LITERACY PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT

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ECE 231- WINTER SEMESTER 2009

~ Liz Witt

OUTLINE:

1) STORY SONG • A House for Hermit Crab, by Eric Carle • Baby Beluga, by Raffi • The Three Little Pigs, by Paul Galdone • Dinosaurumpus, by Tony Milton • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin jr. and John Archambalt

2) SEASONAL/HOLIDAY • Round the Garden, by Omri Glaser • Mud, by Wendy Cheyette Lewison • Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, by Lois Ehlert • The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats • Thomas’s Snowsuit, by Robert Munsch

3) FICTION • In the Tall, Tall, Grass, by Denise Fleming • Strega Nona, by Tommie DePoala • Little Cloud, by Eric Carle • It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw • The Napping House, by Audrey Wood

4) POETRY • The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss • How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?, By Jane Yolen • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Bill Martin Jr. • The Shape of Me & Other Stuff, by Dr. Seuss • The Wind Blew, by Pat Hutchins

5) NON-FICTION • Black? White? Day? Night! A Book of Opposites, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger • Apples Here! By Will Hubbell • Clothing Around the World, by Kelly Doundra • We Are All Alike, We Are All Different, by the Cheltenham Elementary school Kindergarteners • Little Bear Brushes His Teeth, by Jetta Langreuter

SONG & DANCE LITERACY THEMES

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Title: A House for Hermit Crab
Author: Eric Carle
Illustrator: Eric Carle
Publisher: Simon and Schuster children’s books
Age Level: 4 – 6

Summary –
A hermit crab wanders the ocean floor looking for the perfect home.

Extension Activity –
“The Hermit Crab Cha, Cha, Cha”.

Objective –
Story recall, large motor development and music appreciation.

Materials needed –
Singing voices and dancing bodies!

Approximate time –
15 minutes including the time to read the story.

Lesson Procedure –
Follow the story with this fun song –

The Hermit Crab Cha, Cha, Cha
By Marsha Feffer

The hermit crab (cha-cha-cha)
He has no home (cha-cha-cha) shake head.
He has no shell (cha-cha-cha) (shake head and move finger back and forth).
To call his own (cha-cha-cha)
He moves along the ocean floor (make movement like sliding)
To fine the home he is hoping for. Search with eyes and a hand on forehead.

The hermit crab (cha-cha-cha)
Soon finds a shell (cha-cha-cha) (make hands shape like a shell)
He crawls inside (cha-cha-cha) (make movements like crawling inside of something)
It fits him well (cha-cha-cha) (slide hands down sides of hips)
He moves along the ocean floor (make sliding movement)
Until his home fits him no more! (Hand’s up and shake heads)

Title – Baby Beluga
Author and illustrator – Raffi
Publisher – Crown Books for Young Readers
Age level – 3-6 years old

Summary –
Baby Beluga whale lives in the deep blue sea and swims very fast and free. This story describes the adventures in a young whale’s day with simple text and animated pictures.

Extension activity –
Using hand-held streamers in various colors and the song “Baby Beluga” invite and encourage the children to move their streamers to the rhythm of the music watching the “wave-like” motion of the streamers.

Objective –
Development of large motor, literary rhyming, following verbal directions.

Materials needed –
Streamers on a stick (can be purchased or “teacher-made with paper streamers and sticks). Raffi song, Baby Beluga.

Lesson Procedure –
Read the story, Baby Beluga. After the story get the streamers out and have each child come up and get a streamer. Tell them they are going to listen to the song about the baby beluga. Encourage the children to move in wave-like motions to the rhythm of the music.

Title – The Three Little Pigs
Author – Paul Galdone
Publisher –
Age level – 4-6 year olds

Summary –
Three pigs build homes to protect themselves from the big bad wolf. The first two pig-brothers do not succeed, but the brother pig who built his home of bricks has the safe home and they all live happily ever after.

