Week 1: Sprouting Seeds and Bulbs

Daily Routines

Morning Meeting

Greeting Song: “Clap a Friend’s Name” #1

Sing the greeting song and have children clap the syllables of his or her name. Repeat until every child is included.

Talk Together: Introduce Plants

Introduce plants and tell children they will learn about different types of plants. “Plant Wall” of pictures and children’s works.

Discovery Time

Explore Together (outdoors): Outdoor Plant Walk

Discuss how to treat outdoor plants with care. Go outside and observe plants in their environment.

Let's Read

Read Together: The Carrot Seed

Read The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. Focus on how the boy plants a seed and cares for his plant.

Sing Together: “The Boy Plants a Seed”

Sing the song to help children retell the story of The Carrot Seed.

Letters, Sounds, and Words

Word Play: Simon Says: /s/

Play Simon Says using words that begin with the /s/ sound.

Learn About Letters Together: Sandpaper Writing (“Ss”)

Use the Sandpaper Writing Routine to introduce the letter “Ss.”

Family Connection

Family Connection: Unit 7, Week 1, #1

Send a Family Connection letter home with children and sing “Good-bye to You” as children depart.

Morning Meeting

Greeting Song: “Clap a Friend’s Name” #2

Sing the greeting song, hold up a name card, and have child clap the syllables in his or her name. Repeat until every child is included.

Talk Together: More About Plants

Talk with children about plants and what they need to grow.

Discovery Time

Explore Together (outdoors): Plants on the Ground #1

Collect plant parts that have fallen to the ground. Have children use magnifying lenses to explore plant parts.

Small Group: Explore Trees

Discuss parts of a tree. Go outside and have children compare and explore trees.

Let's Watch

Watch Together: “Exploring Small Spaces” #1 (PEEP live-action clip)

Play the live-action video clip PEEP and the Big Wide World “Exploring Small Spaces.” Have children compare the plants in the video to plants they have explored.

Play Together: Growing Seeds

Play soft music and have children act out moving like a plant as it grows.

Watch Together: "The Carrot Seed" (BTL show)

Have children look for things a little boy does as he watches his seed grow in the Between the Lions "The Carrot Seed" video.

Letters, Sounds, and Words

Learn About Letters Together: Letter (“Ss”) Skip

Make multiple “S” letters on the floor or playground with tape or chalk. Have children skip around each letter “S.”

Watch Together: “Words Beginning with ‘s’” #2 (BTL clip)

Play the video clip Between the Lions “Words Beginning with ‘s’” and have children listen for words that begin with /s/.

Word Play: What Sound Do You Hear?

Show children picture cards to identify and emphasize the beginning letter sounds.

Family Connection

Family Connection: Unit 7, Week 1, #2

Give each child a twig as they leave. Encourage children to explore roots and trees with their families.

Morning Meeting

Greeting Song: “Clap a Friend’s Name” #3

Sing the greeting song and hold up a name card as children “grow” like a plant. Repeat until every child is included.

Talk Together: Plants and Roots

Continue to discuss plants, including trees and roots.

Discovery Time

Explore Together (indoors): Introduce Seeds

Have children observe, compare, and sort seeds into different categories.

Small Group: Plant Seeds

Have children plant bean seeds and draw to record in their science notebooks.

Let's Write

Draw and Write Together: “Our Bean Seeds” Chart

Have children dictate or write to record observations as children’s plants grow. 

Let's Read

Read Together: One Bean #1

Read One Bean by Anne Rockwell. Have children focus on how the boy helps the seeds grow.

Sing Together: “I’m a Little Brown Seed” #1

Sing and act out the song to help children practice patience.

Letters, Sounds, and Words

Learn About Letter Sounds Together: Bag of Sounds (/s/)

Children choose /s/ objects from a bag and create sentences for objects that start with the /s/ sound.

Word Play: Alliteration (/s/)

Create a sentence emphasizing the beginning sound of /s/. Challenge children to say the sentence faster and faster.

Morning Meeting

Greeting Song: “Good Morning” #4

Sing the greeting song and hold up a name card for each child to recognize his or her name. 

Talk Together: Bulbs

Introduce bulbs. Explore an onion bulb and an onion.

Discovery Time

Explore Together (indoors): Different Bulbs

Explore different types of bulbs. Have children record observations.

Small Group: Plant Onion Bulbs

Have children plant onion bulbs in water and dictate or write to record observations.

Let's Watch

Watch Together: “Information Hen: Things That Grow” (BTL clip)

Play the video Between the Lions “Information Hen: Things That Grow” as you review seeds and plants.

Watch Together: “Peep Plants a Seed” #1 (PEEP show)

Play Peep and the Big Wide World “Peep Plants a Seed” and have children focus on what the characters do with the seed.

Let's Read

Read Together: One Bean #2

Reread One Bean and focus on the sequence the boy follows as to plant his seed.

Let's Write

Draw and Write Together: If I Planted a Seed

Children choose a plant they would like to grow and illustrate, dictate or write about it.

Letters, Sounds, and Words

Word Play: Riddles (/s/)

Make a list of words with the /s/ sound and  use the words to make up riddles for children to solve.

Word Play: “A Seed Is Planted” Rhyme

Recite the poem “A Seed Is Planted” and have children identify words that rhyme.  

Morning Meeting

Greeting Song: “Good Morning” #5

Sing the greeting song to each child as he or she identifies his or her name on a name chart.

Talk Together: Seeds and Plants Review

Have children illustrate and dictate a sentence featuring what a plant needs to grow.

Discovery Time

Explore Together (indoors): Grass Seeds

Have children plant grass seeds and record changes in previously planted seeds.

Let's Read

Read Together: Educator’s Choice, Unit 7, Week 1

Reread one of the books of the week or select a favorite book about plants and seeds.

Play Together: Seed, Seed, Sprout!

Follow the rules for the game “Duck, Duck, Goose” but change the words to “Seed, Seed, Sprout.”

Let's Watch

Watch Together: “Fred Says: sing” (BTL clip)

Play the Between the Lions video “Fred Says: sing” and have children identify the letter “s.”

Letters, Sounds, and Words

Learn About Letters Together: Target Letter (“Ss”) and Word (seed)

Use the Target Letter and Word Routine to review the letter “Ss” and the word seed.

Wrap-Up

Review the Week Together: Unit 7, Week 1

Revisit the charts, objects, and pictures from the week. 

Family Connection

Family Connection: Unit 7, Week 1, #3

Give each child a photo you took of him or her while engaged in hands-on explorations to share with family. Sing "Good-bye To You" as children depart.

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