Today we will play a game to decide the two words we hear in a compound word. We will play the game with a partner. Who can remind us of how we make a compound word? (we put two words together to make a new word)

[Divide children into pairs. Ask each pair to sit next to each other on the floor in front of you.]

[Place component word cards on the floor between you and the children. Place the compound word cards in a stack next to you.]

I am going to hold up a card with a compound word on it. There also is a picture on the card. Then I will invite two children to try to find the cards for each of the two words that make up the compound word.

[Point to the stack of component cards.]

Here are the cards you will look through to find the words you hear in your compound word.

Let us show you how the game works.

[Hold up a compound word card. Draw children’s attention to the picture on the card.]

What word do you think is on this card?

Yes. It is ____. _____ is a compound word.

[Briefly describe the meaning of the word. Point to the picture on the compound word card. Ask all children to repeat the word in unison.]

(Adult helper) and I are going to each try to find one part of the compound word ___. I will find the first part of our compound word, and (adult helper) will find the last part of our compound word. First we have to figure out which two words make up our compound word.

[Discuss aloud with the adult helper the two words that make up your compound word. Example: Our word is “snowman.” The first word I hear in “snowman” is “snow.” The last word I hear in “snowman” is “man.” Let’s cooperate with each other. Which word would you like to find?

After each of the two words is found, stand next to each other holding your word cards close to each other.]

Our word is “snowman.” I found “snow” and (adult helper) found “man.” We worked together to find the words! When we put the two words together, they make the compound word “snowman.” I will write both words on a chart with the compound word next to them.

[On one line of a chart paper write the first word, then the second word, and then the compound word. Read each word as it is written.]

Now it is your turn to try!

[Continue the game as you invite each pair of children to participate. Hold up a compound word for each pair and encourage them to listen closely to the two words they hear in the word. Encourage children to use cooperation to decide which word each looks for by discussing this among the two of them. If children are unable to decide who will look for each word, see Extra Support tip.

After children have found component words, clearly enunciate each component word, and emphasize how together the two words make a compound word. Briefly describe the meaning of the compound word. Point to the picture on the compound word card. Ask all children to repeat the word in unison. Write all three words on one line of the chart paper as done above. Continue until all pairs of children have had a turn.]

Let’s learn more about the letter A.

[Display letter A card.

If a child(ren) whose name begins with the letter A was identified on Day 2, invite the child(ren) to again pop up. Say the first name of the child(ren). Emphasize the sound of the letter A when you say the name.]

Maybe someone in our group has the letter a somewhere else in their name. The letter might be in the middle or at the end of their name. It will be a lowercase a and it will look like this.

[Point to the lowercase a on the letter card.]

Pop up if you have the letter a somewhere else in your name (not at beginning).

[If a child has the letter a somewhere else in his/her name, point to the name and to the letter a on the list of children’s first names so all children can see the name and the letter a.]

What is our word that begins with the letter A? (alphabet)

The letter A says /a/, just like in the word “alphabet.” /a/, /a/, alphabet. Let’s say that together: /a/, /a/, alphabet.

I have two pictures of things that begin with the letter a. I wonder what they could be.

[Hold up one picture card and invite children to identify the animal/item in each picture. After children have an opportunity to guess or say the pictured animal/item, point to and say the word written at the bottom of the card. Example: “This word says apple. The letter a is at the beginning of the word.” Repeat this procedure with a second picture card.]

Let’s think of some other words that start with the letter A and write them on our chart. Remember, the Letter a says /a/, /a/.

[Help children by suggesting other words that start with a. Examples: at, animal, act, as.

Invite one or more volunteer children to find the letter a in words on the chart. Children may point to the letter at the top of the chart and then find it in one of the words below.

Demonstrate and describe how to mark the uppercase letter A on your chart paper.]

We use three lines to make an uppercase A. The first line goes up and the second line goes down like this. The third line goes across like this.

[Give each child his/her letter journal.]

Now we are going to write the letter A in our letter journal. Please write the uppercase (big) letter A in your journal. Write as much of the letter as you can.

Today we played a compound word game. We cooperated with our partner to find two word cards that made up a compound word.

We also learned that the letter A says /a/, just like at the beginning of the word “alphabet.” We made the uppercase (big) letter A in our letter journal. Let’s say together the sound the letter A makes (/a/).

[Place two sizes of each of the four basic shapes on the table in front of children.]

There are shapes in front of us. The shapes are in different sizes.

• What does the size of something tell us? (how big it is) We want to focus on the shapes, not on their sizes.
• Where is a circle?
• How about a rectangle?
• Where is a square?
• Where is a triangle?

Today we are going to play a shape game like the one we played yesterday. But this time, we will do something a little different. I would like you to watch carefully while I put three shapes in front of me. After you’ve seen the three shapes, I am going to cover them with the cloth and secretly take one away. When I take the cloth back off, you try to figure out which shape is missing!

• [Choose a simple set of three: two sizes of one shape and one size of another shape. Give children a few seconds to look at the shapes.
• Cover the shapes and secretly remove one shape.
• Remove the cloth and ask children to identify which shape is missing. When they name a shape, ask them to describe characteristics of the missing shape. Focus on the shapes, not their sizes.
• Show the shape you removed. Say again the name of the shape.

