle will stay

lit. Last, carve out the eyes and nose and

watch your jack-o-lantern glow! Now ask

them, "How does a pumpkin become a jack-

o-lantern?"

What a great

title for a

class book!

QUICK TIP
Cover your bulletin boards with material you find from the discount racks at your local fabric store or discount store instead of bulletin board paper. It lasts for years and doesn't have to be changed because of fading!

PUMPKIN SEED SNACK

Scoop out the seeds from your pumpkin, roast them and let the students enjoy. Follow the recipe below.
2 cups pumpkin seeds 2 tablespoons of salt 1 tablespoon of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pumpkin seeds in about a quart of water for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and toss them in melted butter. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Roast the seeds for about 30 minutes. Make sure you stir and toss them while they bake. Discuss the changes with the seeds during the baking process. What other seeds do we eat???

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." Walt Streightiff

Book Recommendations

Book Recommendation: Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington. Read this story aloud to the children. Discuss what happens to Jamie and to the pumpkin in the story. Chart the stages of how a pumpkin grows. In your science area you could plant some pumpkin seeds and watch them sprout. Record the changes your children notice on chart paper. See if you can observe the stages of growth. Be sure to include some clipboards and writing utensils so the children can record their own

observations. These are great items for your portfolios.
Other books about pumpkins: The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll, Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White, Five Little Pumpkins by Public Domain, The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King, The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons, Apples and Pumpkins by Anne F. Rockwell, Patty's Pumpkin Patch by Teri Sloat, I Like Pumpkins by Jerry Smath, and Pumpkin Circle: The Story of A Garden by George Levenson.

Volume 1, Issue 3

Mr. Pumpkin (Tune: "Frere Jacques")
Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin, Round and fat. Round and fat. Harvest time is coming. Harvest time is coming. Yum, yum, yum. That is that!
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October is Fire Safety Month

Take the time to teach your children about fire safety and calling 911. Be sure your children know basic fire safety rules and concepts. Be sure to include many stories, songs, and finger plays about firemen, fire safety, etc. throughout your daily routine. You can ask the local fire department if you can borrow a real fire hose to place in your block area. You can also arrange to borrow some turn-out gear so the children can pretend. If this can't be arranged, pull out your fire suit from your dress-up area and add several fire helmets. Be sure to

stress that firemen are our friends. You can also place fire trucks in your block area. Go to your local library and check out as many books as you can about firemen, fire trucks, etc. Arrange for a fire truck to visit your school or arrange a field trip to your local fire station. Some other things you can do: Practice Stop, Drop and Roll, Fall and Crawl, Go Low, feeling doors, going to a neighbors house, and encourage the children to follow this rule of thumb: Don't hide, go outside.

BLOCK IDEAS:
Try these two cool ideas to enhance your block area! Get a supply of VCR cassette holders. You can ask a movie store to donate or you can purchase. Take pictures in your local community such as the fire station, grocery store, police station, etc. Slip the pictures into the front clear cover of the VCR cassette holder and you have an instant set of community blocks for your children to build with.
We all get many donated toilet paper tubes. We run out of uses! Try taking pictures of each child in your class. Cut out the image of the child and tape it with clear tape or contact paper onto the toilet paper tube. You have a free, cheap set of people blocks to add to your area!!

FINGER PLAYS AND SONGS

Fire Song

10 Little Firemen

FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! (Hands cupping mouth) Hear the sirens blowing (Hands to ear) FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! (Hands cupping mouth) Everybody's going (Walking in place) Climb the ladder (Pretend to climb ladder) Squirt the hose (Pretend to squirt hose) With a Sh, Sh, Sh, Sh (Moving hose left to right) Out goes the fire! (Clap hands together)

10 little firemen Sleeping in their beds. Ding went the bell And down the pole they slid. They raced to the fire, And put out all the flames. And the 10 little firemen Went to bed again.

Let the children come up with motions for each line.

Always Alert I am a smoke detector and I say "Beep". (squat) I am your nose when you're asleep. (point to your nose: pretend to be asleep) If there is a fire and smoke is all around, (Wiggle hands and fingers all around) I'll wake you up with a very loud sound. (Jump up and raise your hands high) BEE-EE-EE-EEP!

