Three Little Pigs - Day 3

Reading Core Standard  Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 9
Preparation
Materials
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Three Little Pigs
Teaching
1. Show your child the book Three Little Pigs. Ask, "Is the wolf a good guy or bad guy?"
2. Show your child the book The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and say, "The wolf wrote his own story about what happened. This is what the wolf said."
3. Read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
4. Ask, "Does this story make the wolf seem nicer? What do you think of the wolf in this story? Did he still eat the pigs?  What happened to him at the end of the three pigs? What happened to him at the end of this story? Who do you believe?  Do you believe the wolf's story about getting sugar, or do you think he wanted to just eat the pigs? Is the wolf a good guy or bad guy?"


Phonics Core Standard Phonological Awareness 2.c.,d.,e
Preparation
Make a small flip book with 27 sheets of paper (see my video here of how I did it)
Cut book in half from bottom to fold at top
Write one of each of the following letters on each page of the first half of the book: b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z, bl, st, sp, tr, gl, sn
Write one of each of the following rimes on each page of the second half of the book:
ack, ad, ag, am, an, ap, at, ed, ell, en, et, ick, id, ig, ill, in, ip, it, ock, og, op, ot, ub, ug, um, un, ut
Materials
book
Teaching
1. Using the book flip to any beginning sound (first half of book) and any rime (second half of book) have your child sound it out to create a word.
2. Keep this with other books and continue practicing sounding out the new words.

Writing Core Standard - Text Types and Purposes 1.
Preparation
Write on a piece of paper "The wolf is..."
Materials
Paper
Markers
Teaching
1.Ask your child whether they think the wolf  is good or bad and why.
2. Write, or help your child to write, their opinion on the piece of paper. 
3. Have your child illustrate their opinion.

Math Core Standard - Operations and Algebraic Thinking 3
Preparation
I have boxes of small items that I use for teaching this: stamps, beads, fake leaves, fake flowers, colored blocks, etc.
Materials
Small items
Teaching
1. Tell your child to make the number 7 (or chose a smaller number if 7 is too large) with the items.
2.Ask them to explain each time they create the number 7. For example, "I made three bunny stamps and four giraffe stamps." or "I have five blue beads and two red beads" or "I have one circle and six rectangles."
3. Write their creation as an equation.  Examples:
"I made three bunny stamps and four giraffe stamps."  Write 3+4=7
or "I have five blue beads and two red beads" Write 5+2=7
 or "I have one circle and six rectangles." Write 1+6=7
4. Say, "Just like words  say a story.  These numbers tell us what you made." Go through step by step how you created the equation.  ("You stamped five bunnies, so I wrote this five.  This '+' means you added more.  This two says you added the two giraffes."

Exploration
Preparation
Get some Legos or other interlocking blocks
Materials
Legos
Teaching
1. Have your child create a house made out of bricks with you.  Have fun making the sides and roof of the pig's house.  Talk about the colors you are using, the size of the house, how many bricks.  Make it a great learning and doing together experience.

Art
Preparation
Materials
Paper
Art Supplies (your choice of paint, crayon, marker, colored pencil, etc)
Teaching
1. Have your child draw (paint, etc) a picture of his house.

Frogs - Day 2

Reading Core Standard - Craft & Structure 6, Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10, Preparation
Materials
Paper
Marker
Book: Frogs by Gail Saunders-Smith (or, if you can't find this at your local library, another good easy reader Frog book)
Teaching
1. Before reading ask, "How does a frog become a frog?"
2. Your child might remember from yesterday's book, Frogs By Gail Gibbons, a few details.  Tell child that you are going to find out how a frog becomes a frog in the book for today.
3. Show child book.  Point out title, see if child can read it.  Point out picture of frog.  Point out the author's name at the bottom.  Open the book and begin reading.
4. As you read document on the paper each part of life cycle of frog with a word and a very simple illustration.

5. Review chart with child.  See if they can tell you the life cycle.

Phonics Core Standard - Phonological Awareness 2.d.
Preparation
Write "Og" on paper
write on small pieces of paper each consonant of the alphabet.  Also "st," "sl," "sp," "tr," "pr," "pl,"
On a piece of paper write "Word" on one side, "Jail" on the other
Materials
Papers with "og," etc.
Word/Jail Paper
Teaching
1. Place a consonant or the "st," etc in front of "og."
2. Sound out word with your child, or have them sound it out independently.
3. If it creates a word, put it in the "word" section of the paper.
4.If it doesn't create a word put it in "jail."

