(A) General Information
Study/Topic - BIG IDEAS this week:Who lives on a farm? We begin this unit focusing on a topic that naturally interests many children: farm animals. This week we will discuss different farm animals, the sounds they make, and their important characteristics: e.g., cows eat grass and produce milk, chickens lay eggs, pigs roll in mud to keep cool, etc. / Key vocabulary:
1. Farm, farmer granja, granjero
2. Different animal names nombres de animales
3. Barn, field granero, campo
4. Hay, oats heno, avena
Friday “To Do” List:
/ - Review Planned Read-Alouds; read books through at least once.
- Review Small Group Activity forms and gather/create materials, including farm animal figures, small boxes/cardboard, clothespins, sandpaper, aluminum foil, picture-cards, get graphs together.
- Review “10 Fluffy Chicks” poem and create chart.
- Gather/create materials for centers, including farm props for dramatic play, farm animal picture-cards, rough vs. smooth items, animal footprints
- Remove any items from centers that are in poor condition or children no longer use.
- SS Week-
Support for Dual Language Learners: / Reinforce the names of different farm animals using pictures, toys or other props. Encourage both DLL children and native English speakers to learn the names of the animals in both languages.
Did you know that the sounds we associate with each farm animal are actually specific to English – and may be represented differently in other languages or cultures? For example, a rooster says cock-a-doodle-doo in English, but kikirikí in Spanish. (Spanish terms may also vary by country.) Expose children to the sounds the animals make in English and in children’s home languages (ask parents for assistance or use the website http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/personal/dabbott/animal.html for animal sounds in different languages).
Family/ Community Involvement: / Ask families who speak other languages at home, or come from different countries, to tell you what animals “say” in their language. Invite parents to teach the class different sounds for Old McDonald, or provide the animal sounds for a read-aloud.
Keep families updated about the activities you are doing in the classroom, and the vocabulary you are using. For example, you could post a question or clue on the door for parents to see at pick-up time: “Today we read about an animal that said oink … but it wasn’t a pig! Ask your child to tell you about it!” Change the note daily to reflect the read-aloud, discussions or other activities from that day.
There are always props and materials needed for classroom activities, and parents can be extremely helpful by donating or lending items. This week items include clothespins, strips of cardboard, and small boxes (e.g., clean milk cartons, shoe boxes, etc.).
If possible, arrange for a trip to a nearby farm or farmer’s market.
(B) Materials to Enhance Children’s Play
Blocks / Dramatic Play / Toys and GamesAdd:
“Clothespin Fences” – small boxes or strips of cardboard; clothespins (wooden if possible)
Farm animal figures / Add:
Rake, shovel, hoe
Baskets, plastic vegetables and fruit
Farmer’s hat
Plastic eggs (white or different colors to sort), egg cartons(clean)
Stuffed animals (types that would live on a farm) / Add:
“Smooth vs. Rough” – various items for children to sort into two containers (labeled with word and example of that kind of material)
Farm Animal sort – assorted pictures of animals (see Activities packet for examples); encourage children to sort by farm vs. non-farm animals or by other characteristic (e.g., number of legs)
Art / Library/Writing / Discovery/Science
Keep any items from previous week(s) that children were particularly engaged with.
Add:
Sandpaper of different coarseness; pencils and paper / Add:
Read-aloud books for this week
Other books about farms or animals (if available)
Pictures (laminated, on word cards or felt) of different animals. See Activities packet. / Add:
Animal hair/ wool if available and magnifying glass
Sand paper and pieces of wood to sand
Sand and Water / Music and Movement / Computers
Add:
Farm animals and soapy water in a “tub” to wash them
Variation: Put soapy water in a tub inside water table; in the extra space, provide washable markers/paint, or a bin of dirt, so children can get animals dirty and then clean. / Add:
Song charts for familiar farm-related or animal-related songs (Old MacDonald, Ten Fluffy Chicks, High-Ho the Derry-oh, etc...) / Add:
Outdoors / Cooking
Add:
Sticks to act as horses
Balance beams
“Animal Footprints.” Cut footprints out of different-colored construction paper representing different animals (e.g. horse, dog, chicken). Place footprints around outdoor area and encourage children to follow them. Give children directions – “go to a blue horse footprint, then a red dog footprint” – or allow them to direct you.
(C) Group Experiences
/ Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday /Arrival
Opening Circle
Movement
Relaxation
Transitions
Closing Circle / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
-Welcome song & one other
-SS Puppet Script
-Introduce theme (we will be learning about farms and farm animals!), building off QOTD by talking further about these animals, what children know about them and where we might see them.
