We are learning about letters. We know that a letter is a special mark used to make words. In the past few weeks we have learned about letters M, T, R, F, and W.

[Display letter cards M, T, R, F, and W. Point to and name each uppercase and lowercase letter. Example: “Remember, this is an uppercase M and this is a lowercase m.” After you name a letter, invite children to pop up if the letter is in their name.]

Today we will use a letter mat to help us remember the letters we are learning.

[Display letter mat.]

Our letter mat contains the uppercase and lowercase letters we have learned so far. We will each use our own letter mat for this activity.

[Pass out a letter mat to each child.]

I am going to mix up the letter cards and then show them to you one at a time. When we see a letter card, we will point to the same letter on our letter mat.

[Hold up letter card M.

Let’s find this letter on our letter mat.

[Lead children in looking for, pointing to, and saying letter M on their letter mat. Explain how you found the letter M. Example: “This letter has a straight line up, then a line down, then another line up, and then another line down. It looks just like the uppercase letter on our letter card.”]

The letter M says /m/. Let’s together say the letter sound: /m/.

Now let’s find another letter!

[Hold up remaining letter cards, one at a time. Invite children to first point to the matching letter on their letter mat. Then ask children to repeat the letter name and the letter sound.]

Today we learned more about letters M, T, R, F, and W. We used our letter mats to find the letter that matched our letter card. Then we said the name and sound of the letter.

Yesterday we compared the weight of different things. Remember, weight means how heavy something is.

Today we will use our balance scale again to compare the weight of things.

How does a balance scale work? (we put an item on each side; heavier item pushes down its side of the scale)

Let’s compare the weight of some items that are heavier and lighter.

We will see what happens when we place two items that are lighter on one side of the balance scale and two items that are heavier on the other side of the balance scale.

[Invite a volunteer child to place two lighter items (pencil and marker) on one side of the balance scale. Then invite a different volunteer child to, one at a time, place two heavier items (cup and book) on the other side of the balance scale.]

• What happened to the balance scale when we placed the heavier items on one side? (it went down)
• What do you think will happen when we take off one heavier item?

[Invite a volunteer child to remove one heavier item from the balance scale. Discuss what happens. Explain that the remaining heavier item weighs more than both lighter items. We know this because the side of the balance scale with the remaining heavier item is still lower than the other side.]

Our heavier item still on the balance scale is heavier than both of our lighter items.

What do you think will happen when we take off the second heavier item? (the balance scale will move)

[Invite a volunteer child to remove the second heavier item from the balance scale. Discuss what happens. Try the activity again with different items, if time permits.]

Today we used a balance scale to compare the weight of some items. We found that one heavier item can weigh more than two lighter items.

We know that an emotion is the way we feel

• What emotion might we feel if we received an invitation to a party? (happy, excited)
• What emotion might we feel if our brother or sister broke our favorite toy? (sad, angry)

Today we are going to read a book about a boy who feels many emotions during the week. Each day he feels a different emotion.

Our book is called On Monday When It Rained. It was written by Cherryl Kachenmeister. The photographs in the book were taken by Tom Berthiaume.

[As you read the book, pause after you read each situation to engage children in a discussion focused on the following:]

• How might you feel if this happened to you?
  [After you turn the page to display the boy’s expression, ask the following questions before revealing the boy’s emotion:]
• What emotion do you think the boy is feeling?
• What do you notice about his face?
  [After you reveal the boy’s emotion, invite children to describe a time they felt the same or a similar emotion.]

Today we read a book about different emotions a boy felt each day. We looked closely at the boy’s face to figure out what emotion he might be feeling. We also talked about how we might feel if we had a similar experience.

We are learning about animals and plants live in water habitats. What is a habitat? (a place where certain types of animals and plants live)

Many kinds of fish live in a water habitat. Fish can be found in big and small water habitats.

Pop up if you have a pet fish at home!

Who would like to describe some characteristics of a fish? (scales, tail, etc.)

[Display picture of a fish fin.]

The body of a fish is made to help the fish swim. This is a picture of a fin. A fin is a flat pointed part that sticks out of the body of a fish. Fish use their fins to move through the water. Fish also use their tails to help them swim.

What are some other animals that have a tail?

Fish sometimes need to hide from other animals that may want to eat them. We learned yesterday that some fish use plants to hide from other things in a water habitat.

[Display picture of a fish hiding in kelp.]

This fish is hiding in kelp. We learned yesterday that kelp is a plant that grows in the ocean.

Why do some fish hide in plants? (other animals in the water cannot easily see the fish when it is near the plants; will not get eaten)

Fish also find their food in a water habitat. Fish eat plants or animals or both plants and animals.

Fish find their food by using their senses. Senses help us get information about things near us. Fish use their sense of sight, their sense of smell, and their sense of hearing to find food in a water habitat.

• What do you think we might see in a water habitat if we were a fish? (other animals, plants)
• What do you think we might smell in a water habitat if we were a fish? (food, other animals)
• What do you think we might hear in a water habitat if we were a fish? (other animals)

Let’s pretend we are a fish looking for food in a water habitat!

[Encourage children to move like a fish and pretend to look for food.]

Today we learned how fish live in a water habitat. We learned that fish use their fins and tails to move in the water. Some fish also use plants to hide from other fish that may want to eat them. Fish use their senses to find food in a water habitat.