Letter knowledge
Children will identify, name, and say the sound of letters Z, Q, I, U, and V.
Review:
Be Prepared: If possible, please use a small group for today’s activity so there is sufficient time for use of letter manipulatives. Place a set of letter manipulatives that contains letters Z, Q, I, U, and V in a small cup for each child. Be sure letters are formed in the same manner in the letter manipulatives and on the mat.
On Day 2 we matched letters on letter cards to letters on our letter mats. Today we are going to match letters again.
What is a letter? (a special mark used to make words)
[Display letter manipulatives.]
Each of us will use uppercase letters Z, Q, I, U, and V and a letter mat to do our activity.
[Pass out a letter mat and cup of letter manipulatives to each child.]
I will say the name of the first letter on our letter mat, and then we will say the letter name together. Next I will say the sound the letter makes, and we will say the sound together. Finally, we will find the letter from our cup that matches the letter on our letter mat and place the letter on top of the letter on our letter mat.
Let’s look at the first letter on our letter mat.
[Point to the letter Z on the letter mat.]
This is the letter Z. Let’s together say its name.
The letter Z makes the sound /z/, like at the beginning of the word “zigzag.” Let’s together say the sound of letter Z: /z/.
Now we want to find the letter Z in our cup.
[Help children find the letter Z manipulative, if necessary.]
Now let’s place the letter Z on our letter mat.
[Place the letter Z manipulative on top of the letter Z on the letter mat.]
Let’s try another letter!
[Point to letter Q on the letter mat. Say its name and ask children to together repeat its name. Next, say its sound, a word that begins with the same sound, and then ask children to together repeat its sound. Finally, encourage children to find the letter Q manipulative and place it on the letter Q on the letter mat. Continue until you have said the name, sound, and matched each letter on the letter mat in order.]
Today we learned more about letters Z, Q, I, U, and V. We matched letters from our cup to the same letter on our letter mat. We also said each letter name and sound.
Extra support
Enrichment
Play a letter toss game. Tape *small letter cards Z, Q, I, U, and V in random order on the floor. Provide a beanbag for children to gently toss to a letter card.
*Printables provided
Review letters with *picture cards and letter manipulatives. Provide picture cards that correspond to each letter on the letter mat. Example: Letter “Z” picture cards include zebra, zipper, zoo, and zucchini. Mix up picture cards and invite a child to choose a picture card. Encourage the child to say the name of the picture card. Then say “A ___ begins with the sound /__/.” Invite the child to then find the letter manipulative that makes the same sound.
*Printables provided
Number Knowledge
Children will compare two groups of items by using the concepts of equal, more, and fewer.
2 large dice
Review:
Offer the Week 6, Day 4 activity to review the use of “more” and “fewer” when comparing two groups.
Support children in comparing the number of dots at the top of two large dice.
Open the session by rolling two large dice. Lead children in counting the number of dots on the top of each die. Restate each number. Then ask which die has more dots. Roll the large dice again and lead children in counting the number of dots on the top of each die. Restate each number. Then ask which die has fewer dots. Finally, place the dice on the table or floor with the same number of dots on the top of each die. State the number of dots on each. Ask children what word means our two dice show the same number of dots. (equal)
Invite two children to roll the large dice (one die each). Encourage each child to count the dots on his/her die and say again the number. Ask the two children whether their dice are equal in the number of dots. If not, then encourage the two children to point to the die that has more dots. Repeat this procedure with a different pair of children. After asking whether the dice are equal, encourage the two children to point to the die which has fewer dots. Across pairs of children, alternate asking which die has more or fewer.
When the dice are not equal in number, add challenge by asking how many more dots the die with fewer dots would need to be equal to the other die.
Good health practices
Children will broaden their understanding of types of foods that are healthy to eat.
Option 2
Option 3
Options 2 and 3
Review:
UPDATE: The book used in Option 2 may be challenging to secure. Option 3 is an alternative activity focused on the same learning goal.
Offer the Week 20, Day 4 activity to review types of healthy foods.
Support children in identifying food items displayed in a book organized by types of food.
Introduce and read Using MyPlate (Healthy Eating with MyPlate). Pause on the pages listed below to invite children to identify types of food they recognize. Also provide an opportunity for children to say the name of a similar food not shown on the book pages. Example: “Is there another vegetable you know that is not shown in our book?”
