Winter

As you can tell I like to start out by reading a book to the children to start a lesson. So for today's winter lesson I would start out by reading the book "The Mitten" by Jan Brett and then we would read the book "The Hat" also by Jan Brett. The reason I would read both is because of the activity I will do with them after I read the book.

After reading the book I would take out my easel and I would introduce to them what a Venn diagram is. I would explain to them that the one circle was the details of the one book and than the other circle is the details about the other book. Then I would explain that the middle part where the two circles overlap are the similarities in the books. I would explain that this is what comparing and contrasting is. I would ask the children to compare and contrast the two stories. I would ask for the details of "The Mitten" and then I would ask the details about "The Hat". I would then ask the children if there were any details that appeared in both circles. If there was I would then erase that information and then move it to into the middle section and explain that the reason I am moving it into the middle section because is appears in both stories.

After the group activity I would have the children go back to their seats and hand out a worksheet with a Venn diagram on it already. I would have the children choose two different animals for the stories. (one animal from one story and than the other animal from the other story)

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the 

cold of winter to give it sweetness." - John Steinbeck

Thanksgiving

The day before we go on break for Thanksgiving I will have activities based on Thanksgiving. I will ask the children if they know what the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving. Then I would read the book "If you Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620" by Ann McGovern. This book is a question answer kind of book, it is also filled with factual information for the children to absorb. This book illustrates the Pilgrims first year in America. It will better explain to the children what Thanksgiving is all about. After reading the book I would ask the children if they had any further questions about what Thanksgiving was all about. I would also go around and ask each child to name one thing they are thankful for.

I would have all the children go back to their seats and I would hand out a writing worksheet. I would have them write a short story about what they would did if they were on the Mayflower in 1620 and coming to America for the first time. I would tell them to write about what they would bring, who they would bring, and why. After all the children were done writing I would ask the children if their were anyone that would like to share their story. I would have them go to the front of the room and read their story. 

After we were done the writing and speaking activity I would have a couple of fun worksheets for the children to do that have to do with Thanksgiving. This is so that the children can relax and wine down a little bit. 

I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to 

have things I am not able to appreciate. - Elbert Hubbard

Halloween

On Halloween I would do all the real academic lessons in the morning and then in the afternoon I would have fun things for the children to do. On Halloween we usually have a costume parade around the school so this lesson plan is for the afternoon after the parade. Since it is a fun holiday I want to make the afternoon fun so here are some of the things we would do at a class. After the parade we would come back to the room and it would be a Halloween party some of the class mothers will be there helping out. We would pass around candy.

Then to start some activities one thing we would do would require a pumpkin. It would be based on estimation. Every children would have a worksheet I made up for them with "How many seeds, how much does it weight, and how many inches around it is." Each child puts down what they think and then we will weight it, count the seeds, and measure it. This is a fun math lesson on estimation for the children and they will have no idea they are learning. For the child who guessed right or the child who guessed the closest to each question wins a prize.


After the pumpkin measuring I would have a few different fun worksheets for the the children to do like coloring pages, word searches, and unscrambling words.

Just for fun I would read them two halloween books before they left for the day to go trick or treating. I would read them "The Biggest Pumpkin Ever" by Steve Kroll and "In the Haunted House" by Eve Bunting

"May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright

Of soft and golden hue

Pierce through the future's veil and show

What fate now holds for you."

-Author Unknown