EAST MEADOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Westbury, New York

Kindergarten Learning Centers

CAP writing staff:

Anna Trolio, Kindergarten Teacher

Cristina O’Donnell, Kindergarten Teacher

2009-2010

Board of Education

Brian O’Flaherty, President

Abby Rothschild-Kaplan, Vice President

Steven Jacobs

Joseph Parisi

Marcee Rubinstein

Walter Skinner

Administration

Louis R. DeAngelo, Superintendent of Schools

Lynne Manourvrier, Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction

Robert Gorman, Asst. Superintendent for Business and Finance

Anthony Russo, Administrative Assistant for Human Resources

Patrick Pizzo, Director of School Facilities and Operations

Mary Ann O’Brien, Assistant Business Administrator

ABSTRACT

With the introduction of the AUSSIE balanced literacy approach to guided reading, there has become a need to create manageable, thoughtful and academically challenging center activities. This CAP will create and organize meaningful activities that are "user friendly" to the kindergarten teacher while managing guided reading groups. It is a basic framework from which other activities and lessons can easily evolve.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT 1

INDEX OF USEFUL MATERIALS 3-5

SEPTEMBER 6

OCTOBER 7

NOVEMBER 8

DECEMBER 9

JANUARY 10

FEBRUARY 11

MARCH 12

APRIL 13

MAY 14

JUNE 15

WORKS CITED 16-17

Index of Useful Materials for

Learning Centers

LITERACY CENTER

Magnetic letters

Dry-erase Boards and Markers

Wikki Stix

Play dough/ /Alphabet cookie cutters

Rubber stamp letters

ABC Puzzles

A Magna Doodle

Pencils, paper, and crayons

Magazines and newspapers

Clipboard

Letter Tiles

MATH CENTER

Unifix Cubes

Solid shapes

Buttons

Colored beads

Pencils

Paper

Clocks

Rulers

Pattern Blocks

Money (coins and bills)

Measuring Tape

BLOCK CENTER

Maps

Books showing homes in other countries

Environmental print signs for stores, restaurants, and streets

Camera to take digital photos of their buildings

Drawing paper to make drawings of their buildings

Paper, pencils and crayons

Clipboard

SCIENCE CENTER

Magnets

Rocks and Sand

Flashlights

Sandpaper

Non-Fiction books on various science topics

Color paddles

Paper, pencils and crayons

Magnifying glass

Clipboard

MODELING DOUGH CENTER

Alphabet cookie cutters

Rolling pins

Various shaped cookie cutters

Plastic knives

Number cookie cutters

ART CENTER

Construction Paper

Tissue Paper

Paint

Paint bushes

Crayons

Markers

Glue

Glitter

Fabric pieces

Scissors

Stencils

Yarn

Pom-poms

Feathers

Patterns

Glitter glue

SEPTEMBER

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Sort and Classify: Sort buttons by color, shape and size. Sort animal manipulatives by number of legs. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 1 page 26	Magnetic letters: Find the letters in your name. Sort the letters in your name into two columns. Letters in my name and letters not in my name.	Zip-Loc writing: Have the children practice writing their names with dry-erase markers on zip-loc bags. Have the children write the letters of the week.	Make ripped paper pictures using construction paper on various picture patterns. Use the following colors: Red-apple Green-frog Blue-balloon Orange-fish Yellow-sun

BLOCK CENTER/MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Use blocks to make various geometric shapes. OR Write your name with modeling clay.	Drawing: Draw a picture of what you did to get ready for the first day of school. Draw a picture showing the transportation you use to get to school.	Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story. Draw a map of your classroom.	Life Science; Needs of plants and animals: Sort pictures of living and non-living things. Draw a picture of the things that plants or animals need to live. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 17

OCTOBER

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Positions & Patterns: Make patterns using unifix cubes or buttons. ABAB AABB ABCABC HSP-Timesaver Chapter 3 pages 25 and 26	Use magazines to find pictures of things starting with the letters of the week. OR Glue the pictures on paper with the lowercase letter written on the top.	Fundations boards: Have the children practice writing the letters of the week on their dry-erase boards. OR Have the children practice writing all of the letters taught so far in Fundations.	Have children create jack-o-lanterns with orange paper and markers. OR Have the children draw a picture of what they are going to be for Halloween.

