Day 1:

Time of
Day

Detailed Plans

8:408:55

Drop off in the Kindergarten yard

Take attendance as students arrive and ensure they place their backpacks and
belongings on Room 128s outdoor hooks located beside the West doors
Outdoor Play

8:559:25

Outdoor Play in the Kindergarten yard

Purpose: Students are given the opportunity to exercise, move, play, and
socialize with friends.
We position ourselves to monitor the entire playscape. We listen for students
emerging inquiry questions to guide our classroom exploration.

9:259:55

Music with Mr. R in room 116

9:5510:25

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

10:2510:55

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks, clipboards
throughout classroom to document each students learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquiry-based
learning.

 Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
there is a spot at the table
10:5511:25

Focused instruction in literacy (Food group: Concepts of Print)

Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of new
literacy concepts:

Recipe: Poem of the Week (whole group activity)

Nutrition Facts: Developing concepts of print, word recognition and rhyming!
Ingredients:
Chart paper
Markers
Pointer stick
Procedure:
1. Write a poem with your class that consists of rhymes (E.g. Row, row, row
your boat)
2. Allow students to share the pen with you by asking them to add beginning
letters or write whole words, sharing the pen back and forth until the poem is
completely written
3. Through composing the poem in unison, the class constantly re-reads the text
and by the end of the writing, students will have memorized the poem if they
were unfamiliar with it
Extension:
-Student learning can be extended through highlighting high frequency sight
words which they can use in their journal writing
-Learning can also be extended through in-class activities that look at correcting
texts that do not follow the concepts of print, or for more advanced students, a
word hunt of the words in the poem
Why this activity is included in our literacy program?
The Texas Education Agency (2002) discussed that children who lack an
awareness of print concepts are unlikely to become successful readers, as
performance on print awareness tasks has be proven to be a very reliable
predictor of their future reading achievement. As such, activities that promote an
awareness of print concepts is an essential part of becoming literate, as children
come to understand that written language, like spoken language, carries
messages for both enjoyment and communication, but the messages must be
read in specific ways to be understood.
Informal Assessment:
Student understanding of print concepts can quickly be assessed through asking

them to show you where the title of the poem is, where you should begin
reading, where a certain letter or word is located, the first word of a sentence,
the last word of a sentence, the first and last word on the chart paper,
punctuation marks, capital and lowercase letters, spacing and directionality. An
easy and effective way to do this could be to include the print concepts you will
be assessing informally and each students name on a table.
11:2512:25

Lunch
o Students that go home for lunch will meet parents/guardians in the
Kindergarten yard
o Students staying for lunch will be taken to the lunch room (room 134)

12:3512:50

Recess
o Lunchroom supervisors will take students to the Kindergarten yard for
recess
o Children who went home for lunch will be dropped off at Kindergarten yard
Take attendance

12:501:20

Art

1:201:50

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

1:502:20

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,

Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely

designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquiry-based
learning.
Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
2:20 Focused instruction in mathematics
2:50 o -Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of new
math concepts
o -Breakout into small groups for math games
2:503:20

Read Aloud and then Independent Reading with Book Bins

At 2:50, we begin our daily read-aloud. During this time, we read quality
literature modelling fluent reading, think-alouds (including comprehension
strategies), and thoughtful discourse about texts.
o On occasion, students are asked to retell the story read-aloud in
class through small group drama or individually using the felt board
Once the read-aloud is complete, students will then read books
determined by their reading level
o We have leveled the books in our classroom library using a
systematic approach by looking at the quantity of text, size of text,
layout, vocabulary, and the complexity of the story. We started by
creating three levels by simply sorting them into easy medium and
hard. Then, we went through each of these bins and sorted them
again into easy, medium, and hard. This resulted in nine general
levels of books.
inspired by virtual tour #2 Grade 1-2 on the Balanced
Literacy Diet website
Students are assigned to a range of levels according to
published, conventional, and/or board reading assessments

3:203:25

Childcare students will be picked up from the classroom

Pick-up for the rest of the class from the Kindergarten yard

Day 2:

Time of
Day

Detailed Plans

8:408:55

Drop off in the Kindergarten yard

Take attendance as students arrive and ensure they place their backpacks and
belongings on Room 128s outdoor hooks located beside the West doors
Outdoor Play

8:559:25

Outdoor Play in the Kindergarten yard

Purpose: Students are given the opportunity to exercise, move, play, and socialize
with friends.
We position ourselves to monitor the entire playscape. We listen for students
emerging inquiry questions to guide our classroom exploration.

