Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beatty

Ada Twist did not talk until she was three and then her world was filled with how and why questions. This book gives young children an introduction into what being a scientist is all about.

Materials

1 index card per child with their name written on it.
5-8 baggies with cotton balls inside. Before class, make smell bags by either putting a liquid onto the cotton balls or adding a powder. I have used; shampoo, perfume, lemon juice, pickle juice, onion powder, oregano, thyme, baby powder.
2 diet colas
1 packet of mint Mentos
White vinegar
Baking soda
Many colored shapes; triangle, circle, square, and rectangles of various sizes.
A tray or two of ice cubes

Vocabulary

Frazzled-Tired and weary
Chaos-A giant mess
Quivered-Shook
Dazed-Bewildered, to not know what to think
Traits-Behaviors
Stench-Gross smell
Research-to study or investigate something
Hypothesis-to make a guess about something
Fiction-Not real, fake

Before Reading the Story

Ask the children if they know what a scientist does. (He/she is an inventor or a researcher. Talk about how scientists invent things to make life easier. Name some inventions that the children use in your classroom. Someone had to invent the scissors that you use to cut paper. Someone had to invent the cups we use at lunch to drink out of. And a scientist researched and figured out how to make the cold/warm air blow from the vents in our classroom. Scientists make the world a better place for everyone. Tell the children that there are two questions every scientist asks, can they guess what they are? How? and why? Have the children repeat the words how? and why? Introduce the story.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Reading the Story

On the page where Ada’s parents yell “STOP!” Ask the children if they can guess why her parents said no. As you finish the book, ask the children to come up with something that they think has a gross and stinky stench. List their answers on a piece of paper and hang it on the wall.

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

Ask the children if they can remember two questions that every scientist asks (how? And why?). Ask the children if they recall what Ada was investigating (what made the stinky stench). Ask the children if they have any why questions or how questions. Write them down and over the next few days, encourage the children to help think of the answers or show the children how to look up answers with a resource book or the computer. With young children you do not need the scientifically correct answer as much as showing them how to find an answer. (Why does my brother always get more candy than me? How come my cat meows to wake me up?) Let other children respond to the questions and answer them according to their personal experiences.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversations and discussions with peers and adults. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences.

Discovery

Tell the children that today you are going to investigate stinky smell. Put the smell baggies into the science center today for the children to experience. Can they guess any of the smells? Are there any that they like or dislike?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to describe and discuss predictions, explanations, and generalizations based on past experiences.

Music and Movement

Sing Rhyming Words Sound the Same sung to Loopdy Loo

Rhyming words sound the same (clap, clap)

Rhyming words sound the same.

Rhyming words sound the same (clap, clap)

Rhyming words sound the same.

(Now make a chanting sounding word such as house and see if the children can make a word that rhymes. For younger children I have added pictures of rhyming words to help them visualize the rhyme).

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.

Play Teacher May We? Have the children stand in a large circle. Ask a child to show you a movement (jumping, flapping arms, etc.) Then help all the children to say “Teacher may we”? The teacher then says “Only if _______can make a word that rhymes with ______ (frog, wig, and). The child makes the rhyme and everybody does the movement.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Blocks

Put out any alphabet blocks or cubes you might have and encourage the children to find the letters in their name as they build today. If you do not have alphabet blocks, put sticky notes onto the blocks with letters written on them.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.

Art

Put out the many shapes of triangles, circles, squares, and rectangles along with glue sticks. Give children a piece of paper and encourage them to make objects using the shapes. Add magic markers for embellishing.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Sand and Water

Fill the table with water today, then ask the children what they think will happen if you add ice cubes to the water? Let them hypothesis and then add the cubes and see if they were correct.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; shows increased awareness and beginning understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships.

Library and Writing

Use the My Favorite Senses sheet. Fill one out for each child. Suggest that they illustrate one of their favorite senses.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictations, and in play. AND Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.

