During the month of February, we are beginning a whole-school exploration of Animals.  The preschoolers will start with discussion of pets, then extend to backyard animals, and finally consider animals in temperate forest, rainforest, and arctic habitats.  The kindergartners will focus more deeply on birds, beginning with direct observations of my pet cockatiel, Lemon Spice.  Key concepts will include the ways that animals are adapted to their environments so that they have everything they need, such as food and water, shelter and other types of protection, exercise and fun.  We will discuss the ways they communicate and the ways families interact.

Our thematic approach is designed primarily to help children develop a rich knowledge base about topics that relate to their lives and are interesting to them.  Developmental psychologists have documented that individuals with rich content knowledge in particular domains demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative advantages on learning, memory, and problem solving tasks in those domains.  During thematic units, we read non-fiction materials to promote explicit understanding of the distinctive features and important contrasts in the domain.  The children offer information and raise many questions, which often lead to productive searches for more information, particularly via classroom books and the web.  Providing a wide range of theme-related activities during circle time and in the classroom centers gives children with different strengths and preferences a variety of ways to connect with the topic.  Studying one topic for a significant period of time enables the class to experience and discuss many links between different aspects of the key concepts, as well as to gain proficiency by repeating new vocabulary, factual information, and related skills.

In the context of these thematic studies, we also have opportunities to foster skills in each of the developmental domains.  Children develop a sense of themselves as competent learners, strategies for collaborating with peers and adults, approaches for communicating their ideas verbally and visually, means of discovering and recording new ideas, skills for small motor manipulation of tools and materials, and means for expressing their creative ideas and appreciating those of others.  Because of the wide array of open-ended activity choices, teachers can emphasize particular skills according to the general level of the class and /or tailor approaches for the specific skill level of each child.  Watch the white board and classroom newsletters for more information about how this specific Animal unit develops!

We invite you to participate in our exploration by observing and reading about the animals that you see and then sharing your drawings, photos, etc. with us.  Trips to the park, zoo, and aviary could spark interesting conversations.  Also, on February 26th, please join us for our annual Family Festival, where we will celebrate our learning by sharing it with our families.  Together we will experience the activities that most engage our young learners during the month, as well as seeing some of the ways the children have expressed their knowledge through visual arts, stories, and other creations.  I’m always amazed at the children’s insight and their excitement about communicating their discoveries, and I hope you will be too!