The components of our Pre-K day are as follows, but will vary in sequence each day depending on student attendance and specials.

OPENING BOARD:
Opening Board is our morning circle time, when we discuss the calendar, days of the week/months of the year, seasons, and our "straw count" and "penny board". Our calendar discussion enforces and extends number recognition, rote counting, number order, and identification and extension of patterns. Our straw count (in which each day of the school year is represented with a straw) introduces and reinforces one-to-one correspondence and regrouping concepts. Our penny board also reinforces one-to-one correspondence and counting by fives and tens!  As you can see, lots of math concepts are explored during our Opening Board!
The children also enjoy "reading" a Morning Message, which enforces many concepts of print, such as word-tracking, left-to-right progression of print, etc.  Later in the year, I will incorporate our sight words into the message.  The students get so excited when they can recognize our sight words in real print!

LITERACY/LANGUAGE ARTS
Each week, the students will be introduced to a poem, beginning with nursery rhymes, which I will use to teach the various concepts of print.  A copy of the poem will come home every Friday so that your child can share his/her "reading" of the poem.  PLEASE keep these poems in a binder or folder for your child to read recreationally...they love to read them over and over!
Letter recognition and letter-sound correspondence will be taught by exploring a new letter each week.  However, all of the letters/sounds will be reviewed daily...really important for beginning decoding skills!
Phonemic Awareness, perhaps the most important foundational skill for reading success, will be explored daily through games, songs, chants, etc. Phonemic Awareness is the ability to identify SOUNDS in spoken language, and the ability to manipulate those sounds (delete, substitute, etc.)  Expect to hear about Phonemic Awareness frequently throughout the year!!
Journal "writing" will occur daily in our classroom, and will begin with the teacher/aide writing a sentence as dictated by the child.  I use the journals to reinforce sight word recognition, and each completed journal will come home when completed. Please share each journal with your child!

MATH
We will be exploring various mathematical concepts this year, such as counting with one-to-one correspondence, number sense, sorting, patterns, and geometry.  Many of these concepts are reviewed daily during our Opening Board.

SCIENCE/SEASONAL THEMES
This year in Pre-K, the students will explore our senses, important holidays, and themes, such as apples and pumpkins!

CENTERS
Centers will look a bit different this year, but will be used to extend concepts in small group settings

STAR STUDENT
Each week, a student will be celebrated! You will be notified on the Friday prior to your child's "star week", and you will receive requests for items to help celebrate your child (pictures, show-and-tell item, "estimation jar" etc.)! Some important jobs for the Star Student are line-leader, messenger, and teacher's helper!

Hope this gives some insight into the Pre-K curriculum! Each Friday I will also send home a "Pre-K Newsletter" which will highlight our week.  Please take a moment to read the letter, as it will contain important information about your child's learning!