9:259:55

Journal Writing/Literacy and Math games

o One group writing in their individual journals with support with the of teacher
#1
o One group taking part in literacy game with teacher #2 at the carpet
o One group taking part in math games with teacher #3 in the collaborative
zone

9:5510:25

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

10:2510:55

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,

Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely

designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquiry-based
learning.

10:5511:25

Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
Focused instruction in mathematics
o Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new math concepts
o Breakout into small groups for math games

11:2512:25

Lunch
o Students that go home for lunch will meet parents/guardians in the
Kindergarten yard
o Students staying for lunch will be taken to the lunch room (room 134)

12:3512:50

Recess
o Lunchroom supervisors will take students to the Kindergarten yard for
recess
o Children who went home for lunch will be dropped off at Kindergarten yard
Take attendance

12:501:20

Physical Education in the gym with Ms. P

1:201:50

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)

1:502:20

 What do you notice when black and white play together?

o

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks, clipboards
throughout classroom to document each students learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Focused instruction in literacy
o
Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new literacy concepts
o

2:202:50

Recipe: Create a new song!

Nutrition Facts: Building Phonemic Awareness through Play
Ingredients:
- Poem of the week or well-known nursery rhymes
- Letter-sound cards
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Procedure:
1.Tell students that they will be singing the poem of the week in a new, silly way
2. Recite the poem as a whole group in the normal way, then tell students you
will be changing the beginning sound of particular words or each word to a
certain letter-sound (E.g. the /r/ in row, were going to change it to /l/)
3. Display the letter-sound on the letter-sound card and review it
4.Then model the silly way to students by substituting the initial sound of a
chosen word or each word (E.g. Row, row, row your boat to Low, low, low
your boat).
5. Ask students to pick letter-sound cards and what word they would like their
initial sound to be substituted for and have the whole class sing the silly song
together
6. When students have mastered the poem of the week, try using other familiar
nursery rhymes like Twinkle, twinkle little star

Extension:
- Use this activity with other familiar words or stories such as student names or
The three little pigs
- Challenge students to make tongue twisters by have a poem with the same
initial sound throughout
Modifications:
- For our ELLs, we have pre-taught letter-sounds and the poem of the week
prior to this activity
- We also allow students to join in at their own pace and practice switching the
phonemes in individual words before attempting the entire poem
- Throughout the activity, we isolate and exaggerate initial sounds in isolation
and in the word and mouth the correct sound during the activity and hold up the
letter-sound cards
Why this activity is included in our literacy program?
Put Reading First (2001) discusses that children must understand that words
are made up of speech sounds because those who cannot hear and work with
the phonemes of spoken words will have difficulty in learning how to relate
phonemes to the graphemes in written words. Similarly, phonemic awareness
instruction not only benefits phonics instruction, but also helps children read
and learn to spell.
Assessment:
Taking anecdotal notes of students abilities to appropriately substitute sounds
to create words will help understand each students phonemic awareness and
allow teachers to focus on phonemes that students are having the greatest
difficulty with
2:503:20

Read Aloud and then Independent Reading with Book Bins

At 2:50, we begin our daily read-aloud. During this time, we read quality
literature modelling fluent reading, think-alouds (including comprehension
strategies), and thoughtful discourse about texts.
o On occasion, students are asked to retell the story read-aloud in
class through small group drama or individually using the felt board
Once the read-aloud is complete, students will then read books
determined by their reading level
o We have leveled the books in our classroom library using a
systematic approach by looking at the quantity of text, size of text,
layout, vocabulary, and the complexity of the story. We started by
creating three levels by simply sorting them into easy medium and
hard. Then, we went through each of these bins and sorted them
again into easy, medium, and hard. This resulted in nine general
levels of books.
inspired by virtual tour #2 Grade 1-2 on the Balanced
Literacy Diet website
Students are assigned to a range of levels according to

published, conventional, and/or board reading assessments

3:203:25

Childcare students will be picked up from the classroom

Pick-up for the rest of the class from the Kindergarten yard

Day 3:
Time of
Day

Detailed Plans

8:408:55

Drop off in the Kindergarten yard

Take attendance as students arrive and ensure they place their backpacks and
belongings on Room 128s outdoor hooks located beside the West doors
Outdoor Play

8:559:25

Journal Writing/Literacy and Math games

o One group writing in their individual journals with support with the of teacher
#1
o One group taking part in literacy game with teacher #2 at the carpet
o One group taking part in math games with teacher #3 in the collaborative
zone

9:259:55

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

9:5510:25

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquirybased learning.

Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
there is a spot at the table
Reflections/Sharing (last 10 minutes)

10:2510:55

o Choose 2 students to share their personal best work, moments, discoveries

and wonders
Focused instruction in literacy
o
Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new literacy concepts

Recipe: Promoting Oral Language at the Drama Center

Nutrition Facts: Promoting oral language and motivation for literacy!
Ingredients:
Clipboards
Pencils
Crayons
Scarves
Tree trunks
Open-ended materials to encourage pretend play (i.e. seashells, buttons,
wood blocks)
Mirror
Cardboard
Glass jars
Rocks
Sticks
Functional Print (i.e. newspapers, letters, stamps, maps)

Procedure:
1. Gather the students at the carpet and discuss the sociodramatic area and the
included materials to provide the children with open-ended and imaginative
experiences
2. Demonstrate the use of the clipboards and papers to illustrate the expectations
that the students should draw and write their stories in order to share them with
their classmates during sharing and reflecting time
3. Model how to use the sociodramatic area using the materials and then writing
the story
Extension:

Learning can be extended through in-class read alouds and then

placing new materials in the sociodramatic area for the children to
play with
Writing mini skits and putting on plays

Why this activity is included in our literacy program?

Creating a space for children is crucial in a school environment. Like adults,
children will excel to their full potential in places that they feel comfortable in and

where there are endless opportunities for social affiliation and self-development,
such as the sociodramatic area. The ability to explore the classroom environment
can lead to independence, social support and positive feelings because these
children will find a place of belonging and community. Strong-Wilson and Ellis
(2007) further examine bringing in realistic objects for children to use in their play
these are the open-ended materials such as empty lipstick containers, clothing
items for dress up and different household objects that can be used in building
structures.
Anderson, Sharp and Escalante (2012) support using dramatic play in the
kindergarten classroom to engage children emotionally in the learning process.
Dramatic play promotes oral language development, reading readiness, reading
achievement, comprehension, and writing skills. The article asserts that early
childhood students are best served when sound foundational literacy instruction is
playfully presented, practiced in activities such as socio-dramatic play, and
enhanced with creative arts.
The Balanced Literacy Diet supports the idea of dramatic play to promote oral
language because the students are learning to follow the rules of pronunciation
and grammar, while understanding the meaning of words and phrases in different
contexts. Especially for English language learners, the sociodramatic area in our
classroom supports their English-language abilities because it is in a setting that
fosters patience and interaction with other students.
Informal Assessment:
Anecdotal notes childrens interactions with each other, the roles that they
choose to play, their ability to transfer their play into stories and then share
those stories with the class (oral to text to oral)
Observe and listen are the children understanding, communicating and
expressing their ideas effectively?
10:5511:25

Outdoor exploration (Nature/Community Walk)

o Exploring our community by using our senses to observe and interact with
nature and the features that are found in our neighbourhood/community
Science Exploration and Investigation
o Weather, living and non-living or exploring patterns

11:2512:25

Lunch
o Students that go home for lunch will meet parents/guardians in the
Kindergarten yard
o Students staying for lunch will be taken to the lunch room (room 134)

12:3512:50

Recess
o Lunchroom supervisors will take students to the Kindergarten yard for
recess
o Children who went home for lunch will be dropped off at Kindergarten yard
Take attendance

12:501:20

Outdoor Play continues in the Kindergarten yard

1:201:50

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

1:502:20

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquirybased learning.

Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
there is a spot at the table
Reflections/Sharing (last 10 minutes)
o Choose 2 students to share their personal best work, moments, discoveries
and wonders
o Student feedback (e.g. questions, suggestions, extensions)
2:202:50

Focused instruction in mathematics

o Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new math concepts
o Breakout into small groups for math games

2:503:20

Read Aloud and then Independent Reading with Book Bins

At 2:50, we begin our daily read-aloud. During this time, we read quality
literature modelling fluent reading, think-alouds (including comprehension
strategies), and thoughtful discourse about texts.
o On occasion, students are asked to retell the story read-aloud in
class through small group drama or individually using the felt board
Once the read-aloud is complete, students will then read books
determined by their reading level
o We have leveled the books in our classroom library using a
systematic approach by looking at the quantity of text, size of text,
layout, vocabulary, and the complexity of the story. We started by
creating three levels by simply sorting them into easy medium and
hard. Then, we went through each of these bins and sorted them
again into easy, medium, and hard. This resulted in nine general
levels of books.
inspired by virtual tour #2 Grade 1-2 on the Balanced
Literacy Diet website
Students are assigned to a range of levels according to
published, conventional, and/or board reading assessments

3:203:25

Childcare students will be picked up from the classroom

Pick-up for the rest of the class from the Kindergarten yard

Day 4:
Time of
Day

Detailed Plans

8:408:55

Drop off in the Kindergarten yard

Take attendance as students arrive and ensure they place their backpacks and
belongings on Room 128s outdoor hooks located beside the West doors
Outdoor Play

8:559:25

Outdoor Play in the Kindergarten yard

Purpose: Students are given the opportunity to exercise, move, play, and
socialize with friends.
We position ourselves to monitor the entire playscape. We listen for students
emerging inquiry questions to guide our classroom exploration.

