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 say the sounds of letter K.
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: Brief sentences are used in Days 1, 3, and 5 as opportunities for children to identify letters, especially lowercase letters. The sentences suggested in each plan focus on recent content in Self-Regulation, Social-Emotional, or Social Studies. You may wish to prepare a different set of sentences related to some aspect of your classroom’s current activities. If you prepare your own sentence, be sure to include the set of letters being reviewed this week in words that use the letter sound introduced in the curriculum, including short vowel sounds. There are opportunities later in the curriculum to introduce other sounds of letters, including long vowel sounds.
The second segment of the plan is the first of three repeated readings of a book with children. Today’s reading focuses on children’s understanding of basic information presented in the book. In advance of the session, identify all novel words in the book you intend to define for children across three days of reading the book. Select one or two important words to define for children today, especially words that are essential to understanding the book. See the Language/Literacy section of the ELM User Guide: 3–5 Years for additional information. Write the following at the top of the chart paper: Words We Understand.
Let’s practice finding a letter we know by looking for it 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:
We are responsible when we make good choices.]
We want to find the lowercase letter k in our sentence.
[Display letter K card. Point to the lowercase k on the card.
Encourage a volunteer child to look for and point to the lowercase letter k in the sentence as you display the letter K card.] 
What sound does the letter K make?
Yes! Letter K says /k/. Let’s together say the sound of the letter K: /k/.
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:
Number knowledge
Children will collect, organize, and present information on a chart.
New:
Be Prepared: Organize a simple, four-column chart as shown. Include a cutout of a boy, a cutout of a girl, and a cutout of both a boy and a girl.
If time is limited, put tally marks on the chart after each group stands up rather than invite each child to put his/her mark on the chart. Describe the process. Example: “Five children are standing because they have a brother only. I will put five tally marks on our chart. I will put the marks in the section that says ‘Brother.’”
[Display prepared chart and point to its parts as you describe them.] 
Today we will use a chart to show how many of us have brothers and sisters. Let’s take a look at our chart.
[Adjust the “stand up” requests below to include more than one brother only or more than one sister only, if appropriate for children in your classroom. Example: “Stand up if you have a brother or brothers only.”]
Please come to our chart and put a mark under brother, sister, both, or neither when I call your name. Neither means you do not have a brother or a sister.
[Invite children, one at a time, to put a tally mark under brother, sister, both, or neither.]
Let’s count the marks together for each group.
[Lead children in counting the marks, pointing to each one as you count.]
Today we made a chart about the number of brothers and sisters we have. How many of us have neither a brother or a sister? Were any of our groups equal?
Extra support
As you count each group, touch each mark to help children understand that when we count to find out how many, the last number counted is the total number in the group.
Enrichment
Ask children the following questions: “What number would we put on our chart if there were no marks for a group?” (zero) “What does zero mean?” (none) ”Do most of us in our classroom have a brother(s) only, a sister(s) only, both a brother(s) and sister(s), or neither?”
Fill a small tub with various colored items. Invite children to sort the items by color.
To extend this activity, invite children to draw a picture of their brothers and sisters. If they have neither, invite them to draw their parents.
Executive function
Children will regulate their behaviors in response to different oral and visual prompts.
Review:
Be Prepared: If time permits, offer Sleeping, Sleeping, All the Children Are Sleeping from Week 34, Day 2 as a second game. If the game described below is too challenging for a majority of children, stop at an appropriate place and offer Sleeping, Sleeping, All the Children Are Sleeping from Week 34, Day 2. The game for today may be less challenging when offered again at a later point.
Today we will play Conducting an Orchestra. This game helps us to concentrate on what we need to do.
How do we play Conducting an Orchestra?
We know that an orchestra is a group of people who play certain kinds of musical instruments together.
What does someone do when they conduct an orchestra? (lead it)
So, when someone conducts an orchestra, they lead a group of people playing certain kinds of musical instruments.
[Give each child a musical instrument. Instruments may include drums, bells, triangles, rhythm sticks, etc. Provide children with a few moments to play their instruments.]
I will be the conductor, and you will be the orchestra. When I wave the baton, we will play our instruments slowly or quickly.
What should we do when I stop waving the baton? (stop playing instrument)
Let’s try it.
[Wave the baton as children play the instruments slowly or quickly. Continue for several minutes as children practice playing quickly or slowly and stopping while watching the baton.]
Now we are going to change the game a little. This time when I wave the baton quickly, we will play our instruments loudly. When I wave the baton slowly, we will play our instruments quietly. When I stop waving the baton, we will stop playing.
[Wave the baton quickly and encourage children to play their instruments loudly. After a few seconds, begin waving the baton slowly and encourage children to play their instruments quietly. Stop waving the baton and wait until all children have stopped playing their instruments. Continue practicing with the rule changes for several minutes.]
Today we again played Conducting an Orchestra. We changed the rules of the game.
Extra support
Enrichment
Invite children to continue playing Conducting an Orchestra. Encourage children to take turns waving the baton. Ensure the baton does not have a pointed or sharp tip. A soft stick-like item may be used as a baton.
Try using the baton during cleanup time. When you move the stick fast, encourage children to clean up quickly. When you move the stick slowly, encourage children to clean up slowly.
Knowledge of creative processes, Skills that support creative expression
Children will understand that shapes can be found in some art.
Review:
Be Prepared: Provide a set of felt shape cutouts in a clear ziplock bag for each child. Each felt set should include two circles, two squares, two triangles, and two rectangles.
Last week we learned how artists can use lines to create art. We looked at pictures of paintings with different types of lines. We learned that lines can be placed up and down, side to side, or on a diagonal in art. Lines can be thick or thin.
Today we will find out how some art includes shapes. We work with shapes a lot in our classroom. Last week we played a game with shapes called Wiggle Worm Shapes.
Let’s quickly remind ourselves of the names of some shapes.
[Display circle, square, rectangle, and triangle cutouts, one at a time. Invite children to name each.]
Some art is made with shapes. Some art includes items that look like shapes.
Let’s look for shapes in some pictures of paintings.
[Display the three pictures of paintings, one at a time. Encourage children to look closely at each picture.
ask if the shapes are the same or different. If different, how are they different? (size)]
We can be creative with shape cutouts and make something with some shapes. Please watch how shapes can be used to make a picture of something.
[On the flannel board, place a felt triangle on top of a felt square to form a house. Identify each shape and how it contributes to what you made. Example: triangle is a roof.
Expand the demonstration by indicating you want the sun to be part of your creation. Ask children what shape you could use to show the sun. Where should the shape be placed?]
[Give each child a set of felt shapes.]
Now it is your turn to make something from shapes. You can make whatever you want with the shapes.
[Encourage children to describe what they are making and what shapes they are using.]
Shapes can be used to make art. Some art shows things that look like shapes. We found shapes in some pictures of paintings. Each of us made something with shape cutouts. Shapes are a part of art.
Extra support
Enrichment
In the art center, place examples of four basic shapes next to the easel or other painting station. Encourage children to include different shapes in their paintings.
Invite children to look for shapes in pictures and artwork that is available in your setting.
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