Week 9 Lesson Plan for Homeschooling Preschool

Literacy

Objectives:

• Identifies uppercase and lowercase I
  
  
• Tells the short sound of /i/
  
  
• Matches written and spoken words

Parent instructions

Choose one activity a day with the exception of #1, which should be done a few times a week if possible.

NOTE: This week we are introducing the letter I. The short sounds of I and E sound very similar to one another and are frequently confused. You may want to spend extra time and attention practicing these two vowel sounds. Don’t forget to use the clue words egg and igloo to prompt your child to form the correct sound.

Similarly, uppercase Is (typed) are frequently mistaken for lowercase Ls. Watch for these confusions and gently correct them. It is not necessary for your child to be able to distinguish the difference from context at this age. Just acknowledge that they look almost exactly alike and tell them which one they are looking at.

Activities

• Say the ABCs using your chart from beginning to end once a day, pointing to each letter as you say it. After going through all the letters, ask your child to find this week’s letter—I. Look at and have them trace with their finger the upper and lowercase examples. Tell your child that I is a vowel, which is a special type of letter that can make lots of sounds. Explain that you will be learning its short sound. Say, “I says /i/ like igloo.” Try to ask your child a few times a week (during bathtime, driving in the car, etc.) to tell you the short sound of I. (Don’t forget to include some previously learned letters, especially those vowels!) If they need help or say it incorrectly, model the correct way by repeating, “I says /i/ like igloo.” Always say it with its example word. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)
  
  
• Is (both uppercase and lowercase) are an easy first letter to practice writing. Give your child some paper and writing materials and show them how to write an upper and lowercase I and ask them to copy it. Feel free to use colorful paper, markers, crayons, or any supplies that make writing more fun! If your child doesn’t like to write on paper, have them write with their finger in sand, on a plate covered with shaving cream, or on a foggy window. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)
  
  
• Complete a “Find the Letter” worksheet to locate all the upper and lowercase Is. Use a marker, highlighter, or dauber to mark all the letters they find. (Estimated Time: 5 minutes)
  
  
• After your child draws a picture and tells you about it, label the things that your child drew. Ask your child to “read” the words that you wrote. (Estimated Time: 10 minutes)

Math

Objectives:

• Counts objects up to 70
  
  
• Sorts and classifies objects according to two or more attributes into two or more groups

Parent instructions

Choose one activity a day with the exception of #1, which should be done a few times a week if possible.

Activities

• Count to 70 on the 100s chart, pointing to each number as you count. (Estimated Time: 3 minutes)
  
  
• Grab your Legos again! Count out 70 Legos for the following activity. (Estimated Time: 3 minutes)
  
  
• We will, now, level up our sorting game to sort objects by two or more attributes. One of the best combinations of attributes, to begin with, is the size (or shape) and color. Place your pile of Legos on the table. Place two pieces of white paper next to the pile. These will be your child’s sorting spaces. On each paper, write a set of two attributes they will look for like “square and white” on one paper and “rectangle and blue” on the other. You can draw a picture of each type of Lego (one on each piece of paper) instead of writing the words if that works better for your child. Choose attributes for which you have a lot of matching Legos! Finally, have your child locate and place onto the appropriate paper all of the Legos that match those descriptions. It is OK to have Legos left over that do not match either description. In fact, that is desirable because it makes sorting a bit more challenging. You can do this activity with other objects like craft pom-poms, buttons, building blocks, or pattern blocks—any items with different sizes (or shapes) and colors. (Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes)

Fine Motor

Activities:

• Practice 1 spherical grasp activity
  
  
• 1 hand-eye coordination activity
  
  
• 1 bilateral hand coordination activity
  
  
• 1 In-hand manipulation activity

Parent instructions

Choose one fine motor objective each day and then select an activity that practices that objective from the list in Appendix A. Feel free to choose more than one activity or work on more than one objective a day if you like! Just remember that little hands tire easily and short, regular practice sessions are better than long, sustained ones. (Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes)

Download the Appendix A that lists all the fine-motor activities.

Social-Emotional

Objectives:

• (Self-management) Adjusts behaviors appropriately in familiar settings with some reminders
  
  
• (Social awareness) Shows kindness or regard for other people or for other living things much of the time

Activities

Choose one activity a day (Monday - Thursday)

• Take interactions from real life or books that show different kinds of interactions and responses and re-enact them exploring new behavior choices. (Estimated Time: 10 minutes)
  
  
• Involve your child in an act of kindness for another living being. This could be as simple as caring for the plants in your own yard, helping an elderly neighbor with a chore, choosing some non-perishable food items and donating them to a local food bank, or asking your local animal shelter what supplies they are in need of and taking them some. The main purpose of this activity is to instill the importance of care and kindness for others, so talk to your child about why this is a good thing to do (how it benefits someone or something in need). Ask your child if they remember a time when someone helped them (like reaching a toy on a high shelf or tying their shoes) and how that felt. Talk to them about how good it feels to show kindness to others and how the giver benefits too. You may want to read the fable of The Lion and the Mouse as an extension activity. (Estimated Time: 15-30 minutes)

Additional resources

• Pass It On by Sophy Henn
  
  
• Peace Is an Offering by Annette LeBox