Week 13:
Day 5

Understanding Words

Language / Literacy

Large Group

Skill and Goal

Oral language, Letter knowledge
Children will interpret information presented in a book read aloud and increase the number of novel words they understand. Children will also identify and say the sound of the letter X.

Materials
Needed

  • *Letter X card
  • Book of your choice for this week’s repeated reading
  • Words We Understand chart from Days 1 and 3
    *Printables provided

Key
Concepts

New:

  • 2–3 words (see Be Prepared)

Review:

  • All words introduced on Days 1 and 3

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.

BEGIN:

Large Letter X Card[Display letter X card.]

What is the name of this letter? What sound does the letter X make?

Letter X says /ks/, just like at the end of the word “fox.” /ks/, /ks/, fox. Let’s together say /ks/, /ks/, fox.

EXPLAIN:

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:

  • Display book cover. Explain that we have read our book two times this week. Each time we read the book we learn something new. Point to and say title of book. Engage children in describing what they remember about the book:
    • What is our book about?
    • Who were the main characters in our book?
    • What happened first? What happened next?
  • Point to and say the names of author and illustrator. Point to where to begin reading.
  • During the reading, pause on pages that include a word defined in the prior two readings of the book. Ask or remind children what the word means. Also pause during the reading to define the 2–3 words identified for today’s session, using the following approach:
    • Read the sentence with the novel word. Identify the novel word.
    • Repeat the sentence in which the word is used.
    • Define the novel word and connect the definition to the book.
  • After the book reading, write the 2–3 words targeted for today on the chart and engage children in a discussion of each word, using one or more of the following strategies:
    • Ask children to describe a picture related to the word.
    • Define a word without naming it and ask children to identify the word.
    • Encourage children to think about a novel word or phrase in another context.
  • Explain that different types of things happened in our book. Facilitate a discussion of children’s interpretations of events and/or characters in the book, especially events or characters related to one or more words defined this week. See Week 3, Day 5 for examples.]
Week 13:
Day 5

Counting Things

Mathematics

Large/Small Group

Skill and Goal

Number knowledge
Children will compare groups comprised of different amounts of items. Children will recognize numerals 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Materials
Needed

  • *Large numeral cards 1, 2, 3, and 4
  • 4 identical blocks
  • *Large dot card with 5 dots
  • Play food
  • Basket
  • *Large dot card with more than 5 dots
    *Printables provided

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • Equal

BEGIN:

This week we learned many things about numbers. Let’s talk about some of the things we know.

We know what numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 look like.

ASK:

[Display large numeral cards 1, 2, 3, and 4, one at a time, and ask the following questions about each displayed numeral:]

  • What number is this? Please show us that number on your fingers.
  • Check with the person next to you. Do you both have the same number of fingers up?
  • Let’s count together the number of dots on the card.

[Point to each dot as you lead children in counting.]

Number Cards

EXPLAIN:

We know how to compare groups of items. We can determine which group has more or fewer items.

ASK:

[Hold up a group of three fingers and a group of five fingers.]

  • Which group of fingers has more?
  • Which group of fingers has fewer? (three) How do we know?
  • What is it called when two groups have the same amount? (equal)
EXPLAIN:

We also know that when we move items in a group, the group still has the same number of items. Let’s practice with a group of blocks.

ASK:

[Arrange four identical blocks in a line, with space between each block.]

  • How many blocks are in our group? (four) How do we know?
    [Move the blocks into the shape of a square.]
  • How many blocks are in our group now? (four)
  • Did the number in our group change when I moved the blocks? (no, it stayed the same)
EXPLAIN:

This week we pretended to go shopping. We counted the same number of food items as the number of dots on a card. Let’s try it again.

ACT:

Dot Card 5[Display a card with five dots.]

How many dots are on this card? (five)

[Display basket of play food items.]

Let’s choose the same number of food items from our basket.

[Invite a volunteer child to count out the same number of food items from the basket. Display a card with more than five dots and invite children to count the number of dots as you point to each. Invite a different volunteer child to count out the same number of food items from the basket.]

Which group has fewer food items? How do we know?

RECAP:

This week we practiced comparing groups and finding which group has more or fewer. We are also learning more about numbers one, two, three, and four.

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • As an additional experience in determining which group has more (or fewer), line up a group of boys and a group of girls facing each other. Invite each boy and girl across from each other to shake hands or give a “high five.” Which group has more children (who cannot shake the hand of a child in the other group)?

Enrichment

  • After children count out two groups of food items from the basket, ask children how many more food items would be needed in the smaller group to make the two groups equal?
Mathematics

Center Activity

Provide small cups and 3–4 manipulatives of different types (counters, large buttons, pom-poms, beads, etc.). Encourage children to sort the manipulatives into the cups, with each cup holding a different kind of manipulative. Encourage children to determine which group (cup) has more or fewer. Are any of the groups equal?

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Encourage school-age children to read Sort it Out! (Arbordale Collection) by Barbara Mariconda and sort a variety of buttons by different attributes. Examples: shape, size, color, number of holes. Invite children to count the number of buttons in each group and determine which group has more (or fewer).

Week 13:
Day 5

Exploring Where We Live

Social Studies

Large Group

Skill and Goal

Knowledge of social and physical environments
Children will understand places that may be found in a neighborhood.

Materials
Needed

  • Places in My Neighborhood by Shelly Lyons
  • *4 pictures as shown (see Be Prepared)
    *Printables provided

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • Neighborhood

Be Prepared: Show and discuss with children the pictures of places in your center neighborhood (see Week 11, Day 5) instead of the ELM-provided pictures.

