Beautiful Blackbird, by Ashley Bryan

All the birds want to be beautiful like black bird who generously shares his color with them.

Materials

Roll of crepe paper
A whisk, hand eggbeater, slotted spoon, different tools to make bubbles in water.
Several large stiff feathers to use as paint brushes

Vocabulary

Arcs (curves and semicircles)
Festival (party or celebration)
Mirrored (reflected)
Beautiful (how lovely someone or something is)

Introducing the Story

Play a color game such as; If you are wearing _____clap your hands, if you are wearing ________green stomp your feet.

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

Or have snips of paper in several colors (one for each child). Give each child a snip of paper and the child must go and find an object in the room that color. Make sure whatever game you play that black is included.

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

Reading the Story

Read this book ahead of time so that you have the rhythm of the story as you read. When you get to the page where Blackbird shares his color, tell the children that he is being a beautiful friend by sharing all his color.

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

After Reading the Story

Ask the children what it is that all the birds wanted from black bird? (His color black). Why do you think they wanted some black of their own? (They thought it was beautiful). Do you think it was fair that Black Bird shared some of his with all the other birds? (Yes, he was being a good friend). Ask the children if they know what beautiful means? Let them give their thoughts (Beautiful is really pretty like a shiny necklace. Beautiful is my stuffed doggie. My Mommy says my smile is beautiful.). Then tell the children that every person in the whole wide world has something that is beautiful about them. Sometimes it is on the outside like lovely curls and sometimes it is on the inside like when someone always shares and is kind. Let the children comment upon this idea. If they do not, you can tell one thing beautiful about all the children in the group. (Roger has a beautiful smile and Alison is beautiful because she is so gentle with her baby sister and other little children.). Make sure to include both inward and outward beauty for everyone throughout the day. (Sean, that is beautiful how you mixed those colors on your painting, you are an artist. Paula, that was so thoughtful and beautiful for you to share your book with Ryan).

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

Music and Movement

Take the words to the dance in the book and turn it into a barnyard type call and dance.

Beak to beak, peck, peck, peck

Spread your wings, stretch your neck.

Tip tap toe to the left, spin around

Toe tap tip to the right, stroke the ground.

Wings flip-flapping as you glide,

Forward and backward in a snow claws slide.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat and rhythm in music.

Sing Two Little Blackbirds

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill,

(Children hold up 1 finger on each hand)

One named Jack and one named Jill.

(Wiggle left finger, wiggle right finger)

Fly away Jack, fly away Jill

( Put 1 finger behind back, then the other)

Come back Jack, come back Jill.

(Bring 1 finger forward, then the other)

Next add 2 fingers to each hand and count. Sing about 4 blackbird, then 6 blackbirds, 8, and then 10

Mathematics/Numbers & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine and name “how many” concrete objects.

Discovery

Fill 5 plastic cups with a small amount of paint; red, blue, yellow, white, and brown. Put out white paper and brushes. Challenge the children to mix colors to make new colors. Can they make black? Pink? Green? Purple? What happens when you add more white to your color?

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

Blocks

Challenge the children to build a nest and then pretend to be birds.

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

Art

Put out black paint and feathers for brushes at the easel today. You can cut out simple bird shapes from colored construction paper.

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

Sand and Water

In the story, blackbird stirred his brew in the medicine gourd. Put water into the table today with things to stir; a whisk, a hand mixer, a slotted spoon. Let the children add soap to stir around and make bubbles.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully.

Library and Writing

Tell the children that in the story today, blackbird said color on the outside is not what’s on the inside. You don’t act like me. You don’t eat like me. You don’t move and groove your feet like me. And in our class, you don’t have the same name as me. Give the children paper and pencils/markers to practice writing their names. Put out name tags so the children can see their name as they copy the letters. For older children, encourage them to also copy the name of their friends.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name. Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their name.

Dramatic Play

In the story, the birds gathered for a festival. Put out crepe paper and masking tape so the children can begin to decorate for a festival in the dramatic center.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Make a ‘Which is our favorite color’ chart and then survey the children to see which is their favorite color. After all the children have been surveyed, you can use your chart to see which color was most favored in your classroom, which color was nobody’s favorite, count how many marks each color has. Write the number on the chart.

Mathematics/Patterns & Operations; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute. AND Mathematics/Numbers & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Outdoor Play

Pretend to be birds and fly about the play yard. Can the children fly fast? Slow? Fly very low to the ground? On their tiptoes? Use the edge of the sandbox to perch as though on a branch, pretend to fly down and eat insects and gather together in a nest for the night.

