- “All About Ramps” chart
- ball (small)
- block
- cardboard sheet
- erasers (rubber and chalk)
- marker
- stick
- down
- move
- ramp
- roll
- slide
- stay put
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.
English Language Arts/Language/L.PK.MA.1: Demonstrate use of oral language in informal everyday activities.
English Language Arts/Language/L.PK.MA.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, listening to books read aloud, activities, and play.
Head Start Outcomes:
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
Language Development/Expressive Language: Uses language to express ideas and needs.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 2: Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions.
Talk Together: Down the Ramp
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: A ramp, or inclined plane, is a surface with one end higher than the other; An object placed on an inclined plane will roll, slide, or stay put; The shape of an object affects whether it will roll or slide or stay put
ELA Focus Skills: Concepts of Print, Speaking and Listening, Vocabulary
Review with children the ramp activities from Week 1. Construct a small ramp using a piece of flat cardboard and a block.
Display a ball, a rubber eraser, and a chalkboard eraser for children to see. Discuss with children how the objects might move down the ramp. Ask questions such as,
- What do you predict will happen to the rubber eraser when I place it at the top of the ramp?
- Do you think the eraser will roll, slide, or stay put? Review the terms roll, slide, and stay put if children are unable to respond.
Repeat with the ball and chalkboard eraser. Guide children to use the terms roll, slide, and stay put as they predict how each object will move.
Display the “All About Ramps” chart and review some of the entries.
- Track the words as you do, sweeping down to the next line to show how we read text from left to right.
- Invite children to add to the chart any new ideas they have about ramps.