Download File - BPS Early Childhood

Unit 5 Week 1 Sand and Water 

Looking for Reflections in Bubbles 

NAMING WORDS ACTION WORDS DESCRIBING WORDS 

bubble liquid 

wand reflection 

mirror 

reflect pop 

view blow 

expand look 

explode disappear 

Comments / Questions / Expanded Conversation 

Hanson Initiative for Language & Literacy (HILL) 

Based on Center Time conversation tips in Opening the World of Learning by Schickedanz & Dickinson 

1 

shiny round 

oval large 

small reflective 

colorful blurry 

clear 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self talk + Force Choice Questions – for example: 

I can see my reflection in this large bubble. My face looks a little blurry. When you 

look at your reflection in this bubble does it look clear like in the mirror or blurry? 

Expand Children’s Comments: 

Child: My bubble’s long 

Teacher: Your bubble is oval shaped. Look at it expand!” 

Child: I see me! 

Teacher: You see a reflection of your face!” 

CONNECT TO TEXT: 

In the book, Raccoon On His Own, the raccoon saw his reflection in the water of the 

stream. What else did he see in the stream on his journey in the boat? 

NON-IMMEDIATE EVENTS: 

I saw my face and the sky reflected in a puddle outside today. When you go outside, 

look in the big puddle and see what is reflected. Then, come over to me on the 

playground and tell me what you saw!

Unit 5 Week 1 Art Area/Table 

Basic Clay Dough 


clay dough 

rolling pin cookie 

cutter 

flatten make 

cut roll 

knead decorate 



2 

soft squishy 

flat round 

wet cool 

dry thin 

thick 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Forced Choice Questions – for example: 

First, you kneaded your dough and then you used the rolling pin to flatten your clay. 

Should I flatten my clay or roll it into a round ball? 

Use Self talk with a Focus on Morphological Word Endings (regular past 

tense) : 

I kneaded my dough and then I rolled it flat. Then, I decorated it with a star pattern. 

What did you do? 

CONNECT TO TEXT: (focus on syntax and social skills) 

In the book, Play With Me, the little girl asked the animals, “Will you play with me?” 

Let’s invite a new friend to come play at the clay dough table. Let’s go ask Takia, 

“Will you play with us? Will you play clay dough with us?” 


I made this clay dough at home. I mixed up water, flour, cream of tartar, and oil. 

Those are called the ingredients. What ingredients do you use when you cook (either 

pretend at school or helping at home)?


Reflective Paper Collages 


collage foil 

masking tape 

type of paper (reflective, 

non-reflective, tissue, 

construction) 

attach secure 

paste tape 

crush smooth-out 

create glue 

design decorate 




3 

shiny dull 

crumpled flat 

aluminum reflective 

dull non-reflective 

creative innovative 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self talk + Open ended Questions – for example: 

I created a reflective design in the center of my collage with the foil. Look at my 

reflection. What kind of design did you make in your collage? Let’s look at your 

reflection in your collage. 


Child: Mine is shiny. 

Teacher: Yes. The paper in your collage is reflective. 


The little girl in the book, Play With Me, looked in the pond and saw reflections. What 

animals did she see reflected there? 


I am going to hang my collage on my refrigerator at home. I am going to have my 

friends look for their reflections in my collage. Where are you going to hang your 

collage at home? Who would you like to have look for their reflections in your 

collage?

Unit 5 Week 1 Art Area/Easel 

Painting Meadow, Pond, and Stream Animals 


meadow fawn 

pond frog 

stream art 

reflection chipmunk 

blue jay turtle 

alligator raccoon 

paint create 

design include 

choose combine 




4 

color names colorful 

light bright 

creative unique 

reptile 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Open ended Questions – for example: 

You included animals from the books in your design. I see a blue jay in the sky and 

here is the box turtle…what other animals did you include in your painting? 

Use Self talk – for example: 

I like the light blue color of this paint that I made by mixing some white paint with the 

blue paint. I think I’ll call it ‘pond blue!’ And I made a light green alligator the same 

way, by combining green and white paint. 

Expand Children’s Comments + Open ended Question: 

Child: I made a painting! Teacher: What a unique painting! No one else has 

painted a purple raccoon. That makes your colorful painting unique. (Turn to next 

child.) What makes your painting unique? 

Use Encouragement to Increase Appropriate Social Behavior: 

Kevin, I think Alyssa is grateful that you gave her a turn with the color that she 

wanted. She said, “thank you,” when you gave it to her. 


In the book, Raccoon on His Own, there was a big reptile, an alligator. I see it in your 

painting. There were three reptiles in Play With Me: the frog, the turtle, and the 

snake. If you were looking for a frog, a turtle or a snake, where would you look? 


If you could have some animals as friends like the girl in the book, Play With Me, 

what animals would you choose?

