Today we will play a listening game. We will listen to sounds and try to guess each sound. Show us your listening ears!

[Point to your ears.]

Remember, when we use our listening ears we pay close attention to what we hear.

I have a stapler. Let’s listen carefully to the sound it makes.

[Demonstrate use of a stapler.]

Now let’s listen to the sound of my fingers snapping.

[Demonstrate snapping fingers.]

Let’s listen to the sound of a zipper zipping.

[Demonstrate a zipper zipping.]

Let’s listen to one more sound. Let’s listen to me knocking on the door.

[Demonstrate knocking on the door.]

Now we will listen to the sounds with our eyes closed. We can pay better attention to what we hear when our eyes are closed. After we close our eyes, I will make one of the sounds we just heard. Then we will try to guess the sound.

I will ask one person to tell us the sound after we open our eyes. This way we can make sure everyone gets a turn to tell us a sound. Please do not say the name of the sound out loud unless it is your turn.

I will hide in this box some of the things that may make a sound.

[Point to box.]

Are you ready to use your listening ears? Okay! Let’s close our eyes.

[After all children have closed their eyes, make one of the sounds introduced previously. After you’ve made the sound, hide the sound-making item in the box (if appropriate), ask children to open their eyes, and invite one child to guess the sound. If other children offer ideas, remind them that everyone will have a turn to guess a sound. We need to wait for our turn.]

What was the sound?

I am going to write the names of the sounds we hear on our chart.

[Point to chart and to each word in the chart’s title as you read the words.]

The words at the top of the chart say Sounds We Heard. I will write the word _____ on our chart.

[After you write the sound word on the chart, point to the word and read it aloud.]

We are working hard to use our listening ears! Let’s close our eyes and listen to another sound.

[Of the three remaining sounds introduced with children’s eyes open, make one sound at a time with children’s eyes closed. After each sound, encourage children to open their eyes. Ask one child to identify the sound. After writing the name of each sound on the chart, point to the word and read it aloud.

After each of the initial group of four sounds has been identified, demonstrate four more sounds with children’s eyes open. Then ask children to close their eyes and use the same procedure for encouraging children, one at a time, to guess a single sound you make. Continue this sequence until each child gets a turn.]

Today we played a listening game. We closed our eyes and listened to a sound. Then we opened our eyes and guessed the sound. Each of us had a turn to guess a sound. Let’s look at our chart to remember all of the sounds we guessed in our listening game. Our chart says Sounds We Heard.

[Point to each word as you say it.]

We heard _____.

[Point to and say the name of each sound on the chart.]

We guessed a lot of sounds!

We are practicing how to count. When we count, we say numbers to know how many. Let’s count five fingers together and say a number for each finger.

[Lead children in counting out loud as they point to each finger.]

Now, let’s all clap five times. Remember, we need to say one number with each clap so we know how many times we’ve clapped. This is counting!

[Encourage children to count with you as you clap five times. Say the number each time you clap.

Display book cover.]

Today we will read a book called What Comes in 2’s, 3’s, & 4’s?

Do you think our book will be about counting? (yes!)

[Introduce the book by pointing to the title of the book as you read it.

• Introduce the author and the illustrator of the book. As you read, point to the text so children can see that the words tell the story.
• Pause on each page to discuss the picture and count the group of items in each picture. Encourage children to count with you. Point to each item as you lead children in counting.
• After you count the items in a group, say aloud the final number. Example: “There are four wheels on this car. Let’s count them together; 1, 2, 3, 4. There are four wheels.”]

Today we read a book called What Comes in 2’s, 3’s, & 4’s? We counted groups of things on each page. When we count, we say numbers to know how many.

Yesterday we reviewed our classroom rules. Remember, a rule tells us how to behave. Who can tell us one of our classroom rules and then show what it looks like?

Today we will talk about our rules for circle time. When we sit together during circle time, there are rules that help us to learn, get along, and pay attention. Let’s review some of our circle time rules.

Let’s practice our circle time rules. When we practice our rules, we will show each other what they look like.

[Go through each rule, pointing to the rule on the chart as it is being practiced. Encourage children to show how each rule should look. Examples:]

• Looking eyes means that children are looking at the speaker. Children should look at you as you are speaking.
• Hands to yourself means putting your hands in your lap.
• What picture on our chart shows how to sit criss-cross applesauce?

Our circle time rules help us in many ways. When we use our looking eyes and listening ears we can better pay attention to the things we are learning. Circle time rules also help us get along with each other and respect our neighbors.

What circle time rules help us get along with each other and respect our neighbors? (quiet voices, hands to yourself, criss-cross applesauce)

When we are quiet, we can hear what others are saying. When we keep our hands to ourselves and sit criss-cross applesauce, we help the people around us also look and listen.

Today we reviewed our circle time rules. Who can tell us why we have rules for circle time? (they help us learn, they help us get along, they help us pay attention) What is one of our circle time rules?

We can do creative things in many places in our classroom. Remember, we use our ideas to make or do something new when we are creative.

Today we will visit some of our centers to talk about ways we can be creative. We will go to centers we did not visit last week.

[As a group, walk to a center. At each center, engage children in a discussion of:

• some items in the center (example: “What do you see in this center?”)
• some ways to be creative with ___________ (example: “What are some things we could do with ___________?”)
• things children have seen (and you have seen) children do in the center
• Return to your classroom’s group gathering area for Recap.]

[Build on children’s interests and comments during the tour to emphasize creative efforts. Examples: “Amal saw different colors of pencils in the writing center. He wants to be creative in writing his name with different colors.” “Tamika saw play dough in the sensory center. She had an idea to be creative in making a pizza.” “Sam has an idea of painting red and blue trees in our art center.”]