The Best Part of My Day! Lesson Plan

What We Are Learning

Social Studies Focus:

school routines

Theme Vocabulary:

best, modeling clay, hooray, sharing, pretend

Skills We’re Practicing:

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, visual discrimination

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney is a perfect book for acknowledging and discussing beginning-of-school jitters. As you read, ask students to share how they felt when they started school and how they feel now.

Materials: chart paper, markers, sticky notes in a variety of colors

Practice graphing and counting skills while getting to know your class!
On chart paper, make a graph with columns for school activities. Use a different color for each column.
Set out sticky notes that match the colors used in the graph. For example, if you wrote blocks in blue, use blue sticky notes to represent playing with blocks. Then ask each child to share their favorite thing to do in school. Have children take a sticky note that corresponds with the color of their favorite activity, write their name on their sticky note, and stick it in its column.
Once each child has had a turn to share, discuss the completed chart. Count the number of sticky notes in each column. Which column has the most sticky notes? Which column has the fewest sticky notes? Then talk about what the data reveals! handwriting/graphing/counting

Materials: wooden stick or metal hanger; string, yarn, or pipe cleaners; small bowls; beads in a variety of colors; bells (optional)

Create a beautiful symbol of classroom community!
To prep, cut pieces of yarn or string. Knot one end to prevent beads from slipping off. (You can also use pipe cleaners.)
Put bowls of beads for students to share at a table. Give each student a strand. Guide them as they bead their strand, making sure to leave room at the top. They can add a bell to the bottom, if they’d like.
When they’re done, tie strands to the stick or the bottom bar of the wire hanger. If there is room, students can bead more than one string.
Display the mobile in your classroom. (If you’ve decided to use a stick, tie yarn to both ends to hang it.) When the mobile moves, the beads will clink together and make a sound. That is the colorful sound of your beautiful classroom community! fine-motor skills/ community building