Oral language, Letter knowledge
Children will interpret information presented in a book read aloud and increase the number of novel words they understand. Children will also identify and say the sound of the letter U.
New:
Review:
Be Prepared: This is the third of three repeated readings of a book with children. Today’s session focuses on children’s interpretation (explanations, reasoning) of information presented in the book. The session also will help children understand more novel words. From the list of novel words you identified prior to your first reading of the book, select 2–3 words to define for children today. 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 U card.]
What is the name of this letter? What sound does the letter U make?
Letter U says /u/, just like in “umbrella.” /u/, /u/, umbrella. Let’s together say /u/, /u/, umbrella.
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:
Number Knowledge
Children will strengthen their understanding of subtract.
Review:
Offer the Week 32, Day 4 activity to review subtract.
Support children in determining how many blocks are left when a specified number of blocks is taken away.
Be Prepared: Put 10 blocks in an unorganized arrangement in the middle of the floor.
Explain that you need some help putting away the blocks on the floor. We will practice how to subtract as part of putting away the blocks. We will take turns spinning our spinner. We will take away from our group of blocks the number of blocks our spinner lands on. We will put in a tray the blocks we take away from the blocks on the floor. Display and describe how the spinner works, if appropriate.
Implement the activity with children taking turns spinning the spinner and taking a block to the tray. Consistently ask all children how many blocks remain after one or two blocks have been taken away. Periodically remind children we are subtracting blocks from our group of blocks.
Emphasize that the group of blocks on the floor is getting smaller. Is the group of blocks on the tray getting larger? We are subtracting (taking away) blocks from the floor and adding blocks to the tray.
Motor development
Children will strengthen their skills in underarm throwing and catching.
Review:
Offer the Week 18, Day 5 activity to review underarm throwing.
Form pairs of children to practice underarm throwing and catching.
Be Prepared: Secure the assistance of another adult.
Explain that today we will work with a partner to throw and catch a ball. We will use underarm throwing. Provide a review of underarm throwing, if appropriate (see Week 40, Day 4). Remind children of the importance of 1) keeping their eye on something they want to catch, and 2) using both hands to catch a ball (see Week 39, Day 5).
Invite the other adult, or a volunteer child, to stand about five feet from you to demonstrate throwing and catching a ball. Be sure underarm throwing is used.
Organize pairs of children who face each other, standing 5–7 feet apart. Provide each pair with a yarn ball. Encourage children to carefully throw the ball to their partner. The throwing goal is to make the ball catchable. To decrease challenge, use a larger ball, such as a punch ball. To increase challenge, increase the distance between children in a pair.
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Exploring Where We Live
Social Studies
Skill and Goal
Knowledge of social and physical environments
Children will strengthen their basic understanding of different types of transportation.
Materials
Needed
*Printables provided
Key
Concepts
Review:
Optional
Reading
Mrs. Armitage: Queen of the Road by Quentin Blake
We are learning about transportation. Remember, transportation is the way people or things move from one place to another place.
Each of us used some kind of transportation to get to our center today. We also will use transportation to go to another place when we leave our center today.
What kind of transportation will you use when you leave our center today?
We recorded our ideas about different kinds of transportation on a chart earlier this week.
[Display chart from Day 1 and read each item as you point to it.]
We also did some sorting of different kinds of transportation. Remember, when we sort we put things into certain groups. We sorted kinds of transportation by land, water, and air.
[Display chart from Day 2. Point to appropriate picture at the top of each column as you ask the following questions:]
[Again, it is not necessary for children to remember names of specific kinds of transportation. Some children may think of all kinds of aircraft as planes. Later sessions introduce children to particular names.]
Most of us ride in an automobile. Some of us may ride in a truck. Most of us see trucks every day.
[Display side by side three pictures of trucks.]
We know that a truck is used for carrying things. We also know that trucks are made to do special jobs.
We are learning a lot about transportation. We know that transportation is the way people and things move from one place to another. We also know that transportation happens on land, water, and in the sky.
Scaffolding Tips
Extra support
Enrichment
Center Activity
During outdoor play, create a “car wash” for children to wash bikes or other riding toys. Provide materials for children to pretend to “wash” their bikes or other riding toys. Examples: hose sections, washrags, towels. If your center allows the use of water outside, be sure parents know in advance to provide clothes and shoes that can get wet.
Family Child Care
Prepare multiple copies of the Day 2 picture cards for a transportation game. Each child keeps the card of a form of transportation he/she has seen. Encourage children to describe where he/she saw the form of transportation and what it did.