Recommended Books: Dot The Fire Dog by Lisa Desimini Fire Fighters by Norma Simon Big Fire Trucks by Joanne Barkan Firefighters A to Z by Chris L. Demorest Fireman Small to the Rescue by Wong Herbert Yee The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski Curious George at the Fire Station by Margaret and H.A. Reys

Corduroy Goes To The Fire Station by Don Freeman
Fighting Fires by Susan Kuklin
Fire Engines by Anne Rockwell
In My Neighborhood: Fire Fighters by Paulette Bourgeois

" A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit".
Hebrew Proverb

Volume 1, Issue 3

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IDEAS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

Skeleton designs: Discuss bones and skeletons with the children. Show a human body skeleton. Allow children to create their own "skeleton design by providing the following materials: white cotton swabs, glue and dark construction paper. Allow children to lay out swabs to resemble their interpretation of a skeleton.
Pine Needle Art: Put pine needle spills out onto the table. Compare them to leaves and talk about the differences and other types of evergreens. Look for other types of evergreens around your school campus as well. What could you make with the pine needles? Brooms, skirts, trees, etc. Make a collage by arranging them with other kinds of evergreens and leaves. Try painting with them at the easel as well!!

Fall Tree: Get along sheet of butcher paper and gather a small group of children. Fill pie pans with fall colors of paints (reds, oranges, yellows, etc.) As the children gather, draw the tree trunk onto the butcher paper. Talk with the children about the fall colors of leaves and how they change. Begin making leaves on the tree by allowing children to dip the flat parts of their hands into the paint and then "stamping" it onto the butcher paper around the tree trunk. Continue talking about leaves until all children have had a chance to "stamp" a leaf onto the fall class tree. Hang it up in your classroom along with a sign that says, "Welcome Fall".
Autumn Card Deck: Begin by collecting and pressing 10 matching pairs of fall leaves plus on odd leaf. Press the leaves by placing them in between paper towels and then placing in books

For several days. After the leaves have been pressed, glue each one onto tag board or construction paper. Laminate or cover with clear contact for extra durability. To play the game, you will need four children. Pass out all the cards and have the players hold their cards in their hands blank side out. In turn, each child picks a card from the person on his/her left and lays down any matching pairs. Play continues until all matches have been made. The child left holding the odd leaf wins.
Seed sorting: Gather a variety of seeds (pumpkin, popcorn, apple, etc.) Add some tweezers and muffin tins and let the children sort. You are building math skills as well as fine motor!!

PUMPKIN BAKING

Buy two baking pumpkins. Wash the pumpkins with the children. Put one of them in a baking pan and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour or until soft. Let it cool. Bring the uncooked pumpkin and cooked pumpkins to the table. Let the children first examine the outside of the pumpkins. Pass them around. Smell them and feel them. Talk about the differences. Cut the cooked pumpkin open. Pass it around for the children to see. Cut the uncooked pumpkin open and pass it around also. Cut the cooked pumpkin into smaller pieces. Give each child a piece along with a cup or plastic container. Let each child take the seeds out of his/her piece and put them in a the cup. When the pumpkin is cleaned, pass out the spoons and let the children eat their piece of pumpkin. Talk about the taste as they eat! Record the differences the children talk about on chart paper or compile a class book. This will help out on B2 and C4 on the PQA.

Try this recipe for Pumpkin Bread! 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup honey 1 t. molasses 2 cups pumpkin 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 t. baking soda 1 t. cloves 1 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. salt 1 cup chopped nuts
To Make: Cream the shortening and honey together. Beat the eggs well. Mash the pumpkin. Chop the nuts. Mix all of these ingredients together with the dry ingredients. Grease on 5" by 9" loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes. Test with a toothpick. Loosen the sides and cool on a wire rack.

Try this easy recipe for pumpkin pie! 1 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup) deep-dish pie shell 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 t. Salt 1 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. ground ginger 1/4 t. ground cloves 2 eggs 1 3/4 cups (15 oz can) solid pack pumpkin 1 1/2 cups (12 oz can) evaporated milk COMBINE sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. BAKE in preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temp. to 350 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in cen-