Let’s say the “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme together!

[Lead children in reciting “Humpty Dumpty” in unison. Emphasize the rhyming words.]

We know words that rhyme sound alike at the end. Today we are going to look at some pictures of words and decide which words rhyme with each other. Let me show you.

[Display rhyming picture cards cat and hat. Enunciate each word clearly.]

This is a cat. This is a hat. Cat, hat.

• Do these words rhyme?
• How do we know? (they sound the same at the end)

We are using our listening ears to listen for rhyming words!

[Display the cat and hat cards next to each other on the flannel board. Make sure the cat and hat cards are completely separate from the next two cards to be placed on the board.]

I will put the two rhyming cards next to each other. Let’s try two more cards.

[Display picture cards pig and car. Enunciate each word clearly.]

This is a pig. This is a car. Pig, car.

• Do these words rhyme?
• How do we know? (they do not sound the same at the end)

[Remove the picture card car from the board.]

Let’s try another card with our pig card.

[Display rhyming picture cards pig and wig next to each other on the board. Enunciate each word clearly.]

This is a pig. This is a wig. Pig, wig.

• Do these words rhyme?
• How do we know? (they sound the same at the end)

[Display the pig and wig cards next to each other on the flannel board but separate from the cat and hat cards.

Continue displaying two picture cards at a time. Remember to enunciate each word clearly. Alternate between displaying two cards that rhyme and two cards that do not rhyme. When children determine that two picture cards do not rhyme, pair one with its rhyming picture and ask again if the two pictures rhyme. Place all rhyming pairs next to each other on the flannel board in clearly separate pairs so children can readily see what rhymes. Offer as many word comparisons as time and children’s interest permit.]

Each of our picture cards is now matched with its rhyming partner on our flannel board. Let’s say each pair of rhyming words together.

[Lead children in saying the words for each pair of cards in unison. Enunciate each word clearly.]

Today we looked at picture cards and decided which cards rhymed. We paired them with their rhyming partner on our flannel board.

Today we will look at rectangles and triangles again. What do we know about triangles? (three straight sides, three corners) What do we know about rectangles? (four straight sides, four corners)

Let’s look carefully at the corners of a rectangle.

[Display large rectangle cutout. Point to its corners.]

The corners of a rectangle are all the same.

All rectangles have four corners that look the same. Squares also have four corners that look the same.

We can make the same kinds of corners with two blocks. Watch as I make a corner with these two blocks.

[Use two large blocks to demonstrate how to make a corner that would be found in a rectangle. Use your finger to outline the corner as you compare it to the corner of a rectangle cutout.]

Let’s look at our door. Let’s find the corners of our door that look like the corners in a rectangle.

[Point to the corners of the door. Hold up the rectangle cutout next to each corner of the door to show how they are the same kinds of corners.

Display a diamond-shaped cutout.]

Is this a rectangle? Why not? (corners do not look like the corners found in a door) This shape does not have any corners that look like the corners found in a door. This shape (diamond) is not a rectangle.

[Display a rectangle with a small base but tall sides, and a rectangle that is laying on its side and is long and skinny.]

Some rectangles are tall.

[Point to rectangle with small base and tall sides.]

Some rectangles are long.

[Point to rectangle that is laying on its side and is long and skinny.]

Some rectangles are small and some rectangles are big! All rectangles have four straight sides and four corners that look like the corners of a door.

[Display a triangle.]

Now let’s look at a triangle. I am going to point to the corners of a triangle. Here is one corner. Here is a second corner. Here is a third corner.

[Display three different types of triangles. Point to each corner.]

Triangles can have different types of corners. A triangle always has three straight sides and three corners.

[Point to the sides and corners of each triangle.]

The corners can be different sizes. Look at how the corners of these three triangles are different.

[Point to and describe one corner on each of the three triangles. Compare the triangle corners as you place them next to each other.]

Let’s look at a triangle and rectangle together.

