Five Plump Turkeys - Shared Reading

My kiddos LOVE the Five Little Pumpkins song. They were really sad when we stopped singing it after Halloween. I'm excited to teach them the Five Plump Turkeys song. I'm going to use it for our shared reading the week before Thanksgiving. You can pick up a copy for your class here.

The packet includes a poster that can be used for shared reading or singing the song.

The packet also includes a large print version of the song that can be assembled on chart paper or in a pocket chart for shared reading. 

The packet also includes an ordinal number assessment. There's a basic assessment which asks the child to color the turkeys in order (1st, 2nd, 3rd). The advanced assessment asks the child to color the turkeys out of order (2nd, 4th, 5th).

Also, the packet includes color copies and black & white copies. So colored printer or not, your packet will still look super cute!

What songs or other activities do you use to keep your kiddos engaged before the holiday season?

Setting Up a Classroom Library for Preschoolers

Here are some things to consider when setting up your classroom library.

Find the Right Spot

The first decision that needs to be made, is where is the best spot for a library. I recommend a quiet area of the classroom. The block and dramatic play centers tend to be very loud, so a quiet library should be far away from these centers. I also like to put my library next to my writing center. Many students like to use books as an inspiration for their writing. 

Decide How to Display Books

Here are a few things to consider while deciding how to display books.

• Experts recommend having 10-15 books available per child. (That's 180 books in my classroom library!)
• Books should be displayed with the front of the book facing out. (This takes up more room then just having the books lined up on a shelf with the spines showing)
• Preschoolers are going to be accessing the books. Think about height, ease of getting to and putting away books.

Here are a few ideas for displaying books;

These slotted book shelves are a great way to display books by their covers. I use this area to display books that support our current theme. 

(The books in this picture are from my All About Me theme)

I'm limited on furniture, so I also use book boxes to display books. These are actually locker crates that I use to display my books. They are great because they can sit directly on the floor. They usually run around $3 a piece during back to school season.

Here is a great idea from Kindergarten Kindergarten. The black bins on the lower shelves are dish drainer buckets. You can find them in the kitchen section in Wal-Mart for a few bucks a piece. (I'm actually purchasing a book shelf so I can use these bins to expand my library, since I still have not reached the 180 book mark)

Remember that books can be displayed ANYWHERE in the classroom. They don't all have to be in the "library". I have a book bin (They're actually ice buckets from Wal-mart. Less then $2 a piece!) in every center in my classroom. 

Choose What Books to Include in the Library

If you're book crazy like me, you may not be able to put out all your books at the same time. (This is a good thing! My students love it when I switch out books) Think about the following questions to decide what the best books are to include in your library. 

• Are there any books you want out ALL the time? (Such as class favorites, class made books, cultural books, all about me books etc.)
• What are you focusing on this week/month?
• Seasonal/Holiday books
• Books by the same author (It's my goal this year to always have at least one author "series" out at all times)
• 50/50 - Our ELA curriculum this year is focusing on using 50% fiction and 50% non-fiction.

Make it Comfortable and Inviting

You chose the perfect spot for your library, figured out the best way to display your books, and chose what books you want to include in your classroom library . . . you're almost there! All that's left is making your library comfortable and inviting. You put a lot of thought into this space and you want to make sure the students USE this wonderful space to read. 

• Pillows (I found black pillows at Garden Ridge and my TA sewed some fabric into pillow covers)
• Bean Bags
• Rocking Chair
• Stuffed Animals (Kohl's is a great place to find stuffed animals that go with different books. And the proceeds go to a great cause)
• Carpet

Here are a couple other great ideas:

Bath mats can be picked up and moved by students. The dollar tree often has carpet squares for $1. 

A child sized couch makes an inviting place for children to sit and read. 

Don't miss my post about teaching preschoolers how to care for books.

Teaching Preschoolers How to Care for Books

As preschool teachers (and parents) we know how important it is for our students to have their hands on books. Experts say 10-15 books should be available PER student at all times. In my room with 18 students, that's a minimum of 180 books! Now, think about the first day of school. 18 preschoolers walk into the classroom and begin grabbing books off the shelves and leaving them on the floor, fighting over books, walking on books, throwing books, coloring on books, ripping pages out of books, oh the chaotic nightmare can go on and on and on . . . but let's put an end to that right here. There's HOPE! You can have a large, book filled, and CALM classroom library that meets the literacy needs of the students without breaking the bank by replacing books every few months. Trust me you CAN! Yes you CAN! Just keep reading. . . 

Teaching Preschoolers How to Care for Books

First rule of classroom management (in my book anyway), don't give students access to materials you haven't discussed with them yet. Therefore, on the first day of school, I recommend either leaving your book shelves empty, covering them with something, or leaving the library center closed. A small book box will get your students through the first day or two of school, until you get a chance to discuss how to care for books. 

(3 minutes)

I use a T-chart to facilitate a discussion on proper care of books. 

One side of the chart has a smily face and the other side has a sad face. I ask questions to get the kids thinking of happy and sad ways to care for books, and write their responses on the chart. Now I know some of you are saying . . ."but I teach PRESCHOOL they can't read." Here's why I use anchor charts/T-Charts/etc with my kiddos.