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

Transitions

Send the children off to the next activity by colors. If you are wearing black, line up. If you are wearing green, line up, etc..

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Resources

Dear Parents, today we read a story about how birds got black markings on their bodies. Take your child for a black walk about your house or property. How many black items can they find?

Barn Party, by Claire O’Brien

The chicken sisters are planning a party but rooster takes over. He thinks he is in charge and invites or disinvites those that he thinks are too untidy to come. Guess what happens when the other farm animals hear about his unfriendly behavior.

Materials

1-2 rolls of crepe paper
Party hats, one for each child allowed in dramatics at one time,
Emotion cards
A bowling game or 10 soda bottles filled halfway with water and a ball

Vocabulary

Mean ( not nice)
Furious (to be really, really mad)
Sportsmanship (being fair and kind in games or sports)

Before Reading the Story

Read the title of the book and ask the children who they think might be the characters in the story? How many farm animals can they name?

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

Reading the Story

Stop on page 25 and Ask the children how they think all the animals are feeling knowing that they are not invited to the party? How would it make you feel? Now ask, what do you think the animals could do to make themselves feel better? On page 30, ask the children if they think the chicken sisters are being mean too, why or why not? On page 34, the Chicken Sisters say it is time to teach Rooster a lesson. Ask the children if they have any ideas what the chickens and all the animals are going to do to Rooster to teach him a lesson?

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; progresses in responding sympathetically to peers who need help, upset, angry, or hurt; and in expressing empathy or caring for others. AND 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.

After Reading the Story

Tell the children that you are going to play Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down with them. Explain that you are going to give a scenario and if it is a kind or friendly act, the children put their thumbs up. If it is an unkind or unfriendly act, the children point their thumbs down. (Lisa asked JJ if she could play in the center with him and he said yes. Brenda told Jasmine that she was not her friend because she would not let her have the baby doll that she wanted. When the cook brought lunch, Michael told her thank you, that smells good).

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

Discovery

Make two sets of the emotion cards and attach them to paper that the children cannot see through. Turn all the cards face down on the table. The children take turns picking up two cards trying to pick up matches. If the two cards do not match, the child turns them back face down and it is the next child’s turn. If the two cards match, the child keeps them. When all the cards have been matched, the children can count their cards to see who found the most. Talk about emotions as the children pick up cards.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; shows growing capacity to maintain concentration over time on a task, question, set of directions or interactions, despite distractions and interruptions.

Music and Movement

Teach the children the Brush Your Teeth chant.

Brush your teeth everyday,

Up and Down it is the right way.

Back and forth and circles too,

That’s just what you’ve got to do.

Brush your teeth everyday,

Up and down it is the right way.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Sing, It’s Love That Makes The World Go Round. Take the verse tune to this song and teach the children using the following words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB6hivRQxmE

It’s love, it’s love, it’s love that make the world go round

It’s love, it’s love, it’s love that makes the world go round

It’s love that makes the world go round.

It’s you, it’s me, it’s friends that make the world go round

It’s love that makes the world go round.

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

Put on lively dance music today and pretend to be having a barn dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXePOakJGs

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what if felt and heard in various musical tempos and styles.

Blocks

The animals had their party in the barn. Put out the farm animals today and challenge the children to make a big barn out of blocks. Encourage them to work together. Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; shows increasing abilities to use compromise and discussion in working, playing, and resolving conflicts with peers.

Art

Remind the children that in the story today, cow had gotten new teeth. Ask the children how they take care of their teeth (I brush my teeth. My Mom says no soda because it will make my teeth fall out. ). Ask how often children should brush their teeth? Give each child a yellow piece of paper cut out into a tooth shape. Show them how to dip a toothbrush into white paint and paint the yellow tooth shape . Encourage them to brush the entire yellow tooth shape until it is clean and shiny (full of white paint). Do the Brush Your Teeth chant as the children paint.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; shows growing independence in hygiene, nutrition, and personal care when eating, dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and toileting.

Sand and Water

Put dirt in the table today. Give the children watering cans or medium sized containers to add water to the dirt. What happens? Give the children some scooping toys and let them enjoy the mud. Ask, who in the story was told they are too muddy (pig)?

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

Library and Writing

Ask each child to draw a picture of themself with a friend. Ask the child, what makes _______such a good friend? Write their response on the bottom of the paper. (Roger is my friend because he always lets me play. Lee is my friend because her hair is like mine in a ponytail, Kim is my friend because she shares her snack and her toys with me).