Extension activity –
“Lots of Pigs” After the story, gather the children in the circle area and do a dramatic version of the story to the song “Lots of Little Pigs” by Laurie Berkner. Use actions and words, encourage participation and anticipation of the repetitive phrases. Discuss after how the song and the story were different.

Objective –
Building rhyming awareness, memorization, repetition, and tying a story to a song.

Materials needed –
Laurie Berkner CD, “Buzz, Buzz”

Approximate time –
15 minutes

Lesson procedure –
Read The Three Little Pigs, by Paul Galdone being sure to use the classic language of the key passages:
“Along came the wolf, he huffed and he puffed and blew the house in!”
Next gather the children to sign and dance to the song “Lots of Little Pigs” by Laurie Berkner.

Title – Chica Chica Boom Boom
Authors – Bill Martin jr. and John Archambault
Illustrator – Lois Ehlert
Publisher – Simon and Schuster
Age level – 4-6

Summary –
The lower-case alphabet letters have a rhyming grace to the top of the coconut tree. When they reach the top the tree flops and the letters all fall to the ground. The uppercase letters then show up the help the lowercase letters.

Extension activity –
“Alphabet Matching” song.

Objective/goals –
Letter recognition and rhyming.

Materials –
Large paper (or you may purchase a bow-up coconut tree), alphabet letters in upper and lowercase, Velcro tape, poster board, and laminate or contact paper.

Song (sung to the tune “The Farmer in the Dell” –

The letters raced up the tree
The letters raced up the tree
They reached the top
And then KER-PLOP!!
What happened to the – A? …

Approximate time needed – 7-10 minutes

Lesson procedure –
Prepare the paper tree or blow up the purchased one. Attach Velcro to the trunk of the tree and in the leaves, match the Velcro to the letters in the alphabet. After reading the story, give each child and uppercase letter, while singing the song have the child whose letter is said stick the matching letter to the lower one.

Title – Dinosaurumpus
Author – Tony Milton
Illustrator – Tony Milton
Publisher – Scholastic
Age level – 4-6

Summary –
Bomp, rattle, thwack! Follow a troop of colorful dinosaurs into the swamp for a wallop of a dinosaur romp! Goofy and fun!

Extension activity –
“Dinosaur Dancing”

Objectives/goals –
Responding to print, listening to verbal directions, developing large motor skills.

Materials needed –
Scissors, construction paper, and stapler. Create a pattern for the dinosaur head-band (found online at www.mailboxcompanion.com).

Approximate time –
15 – 20 minutes

Lesson procedure –
Prepare the head bands in two different colors, enough for each child and teacher to have one. After the story make the head bands and then invite the children to the circle area. Give a series of verbal directions encouraging them to listen to the instructions of the song, they will be directed at “blue dinosaurs” and the “green dinosaurs” so remind the children to be aware of which color they were and to listen for directions for everyone.

SEASONAL LITERACY THEMES

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Title – Round the Garden
Author – Omri Glaser
Illustrator – Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi
Publisher – Scholastic
Age Levels – 3-6

Summary –
A garden comes full circle in this sweet story that starts with a single tear.

Extension activity –
“Growing plants”

Objective –
Recalling a story, sequencing of events, science.

Materials needed –
Paper cups, potting soil, seeds, water container (two liter or water bottle with “rain or shower” type spout.

Approximate time –
2 – 5 minutes per child and 6-7 minutes for the story. About 30 minutes.

Lesson Procedure –
Have each child scoop soil into her cup and then poke several seeds into the dirt. After the seeds have been planted, instruct the students to use the water containers to drip some “tears” onto the soil to water their seeds. Each day, have students drip new “tears” into their cups. Letting them know that the “tears” will help their garden grow.

Title – Mud
Author – Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Illustrator – Bill Basso
Publisher – Scholastic
Age level – 4-6

Summary –
The children in this story have lots of fun playing in the mud on a sunny afternoon, covering themselves with the sticky stuff from head-to-toe.

