Pre-school
Welcome to pre-school!
On this page you can find information about our units of inquiry.
Contact:
Pamela Mewbourn
Unit of inquiry 1
Interdisciplinary theme
Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.
Central idea
Everyday I learn about who I am and what I can do
Lines of inquiry
What I am like
How I have changed
How we are all connected
Key concepts
Form
Change
Connection
Learner profile
Open-minded
Caring
Balanced
During this unit the students will graph the differences in our physical appearances and learn which countries they were born in. They will create self portraits and learn about the people in their family by creating a family portrait. As a conclusion to this unit the students will create an ‘All About Me’ book as well as a time capsule to be opened at high school graduation time.
As part of our study of numeracy the students will be identifying the numerals 1-5 as well as creating sets of 1-5 objects. They will also begin to write the numerals 1-5. In phonics students will be learning the letters and sounds A-E. They will be making applesauce and cookies, riding the big blue bus and using the elevator as part of the letter study.
In music the students have been learning to listen to rhythms and echo them back to the teacher by clapping, walking and dancing. Listening skills are an important aspect in every class lesson. They have learned ten songs, focusing on the alphabet, personal hygiene, personal space and the world around them. They are also working on songs for the musical, ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
In PE (physical education) the children are developing their confidence, success and enjoyment by learning basic skills and techniques involved in games related activities. They are finding their own limits using balance and coordination, during tag-games they are learning to control their speed and movements while looking for spaces to avoid being caught.
In connection with their alphabet program, preschool students have been developing their fine motor skills by making animals starting with the letter C such as a puppet cat and accordion caterpillar. In both projects they practiced cutting, pasting and folding paper.
Unit of inquiry 2
Interdisciplinary theme
How the world works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
Central idea
People use water in many ways.
Lines of inquiry
How water is used in different states.
Why water changes states.
How we can save water.
Key concepts
Causation
Change
Learner profile attributes
Responsibility
Principled
During this unit the children observe how water turns into ice. To see how this can be useful they make ice cubes, ice pops, jell-o and look at the ice rink. Later in the unit they will watch water boil and turn into steam. They will make lemonade, tea and steam potatoes. They will talk about how they use water themselves and how water is used at home, which leads into water conservation.
In Mongolian class the children learn the Mongolian words for water, ice and snow.
In mathematics the children focus on counting up to 10 and counting objects. They are identifying written numbers up to 6 and grouping of 6-10 objects.
They are continuing to learn letters and sounds. For the letter L they made lunch and lemon lollipops.
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Pre-school children performed as cute little monkeys in their first assembly performance. When they started singing Jingle Bells most of the primary students and parents joined in!
Unit of inquiry 3
Interdisciplinary theme
How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Central idea
We tell, read and write stories for different reasons.
Lines of inquiry
Why we read
What we read
How we share stories
Key concepts
Reflection
Perspective
Learner profile attributes
Knowledgeable
Communicator
Risk-taker
During this unit children explore different types of print media, such as books, newspapers, magazines and internet. They share their favorite stories with the class. Books, magazines and newspapers in our mother tongues are brought from home. The different ways a story can be told are explored. Children learn about title, author and illustrator. As a culminating activity the class works together to create a book.
In Mongolian class the children enjoy learning the story of the enormous turnip and creating personal books to go along with the story.
In mathematics the children are learning about the concepts more and less. They create groups of objects that are more or less than a given set. The children also differentiate between long and short , heavy and light objects.
They continue to learn letters and sounds. Mittens (letter M) and pasta (letter P) were collected for a local orphanage. A popular activity for letter P was Pancakes for Parents.
In Mongolian the students are learning to count from 1 – 10, they are also learning the names of colours and basic shapes. The students are being introduced to poetry with poems like ‘Winter’ by D.Maam and ‘Looking For His socks’ by O.Sundui. They are developing their vocabulary by listening and talking about stories. Currently they have been listening to the story ‘ Manjin’ and ‘Unhruush’.
For home learning the children will continue to work in their ABC books each week. They are also asked to bring in items for the ABC table and they can bring in books, magazines and newspapers in their mother tongue.
Unit of inquiry 4
Interdisciplinary theme
Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
Central idea
Plants and animals in our homes and classrooms have certain requirements in order to grow and stay healthy.
Lines of inquiry
How we take care of living things
How we show responsibility for other living things
How taking care of living things is connected to taking care of ourselves
Key concepts
Function
Connection
Responsibility
Learner profile attributes
Knowledgeable
Balanced
Risk taker
During this unit children learn how to take care of living things (animals, plants, and ourselves). The class will be visited by a rabbit and a dog. The owners explain how to take care of the animals to the children. The children will also learn to care for their own plants. As a concluding activity the children will write a book about caring for themselves.
In mathematics the children are creating AB, ABC, and AAB patterns. They are also learning the temperature words hot, warm, cool and cold. They continue to learn letters and sounds. During letter Q week the Queen of Quilts came to visit. During letter S week the children prepared Stone Soup after listening to three versions of the story. And most recently during letter W week they made wonderful waffles.
For home learning the children continue to work on their ABC books each week. The ABC table continues to be a popular activity each day. Children are encouraged to find living things in their home environment and discuss the care of these things with their families.
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