Frogs - Day 1

Reading (Core education standard for Kindergarten-Reading Standard #4 under Craft & Structure)

Preparation

Write the following words on pieces of paper: Hibernation, Camouflage, Webbed, Amphibians, Vegetarians, Algae (email me and I'll send you my word doc)

Materials

Paper

Teaching

1. Show your child the words.  Read each word, ask if they know what the word means. Say, "These are mystery words about frogs and we will be like scientist solving the mystery of what the words mean.

2. Say, "We are going to read a book about frogs and the book will tell us what the words mean."

3. Read the book, as you find the word in the text use the word strip with corresponding word as a bookmark. Talk about the meaning of the word.

4. After reading the book, go to each bookmarked page and read the word.  Ask, "What does this word mean?" "What does this word have to do with frogs?"

Phonics (Core Standard Foundational Skills Phonics and Word Recognition 3.c. "Read common high-frequency words.")

Preparation

Buy a used children's book (I go to the library and pick them up for 50 cents)

Materials

Book

Markers or highlighters in 3 different colors where text will show through

Teaching

1. Tell your child you are detectives looking for words that you read very often.

2. Show your child the word "the." Explain that the word the doesn't sound the way it looks, but we hear it all the time.  Tell your child the word, "the."  Have your child look for and highlight the word "the" in the book.  (Now would be a good time to mention that this is a special book for writing in, and all other books should NOT be written in).
3. Explain the word "are." Point out the letters, sound out the word.   Find the word "are" in the  book.

4. Do the same for the word, "is."
5. Have your child guess which word they saw the most when reading.  GO through the text and count every "the," "are," and "is" they have highlighted.  Declare that word the winner!
Writing (Core Standard - Writing: Text Types and Purpose 1. "Compose opinion")
Preparation
Make a mini book. On title page write "I like frogs." On each page write "I like _____________ about frogs."
Materials
Mini book
Pen
marker, crayons, or colored pencils
Teaching
1. Ask your child what he liked learning about frogs in the book.
2. Write down what he says.
3. Have child fill out blanks on pages of book using a simplified version of your discussion.

4.Have child illustrate book.
5. Have child read book to stuffed animals, siblings, you, over the phone to grandma, etc.

Math Core standard - Geometry - Identify and describe shapes
Preparation
Cut out 3-4 varying sizes of shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, hexagon, circle) on different colored pieces of paper.
Materials
Shapes
Teaching

1. Have child sort (another core standard) shapes into things that look similar. Continue sorting until child has groups of circles, triangles, squares,  rectangles, and hexagons

2. Pull out triangles.  Ask, "What makes these shapes different?" Talk about color, and size. Ask, "What makes these shapes the same?"  Make sure to point out 3 sides, 3 angles.

3.Say, these are all triangles.  Even though they may be different sizes and colors, they are triangles because they have 3 sides and 3 angles.

4. Repeat for squares, etc.  Make sure to point out what makes a square a square, etc.

Exploration

Visit some frogs at a local pet shop.

Art

Preparation
Materials
Green paint

Paper Plate

2-3" diameter White circles

1" diameter black circles

Black marker

Glue

Teaching

1. Have child paint plate green.

2.Let dry.

3. Glue black circles on to white circles.

4. Glue white circles to top of plate.

5. Add a smile near bottom of plate with black marker.