Unit 5 Week 1 Puzzles and Manipulatives 

Woodland and Swamp Animal Jigsaw Puzzles 


jigsaw puzzle deer 

piece rabbits 

animals meadows 

frogs ponds 

chipmunks rivers 

snakes swamps 

raccoons plains 

alligators grasslands 

mountains wood 

cardboard 

fit find 

attach connect 

match complete 

emerge predict 



5 

shape size 

attachment 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

You found the piece that fits and attached it. I see the picture starting to emerge. 

What animal do you predict this will be? 

Use Parallel Talk with a Focus on Morphology – (plurals): 

I see puzzles with rabbits, and chipmunks, and alligators, and ______ (point to other 

animals and encourage the child to say the names…frogs, snakes, raccoons etc.) 

CONNECT TO TEXT (Categorization and language comprehension): 

Both of the stories that we read this week told about animals that live in forests, 

streams and ponds. Let’s point to the animals that you see in your puzzle that live in 

the forest. Which ones live in the water? (If the child is only pointing, name the 

animals for the child.) 


I have a puzzle table at my house. We always have a puzzle on the table to work on. 

What do you do for fun at home?

Unit 5 Week 1 Blocks 

Playing with Blocks 


structure 

house 

neighborhood 

tower 

light 

shadow 

(present progressive and irregular 

past tense) 

building / built 

making / made 

falling / fell 

breaking / broken 

growing / grew 



6 

(comparatives and superlatives) 

big / bigger / biggest 

tall / taller / tallest 

high / higher / highest 

long / longer / longest 

strong / stronger / strongest 

wide / wider / widest 

thin / thinner / thinnest 

thick / thicker / thickest 

flat / flatter / flattest 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk with a Focus on Morphology – for example: 

You are building a tower. It is tall, now it is taller, now it is the tallest tower of all. You 

built the tallest tower in the block town. 

Use Self talk with a Focus on Morphology – for example: 

I am making a house. It is going to have thick high walls and a wide flat roof. See, I 

made a house with the thickest highest walls and the widest roof of all the houses in 

this block town. Tell me about what you are building. 

Use Morphological Expansions – for example: 

Child: make a tower Teacher: You made a tower. 

Child: My tower is big. Teacher: Your tower is bigger and taller than the one you 

built before. 


Child: I falled down on the ice at my house. 

Teacher: You fell? You fell on the ice? I hope you didn’t get hurt. Tell me more 

about what happened.

Unit 5 Week 1 Dramatic Play 

Playing with Mirrors 


mirror wall 

reflection look 

appearance front 

back 

look see 

gaze view 

reflect appear 

glance stare 

check prefer 




7 

pretty handsome 

attractive beautiful 

clean neat 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Forced Choice Questions – for example: 

I see that you are checking your reflection in the mirror to see how that hat looks. 

You look ready to go out in that hat. 

Your hair has so many bows. Go look at your reflection in the mirror. Do you prefer 

the yellow bows or the pink bows? 

Use Self talk + Open Ended Question + Forced Choice Question 

I am going to glance at my reflection to see how this necklace looks with my outfit. 

Come take a look with me. Do you think my outfit is more attractive with or without 

the necklace? 

Expand Children’s Comments-for example: 

Child: That beautiful Teacher: That is a beautiful scarf. 

Child: Why no look? Teacher: Annie wants to know why you are not looking in the 

mirror, Sarah. Why aren’t you looking in the mirror? 

Child: It my turn! Teacher: When you want a turn, ask, “May I have a turn, please?” 


In the book, Play With Me, the little girl used the pond like a mirror. Where did 

Raccoon in Raccoon on His Own see his face reflected like in a mirror? 

NON-IMMEDIATE EVENTS (use immediate examples first): 

What are some things in this classroom other than mirrors that reflect our faces when 

we look in them? The faucet. That is a reflective surface. What else? What 

reflective surfaces are there outside?


Looking at Floating Object’s Reflections 


reflection mirror 

corks side 

underside 

bottom 

view 

float 

reflect 

sink 



8 

reflective 

shiny 

heavy 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

I see the bottom of my boat reflected. What do you see reflected? The shiny paper 

reminds me of a mirror. 

Use Parallel talk + Open Ended + Forced Choice Questions - for example: 

Your plastic boat is floating, but mine is sinking! What might happen to your boat if it 

filled up with water like mine? (pause for response, if no response ask a forced 

choice question) Would it sink or float? 


In the story, The Puddle Pail, Ernst, the crocodile, collected puddles of water in his 

pail. He saw reflections in the puddles. He collected reflections of clouds and 

reflections of stars. What reflections are you collecting in your shiny tub of water? 

What other reflections did Ernst collect in his Puddle Pail? 


If I had a Puddle Pail at home, I would go outside to collect reflections of the sun. 