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Transition: Question of the Day (QOTD): Which do you like best? (cows/ chickens/ horses) Provide visuals of each answer choice. Have children answer during arrival or transition, charting with whiteboard/pocket chart/etc
Music/Movement: SS Song & one other
Relaxation:
Transition: SS Brain Builder-
Closing Circle:
Review QOTD results with the full group, counting each column and writing the numeral.
Goodbye song / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
-Welcome song & one other
- Discussion: What do we already know about farms? Have props available to spur children’s thinking – e.g., animal figurines, barn toy or photo, etc. Use KWL format or have more open-ended discussion. See KWL Chart Guidelines.
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Transition: farm animal vs. forest/ocean/jungle etc. sorting activity
Music/Movement: : “Animal March” (see below) & one other
Relaxation:
Transition: Which animal sound do you think is the loudest? (moo/oink)
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
-Welcome song & one other
- Animal Sounds: Briefly describe different animals and have children guess what they are. Have them help you make the animal sounds. Allow children to give clues about different animals. Include the appropriate animal sounds from children’s home languages.
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Transition: SS Brain Builder-
Music/Movement: SS Song & “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”
Relaxation:
Transition:
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song / Arrival: Attendance graph
Morning Circle:
-Welcome song & one other
- QOTD: Do you have an a in your name? (Have name cards nearby and encourage children to count how many a’s they have)
Review daily schedule and rules now and throughout the day
Transition: How Many Legs are there? Graph, refer to page 68 in High Five Mathematize
Music/Movement: : “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” & one other
Relaxation:
Transition: SS Skill Activity-
Closing Circle:
Goodbye song
Read-Alouds / Group 1: The Cow That Went Oink by Bernard Most (basic comprehension of story problem/resolution; noticing things about farms)
Group 2: Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley
(build on understanding of farms/animals, reality vs. fiction ) / Group 1: Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley
Group 2: The Cow That Went Oink by Bernard Most
(basic comprehension of story problem/resolution; noticing things about farms) / Group 1: SS Story and Discussion-
Group 2: SS book- / Group 1: SS book-
Group 2: SS Story and Discussion-
Small-Group Activity / Group 1: – Farm Animals (building fences and sorting, No Activity Guide) Obj. 11a,b,c, 13
Group 2: Silly Words & Animals or Find the Rhyme (see activity guides) TS Gold Objectives- 15b, s15b,15c,s15c / Group 1: Silly Words & Animals or Find the Rhyme (see activity guides) TS Gold Objectives- 15b, s15b,15c,s15c
Group 2: – Farm Animals (building fences and sorting, No Activity Guide) Obj. 11a,b,c, 13 / Group 1:SS Skill Activity-
Group 2: – Rough vs. Smooth (writing with sandpaper/aluminum foil) see activity guide TS Gold Objectives- 7b,s7b,16a,s16a,16b,s16b / Group 1: – Rough vs. Smooth (writing with sandpaper/aluminum foil) see activity guide TS Gold Objectives- 7b,s7b,16a,s16a,16b,s16b
Group 2: SS Skill Activity-
Special Activities / Use animal sounds as the “beat” for children to march to, e.g.: Moo, moo, moo or Oink, 2, 3, 4. Vary by changing the pace or using sound-words to cue different types of movement (“When I say neigh, run in place!”)
Tangible Acknowledgement System
Inclement Weather Plan
Emergency Drills
Outside
Individual Child Planning Form
Teachers: / Classroom: / Week of:Focus Date / Child’s
Name / School Readiness Goal Focus Domain(s) / Focus TS GOLD Objective(s) / Why Chosen?
(IFSP, observation/assessment
, family input conference goal, etc.) / Strategy/Activity
NOTE: Children with similar needs may benefit from differentiated instruction (e.g. during small-group activity). You can use the “Small Group” column at right to make notes about possible groupings. / Possible small-group? / CHECK when implemented
Soc-Emotional / Approaches to Learning / Language & Literacy / Cogn./ Gen. Knowledge / Physical
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
IFSP Child Planning
Child’sName / School Readiness Goal Focus Domain(s) / Focus TS GOLD Objective(s) / IFSP GOAL / Strategy/Activity
NOTE: Children with similar needs may benefit from differentiated instruction (e.g. during small-group activity). You can use the “Small Group” column at right to make notes about possible groupings. / Possible small-group? / CHECK when implemented
Soc-Emotional / Approaches to Learning / Language & Literacy / Cogn./ Gen. Knowledge / Physical
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
*Please review all IFSP plans including Speech Only to ensure implementation of all classroom goals.
*For speech goals the what/who would be: Directed by the Speech Language Therapist
*If you have additional goals, highlight the last row for that child, right click with mouse, scroll to Insert rows, scroll to insert row below. Do this as many times as needed.
.