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Have children build Columbus’ ships; The Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria with blocks. OR Have children write their names with modeling clay.	Drawing: Have children create Columbus’ ships with construction paper using patterns of the parts of the ships.	Halloween With Morris and Boris Have the children draw their favorite part of the story. OR On one side of the paper have the children draw what happened in the beginning of the story. On the other side of the paper have the children draw what happened at the end of the story.	Life Science; Growing & Changing: Match pictures of adult animals to their babies. OR Have the children draw a picture of the people in their family. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 25

NOVEMBER

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Graphing: Graph your favorite foods for Thanksgiving with your group. OR Graph your favorite colors as voting for Election Day. OR HSP-Timesaver Chapter 5 pages 13 and 14	Use magazines to find pictures of things starting with the letters of the week. OR Glue the pictures on paper with the lowercase letter written on the top.	Fundations boards: Have the children practice writing the letters of the week on their dry-erase boards.	Have children create turkeys by tracing their hands using construction paper and feathers to decorate. OR Have the children make turkey/Native American boy puppets.

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Have children build a town with houses and various community buildings and roads. OR Have children make the letters of the week with modeling clay.	Drawing: Have children draw the comparison between the first Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving today. OR Have the children draw a picture of who will be at their Thanksgiving dinner.	‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story. OR On one side of the paper have the children draw what happened in the beginning of the story. On the other side of the paper have the children draw what happened at the end of the story.	Life Science; Animals All Around: Sort pictures of animals by: Fur, feathers or scales. OR Have the children draw a picture of an animal that has fur, feathers or scales including the animals’ habitat. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 27

DECEMBER

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Geometry: Identify cube, cones, cylinders and spheres. Use the pre-cut shapes to create “Shape Art” pictures. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 6 pages 11 and 12	Use magazines to find pictures of things starting with the letters of the week. Glue the pictures on paper with the lowercase letter written on the top to make a collage.	Fundations boards: Have the children practice writing the letters of the week on their dry-erase boards. OR Have the children practice saying the letter sounds on their Fundations magnetic boards.	Have children create Gingerbread people from construction paper and various craft items. (buttons, glitter, cloth etc.) OR Have the children make a gingerbread house out of various pieces of paper candy.

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Sort blocks by shape; cubes, cones, cylinders and spheres. OR Have children make shapes with modeling clay.	Drawing: Have children draw a picture of how they celebrate the December holidays. OR Have the children write a wish list for their December holiday.	The Gingerbread Boy Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story. OR Draw a picture of the setting of the story and label the characters. OR The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Have the children draw the town in the beginning of the story and at the end of the story.	Earth Science; Our Land, Water and Air: Have children make sculptures with re-cycled materials. The Wartville Wizard by Don Madden Have the children draw a detailed picture of what happened to one of the characters in the story. What kinds of land does Earth have? Draw a mountain, a valley and a plain. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 41

JANUARY

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Numbers 11-30: Create a January calendar and write the numbers on it. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 7 pages 21 and 22	Use magazines to find pictures of things starting with the letters of the week. Glue the pictures on paper AND write the words.	Fundations boards: Have the children practice writing the letters of the week (upper and lowercase) on their dry-erase boards. OR Have the children practice saying the letter sounds on their Fundations magnetic boards	Have children create snowmen using various media; chalk, crayons, paint. Use cloth, buttons etc. to embellish. OR Have the children put snowballs in size order to make a snowman.

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Create a building with blocks. Draw a picture of the building. Label the parts of the building. OR Have the children make a snowman with modeling clay.	Drawing: Have children draw a picture of how they can show fairness in their lives. Have them complete the sentence: I am fair when I ___________.	Ruby Bridges Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story.	Earth Science; Weather and Seasons: Have children graph the weather during the month of January. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 46

FEBRUARY

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Money: Have children read through various food flyers. Have them cut out pictures of food and write the prices to create shopping lists. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 8 pages 9 and 10	Rhyming Words: Using word familes; __et, __at, __an, Have children make the words with the magnetic letters and then write them on paper.	Word Families: Have children write sentences for various word families. (ie. hat, bat, cat, bet, met, pet, can, man, ran)	Have children create valentine people using construction paper, doilies, glitter, etc. Fan-fold paper for arms and legs. OR Have the children make valentines for their family.

BLOCK CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Make a road with 100 blocks. OR Build Lincoln’s log cabin.	Draw a picture of Lincoln’s log cabin.	Abe Lincoln’s Hat Draw a picture of what you would hide in your hat.	Physical Science; Matter: How do solids become liquids? Have the children watch an ice-cube melt. They can draw before and after. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 59

MARCH

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Measurement: Using non-standard measurement (paperclips, buttons, cubes) have children measure various objects in the classroom. Have them write their measurements on paper. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 9 pages 13 and 14	Rhyming Words: Have children write 3 letter CVC words with magnetic letters and then list them on paper. Have them use one in a sentence.	Cloze Sentences: Have the children complete the sentence: “If I caught a leprechaun, I would ask for _________”. Have them illustrate their answer.	Have children create kites using construction paper and crepe paper for the tails. OR Have the children make spring pictures using colored paper cupcake tins.

