Oral language
Children will interpret information presented in a book read aloud and increase the number of novel words they understand.
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: This is the third of three repeated readings of a book with children. Today’s session focuses on children’s interpretation (explanations, reasoning) of information presented in the book. The session also will help children understand more novel words. From the list of novel words you identified prior to your first reading of the book, select 2–3 words to define for children today. See the Language/Literacy section of the ELM User Guide: 3–5 Years for additional information on how to select and define novel words.
Now let’s spend some time with our book.
[See Week 3, Day 5 of Language/Literacy for a description and examples of how to approach today’s book reading. Key aspects are summarized below:
Geometric and spatial knowledge
Children will deepen their understanding of basic characteristics of a circle, triangle, and square.
Review:
This week we are learning about some shapes. We’ve looked for shapes, we’ve described shapes, and we’ve matched shapes.
We know that a shape is something that has a certain outline. A circle, a triangle, and a square are shapes.
[Display each shape cutout as children describe them below.]
Let’s draw a circle in the air with our finger.
[Lead children in drawing a circle in the air. Use your arm so children can readily see your example.]
Now let’s draw a square in the air.
[Lead children in drawing a square. Again, use your arm so children can readily see your example.]
We went outside on a shape hunt. We found items that were the shape of a circle or a square.
[Display pictures one at a time from hunt. For each picture, name the item and ask:]
Yesterday we matched items from our room to a circle and a square. Let’s look at some of the items we matched.
[Hold up several of the items that were in the basket on Day 4, one at a time.]
This week we learned about circles, triangles, and squares. We found circles and squares in our room and outside. We matched shapes and described them. Let’s practice our shapes by playing Shape Hokey Pokey.
[Give each child a different shape to hold. Children put their shape in the circle instead of a body part. You put your square in, you take your square out, etc.]
Extra support
Enrichment
Supply play dough and invite children to create shapes. Encourage children to describe their shapes.
Play Shape Twister to help all children in your setting learn more about shapes. Draw shapes on a large piece of butcher paper or a sheet. Choose shape cutouts from a basket as you encourage children to place hands and feet on the shape with the named characteristics. Example: After pulling a circle from the basket say, “Place your hand on a shape that is round.” Describe shape characteristics as each shape is pulled from the basket. School-age children may enjoy pulling shapes from the basket and describing their characteristics for preschool-age children.
Motor development
Children will pay attention to how their body moves when walking and marching.
New:
Be Prepared: Tape straight lines in activity spaces in the classroom or on the playground. The lines will guide children’s practice in walking and marching. The activity may work best if children are organized into smaller groups (with separate lines for each in different parts of your activity space). Focus children’s attention on how their bodies move when walking and marching. Walking or marching in a straight line is not an activity goal.
Yesterday we talked about how to be safe when we do physical activities. We learned a signal that tells us when to start an activity and a signal that tells us when to stop an activity.
What is our signal for “start”? What is our signal for “stop”?
[Demonstrate each signal as reminders.]
Today we will do some walking and some marching. Let’s do some walking first. We will walk around our activity space. I will be the leader, just like I was yesterday.
Please walk the way you normally walk. We will stay safe by paying attention to what is around us and by not bumping into other people.
[Offer the “start” signal for children to start walking. After a short time, offer the “stop” signal. Praise children for listening carefully. Offer the “start” signal and then the “stop” signal when your group has returned to a gathering space.]
Walking is something that we do every day. When we walk we use different parts of our body. Let’s talk about what happens when we walk.
What parts of our body move when we walk? (feet, legs, knees)
Our whole body moves when we walk. Our feet and legs move the most. The knees of our legs move a lot. Let’s all touch our knees.
[Lead children in touching their knees.]
Our arms may swing a little bit when we walk. Our shoulders may move a little bit, too.
Now let’s do some marching! Marching is like walking but our knees are raised much higher and our arms swing back and forth.
[Demonstrate and describe marching in place. Draw attention to how your legs, knees, feet, and arms are moving.]
Let’s try marching in our personal space. We will march where we are standing. We will not march around our activity space at this time.
[Offer the “start” signal for children to march. Continue to demonstrate marching as you lead children in marching in place. Describe your marching movements or several children’s marching actions. Example: “Jorge is moving his arms back and forth. Allie is lifting her knees up high.” Offer the “stop” signal.]
We can march fast and we can march slowly. Let’s try marching fast. We will march in place. We will not march around our activity space at this time.
[Offer the “start” signal for children to march fast. Provide a clear demonstration of marching at a child-friendly fast pace (not too fast) while leading children in marching. After a brief period, offer the “stop” signal.]
Now let’s march slowly.
[Offer the “start” signal for children to march slowly. Provide a clear demonstration of marching at a slow (but not too slow) pace while leading children in marching. After a brief period, offer the “stop” signal.]
You may have noticed there are lines of tape on the floor of our activity space. We are going to practice walking and then marching on our lines. I will be the leader.
[Use “start” and “stop” signals in a follow-the-leader arrangement that supports children in practicing walking and then marching. If time and child skill permit, include practice in marching slowly and in marching fast. You also may wish to reverse the direction of movement on the lines. Be sure to consistently use the “start” and “stop” signals.]
Today we paid attention to how our bodies move when we walk and when we march. How is marching different from walking?
Extra support
Enrichment
School-age children in your setting may enjoy leading younger children in walking or marching.
© 2024 The Trustees of Purdue University | All Rights Reserved
Respecting Our Differences
Social Studies
Skill and Goal
Individual diversity
Children will understand how a sense of touch helps people who are blind.
Materials
Needed
Key
Concepts
New:
Yesterday we learned there are different ways to move from one place to another place. Some people may use a wheelchair or crutches or a walker or braces to move around.
Today we will learn how someone who cannot see with their eyes can use their fingers and hands to find out what something is like.
Some people are not able to use their eyes to see things and what is happening. When someone is not able to see it is called blind.
People can learn about things in other ways when they are blind.
We are going to find out how someone can use their fingers and hands to learn about something.
Each of us can cover our eyes with a bandana. We will not be able to see when we cover our eyes. Then I will give each of us something to hold. We can learn about the item we are holding by touching it.
[Invite one-half of the children to participate in a first round. Tie bandanas around each interested child’s head to cover his/her eyes. Some children may not wish to wear a bandana. Give each child an item to hold and describe. Examples: “What does it feel like?” “What shape is it?” After the first group of children has a chance to feel and describe the item, take off their bandanas and do the same for the second half of the children. Use different items for the second round.]
People who are blind cannot use their eyes to see things and what is happening. One way people who are blind can learn about things is to use their fingers and hands to feel something.
Scaffolding Tips
Extra support
Enrichment
Center Activity
Invite children to place a sock on one hand and then use their hand with the sock to draw a picture. Encourage children to describe what it feels like to draw with a sock on their hand. How did they use the hand and fingers to hold the drawing tool? Did children use (or think of using) their other hand for drawing the picture?
Family Child Care
Pair school-age children and preschool-age children in your setting. Provide small blocks at a table and encourage children to try a cooperative activity where one child can see and their partner is blindfolded (cannot see). Encourage the child who can see to help guide the child who cannot see as he/she builds something with the blocks. After the first child has built something blindfolded, encourage children to switch.