Unit 9: Wonderful Water

Sing the greeting song. Point to four different names and have those children say their names. Repeat until every child is included.

Discuss water with children. Ask them what they know about water, and what happens as water is poured.

Have children explore how water behaves on different surfaces outside.  

Explore the idea that liquids do not have their own shape, but take on the shape of their containers.

Read about experiments with water. Focus children on the different shapes water takes in the book.

Use the Target Letter and Word Routine to introduce children to the letter “Ww” and the word water.

Use the Tell Me What You Hear Routine to help children listen for the /w/ sound at the beginning of familiar words.

Use the Sandpaper Writing Routine to help children being to “write” the letter “Ww.”

Sing the greeting song. Point to four different name cards and have those children say their names. Repeat until every child is included.

Invite children to share more about what they have been observing and learning about water.

Make water rivers and streams of flowing water in the dirt and on other surfaces outside.

Have children measure how far the water flowed with nonstandard measuring tools.

Make a graph of children’s results from the measuring activity.

Play the PEEP and the Big Wide World video “Making Rivers.” Have children compare their water rivers activity to the children’s in the video.

Review how all living things need water and then read the book with children.

Review the /w/ sound at the beginning of words with children.

Give each child a copy of the word water to trace the “W.”  

Sing the greeting song and hold up a name card. Have that child choose another name card. Repeat until every child is included.

Remind children of their ramp explorations. Have children predict what will happen when they pour water down a ramp.

Have children observe how water changes directions and slows down or speeds up as it flows down a hill.

Collect materials outside with children to experiment how to change the direction of water flow.

Play the Between the Lions video “River Story.” Focus children on the different ways the river moves. 

Read the poem “The River.” Have children draw a picture of how they imagined the river flowed down the mountain.   

Give children clues to guess the words that start with the /w/ sound.   

Play the Between the Lions video “Word Morph: walnut-wave-wave.” Have children listen for the /w/ sounds.

Help children practice writing the letter “Ww.”

Hold up three name cards and sing the greeting song to those three children. Repeat until everyone is included.

Discuss how to make water move with various materials. 

Set up three stations at the water table to allow groups to explore different ways of moving water.    

Reread the book and have children look for the different objects people use to make water move.

Recite the poem with gestures. Invite children to make up new gestures to show how the water drops moved.

Play the game to build children’s vocabulary to discuss moving water.  

Children take turns picking up an object, naming it, and saying whether it begins with the /w/ sound and belongs in the /w/ bag or not.

Have children generate alliterative sentences with the /w/ sound. Use the example We wonder why worms wiggle.

Hold up three name cards and have those children recognize and say their names. Repeat until every child has been recognized.

Introduce a pump and baster and demonstrate how to use them to move water.

Divide children into four groups to explore moving water with their hands, plastic cups, funnels, basters, and water pumps.

Choose a book about water to read to children. Ask them to identify how water moves and changes direction in the story.

Help children write or dictate a poem about water using the template provided.

Have children hunt for the hidden letters “w,” “a,” “t,”  “e,” and “r” in the room. Make the word water once all the letters are found.

Play the Between the Lions video “Wow.” Have children think of other words that begin with the /w/ sound.

Help children practice segmenting words in a sentence. Count the number of words in each sentence.    

Revisit the charts, tools, and children’s pictures from the week. Review “Ww,” the letter sound /w/, and the word water.

Send a Family Connection letter home with children.