May 9th, 2015

Pre-K Literacy Curriculum – Unit 3 Explore Winter

Tara West

What is Pre-K Literacy ?

Pre-K Literacy Curriculum units are based upon the close read model. Each week you will focus on one text and each day look closely at that text. Pre-K Literacy is a 42 week literacy curriculum that includes lesson plans for oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, whole-group reading, whole-body and the art. Pre-K Literacy includes a weekly craft, skill check, follow-up practice sheets each day and SO much more! The units have been completely planned out for you, but with the ability for you to have them meet your individual needs. A special note to kindergarten teachers! This program is completely appropriate for your kiddos, too! I wanted to make a program that was appropriate for PreK however this program follows the same format as KinderLiteracy! A lot of kinder teachers have the program and just love it to pieces! It uses 42 all new books so it gives you a WIDE variety to choose from!

Pre-K Literacy Curriculum is a simple print and teach literacy curriculum. No more tracking down ideas, books, printables, and writing! I have it covered!

What is included in Pre-K Literacy Curriculum?

-Teacher “simple read” lesson plans. You will not need to rewrite these lesson plans, unless you choose do. If so I have included editable lesson plans.

-Each week I have planned out the; big idea, focus standard, essential questions, story element focus, vocabulary words, life applied vocabulary focus, phonemic awareness piece, oral language, print awareness, whole-body and so much more!

What skills are covered in Pre-K Literacy?

Pre-K literacy is WAY more than just a read-aloud program! Pre-K literacy covers SEVEN major areas of study each day!

Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Print Awareness, Read Aloud, Independent Practice, Whole-Body and The Arts

Below I will break down each of the above further!

Oral Language:

Each week will be choosing a category of vocabulary words to the study. These “life-based” words will be on top of the vocabulary words found in the context of the book. These words are perfect for our youngest learners and ELL kiddos! Included are vocabulary picture cards, discrimination cards (realistic and fiction clip art), expansion of verbal vocabulary and following one and two-step directions using the words.

Phonological Awareness: The students will work on one area of phonological awareness each unit! This skill will be applied through the weekly poems! See below for the skills covered:

Unit 1: Repeating and Clapping Sentenceds
Unit 2: Syllables
Unit 3: Rhyming
Unit 4: Onset and Rime
Unit 5: Phoneme Identification
Unit 6: Blending
Unit 7: (a mixture of the above skills)

Print Awareness: Each week the students will work on the following print awareness skills:

Book Handling
Title, Author, Illustrator
Directionality
Concepts of Print (illustration, sentence, word, letter)
Environmental Print

Reader’s Workshop: This is your “meaty” part of the lesson where you and the students interact with the text. See the systematic close read you will follow each week.

Monday- Build interest on the topic, predict, essential questions, read cold.
Tuesday- Build knowledge of unknown vocabulary
Wednesday- Text dependent questions (simple recall and story elements)
Thursday- Retell or Story Elements for the week
Friday- Week wrap up- assessment (optional), Craft, Recap

Independent and Hands-On Application: Each day there is an included practice sheet or assessment. These are completely OPTIONAL and are not necessary for the success of the lessons. Each week also includes a literacy center.

Whole-Body: Literacy learning can easily be paired with the whole-body. See below the skills covered each week.

Gross Motor
Fine Motor
Balance
Transitions
Peer to Peer Interaction

The Arts: Pre-K Literacy also covers the arts. See below for the list of weekly skills.

Dance and Movement
Song
Visual Art
Drama

Let’s talk unit 3 first!

Unit Three: Explore Winter

Week 1: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff (Sequencing)
Week 2: Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett (Gingerbread)
Week 3: Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson (Germs)
Week 4: Penguin Problems by Jory John (Penguins)
Week 5: The Hat by Jan Brett (Winter)
Week 6: Grumpy Groundhog by Maureen Wright (Groundhogs)


Unit 3 skill focuses!


Up next I will be breaking down each week within unit 3! Up first is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.


Within the units I include “picture clues” at the bottom of each card! This will help with organization and making sure all of the pieces get back to their “home”.


Pre-K literacy teaches students oral vocabulary and context vocabulary! Below is a look at the oral language vocabulary covered in this week! The kiddos are learning about “words from the house”.


Below is a look at the context vocabulary! There are three words covered in each week. I offer four different versions so you can choose which you would like to print!


We also work with the kids on bringing the context vocabulary “to life” by creating fun crafts and vocabulary conversation.


Each week of Pre-K literacy also comes with a poem! The poem is offered in full page, highlighted rhyming, small poem notebook version and poem strips!


With the Pre-K literacy, I offer A LOT of choices! Don’t feel you need to print/prep each one– choose what best fits your classroom and students! When it comes to retelling I offer many choices. This is a retell mat and retell sticks. The mat is cut with an exacto knife! The students can interact with the sticks and “walk” them along the opening cut!

