Special Area: Preschool
Written by: Michelle Sears-Ward
I. ABSTRACT
A. This unit will allow children to explore a few of the books by Eric Carle: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Grouchy Ladybug as well as Waiting For Wings, and Monarch Butterflies. The main focus is the life cycle of a butterfly and the caterpillar. A number of skills will be taught including knowledge acquisition, cognitive development and physical motor development. The children will have a better understanding of life and the environment around them. Activities include discussion of the books themselves as well as exploration and discovery learning through materials designed to promote independent work in learning centers.
II. OVERVIEW
A. Nursery Rhymes, Poems, Fingerplays, and Songs 1. Develop Memorization Skills
a. Memorize and recite independently a simple nursery rhyme, poem, or song.
b. Demonstrates phonological awareness
1. Notices and discriminates rhyme
2. Notices and discriminates alliteration
B. Storybook Reading and Storytelling
1. Attend to and listen to picture books with storylines, as well as books of other genres, such as informational books.
2. Comprehend and respond to books and other texts
a. Interact during read-alouds and book conversations
C. Participate in Stories Read Aloud
1. In books with repetitive phrases or a refrain, provide or join in repeating the refrain aloud.
D. Develop a Notion of “Story Schema”
1. Retell a story that has been read aloud; include character(s), setting (time, place), the plot (central idea) of the story, the sequential events and an ending.
a. Point to: the title of a book; the top, bottom or middle of a page; the beginning of the book (first page); where to start reading a book (first word on the first page); the order that words are read on a page (left to right, line to line): the end of the book (last page); a word; a letter.
E. Emerging Literacy Skills in Reading and Writing
1. Develop an Awareness of Written Matter/Print in Everyday Surroundings and Its Many Uses.
F. Mathematical Reasoning and Number Sense
1. Sort and Classify Objects or Pictures of Objects
a. Identify objects or images as the “same” or “different,”
b. Given a sample object/picture and verbal description of the selection criteria, sort objects/pictures according to a single criterion: size, color 2. Quantify Groups of Objects a. Read quantitative data in simple graph. 3. Orientation in Time a. To develop an awareness of the passage of time.
b. Learn basic mathematical concepts (counting, patterning and number identification).
G. Scientific Reasoning and the Physical World
1. Classify images of insects according to the habitat or environment in which they generally live: ground, trees, water.
2. Learn life cycle of a caterpillar.
2. Plant, care for, observe, and record observations of a plant, noting the parts of the plant, needs, development and its lifecycle.
3. Distinguish between predators and prey; teach what preys on butterflies (ants, birds, toads, dragon flies) and caterpillars (birds, wasps, small mammals, lizards) as well as point them out in the pictures.
H. Music
1. Listen to and Discriminate Differences in Sound
a. Listen to environmental sounds and identify the sound.
2. Imitate and Produce Sounds
a. Accompany a story or musical piece by introducing sound effects (environmental or animal sounds, a musical instrument, etc. at the appropriate moment, inventing one’s own sound effects, after having listened to the story.
3. Listen to and Sing Songs
a. Listen to, sing, and perform children’s songs and finger-plays individually or with others.
I. Social Studies 1. Demonstrates knowledge about self.
2. Shows basic understanding of people and how they live
J. Visual Arts 1. Attend to Visual Detail of Objects and Images
a. Demonstrate memory of visual details by describing a picture that has been removed from view.
2.