Extension Activity –
“Marvelous Mud” after reading the story, give each child a piece of white construction paper and using the mud they made have them finger-paint with it. After the mud dries, have them dictate to you what they have created. Display the pictures and title the board “Marvelous Mud Masterpieces”.

Objective/goal –
To encourage creative thinking and provide a sensory experience rich in hands-on fun! To encourage the children to participate in cognitive conversations of cause and effect.

Materials needed –
Dirt, Water, Gallon sized plastic reseal able bags, brown poster board cut into the shape of a mud puddle, white construction paper and a black sharpie.

Approximate time –
15 – 20 minutes

Lesson Procedure –
Half-fill plastic bag with dirt, ask children what they think will happen if they add water to the dirt. Add the water and invite the children to help you in squishing the bag until there is mud. Record their answers on the puddle page (the brown sheet of poster board).

Title – Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf,
Author – Lois Ehlert
Illustrator – Lois Ehlert
Publisher – Brace Harcourt
Age level – 4-6 year olds

Summary –
A child describes the growth of a maple tree from a seed to a sapling. They become great friends “growing up” together.

Extension activity –
“Leaf Rubbings” After the story, have a discussion with the children about their favorite thing about Fall/Autumn is and what they like and dislike about it.

Objective/goal –
“Leaf Rubbings”. Exploring the outdoor environment, learning the changing of the seasons, developing fine motor skills, recognition of color, shapes and sizes (pre-math).

Materials –
Enough red, yellow and orange crayons so each child has one. White copy paper, small brown paper, teacher made tree on the wall, leaves brought in by teachers and students and scissors.

Approximate time –
20 minutes

Lesson procedure –
Put the teacher made tree on the wall. Read the story and after have all the students share their leaves. Have them do rubbings of the leaves they brought in in the three colors (red, yellow and orange), teacher demonstrates “rubbing” with crayons, ripping paper off the crayons. Then each child as they finish their rubbings, cuts out their leaves and with assistance puts the leaves on the tree.

Title – Snowballs
Author – Lois Ehlert
Illustrator – Lois Ehlert
Publisher – Harcourt Brace and Company
Age level – 4-6

Summary –
A creative story about “good stuff in a sack” that turns snowballs into a snow family. The story concludes with information about snow and a recipe for popcorn balls (snowballs).

Extension Activity –
“Counting snowballs” for snow folk.

Objective/goals –
Fine motor and counting

Materials needed –
White Play doh, Construction paper and a black sharpie

Approximate time needed –
10 minutes for small group activity

Lesson Procedure –
On sheets of construction paper draw snow folk with varying numbers of snowballs. Label each sheet with the corresponding number; then laminate the sheets. Ask a child to prepare a number of dough snowballs, and then arrange the appropriate number of snowballs on each sheet.

Title – Thomas’s Snowsuit
Author – Robert Munsch
Illustrator – Robert Munsch
Publisher – Firefly books LTD.
Age Level – 4-7

Summary –
A cute, funny story of a boy who refuses to wear his snowsuit.

Extension Activity –
“Does It Fit”? Seriate snowsuits.

Objective/goals –
Seriating (small, medium, large)

Materials Needed –
Various sizes of snowsuits

Approximate time needed –
20 minutes, including the time to read the story

Lesson Procedure –
Read the story, display the snowsuits. Ask the children to comment on the variety of sizes. Ask which snow suit would fit a baby, child, grown-up. In the center area place a copy of the book and the snowsuits for the children to try on.

NON-FICTION LITERACY THEMES

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Title – Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites
Author – Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Publisher – Roaring Books Press 2006
Age Levels – 3 – 8

Summary –
This is a visual and interactive book of opposites. Pages transform from one thing to another; an insect is tiny, but is then transformed into an elephant’s huge eye.

Extension Activity –
“Opposite day” After reading the story, explain to the children that they are going to collect and find things that are opposites for display in the classroom.

