Sunshine Salad

Layer the salad with:

•     lettuce leaf (optional)
•     slice of canned pineapple
•     scoop of yellow yogurt

Eat and enjoy!

(Fun for children to make.)

More fun for children on our website.  http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

 

Possible Units for Each Month

This is a list of possible units that can be used for Kindergarten, Preschool or Home school.  We have on this blog many free ideas for some of these units.  We like to teach all phonetic sounds to young children using music and pictures, thus making it easier to learn to read.  Check out our website for products. 

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

August/September

• Names/Alphabet
• Germs/Hand-washing
• Summer/Autumn/Fall
• Sounds Aa, Cc, Ll, Tt, Ff, Hh, Bb
• Manners/Class Rules
• Homes, Needs, Bodies
• Leaves/Trees
• Numbers 1, 2 ,3, 4
• Colors/Primary/Secondary
• Same/ Different

October

• Sounds Pp, Mm, Nn, Ii, Rr, Ss, SH
• Review Ll, Tt, Hh, Ff, Bb
• Harvest/Pumpkins/Plants
• Measuring/Inches
• Insects/Spiders
• Numbers  5, 6
• Number Review
• Needs/Homes
• Magnets

November

• Sounds Cc/CH, Oo, TH,  Aa, Dd Kk
• Food Groups-Healthy/Junk
• Opposites
• Thanksgiving
• Numbers 7, 8, 9

December

• Sounds Ee, Gg, Jj
• Sharing/Giving/Helping
• Review Pp, Rr, Mm, Nn, Kk
• 5 Senses
• Shapes
• Music/Program

January

• Sounds Yy, Ww, WH, Uu, Qq
• Winter/Seasons
• Animals-Mammals/Reptiles/Birds/Fish/Amphibians
• Review Cc, Dd, Ss, Gg, Jj
• Review WH, SH, CH, TH
• Time/Year/Months/Clocks
• Count by 5
• Numbers 10, 0, Odd/Even
• Dinosaurs

February

• Sounds Zz, Vv, Xx
• USA/Symbols of our Country
• Review Qq, Vv, Ww, Yy, Zz
• Review Vowels
• Presidents
• Money
• Word Endings
• Safety

March

• Sounds AIR, AR, OR, ER, EAR
• Farms-Animals/Plants/Machines
• Review and Blend Sounds
• Spring
• Numbers 11, 12 and Review
• Number 100 (or whenever you reach 100 days of school.)
• Weather-Air/Water/Sun

April

• Sounds OW, OY, OO, OO, AW
• Transportation
• Nursery Rhymes
• Y as a Vowel
• Community Helpers
• Manipulative Addition/Subtraction
• Planets/Sun/Moon

May

• Sounds NG, _S_, Vowels
• Long Vowel Sight Words
• Y as a Vowel
• Family/Friends
• Review and Blend Sounds
• Rocks
• Fairy Tales
• Music/Program

Check out our website for helpful products for teaching the phonics sounds.  We have lesson plans, reproducible workbooks with simple readers for children, simple songs for each sound with fun pictures children enjoy.   http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Long Vowel Simple Sight Words

Long Vowel Simple Sight Word Lesson: ( Free worksheets.)

Do a lesson for each long vowel sound.

Preparation:

• Make cards for the words  me, we, he, she.
• Copy the long vowel worksheets. Worksheet for long vowel E words Worksheet for long vowel I words Worksheet for ay long vowel words (You may want to do another lesson on AY words. may, say, day and a lesson for I words. I, hi, sky, fly, why)
• Locate  the book: He Bear, She Bear by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Lesson:  Rule:  Vowels not followed by a consonant and end a syllable, especially the first syllable, are usually long.  

• Discuss the rule.
• Read together all the word cards.
• Read the story He Bear, She Bear by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

Activity:

• Do the worksheet together. Write the letter to finish the word and review the sound, combine the consonant with the long vowel and sound out the word, then draw a picture  of each word.
• Repeat with each word.
•  Have the children read the words to as many people as possible for their homework.

