[Display letter N card.]

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

Letter N says /n/, just like in “numbers.” /n/, /n/, numbers. Let’s together say /n/, /n/, numbers.

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.]

We are learning how to use a chart. We know that a chart is used to organize and present information. Remember, we can organize our information by putting it in a certain area or order. What are some of the things we counted this week? (ourselves, favorite animal, favorite play food, favorite color, pom-poms)

We used craft sticks to show our favorite play food and our favorite animal. Let’s again look at our charts.

[Display play food chart used in Day 2.]

• Which play food was our classroom’s favorite?
• How did we figure out which play food was our classroom’s favorite? (we counted the number of craft sticks put by each play food and determined which food had the most sticks)
• There are numbers on our chart. What do the numbers mean? (how many craft sticks were put by each play food)
  [Display animal chart used in Day 2.]
• Which animal was our classroom’s favorite?
• How did we find out which animal was our class favorite? (we counted the number of craft sticks put by each animal and determined which animal had the most sticks)

We also used a chart to organize information about our favorite color.

[Display favorite color chart used in Day 3.]

• Which color was our classroom’s favorite?
• How did we figure out which color was our class favorite? (we counted the number of dots above each color and determined which group had the most dots)

This week we used charts to organize and present information. We wrote numbers on our charts to tell what things were our favorites.

Yesterday we learned that when people vote on something, they make a choice together. The thing with the most votes is the winner.

Today we are going to vote again. This time we are going to vote for a game to play during outdoor time. We learned yesterday that it is important to think carefully about our choices before we vote on something.

[Point to and describe choices as depicted on the chart.]

We are going to vote between Duck, Duck, Goose and soccer. Let’s take a minute to think about why we might want to vote for one of the games instead of the other. We need to vote on one game because we will only have time to play one game during our outdoor time.

• What is something you like about the game Duck, Duck, Goose?
• What is something you like about soccer?

Now let’s vote. I will give each of you a sticker. You can use your sticker as you vote. Please put your sticker under Duck, Duck, Goose if you would like to play this game. Please put your sticker under soccer if you would like to play soccer.

[Point to and say the two choices on the chart. Invite children, one at a time, to place their sticker under their choice. Encourage children to place their sticker where it can be easily counted (not on top of another sticker). Remind children that their sticker is their vote.]

Now let’s count how many stickers on our chart are under Duck, Duck, Goose.

[Lead children in counting the total number of stickers in the group as you point to each sticker. Write the number on the chart next to the stickers.]

Now let’s count how many stickers on our chart are under soccer.

[Again, lead children in counting the total number of stickers in the group as you point to each sticker. Write the number on the chart next to the stickers. Point to each number as it is discussed.]

Remember, the game with the most votes is the winner. Duck, Duck, Goose had ___ votes. Soccer had ___ votes. ___ votes is more than ___ votes. (Name of game) had the most votes. It is the winner.

Some of us may be disappointed that the game we voted for did not win. Sometimes it helps us feel better to think of some good things about our voting.

What are some good things about the game that won? (ball is fun to kick, chasing someone is fun)

Today we voted for a game to play together during outdoor time. We voted between two different games. The game with the most votes is the game we will play. Some of us may be disappointed that the game we voted for did not win. We talked about some things to think about if we feel disappointed.

Yesterday we pretended our classroom was a forest. We moved in different ways around the pretend trees in our forest. We avoided bumping into each other by looking carefully at people near us.

How did we avoid bumping into one of our pretend trees? (walked around it, moved to the side of it)

[Walk along and point to the two different rows of “trees” as you describe today’s “forest.”]

We will move in our pretend forest again. Our pretend forest today is different from the forest we moved through yesterday. There are two different lines of trees.

Today we will walk next to one line of pretend trees. We know that one way to be next to something is to be by its side. Our bodies will be next to the trees when we walk beside this line of pretend trees. Please watch me show you which line of trees we will walk next to.

[Demonstrate walking at a normal pace alongside a line of “trees”; walk on the outside of the line, not between the two lines of trees. See diagram. Demonstrate putting arms and hands next to your body to avoid bumping into a “tree.”]

We will keep our arms and hands next to our bodies so we do not bump into or knock over any of our trees.

We will walk around the trees that are in our second line of trees. We can walk around something by making part of a circle with our body. Please watch me walk around the trees in our second line of trees.

[Demonstrate and describe walking around each tree. See diagram. Keep arms and hands to the sides of your body.]

• Where were my arms and hands when I walked around the tree?
• Why? (to avoid arm/hand bumping into a “tree”)

[Point to the starting point for walking next to a line of “trees.”]

We will start here for our walk next to a line of pretend trees. We will go one at a time. We want to look at the person in front of us and at our line of pretend trees so we do not bump into someone or into a pretend tree.

When we get to the end of our first line of trees, we will turn around and walk around the trees in our second line of trees. Please watch me walk each of the lines of trees.

[Demonstrate and describe walking next to the first line of “trees,” turning, and then walking around each “tree” in the second line. At the end of your demonstration, point out that you ended up near the place where you started.]

[Use an orderly process for starting each child on a walk next to the first line. A second adult can help guide children in turning around at the end of the first line and starting the process of walking around “trees” in the second line. Provide verbal guidance as appropriate. Children may benefit from reminders about not rushing. Repeat once or more often if time and child interest permit.]

Today we walked next to one line of pretend trees, and we walked around trees in our second line of pretend trees. Which line took longer (more time) to walk? Is it harder to walk next to something or to walk around something? Why?