CLNL+January+2012

**Olga Iris Guzmán - Principal**  **-**
 * = **Public School 228 Queens**
 * Early Childhood Magnet School of the Arts**
 * 32-65 93rd Street**
 * East Elmhurst, N.Y. 11369**
 * (718) 899-5799 • Fax (718) 899-7323**


 * “The Little School with a Heart”**

= = ||
 * Diana Rodriguez –Assistant Principal I.A.**


 * Parent Curriculum Newsletter **
 * **January 2012 Issue** || **January 16 is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.** ||


 * == **PreK** == || **//__ READING __//****// : //** **Happy New Year! Pre-K’s next theme will be Animals Everywhere. Children love animals and our classrooms will be filled with songs, poems, books and finger plays about different animals.**
 * //__ WRITING __//****// : //** **The Pre-K children are continuing to write their first names (remember only the first letter is capitalized), and some are writing their last name now. The children are also writing letters of the alphabet when they draw pictures and paint.**
 * //__ Music: __//****Our theme song for the month is //I Love Animals//. The chorus includes the phrases: I love animals big and small, I love animals one and all, I love animals yes I do, I love animals, how about you? We will be singing this song everyday as part of our animal theme.**
 * //__ MATH __//**** : ** **Math skills start from the moment the Pre-K children enter the classroom and they count off as they enter the room. We will also be reviewing shapes and patterns this month.**
 * //__ TECHNOLOGY: __//** ** Starfall.com continues to be Pre-K’s favorite educational website. Many of the children are able to work at the computer station and review letters and letter sounds, match capital letters to lowercase letters, play thematic games and learn pre-reading skills. You can download this great website on your home computer! **
 * //__ Social studies/science: __//****Do you have a pet? Pre-K children will be talking about animals that make good pets and how to care for them. If you have a family pet, please send us a picture of the animal! In science, we learn that many animals sleep during the long, cold winter months.** ** We will take a closer look at some of these hibernating animals. We will also explore their habitats. **
 * //__ pHYSICAL ED. & HEALTH __//****// : // We continue to review healthy habits such as covering your mouth with your arm when you cough or sneeze, washing hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, eating with good table manners and trying new foods. We incorporate healthy exercise and movement into everyday when we play games like Hokey Pokey, and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.** ||


 * == **Kindergarten** == || **//__ READING __//****// : // Unit – We Can Be Reading Teachers: This month we will become stronger and more independent readers by putting into practice all the strategies and tools that we have learned during the previous months.**
 * //__ wrITING __//****// : // Unit 5 - Writing for Readers**
 * We will focus on writing in ways that others will be able to read and understand. We will create writing pieces that include: detailed drawings, labels, words, spacing and sentences.**
 * //__ MATH: __// We will continue to explore shapes, sorting, telling time, measuring and solving addition and subtraction stories.**
 * //__ Technology __//**** : This month we will continue to explore: shapes, number stories, sorting, time and measuring.**
 * //__ scIENCE __//****// : //** **How do we observe and describe objects using our five senses?**
 * //__ social STUDIES: __//** W e **will explore our jobs at home, at schools, and the different jobs in our community.**
 * //__ Music __//**** : We will continue to review and sing songs about the winter season. The composer of the month is Louis Armstrong. We will continue to explore a variety of instruments and rhythms. Listen and move activities will incorporate movement and enhance listening skills. **
 * //__ LIBRARY __//**** : Kindergarten will be introduced to Fairy Tales and Folk Tales to get ready for Storytelling Day. **
 * //__ teCHNOLOGY: __//**** We will reinforce high frequency word recognition and advance across reading levels through programs such as: RAZKIDS.COM, BOOKFLIX.COM, and Samson’s Classroom. **
 * //__ PHYSYCAL ED. & HEALTH __//****__ : __****We will continue to develop our coordination through finger plays, songs, and group games. We will discuss activities that will keep us safe and allow us to have fun in the snow.** ||


