This alphabet book encourages a loud and busy day on the farm.  Let the children have fun learning the alphabet through this noisy book.

Materials

•  Index cards
• Books or pictures of farm scenes
• Stuffed animals that are farm related
• Plastic Easter eggs

Vocabulary

•             Hullabaloo (to make a whole lot of noise!)
•             Echo (a repeated sound or word)
•             Bawl (to cry)
•             Yodel (a kind of singing)

Before Reading the Story

            Show the children the cover of the book and ask the children if they recognize what is on the girl’s shirt. Read the title of the book and ask the children if they know what a hullabaloo is? Tell them it is to make a whole lot of noise!  Ask the children what they can do while they sing the alphabet song to make a hullabaloo (clap, shout the words, stomp their feet), pick one idea and sing the alphabet song.  As you sing, point to the letters on your alphabet wall chart.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Reading the Story

            As you read the story, talk about what is happening on the pages (A-B; can you tell what game they are playing? E; who knows what an echo is?  Have the children try a few/ Hello!/hello, Ms. ____ is the best teacher!/Ms ____is the best teacher!). Continue through the book.

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

After Reading the Story

            On index cards write the children’s first letter of their name, K=Kerry.  Hold up the letter and ask if anyone recognizes this letter, do you know it’s name?  Help the children think up a sound they can make with their letter (K=crow, R=roar, T=tap your feet on the floor).

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Discovery

Put out books or pictures of farm scenes for the children to talk about and compare. Can the children name different structures on the farm? Do they know the kinds of animals that might live on a farm or the produce that a farm might sow? Explain to the children that it takes many people to make a farm run and it is hard work. On farms where animals live, the animals must be fed and cleaned (someone has to muck up all that poop). And on farms that grow produce someone has to plant the seeds and water then. And when the produce is mature someone has to pick it and put it in the trucks to take it to the market.

Science/develops an increasing ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences and comparisons among objects and materials. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Music and Movement

            Sing the alphabet song pointing at the letters as you go.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

            Put out your music instruments to make lots of noise.  Add a metal coffee can to make the sound of drumming on the washtub.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of instruments.

            Sing Down By the Bay and have the children echo back each line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjhLexlrDc

            Teacher                                                             Child Response

            Down by the bay                                                 Down by the bay

            Where the watermelons grow                         Where the watermelons grow

            Back to my home                                                 Back to my home

            Where I dare not go                                            Where I dare not go

            For if I do                                                          For if I do

            My Mamma would say                                       My Momma would say

                                                Did you ever see a whale, waving his tail, down by the bay.

                                                Did you ever see a snake baking a cake, down by the bay

                                                Did you ever see a mouse painting a house, down by the bay

Encourage the children to help make up more verses.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; progresses in matching sounds and rhymes in familiar words, games, songs, stories, and poems.

Sing Sweetly Sings the Donkey. Use the beginning of the song Down by the Station and then make the donkey braying sounds loudly!

Sweetly sing the donkey,

At the break of day.

If you do not feed him

This is what he’ll say…

Hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw, hee-haw!

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of musical activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Teach the children how to yodel (o-d-lady, o-d-lady, o-d-lady-i-o).

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of musical activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Go on a farm exercise adventure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJ2fW3iJVE. Can the children help make up more adventure?

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Blocks

            Use index cards and write the letters E,T, W, H, L, F, N. Add these to the center and encourage the children to try to make the letters using blocks.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Art

            Ask the children if they remember where the setting was in the story ( a farm).  Encourage the children to draw farm animals.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Library and Writing

            Put the book in the center and let the children use magnet letters.  Can they put them in alphabet order? Can they match the letter to the page?

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Sand and Water

            Put dirt in the table today and let the children add water to make mud, slick and wet.

Science/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.

Dramatic Play

            Add any stuffed farm animals that you might have and plastic eggs to gather from the chickens. 

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Math and Manipulatives

            Cut index cards in half.  On each half write a capital letter, you do not have to use all 26 letters, just make sure you have some that are made with all straight lines (WETIHL) and some that have curved lines (QRPSGJC).  Put out a piece of paper with a line drawn down the middle.  On one side write straight lined letters and on the other side write curved line letters.  Let the children sort the letters accordingly. Can they name any of the letters as they sort?

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement’ shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in a series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as shape or size. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their name.

Outdoor Play

            Ask the children to help you think of ways to make noise on the playground today. (use a stick along the chain link fence, use a shovel to bang on a bucket,  kick a ball, scream, etc.)

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

Transitions

            Turn to various pages in the book and ask the child if they can name the letter, then read the page and let them make the noise of that letter (J is for jabber, the child can say go away, go away!)

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their name. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Resources