Today we are going to play a game with picture cards. We will listen for sounds in words when we play this game.

I am going to show you three picture cards. Two of the picture cards end with the same sound. One of the picture cards ends with a different sound. We are going to figure out which two cards end with the same sound. Let me show you first.

[Display picture cards for hand, bed, and cake. Point to each picture as you say its name while clearly enunciating the final sound of each word.]

I have pictures of a hand, bed, and cake. Hand and bed end with the /d/ sound. Cake ends with the /k/ sound.

I am going to write the words “hand” and “bed” on this chart. The words “hand” and “bed” end with the same sound.

Let’s together say the words “hand” and “bed.”

[Encourage children to emphasize the final sounds as they say hand and bed.]

Now let’s say the word “cake” together.

[Encourage children to emphasize the final sound as they say the word “cake.”]

I want to write the letter that makes the /d/ sound above the words “hand” and “bed.” Which letter should I write above the words “hand” and “bed”? (d)

[Continue playing the game with groups of three cards (see Be Prepared), using the same procedure. Continue as time allows.]

Now we are going to learn a different letter of the alphabet.

[Display letter K card.]

Does anyone know the name of this letter?

This is the letter K. We can write the letter K in two ways. We can write the letter K like this.

[Demonstrate writing an uppercase K at the top of a chart paper.]

This is an uppercase K.

We can also write the letter K like this.

[Demonstrate writing a lowercase k at the top of a chart paper.]

This is a lowercase k.

Several weeks ago we learned about kicking. We use our leg and foot when we kick.

The word “kick” begins and ends with the letter k. I will write the word “kick” on our chart. I am going to write “kick”with two lowercase (small letter) ks.

[Say each letter as you write the word. Emphasize k.]

Let’s all say the word “kick.”

[Invite a volunteer child to point to the two letter ks in the word “kick.”]

Let’s look at the very first letter of our name. Pop up if you have the letter K at the beginning of your name. Remember, names begin with an uppercase (big) letter.

[Encourage children to look at their name cards. Say the first names of children who have a K at the beginning of their name. If there are children whose name begins with the letter K who do not stand, point to the letter K on their name card. Compare the letter K in their name as you hold the letter K card next to their name card.

If no one in the group has a first name beginning with the letter K, say “No one popped up because no one has a name that starts with the letter K.” Encourage children to look at the list of children’s first names. Point to some first letters of names. Explain that no one’s name begins with the letter K.

If a child indicates there is a letter K in his/her name, but not at the beginning of the name, fully recognize the name and invite the child to pop up. Day 4 gives attention to the letter k that appears somewhere else in a child’s name.]

Today we looked at pictures of items and figured out which two of the three pictures had the same ending sound. We also wrote the names of the items that had the same ending sound on our chart.

We also learned about the letter K. What word begins and ends with the letter k? (kick)

Today we will subtract as we play a game called Musical Chairs. Remember, subtract means to take away something from a group of things.

• Have you ever played Musical Chairs?
• How does it work?

Let’s each place a chair in a circle.

[Help children arrange chairs so the chairs face outward in a circle. Invite each child to have a seat in a chair.]

Now let’s count together how many people are playing the game.

[Count aloud as you gently tap each child’s shoulder.]

How many children are playing our game?

[Display paper.]

I will write on our paper the number of children playing, so we will remember how many children were sitting in chairs when we started our game.

I will play music as we play the game. We will walk in a line around the chairs as the music plays. Then we will sit in a chair that is closest to us when the music stops.

Let’s try it!

[Play music as children walk in a line around the circle of chairs. Stop the music and wait as children find a chair.]

Now I will begin taking away one chair each time we are walking in the circle. When the music stops, we will each sit in a chair that is closest to us. One of us will not find a chair because I will have taken away one chair. The person who does not find a chair will help us count the number of children still playing the game!

[Play music as children walk in a line around the circle of chairs. Remove one chair as the music continues to play. Stop the music and wait as children find a chair.]

Who did not find a chair? You get to help us count before we play the music again!

Let’s remind ourselves of the number of children we had in the circle before we started the music.

[Point to the numeral written on the paper.]

We started playing the game with ___ children.

How many children did not find a chair? (one)

We started with ___ children playing the game.

(Child without a chair) can help us count to see how many children are now playing the game.

[Invite the child who did not find a chair to gently tap the shoulder of each remaining child as you count how many children are left. Write the number of children remaining on the paper.]

We now have ___ children left. We subtracted one child from our group of ___ children.

Let’s continue our game!

[Play the game as you follow the above procedure each time a child does not find a chair. Each time a child does not find a chair, invite that child to help count the number of children left. Continue as time permits.]

Today we played a game called Musical Chairs. How did we know how many children were left each time a child left the circle? (subtracted and then counted to make sure we were correct) We subtracted as part of our game!

[Sit with play dough in one hand and a small collection of counters (circles) in the other hand. Look as though you are thinking about these items.]

