Unit 3, How Structures Are Built 24-25

The following Table Time Centers align to the learning objectives for Unit 3 and are intended to focus on fine motor development, social foundations, and oral language and communication skills. Select a few options from the choices provided, setting them out for arrival and students choice.

Instructional staff who are not supporting arrival should be conducting data collection and facilitating the major focus areas of this time: fine motor, social-emotional, and oral language development. Once students can engage with the materials independently, these centers can become an independent activity during small group rotations.

• Art Center: paint or color pictures of different emotions using a variety of writing utensils; paint with cotton swabs or bingo daubers to make letters, shapes, or numbers; use big boxes to paint and turn into something else (e.g., car, truck, chair). allow students to decide what they will be making (pairs well with "Not A Box")
• Construction Center: use design builders with visuals of the different letters (upper and lowercase) to build letters; build towers with different building materials and encourage the use of big/small and tall/short to describe buildings; Racing Ramps (p. 12) and encourage the use of fast/slow; heavy/light
• Games and Puzzles: match shapes using different shapes found in the C4L kit, puzzles, or other manipulatives; match or identify emotions pictures; match/identify pictures in sensory bin (e.g., shaving cream, water, beans); use number, letter and shape puzzles
• Writing Center: use playdough to make faces that show a variety of feelings (adult provides head for placement and students add features for that emotion); stamp letters (e.g., sponge stamps, stamps, magnetic letters); use sensory materials to write letters, numbers, shapes or emotion faces (e.g., shaving cream, sand, gel)

There are two Read Alouds each week for 3-year-told classrooms. Each Read Aloud title is completed in two parts over the course of two days. The first title is completed on Monday and Tuesday, and the second Read Aloud is completed on Thursday and Friday. 

The following adaptations are intended for use with the Connect4Learning lesson plans and are used when planning for 3-year-olds. Lesson plan pages are noted next to the titles.

"Albert's Alphabet" (p. 28-29)

• Day 1: Read the book using the "Read the Text" section from page 28.
• Day 2: Reread the book, utilizing the "After Reading" section on pages 28 and 29, focusing more on the materials Albert uses and less on how he actually constructs each letter. Use the the "Continue the Learning" section with materials from Construction Zone center or other materials from around the room to make letters. Discuss what materials students used and how they problem solved for curved lines in letters.

"The Snowy Day" (p. 43-44)

• Day 1: Read the book all the way through and save the lesson sections for tomorrow's reread.
• Day 2: Reread the story using the lesson as written on page 43 up through the "Read the Text" section. Highlight the melting of the snow in the sun and melting snowball in his pocket once in the house. Discuss how weather changes and what happens to water when cold or hot.

Targeted Vocabulary

• Triangle
• Rectangle
• First
• Second
• Emotions
• Feelings
• Happy
• Sad

The following Connect lessons are completed during Week 1 for 3-year-old classrooms:

• Name That Shape! (p. 30): give each child a triangle as a manipulative or pass around a triangle around as well as the musical triangle
• Conrad the Confused Crow and Rectangles (p. 37): use manipulatives from small group to create a triangle or rectangle
• Rectangles and Prisms (p. 38): refer to Unit 2, Week 1, Day 4 (p. 52); expose students to 3D term prism, but focus on 2D shape of rectangles; trace rectangles onto chart paper and ask the children to match prisms to traced rectangles
• Mirror, Mirror Game (p. 45): play charades with emotions using visual as needed; choose one student to share an emotion with the rest of the group
• Forms Around the Room (p. 53): using visuals as needed, ask students to go on a shape scavenger hunt; if students have a firm grasp of 2D shapes, include different materials (e.g., brick vs wood)
• A Song of Shapes (p. 60): use manipulatives or a visual of 2D shapes
• Rectangles (p. 61): give students manipulatives or a rectangle to pass around

The following Small Group lessons are taught in Week 1 for 3-year-old classrooms. The suggested adaptations are intended for use with the Connect4Learning lesson plans and are used when planning for 3-year-olds.

• Day 1, Using Materials to Make Letters (p. 31-32): Prior to the lesson, review the "Processes" box to support direct teaching of standards. Focus on making the letter A. If you have a group that needs a challenge, add a round letter such as O to challenge them.
• Day 2, Name That Shape! (p. 39-40): When exploring and making shapes, use tactile items, such as fluffy balls or sand paper
• Day 3, Emotions Collage (p. 46-47):  Do this as a team activity. Pre-cut pages with pictures depicting various emotions from magazines and use pictures of students with facial expressions; prime emotions using mirrors, this week's books and the C4L emotions poster
• Day 4, Making Triangles (p. 54-55): Prior to the lesson, review the "Processes" box to support direct teaching of standards. Show possible materials for activity when explaining the activity (e.g., popsicle sticks, different lengths of straws, crayons); allow students to explore the different triangles; discuss length of sides on student-created triangles (longer and shorter).

The following Fast Focus lessons are completed during Week 1 for 3-year-old classrooms:

• Make A Triangle (p. 33): do the chant as directed, but do not cover the mathematical vs. musical triangle piece
• The Letter Ff (p. 34): start with student's names that have the letter Ff and physical objects for labeling (can use letter tub)
• How Many Did You Hear? (p. 41): use movements 1-3 times
• Moves to Count (p. 48): use numerals 1-3. Provide directions for students to follow spatial directions involving the body using prepositions (i.e. above, below, next to, behind). 
• The Letter Gg (p. 49): start with student's names that have the letter Gg and physical objects for labeling (can use letter tub)
• Reading the Alphabet Chart (p. 56)
• Triangles, Triangles (p. 57): focus on matching the shapes rather than explaining why something is or is not a particular shape

Children benefit from opportunities to interact on their own and with peers in self-guided play and from chances to interact with adults who scaffold learning experiences during play. The learning center suggestions provided for Unit 3 connect directly to the learning objectives for each C4L domain and allow children to deepen their understanding of target concepts and to practice target skills.

The following Unit 3 Learning Centers are provided for 3-year-olds during Weeks 1-2. Please see your Unit guide (p. 9-20) for more information about specific centers.

• Art Center: Shape Art (p. 9) provide visuals of ideas or lines to match shapes (different sizes and colors), creating different pictures; focus on the following 2D shapes: circle, triangle, rectangle and square
• Book Nook: Emotions Collage (p. 10) display emotions collages as they are made and add books on emotions to the Book Nook; students can match emotions in the books to the emotions on the charts/posters
• Computer Center: work on the prerequisite skills by playing with cause and effect toys; iPad/Chromebook games; isolation of pointer finger; I Spy games, etc.
• Construction Zone: Albert's Alphabet (p. 11)
• Dramatic Play: Toy Store (p.13) create stores that students are familiar with (e.g., Target, Walmart) for students to shop in OR create a mail/shipping center as the post office or an Amazon packing center; ensure that students are a part of the creation of this center
• Exploration Center: Making Boxes (p.15) use boxes and other reusable containers to build structures (e.g., coffee containers, milk jugs, plastic jars, paper towel rolls)
• Games and Puzzles: Match Shape Collections (p.17)
• Listening Center: play with sounds (e.g., toys with sounds, iPads, environmental sounds, musical instruments, rhythm sticks)
• Show What You Know Center: Making Toys (p. 18) add different types of manipulatives that students can use to make toys to be added to the Toy Store or Toy Factory
• Writing Center: coloring pages related to letters of the students' first names to decorate (e.g., color, stickers, tissue paper)