9:259:55

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

9:5510:25

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquirybased learning.

 Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
there is a spot at the table
10:2510:55

Focused instruction in mathematics

o Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new math concepts
o Breakout into small groups for math games

10:5511:25

Health in the gym with Ms. P

11:2512:25

Lunch
o Students that go home for lunch will meet parents/guardians in the
Kindergarten yard
o Students staying for lunch will be taken to the lunch room (room 134)

12:3512:50

Recess
o Lunchroom supervisors will take students to the Kindergarten yard for
recess
o Children who went home for lunch will be dropped off at Kindergarten yard
Take attendance

12:501:20

Physical education in the gym with Ms. P

1:201:50

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

1:502:20

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks, clipboards
throughout classroom to document each students learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquiry-based
Focused instruction in literacy
o Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and
investigation of new literacy concepts
During this period, we will explicitly teach letter-sound correspondences.
We created double-sided cards. On one side, there is a letter, on the other
side, there is a picture of a word that begins with the sound of the letter. As
a class, students will learn to recall the letter, then the word of the
corresponding picture, and then isolate the letter sound.
Students will be taught letter-sound correspondences according to the
Jolly Phonics order
For a more detailed picture of this activity watch the following Reading
Rocket video https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=K4CjJvU9mYA&feature=youtu.be
o Start at 1:55
o

2:202:50

2:503:20

Read Aloud and then Independent Reading with Book Bins

At 2:50, we begin our daily read-aloud. During this time, we read quality
literature modelling fluent reading, think-alouds (including comprehension
strategies), and thoughtful discourse about texts.
o On occasion, students are asked to retell the story read-aloud in
class through small group drama or individually using the felt board
Once the read-aloud is complete, students will then read books
determined by their reading level
o We have leveled the books in our classroom library using a
systematic approach by looking at the quantity of text, size of text,
layout, vocabulary, and the complexity of the story. We started by

creating three levels by simply sorting them into easy medium and
hard. Then, we went through each of these bins and sorted them
again into easy, medium, and hard. This resulted in nine general
levels of books.
inspired by virtual tour #2 Grade 1-2 on the Balanced
Literacy Diet website
Students are assigned to a range of levels according to
published, conventional, and/or board reading assessments
3:203:25

Childcare students will be picked up from the classroom

Pick-up for the rest of the class from the Kindergarten yard

Day 5:
Time of
Day

Detailed Plans

8:408:55

Drop off in the Kindergarten yard

Take attendance as students arrive and ensure they place their backpacks and
belongings on Room 128s outdoor hooks located beside the West doors
Outdoor Play

8:559:25

Outdoor Play in the Kindergarten yard

Purpose: Students are given the opportunity to exercise, move, play, and
socialize with friends.
We position ourselves to monitor the entire playscape. We listen for students
emerging inquiry questions to guide our classroom exploration.

9:259:55

Exploration and Discovery

o Small group or individual learning through provocations related to literacy
and mathematics using a variety of materials, including technology
Letter sand formations using fingers, and rock and object search
(Literacy)
What letters can you write in the sand? Can find the objects in the
sand that start with the letter s?
Nature exploration with caterpillars (Science)
I see, I think, I wonder chart with post-it notes
Structures
What makes a city? encourage writing for the functioning of the
city (e.g. road signs)
Paint strips with students names (Literacy and Math)
How many letters are in your name? Who has the most? Who has
the least?
Colour mixing with black and white to explore tone and shade (Art)
What do you notice when black and white play together?

9:5510:25

Independent writing and reading

Books related to provocations, books on shelves, writing at the
writing table with different materials, sight words on rocks,
clipboards throughout classroom to document each students
learning

Play and inquiry-based learning

Students self-select an exploration area (Construction, Light Table,
Sand/Water Table, Reading, Snack, Art Studio, Writing, Math,
Discovery, iPads) to attend. Materials and activities are purposely
designed to maximize exploration and understanding of Ministry
Curriculum expectations, through the focus of play and inquirybased learning.

