Pre-K and Kindergarten, bravo! That was a great presentation during the assembly. You are the budding stars of NYA!
The children have been learning to adjust to Pre-K and Kindergarten rules and routines; we have been working on their self-control, which we reinforced by reading ‘My Mouth is a Volcano’ by Julia Cook. This story provides us with an entertaining way to teach children the value of respecting others by listening and waiting for their turn to speak.
Below is a summary of our studies in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies across the month of September.
ELA: "Frog and Toad Down The Hill", "Frog and Toad Cookies", "Goldilocks and Three Bears", and "One Fish Two Fish" are the stories we used in reading comprehension while using the modeling technique. We focused on the critical thinking skills and how to compare and contrast between the characters. Important ELA Elementary Grade concepts and vocabulary words introduced were: fiction, author, illustrator, decode, invented spelling, vowels (short and long "a" sounds), beginning sounds, word families such as “at” and “an”, high frequency words such as: I, like, can; syllabification, and rhyming words. We also introduced 4 Traits of Presentations through the learning points such as:
1. Volume and clarity
2. Fluency, expression, and pace
3. Body language and eye contact
4. Preparation and rehearsal
Children are getting used to independent reading and buddy reading sessions to develop their reading habits in the class.
Math: In our lessons, we reviewed on number recognition, counting numbers 1-10 and associating the numbers to quantity, through cooperative learning and working with hands-on manipulative materials. The children also learned a numbers song to understand each number and its formation. We then reviewed the calendar, days of the week, months of the year, and number of days at school through songs.
Science: The topic for the month of September is 'Plants'. Our little scientists learned to classify things as living and non living, and how to describe the characteristics of both. Students learned to identify trees, shrubs, and grasses as kinds of plants. They also made observations and were able to describe the sizes and shapes of plants. They learned that plants have needs to live and grow, as well as identified and labelled the basic parts of a plant, including: root, stem, leaves, and flower. Children planted seeds that helped them to describe how a seed grows into a plant. Some activities included:
- Sorting Activity: Non living and Living things
- Leaf impressions art work
- Illustrated parts of a plant and basic needs to plants
- Observed different types of leaves using magnifying glass
- Observed different parts of a plant (our focus was on a hibiscus plant)
- Parts of a plant arts and craft
Music: This week during music, our kids had been preparing themselves to be the hosts of our this past weeks' school-wide assembly! The topic: The Secret Life of Plants, and for this, the kids are exercising their vocal skills by learning two special songs: We Love Greenery, written by Ms. Indu and sang to the tune of "Are you sleeping?" and the NYA Song, that will be lead by Ms. Cristina during the assembly for the whole school to sing. The class has also worked really hard preparing a special presentation about living and non-living things, that we all hope you enjoy during the assembly this September 27th Wednesday.
Spanish: To welcome new students into Spanish and to refresh the minds of the experienced ones, we played some introductory games to get to know each other. We also introduced a routine in the class, which begins with songs and then the introduction of vocabulary by repetition and thinking, to confirm that the word has been understood.
So far, we have introduced numbers 1 uno, 2 dos, 3 tres, 4 cuatro, 5 cinco, as well as colours (red-rojo, blue-azul,green-verde, yellow-amarillo, purple-morado, orange-naranja, black-negro, pink-rosa), and greetings: hola (hello) / adiós (good-bye). We will continue to reinforce these vocabulary words and will introduce self introduction and introduction of other people.
At the bottom of the newsletter are the links to the main songs that we will be learning and singing in Spanish class:
Gymnastics: This month we introduced new students to gymnastics and stretching, and for the returning students this was a great reintroduction from last year. We also took all of our students to Top Strike for the first time!!
In gymnastics class, we have been practicing our gross motor skills, which include turning, rolling, jumping, and balancing. In the upcoming week, they will be working on their floor practice with skills such as backward rolls, bridge kick overs, and handstands.
At Top Strike, we have begun our soccer practice. Students have been doing so incredibly well and are so interested in learning! It makes me so excited for the weeks ahead!
We wish you all a happy Duserra!
