Oral language, Letter knowledge
Children will understand basic information, including the meaning of several novel words, presented in a book read aloud. Children will also identify the name and sound of the letter C.
New:
Be Prepared: This is the first of three repeated readings of a book with children. Today’s reading focuses on children’s understanding of basic information presented in the book. In advance of the session, identify all novel words in the book you intend to define for children across three days of reading the book. Select one or two important words to define for children today, especially words that are essential to understanding the book. See the Language/Literacy section of the ELM User Guide: 3–5 Years for additional information. Write the following at the top of the chart paper: Words We Understand.
[Display letter C card.]
The word “creative” begins with this letter. What is the name of this letter?
Letter C says /k/, just like in the word “creative.” /k/, /k/, creative. Let’s together say /k/, /k/, creative.
Who would like to tell us another word that begins with the letter C?
Now let’s read a book!
[See Week 3, Day 1 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 describe and construct four basic shapes.
Review:
Today we will learn more about shapes. Remember, a shape is something that has a certain outline. What are some of the shapes we are learning about? (circle, square, triangle, rectangle)
I have a circle, square, triangle, and rectangle. Let’s talk about what we know about each of these four shapes.
[Hold up each shape as you engage children in a discussion of each:]
Today we will use yarn to make shapes. Each of us will get some yarn to make the shapes we know.
Please watch me make a shape with yarn. When I have finished, see if you can tell what shape I made.
[Demonstrate how to make a circle, square, triangle, and rectangle with the yarn in an area where children can see. After making each shape, invite children to say the shape you made. State or restate the correct name of the shape after children have offered guesses.]
Now we get to make our own shapes! We will use our yarn to make a circle, a square, a triangle, and a rectangle.
[Pass out four 14-inch pieces of yarn to each child. Be sure each child has sufficient room to work on a desktop or on the floor. Display the four shapes so all children can see them.]
[Observe and ask questions as children make their shapes. Examples: “What shape are you making?” “How many sides does it have?” “What is something that is the same shape?” “How is this shape different from a circle?”]
Today we practiced describing and making the shapes we know. Who would like to show us how to make a circle with your hands? How about a triangle?
Extra support
Enrichment
Provide craft sticks. Invite children to make various shapes with the sticks.
Have older and younger children work in pairs to make their shapes. Encourage them to describe the shapes they’ve made.
Executive function
Children will regulate their behaviors in response to changes in aural prompts.
New:
New:
Be Prepared: Suggested song with both fast and slow tempos: “Bop ‘Til You Drop” on Greg and Steve’s Kids in Action CD.
If time permits, offer Orange Circle, Purple Circle from Week 8, Day 1 as a second game. If the game described below is too challenging for a majority of children, stop at an appropriate place and offer Orange Circle, Purple Circle from Week 8, Day 1. The game for today may be less challenging when offered again at a later point.
Today we will play a game called The Freeze Game. The game will help us learn how to focus our attention on what we are expected to do. What does it mean to focus on something? (concentrate on it)
We will use music to play this game! We will dance when we hear the music. We will freeze when the music is turned off!
What do you think it means to freeze?
When we freeze, we stop what we are doing and hold our body in the position it is in. Let me show you.
[Play music as you dance around for a few seconds. Have another adult stop the music as you freeze in place.]
Now let’s try it together!
[Invite children to stand. Play music and encourage children to dance as you dance. Then stop the music and freeze. Encourage children to do the same. Play the game for several minutes.]
Let’s change the game a little bit. This time we will hear a slow song and then a fast song. We will dance slowly when we hear a slow song and dance quickly when we hear a fast song. Let me show you.
[Have an adult help you demonstrate. Dance quickly when he/she plays a fast song. Dance slowly when he/she plays a slow song. Intermittently have the helper stop the music as you freeze in place. Invite children to play with the new rules. Continue playing as time permits and children remain appropriately engaged.]
Today we focused on what we were expected to do when we played The Freeze Game.
Extra support
Enrichment
Invite children to continue playing The Freeze Game. Provide music and encourage children to take turns turning the music on and off.
Invite children in your setting to dance to “The Freeze” on the Greg and Steve’s Kids in Motion CD. Encourage children to dance as the song is sung and freeze when the lyrics say “Freeze!”
Inquiry skills
Children will strengthen their understanding of the sense of sight.
None
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: If your classroom includes a child(ren) with severely limited or no vision, encourage the child to offer any additional information he/she would like. You may also wish to invite the child’s parent to share information on blindness with children in your classroom.
We are learning about our five senses. Each of our five senses is like a tool that we use to learn more about something.
We are going to play a game that uses our sense of sight.
The game we are going to play is called I Spy. Have you played this game before?
[Invite children to share their experiences playing the game. Offer clarifications or elaborations as needed.
As you play the game, find various things in the room that children are able to see. Example: “I spy something that is large and square. It has letters on it and is blue. Can you find it?” (a rug) If children have difficulty finding an item, give additional hints until it is found.]
Let’s try to play the game with our eyes closed.
[Begin playing the game with children while they have their eyes closed. Example: “I spy something red and round. What is it?” The intent is to emphasize the importance of our sense of sight. Point out that it is impossible to play the game without a sense of sight. Then invite children to open their eyes.]
What is it like when your parents turn out the light in your bedroom at night?
We can see in our room again when the light is turned on.
Many people wear glasses.
Glasses help people who have trouble seeing things. They help people see things better.
Some people do not have a sense of sight. We know that when someone is not able to see it is called blind. They can’t see things even when a light is turned on.
People who are blind use their other senses to learn about things around them. They can use their senses of hearing and touch to learn more about something.
Today we used our sense of sight to play a game. We learned that we need our eyes in order to play the game. The sense of sight is a tool we can use to learn more about things. People who do not have a sense of sight use other senses to learn about things.
Extra support
Enrichment
Supply craft rolls covered and taped on one end with different colors of cellophane. Encourage children to look through the rolls to compare how things look through different colors.
Play a version of I Spy with all children in your setting at snack time, called I Taste. The activity provides opportunities for children to describe different tastes. Invite children to describe a snack food by its taste, not its name. Example: “I taste something sweet and soft on my tongue.” (applesauce) School-age children may enjoy a version of this game that includes familiar foods that are not currently served for snack time. Example: “If I tasted something salty that was square and crunchy, what could it be?”
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