5. After going through each letter, reread your real words.
Writing Core Standard - Text Types and Purposes 2.
Preparation
Make a mini book.  On Title Page write "Life Cycle of Frog"
**Don't write anything in the book until lesson, this is just to let you know how book will be laid out**
The book is made up of three double pages.
On page one write: Eggs
Page two (facing page 1) write:tadpole
Page 3 write:Back legs
Page 4:Front legs
Page 5: Tail shrinks
Page 6: Frog
OR You can have child write the words, or write the first letter of each word. Depends on child's level, or attention span.
Materials
Mini Book
Markers
Chart from Reading
Teaching
1. Show child chart again.  Explain you will be making a book about Life cycles to show to the family.
2. Ask child what a frog looks like at first.  Talk about the eggs, what they look like, feel like (Gail Gibbons said they were like "jelly." Maybe touch some jelly to get an idea?" Say, "It looks like frogs start out as eggs.  Let's write "Eggs" on the first page. (This is when you write the word, you have child guess first letter and write first letter, or let child write the entire word.)

3. Ask, "What happens when the frogs hatch?  Do they look like frogs?" Child will (hopefully) say "Tadpoles." Say, "Then we write "tadpoles." Write "tadpole" then have child illustrate.
4. Repeat for remaining pages, having a guided discussion with your child to get back legs, front legs, tail shrinks, and frog.

Math Core standard - Geometry - Analyze, Compare, and Compose Shapes
Preparation
Draw a circle, triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon on a piece of paper
tape two craft sticks together to form a long stick, make two sets of this
Materials
chenille stick ("pipe cleaners" back in the day)
craft sticks ("Popsicle sticks" back in the day)
Teaching
1. Give your child a chenille stick and ask her to make a circle with it.  You can help by using your own chenille stick and talking through the process (smoothing it, explaining it can't have any angles, etc.)
2. Give child three Popsicle sticks and tell her to make a triangle.  Emphasize that a triangle has three sides that touch and make angles. Tri=three, three sides, three angles
3. Give child four sticks.  Have child put the Popsicle sticks on top of each other.  Point out that all the sticks are the same length.  Have child create a square.  Point out the four equal sides, and the four angles.
4. Give child the two long Popsicle sticks and two regular sticks. Have them create a rectangle.  Talk about opposite sides being the same length, four sides, four angles.
5. Give child 6 craft sticks.  Have them create a hexagon.  Talk about the six sides and six angles.
** IMPORTANT**
A.  If your child has a hard time forming shapes, give as much necessary help as needed.  You can do this activity again and again until your child has mastered ability to create shapes on their own.
B.  Notice I am using mathematical terms like angles, etc.  lease use correct terminology when explaining Math. These words will not confuse your child if you explain them.  When correct terminology is used it becomes a part of your child's vocabulary very easily.
C.  You can watch the video of how I taught this on youtube.
Exploration

Watch a Frog Video - these can be found at your local library (I love that place)


Art
Preparation
Cut out 2 small and one large heart from green paper
Materials
google eyes
hearts
glue
markers, crayons, etc
Teaching
1.Draw a green line down middle of large green heart to form a lily pad.

2. Glue small green heart on top of other small green heart, as seen in photo.

 3. On the top of first green hear glue google eyes at top of heart (see photo)

4. Using a marker draw frog details like mouth, spots, toes, etc.

Key Ideas and Details 2

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.

Core Education Standards

Confession: I am a former teacher.  I was taught in college that everything a teacher does in the classroom should tie into an educational standard to help children meet benchmarks for their grade.  Problem: There are no real benchmarks for preschool.  Solution:  I am using the Core standards adopted by several states in the U.S.in order to drive my instruction.  Though you may say that Kindergarten is not preschool, I argue that much of what is learned in Kindergarten is easily trasmitted to the preschool curriculum. 
So, from now on I am writing the core standards I am teaching for Reading, Phonics, Writing, and Math.  This way you know that what your child is learning is based on national educational standards and not on some feel-good philosophy. While I firmly believe that learning should be fun, especially for young children, I also believe just as firmly in having proper foundations in learning.  So, from here on out, look for hte learning standards for the subjects.  I also encourage you to go to the website and read the standards for yourself.  Thank you to everyone who has used my website.  Please comment and let me know how the lessons are working for you.