BLOCK CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Have the children make 2 roads one short and one long using the blocks. Then have them estimate how many blocks they used for the short one and then for the long one.	Draw a 4 part picture illustrating the 4 seasons.	Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato Have the children draw their favorite part of the story. OR Have the children complete this sentence: The potato was as big as a ______.	Physical Science; Heat and Light: Have children predict which things will produce a shadow from a group of various opaque and transparent objects. Have them write their answers on a comparison graph. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 61

APRIL

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Calendar, Time and Temperature: Make a clock with a paper plate, brass fasteners and crayons. Encourage the children to use the clock to show various times in their individual daily schedules. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 10 pages 25 and 26	Rhyming Words: Have children write 3 letter CVC words with magnetic letters and then write them on paper.	Cloze Sentences: Have children complete the sentence: “I love spring because_________”. Have the children illustrate their answer.	Have children create umbrellas using construction paper, patterns of umbrellas and crayons.

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Have children make spring flowers and trees with modeling dough.	Have the children draw a picture illustrating the changes that happen in nature in the spring. Have the children Label the picture.	Spring is Here Have children draw a picture of something they do in the spring. Label the picture.	Physical Science; How Things Move: Have children predict which items will be attracted to a magnet from a group of various objects. Have them write their answers on a comparison graph. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 67

MAY

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Addition: Use dominoes to illustrate various addition equations. Have children write the equations. OR Have the children use dice for addition. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 11 pages 15 and 16	Trick Words: Have children write CVC words with magnetic letters and then use them in sentences.	Cloze Sentences: Have children complete the sentence: “I love my mom because_______.” Have the children illustrate their answer.	Have children create spring pictures using various media. (crayons, paint, tissue paper etc.)

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Building: Have the children make CVC words with modeling dough.	Draw a picture illustrating the changes that happen in nature in the spring.	Are You My Mother? Have the children draw a picture of their favorite part of the story. OR draw a picture of their mother.	Space and Technology; Night and Day: Have children write and draw about various activities that can occur in day and/or night. Scott Foresman Science Activity Book page 75

JUNE

MATH CENTER	ALPHABET CENTER	LITERACY CENTER	ART CENTER
Subtraction: Use dominoes to illustrate various subtraction equations. Have children write the equations. OR Have the children use dice for subtraction. HSP-Timesaver Chapter 12 pages 17 and 18	New Words: Have children write trick words with magnetic letters and then write them on paper.	Cloze Sentences: Have children complete the sentence: “In the summer I will ______.” Have the children illustrate their answer.	Have children create summer pictures using various media. (crayons, paint, tissue paper etc.)

BLOCK CENTER/ MODELING DOUGH CENTER	SOCIAL STUDIES CENTER	LISTENING CENTER	SCIENCE CENTER
Use the modeling dough to make all of the food you would take on a picnic. Write the list on paper.	Have children create an American flag. Then write about how they feel about it.	The Ten Best Things About My Dad Have the children draw a picture of the best thing about their dad. Write a sentence to go with it.	Space and Technology; How Things Work: Draw a picture of your favorite truck or large machine. Complete the sentence: I like it because________.

Works Cited

Brenner, Martha, and Donald Cook. Abe Lincoln's Hat. New York: Random House, 1994. Print.

Cooney, Timothy M. Scott Foresman Science: See Learning in a Whole New Light. Glenview, Ill.: Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2008. Print.

DePaola, Tomie. Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato: an Irish Folktale. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 2009. Print.

Diller, Debbie. Literacy Work Stations: Making Centers Work. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2003. Print.

Eastman, P. D. Are You My Mother? New York: Random House, 2005. Print.

Gomi, Taro?. Spring Is Here. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1989. Print.

Loomis, Christine, and Jackie Urbanovic. The 10 Best Things about My Dad. New York: Cartwheel, 2004. Print.

Madden, Don. The Wartville Wizard. New York: Macmillan, 1986. Print.

Maletsky, Evan M. Www.harcourtschool.com. Harcourt School, 2009. Web.

Nevinski, Margaret, and Taylor Bruce. Ruby Bridges. Bothell, WA: Wright Group, 2001. Print.

Pilkey, Dav. 'Twas the Night before Thanksgiving. New York: Orchard, 1990. Print.

Seuss. The Lorax. London: Collins, 2009. Print.

Slate, Joseph, and Ashley Wolff. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten. New York: Dutton Children's, 1996. Print.

Wiseman, Bernard. Halloween with Morris and Boris. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1975. Print.

Ziefert, Harriet, and Emily Bolam. The Gingerbread Boy. New York: Puffin, 1995. Print.