BEGIN:

Places in my Neighborhood book coverWe are learning about neighborhoods. Yesterday we read a book about some of the places that may be found in a neighborhood. What was one of the places described in our book? (fire station, police station, clinic, library, other houses and apartments, grocery store)

EXPLAIN:

Today we are going to talk about pictures of places we might find in our neighborhood.

ACT:

Fire Station, Hospital, Library and Grocery Store Photos[Display each of the provided pictures, one at a time, and use the following procedure with each to encourage children’s participation:

  • Some neighborhoods have a _____.
  • Have you ever been to (or seen) a _____? What was it like?
  • How does a _____ help people who live in the neighborhood?]
RECAP:

Today we talked about places we might find in a neighborhood. Which place was your favorite? Why?

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • In the opening segment, show selected pictures in the Day 4 book as reminders of places described yesterday.
  • Present pictures in order of children’s likely familiarity. Example: Begin with fire station if you anticipate most children know about a fire station.
  • Point out some of the characteristics of the pictured places to strengthen children’s familiarity. Example: “A grocery store has signs that tell people where to find certain kinds of food.”

Enrichment

  • Invite children to think of other places in their neighborhood that have not been discussed. (bakery, barber, post office, etc.)
Social Studies

Center Activity

Supply *pictures used in today’s activity and Places in My Neighborhood by Shelly Lyons. Encourage children to match pictures with pictures in the book of the same types of place. The book describes a child’s experience at a clinic. Explain to children that a clinic and a hospital both help people stay healthy or get healthy. The book shows more places than the pictures provided for today’s activity.
*Printables provided

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Display *pictures used in today’s activity, one at a time. Encourage children to think about how they might use one or more of their five senses in each neighborhood place. Example: “This is a fire station. What can we see here? What can we hear here? What can we touch here?”
*Printables provided

Week 13:
Day 5

Staying Healthy and Safe

Physical / Health

Large/Small Group

Skill and Goal

Good health practices
Children will understand ways to help their body take a rest.

Materials
Needed

None

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • Rest
  • Sleep
  • Calm
  • Relaxed

Also
Promotes

  • Self-Regulation

Optional
Reading

  • Sleepy Book by Charlotte Zolotow

BEGIN:

Yesterday we talked about how our bodies need to rest. We rest by taking a break from what we are doing and by relaxing our bodies. We can rest by sitting or lying down. We can rest by taking a nap or sleeping for a long time. We know that when we sleep, our eyes are closed and our mind and muscles are relaxed. It is important for our body to take a break from thinking and doing things.

ASK:

What kinds of things did you do yesterday to rest your bodies?

EXPLAIN:

Sometimes our bodies tell us when we are tired and need a rest. Our legs may start to feel heavy and hard to move when we are running or moving around a lot. This is how our body can tell us to sit or take a break from moving around.

We may yawn and rub our eyes when we feel tired. We may have a hard time keeping our eyes open.

ACT:
  • Let’s pretend we are tired by yawning and by rubbing our eyes.
  • Let’s pretend we are having a hard time keeping our eyes open.
EXPLAIN:

Sometimes it is easy to fall asleep when we are tired. Our eyes close, and our mind and muscles start to relax. We do not pay attention to what is going on around us when we sleep.

Sometimes it is hard to fall asleep. Our body may be really tired but we may want to keep moving or thinking about things.

ASK:

Do you ever have a hard time falling asleep? What happens?

EXPLAIN:

We have learned some things to do to calm our minds and our bodies. When we calm our mind, our noisy thoughts get quiet. We know that concentrating on our breathing can help our body feel relaxed. Our body feels calm when we are relaxed.

ACT:

Let’s practice concentrating on our breathing to help our bodies feel relaxed. As we breathe in and out, let’s put our hand on our stomach to feel how it moves as we breathe.

[Engage children in a brief period of concentrating on their breathing to help their bodies feel relaxed (Self-Regulation Week 10, Day 1).]

EXPLAIN:

During the rest time in our classroom or at home, we may not fall asleep. But we can give our bodies a break from doing things by concentrating on our breathing or doing something quietly.

[Expand on the above idea by reminding children of your classroom’s expectations of how children can use rest time.]

RECAP:

Today we learned that concentrating on our breathing can help us rest our bodies by making our bodies feel relaxed. We can keep our bodies healthy and strong by taking a break from what we are doing and by resting our bodies.

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • Demonstrate yawning, rubbing your eyes, and having a hard time keeping your eyes open (your head is nodding to the side of your body as you struggle to keep eyes open, etc.).
  • Some children may benefit from a fuller review of breathing strategies (see Self-Regulation Week 10).

Enrichment

  • Invite children to describe a time they have seen someone (such as an athlete) lean against a wall or fence or post, or lean over by putting their hands on their knees after running or playing in a game. Explain that this is a way of taking a short break.
  • Remind children that yoga is a way to calm our minds and relax our bodies. Yoga can help us concentrate on our breathing while stretching our bodies into different poses. You may wish to lead children in doing a yoga pose introduced in Self-Regulation Week 11.
Physical / Health

Center Activity

In the housekeeping center provide small boxes, such as shoeboxes, for children to use as beds for dolls/stuffed animals. Also, provide small blankets, pillows, and quiet lullaby music. Encourage children to pretend to put their dolls/animals to sleep. Children may also enjoy books to use in reading a bedtime story to their dolls/animals.

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Celebrate sleepy times with a pajama day. Encourage children to wear their pajamas during the day. Work with parents to make sure the pajamas worn by children do not impede normal movements during the day.