Franklin in the Dark, by Paulette Bourgeois

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?”

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

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree, Eileen Christelow

Teasing is not nice as these five monkeys learn. This is a fun counting/subtraction book based on a popular finger play.

Materials

Drawing monkey directions and number line 1-5****

A basket the children can use for picnic play

A deck of cards.

Vocabulary

Snooze (a nap)
Scolds (to tell somebody off, to speak angrily to another)
Tease (to make somebody mad on purpose or to be purposely hurtful)

Before Reading the Story

Tell the children that you want to talk to them about teasing. Ask them if they know what it means to tease somebody. Ask them how they feel when somebody teases them. After the children have shared their experiences about teasing, tell them that you are going to play a game. Have them make a thumbs up sign and tell them that when you hear a kind idea make a thumbs up. Do the same for thumbs down and a teasing story. Make up scenarios or use ones you have seen in your classroom and ask the children if it is a thumbs up or thumbs down? After you have run several scenarios pass the children, older children might like to try making one up. (You are playing in the blocks and another child comes in and goes right up to your building and knocks it down and laughs, is this a thumbs up, or thumbs down? You are getting some water to put into the water table and you spill some on the floor by accident. Another child comes over with a paper towel and helps you wipe it up, is this a thumbs up/down? You fell down while running on the playground and someone laughs at you, thumbs up/down?)

Social & Emotional Development/ Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept consequences of their actions.

Reading the Story

Tell the children that your story today is about 5 little monkeys who tease. Hold up the cover and read the title. Ask the children if anyone can guess who the monkeys might be teasing?

After Reading the Story

Ask the children why the mother monkey was scolding her children? Do you think teasing is nice? Why should we not tease (it hurts peoples feelings, it could make somebody mad, sad, cry). What should you do if somebody is teasing you? Have the children practice saying “Stop It, I don’t like that!” Have them practice saying it loud. Tell them if you as the teacher hear a child say this (Stop it I don’t like that) that you will come over to where they are and help them. Have everyone practice saying it again. Say it again loudly.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates growing 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. AND Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; shows progress in expressing feelings, needs, and opinions in difficult situations and conflicts without harming themselves, others, or property.

Discovery

Bring in parts of trees and magnifying glasses. Help the children to name the bark, branch, bough, leaf, bud, and seed of the trees. Draw a large tree and label the different parts. You can show the children as you discuss.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Music and Movement

Teach the children 5 Little Monkeys https://kcls.org/content/five-little-monkeys-sitting-in-a-tree/

Mathematics/Number & operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Do the Crocodile, Crocodile chant.

Crocodile, crocodile long and green

Crocodile, crocodile with teeth so mean

He snapped at a fish

He snapped at a bee

He snapped at a frog

And he snapped at me.

He caught that fish

He caught that bee

He caught that frog

But he did not catch me!

Whew

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

Gather all the children into a circle and play Monkey See, Monkey Do. One person starts off as the leader and everyone mimics their movements. Take turns being the leader. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdCLvwK8I6c

When (name) claps, claps, claps her hands

The monkeys clap, clap, clap their hands

Monkey see, Monkey do

Monkey do the same as you (point to the next leader.)

Begin again saying the person’s name and letting them choose the next action

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Blocks

Draw 5 monkeys, or let the children draw their own. Cut around the monkey shapes and put a piece of tape onto the back. The children can build with blocks and then add the 5 monkeys to swing from their structures. For older children, ask them if they can do the % Monkeys finger play/poem using the monkeys on their structure.

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

Art

Put sand into the paint at the easel today. When it dries the surface will be a rough texture like a crocodiles back. Put out green, brown, and white paint to simulate a crocodiles coloring.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Library and Writing

Show the children the How to Draw a Monkey. Encourage them to try to follow the steps and make five monkeys. Have them write their numbers beside.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Sand and Water

Put water into the table today. Add several long blocks that the children can pretend are crocodiles. They can bob these up and down or pour water over them. If you have counting bears or similar manipulatives, add these also. How many counting bears can float on the back of the block?

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

Dramatic Play

Bring in a basket and a towel or blanket. The children can pretend to go on a picnic supper.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more complex and extended.