What would reflections would you collect, if you had a Puddle Pail at home?


Decorating Plastic Lid Boats 


bottom top 

underneath below 

container lid 

tray tub 

float drift 

decorate design 

stick select 




9 

reflective decorative 

interesting creative 

unusual interesting 

plastic 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk - for example: 

That is an unusual pattern of fish stickers in your boat design. It will make a very 

interesting reflection in the tub of water. 

Use Forced Choice Questions - for example: 

Are you going to design a small, light boat or a bigger, heavier ship? 


Child: This top is mine. 

Teacher: You are designing a boat out of that plastic lid. 


We are making boats to float in our reflective water tubs. In the book, Raccoon on 

His Own, the young raccoon got into a boat all by himself and drifted down the river, 

away from his family. What animals did he see on his trip? What happened at the 

end of the story? (pause for a response) How did he get off the boat? 


I really enjoy traveling by boat. I have ridden on a sailboat in the ocean, a rowboat 

on a river, and a motorboat on a lake. The motor boat went the fastest because it 

had a motor. The sailboat was pushed by the wind in its sails. What kind of boat 

would you like to go on?


Exploring Glittery Finger Paint 


glitter star 

fingertips smock 

mix explore 

spread smear 

display exhibit 



10 

glittery 

sparkly 

shiny 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

You smeared glittery paint across your paper. It looks like a constellation in the night 

sky. A constellation is a big group of glittery stars. This paint glitters. That means it 

reflects light. What happens if you shade your paper with your hand or go in the dark 

bathroom? (pause for a response) Does the paint still glitter? Let’s find out! 

Use Self talk with a Focus on Morphological Word Endings: 

I am creating my own glittering finger painting. Wow. This paint really glitters and 

sparkles when it reflects the light. It is reflective paint. It sure is glittery and sparkly 

in the light! 


The crocodile in the book, The Puddle Pail, captured a reflection in his puddle at 

night of some things in the sky that sparkled. What were they? (pause for response) 

What sparkles and glitters in the night sky? (stars, planets, constellations) What else 

is in the night sky that shines and glows and that you could catch a reflection of in a 

pail? (moon) 


I have some glittery shirts at home. They have sequins and beads on them. What 

do you have that glitters or shines? Tell me about it.


Painting Meadow, Pond, and Stream Animals 


meadow fawn 

pond frog 

stream chipmunk 

blue jay dew 

rabbit trails 

snake turtle 

alligator raccoon 

fawn crawfish 

alligator merganser 

paint create 

design include 

choose combine 

sliding zigzagging 

sneaking plopped 

nibbling leaped 

crawled draped 




11 

color names colorful 

light bright 


slowpoke sturdy 

shadowy 

RIGHT HERE: 


What a interesting animal you have painted. Tell me about it. That is certainly a 

bright colorful turtle. I see that you have painted a pond. What could you paint in the 

sky or next to the pond that could be reflected in the pond? 

Use Self talk – for example: 

I painted a light blue pond with trees and the sun and clouds reflected in it. 

Expand Children’s Comments – for example: 

Child: I made a lake and a rainbow 

Teacher: You painted a rainbow in the sky and reflected in the lake. 

Child: This is a gator. Teacher: That is a huge green alligator swimming in a stream. 


I am painting a little girl sitting very, very still next to a pond in my painting just like in 

the book Play With Me. Why do you think she is sitting so still? Do you see the deer, 

and the blue jay, and the frog, and the turtle in my picture sitting far away from her? 

If she sits still what might the animals do? 


What animals might come near you outside the school if you sat very still? What 

animals in a forest might come near you? What animals in a jungle might come near 

you? What if you floated quietly in an ocean? What creatures might come near you 

there? (for reference, have available pictures, puzzles or nonfiction books that show 

animals in these environments)


Cloud Paintings 


clouds sky 

air cumulous 

animal names 

float drift 

sweep observe 

gaze race 



12 

puffy soft 

round cloudy 

shapes similar 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self talk + Forced Choice Questions – for example: 

I saw so many clouds in the sky this morning; it was like a gray ceiling! Let’s go look 

out the window. Are there a few puffy white clouds floating around or is the whole 

sky clouded over with gray clouds? 


You made a sky with puffy white clouds. Your clouds look a lot like animals. I think I 

see a turtle and a dog. What clouds in your picture do you see that look similar to 

animals? 

Semantically Expand Children’s Comments – for example: 

Child: I made three little clouds 

Teacher: You painted three puffy, white clouds floating in the sky. 

Child: This is a dog cloud 

Teacher: That cloud looks like a big, fluffy white dog. 


In the book, The Puddle Pail, Ernst was swinging and he saw clouds swim in and out 

of his Puddle Pail like fishes. That sounds strange. Swimming clouds. Sometimes 

we see clouds moving fast and we say things like, “the clouds raced across the sky,” 

or if they are moving slowly we say, “the clouds drifted across the sky.” Let’s 

imagine that the clouds in your paintings are moving. Look, your clouds are racing! 

