Week 23:
Day 5

Understanding Words

Language / Literacy

Large Group

Skill and Goal

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 names of the letters R and F.

Materials
Needed

  • *Letter R card
  • *Letter F 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 F CardLarge Letter R Card[Display the letter R card and the letter F card.]

  • What are the names of these letters?
  • Pop up if you have the letter R in your name!
  • Pop up if you have the letter F in your name!
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 23:
Day 5

Counting Things

Mathematics

Large Group

Skill and Goal

Number knowledge
Children will deepen their understanding of how to find the number that is one more than a given number.

Materials
Needed

  • Play food items used on Days 2 and 3
  • Brown paper bag
  • 10 toy pennies
  • *Small numeral cards 1–9
  • 10 small blocks
  • *Number list (Extra Support tip)
    *Printables provided

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • One more

BEGIN:

This week we are practicing how to find the number that is one more than another number.

ASK:
  • What number is one more than three?
  • What number is one more than nine?
EXPLAIN:

We practiced finding the number that is one more when we pretended to go grocery shopping. Each of us pulled an item from a bag and then counted out the number of toy pennies we would need to pay for it.

ACT:

[Display bag with food items and 10 toy pennies in front of you.

Pull several items, one at a time, from the bag and count out the same number of pennies as the price on the sticker. Then ask children how much the item would cost if the price was one more penny.]

Now let’s practice finding the number that is one more by looking at our number cards.

[Display a small numeral card and invite children to say what number is one more than the numeral displayed. Put blocks near by.]

Our card says number ___. Please help me count out ___ blocks plus one more.

[Lead children in counting out the number of blocks that represents one more as you point to each block.]

RECAP:

We are learning how to find the number that is one more than another number. Let’s march around the room and count to the number that is one more than nine. What number is one more than nine? We will march around and count with each step until we get to number 10!

[Lead children in marching and counting to 10.]

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • Use a number list to help children find the number that is one more.
  • If children need additional experience with counting the number of pennies listed on the price sticker, omit the “one more” question.

Enrichment

  • Invite children to choose another small numeral card and say the number that would be one more.
Mathematics

Center Activity

Provide 10 small baskets with a numeral from 1–10 taped to each basket. Supply small manipulatives, such as blocks or Unifix® cubes. Invite children to count out the number of items needed for each basket.

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Practice finding one more as you take a walk with children. Begin by asking children to find one thing. Examples: one house, one car, one dog. Then encourage children to say the numeral that is one more than one and find the same number of items. Example: “What number is one more than one? Iman says it’s two! Let’s find two things.” Lead children in counting each group of items found. Example: “Sasha found two flowers. Let’s count them. One, two. Two is one more than one!”

Week 23:
Day 5

Exploring Where We Live

Social Studies

Large Group

Skill and Goal

Knowledge of social and physical environments
Children will strengthen their understanding of the work of different community helpers.

Materials
Needed

  • Community helper props, costumes, and tools (see Be Prepared)

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • Community helper

Be Prepared: Children will pretend to be community helpers today in different areas of your classroom. Set up each of 3–4 areas in your classroom to represent places where community helpers work. Examples: hospital, school, library, restaurant, fire station, police station. Supply each area with job-related costumes, props, and tools. Examples: bandages, blankets, a stethoscope, and a thermometer are used in a hospital.

BEGIN:

We are learning about people who help others in our community. We call them community helpers.

EXPLAIN:

Today we can pretend to be a helper in our community. We can pretend that parts of our room are places where community helpers work. Let’s look at the places where helpers work in our community.

ACT:

[Take children on a brief tour of classroom areas of your room organized as places where community helpers work. Describe each area and its helpers. Example: “This part of our room has things used in a hospital. Doctors and nurses work in a hospital.”

Encourage children to pretend they are working as a helper in one of the areas in your classroom.]

RECAP:

Today we pretended to be community helpers. What tools did you use?

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • As children pretend to be different community helpers, offer ideas of scenarios they may encounter if it appears their play may need some focus. Example: “How can you help this little baby who hurt her toe?”
  • Encourage children to work together as community helpers. Example: Two firefighters working together on a fire. One child pretends to hold the water hose to spray a burning house as the second child rescues a kitten from the house.

