[Display letter P card.]

• What is the name of this letter?
• Pop up if you have the letter P in your name!

Now let’s spend some time with our book.

[See Week 3, Day 5 of Language/Literacy for a description and examples of how to approach today’s book reading. Key aspects are summarized below:

• Display book cover. Explain that we have read our book two times this week. Each time we read the book we learn something new. Point to and say title of book. 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?
• Point to and say the names of author and illustrator. Point to where to begin reading.
• During the reading, pause on pages that include a word defined in the prior two readings of the book. Ask or remind children what the word means. Also pause during the reading to define the 2–3 words identified for today’s session, using the following approach:
  • Read the sentence with the novel word. Identify 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, write the 2–3 words targeted for today on the chart and engage children in a discussion of each word, using one or more of the following strategies:
  • 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 or phrase in another context.
• Explain that different types of things happened in our book. Facilitate a discussion of children’s interpretations of events and/or characters in the book, especially events or characters related to one or more words defined this week. See Week 3, Day 5 for examples.]

We are learning how to compare the number of items in two groups. Some of our groups have been equal. What does equal mean? (the same amount)

Let’s practice comparing some groups of fingers.

• What does it mean when something has more? (it has a larger amount of items)
• What does it mean when something has fewer? (it has a smaller amount of items)

Please hold up one finger on one hand and five fingers on your other hand.

Which hand has more fingers up? How do we know?

Now let’s hold up two fingers on one hand and four fingers on our other hand.

Which hand has fewer fingers up? How do we know?

Let’s try one more. Please hold up three fingers on one hand and four fingers on your other hand.

Which hand has more fingers up?

Now let’s compare two groups of blocks.

[Display two groups of six blocks.]

Which group of blocks has more? (neither)

Both groups have six blocks. They are equal!

We also are learning what numbers 1–8 look like.

[Display numeral cards 1–8 in random order. Invite children to name each numeral. Then invite a volunteer child to point to and lead all children in counting the number of dots on each card. Invite a different child for each card.

Encourage children to also hold up the corresponding number of fingers.]

We are learning how to compare groups. We can tell which group has more things and which group has fewer things. We know that equal groups have the same amount. We are also learning what numbers 1–8 look like. We are becoming number experts!

Today we will learn more about the community where we live. Our community is called (city, town, base, post, camp). A community is bigger than a neighborhood. There can be many neighborhoods in a community.

Let’s look at the drawings of neighborhoods in our community we discussed yesterday. We have drawings of ___ neighborhoods in our community.

[Display neighborhood drawings from yesterday. Briefly remind children of the structures or other items represented in each neighborhood drawing.]

Today we are going to pretend our classroom is the community where we live. We know that there are different neighborhoods in a community. I am going to place each one of our neighborhood drawings in a different part of our pretend community.

[Place each drawing on a separate table or visible area in your classroom. Explain that each area represents a neighborhood in your community. Example: “This is a picture of our center neighborhood. I am going to place it on this table. We will pretend that this table is our center neighborhood in our community. Remember, we are pretending our classroom is our community.”]

We are going to work in groups to make something that might be found in each neighborhood in our pretend community. We can use blocks and other items to make places or things that might be found in each neighborhood. If you are in the group that is working in the center neighborhood area, you might want to build our center or some of the things around our center.

When we are finished building, we will take a walk around our pretend community to see the items in each of our pretend neighborhoods!

[Divide children into 3–4 groups. Each group will work in a different “neighborhood.”

Children may work together or independently when building items in each neighborhood.

Gather children together after they have created items that can be found in each neighborhood. Lead children as you “take a walk” around your pretend community to look at each pretend neighborhood. Encourage children to describe what they see in each pretend neighborhood.]

Today we pretended our classroom was the community where we live. There can be different neighborhoods in a community. We each built things in a different pretend neighborhood in our pretend community.

[Display ball.]

What did we do with a ball like this yesterday? (threw straight up in the air)

[Demonstrate children’s correct responses to the following questions:]

• How do we hold the ball to throw it? (in front of us, one hand on each side)
• What do we do next? (move ball with both hands/arms below our waist, then move up)
• When do we let go of the ball? (when it gets near our nose)

[Provide each child with a ball.]

Let’s practice what we learned yesterday. Please hold your ball with both hands and do what we learned yesterday.

[Lead children in 2–3 practices in throwing the ball straight up.]

Now let’s practice throwing in different ways. I will say some ways we can throw the ball. Try to throw the ball in the way I suggest. Remember, we will stay in our personal space to throw our ball. If we are not able to catch the ball when it comes down, wait to get it after all of the balls have landed.

[Offer a series of requests, using suggestions below. Demonstrate each request as appropriate.

• Close your eyes and throw the ball straight up in the air.
• Stand on your tiptoes and throw the ball straight up in the air.
• Get on your knees and throw the ball straight up in the air.
• Sit down and throw the ball up in the air.]

• Which was the most difficult way to throw a ball up in the air? Why?
• Which was the easiest way to throw a ball up in the air? Why?

Today we practiced throwing a ball in the air in different ways. We learned how different parts of our body (eyes, legs, feet) can help us throw a ball into the air.