Now they are bumping each other! Now they are floating. Pretend with me. What 

are your clouds doing now? 


When you are outside at recess, gaze up at the sky. Then, when you come back in, 

you can describe for me the clouds that you observed.


Woodland and Swamp Animal Jigsaw Puzzles 


jigsaw deer 

piece rabbits 

animals meadows 

frogs ponds 

chipmunks rivers 

snakes swamps 

raccoons plains 

alligators grasslands 

mountains wood 

cardboard border 

fit find 

attach connect 


emerge predict 

pattern 




13 

shape size 

attachment complex 

intricate difficult 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Challenging Open Ended Questions – for example: 

You are completing a very difficult puzzle. What an intricate pattern of forest animal 

pictures. I see that you started with the border. How can you tell that piece belongs 

on the border? Why is it easier to do the border first? 

Use Self talk with a Focus on Morphological Word Endings (regular past 

tense) – for example: 

First, I matched all the pieces in the border. Then, I connected them together before I 

completed the inside of the puzzle. I predicted that this would be a swamp animal 

puzzle and I was right! Pictures of swamp animals emerged as I attached more 

pieces. See. Mine is finished. I completed the whole puzzle. 


The alligator in the book, Raccoon on His Own, was floating in a swamp. What 

animals did he meet there? (pause for response) Snakes, alligators, turtles and 

ducks all like wet, swampy places. 


I once went to a swamp. It was hot and humid there and the water was brown. The 

trees had moss hanging on them. The whole place was hot and dark and damp. 

Have you ever seen a swamp in a movie or been to a swampy place? Tell me about 

what it was like.




structure 

house 

neighborhood 

tower 

light 

shadow 

base 

column 

scaffold 

building/built 

making/made 

falling/fell 

breaking/broken 

growing/grew 



14 

(comparatives and superlatives) 

sturdy / sturdier / sturdiest 

tall / taller / tallest 

high / higher / highest 

long / longer / longest 

strong / stronger / strongest 

wide / wider / widest 

thin / thinner / thinnest 

thick / thicker / thickest 

flat / flatter / flattest 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk + Morphological Endings – for example: 

You built the tallest wall and the highest tower! It grew, and grew, and grew and then 

right before you made the last part it fell. Sometimes when we build tall towers they 

get unstable and collapse. Now let’s try to build one that is not so tall and narrow. 

Let’s give our tower a wide sturdy base. Let’s make the sturdiest, highest tower that 

we can. 


Child: My blocks are up high 

Teacher: You piled the blocks up so high that the structure made a shadow on the 

floor. 

Child: Mine broked 

Teacher: Your wall broke. It broke in the middle. It collapsed because it was so tall 

and thin. 


Sometimes when a building is old, it is replaced with a new building, but first the old 

building has to be torn down. If it is a big building, the workers use a wrecking ball on 

a huge chain that swings into the walls to knock them down.




mirror wall 



back bucket 

look see 

gaze view 

reflect appear 

glance stare 

check prefer 




15 

pretty handsome 

attractive beautiful 

clean neat 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self talk with a Focus on Morphological Word Endings – for example: 

I am checking my appearance, because I am going to a party. I am glancing in the 

mirror and looking at my hair before I leave the house. Why are you checking your 

appearance? (pause for a response) Your hair looks clean and neat. How does my 

hair look? 

Model Social Skills (politeness) – for example: 

It was so kind of you to compliment my hair by saying that it looks neat as well as 

pretty. Thanks so much for the compliment; it made me feel happy and also proud 

because I brushed my hair very carefully today. 


The water in the bucket in the book, The Puddle Pail, was just like a mirror. Can you 

remember some of the collections that were reflected in the pail when Ernst and Sol 

gazed into it? 


I have a mirror in my bathroom at home, because that is where I brush my hair. I 

also have a mirror on the wall in my bedroom, because that is where I get dressed. 

Where do you have mirrors in your house? (pause for a response) When do you like 

to look in the mirror?

Unit 5 Week 2 Writing Center 

Blank Books and Writing Tools 

“The Animal I Like Best” 


animal names 

title book 

author cover 

illustrator artist 

illustrate 

represent 

printing 



16 

favorite best 

realistic 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel talk – for example: 

I see that you are drawing a frog. Let’s look for the word card for frog so you can 

write its name at the bottom of your page. The first sound you hear in the word frog 

is /f/. The letter F represents that sound. You are doing a careful job copying the word 

frog. The last sound you in the word frog is /g/. The letter G represents that sound. 

