This mini-theme is based on the literacy selection “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin” written by Margaret McNamara. This unit is included in the Guided Reading, Alphabet, and Sight Words Program which covers the majority of the Pre-Kindergarten outcomes. All the alphabet letters and Pre-primer Dolch sight words are introduced within this program.
Shared Reading Using the Emergent Readers
All the readers include an interactive component where the students draw, color or cut and paste according to the text. This develops good comprehension skills. An example is displayed on the left.
Shared Reading Follow-Up
The companion emergent reader “Down At the Pumpkin Patch” would be used a follow-up to reading the literature selection. The color version of the reader would be projected for all the students to view. The teacher would model the reading process teaching early reading skills, the focus alphabet letters and sight words. After the interactive component would be completed.
Alphabet Letters: Pp for pumpkin and Ss for stars
Pre-Primer Sight Words: this unit is a review one
Literacy Center Suggestions
All units include games and activities related to meeting core curriculum outcomes. Some of the games are displayed in the photograph above. They include alphabet recognition, printing, mnemonic, rhyming, phonemic/phonological activities. They were designed to be engaging and follow a balanced literacy approach.
Sight Word Activities
Sight Word Literacy Center Games and Activities
Suggested review sight word games are included. The games in this unit do not have specific words attached to it. The purpose of this lesson plan unit is to review words introduced previously. Review sight words would be printed on the templates provided.
Crafts and Writing Activities
Students would draw and color a number of pumpkins, color the stars and moon on the template provided. The coloring would be done with wax crayons. A black wash would cover over the background. The students would observe how the wax crayons resist the wax.
The writing component would be completed as displayed in the photograph. It follows the pattern used in the emergent reader.
How Can The Resources Be Used?
The video outlines how the theme resources, emergent readers and literacy units can be used.