[Hold up the rectangle cutout next to a triangle cutout to compare corners.]

How are the corners of these two shapes different? (rectangle corners are like the corners of a door, triangle corners can be different sizes)

Corners in a triangle can be different sizes. Let’s look more at some triangles and see how they are different.

[Encourage children to look at, feel, and describe the sides and corners of three different types of triangles. Discuss how different types of triangles have different-sized sides and different corners.]

Let’s make some rectangles and triangles with straws. Watch as I show how to do this.

[Demonstrate how to make a rectangle and then a triangle with the straws. Provide children with straws and invite them to make rectangles and triangles. Make sure some of the straws are shorter and some are longer. As children make the shapes, ask them to describe their shape and tell whether it is a rectangle or a triangle.]

Today we looked at rectangles and triangles and talked about their different corners. We know that rectangles have corners that are the same and look like the corners in a door. Triangles can have corners that are different sizes.

Yesterday we learned that self-control helps us to do the right thing. We listened to a story about a girl named Katie. Katie needed to learn to use self-control.

Today we are going to practice using self-control. When we practice using self-control, we think before we do something and remind ourselves to do the right thing.

Please raise your hand if you like to play with bubbles! Bubbles can be a lot of fun. When I see bubbles, I like to pop them!

Do you like to pop bubbles?

Today we are going to play a game with bubbles. I am going to blow some bubbles. Let’s sit with our hands in our lap while I blow the bubbles.

[Invite children to practice sitting with their hands in their lap.]

When I blow the bubbles, we will use self-control and keep our hands in our lap. You will see the bubbles floating around you. Please pay attention to the size of the bubbles and maybe the color that you see in the bubbles. Let’s try real hard to not pop any of the bubbles. I will let everyone know when it is time to pop the bubbles. Then we can stay seated and pop them!

[Gently blow bubbles around all of the children. Remind children to use self-control as they sit still. After you’ve blown bubbles around all of the children, and the children have been sitting still for at least one minute, blow more bubbles and invite children to pop the bubbles while seated.]

• Was it hard to use self-control when I started blowing bubbles?
• Why?

[If time permits.]

Let’s practice using self-control again. This time we are going to play a game using musical instruments. We will sit in a circle and pass around the musical instruments without making any noise! This will be hard, but we can do it if we are careful and use self-control.

Please get in a circle and I will show you how to pass the instruments without making noise.

[Arrange children in a circle. Demonstrate how to pass an instrument very carefully without making noise. Discuss how you need to move slowly in order to keep the instrument quiet.]

Now we are going to use our self-control and pass the instruments around the circle without making noise. After we’ve passed them around quietly, we will get to play the instruments!

[Begin passing 2–3 instruments around the circle. As the instruments are passed, discuss how we need to remind ourselves to use self-control even though we may want to make noise with the instruments. When children have passed them around successfully, invite them to make noise with the instruments!]

Today we practiced using self-control. Using self-control can be hard, but we can do it if we think about what we should do instead of what we sometimes want to do. Self-control involves concentration. When we concentrate on something we pay close attention to it. What would happen in our classroom if we didn’t use self-control? (we wouldn’t do the right thing, we wouldn’t make good choices)

We are learning there are different ways to be an artist. Artists can create art, music, drama, or dance.

Today we are going to talk about different ways to create art. Remember, drawing or painting a picture is one way we can make art. Let’s talk about some pictures that show different types of art.

[Display and discuss each of the five pictures in the following order: painting, drawing, taking a photograph, weaving, sculpting. Use the following format for each picture, providing new words and descriptions as necessary (see Extra Support tips):]

• What type of art is the artist creating?
• Have you ever watched someone create art in this way?
• How is the artist creating the art?

Today we learned more about what artists do. We talked about paintings, drawings, photographs, weavings, and sculptures. A lot of us (or many of us) have created some of the types of art we talked about.