[Display letter P card.]

What is the name of this letter?

[Point to the uppercase letter P on the letter card.]

Am I pointing to the uppercase or to the lowercase letter P?

Now let’s spend some time with our book.

[See Week 3, Day 3 of Language/Literacy for a description and examples of how to approach today’s book reading. Key aspects are summarized below:

• Display book cover and say book title. Engage children in describing what they remember about the book:
  • What is our book about?
  • Who were the main characters in our book?
  • What happened first? What happened next?
• Remind children that reading a book is a good way to learn new words. Point to and say words introduced on Day 1 that are listed on the Words We Understand chart. Invite children to talk about what they recall about each of the words. Remind children of the meaning of each novel word.
• Point to where to begin to read on the first text page of the book. Pause during reading to briefly define words identified for today’s session. Use the following approach:
  • Read the sentence with the novel word. Repeat the novel word.
  • Repeat the sentence in which the word is used.
  • Define the novel word and connect the definition to the book.
• After the book reading, engage children in a discussion of each novel word targeted for today with one or more of the following strategies (plus writing the word on the chart):
  • Ask children to describe a picture related to the word.
  • Define a word without naming it and ask children to identify the word.
  • Encourage children to think about a novel word in another context. 
• Encourage children to connect the book information to their own experiences. Below are some examples:
  • “Our book today was about worms. Have you ever seen or touched a worm? What was it like?”
  • “Our book today talked about roots. Roots are part of a plant that grow into the dirt. Have you ever seen the root of a plant? What was it like?”
  • “Today we talked about the word squeeze. We squeeze something by pressing things very close together. What kinds of things have you squeezed? How about a tube of toothpaste? How about a package or bottle of ketchup? Show us how you squeeze something.”]

We can make patterns out of many kinds of things. Today we are going to make a pattern crown! We will make our pattern crown with shapes.

Let me show you how we can make our crowns.

[Display a 2-inch x 18-inch strip of paper and small shape cutouts (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles).]

We will choose two different shapes to make the simple pattern on our crown. I am going to choose circles and triangles for my crown. To make our pattern, we will start with the first shape, then add a different shape, and then add the first shape again.

[Begin the pattern by gluing a circle to the left end of the strip of paper. Then glue a triangle next to the circle.

As you continue the pattern, ask children what will come next. Continue until the pattern reaches the other end of the crown. Point to each shape in the pattern as children say the pattern with you.

Invite children to select two shapes to use for their pattern. Children will need 3–4 of each shape cutout. Help by pointing to and saying the pattern, if necessary. When the pattern is complete, invite children to point to each shape as you say the pattern together. As each child finishes, staple the crown so it fits snugly on his/her head.]

Today we made pattern crowns. How many different shapes did we use in our simple pattern? (two) Who would like to tell us the pattern on your crown?

Who would like to remind us of what an emotion is? (the way we feel inside) Watch me carefully to see if you can guess what emotion I am pretending to feel.

[Sit in a chair with your hands over your face. Peek between your fingers.]

What do you think I may be feeling?

I am feeling shy. When we feel shy, we may feel a little worried about new places or being with people we do not know. We might hide our face or hide behind a parent when someone talks to us. Almost everyone feels shy sometimes. It’s okay to feel shy.

Let’s listen to what our book, The Way I Feel, tells us about feeling shy.

[Display book page on feeling shy.]

How can we tell the girl in our book feels shy? (hiding behind her mom)

Now let’s take a look at our poster and see if we can find the child who is feeling shy.

[Invite children to point to the child on the poster who looks shy. Discuss facial features and body postures that children associate with being shy.]

There are many reasons we might feel shy. We might feel shy when we go somewhere new or when we don’t know people we meet. We might feel shy when we are in a new place.

Let’s look at some pictures of a boy named Bayne. Bayne was feeling shy about going to a different child development program.

[Display picture of child lying on his bed.]

Bayne’s tummy hurt the night before the first day at a different program. He was excited, but also a little worried, because everything was going to be new for him at the program.

Have you ever had a tummy ache when you were going to a new place or meeting new people? What was it like?

[Display picture of child sitting on his mother’s lap.]

Bayne felt much better after he talked to his mom about how he felt. Talking to a parent or another adult can help us when we are worried about something new.

[Display picture of child standing behind his mother.]

Bayne felt shy when it was time to meet his new teacher. Sometimes meeting someone new can make us feel shy.

• What does Bayne’s face look like? (frowning, sad)
• Where is Bayne standing? (behind his mother)

Let’s look at a picture of Bayne at circle time in his classroom. He was feeling shy again.

[Display picture of child standing during circle time.]

Bayne felt shy about joining the group. He didn’t know any of the other children. Sometimes we feel shy when we are somewhere new and we don’t know any of the people.

We can help someone who is feeling shy by being friendly to them. We know that being friendly means being nice to someone.

How could other children and adults be friendly to Bayne and help him feel better about being in a different program? (ask to sit with him, ask him to play, show him some toys or a center)

[Display picture of child being friendly to Bayne.]

Today we learned what it means to feel shy. We also talked about how we can help someone who is feeling shy. Almost everyone feels shy sometimes. It’s okay to feel shy.

[Display book cover.]

Let’s look at the cover of our book. What do you see? (flower, leaves)

We know that a flower is the part of a plant that makes seeds.

Today we will read this book to learn more about seeds. The book is called The Tiny Seed. Eric Carle is the author and illustrator of our book.

[As you read the book, pause to describe illustrations and respond to children’s questions.]

Our book told us that the tiny seed needed three different things to grow into a new plant. The seed needed soil, water, and the sun.

• How did the tiny seed get water? (rain)
• What would happen to the tiny seed if it did not have soil, water, and sun? (it would not grow)

Some of the seeds in our book did not grow.

[Go through the book and point to seeds that did not grow.]

Why didn’t some of the seeds grow? (the sun burned one, one landed on the ice, one fell into the water, one landed in the desert, a bird ate one, a mouse ate one)

Today we learned that seeds need three things to grow. What are the three things a seed needs to grow? (sunlight, water, soil)