I need to make a decision. A decision is a choice we make about something after we think about it. I need to decide whether I want to play with play dough or with these circles (counters).

I need to do some thinking before I make my decision. I need to think about each item and which one I want to play with the most.

[Share aloud your thinking about your decision. Example: “I really like playing with the play dough because I can pretend I am making a pizza. I also really like playing with the circles because I can sort them by color and count them. Today it would be fun to make a pretend pizza. So my decision is to play with the play dough.”]

I thought about what I liked about playing with play dough and playing with circles. I also thought about what I’d like to do today. This helped me decide that I wanted to play with the play dough instead of the circles.

A big part of making a decision is thinking about our choices. I thought about two choices: play dough and circles. We know that we pick between two or more things when we make a choice.

Let’s think about the decision we would make if our choices were to play with play dough or to play with circles.

Please raise your hand if you would decide to play with play dough.

[Invite children to put their hands down.]

Please raise your hand if you would decide to play with circles.

[Invite children to put their hands down.

Encourage several children to describe how they compared the two items in their thinking. Follow-up prompt, if necessary: “Why did you decide you’d rather play with play dough than with circles?”]

I want to tell you about a girl named Elizabeth. She needs to make a decision.

Let’s think about Elizabeth. Elizabeth is eating a snack in her classroom. She is hungry and likes the apple she is eating.

[Display toy apple.]

Her best friend is leaving the snack table to go play in the block area. Elizabeth’s best friend wants Elizabeth to play with her in the block area.

[Display blocks.]

Elizabeth likes building things with her friend. But she also is still hungry and is enjoying her apple.

[Display toy apple and blocks next to each other. Point to each as you emphasize Elizabeth’s two choices.]

Elizabeth needs to make a decision. She has two choices. One choice is to stay at the snack table to eat her apple. The other choice is to go to the block area to play with her friend. Let’s pretend we are Elizabeth, and we need to make a choice.

Please raise your hand if you would choose to stay at the snack table to eat your apple.

[Invite children to put their hands down.]

Please raise your hand if you would choose to leave the snack table to go to the block area.

[Invite children to put their hands down.]

We need to think carefully about the choices we make. Let’s talk about why someone might choose to eat the rest of their snack or go to the block area instead.

• How would it be a good choice for Elizabeth to stay at the snack table to eat her apple? (she could eat her favorite snack, she wouldn’t be hungry if she ate all of her apple)
• How would it be a good choice for Elizabeth to leave the snack table to play with her best friend in the block area? (Elizabeth could do something she likes to do: build something with her best friend)

We make decisions in our classroom every day.

What is one decision you have made today?

[Encourage children to think about and discuss decisions they have made at center time, outside time, mealtime, or other times during the day.]

Today we talked about making decisions. What is a decision? (a choice we make about something after thinking about it) We talked about how it is important to think about why we want to choose one thing or another.

[Display picture of a rainforest.]

• What is the name of the habitat shown in this picture? (rainforest)
• Why is this habitat called a rainforest? (because it gets lots of rain)

Yesterday we learned about some plants and animals that live on the rainforest floor. Today we will learn about some of the plants and animals that live in the trees of a rainforest. They live above the rainforest floor.

What kinds of animals and plants do you think live in the tall trees and other plants of the rainforest? (birds, bats, monkeys, butterflies, vines, flowers)

Let’s look at some pictures of plants and animals that live in the tall trees and other plants of a rainforest.

[Display pictures of a monkeys, parrots, vines, and orchids on a tree. Children are not expected to remember specific names. Name each animal and plant and encourage discussion of its characteristics with questions, such as the following:]

• Monkey—How do you think a monkey’s long arms help it to move from tree to tree in the rainforest? (it can swing with its arms) Let’s pretend we are a monkey using its long arms to move through the rainforest.
  [Encourage children to move their bodies like a monkey in the rainforest.]
• Parrots—How would the green color of parrots help them in a rainforest? (other animals that might want to eat a parrot cannot easily see them)
• Vines—Where are these vines growing in the rainforest? (in the trees)
• Orchids on a tree—These flowers like warm and wet weather. Why do you think they would like living in the rainforest?

Some of the animals that live in the tall trees and other plants of the rainforest never go down to the rainforest floor. They find food and water in the trees and other plants.

At the top of the rainforest, the wind makes the branches of the trees move.

• Have you ever seen the wind blow the leaves and branches of trees outside?
• What was it like?

If you were an animal at the top of a tree on a windy day, the wind might make it hard to hold on to the tree!

The wind makes the top of the rainforest a dangerous home for animals. Only a few animals live at the very top of a rainforest.

Let’s stand and pretend we are a very tall tree in a rainforest on a windy day.

[Encourage children to stand with their arms in the air and sway like a blowing tree. Invite children to hold a stuffed animal and sway to see how the animal moves with their “branches.”]

Animals and plants live in tall trees and other plants in a rainforest. Some animals that live in the tall trees and other plants never come down to the rainforest floor. How does the wind make the top of the rainforest a dangerous place for animals to live?