Retelling the story in a pocket chart!


I also include retell masks and retell pieces for a retell bracelet/necklace!


What is more fun for retelling then retell hats! I include simple templates for each week!


Story element posters are also included each week to match the skill focus!


Fine motor work is also a BIG deal in Prek! I offer a lot of ideas for fine motor practice. Up first is fine motor necklaces!


Fine motor weaving is great fun, too!


The students also have access to fine motor tracing and fine motor cutting!


Each week I also include dabber practice!


Print awareness is covered each week as well! When necessary I include posters for that as well. Here is a directionality poster!


Movement + dance is always a fun time in PreK!


Each week the students also spend time building peer to peer relationships!  These are included peer cards!


Each week I also include a literacy center that matches the themed! This is a fun ABC tracing center.


Crafts and arts are a fun addition to the weekly lessons as well! I offer a variety of options that best fit your kiddos!

Each week I do include daily practice sheets but these are completely OPTIONAL! 


I also include a weekly assessment for the kinder teachers using the program!


As an added bonus I’ve included weekly letter practice pages.


Let’s move onto week 2 – – Gingerbread Baby


Let’s talk retell! How about retell stick fun?


Retell hat fun…


Retell masks


Additional retell cards are included (2 sizes)

Context vocabulary cards included!



The weekly poem included with multiple versions


Each week the students practice a phonological awareness skill! This unit the skill is rhyming so I’ve included weekly rhyming cards.


Print awareness included poster.


Story element posters are included weekly.


Fun with dance + movement


Dabber practice


Included weekly letter practice


This week’s context vocabulary is all about BAKING.


The weekly oral language vocabulary works on discriminating realistic and fictitious clip art!


Fine motor cutting and tracing!


The included  literacy center!


Included weekly assessment and daily printables!


Directionality is print awareness skill that is worked on each week!

Word/picture match-ups


Let’s ski-daddle onto week 3!


Weekly vocabulary cards


Weekly poem


Rhyming cards


Rhyming emergent reader


Multiple sizes of retell cards

Retell mat and retell sticks
Retell bear hat


Retell mask


Fun times with crafts


Multiple options included


Fine motor weaving


Fine motor dabbing


Fine motor tracing and cutting


Included letter sheets


Included optional practice sheets


Assessment- covering vocabulary and story elements


Oral language vocabulary cards


Environmental print poster


Story elements posters


Literacy center


Let’s waddle over to the next week– PENGUINS!


This book doesn’t have a title on the front cover so as part of the print awareness lesson– we add our own title.


Weekly vocabulary cards

Weekly poem


Included rhyming cards

Penguin is not every optimistic in this text so we talk optimism!


Literacy center


Let’s talk fine motor practice– tracing and cutting!


Dabber fun

Letter practice is included each week, too!


Optional weekly practice sheets


Instead of a retell sheet this week– we have a nonfiction labeling page!


Needing a weekly assessment? There is one included!

Nonfiction twist on the retell– we will work on fact vs. opinion!


The oral language weekly vocabulary cards are for polar animals.


Story element posters are included as well!


Character masks are included as well!


How about we move onto week 5– which is all about an adorable HEDGIE!


Let’s start off with a couple of the fun and adorable hedgehog crafts.


Paperplate Hedgie is cute, cute, cute!


This is Spaghettti Hedgie!


Weekly vocabulary cards


This is a fun watercolor stocking craft. Have kiddos illustrate snowflakes with a white crayon prior to watercoloring.


Let’s talk retell! Retell mat + retell sticks.

Retell masks


Retell cards


Story elements posters


Weekly practice sheets


Included assessment


Fine motor tracing and cutting pages


Included letter pages


Vocabulary oral language vocabulary cards


Weekly poem


Poem rhyming cards


Poem emergent reader


Let’s wrap up with week 6– Grumpy Groundhog

Weekly poem

Rhyming cards


Rhyming emergent reader


Story elements posters


Environmental print posters + directionality strips
Weekly vocabulary cards


Weekly vocabulary craft


Weekly OPTIONAL assessment!


Dabbing practice


Fine motor mat

Fine motor tracing and cutting


Included letter pages


Included daily practice pages


Retell cards- various sizes


Oral language vocabulary cards

Pre-K Literacy is a bundle of 42 weeks!

You can view all of the weeks/books covered in Pre-K literacy by viewing the link HERE or clicking the image below!

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Tara West Teacher & Author

Tara West is a dedicated educator and the founder of Little Minds at Work, an educational platform designed to provide teachers with creative and engaging resources for early childhood education. With a focus on developing innovative lesson plans, classroom strategies, and activities, Tara brings her passion for teaching to life, empowering teachers to foster meaningful learning experiences for their students.

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