THIS ISSUE'S THEME: The Letter E

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Volume 7, Issue 16
September 28, 2009
Theme: The Letter E

Art by Bobbie Peachey, Web Clipart Guide (about.com) Used with permission

Elegant E

E is an elephant
E is an eel
E in the middle says:
How do you fe-e-el?

When you find an E
Try either sound,
To help you discover
The word you have found!

This school year, each of our newsletters will bring you and your children activities featuring a letter of the alphabet. We know that many of you introduce the alphabet to your children one letter at a time, sharing activities that reinforce it during the course of several weeks. We hope our new format will support your teaching and give you some new ideas to enhance your alphabet instruction.

Susan LaBella
Editor, Early Childhood Education Newsletter

EYES
Read to children Arthur’s Eyes by Marc Brown. Set up an eye doctor’s office in your dramatic play area so children can “act out” parts of the story.

EATING PLANTS
Talk with children about plants that people eat. Then name a couple of plants -- cauliflower and broccoli -- that the students might or might not have mentioned. Explain that the parts of the cauliflower and broccoli plants that we eat are the “flower” parts. Then make the dip below and have students use these edible “flowers” to try the dip.

Blend well
--- 1-1/2 cups sour cream
--- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
--- 2 tablespoons dry Italian salad dressing mix

ELEPHANT X 3
Take an elephant walk. Let children stand in a long line with one hand back between their legs. The other hand should be reaching forward to hold the "tail" hand of the child in front. Let the line of elephants move slowly to music. You might use the elephant music from Saint Saen's Carnival of Animals for this procession. [Click to download a sound file of the elephant music from Carnival of Animals.]

Make paper elephants. Fold a 9- by 12-inch sheet of paper in half the short way (to create a sheet that is 9- by 6 inches in size). Then cut an arch from the center of the open side (creating legs). Cut a 6-inch circle (the elephant’s head) and paste it onto the top left of the folded side. Cut two smaller half circles (ears) and paste them onto either side of the head. Finally, cut a 1-inch by 5-inch strip of paper (trunk) and paste it onto the front of the head. Decorate with markers or crayons.

Make elephant ears. Follow this simple recipe.
--- Break 6 eggs into a large bowl and beat them.
--- Add 2 cups milk and 3 tablespoons melted shortening and beat again.
--- Add 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 teaspoons sugar and mix well.
--- Heat oil in an electric frying pan.
--- Pour batter in 5-inch circles and brown on both sides.
Spread the elephant ears with applesauce and form the letter E with raisins on top. Enjoy!

EGG-G-G-S
--- Let children talk about their favorite ways to eat eggs -- scrambled, poached, hard-boiled, fried, egg salad, and so on. Draw a graph on top of an egg-shape piece of poster board. Show a picture of each type of egg down the left side of the graph. Invite children to cast their votes by placing egg stickers onto the graph in the appropriate row. Ask more or fewer questions about the graph. For example, Did more students prefer fried or scrambled eggs? or Did fewer students vote for hard-boiled or poached eggs?
--- Write a number onto the bottom of each cup in an egg carton. Place two cotton balls into the carton and close it. Let children shake the carton, open it and add the numbers found in the cups where the cotton balls landed. Older children can write the number sentences.

EXCELLENT!
Talk about the meaning of the word excellent. Let children try using it in sentences. Use it as your word of praise for the week!

AN ENVELOPE FOR ME
Explain why people use envelopes. Show different kinds and sizes. Give each child an envelope to decorate. Collect all the envelopes. Write a short note to each child, giving him or her some praise or encouragement. Mail an envelope to to each child’s home.

YOUR WORD CORNER
Here are some words you will need.
See them, say them … hey, you can read!!

eat
eggs
every

Check out the following Web sites for additional background and activities.

Letter E Activities
Get tons of “e-stuff” to do, including a mini book.
http://www.dltk-teach.com/alphabuddies/letter-e.html

Letter E Songs and Music
Find some singing fun right here.
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/alphabet/E/songs.htm

Earth!
Talk about our planet -- there’s lots of info here.
http://www.littleexplorers.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/

Earmuffs (Teddy Bear Coloring Page)
Print it out for coloring fun.
http://www.first-school.ws/t/cp_teddy/t25.htm

COMING NEXT ISSUE
October 12, 2009
The Letter F

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Each week, Education World spotlights books of interest to educators. This week, read a brief summary of two more of our "top 50 books for educators."

Home, School and Community Relations: A Guide to Working with Families
Said to be for students as well as teachers, administrators, and parents, this book is probably of most use to teachers and principals. Author Carol Gestwicki is revisiting this topic in this 2006 book, having published a similar title in 1996. With practical guidance on such topics as how to deal with "Troublesome Attitudes and Behaviors," the book can certainly help schools navigate the tricky waters of community relations. With research showing that community engagement is highly correlated with better school performance, this guidance can be very valuable indeed.
Click to learn more or to purchase this book.

Paideia Proposal
First published in 1982, this book by philosopher Mortimer J. Adler is a modern classic. Taking the ancient Greek word paideia as its touchstone, this very brief book (under 100 pages) powerfully links education with democracy and proposes that society must make education the very center of its energies if it is to truly be democratic. Written before the technology revolution, the underlying argument of this book is, interestingly, even more important 25 years later.
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The Best of LEARNING GAMES

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LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING
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Wordplay

Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, “You stay here, I'll go on a head.”

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: “Keep off the Grass.”

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

The height-challenged fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In democracy, it's your vote that counts. In Feudalism it's your Count that votes.

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

A Towel, Please (And Quickly!)

One day a child at Sunday school class told her classmates that she needed a “damp towel.” Some of the other kids thought she said a naughty word and told on her.

The teacher stepped in to explain, “If your mommy asked you to bring her a damp towel, what does she want?”

A little girl blurted out, “She means she wants that towel right now!”

Telling Time

Xavier: Why did the clock get kicked out of class?
Paolo: You got me. Why?
Xavier: Because it was tocking!

Little Johnny Strikes Again

Little Johnny: I failed every subject except for algebra.
Father: How did you keep from failing that?
Little Johnny: I didn't take algebra!

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