Franklin turtle is afraid of being in small dark places.  How will he ever get into his shell to sleep?  In this story Franklin finds out that lots of other animals have fears also and learns how to be brave.

Materials

• A shoe box with a 2 inch hole cut out of one end
• Flashlight
• Paper plate per child.
• Head, feet, tail pattern
• Scavenger Hunt cards
• Scarf or cloth napkin per child
• Yarn cut into 12 inch pieces, 4 per child.

Vocabulary

• Brave (to show courage when you have to do something really scary or hard)
• Afraid (to be frightened or scared of something)

Before Reading the Story

            Look at the front cover with the children; ask the children how they think Franklin is feeling, why?  Say, “I always thought turtles were supposed to be in their shell, I wonder why Franklin is not?”  Let the children respond.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

While Reading the Story

            As you turn the pages that show the duck, the lion, the bird, and the bear, stop and ask the children, “why do you think the duck is wearing water wings?  The lion is wearing earmuffs, the bird is wearing a parachute, and the bear is wearing a snowsuit?”

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

When you get to the page where Franklin goes to bed and says Goodnight, ask the children how do you think Franklin solved his fear of small dark places? 

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

After Reading the Story

            Tell the children about one time that you were scared and what you did to help you be brave.  Allow the children to share ways that they have been brave.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; demonstrates growing confidence in a range of abilities and expresses pride in accomplishments.

Discovery

            Have the children take turns putting classroom objects in the shoe box with a hole at one end.  Another child can then take a flashlight and look in the hole and name the object.  Can you see what is in there?  Can you name the color that you see?  How many legs do you see on the animal?  What kind of person-helper do you see in the box?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

            Explain to the children that you are going to try to act out different feelings while moving.  Ask the children if they can move like they are afraid.  Ask them to try to move like they are angry, sad, excited, tired, surprised.  There is no right way to do this; it is all about experimenting with movement and feelings.  If you like, give each child a scarf to help them act out with.

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what is felt and heard in various musical tempos and styles. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

            Sing If You’re Happy and You Know It.  Try different verses using a variety of emotions; scared, angry, brave.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Blocks;

            Challenge the children to make a ‘dark space’. Congratulate them on any structure they make that has an enclosed space that could be dark.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Art;

            Make turtles out of paper plates.  Show the children how to draw lines that divide the plate into quarters or eighths.  Encourage them to color each section a different color or to make a pattern.  Give each child a page with the head, feet, and tail.  Older children can cut these out themselves.  Glue these onto the bottom of the decorated paper plate. 

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Sand and Water

            Do a float and sink activity.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

            Make a scavenger game to play with your children.  Use the cards provided and have the children find objects that fit into each category. 

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; shows growing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a a task, question, set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Dramatic Play

            Encourage the children to put on the dress ups like the bear in the story, practice buttoning, zipping, and Velcro. 

Physical Health & Development/;Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines, and tasks.

Math and Manipulatives

            Tell the children that they can make parachutes like the bird wore in the story.  Give each child a scarf or cloth napkin and show them how to tie a knot with the yarn to each corner.  How many corners are there?  How many pieces of yarn will you need?  After they tie the corners, they can take the four loose ends and tie them around a rubber animal or person.  Take them outside and see if they work.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Physical Health & Development/;Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Outdoors Play

            Let the children use wagons that they can push, and pull (like Franklin pulled his shell)

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & practices; progresses in physical growth, strength, stamina, and flexibility.

Transitions

Ask the children if they can remember what Franklin was afraid of? What were the other animals afraid of? What can you do if you are afraid?

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from book s and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

Resources