Options:

• On the back of the worksheet have them write some other long vowel E words and draw pictures for each.  ( tree, bee, free, see, )
• Put this sentence on the back of the worksheet.  ( See the bee in the tree.)   Have the children draw the picture for this sentence.
• Make a simple book where they draw the pictures with these words,  He sees  _____.  She sees_____.  We see _____. I see  ______.

Farm–Animals, Plants, and Machines

     Farms

Objective:  Children will learn about animals, plants and machinery on farms.  Also learn to listen and follow directions.  (You may want to divide Farms into 3 lessons. Also it is good to teach the “AR” sound with farms.)

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of farm animals, plants and machines from books, internet, magazines or old calendars. 

• Print the attached worksheet.  Farm following directions worksheet
• Possibly plan a trip to a farm.
• Suggested books:

  • Farm Flu by Teresa Bateman  

  • Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Lesson:  Discuss farms while showing pictures.

• Farm Animals: Discuss with pictures the types of animals found on the farm and each animals purpose.

• Farm Plants:  Discuss with pictures the types of crops grown on the farm. Include fruit trees, garden fruits and vegetables, hay, wheat, corn, etc.

• Farm Machines:  Discuss with pictures the types of machines found on the farm and their uses.

Activity:  Following Directions Worksheet

Give each child a worksheet and a set of crayons.

Give them directions to follow. Here are some examples:

1. Choose a color then write your name on the top of your paper.

2. With your blue crayon, circle all the animals.

3. With your yellow crayon, color the animal that comes from an egg. 

4. With your brown crayon, write the word, “Farm” on the bottom of your paper.

5. With your red crayon, draw a square around the farm plants or crops.

6. With your purple crayon make a triangle around the barn.

7. With your orange crayon, color the tail and ears of the animal we get wool from.

8. With your gray crayon, color the face of the animal we get milk from.

9. With your green crayon, color the plant or crop used to make flour for bread. 

10. On the back, use many colors to draw yourself on a farm with a tractor. 

Wrap Up:  Read a fun Farm book while they draw on the back of their worksheet.

Weather: Rain and Snow

    

Weather: Rain and Snow      

Objective: Help children learn about the water cycle and how water is a part of our weather.

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of rain, snow and other storms from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Collect a pan, water, a cookie sheet, and a stove or something to heat the water.
• Make word cards; evaporation, water cycle, water vapor, and condensation. 
• Have crayons, pencils or markers.
• Scraps of construction paper in white, dark blue, green and yellow.
• Print the water cycle on light blue or white paper. water-cycle-picture   If you do this activity with older children, they can write all the words.  
• Create a sample water cycle.

Suggested books:

• Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• Franklin and the Thunderstorm by Paulette Bourgeois
• What Makes it Rain? by Keith Brandt

Lesson:

Read a book then discuss water weather:

Discussion questions:

1. How do you feel when it rains?
2. Are you afraid of storms, if so why do they scare you?
3. What activities do you like to do in the rain?
4. Where do you think rain comes from?
5. What other weather has water in it?  (snow, hail)

Demonstrate “condensation” and “evaporation” by heating a small pot of water on the stove. Heat the water until you see steam.  Show the “water vapor” and “evaporation” cards.  Say, “The steam is water vapor or evaporation.”  Hold the cookie sheet above the water.  Show how the water condensate on the cookie sheet. Show the word card “condensation. Say, “If we hold this cookie sheet for a long time above the water it will start dropping rain. 

Activity: Help children learn about the water cycle by making a water cycle collage picture.  (Tearing paper is a skill that most children have to be taught.)

• Give each child a sheet of light blue or white water cycle picture paper.
• Tear dark blue paper big enough to fill half of the bottom part of the paper to look like the ocean. Have the children glue it on their paper by the word “ocean”.
• Tear a sun shape of yellow. Have the children glue it by the word “sun” above the ocean. Talk about how the sun heats the water and causes it to evaporate. Help them write “sun” on the sun.
• Tear a piece of white paper and have the children shade it with gray with the side of a crayon to look like a rain cloud. Have the children glue it on their paper opposite the sun by the words, “rain cloud”. (Explain how the droplets of water vapor come together and cool to make a cloud and when they get too heavy they condensate on bits of dust and begin to fall to the earth as snow or rain depending on how cold they are.)
• Have the children draw the rain coming from the cloud by the word, “rain” below the cloud. Discuss the ways the rain helps all living things and all the benefits of rain and storms.
• Tear a piece of green or brown paper to look like a slope of land coming down to meet the ocean. Have the children glue it next to the ocean piece of paper by the word “land”.
• Tear a strip of blue paper to look like a river. Have the children glue it on the slope of land by the word, “river”. Talk about the collection of rain into rivers, lakes and oceans
• Read all the words on the picture together.

