Let’s practice finding letters we know by looking for them in a sentence. Remember, a sentence is a group of words that gives us information or tells us what to do. A sentence can also ask a question.

[Write the following sentence on a chart or whiteboard. Read each word as you write the sentence:

There are six skyscrapers in our large community.]

We want to find lowercase letters x and s in our sentence. Let’s begin with the letter x.

[Display letter card X. Point to the lowercase x on the card.

Encourage a volunteer child to look for and point to a lowercase letter x in the sentence as you display the X letter card.]

What sound does the letter X make?

Yes! Letter X says /ks/. Let’s together say the sound of the letter X: /ks/.

[Repeat the above procedure with the letter s.]

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:

• Display book cover and encourage children to discuss what the book might be about.
• Explain that reading a book is a good way to learn new words. We will talk about some words each time we read the book this week. Remind children of the Words We Understand chart.
• Read title of book as you point to each word. Point to and say the names of the author and illustrator.
• Introduce and provide child-friendly descriptions of two novel words included in today’s book. Write words on the chart as you point to and say each again.
• Point to the first text word and explain this is where we begin reading the book. Read the book verbatim. Pause to discuss words, events, or characters that seem confusing to children. Point to and describe illustrations directly related to book text.
• After reading the book, engage children in recalling main parts of the book and novel words emphasized today:
  • What is our book about?
  • Who were the main characters?
  • What happened first? What happened next?
• Engage children in a brief discussion of novel words emphasized today. Display and discuss book pictures that pertain to each word.
  • What does each word mean?
  • How was each word used in today’s book?]

Let’s think about ducks. We will need five people to be ducks. Each of the five ducks will hold a number card to help us practice counting.

[Give a large numeral card to each of the volunteer “ducks.”]

Let’s have our ducks line up with their numbers like a number list!

[Help arrange children in a line with numeral cards in order from 1–5. Point to the numbered ducks you identify in the following questions.]

• What number duck comes after duck number four?
• What number duck comes after duck number two?
• Now let’s look at ducks three and four. Which of these two numbers is more? How do we know?

Let’s do a pattern with sounds. We know that a pattern is something that repeats itself.

Let’s say a “Quack” and “Waddle” pattern. We can try it together. Quack, waddle, quack, waddle, quack, waddle. . . .

What is another simple pattern we can do with words or sounds? Remember, a simple pattern uses two things that repeat themselves.

[Encourage children to think of simple verbal patterns and try their suggestions.]

Let’s try a simple pattern with our bodies. We can try to flap our wings and then jump! Our pattern is flap, jump, flap, jump.

Are you ready?

[Demonstrate a “wing flap” and a jump. Lead children in a flap, jump, flap, jump pattern. Say each motion as you move. “Flap, jump, flap, jump. . . .”]

Who can think of another simple pattern we can do with our bodies?

[Encourage children to think of other simple patterns they can do with their bodies. Try their suggestions.]

Now let’s have six different little ducks line up. This time we will do a simple pattern with our ducks. Let’s try big, small, big, small. The big ducks will stand up tall, and the small ducks will kneel on the floor.

[Arrange children in the big, small, big, small simple pattern by having the “big ducks” stand and the “small ducks” kneel on the floor. Say the pattern together while pointing to each big and small “duck.”]

Today we practiced counting and did simple patterns with words, sounds, our bodies, and with the pretend ducks.

Today we are going to play a new game called Mirror, Mirror. During this game, we will pretend we are looking in a mirror. Remember, when we pretend, we make believe we are a different person or we make believe a toy we are playing with is something different. We will pretend this craft stick is a mirror!

[Display craft stick as if you were pretending it was a mirror.]

Please watch as we show you how the game works.

[Stand face-to-face with another adult.]

When I hold up my craft stick and look at (adult helper), I am going to pretend I am looking in a mirror. When I pretend to look in the mirror, I will pretend (adult helper) is what I see when I look in the mirror. Whenever I do something, (adult helper) will copy me by doing the same thing!

[Demonstrate by making silly faces or moving your body. Each time you move, the other adult is to move in the same way.]

When I did something while looking in my pretend mirror, (adult helper) did the same thing!

Now we are all going to play. We will each have a partner for this game. As we play the game with our partner, we will take turns holding the craft stick and pretending to look in the mirror. After the person who is pretending to look in the mirror does several things, we will switch and the other person will hold the craft stick and pretend to look in the mirror.

[Observe as children play Mirror, Mirror. Encourage children to copy the other person’s movements as they pretend to look in the mirror. Invite children to switch roles after a few minutes.]

Today we pretended to look in a mirror during the Mirror, Mirror game. What would happen if we didn’t pay close attention to our partner? (we wouldn’t know what to do)

Let’s think about how big we are. Have you always been as tall as you are now? Will you get taller and bigger as you grow up?

We know that all living things grow and change over time. All of us were babies earlier in our lives. Now we are bigger and taller. And I am even taller and bigger because I am an adult just like your parent.

• Was your parent ever a baby?
• Do you have a grandparent in your family? Was your grandparent ever a baby?

We are going to spend the next few weeks learning how living things grow and change over time. We call this a life cycle. The life cycle means a living thing is growing and changing over time. All living things go through a life cycle.

[Display pictures of a baby and a child.]

People change from when they are babies to when they are children your age.

• How do people change in size from when they are babies to when they are your age?
• What on a person’s body gets bigger? (everything)

I am going to pass out our science journals so we can draw a picture of ourselves as a baby. Let’s think about some things we could include in our drawing of ourselves as a baby.

• Was your hair the same?
• How about your teeth?
• Were your eyes the same color? You have grown and changed since you were a baby.

[As children draw, ask questions about characteristics they’ve included.]

Today we thought about how living things grow and change over time. We call this a life cycle. All living things go through a life cycle. We are different today than when we were a baby. When you are an adult, will you look any different than you do now?