Preschool Lesson Plan
Theme: Penguins
Focus Book: Tacky the Penguin Letters: P is for Penguin Numbers: 1‐20 Color/Shapes: White, circle Classroom Decoration and Play Areas: Math Concepts: Counting & Cardinality Literacy Concepts: CVC Words Sight Words: Have, can, are, two, up, that Sensory / Small World:
Fine Motor Skills:
Feed the Penguins Numbers 1‐5 and Fine Motor Skills Our Class Is Cool Block / Dramatic Play Center: Observation Station for Science: Gross Motor Skills:
Invite children to make snow sculptures with a variety of sizes of white Styrofoam blocks, cups, etc. Blubber and Waxy Feathers Science Experiment Emperor Penguin Egg Walk MO
Large Group Time
Small Group
Focus: Penguins Facts Preparation: Penguin Picture and Penguin Box Place a picture of a penguin on the board. Divide the board into three sections to make a KWL chart. (A KWL chart tracks what a student knows (K), wants to know (W), and has learned (L) about a topic.) Ask children what they know and what they want to know about penguins. Then, read the book Penguins, a Scholastic First Discovery Book. After reading, have children dictate what they learned about penguins. Talk about what is a fact. Sing the song and make the matching movements: I’m a Little Penguin Song Show children the Penguin Box. Ask children what name they should give the penguin. Invite children to tell you names that begin with the letter p (Peter, Pete, Pia, Patricia, Pat). Write the names on the board and underline the letter p. Take a vote and make tally marks under each name. Write the name “Pete the Penguin” (or whatever your kids named the penguin) on the penguin’s belly. Skills: Prior knowledge, Investigating living things Literature
Art
Book: Penguins by Preparation: Penguin Box, (fish with the letter p written on them (one for each child in Scholastic the group), and some fish with other letters. Letter p Penguin Craft Show the lowercase letter p to the group (use the letter for the letter craft). Ask children if they know the name of the letter. Encourage children to tell you what the letter looks like. Accept all answers that describe the shape (size, direction, or any features). Explain to children that the letter p makes the sound /p/ like in the beginning of the word penguin. /p/ penguin Explain that “Pete the Penguin” (or whatever your kids name their penguin) is a very picky eater and only likes to eat fish with the letter p. Invite each child to "feed" the penguin fish with the letter p, saying the sound /p/ when they put fish in the penguin’s mouth. Skills: Visual discrimination, letter p, letter‐sound association TU
Focus: Tacky the Penguin Read aloud the book Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester. Tacky the Penguin Story Time Review the KWL chart from yesterday. Talk about facts and fiction. Say different statements about penguins, some true and some false. Start the sentence with: Penguins have . . . If the statement is a fact have children flap their wings (arms). Penguins have ... Science and Reading Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester Penguins have Artwork Movement Rhyme: Penguin, Penguin, Flap Your Wing Skills: Oral language, listening, social skills, gross motor skills WE Focus: Tacky the Penguin Preparation: Tacky the Penguin Felt Story Puppets Skills: Science, reading Dress the Penguin: Same/ Different Review of yesterday’s Tacky the Penguin book. Tacky the Penguin Artwork Review the story of Tacky the Penguin with children. Retell the story with the Tacky the Penguin Felt Story and Puppets P for Penguin Skills: Oral language, story retelling Skills: Letter/sound identification, Same/Different TH
Focus: Penguin Habitats Preparation: Globe or large world map. Polar Region Poster Look at the Polar Regions Poster together and discuss that bitter cold winds whip the earth's polar regions, the Arctic in the north and Antarctica in the south. The Arctic is made up of ice floating on the ocean and the Antarctica is a rocky continent covered in ice. Explain that millions of people live in the Arctic, but Antarctica has no permanent inhabitants. The animals found at the two different places are very different as well. Penguins are the most common animal found in Antarctica. Penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere and don't live in the Arctic regions. Polar bears live in the Arctic tundra. Penguin Science and Habitat Lesson Penguins are great! Chant Skills: Oral language, science Penguins Number Line 1‐20 Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story Skills: Number sequencing, what number comes next, before? Skills: Listening, social skills Polar Regions Artwork FR
Focus: Antarctica / Ice Review that the Antarctica is a rocky continent covered in ice and that the temperature is freezing cold. Letter Icebergs Label some iceberg cut outs with different letters and place them on the floor. Play some music and have the children waddle like penguins around the icebergs. When the music stops each child stands on an iceberg. Choose two children to name the letter on their iceberg. Continue until all children had a turn. Read the book: I’m Hungry! What Do Penguins Eat? Penguin on Ice Movement: Space children in the room so there is enough room between them. Place a sheet of white copy paper in front of each child on the floor. Explain that the paper is a piece of ice in the ocean. Invite children to pretend to be penguins by making the following movements: •
Flap your wings. •
Touch your feet with your hands, nose. •
Can you jump with one foot on the ice? •
Jump off and on the iceberg with both feet. •
Balance on one foot, etc. Explain to children that the earth is getting hotter so the ice is melting fast. Let children fold the paper in half. Let them make the same movements on the smaller paper. Repeat once more. Lead a discussion about global warming and the melting of the ice. Science: Let children use a thermometer to find out how hot or cold a place around your school or house is. Stick the thermometer in ice water. Record your findings. Skills: Science, gross motor skills. letter identification Feed the Penguin Emergent Reader: I’m Hungry! What Do Penguins Eat? Penguin Feast Ten Frames Science Center: How Do Penguins Stay Warm? Science and Art Skills: Counting, fine motor skills, , science, Sum of 10 Skills: Reading Painting on Ice MO Focus: Emperor Penguin / Eggs Preparation: Make some felt eggs or eggs out of a white sock filled with rice. CVC Words / Beginning and Ending Sounds Book: The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins Penguin Family Handprint and Fingerprint Artwork Read the book: The Emperor’s Egg by Martin Jenkins Emperor Penguin Egg Walk Let children try to carry the sock eggs with their feet from one side of the room to the other. The Penguin Family Rhyme Skills: Oral language, gross motor skills Skills: Word families / CVC Words Skills: Listening, science