Check out our website: http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Cook No-Bake Cookies

Cook No-Bake Cookies

1.     Mix together in a large pan or glass bowl:

• 1 ½ c. brown sugar
• 1 stick butter
• ½ c. milk
• 1/3 c. cocoa

2.      Cook and stir over medium heat until it boils or cook in the microwave.

3.     Remove from the heat.

4.      Stir in:

• 2 t. vanilla
• 2/3 c. peanut butter
• 3 c. quick oats

5.    Drop on wax paper.

6.    Let cool and eat.

Simple and fun to do with children.  A great recipe to use when learning the short OO sound.

Lesson plan for Money–Penny

Money—Penny  

Objective:  Learn about pennies and how they are alike and different to other coins.

Preparations:

•     Find pictures and/or books about Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln Memorial.
•     Trace 4 to 5 in. circles on brown paper.
•     Have pencils and scissors.
•     Have coins and some paper money.  (pennies, nickels, quarters, dimes)
•     Have word cards for these words: Money, penny, nickel, quarter, dime, and dollar.

Lesson:

• Put the word card “Money” on the table.  
• Put all the money by the word “Money”.  Read and put out the other words cards.
•  Divide the money between paper money and coins.
•  Discuss the difference and put the paper money with the “Dollar” word card. 
• Divide the coins while discussing how they are the same and different and put them with the right word card. 
• Take everything off the table except the pennies.

Use pictures or a book about pennies to discuss Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln Memorial.  Show how there is a statue of Abraham in the Memorial and on the penny there is a small statue in the Memorial.  Show other pennies without the Memorial on the back.

Activity:

• Give each child a brown circle to cut out. 
• Then trade the scissors for a pencil to draw on the penny. 
• First draw Abraham Lincoln.  Show how to draw it in small segments.  (Draw the back and the head, then the face, then the neck and front, then the one eye, one ear and the hair.)  Accept anything they draw and encourage their efforts. 
• Next write LIBERTY along the left side, then write the year on the right side.  
• Turn it over draw the Lincoln Memorial.  (Draw a skinny rectangle at the bottom, a skinny rectangle at the top, then connect with lines or pillars, and a circle with two lines for the statue in the middle.) 
• Write USA at the top.
• ONE CENT at the bottom.

Symbols of The USA–The Statue of Liberty

 

The Statue of Liberty

Objective: To introduce children to The Statue of Liberty as a symbol of USA promise of freedom. 

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of The Statue of Liberty from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Have green crayons, pencils or markers and paper for the children.  (Print,”The Statue of Liberty” on the paper.)
• Suggested book:   The Statue of Liberty by Lucille Recht Penner

Lesson:

• Read the book then discuss while showing pictures:
• The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States in the world. For many visitors traveling by sea in days gone by, the statue located on Liberty Island, in New York harbor, was their first glimpse of America.
• The statue symbolizes liberty and democracy.
• The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France.
• Liberty was designed by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The hollow copper statue was built in France – it was finished in July, 1884.  It was brought to the USA in 350 pieces on a French ship.  The statue was reassembled in the USA and was completed on October 28, 1886.
• Liberty’s right hand holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty. There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal. There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of Liberty’s crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads “July 4, 1776” (in Roman numerals).
• This is the poem that is mounted on the base of the statue.  Emma Lazarus wrote it.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Discussion questions:

• What is liberty?  — the power of choice.
• What is a symbol? —  something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible.
• What are some other symbols of our country? — The Flag, Eagle, etc.

