Unit 5: Ramps and Rolling

Sit in a circle and recite the chant, “I Have a Good Friend.” Roll a ball to each child calling him/her by name.

Talk with children about their experiences going down slides and other inclined planes. Encourage them to talk about how they felt.

Bring children outside and have them explore how different objects move when they are sent down the playground slide.

Display pictures and talk about amusement parks.  Have children imagine being on a roller coaster and act out the motions.

Read a story about a girl who goes on her first roller coaster ride. Have children notice what happens when the roller coaster goes up and down the hills.

Recite the rhyme “Feelings” with children and ask them to act out the feeling words as you read them the rhyme.

Use the Target Letter and Word Routine to introduce children to the letter “Zz” and the word zoom.

Have children act out the words zip and zoom. Elicit that their actions are similar for each word and help children generate other words with a similar meaning.

Use the rhyme, “The Slide” to reinforce the concept of moving down a slide. Have children act out the motions.

Send a Family Connection letter home with children.

Have children recognize their name as they recite a greeting chant along with you. 

Introduce ramps by having children move a block without touching it. Demonstrate how things move down a slanted plane.

Have children explore ramps in their outdoor environment. Encourage them to draw to record their observations.

Watch the video Between the Lions “Roller Coaster” and have children watch for and listen to the different ways the roller coaster moves and sounds.

Ask children to think of something they were afraid to do the first time. Have children draw a picture of them doing the task.

Help children learn the /z/ sound by having them come up with real or made-up words that begin with the /z/ sound.

Draw a large letter “Z” on the ground. Have children line up and tell them they are going to zigzag around the “Z.”

Ask children to find a ramp on the way home or at home and describe it.

Have children sit in a circle and sing the greeting song. Talk about the opposite words “together” and “alone.”

Ask children to share ramps they discovered on their way home. Have them dictate or write to record ideas on the "All About Ramps" chart.

Allow children to freely explore ramps materials and building ramps. Encourage them to record their observations.

Have children work with partners to build a ramp and “race” objects down the ramp and describe how the objects move differently down the ramp.

Read the book Mama Zooms. Discuss with children how some people cannot walk and that a wheelchair helps them move around and go places.

Have work with a buddy to go over, under, around, and through a hoop as you recite “Over, Under, Around, and Through.” 

Ask children to listen for the word zero in the video. After children watch the video, talk about the /z/ sound in words.

Play a guessing game with children to help them review the beginning /r/ sound. Describe something that starts with the /r/ sound and have children guess what it is.

Sing the greeting song and hold up a name card. Have children recognize their name in print and call out their name.  

Discuss how size, shape, and weight of an object can affect the way it moves down a ramp. Talk about how things slide and/or roll.

Continue to explore ramp materials, build ramps, and move objects down the ramps. Children discuss and compare how objects move.

Join small groups of children at the Technology Center to have them take turns in helping Quack roll apples down the hill and into the pond.

Teach children the chant “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom.” Recite the chant with movements and invite children to join you.

Reread Mama Zooms with lots of expression and have children act out the motions in the book. 

Play a sound game to review the letter sound /r/ at the beginning of familiar words.

Refer to words from Mama Zooms to explain the two parts of a compound word. Say each word part slowly then show the children that they make one word.

Have children sit in a circle with their name cards placed in the middle of the circle faced down. Turn over the name cards to include them in the song.

Review children's ramp explorations and observations. Remind children that scientists use skills such as asking questions and recording observations.

Have children continue to explore ramps and how objects move down a ramp. Encourage children predict how an object will behave on a ramp.

Have children illustrate the ramp constructions they built. Encourage them to represent the movement of the objects on the ramps in their drawings.

Reread a book from the week, watch “Roller Coaster,” or select a book from the recommended list. Focus on ramps and rolling and sliding movements.

Invite children to watch the video Between the Lions  “Roller Coaster” again. Encourage them to “read” along, as many words as they can.

Discuss children's observations while rolling or sliding objects down ramps. Create a  “Roll” and “Slide” chart with children.

Watch a Between the Lions video clip about the letter “z” and pause after each word so children can repeat the word and identify the letter “z.”

Invite children to play a rhyming game with you. Have children identify pairs of rhyme words. 

Give each child a large outline of the uppercase letter “Z” to decorate with different "Z" objects.

Introduce children to a chant about ramps. Recite it using hand motions and have children join you.

Display the read-aloud books, children’s artwork, writing, and charts. Talk about what children learned this week, including their work in the Centers.

Send a Family Connection letter home with children.