Math and Manipulatives

Bring in a deck of cards. Take out all the face cards. Shuffle the cards and pass them out evenly between 2-4 players. Have the children put their pile of cards face down in front of them. On the count of three, everyone turns over their top card. The person with the highest number gets to take all the cards and put them in a second pile beside them. If two or more players turnover the same number, they must slap their card and say SNAP! The one who says snap first gets to take all the cards and put them beside them. Play until one person has all the cards or the children lose interest.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Outdoor Play

If you have a tree or structure to climb, let the children pretend to be the monkeys and the teacher can go about snapping like a crocodile at them.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more complex and extended.

Transitions

As children move on to the next activity, hold up 1-5 fingers and say 4-1=? (Four take away one equals how many?) Do different combinations and have the children figure out the math equation. Make sure to use only 1-5 unless your children are older then try 1-10. Use your fingers as a visual cue to help the children.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing abilities to combine, separate, and name “how many” concrete objects.

Resources

Every Buddy Counts, by Stuart J. Murphy

What do you do when you wake up feeling lonely, crummy, yucky, and sad? Count your friends and you will feel better! This is a nice counting book to share with your children.

Materials

Rebus Gorp recipe card
Gorp ingredients for the class
Dice
Felt shapes and a flannel board

Vocabulary

More (to have extra, or spare)
Less (fewer)

Before Reading the Story

Do several fingerplays or songs that you know that require some counting (5 Little Ducks, 1,2,3,4,5 I Caught a Fish Alive).

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count to 10 and beyond.

Reading the Story

As you read the book, stop and have the children help count (Example; On the page for 7, count the aunts and uncles and the cars. Are there more people or more cars? On the eight page after counting the playmates, ask what the girl is holding in her hand, What is it used for?).

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND begins to use language to compare numbers if objects in terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

After Reading the Story

Bring in a dice. Take turns rolling the dice and having the children count how many dots. Then let the child choose a movement for everyone to do that many times. (Kerry you rolled 3. Kerry wants to do 3 kicks, everybody kick and count 1,2,3.).

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more that one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Discovery

Make gorp using the rebus cards to count out ingredients.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.

Music and Movement

Have the children start in a squatting position and begin to count 1-10. As they count, they begin to stand up slowly until they get to 10 and are on tip toe with hands in the air. Now start a 10 and work down to 1 getting smaller and smaller as they count.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count to 10 and beyond.

Teach the children the finger play 1,2,3,4,5 I Caught a Fish Alive.

1,2,3,4,5 Hold up fingers as you count

I caught a fish alive Point towards yourself

6, 7, 8,9,10 Hold up fingers as you count

Then I threw him back again! Pretend to throw fish

What made you let him go? Shrug shoulders up

Because he bit my finger so! Hands on hips with mad face

Which finger did he bite? Look of surprise

The little pinkie on the right Hold up little pinkie and look sad

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

Blocks

Challenge the children to make a set of stairs using 10 blocks. What else can you make using only 10 blocks?

Art

Have the children trace around their hands, or they can trace around their friends hands. Encourage them to embellish their hands with fingernails, rings, and bracelets or watches at the wrist. When they are finished decorating their hands, show them how to write the numbers 1-10 and put a number above each finger.

Creative Arts/Art; progresses in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other art creations that are more detailed, creative, or realistic.

Library and Writing

Put out a variety of flannel board shapes and let the children make patterns or count.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurements; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Sand and Water

Put sand or water in the table. Ask the children to use a measuring cup and count how many scoops it takes to fill a bowl. Use several size measuring cups and a variety of containers to fill. Which containers hold the most? Which container holds the least?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers if objects in terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

Math and Manipulatives

Make a counting book with the children. Give each child a paper with a number on it. The children can draw or cut out pictures of objects to represent their number. Do numbers 1-10.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Dramatic Play

Have the children set the table for two, three, and four. They will have to count to make sure they have enough dishes and silverware.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Outdoor Play

Play Mother-May-I. All the children stand at one side of the area. The children take turns asking “Mother may I take (3) (jumps)? Mother then says yes, or no you may only take (2) jumps. The children work there way across to the other side of the play yard counting different movements. (Slides, tippy toe walks, giant steps, skips, jumps, twirls).

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Transitions

Have the children count how many steps it takes to get from point A to point B.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count to 10 and beyond.