Objective/goal – Classifying objects

Materials Needed –
Tape or glue
4 x 6 index cards
Sweet (something like a piece of candy), sour (a lemon or picture of a lemon)
Hard (a rock or coin), soft (a cotton ball)
Rough (an emery board, sand paper), smooth (piece of laminated paper)

Approximate time needed –
15 minutes

Lesson Procedure–
After reading the story have the children search and collect items from the classroom or the items they brought from home. The items from home would be the something sweet/sour, hard/soft, rough/smooth… Display the children’s collections on a table in the class or on the bulletin board. Encourage students to share and discuss their results with classmates.

Title – Apples Here!
Written and Illustrated by – Will Hubbell
Publisher – Scholastic 2002
Age Levels – 4 – 8

Summary –
A book on the growth and processing of apples, from budding to apples that are ripe ready to eat.

Extension Activity –
“The Five Senses” After reading the story tell the children that they are going to use their five senses; seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling.

Objectives/goals –
Science concept of The Human Body: The Five Senses. Expressing self using words and expanded sentences.

Materials –
Apples – one for each child. Paper towels. Five different colored pieces of construction paper and a marker.

Approximate Time Needed -
15 minutes in small groups with teacher and assistants.

Lesson Procedure – 1. Place a paper towel on each desk. Have students select an apple from the basket and place it on his/her paper towel. (Apples are pre-washed for time). 2. SEE: Instruct the children not to touch their apples. Using only their eyes, what words would they use to describe what they are seeing? Teacher(s) then write down what the children are saying. For example: Red, Yellow, Circle, and Round, small, large and shiny. 3. TOUCH: Have the students touch their apples with one finger. What words would they use to describe what they are feeling? Write down their responses on a separate sheet of paper. Some examples: hard, smooth, and bumpy. 4. HEAR: Now have the students take a bite of their apples. Ask them to concentrate on what they are hearing. Write down each word on separate sheet of paper. Some examples: crunchy, loud, and squeaky. 5. TASTE: Ask the students to describe what they taste. Write down responses on separate sheet of paper. Some examples: juicy, sweet, sour and delicious. 6. SMELL: Now have the students smell their apples. Write down each word they use to describe the smell on a separate sheet of paper. Some examples might be: yummy, sweet, and fresh. 7. Post sheets of paper in the classroom on the bulletin board.

Title – Clothing Around the World
Author – Kelly Doudna
Publisher – Abdo Publishing, 2004
Ages – 3 – 6

Summary –
A look at clothing from across the globe and what is worn based on the climate, one’s work, safety and special occasions.

Extension Activity –
“What Do You Wear”? Talk to the children about the different articles of clothing and the outfits we wear for different occasions for example: birthdays, holidays and seasons.

Objectives/Goal-
To encourage the children to take on pretend roles and situations, make believe with objects and explore cause and effect.

Material Needed –
Bring in as many different types and styles of clothing you can (ask families of different cultures to bring in special items).

Approximate time needed –
10 minutes during circle time.

Lesson Procedure –
After reading the story and introducing the articles of clothing, let students volunteer to try them on for the class. The use of humor may be natural when seeing a class-mate in a jacket that hangs below her knees or a neck scarf that has to be wrapped around his neck yo-yo style. Afterwards inform the children the clothing will be available in the Housekeeping area during free-choice time.

Title – We Are All Alike, We Are All Different
Authors – The Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergarteners
Illustrators – The Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergarteners
Publisher – Scholastic
Ages – 4-7 years

Summary –
A book written by children for children that reinforces multicultural and anti-bias learning. Through original drawings and lyrical words the kindergarten class share ways they look, feel, foods they like, the homes they live in and more concluding that “We are all alike”.

Extension Activity –
“Alike and Different” Create a skin, hair and eye color graph using pre-cut pieces of construction paper in skin, hair and eye colors.

Goals/Objectives –
To encourage appreciation for other cultures. Celebrate diversity and reinforce anti-bias learning.

