Oral language, Letter knowledge
Children will strengthen their comprehension of information presented in a book read aloud and increase the number of novel words they understand. Children will also identify and name the letter C.
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: This is the second of three repeated readings of a book with children. Today’s session focuses on children’s comprehension of information presented in the book, especially connections to children’s experiences. The session also helps children understand more novel words. From the list of novel words you identified prior to your first reading of the book, select 4–6 words to define for children today. Remember, it is okay to select words that a few children may know if you anticipate most children do not understand the word’s meaning. See the Language/Literacy section of the ELM User Guide: 3–5 Years for additional information on how to select and define novel words.
[Display letter C card.]
What is the name of this letter?
[Point to the uppercase letter C on the letter card.]
Am I pointing to the uppercase or to the lowercase letter C?
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:
Number knowledge
Children will engage in one-to-one counting.
Review:
Let’s count together how many children are in our group today. Who would like to tap each person as we count?
[Invite a volunteer child to gently tap each shoulder as you say a number out loud. When you finish, say the final number again.]
We have ___ children in our group today.
Today we will count spots on animals. Each of us will get an animal picture. Each of the animals has a different number of spots. When we get our picture, we need to count how many spots are on our animal and then say how many we counted. Then we will put an equal number of circles (counters) in a small group. The last thing we do is put each circle on a spot on our animal. I will show you how to do it first.
Today we practiced counting animal spots. We counted the number of spots on our animal, and then we counted the same number of circles. We made an equal group by matching the number of circles to the number of spots on our animal. Then we placed one counter on each spot on the animal.
Extra support
Enrichment
Provide *animal spot cards used in today’s activity. Encourage children to continue to match counters to the number of spots on each animal and count the number of spots before and after placing the counters. Invite children who have mastered this activity to add one more circle to their card and say the total number of circles on their card.
*Printables provided
Children in your setting will enjoy practicing one-to-one counting using muffin tins. Prepare muffin tins by placing a piece of paper with 1–6 dots in each muffin hole. Invite preschool-age children to place the same number of small manipulatives (pom-poms, beads, etc.) in each muffin hole. For school-age children, prepare muffin tins with pieces of paper with larger numbers of dots.
Inquiry skills
Children will identify and describe things outside that they can see, hear, smell, or touch.
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: Today’s activity will take place outside. If inclement weather or other factors prevent you from going outside, adjust this activity for an indoor setting. Most classrooms and other settings have various sounds children can hear when they are quiet and focus on listening. Consider placing some children on a rug and others on a harder surface so there is some difference among children when they use their sense of touch. Consider using another unoccupied classroom or child-appropriate space so children can use four senses in a less familiar setting.
Yesterday we used our five senses to learn more about a banana.
[Quickly review the five senses: see, hear, taste, touch, smell.]
What senses did we use to learn more about a banana? (touch, smell, sight, taste)
Today we are going to go outside and use our five senses to identify some things. When we identify something, we tell what it is. We are going to use our eyes, ears, noses, and hands to identify things outside.
We will not use our sense of taste outside today. When will we use our sense of taste today? (lunch, snack)
We’ll use a piece of paper on a clipboard to record the things we identify.
What does it mean to record something? (to write down something)
[Take children outside. Take along paper on a clipboard and a writing tool. Invite children to sit in a group on the ground.]
First we are going to use our sense of hearing to identify sounds we hear outside. What do we use to hear? (ears)
Let’s close our eyes while we use our sense of hearing. This will help us to focus on what we are hearing, not what we are seeing.
[As children close their eyes, ask them to listen for sounds. Encourage children to describe what they hear. Record their responses on the paper.]
Can we see all of the things we heard?
Sometimes we can hear things that we can’t see, like a bird in a tree or a car honking far away.
Now let’s close our eyes again. This time we’ll use our hands to feel some things around us.
[As children close their eyes again, encourage them to touch the ground around them. Encourage children to describe what they feel. Record their responses on the paper. Ask children to describe what they feel without opening their eyes.]
Now we are going to use our nose to identify some things. Remember, we call this our sense of smell.
[As children close their eyes, ask them to use their sense of smell. Encourage children to describe what they smell. Record their responses on the paper.]
Finally, we are going to use our eyes to identify some things. Remember, we call this our sense of sight.
[As children look around, ask them to use their sense of sight. Encourage children to describe what they see. Record their responses on the paper.]
Today we identified things outside by using four of our five senses. Remember, when we identify something we tell what it is.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fill several small containers, such as film canisters with small items that can be heard when shaken. Examples: pennies, paper clips, small pieces of paper, beads. Encourage children to shake the canisters and try to identify what may be making the sound.
Invite all children in your setting to try a voice recognition activity. Use a blindfold to mask the sight of one child at a time. Be sure to ask for each child’s permission. Invite another child to say something to the child who is blindfolded. Can the blindfolded child identify who spoke by just listening? Also, try this activity with familiar sounds. Preschool-age children will enjoy guessing sounds they regularly hear in your setting. Examples: toilet flushing, water running. Emphasize that when we cannot use one of our senses, we can use another sense to learn things.
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Getting Along With Others
Social-Emotional
Skill and Goal
Relationship skills
Children will strengthen their understanding of ways to be friendly to others.
Materials
Needed
*Printables provided
Key
Concepts
Review:
Also
Promotes
Optional
Reading
Yesterday we talked about being friendly. Being friendly means we are nice to someone.
Who has seen someone do something friendly in our classroom? Tell us what you saw.
Today we will learn more about ways to be friendly. In our basket are pieces of paper with a short story on each. I will choose a story from the basket and then read it aloud. Then we can talk about how someone could be friendly to the person in the story.
What are your ideas about how (person in scenario) could be friendly in this situation?
[Encourage children to discuss ways to be friendly. Remind children of some possibilities discussed previously, if appropriate.
Continue choosing a scenario as children’s interest and time allows.]
Today we learned more about ways to be friendly to others. There are many times during the day when we can be friendly to others.
Scaffolding Tips
Extra support
Enrichment
Center Activity
Provide books about being friendly and making friends. Examples: Making Friends by Fred Rogers, Hunter’s Best Friend at School by Laura Malone Elliott, Friends by Helme Heine. Encourage children to talk about friendly behaviors they see in book pictures.
Family Child Care
Invite children to make a book titled “We Are Friendly.” Each time a child exhibits a friendly behavior, invite a school-age child to write about the behavior at the bottom of a plain piece of paper. Example: “Mia said she liked Isaac’s shoes.” After 5–10 acts of friendliness have been written on separate sheets of paper, invite preschool-age and school-age children to work together to illustrate the book. You may also wish to invite each child to work with family members to make a list of ways to be friendly at home and with their family. Encourage children to share their list with others in your setting.