Dramatic Play

Let the children invent their own play today. Observe where it goes and how the children respond to one another.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Put out a bowl of puff balls or other small manipulative. Encourage the children to take a handful and guesstimate how many puff balls they have in their hand. Then have the child count out the manipulatives in their hand. Ask the child, “did you have more, less, or the exact amount”?

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

Outdoor Play

In the book, Ada does a science investigation in her classroom by making a geyser. On the playground take the following ingredients and try it as a class. You will need several bottles of diet soda/coke and mint Mentos. Ask the children what they think will happen when the mint Mentos are put into the soda? Have the children stand back, open the soda and quickly put 5-7 Mentos into the bottle. You can continue experimenting with different sodas or the amount of Mentos added.

Have the children make a big volcano in the sand box. Put a small pail in the center and let the children take turns putting several tablespoon of baking soda in the pail. Next add a cup of white vinegar and see what happens.

Which was more impressive, the geyser or the volcano?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Transitions

Point to one of the pages where the blocks spell out ADA’s name. Ask the children if they recognize any of the letters. Then take the index cards with the children’s names on them and hold them up one at a time. Can the children recognize their name in print? Can they name any of the letters in their name?

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.

Dear Parents- Today we read a book about a girl scientist who asked many how and why questions. When your child asks you these questions, help them find the answer by looking on the computer or sharing your experience/knowledge.

Resources

Cat’s Colors, by Jane Cabrera

Can you guess Cat’s favorite color? This is a nice book to help children review different basic colors.

Materials

White coffee filters or white absorbent paper towels
Eye droppers
Food coloring.
M&M’s-optional

Vocabulary

Swoop (to make a sweeping descent)

Before Reading the Story;

Make a simple bar graph and add colors to the bottom. Ask the children to name which is their favorite color. Count out the names above each color and write the amount on top. Can the children see which color had the most votes? Can they name the number that is written above the names?

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

Reading the Story

As you read the story, ask the children if they can think of something else that is the color mentioned. (And green is like my shirt!)

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in a series, and regrouping objects according to oneor two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

After Reading the Story

Play Hiding Cat. Cut out 4-7 squares of different colored paper, big enough to cover the cat. One child hides their eyes and another puts the cat under a colored square. The child who had their eyes hidden then tries to guess what color the cat is under. Give the children 3 tries to guess and then let someone else hide their eyes and try. Play until everyone has a turn.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; develops growing understanding of how their actions affect others and begins to accept the consequences of their actions. AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games or using materials; and t interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Discovery

Add food coloring to water in ice cube trays. Show the children how to suction up the water with an eye dropper or small syringe. The children can then drop the water onto a white coffee filter and watch as the colors mix together.

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

Music and Movement

Sing The Rainbow Songhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRTdq0VsLGQ

Red and yellow and pink and green,

Purple and orange and blue.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too.

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

Blocks

Add colored blocks to the center today.

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.

Art

In the illustrations the artist used finger painting. Put out finger paint today. Encourage the children to practice writing their name in finger paint and making shapes.

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. AND Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbling, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

Sand and Water

Add food coloring to the water today to change the color. Give the children a choice of equipment to use in the table today.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; develops growing capacity for independence in a range of activities, routines, and tasks.

Library and Writing

Ask the child to name their favorite color and tell you why. Write their response and ask them to illustrate. Name a color and encourage the children to think of objects that are not present in the classroom but more in tune to the book. Write down their responses, these could be turned into a class book.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

Math and Manipulatives

Any classroom objects that you have that the children can use to sort by color.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching , sorting, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, and size.

Bring in M&M’s, jelly beans, or other food item that comes in a variety of colors. These can be used to sort and add & subtract with. (Sort your candies by color, which has the most? Eat all the blue ones, how many are left? Take 2 and add 3 more, how many? Now eat one, how many?)

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

Outdoor Play

Have the children help you do a color search. They can look around the playground for items that are yellow (a shovel, a dandelion, Kerry’s shoes, the hula hoop. Then look for green items, red, blue etc.)p

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching , sorting, putting in series, and regrouping objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, and size.