Materials –
Different skin colored construction paper. (Can be found at www.discountschoolsupply.com).
Different hair colored construction paper.
Different eye color construction paper.
Glue and glue sticks
Several sheets of white poster board.
Black sharpie

Lesson Procedure -
After reading the story place the poster board on the floor. Ask each child one at a time to come up and find their hair, eye and skin color. Using a glue stick, help the child to put the pieces in the correct spot on the board. Label each board “Hair colors”, “skin colors”, “eye colors”. Include teachers. Discuss how everyone is alike and different and we are a family.

Title – Little Bear Brushes His Teeth
Author – Jutta Langreuter
Illustrator – Vera Sobat
Publisher – Millbrook Press
Age Level – 4-7

Summary –
In this story little bear refuses to brush his teeth until Mama Bear finds a clever way to convince him.

Extension Activity –
“The Shape of your Teeth” Have children check for correct shapes inside teeth shapes.

Objective/goal –
Shape recognition

Materials Needed –
Tooth paper shapes of construction paper
Shapes (triangle, square, circle…) of construction paper
Glue
Laminate (optional)

Approximate time needed –
14 minutes in circle including story time.

Lesson Procedure –
Label a class supply of tooth cutouts with shapes; then place the teeth on the floor in a circle and have each around the circle as you play music. Have the children march around the circle as you play music. When the music stops, call out the name of a shape. Students who are standing behind a tooth with that shape bring it to you (the dentist) for a checkup. Check for the correct shapes and then have the children return the teeth to the circle.

POETRY LITERACY THEMES

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Title – The Foot Book
Author – Dr. Seuss
Illustrator – Dr. Seuss
Publisher – Random House
Age Level – 3-6

Summary –
Oh my! How many feet you meet in this simple, silly, rhyming Dr. Seuss story.

Extension Activity –
“Our Foot Book” Making foot (feet) prints

Objective/Goal –
Developing self-awareness

Materials needed –
Paint, large sponge, shallow pan, construction paper

Approximate time needed –
10 minutes per child

Lesson procedure –
Place a large sponge in a shallow pan and paint the top of the sponge with washable paint. Have one child at a time remove their shoe and sock form one foot. Help them as needed. Then have them press the bottom of their foot on the sponge and then help them to press their painted foot on the sheet of construction paper. Clean foot appropriately. Write the child’s name on their foot print, let dry and the next day laminate the pages, bind into a class book called “Our Foot Book” (date and year on the cover).

Title – Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Author – Bill Martin Jr.
Illustrator – Eric Carle
Publisher –
Age Level – 2-8 years

Summary –
A gentle rhyming animal book in which we meet a new animal who nudges us on to discover which animal will show up next.

Extension Activity –
“Animal Stories” Large group flannel boar activity and animal cut outs children help tell and act out the story.

Objective/goal –
Rhyming repetition and memorization.

Materials Needed –
Flannel board, flannel pieces, scissors

Approximate time needed –
15 -20 minutes

Lesson Procedure –
Precut animal shapes from flannel pieces. Use a Flannel board and after you read the story, help children during choice time to re-tell the story and possibly make their own using the flannel animal pieces.

Title – Falling Up
Author – Shel Silverstein
Illustrator – Shel Silverstein
Publisher – Harper Collins
Age Level – 4-8 years

Summary -
Poor Screamin' Millie is just one of the unforgettable characters in this wondrous new book of poems and drawings by the creator of Where the Sidewalk Ends and a Light in the Attic. Here you will also meet Allison Beals and her twenty-five eels; Danny O'Dare, the dancin' bear; the Human Balloon; and Headphone Harold.

Extension Activity –
“My Poetry” To make a class poetry book.

Objectives/Goals –
To develop vocabulary, literacy, and language skills by choosing a predictable poem. Poetic rhythms make poems easy for children to remember. Through repetition, children quickly gain familiarity and then mastery.