• I can read. Writing down their words allows me to remember what they've said. I can then go back and remind them of what THEY said were happy or sad choices.
• I consider this a shared writing experience. My students are being exposed to purposeful writing. They are learning that their spoken words can be written and written words have meaning.
• A lot of times, my TA will go back later and add little illustrations next to the words to increase the amount of meaning my students are able to pull out of the poster. 

The students will have some great ideas of how to care and not care for books, but they may still need a little direction. 

(5 minutes)

I found this WONDERFUL book (FOR FREE) over at kindergartenkindergarten for teaching my students how to care for our books. 

Someone has not been taking care of this book! This book has been scribbled on, ripped, had things spilt on it, taken outside in the mud, and more. It's a silly way to show kids how not to take care of the book. 

(3 minutes)

After reading the book, we go back to the T-chart and I ask the students if there is anything else we should add to our chart. If there are specific things I'm wanting to address (such as leaving books on the floor), I will guide students to discussing those choices.

(3 minutes)

When the T-chart is completed, I summarize their responses and tell them what our class expectations are for using books. Also, don't forget to discuss the WHY of the expectations. Why is it a sad choice to leave a book out on the floor? Possible answers could be; It might get stepped on or lost. I leave the T-chart up and we visit it daily for a few weeks. Usually before or after independent reading time. 

My Expectations: I call them expectations not "rules", because they are more for my benefit. These are the things I'm guiding our discussions towards and reminding my students about. These are the things I want my students to learn about caring for books. I don't expect them to get them all the first day or even first week of school. There are no consequences for not following them (at least not at first) just gentle reminders. 

• Books are for reading
• Books should be in your hands! Not just sitting on the floor waiting for someone to step on them . . . 
• Hands should be clean and dry before touching books. (My students don't have to wash their hands before reading our books, but our independent reading time is right after snack time so I always remind my students to make sure their hands aren't dirty or sticky before touching the books.)
• One book per child at a time
• Be gentle with the books
• Share books by reading together and taking turns

Don't forget to STICK to your expectations. Monitor students in the library, giving gentle reminders to students who forget to put their book away, are being to rough, etc.  Catch sad choices BEFORE they get out of control. One book left on the floor is a teachable moment, every book in your library on the floor is chaos. 

I know this might sound like a lot, but it can be done in 10-15 minutes. Which is probably as long as preschoolers can sit at the beginning of the year! :)

Check back soon for tips on setting up a classroom library with 10-15 books available per student!

Reading Bags

I love books! I'm probably Scholastics MVP. I love opening up the book box and looking through my brand new books. As a teacher though, the brand new books don't stay new for that long. I've come a long way with sharing my books. I put out almost all of my books for my students to look at. (That is after all the point of buying books for your classroom.) And this year, I'm even letting students take books home! This is a huge step for me in my protectiveness of my books. 

I started thinking about reading bags when one of our amazing substitute teachers gave me a bunch of her teaching materials. (She's a retired Kindergarten teacher) She had tons of stuffed animals and books. I put them up to display in the classroom and then decided they needed to be used. 

One of my big concerns with starting reading bags was that they wouldn't get returned. I teach preschool, so my 3, 4, and 5 year olds aren't going to remember to return the book bags, so the responsibility would be on the parents. I sent home a letter explaining how book bags would work and asked parents to sign and return if they wanted to participate in this program. I had about 75% of my class return their forms. 

I kept our first set of book bags pretty simple. Just a stuffed animal and book in a bag. The next round of book bags will have retelling activities and other literacy extensions to go with the book. 

Here is my first set of book bags:
1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

2. If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

3. If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

4. If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff

5. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff

6. Clifford The Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell

So far I've had all the book bags returned without problem. Over Spring Break, I'm switching out our book bags. Check back in a few weeks for another round of book bag ideas.

Happy Reading!

Mouse Paint - Color Mixing

This week, we've been exploring color mixing during our science time. I love the book Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh. It's perfect for teaching color mixing. In the book, three white mice find three jars of paint. (red, blue, and yellow) Each mouse hops in a different color paint. When they get out, they drip paint everywhere. They discover that the paint starts mixing together and making new colors. 

We read the book together during our large group time, then made our own mouse paint in plastic bags. Each child got to choose two colors (from red, blue, or yellow) to add to their bags. Then they squished their paint colors together.

From experience, we learned that the less paint you use the better. It also helps to put a different color in each corner, instead of just squirting them both in the middle. This allows for all three colors to be shown in the finished product, instead of just the new one. 

My wonderful TA traced two of the mice (from the cover) onto all the plastic bags before we started the activity. 

I also recommend taping the top of the bag, so curious kiddos can't open it! 

Happy Exploring!

Pete the Cat Inspired Beginning Reader

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin, is a fantastic book. It's a must buy (with CD). My kids couldn't get enough of it last year. I can pretty much guarantee you all my kids could retell it word for word. So this year, I'm going to use Pete the Cat as my main book for my colors unit. In previous years, I've used Brown Bear, Brown Bear. 

I created a beginning reader to use for our shared reading to go along with Pete the Cat. It's very simple and follows the, I love my (insert color here) shoes, rhythm. My hope is that this book will;

1. teach & reinforce color recognition to my younger kids.

2. introduce color words (the written print) to my older kids.

3. build their confidence as readers.

Here are some pictures of the beginning reader, I Love My Colorful Shoes. You can download it at my tpt store. Clip-art is by KPM Doodles, and font is by Kimberly Geswein. 

Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts!