Instead of choosing a different letter to focus on each week, try focusing on an animal, which will offer more possibilities for exploration. For example, a weeklong unit on cats might focus on domestic cats, as well as big cats such as tigers and lions. Instead of exploring one letter, teach your students about the three letters that make up the word "cat." Explore color by asking students the different colored cats they have seen: For example, tigers are black and orange, and many house cats are black. Let students share stories about their pet cats, and invite a zookeeper or animal expert to visit the classroom.
Teach students about the people in their community with a community helpers weekly theme. Each week, focus on a different community helper. Possible community helpers might include police officers, librarians, doctors, nurses, firefighters, letter carriers and farmers. Invite community helpers into the classroom to share information about their occupation with students. Read books and tell stories about each community helper. Set up a dramatic play area so students can pretend to be the community helper for each week.
Teach your students about how to be healthy with weekly lessons based on health, nutrition and fitness. Each week, focus on a particular part of the body or health topic. For example, one week might focus on dental health, with students learning about the dentist and how to take care of their teeth by regular brushing and flossing. Another week might focus on bones and how food and exercise keep bones healthy. Each week should include art activities and dramatic play that focuses on the weekly health theme.
Base your weekly theme upon a book, a set of books or a particular author. For example, a weekly theme based upon Dr. Seuss books might focus on rhyming words and color. During a week based upon "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle, students would learn how to count, discuss how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly or talk about the types of food they like to eat.