Engage children in selecting healthy food from five food groups for pretend lunches for two different children.
Be Prepared: Two full-size plates used by children at your center are preferable. Plates should be the same size. Set the two plates on a low table or small mat that easily accommodates side-by-side plates. Set aside the picture card that shows jam. It is not used in this activity because it is high in added sugars. Organize the remaining 25 color-coded cards into five types of food (five cards each): vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy. If available, play food items that correspond to the picture card foods may be used instead of the cards.
Invite children to sit in a circle around the low table or mat so all children can see.
Open the gathering by reminding children that we know a lot about different types of food that are healthy for us to eat. Example: “Today let’s put together pretend lunches for two children. Deciding what to include in each lunch will help us remember what we know about good food. We have picture cards that show five different types of food.” Show and name some examples. Help children think about imaginary children for this activity. Example: “We have one plate for each of our two pretend children. Let’s have one pretend girl and one pretend boy. What should we call each imaginary child?” Avoid names that are the same as children in your room.
Ask children whether they think our two pretend children will want to eat the same thing. Encourage discussion of differences in food preferences. Example: “Is it okay for two children to like different types of food? Why?”
Begin food selection with vegetables. Remind children that we talked about vegetables last week (Week 41, Day 4). Show and name each of the five vegetable picture cards. Place each card with picture face up near the two plates. Invite children to select a vegetable for one of the pretend children. Use the selected name of the pretend child. Place (or invite a child to place) the corresponding picture card on the plate. Repeat the name of the vegetable. Then encourage children to select a different vegetable for the second pretend child. Use the selected name of the second pretend child. Use the same procedure for placing the picture card on the second plate and repeating its name.
Continue this process with the remaining four food groups, one group at a time. Emphasize that we are putting together two different types of lunches. If some children do not recognize pictures of raw meat, explain that this is what some meats look like before they are cooked. The discussion of dairy food might benefit from a reminder of last week’s attention to how most milk we drink comes from cows (Week 41, Day 5).
End the session by inviting children to remind us what we included in each pretend child’s lunch. Review one plate at a time. You may wish to point to each picture card or invite a child to point to each picture as it is named. Then ask whether one of our pretend lunches is healthier than the other. Emphasize that each lunch is healthy because it has food from each of the types of food that is good for us to eat.
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Exploring Where We Live
Social Studies
Skill and Goal
Knowledge of social and physical environments
Children will understand basic characteristics of ships.
Materials
Needed
*Printables provided
Key
Concepts
New:
Optional
Reading
[Display globe. Point to an ocean as you describe it.]
An ocean is a very big area of water. Let’s pretend that we want to move across the water from one side of the ocean to the other side of the ocean. It is a very long trip.
[Display pictures of rowboat and motorboat.]
A rowboat and a motorboat are too small to use on an ocean. We can use a ship to move across the ocean.
A ship is a very big boat used to travel long distances over the water. Ships have engines that move them through the water.
There are different kinds of ships. Each one has a special job to do.
This is a cruise ship. A cruise ship carries many people and their things long distances across the water. Cruise ships are made for people to have fun. Cruise ships usually have playgrounds, swimming pools, and places for people to eat.
[Point to lifeboats on the side of the cruise ship.]
These are called lifeboats. A lifeboat is used if the ship has an emergency and people need to leave the ship. Lifeboats take people from the ship to a safe place.
[Display picture of cargo ship. Point to cargo as you describe it.]
This is a picture of a cargo ship. A cargo ship carries items a long distance across an ocean or other big area of water. Cargo ships can carry items on top of the ship or inside the ship.
A ship is a very big boat used to travel long distances over the water. Ships move across oceans or other big areas of water. Cruise ships are made for people to have fun. A cargo ship is made to move items across the water.
Scaffolding Tips
Extra support
Enrichment
Center Activity
Take small transportation vehicles outside for use in a sandbox or other designated area. Invite children to create roads and runways for the vehicles.
Family Child Care
Provide toy boats/ships and water. Encourage children to use words they have learned to describe their play. Use the following prompts to encourage/support their play: “Are you playing with a ship or a boat?” “Where is your ship/boat taking you?” “What is your ship/boat carrying?”