Use Self talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

My favorite animal is a horse, but there weren’t any horses in our stories. So, I am 

going to be the author and illustrator of a book about alligators. See the cover has my 

name as author and illustrator. I wrote the word alligator below my picture. Which 

favorite animal are you going to illustrate in your book? 

Use Encouragement to Support Effort – for example: 

You are printing your name very carefully and clearly so that everyone will be able to 

read it and know that you are this book’s author and illustrator. 


We read three books this week, The Puddle Pail, Racoon on His Own, and Play With 

Me. Which book had the most interesting illustrations, in your opinion? (pause for 

response and expand) Which one had the most realistic illustrations, the ones that 

looked the most like a photograph?


Finding Treasures, Making Collections 


treasure 

collection 

sieve 

dish 

object 

collect separate 

combine dig 

discover sort 

bury sift 

uncover scoop 



17 

shiny 

sandy 

treasured 

special 

buried 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self Talk + Questions – for example: 

I am collecting shiny beads. What are you collecting? 

Use Parallel Talk + Forced Choices - for example: 

You are sifting for treasures with the sieve. Sift. Sift. Sift. Do you want to sift some 

more or put your treasures in the dish? 

Expand Children’s Comments - for example: 

Child: These beads are shiny Teacher: You are collecting shiny beads 

Child: I found treasure! Teacher: You found buried treasure by sifting sand with the 

sieve. 

Child: I made piles Teacher: You separated and sorted your collections 

CONNECT TO TEXT(build up to conjoined sentences): 

In the book The Puddle Pail, Sol and Ernst went to the beach to collect things in 

pails. They collected shells, and rocks, and feathers and sand. You are collecting 

_____ and ______ and ______ and______. What else are you going to collect? 


I like to collect things at home. I collect pretty rocks and shells and beads. What do 

you like to collect?


Making Stained Glass and Shadow Collages 


shadow collage 

sunlight window 

stained glass reflection 

acetate 

design shine 

glue stream 

construct reflect 

create observe 




18 

transparent clear 

translucent see through 

opaque 

lovely 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self Talk – for example: 

My stained glass window has lots of transparent acetate. Look at all the light from 

the sun shining through and making colors on the floor! The sun does not shine 

through the construction paper. That paper is opaque. That means no sun shines 

through. 

Use Parallel Talk + Forced Choice Questions: 

Your stained glass window is colorful. Look at all light shining through the transparent 

parts. Do you like the transparent parts or the opaque parts best? Where it is opaque, 

none of the light shines through. Where it is transparent, you can see through it and 

all of the light shines through. Where it is translucent, only part of the light shines 

through 

Use Expansions of Meaning - for example: 

Child: I can see through it! Teacher: It’s transparent. You can see through it and all 

the light shines through. 

Child: Mine is pretty Teacher: Your collage is pretty. You created a lovely design. 


In the book, The Puddle Pail, Ernst tried to catch shadows in his puddle pail. If he 

brought a pail into the classroom and stood next to your stained glass collage, what 

would he see reflected in his pail? 


I have a stained glass window in my house near the stairs. When the sun shines, I 

see pink and green patterns on my stairs. If you could have a stained glass window 

at your house, where would you want it to be? What colors would be in it?


Stars in the Night Sky Paintings 


stars 

night sky 

moonlight 

glitter 

reflects create 

glisten sparkle 

glimmer 

shine 



19 

glittery black 

shiny 

sparkly 

dark 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Forced Choice Questions – for example: 

You created a painting of sparkling stars in the night sky with the glitter paint. Are 

you going to add a glistening glowing moon or a dark moon? 

Look at those stars glimmer. Glimmer. Glimmer. They are glimmering! Do you 

need more glitter paint or do want paint that does not glimmer? 

Use Encouragement to Increase Appropriate Social Behavior: 

If you need to borrow the glitter paint from Mary, you can say, “May I use the glitter 

paint Mary?” 

Use Expansions of Children’s Sentences: 

Child: I paint a star Teacher: You painted a star and a moon. 

Child: Who that? Teacher: Who painted that picture? That painting belongs to 

Jose. 


In the book, The Puddle Pail, Ernst collected stars and something else when night 

fell. They were reflected in the water in his pail. What do you think was shining in 

the sky next to the stars that was also reflected in the pail? (the moon) 


If you put a pail full of water outside your house tonight what might you see reflected? 

What things glisten and shine in the night sky?


Cloud Paintings 


clouds sky 

air cumulous 

float drift 

sweep observe 

gaze race 



20 

puffy soft 

round cloudy 

shape similar 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk – for example: 

Those are puffy clouds in your painting. They look like cumulous clouds. 

The shape of that cloud looks like a raccoon. 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

The clouds in my painting look like they are floating and drifting across the sky. What 

are yours doing? (pause for a response) Are they drifting slowly or racing across the 

sky pushed by the wind? 


