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

[Display letter Q card.]

Does anyone know the name of this letter?

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

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

This is an uppercase Q.

We can also write the letter Q like this.

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

This is a lowercase q.

We know that when we raise our hand quietly, we do not make any sound. Let’s practice raising our hand quietly.

The word “quietly” begins with the letter q. I will write the word “quietly” on our chart. I am going to write “quietly”with a lowercase (small letter) q.

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

Let’s all say the word “quietly.”

[Invite a volunteer child to point to letter q in the word “quietly.”]

Let’s look at the very first letter of our name. Pop up if you have the letter Q 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 Q at the beginning of their name. If there are children whose name begins with the letter Q who do not stand, point to the letter Q on their name card. Compare the letter Q in their name as you hold the letter Q card next to their name card.

If no one in the group has a first name beginning with the letter Q, say “No one popped up because no one has a name that starts with the letter Q.” 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 Q.

If a child indicates there is a letter Q 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 q that appears somewhere else in a child’s name.]

Today we learned about the letter Q. What word begins with the letter q? (quietly)

Offer the Week 27, Day 3 activity to review the concepts of whole, split, part, and equal.

Engage children in splitting a group into two parts.

Open the session by asking what happens when we split something. (we divide it into smaller parts)

Display a part-part-whole mat. Point to the words on the mat as you read each. Arrange children in pairs. Give each pair of children a part-part-whole mat and 12 counters. Invite each pair to place its 12 counters in the whole area of their mat. Lead children in counting aloud the 12 counters. Then give two dice to each pair of children.

Invite pairs of children to roll the dice and count the number of dots on the two dice all together. Encourage children to place the number of counters that equal the number of dots on the dice all together in the first part area of the mat. Example: A pair of children rolled a two and a four. All together the dots equal six. The pair of children would place six counters in the first part area.

Then encourage children to move the remaining counters to the second part area of the mat and count the number of counters moved to the second part area.

Ask children how many counters were in the whole area before any counters were moved. (12) Remind children that together the two parts equal the whole group. Encourage children to count the two parts together. Encourage children to move their counters to the whole area and play again as time allows.

We are learning how families move from one home to another home. We know that a family’s things need to be packed carefully so they safely get to the new home.

Today we will talk about how things can be transported to another home. Remember, transport means people or things go from one place to another place.

Let’s think about the Williams family. The Williams family lives in an apartment. The family is moving to a different apartment down the hall from where they live now.

• How could the Williams family transport their clothes or toys to a different apartment down the hall? (carry them)
• How could they transport their furniture and other heavy things to a different apartment? (carry them)

Sometimes people use items made for moving things from one place to a different place. One type of item that can help us transport things is called a dolly. A dolly is a kind of moving item that has wheels.

[Display picture of dolly, or actual dolly if available. Point out how boxes are stacked on the dolly for moving.]

Let’s think now about the Pedroza family. The Pedroza family plans to move to another home on a different street in the same community. The new home is too far away for pushing a dolly or carrying things on a street or sidewalk.

Here are pictures of some different ways the Pedroza family could move their things to another home.

[Display picture of packed SUV.]

What do you see packed in the back of the SUV? (folding chair, scooter, suitcase, etc.)

Some things are too big to put in the back of an SUV like the one shown in our picture.

What kinds of things are too big to fit in an SUV? (couch, large dresser)

Sometimes a family’s things are transported to another home in a truck or a moving van. A moving van is a special truck made for transporting things. The professional movers we learned about yesterday use a moving van.

[Display picture of items being put on a moving van. Point to ramp and dolly as you describe each.]

Here is a picture of people loading things onto a moving van. There is a ramp for moving things onto the van. Look at the man pulling a dolly.

What kinds of things are people putting on the moving van? (chairs, boxes)

[Display picture of items on back of moving van.]

This picture shows us what the back of a moving van looks like when things are put in it. The boxes are placed close to each other so they do not move around when the van is traveling.

Look at the long belts (straps) that go from side to side in the truck. The belts are in front of things packed on the moving van.

What do you think these belts do? (keep boxes and other things from falling)

There are different ways to transport a family’s things to another home. We talked about transporting things in an SUV and a moving van. We learned about a type of moving equipment called a dolly.

Yesterday we talked about daytime and nighttime. We learned that during the daytime the sun makes things light outside. Sometimes we cannot see the sun during the day because it is covered by clouds.

• Can we see the sun during the nighttime? (no)
• Where is the sun during the nighttime? (other side of the earth)

[Display picture of sun.]

This picture of the sun was taken by scientists. We know that the sun is a star. Remember, a star is a bright object in the sky. The sun is like a giant fireball that burns all of the time. It seems bigger than other stars we can see. This is because the sun is closer to the earth than any other star.

A while ago we put some ice in the sun.

• What happened to our ice when it was put in the sun? (melted)
• Why did our ice melt? (the sun was warm)

The sun can make us very hot! Several weeks ago we talked about how we can get a sunburn on our skin if we stay in the hot sun too long. A sunburn can make our skin turn red and hot.

The sun is very important. Living things cannot grow without the sun. We know that plants use light from the sun to make food.

When we look outside during the nighttime, what do we see? (moon, stars)

[Display picture of moon.]

The moon is a large round object that we often see in the sky during the nighttime. The moon is made of rocks. The moon is not a star. Sometimes we cannot see the moon because there are clouds in the sky. Sometimes we can see the moon during the daytime.

Have you ever seen the moon in the sky? Tell us about it.

[Display picture of the moon alongside the picture of the sun.]

Let’s compare our pictures of the moon and the sun. Remember, we look for things that are similar and things that are different when we compare.

The moon and the sun have a similar shape.

Do the moon and sun look like a circle or a square?

We know the sun looks like a burning ball. The sun is very hot and bright because it is always burning. The moon is not as bright as the sun because it is not burning like the sun.

Let’s use our science journals to draw pictures of the sun and the moon.

[Pass out science journals and drawing tools. Provide pictures of the sun and moon as references.]

Today we learned more about the sun and the moon. We know that the sun keeps us warm and helps things grow. The moon is made of rocks. The sun is brighter than the moon because it is always burning.