 Self-regulated snack
o Students choose when to sit at the snack table for their snacks, as long as
there is a spot at the table
10:2510:55

Library time (each student may sign out a new book as long as they have
returned their old book)

10:5511:25

Focused instruction in literacy

o Whole group instruction focusing on the introduction and investigation of
new literacy concepts
Recipe: Phonics I-Spy Game
Nutrition Facts: Great source of Letter Sounds and Phonics!
Ingredients:
empty juice bottle
items that start with a range of letters, or perhaps one item per letter in the
alphabet
o items need to be small enough to fit into the juice bottle
o items can be related to current theme being explored in class
dry rice (white or can dye rice with food colouring and add sparkles)
hot glue gun or super glue
Creating an I-Spy Bottle:
1. Lay out all the items and take a picture.
2. Print picture and laminate so children know which items are in the bottle.
3. Add dry rice to empty juice bottle (1/3 full).
4. Add items into the bottle.
5. Glue lid onto the bottle to prevent children from opening it and spilling
contents.
6. Shake!
-Write lower case letters onto small cards. The letters should correspond with the
first letter of each item placed in the bottle.
-Have the student choose a letter and think about the sound it makes. -Encourage
students to say the sound (phoneme) out loud and find an item in the bottle that
begins with that sound.
Extensions:
For students who need more of a challenge: you can modify the game by having
the letter cards correspond with the ending sound (phoneme) of each item.
For students who need even more of a challenge: you can create word cards so

students can sound out the word and find the corresponding item.
For students who need EVEN MORE of a challenge: students can write out each
item found in the bottle.
Modifications:
For English Language Learners, playing this game with an English-speaking
partner could be beneficial as their partner will be able to name the objects in the
discovery bottle. Therefore, this game can simultaneously teach vocabulary to
ELLs.
We made the cautious decision to keep the sand white rather than adding
sparkles or dye to the rice. This reflects our Reggio Emilia pedagogy and prevents
over-stimulation for our ASD student.
Why this activity is included in our literacy program:
Participating in this Phonics I-Spy game, demonstrates that there is systematic
and predictable relationship between written letters and spoken sound
(Armbruster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001). Understanding the relationship between
spoken sounds and written letters is fundamental for learning to read and write
(Balanced Literacy Diet, 2015).
We particularly like the playfulness of this literacy activity as it fits the new play
based approached of the FDKP. As the play guru David Elkind stated, play is not
only our creative drive; its a fundamental mode of learning.
Informal Assessment:
As educators, it is our responsibility to explicitly teach all students sound-letter
correspondences. This activity will help us reflect on our teaching so we can
modify our instruction as needed (assessing for learning). We will also be
informally scanning for processing difficulties in area 1 (decoding/encoding written
language). Students with difficulties in this area may have difficulty recognizing
letters and/or may confuse visually-similar letters.
11:2512:25

Lunch
o Students that go home for lunch will meet parents/guardians in the
Kindergarten yard
o Students staying for lunch will be taken to the lunch room (room 134)

12:3512:50

Recess
o Lunchroom supervisors will take students to the Kindergarten yard for
recess
o Children who went home for lunch will be dropped off at Kindergarten yard
Take attendance

12:501:20

Outdoor exploration (Nature/Community Walk)

o Exploring our community by using our senses to observe and interact with
nature and the features that are found in our neighbourhood/community

1:20-

1:50
1:502:20

Science Exploration and Investigation

o Weather, living and non-living or exploring patterns

2:202:50

Drama/Dance with Mr. R in room 116

2:503:20

Read Aloud and then Independent Reading with Book Bins

At 2:50, we begin our daily read-aloud. During this time, we read quality
literature modelling fluent reading, think-alouds (including comprehension
strategies), and thoughtful discourse about texts.
o On occasion, students are asked to retell the story read-aloud in
class through small group drama or individually using the felt board
Once the read-aloud is complete, students will then read books
determined by their reading level
o We have leveled the books in our classroom library using a
systematic approach by looking at the quantity of text, size of text,
layout, vocabulary, and the complexity of the story. We started by
creating three levels by simply sorting them into easy medium and
hard. Then, we went through each of these bins and sorted them
again into easy, medium, and hard. This resulted in nine general
levels of books.
inspired by virtual tour #2 Grade 1-2 on the Balanced
Literacy Diet website
Students are assigned to a range of levels according to
published, conventional, and/or board reading assessments

3:203:25

Childcare students will be picked up from the classroom

Pick-up for the rest of the class from the Kindergarten yard