SFA Thematic Unit

Those Nearest & Dearest

 

All children want to feel that they "belong".  They want to be part of a friendly community, whether it is family or a community of peers.  Most children know that they want a friend ("someone to play with") but not necessarily how to get one, be one, or keep one.  Each child is part of a family, yet families differ widely in composition and cultural expression.  This unit is designed to assist in helping the children develop the social skills to make and maintain friendships and see their roles as members of a family and of a classroom community.

 

The children are now more at home in their classroom environment and know many of their classmates' names.  Some have formed tentative bonds with a few classmates, while others may still need assistance in doing so.  Most of them probably see the teacher as an ally in helping them resolve their conflicts and they need help in resolving conflicts amicably.  Throughout the first week, the children will have many opportunities to identify and practice friendly behavior.  They will learn to be accepting of others from whom they are different and with whom they have differences of opinion.  They will learn some techniques in resolving conflicts by taking steps along the way to Win-Win, in which all parties feel that they have won.

 

In developing a concept of families, while we teach typical family member titles, our emphasis is on the members' interactions of caring, helping, nurturing, and sharing, rather than on family configurations.  

 

As the children participate in activities that foster cooperation, conflict resolution, acceptance of others, and the development of friendships, the goal established during Unit 2 - developing a sense that they are valued and respected and cared for by others - will be reinforced.  This nurturing community of support that we are building in our classroom is key to establishing an atmosphere in which children take risks to grow socially and intellectually.

 

 

Vocabulary Words

These are words that the students should be familiar with by the end of the unit.   

argument          aunt                     brother              care

cooperate         disagree              father                folktale

foster family     friend                   grandfather      grandmother   

imaginary         mother                 observe            portrait

question mark                               share                sister          

uncle       

     

Everyday Math Topics of Focus 

 Writing numbers 0-9

Matching lengths

Pattern Block exploration

Counting backwards to zero

Sorting

Recognizing four basic shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle)

Trapezoid story

 

Homework

  • Monday - No School
  • Tuesday -  /t/ practice sheet
  • Wednesday -  /i/ creative writing sheet
  • Thursday -   /f/ practice sheet 
    • Friday  - /n/ creative writing sheet

Weekly Helpers 

  • Line Leader -  Courtney
  • Flag -  Avery S
  • Weather - Raven
  • Helper - Aidan
  • Number - Claire
  • Attendance - Mariah
  • Money - Miller

 

 

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