Preschool 2 ~ 2nd Quarter Reflections

Keefe's Preschool 2 class started their "Community Helpers" Unit of Inquiry on 22nd October 2013.

Keefe had his portfolio sharing session today where he shared the activities they had learnt for the past six weeks.  This is Keefe's favourite Unit of Inquiry and he often comes home role-playing fireman, policeman (and robber!), mechanic... 

Here's a peek at some of the photos inside his portfolio:

(Dressing up as a nurse during a visit from Miss Cheryl - a teaching assistant who is also a pediatric nurse on 4th November 2013; riding in a police car during a visit from the Aesch police officers on 14th November 2013; dressing up as a fireman during a surprise visit to the Aesch fire station on 18th November 2013; dressing up as a fireman during the Preschool 2 Community Helpers Parade on 29th November 2013)

He has been picking up a number of German words from his German class, although he can't hold a conversation in German.  He likes singing the German songs: Räbeliechtli Umzug (a song sang where Swiss children carries lanterns during a parade) and Schnell, Schnell, Fahr das Feuerwehrauto.  

(Some of the German vocabulary cards inside his portfolio - words relating to community helpers roles and tools)

Keefe's class performed a "fire ballet" during music class.  The "fire ballet" is a movement activity depicting the outbreak of a fire and its extinguishing, with some children portraying the fire and some the fire fighters.

Jolly Phonics

The international school adopts Jolly Phonics for preschool and kindergarten.  Keefe already knows all his letter sounds even before moving to Basel so Jolly Phonics was a good review for him.  They have so far only covered 8 letter sounds (s, a, t, i, p, n, e, ck) since the beginning of the year!  What is new to Keefe is learning how to form and write cursive letters (following the Read Write Inc program).

Each child maintains a sound book where they learn how to write their cursive letters, and for them to draw objects that begin with the letter sound taught for the week.  Each letter sound has an action and a corresponding handwriting rhyme to help the child with writing letters. Here's a look at Keefe's sound book:

S - Scoop up and over the head, then slide back down the snake.

A - Scoop up and over a bit, back on the apple and down the leaf.

T - Scoop up to the top, then down the tower and across the tower.

I - Scoop up, down the insect's body, dot for the head.

P - Scoop up, down the plait, up and over the pirate's face.

N - Scoop up, down Nobby and over the net.

(Love the /n/ is for nothing!)

E - Scoop up, slice through the egg, go over the top, then under the egg.

(Love the /e/ is for explosion!)

C - Scoop up, curl back around the caterpillar.

K - Scoop up, down the kangaroo's body to the toe, loop around the tail and down the leg.

(I am amazed that Keefe can come up with ketchup, kettle, kennel... and even Miss Katy (a preschool teacher), Kaili, Karen (Maximiliano's mom)!)