Choose three shapes and place them under a cloth.]

Let’s play our shape game in a different way. I have three shapes under the cloth. I am going to lift up the cloth. Please take a good look at the shapes under the cloth. Then I will cover the shapes back up.

After the shapes you saw are covered again, try to lay out the same kinds of shapes that are under the cloth. If there are two circles and a triangle under the cloth, what should you lay out in front of you? (two circles and a triangle)

You do not need to lay out the same size of a shape. If there is a larger circle under the cloth, you can lay out a smaller circle.

• [Secretly choose three different kinds of shapes. Put a cloth over the shapes.
• Remove the cloth and display the shapes for a few seconds. Cover them with the cloth.
• Invite children to copy the group of shapes hidden under the cloth. Remind children to focus on the shapes, not their sizes.
• Compare and discuss children’s efforts to replicate the hidden pattern. Point out that it is okay to use a smaller shape for a larger shape if the type of shape is the same. If children’s replications of the pattern do not match the pattern under the cloth, discuss and compare shapes they’ve used and how they differ from the shapes in the pattern. Example: “Hannah, I see you have a circle, square, and another circle. The shapes under the cloth were a circle, square, and another square. How are your shapes different from the ones under the cloth?” Focus on describing and naming the shapes they’ve used, and not whether their replication is right or wrong. Give attention to the shapes, not the order in which the shapes are arranged. Do this 3–4 times.]

Today we named and described the shape that was missing from the group of shapes. We also looked at a group of shapes for a few seconds that were under a cloth. Then I covered them up and we had to remember the shapes we saw and lay out the same types of shapes.

Today we will begin learning about homes. The place where someone lives is called home.

There are many kinds of homes. We are going to read a book about homes. It is called Home. The book tells us about different kinds of homes. The author of the book is Carson Ellis.

[Display book cover.]

What is shown on the cover of our book? (different kinds of homes)

[Help children think broadly about the concept of home by pointing to two or three pictures of homes on the book cover and engaging children in a brief discussion about who might live there. Select homes that are likely to be familiar to children. Examples: bird’s nest, barn, spider’s web, boat (some children may think it is a pirate’s ship).

As you read the book, use your own words to describe illustrations. Draw children’s attention to the location of the homes on richly-illustrated pages. Examples: apartments, palaces at both top and bottom of a page.

Explain that some of the homes are the author’s creative ideas. Examples: shoes, sea homes, cup turned upside down. Remind children that we are being creative when we use our ideas to make or do something new.

If child interest or time is limited, omit or use selected pages in the second half of the book beginning with “But whose home is this?”

Below are suggested ways to describe some images that may be unfamiliar to children:]

• An apartment is a room or group of rooms that is inside a building. The building contains other apartments where families live.
• A wigwam is a round home made from trees or animal skins with a round roof.
• A palace is a home for kings and queens.
• A lair is a home hidden under the ground.
• The “some folks live on the road” picture shows a large van that musicians and other artists live in when they travel to different places to perform. Behind the van is the place where the musicians performed (played their instruments).

Many other types of homes are not shown in our book. Some homes have one story and some have more than one story, like the homes in these pictures.

[Display a picture of a one-story home and a two-story home. There also are illustrations of a “tall home” and a “short home” in the book.]

Some homes are part of a duplex. A duplex has two homes that are attached together. A duplex can have one or two stories.

[Display a picture of a two-story duplex.]

This is a picture of a two-story duplex. Many duplexes have one story.

There are many different types of homes. No matter where we live or how many times we move, the home we live in is special to us.

Did any of the pictures we looked at today remind you of your home (or a home you know)?

Last week we tried to balance our bodies while twisting and turning. Who would like to show us one way we twisted or turned our bodies?

Today we will try to balance while we bend our bodies. When we bend our body, we move it so that it is not straight.

Let’s all stand up straight. Please stand as tall as you can.

• Are each of our bodies in a straight line? (yes!) Now let’s all bend our bodies.
• Are each of our bodies in a straight line now? (no!)
• Is it easier to keep our balance when we are standing tall or when we are bending?

[Offer a series of requests, using any of the movements suggested below. Encourage children to try to keep their balance. Additional complexity can be added by speeding up the commands or trying different bending actions with a partner. Example: “Let’s bend our elbows slowly. Now let’s bend our elbows quickly.” Demonstrate each request.]

• Bend at the knees.
• Bend your shoulders forward.
• Bend at your waist to the front.
• Bend at your waist to touch your knees.
• Bend at your waist to touch your toes.
• Bend at your waist to the side.
• Bend at your waist side to side and front to back.
• Bend your elbows.
• Bend your knee up and forward.
• Bend your knee so your foot is behind you.
• Bend your back and look at the ceiling.
• Bend your knee to touch your elbow.

• What was your favorite way to bend?
• Was it easy or hard to keep your balance?
• Do you remember our song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”?
• What does the song ask us to do with our bodies? (bend and touch our body parts)

Let’s sing our song together and bend our bodies when the song asks us to touch our knees and toes.

[Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with children.]

Today we practiced bending our bodies in lots of different ways. We bent our knees, waist, and shoulders. We used our bending skills when we sang the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”