Materials Needed –
Writing paper with lines
Construction paper
Black sharpie
Laminate sheets
Binder
Crayons

Approximate time needed –
About five minutes per child. This will possibly continue for about a week.

Lesson Procedure –
After reading a couple of the poems invite children to choose a poem to illustrate in book form. Help children write each line, or two, on a separate sheet of paper, illustrate the pages, and then gather them into their own book.

Title – The Wheels on the Bus
Author – Paul Zelinsky
Publisher – Dutton
Age Level – 4-7

Summary –
In this witty and cleverly engineered book with moving parts, Paul Zelinsky introduces all kinds of characters, slyly humorous subplots, and parts that go round and round, in and out, back and forth, up and down.

Extension Activity –
“How Do You Get to School”? Graph: Make a class graph of how your students get to school. Graph how many children take a car, bus, bike, or walk to school

Objective/Goal –
Expressing self using words and expanded sentences, taking on pretend roles and situations, make believing and hearing and discriminating the sounds of language.

Materials Needed –
Poster board with four sections labeled; car, bus, bike, walk.

Approximate Time Needed –
10-15 minutes depending on the length of the group discussion.

Lesson Procedure -
Ask the children to read with you.
Ask questions about the story: • Which was your favorite picture in the book? Why? • Why do you think the baby on the bus was crying? • Do you think the bus driver likes his job? Why?
Make up new verses and sing them. Add hand/body movement to the song. Have the children pretend that they are doing the things on the bus (honk the horn, turn the wheels, etc.)

Title – There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Author and Illustrator – Simma Taback
Publisher – Penguin Group
Age Level – 4-8 years

Summary –
A poem about the old lady who swallowed a fly, but who’s seen what went on inside the old lady’s stomach? Simma Taback gives us an eye popping version that is very funny!

Extension activity –
“Smallest or Largest”? Size Order: Using cut outs or story props have children place the animals in size order from largest to smallest or from smallest to largest.

Objective/Goal –
Sequencing: Have children sequence the characters in the story by the order in which they appear. Use cut outs from printable on www.scholastic.com or use the animals from flannel cut outs.

Materials Needed – Animal shape cut outs from printable on website listed above or teacher pre-cut animal shape flannel pieces and a flannel board.

Approximate Time Needed –
15 minutes in circle time.

Lesson Procedure –
Before Reading: Dress like an old lady for the reading! Make predictions. During Reading: Allow children to read story along with you as they learn the words/predictable pattern. Have children make a "gulping" sound each time the old lady swallows an animal. After Reading invite several children up to sequence the animals smallest to largest, then have another group do largest to smallest. Later see if anyone can sequence the animals in order of “swallowing”.

FICTION LITERACY THEMES

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Title – In The Tall, Tall Grass
Author – Denise Flemming
Illustrator – Denise Flemming
Publisher – Henry Holt and Company
Age Level – 3-6 years

Summary –
A lot of bugs and reptiles busy crawling, crunching, and buzzing their way through this animated story about life in the tall grass.

Extension Activity –
“Grass Hats”. Provide each child with a strip of green construction paper that is big enough for a head band. Cut lines on the strip and have each child cut their own strip. Staple the strip to fit.

Objective/Goal –
Control small muscles in hands, use tools for writing and drawing, Make and interpret representation.

Materials Needed –
Sturdy white paper
Crayons
Wide paint brushes
Black Tempura paint
Green construction paper cut into strips (4 inches wide)
Scissors (kids)
Pencil and ruler (to make lines on the strips)
Black Sharpie

Approximate Time Needed –
10 minutes in small groups of five.

Lesson Procedure –
Draw pictures of the Tall grass with a moon and house. When drawing press down rather firmly with the crayon. (Shake off the loose crayon crumbs when finished). Use black paint to paint directly over the crayon drawing. Let dry. www.deniseflemming.com Title – Strega Nona
Author – Tommie DePoala
Illustrator – Tommie DePoala
Publisher – Simon and Schuster
Age Level – 4-8 years

Summary –
Strega Nona has a magic pot and when “Big Anthony” tries to use it the whole town ends up covered in pasta!