Transitions

Dismiss the children by colors to go to the next activity. (If you are wearing red, you may go line up).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Chipmunk Song, by Anne Ryder

Pretend that you are a chipmunk. What would you do and where would you go? This book is a wonderful look at the life and habitat of a chipmunk.

Materials

Several sponges
Pictures of animals that live underground
Recipe cards for Worms in the Dirt
Cottonballs
Large serving spoon and bowl.

Vocabulary

Burrow (a hole or tunnel home under the ground)
Imagining (pretending)
Dashing (running quickly)
Statue (a sculpture that cannot move)

Before Reading the Story

Look at the cover of the book. Does anyone know what animal this is? The child is copying the chipmunk. She is pretending to be a chipmunk, she is imagining. Ask the children to raise their hands if they have ever seen a real chipmunk? Let them share any information they may have about chipmunks. (I saw a chipmunk on my Grandma’s stone fence one time. My cat caught a chipmunk and ate it!).

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

Take your time reading the story and encourage the children to share any comments they have about the illustrations.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction and poetry.

After Reading the Story

After reading, write what the children learned about chipmunks. Go back through the book and have the children act out being a chipmunk. (crawl out of your hole/from under the table, look around to see if safe and stretch, dash to the berry bush/a designated place in the room such as the easel, leap from stone to stone, chip out a song, etc).

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

Discovery

Put the book in the science center and show the children the page with the animals underground. Find magazines or books that show more pictures of animals underground.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Make Worms in Dirt snacks. Put chocolate pudding into individual cups. Add broken Oreo cookies for rocks and gummy worms.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Music and Movement

Play Statues with the children. Put on music and have the children dance. When the music stops, the children must freeze in their place until the music begins again.

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger poplays, games, and performances. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Blocks

Challenge the children to build a tunnel. After they have built one tunnel ask them if they can build a longer tunnel, a shorter tunnel, a tunnel that some of your plastic animals can fit through.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans. AND Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense;

Art

Have the children paint a large piece of paper with brown paint. Show them how to use sponges to lift the paint off the paper. This effect resembles dirt underground. The children can then draw or cut out animals that live underground.

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

Library and Writing

Encourage the children to draw a chipmunk. After they have finished their drawing, ask them to tell you what their chipmunk is doing in the picture or a chipmunk fact. Write their words on the bottom of their picture or on another piece of paper that you can attach. (“My chipmunk is eating an acorn. “” The chipmunk is sitting on the ground””It’s a chipmunk Mommy and her bab

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Sand and Water

Mix sand and dirt together. Add a small amount of water. Encourage the children to dig burrows.

Social & Emotional Development/Self Concept; demonstrates growing confidence in a range of abilities and expresses pride in accomplishments.

If you have acorns available,these would be fun to add to the water table to float along with leaves. Can the children make the acorns float on top of the leaves? How many acorns will a leaf hold before it starts to sink?

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

Dramatic Play

Bring in acorns or poker chips that the children can pretend is food. They can gather the food into a bowl. Encourage them to talk chipmunk by saying Chip, chip, chip over and over. Put a scarf over a table and underneath can be their burrow.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Put acorns or cotton balls into a large bowl. The children grab a handful and count how many they were able to collect. Use a large serving spoon and let the children grab another handful. How many were they able to collect this time? Which pile has more/less acorns?

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

Outdoor Play

Play Animal Walks with the children. Imagine you are a snake and slither along the ground. Pretend you are a deer and leap across the field. Pretend you are a mouse and scamper along the path. Pretend you are a horse and gallop around the pen. Pretend you are a bee and buzz from flower to flower.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Transitions

Tape pictures of animals to the wall or a flannel board. On another piece of paper or whiteboard, write the first letter of one animal and say the letter sound. The child must then come up and take the animal picture off the wall that goes along with the letter sound. Start with letters that your children might be familiar with such as the first letter in their names. (Can you find the animal whose name begins with the letter R, /R/, R? The child would then take the rabbit picture off the wall.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds in words.