Activities:

• Draw the statue. Give each child a paper and a green pencil or crayon. Help the children draw the statue one step at a time. Wait to start each step until all children have completed the previous step.
• Pictures of the kids: Take each child one at a time. Wrap a green sheet around the child and attach at shoulder. Have them wear a Statue of Liberty headband (you can get them from Liberty Tax or have them make one). Give them a flashlight to hold in their left hand. In their right hand give them a small poster board with “July 4th 1776” written on it. Have them pose like the Statue of Liberty and take a picture.

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

Amphibians

Amphibian Lesson

Objective:  Help children learn some of the traits for amphibians and compare to other animals.  (You may want to organize your amphibian theme activities into 2 lessons.)

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of frogs, toads and salamanders from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Cut sheets of legal size papers in half lengthwise and accordion fold it them into 4 sections. Have crayons, pencils or markers for the children to draw with.
• Gather materials: Paper plates; Green, red and white construction paper; Watercolor paint and glue.  (Optional second day activity.  Paint the paper plate green on the first day.)
• Find a book to read about the life cycle of a frog. Some excellent books are:     Tadpole to Frog by Jan Kottke    Fantastic Frogs by Fay Robinson   The Big Wide-mouthed Frog, by Ana Martin Larranaga

Lesson:

What is an amphibian?

1. Amphibians are animals that metamorphose from a water animal to a land animal.
2. Amphibians include frogs, toads and salamanders. Show pictures and discuss differences
3. Toads have dry, warty skin, while frogs have smooth, wet skin.
4. Frogs have tiny teeth on both upper and lower jaws, while toads do not have teeth.
5. Frogs have longer hind legs than toads. So frogs jump, while toads hop.
6. Salamanders have a long body and a tail. Frogs and toads are shorter and have no tail.

Define metamorphosis and discuss.  Change of physical form

Discussion questions:

1. What information about amphibians did you like the most?
2. What are the main differences between a frog and toad?
3. What is a tadpole?
4. What other animals change or go through metamorphosis? Butterflies
5. Where does a tree frog live? In the trees of the rain forest.
6. Where does a bull frog live? In freshwater ponds, lakes and marshes.

Read a book and discuss each stage of the life cycle:

1. Eggs.
2. Tadpoles have gills, similar to fish, covered and protected by a flap of skin. As they continue to develop, their hind legs form and grow. Then their tail begins to shrink and the front legs appear.
3. Soon the gills are gone, and the tadpole begins to breathe air at the surface, with his brand new lungs.
4. Soon after transforming into froglets or toadlets, they begin life out of the water and start eating insects.

Activities:

• The Frog Life Cycle Book  Accordion fold a half sheet of legal size paper into four pages. Label each page as follows: Eggs; Tadpoles; Tadpoles with legs; Adult or Frog. Write “Frogs” on the front for the title.  Have the child draw a picture to go with each stage.  Have the child write their names on their book.
•  
• Frog Puppet  Watercolor a paper plate green and let dry. Fold plate in half and cut out four long legs and glue them in the middle of the plate. Cut a red tongue to place between the legs. For eyes cut two place half circles and two white circles these are glued on for the eyes on the front of the frog. You can make the frog rib-bit by pressing down on the folded plate.

Mammals

Mammals    

Objective: Children will learn the characteristics of mammals and how they compare to other animals. 
Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of mammals and other types of animals from books, internet, magazines or old calendars.

• Make word cards for the words, Mammals, Animals, Yes, and No.

• Have paper and crayons.

• Suggested books:

  • Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
  • The Hat by Jan Brett

Lesson:
Read the book(s) then discuss while showing pictures.
Discuss the characteristics of mammals

• All mammals are warm-blooded.

• Most young are born alive.

• They have hair or fur on their bodies.

• Every mammal is a vertebrate. 

• All mammals have lungs to breathe air.

• Mammals feed milk to their babies.

Activities:

Play the Yes and No game with pictures of different animals.  “Is this a mammal?” Then place the animal on the yes or no pile.  (This gives an opportunity to discuss characteristics of different animals.)

Have children draw their favorite mammal.  Write the name of the mammal on the picture.   

http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/