Extension Activity –
“Spaghetti Math”. Using ten plates with a different number (1-10) glue yellow yarn onto the plate to resemble spaghetti with a different number of brown circles made of construction paper and are the size of meat balls. Then use a bowl of brown pom-poms and a big spoon and invite each child to visit the center to serve up the same number of meat balls from the bowl that matches their plate.

Objective/Goals –
To acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Counting and number recognition.

Materials Needed –
Paper plates, brown pom-poms, yellow yarn, glue.

Approximate Time Needed –
10 minutes in small groups of about five.

Lesson Procedure –
Read the story with students and discuss the cause and effect situations. Teach about characters and cause and effect. Talk to the students about Big Anthony and how he gets in trouble. Encourage them to chant along with the magic pasta words.

Title – Little Cloud
Author and Illustrator – Eric Carle
Publisher – Penguin Group
Age Level – 4-8 years

Summary –
A Little Cloud becomes all sorts of things before joining other clouds and raining.

Extension Activity –
“Finger Painting Clouds”. Using Blue construction paper and white finger paint have the children make clouds.

Objective/Goal –
The students will listen to a story and use their understanding to draw a picture and will follow directions to create a picture and story of their own.

Materials Needed –
Blue construction paper
White finger paint
Black maker
Shaving cream

Approximate time needed –
30 minutes including snack time outside (weather permitting).

Lesson Procedure –
Read Little Cloud, spread shaving cream on tables in front of the children. Instruct the children to make pictures in the shaving cream, then press a piece of blue paper carefully onto the shaving cream to make your pictures. With time permitting make more than one cloud. After clean up, plan a snack time outside, where you can watch the clouds and find different things in them. (Weather permitting).

Title – It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Author and Illustrator – Charles G. Shaw
Publisher – Harper Collins
Age Level – 3 – 5 years

Summary –
White Cloud pictures are displayed on each page of the book with a repetitive phrase, “It Looked like Spilt Milk, but really it was …” In the end the spilt milk is a cloud in the sky.

Extension Activity –
“Frozen Clouds”! Spoon out a blob of whipped cream on waxed paper for each child. Have them shape it into a cloud with a spoon. This can get tricky! Next, put all of the clouds on a tray and freeze them. Edible frozen clouds! FUN!

Objective/Goal –
Exploring cause and effect, controlling small muscles in hands, using emerging reading skills to make meaning from print.

Materials Needed –
Cool Whip
Wax paper
Blue construction paper
Straws
White tempera paint (diluted)
Black marker

Approximate Time Needed –
5 minutes

Lesson Procedure –
Give each child a sheet of blue construction paper with a small amount of white paint. Give them the straws and instruct them to blow (slowly) the paint around the paper. After the paint has dried, ask each child to finish the statement “It Looked like Spilt Milk, but it was really ____?” Write their words on the bottom.

Title – The Napping House
Author – Audrey Wood
Illustrator – Don Wood
Publisher – Harcourt
Age Level – 4-6 years

Summary –
It's a rainy night and Granny goes to bed. Then quietly, with each page turned, Granny is joined by a child, a dog, a cat, a tiny mouse, and a flea. When the flea bites the mouse, a hysterical chain of events follows.

Extension Activity –
“Who Naps”? Have children share names of people and animals that take naps. Write the names on paper, under the heading “Who Naps?”

Objective/Goals –
Making personal connections, take on pretend roles and situations, enjoy and value reading.

Materials Needed –
Chart paper
Black Marker
Pajama’s (send home an invitation week prior)

Approximate Time Needed –
15 minutes

Lesson Procedure-
Have a Pajama Day Party! Send home information a week prior to the day. Include a “bedtime snack”. After reading discuss “Who Naps?”
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