In the book, The Puddle Pail, Ernst collected stars in his pail reflected from the sky. I 

see something in the sky of your painting that could be collected in a pail of 

reflections. What do you think could be collected? 


Let’s look outside the window and see what kind of clouds are in the sky today. I see 

a puffy cloud. What kind of clouds do you see? Describe them to me. Let’s find a 

book about clouds to see what kind of clouds these are.


Playing with Puzzles, Matching Games, and Patterns 


puzzles letters 

tiles animals 

cubes 

match connect 

fit design 

attach emerge 



21 

pattern wrong 

lowercase 

uppercase 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Open Ended and Forced Choice Questions – for 

example: 

I am looking for the puzzle piece that connects to this piece. The one that matches. I 

can see the pattern. What pattern do you see? What picture do you see emerging? 

Do you think it is a forest animal or a swamp animal? 

Use Encouragement to Support Effort and Ideas – for example: 

You are looking carefully for the piece that matches. I can see how gentle you are 

being trying to attach that piece. You are not forcing it in. It does not fit, so you are 

trying another one. Good idea. 

Use Expansions of Meaning - for example: 

Child: Doesn’t go Teacher: That piece does not fit. 

Child: I got it. Teacher: You found the correct piece. It attaches right there. It 

fits! 


There was a puppy in the book, Kitten for a Day, who pretended to be a kitten. What 

are some of the things that he did, to pretend to be a kitten? What might a kitten do if 

it pretended to be a dog? 

NON-IMMEDIATE EVENTS: (use a personal story from your life) 

I used to have a horse. In some ways he was more like a dog than a horse. He 

didn’t want me to ride him. He wanted to go on walks on a leash. Isn’t that funny?


City Buildings and Shadows 


city store 

building skyscraper 

downtown shadow 

community scaffold 

tower office 

apartment 

build stabilize 

construct foundation 

cast 

reflect 

shine 



22 

light shadowy 

dark cold 

stable solid 

teeter collapse 

crash 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Questions – for example: 

Your skyscraper has a strong and stable foundation. It won’t collapse. What do you 

think will happen when we shine a flashlight on your building? (pause for a 

response) Look, it casts a shadow on the white paper. 

Model Using Words to Solve Conflicts – for example: 

If you want to work with George to build the tower you have to ask him. Say, 

“George. May I help you build?” What do you think, George? “Yes” or “no thanks?” 

Expand the Sentences Children Say - for example: 

Child: It fell down Teacher: The tower collapsed because it was so tall. 

Child: I made it Teacher: You constructed a very tall tower 


Let’s look in the book, Night Shift Daddy, to see what shadows we can find. What 

are some of the things that cast shadows in this book? 


When the sun is shining, sometimes you can see shadows of buildings on the street, 

just like the shadows we are making with the flashlight. If the street is narrow, the 

whole street might be in shadow, even though it is a sunny day.




mirror wall 



back 

dress up 

pretend 

cooperate 

reflect 

gaze 



23 

reflection 

lovely 

becoming 

attractive 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

You have on a spring dress. It is not as warm as winter clothes and it is a nice pink 

color like spring time flowers. Why don’t we wear heavy jackets in the spring? Why 

don’t we wear mittens? 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended Questions + Forced Choice Questions 

I am going to look at my reflection in the mirror. I want to see how the hat looks. 

How do you think this hat looks? (pause for a response) Do you think this hat is 

lovely or unattractive? 


Child: I see myself Teacher: You are looking at your reflection in the mirror 

Child: I look pretty Teacher: You are wearing a lovely Spring hat. How becoming! 


Shadows are made when something blocks the light. In the book, Dreams, the light 

from the streetlight was blocked by the paper mouse. It made a big shadow on the 

wall. The shadow scared the dog away. 


I have a mirror at home that reflects my face and also the things in my bedroom. I 

can see my bed reflected in the mirror and my dresser and my closet. What things 

can you see reflected in your mirror at home?


“The Animal I Liked Best” Class Books and Metallic Pen Writing 


animal names 

book marker 

cover ballpoint 

author gel pen 

artist surface 

experiment 

compare 

mark 

draw 

adore 



24 

favorite dark 

metallic different 

glitter 

sparkly 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Self Talk + Open Ended + Forced Choice Questions – for 

example: 

I see that you are drawing a glittery dog with that metallic gel pen. Compare it to the 

dog that I drew. What is similar? What is different? Should I make my dog’s collar 

metallic or should I use the ballpoint pen? I adore dogs. I also adore horses. They 

are my favorite animals. What animals do you adore? 

Expand Children’s Comments - for example: 

Child: I like cats Teacher: You are drawing a cat because it the animal that you 

like best, it is your favorite animal. 

Child: Mine is shiny. Teacher: Your picture is glittering and sparkly. 


You shared the gel pens with Michael. He is smiling. I t is nice to share with your 

friends. Sharing makes your friends happy. 