 * == **First Grade** == || **//__ READING: __//****Our new unit in Reading is to study characters and practice how to speak correctly about them and act their stories out with partners.**
 * //__ wrITING: __// We begin to write stories with characters in them, creating “Realistic Fiction” stories across three or more pages.**
 * //__ math: __// We continue learning about telling time on the clock and using timelines. We work on place value, learning the difference between ones place and tens place. We also learn about numbers that are “greater than” and “less than” other numbers.**
 * //__ Social studies __//**//__ : __// **We learn about families in communities and discuss different types of communities. We learn about how communities are located on a map of the globe, and what are the physical features of a community.**
 * //__ Music __//: We will continue to review and sing songs about the winter season. The composer of the month is Louis Armstrong. We will continue to explore a variety of instruments and rhythms. Listen and move activities will incorporate movement and enhance listening skills.**
 * //__ LIBRARY __//**: **First Grade will identify and learn storytelling techniques using Fairy Tales and Folk Tales to prepare for Storytelling Day.**
 * //__ Technology: __// We continue working on RazKids in the classroom to differentiate Reading groups. We are teaching students how to access our new educational website** [|**www.samsonsclassroom.com**] **in order to practice sight words in different ways.**
 * //__ Science: __// How are animals alike and different? What do different animals do in the winter? Begin unit on Matter: What are properties of solids?**
 * //__ physical ed. &Health __//**//__ : __// **We will continue to develop our coordination through finger plays, songs, and group games. We will discuss activities that will keep us safe and allow us to have fun in the snow.** ||


 * == **Second Grade** == || **//__ rEADING __//****// : // //Characters go on journeys:// In this unit, our students think and talk about the characters in their books. They recognize the main characters and the secondary characters, act out scenes from their books, notice and describe the setting, and compare characters’ feelings. Our students will practice comprehension strategies such as retelling, envisioning and making inferences.**
 * //__ WRITING __//****// : // //Realistic Fiction:// In this unit, our students will create their own characters and write stories about these characters. They will write stories with a setting, a problem and a solution. They will learn to make their narrative stories more exciting by adding dialogue and creating tension.**
 * //__ MATH __//.: In Unit 5, students will learn and explore grade-level geometric skills.**
 * //Objectives://**
 * **Points and line segments, including parallel lines**
 * **Polygons, quadrangles, arrays, and attributes of different figures**
 * **3-dimensional shapes and line symmetry**
 * //__ SCIENCE __//****// : // What is a force? What causes objects to move?**
 * //__ SOCIAL STUDIES __//****// : //** **// : // We will continue working on Our Earth’s Natural Resources unit.**
 * //Unit 2 Objectives//**
 * **Distinguish between producing and consuming**
 * **Identify ways to conserve and replenish our natural resources**
 * We will also discuss Martin Luther King Jr. this month.**
 * //__ TechnolOGY __//****// : // Students will be working on these online sites to enhance their spelling and reading skills:** [|**www.samsonclassroom.com**]**,** [|**www.raz-kids.com**]
 * They will also continue using the classroom Smartboard to play spelling and other vocabulary related activities.**
 * //__ Music __//: We will continue to review and sing songs about the winter season. The composer of the month is Louis Armstrong. We will continue to explore a variety of instruments and rhythms. Listen and move activities will incorporate movement and enhance listening skills.**
 * //__ LIBRARY __//: Second Grade will review the components of Fairy Tales/Folk Tales and demonstrate storytelling techniques for Storytelling Day.**
 * //__ PHYSICAL ED. & HEALTH __//****// : // Students will demonstrate and assess their fitness by performing exercises or activities related to each health-related fitness component, and establish personal goals to improve their fitness.** ||


 * What’s planted in the heart takes root in the soul **


 * WE ARE DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF ALL OUR CHILDREN. **


 * Please note that you may find the Parent Curriculum Newsletter at ps__228q.wikispaces.com__ every month.**