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; shows progress in developing friendships with peers.

Dramatic Play

Add a roll of crepe paper and some party hats to the center today. The children can decorate for a pretend party.

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

Math and Manipulatives

Set out a classroom game such as CandyLand where the children must take turns. Before they begin, remind them about good sportsmanship.

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

Outdoor Play

Set up bowling with the children today. The children have to take turns rolling the pins and setting up the pins.

Encourage ball play today. Have the children find a friend and bounce the ball to each other or roll, kick, or throw the ball to one another.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; demonstrates increasing ability to coordinate movements in throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, and using the slide and swing. AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Transitions

Play I’m thinking of a friend. Give clues as to who you are thinking about in the classroom or center. The children guess. If they guess right they may head to the next activity. (I’m thinking of a friend who has curly hair and a baby brother. This friend comes to school in a white SUV with the dog in the back seat. I’m thinking of a very important friend because she makes us out lunch everyday.).

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

Resources

Big Al, by Yoshi

Big Al is a fish that is very big and scary looking. All the other fish stay away never realizing that he is kind and brave until one day…Big Al saves the day.

Materials

Camouflage pictures
Alphabet Fish page
Five little fish
20 more big ugly fish
Individual picture of each child in your classroom
One index card per child

Vocabulary

Plowed (run right into someone or something)
Tremendous (great big)
Camouflage (to disguise or hide)

Before Reading the Story

Reading the Story

On the page when Big Al thought that he would never have a friend and something happened, stop and ask the children if they can guess what they think Big Al is going to do? When you finish the story, ask the children if Big Al was a good friend, why?

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

After Reading the Story

Talk with the children about how friends can help each other. Mention any incidents that you have recently seen of one classmate helping another (At breakfast I saw Ryan help Michael to cut his waffle, Alison helped Ann to zipper her party dress in the dramatic corner). Ask the children if they can think of a time when a friend helped them. Ask the children what they should say to another person who helps them (thank you).

Social & Emotional Development/Social Relationships; shows progress in developing friendships with peers.

Discovery

In the story, Big Al tried to camouflage himself. Put out pictures of animals that are camouflaged for the children to look at.

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

Music and Movement

Sing The More We Get Together https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lldmkrJXQ-E

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

Do the chant, 2,4,6,8, Who Do We Appreciate? Then add a child’s name and clap out the syllables. 2,4,6,8, who do we appreciate? Ro-ger, Ro-ger, Ro-ger. 2,4,6,8, who do we appreciate? Pri-scil-la, Pri-scil-la, Pri-scil-la. Go around the circle and do everyone’s name.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing ability to hear and discriminate separate syllables in words.

Finger play, Five Little Fish

One little fish alone and new

Soon she finds a friend and now there are two.

Two little fish swimming in the sea

They meet another friend and now there are three.

Three little fish swim along the shore

Soon they see a friend and now there are four.

Four little fish go for a dive

There they find another friend and now there are five.

1,2,3,4,5.

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

Blocks

Cut around pictures of the children and tape or contact paper each one to a small unit block. As the children play in the block center they can use their friend pictures as part of their play.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Art

Finger-paint today. As the children finger paint, have them make a handprint on a separate piece of paper. When this dries, embellish. Cut around and glue them all onto a large piece of blue paper. Make a bulletin board, A School of Friends.

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

Sand and Water

Put sand into the table today and then pour water on top. Add any plastic sea creatures/fish that you have. The children can bury the creatures in the sand to hide and camouflage or pretend to swim them in the water.

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

Library and Writing

Give each child a copy of the Alphabet Fish Page and several crayons or markers. Put a basket of magnet letters in the middle of the table. Let the children take turns picking a magnet letter out of the bowl. The children then look for that letter on their alphabet page and color it in. Play until all 26 letters have been found.

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

Dramatic Play

Encourage the children ask a friend to help with the zippers, buckles, and buttons on your dress-up clothing.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with pers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Math and Manipulatives

Cut out 20 fish shapes. Make two sets of fish labeled 1-10. Challenge the children to line the fish up starting with number one and going to number ten. Are they able to identify the numbers? For younger children use 1-5 and add dots that they can count.

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

Outdoor Play

Play Swimming in a School. The teacher is the leader and the children follow as in Follow the Leader. Swim around the tree, under the climber, on top of the bench, etc.

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

Transitions

Write each child’s name on an index card. Hold up the card and ask whose name is this? That child can then help name the letters before going off to the next activity.

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