The kittens in the book, Kitten for a Day, were really cute. They drank milk and they 

meowed and….what else did they do? 


I have a new puppy at home who likes to go for walks on a leash. If you had a dog, 

what do you think he would like to do?


Finding Treasures, Making Collections 


swamp pond 

creatures reptiles 

branches rocks 

lily pads amphibians 

pool stones 

habitat 

swim float 

bury insects 

sort sink 

sift paddle 




25 

buried deep shallow 

plastic rubber hot 

damp wet foggy 

mossy boggy tropical 

warm humid muddy 

sandy 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self Talk + Open Questions – for example: 

I am collecting reptiles in this pond. I have a snake and a frog. I also have one 

amphibian, it’s a turtle. What reptiles do you have in your pond? 

Use Self Talk + Model Teacher Response to Question: 

I think turtles are interesting because they can live in water or land. (if another adult 

is nearby ask the following question so the adult can model a response and then 

speak to the child again) What do you think is interesting about turtles? 

CONNECT TO TEXT: (focus on vocabulary) 

There is an alligator in the book, Raccoon on His Own. What do you remember 

about how it looks? (pause for response, get book for reference) Yes, the alligator is 

a large reptile with rough scaly skin and pointed teeth. It is hiding under the lily pads 

in the river. 

There is a snake in the tree. What do you remember about how the snake looks? 

(pause for a response) The snake is also a reptile. It is very long with smooth scaly 

skin and a long tongue. The snake is draped over a tree branch. 

NON-IMMEDIATE EVENTS: (focus on vocabulary) 

There are turtles that live in a pond near my house. It is swampy there. They like 

that habitat. 

Once, I saw an alligator at the zoo. What reptiles have you seen?


Gray Clay Animal Sculptures 


clay animals 

sculpture artwork 

model art show 

front stand 

back museum 

side ball 

form shape 

squeeze create 

display experiment 

design clean 

complete finish 




26 

unique creative 

innovative unusual 

soft squishy 

moist damp 

gray plain 

decorated embellished 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk – for example: 

You made a sculpture of a snake. What an unusual reptile sculpture. It is unusual 

and unique because it has striped scaly skin. That is a very creative sculpture. 

Build Up Vocabulary: 

You made a turtle. You designed a turtle sculpture. That is an unusual turtle 

sculpture that you created. 


Let’s make sculptures of the animals that lived by the pond in the book, Play With 

Me. What animals were in that book? 


I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and I saw many beautiful sculptures. 

That museum has sculptures and paintings. 

Let’s pretend that we have an art museum here in our class. 

What do we need to make a sculpture gallery here in the classroom?


Paintings Inspired by Kitten for a Day and Dreams 


scene kitten 

light puppies 

shadow reflection 

background 

paint create 

design combine 

draw shade 

observe notice 




27 

unique unusual 

interesting creative 

artistic 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Forced Choice Questions for example: 

You are painting the shadow of the puppy on the wall just like in the picture. Your 

painting reminds me of the illustration in the book. Should I create an illustration of a 

mouse’s shadow or a puppy’s shadow? 

Use Self Talk – for example: 

I am going to paint a huge mouse shadow. I am going to use dark paint. Look. Here 

is the little mouse and here is the huge shadow in my picture. 


That is a very unusual painting. It is one of a kind; you worked hard to make it 

different from everyone else’s. It is unique! 


In the book, Dreams, Roberto had a little paper mouse on his windowsill. It fell out of 

the window and cast a huge shadow as it fell. The shadow scared the dog away 

from the cat. 

Let’s paint some paper animals. We can cut them out and put them on the windowsill. 


What would happen if you took a flashlight and shined the light on your paper 

animal?


Numbers/Counting and Numeral Matching 


stickers object 

tiles collection 

numbers numeral 

count add 

objects place 

rows stick 





28 

empty filled 

matching left/right 

aligned bottom/top 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Expansions of Meaning – for example: 

Child: I have three 

Teacher: You stuck three frog stickers in the boxes and then you counted them. 

How many empty boxes are left? Let’s count them. 

Child: Two and two 

Teacher: You matched the number of stickers (2) to the numeral on the tile (2). 

Expand Children’s Comments and Encourage Positive Language – for 

example: 

Child: I have wrong one 

Teacher: You don’t have a number tile that matches the number of animals in your 

group. You don’t have one in your pile that matches. You can ask Mary to share by 

saying, “Would you share your tiles with me please?” 


There were many kittens in the book Kitten for a Day. Let’s go get the book and 

count them and then we can make a group of toy animals to match. 