Enrichment

  • Encourage children to think of the range of helpers in a particular place and consider switching roles. Example: Restaurants have wait staff, cooks, and people who clear tables and clean the floors. A child pretending to be a cook might like to try out working as wait staff.
Social Studies

Center Activity

Encourage children to continue community helper pretend play in different areas of your classroom.

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

Encourage children in your setting to pretend they are community helpers during outdoor time. Provide riding toys and props to enhance play.

Week 23:
Day 5

Moving Our Bodies

Physical / Health

Small Group

Skill and Goal

Motor development
Children will shift their weight by pretending to jump and move like a frog.

Materials
Needed

  • *1 picture as shown
    *Printables provided

Key
Concepts

Review:

  • Weight
  • Shift

Also
Promotes

  • Self-Regulation

Be Prepared: Arrange space for children to move their bodies (as pretend frogs) without bumping into others. Ask another adult to help with the activity, especially the opening segment where children briefly stand on one leg.

BEGIN:

Let’s all stand up straight and tall. Please put your arms to the side of your body. Our bodies are not leaning in one direction or another. Both of our feet and legs are holding our weight. We know that weight is how heavy something is.

ASK:

What could we do with our bodies so one foot and leg is holding more of our weight than our other foot and leg? (stand on one foot/leg, lean our body to one side)

EXPLAIN:

Yesterday we practiced shifting the weight of our body. Remember, shift means to move something from one place to another place. We shifted our weight from one foot to our other foot. Let’s practice shifting our weight again.

ACT:

[Invite a volunteer child to demonstrate the actions as you describe each.]

Let’s first shift our weight by moving our bodies from side to side. We slightly lift the foot that is opposite of the foot we stand on. We need to go slowly so we can pay attention to how our body weight shifts from one foot to our other foot when we move our bodies from side to side.

[Encourage children to move their bodies from side to side. Offer verbal guidance as appropriate.]

How can we use our arms to help us keep our balance when we shift our weight from one side to the other side of our body? (put out arm)

Now let’s practice standing on one foot and leg. Remember, we use the arm that is opposite of the leg we stand on to help us keep our balance.

[Encourage children to stand on one foot/leg. Offer verbal guidance as appropriate.]

Let’s put our feet on the floor so both of our legs are holding our weight.

Now let’s stand on our other foot/leg.

EXPLAIN:

Picture of child in frog positionYesterday we also practiced shifting our weight by pretending we were a frog.

[Display picture of child in frog position.]

We tried to make our bodies look like the child in this picture.

We tried to jump like a frog. What was the hardest part of trying to jump like a frog?

Today we will try to move our body forward when we jump like a frog. We will put our hands a little further in front of us so our body can move ahead when we jump.

ACT:

Let’s all try to move our body forward when we jump like a frog. I will remind us of what to do:

  • bend our legs while moving them apart
  • put our hands on the floor (palms down) in front of our body
  • lean forward on our hands
  • jump our feet/legs and move forward a little

It is easier to move our body forward when we put our hands further in front of us. Please keep trying this part of moving like a frog.

[Encourage children to practice several forward movements by putting their hands further ahead. Provide individualized guidance to children on placing their hands on the floor further away from their body.]

ASK:

What happens to our weight when we lean forward on our hands? (weight shifts to hands/arms; more of our body is being held by our hands/arms)

RECAP:

Today we practiced shifting the weight of our body. We pretended to be frogs. We paid attention to how our body weight shifts when we lean forward on our hands. We also paid attention to how our body weight shifts when we move from side to side and stand on one foot and leg.

Scaffolding tips

Scaffolding Tips

Extra support

  • Some children may benefit from the support of an adult (holding a hand/arm) when trying to stand on one foot/leg.
  • Invite a child volunteer to demonstrate the steps you describe for getting into a frog position and then jumping forward.
  • Remember that some children may prefer to watch rather than try various movements.

Enrichment

  • Ask children to describe why it is easy to fall when we stand on one foot/leg. (the weight of our body is not balanced; our body weight leans strongly in one direction, causing us to fall)
  • Demonstrate and explain how people who run for exercise often lean against a wall when they stretch (by pulling up) a leg. Ask children why people lean against a wall to stretch their leg.
Physical / Health

Center Activity

Use tape or string to create a short path for children to follow in moving forward like frogs.

Family Child Care

Family Child Care

At pickup time invite children to show their families how they are learning to shift the weight of their body.