I sorted my animals into a group. I have 5 reptiles in my group. I counted them. Do 

you have any stuffed animals or plastic animals at home? Tell me about them. We 

can count them as you tell me.




structure house 

neighborhood window 

light shadow 

apartment building 

frame 

construct 

illustrate 




29 

transparent 

opaque 

near 

close / closer / closest 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk with a Focus on Morphology + Open Ended Question – for 

example: 

I see you are constructing a neighborhood. There are several houses close to each 

other. If you build them even closer they will be touching. Then they will be the 

closest they can be. What else would be near these houses in a neighborhood? 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended Questions – for example: 

I am building a tall building. I am framing it so that it has many windows. It looks like 

an apartment building where many families can live. What do you think it would be 

like to live in a building like this? (pause for a response) How do you think people 

can get to the top floor? 

Use Parallel Talk + Open Ended Questions for example: 

When you shine a flashlight on the building it makes a shadow because the walls of 

the building are opaque. But, if you shine it through the window, what happens? 

(pause for response) The light shines through it because it is transparent. 


This tall building with many windows reminds me of the apartment building in the 

book Dreams. I wonder if we can think of a way to illustrate dreams in the different 

windows. 


I lived in an apartment building on the third floor and I walked up the stairs. There is 

an elevator in the building I live in now. How do you get upstairs where you live?


Playing with Cats and Dogs 


mirror kitten 

puppy pet 

reflection saucer 

pet litter 

appearance claws 

leash collar 

fur 

tumble check 

pretend imagine 

cooperate follow 

reflect chase 

gaze catch 

own thump 

lap (drink with tongue) 




30 

reflection adorable 

lovely cute 

stylish cuddly 

attractive delightful 

babyish clumsy 

silly careful 

fancy coordinated 

RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Forced Choice Questions – for example: 

I see that you are checking out your reflection in the mirror before you go out. Will 

you wear the fancy hat or the wool cap? 

You have a pet puppy. He is adorable and cuddly! Is he clumsy like the puppy in the 

book or is he a careful runner like the kittens? 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended + Forced Choice Questions 

We have a litter of kittens here. What animal would you like to pretend to own? (If no 

response) Would you prefer to own a kitten or a puppy? 

CONNECT TO TEXT (focus on sequencing): 

In the book Kitten for a Day, the puppy and the kittens played together. Let’s have 

this puppy and kitten play together too. Just like in the book, they can sit in the 

saucer, and then lap up some milk, and then they... What did they do next? Let’s 

check the book. Next they…(licked each others faces clean) and then they 

….(meowed)……and then they….(walked on chairs)…and then they…(chased a 

mouse)….What happened at the end? 


I am imagining that I am an animal. I am imagining that I am a horse and I can run 

fast and let people ride on my back. I am too big to sleep in a bed in a house. I have 

to sleep in a stall in a big barn. Imagine that you are an animal. What animal are 

you? What can you do that is special? What can’t you do?


Word Cards and Blank Books 


animal names 

book 

cover 

author 

illustrator 

create copy 

share illustrate 

imagine design 

express print 

think 



31 


imaginative difficult 

easy similar 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended Question – for example: 

I am going to design a book cover with my favorite animal as the illustration. See I 

am creating an illustration of a raccoon. What is your favorite animal? What are you 

going to draw illustrations of? 

I am going to write a book about animals. I want to write about an alligator so I will 

use this alligator card to find out how to write alligator. What are you going to write a 

book about? 


(If the child is using a word card) You are being very careful to make each of your 

letters look similar to the letters on the card. 


I am writing another book about pets. What pets did we read about in the book, 

Kitten for a Day? What other animals can be pets that I can write about in my book? 


When I am choosing a book to read I look at the illustration on the cover. If it is an 

interesting picture it makes me curious to see what it says inside. If I have read a 

book that I liked I look for other books written by the same author.


“I Wish I had a [Pet Name]” Class Books 


pet names 

author 

illustrator 

create copy 

share dream 

illustrate imagine 

design express 

wish think 



32 


imaginative difficult 

easy similar 


RIGHT HERE: 

Use Parallel Talk + Open Ended Question – for example: 

You are illustrating a book about frogs. What would be the best thing about having a 

frog for a pet? What part might not be so good? 

Use Self Talk + Open Ended Question – for example: 

I Wish I Had A_________. I wish I had a giraffe for a pet. I might have to cut a hole in 

the ceiling and roof so its neck would fit in the house. What would happen in the 

winter when it snows if I cut a hole in the roof? (pause for a response) What would 

be a smaller pet that would fit better in my house? 


Child: I drew a kitty 

Teacher: You are illustrating your book with a picture of a kitten. You are imagining 

that you have a kitten as a pet. 


The puppy in the book, Kitten for a Day, pretended to be a kitten. What animal 

would you like to pretend to be? What could you do if you were that animal? 


When I got a new kitten, I wrote a letter to my uncle to tell him about my kitten. I 

drew a picture too so he would know what the kitten looks like. What news would 

you share in a letter?

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