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EGP 322 Preschool Lesson Plan Activity Plan 2

Alyssa Carmona

Today's Date: November 4, 2015

Date of Implementation: November 11, 2015

Title of Lesson: EGP 322-03 The Busy Little Squirrel: Predictions, Matching, and Memory

Age Level and Number: One three-year old

Curriculum Areas: Literacy

Standards:
PA.1.2.5 Use illustration clues and story sequence to infer and predict what happens
next in a story.
PA.1.2.5 Decide if predictions were confirmed.
PA.1.1.4 Identify story details through questioning.
PA.1.2.1 Identify characters in story.
PA.1.2.1 Discuss events in book or story.

Purpose: To employ and develop the childs prediction skills through the use of a
somewhat predictable story. Also, to present the child with the opportunity to recall and
talk about details, characters, and events from a simple story via hands-on experiences.

Work Sampling Assessment:

II. C. 4. Comprehends and responds to stories read aloud.
II. D. 1. Represents ideas and stories through pictures, dictation, and play.
VII. B. 2. Uses hand-eye coordination to perform simple tasks.

Behavioral Objectives:
1. While listening to The Busy Little Squirrel, the child will verbally predict what
happens next in the story and decide if their predictions were confirmed every time
he/she is prompted by the teacher.
2. After listening to The Busy Little Squirrel, the child will identify which character from
the story (animal) goes with each event (action/item) every time he/she is
prompted by the teacher.
3. After matching each character from the story (animal) with the correct event
(action/item), the child will use this information to engage in a Memory game and
find all 7 of the correct character-event pairs.

Materials:
1. The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
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2. Laminated chart with laminated character and event cards (with Velcro)
a. 7 character cards, one for each animal in the story
b. 7 event cards, one for each corresponding action/item in the story
3. Laminated Memory game cards
a. 7 character cards, one for each animal in the story
b. 7 event cards, one for each corresponding action/item in the story

Set-up: To begin, only have the book out.

During the Activity: Introduce laminated chart with laminated character and event
cards after the story has been read, before moving on to the next portion of the activity.
Teacher will explain to the child that they are going to use these materials to see how
much they can remember from the story to play a game. Introduce laminated Memory
game cards once the character-event chart has been completed. Teacher will explain to
the child that they are going to use these materials to play a game of Memory.

Motivation/Anticipatory Set

1. Anticipatory Set: The teacher will activate children's prior learning/experience by

showing the child the book that is going to be read, and asking him/her if he/she can
identify the animal on the cover (before reading the title). If the child can identify the
animal, the teacher will ask him/her if he/she has ever seen a squirrel, in addition to asking
him/her if they know anything about squirrels. If the child cannot identify the animal, the
teacher will tell the child that the animal is a squirrel, and might also choose to make it a
point to show the child the back cover of the book. In doing so, the teacher might note that,
although this is just an illustration (it is not a real picture) of a squirrel, it is what a squirrel
looks like. The teacher could also, perhaps, show the child a short video of a squirrel, and
talk a bit about the animal. He/she could note, for instance, the fact that a squirrels eyes
are on the sides of its head, and that this allows them to see things all around them. Other
things to note might be squirrels ability to climb, jump, and hang onto things, as well as the
fact that they collect food before winter so that they can still eat once it gets cold (a topic
that is somewhat addressed in the book, via illustrations). The goal of this brief discussion
is to activate the childs prior knowledge as it is related to the main character of the story to
be read, in addition to initially gaining the childs the interest before beginning the activity.

2. Motivation: After the teacher introduces The Busy Little Squirrel, but before he/she
actually reads the story, he/she will tell the child that they are going to play a game
together once they finish reading the story. After the story has been read, the teacher will
introduce the laminated chart and laminated character and event cards to the child, and
explain that they are going to use these to see how much they can remember from the
story, and play a game. Then, once the chart activity has been completed, the teacher will
introduce the Memory game to the child.
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Procedures:
1. Set out the book, The Busy Little Squirrel.
2. Introduce the book to the child. Before reading it, carry out the anticipatory set
(described above) with the child.
3. Next, tell him/her that the two of you will play a game together once the book has
been read.
4. Read The Busy Little Squirrel.
5. Throughout the story, give the child opportunities to predict what is going to
happen next in the story.
a. Throughout the story, different characters (animals) ask Squirrel to do
something with them. After each of these instances, the story reads, But
Squirrel couldnt He was so busy! In addition, the illustrations continue to
show Squirrel gathering different types of food.
b. Allow for three prediction opportunities: one after Squirrel encounters Frog
(before Cat), one after he encounters Cat (before Dog), and one after he
encounters Dog (before Owl).
i. By the first prediction point, the child will have experienced Squirrel
encountering three different characters (Mouse, Bird, and Frog), and
each time the result was the same.
ii. It should be noted that when Squirrel encounters the last character
(Owl), there is a minor change in the text (He was fast asleep! rather
than He was very busy!).
1. It is not expected that the child will be able to predict the
change in text. However, the child may be able to predict that
another character/animal will ask Squirrel to do something
and he will not be able to.
2. Regarding the prediction exercise, it is more important for the
child to employ and develop this skill than it is for him/her to
always come up with completely accurate predictions.
6. After each opportunity for prediction, be sure to give the child the opportunity to
decide whether or not their prediction was correct.
7. After finishing the story, introduce the laminated chart and laminated character and
event cards to the child. Explain that the two of you are going to use these to see
how much you can remember from the story, and play that game!
a. The chart will contain a column for the characters from the story (Squirrel,
Mouse, Bird, Frog, Cat, Dog, and Owl), and a column for the corresponding
event (action/item).
8. The chart will already contain the cards with the events, and the child will be asked
by the teacher to identify the character that goes with each event (i.e. For Squirrel,
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the teacher will ask the child, Which character from our story was getting ready for
winter by collecting food?). Offer support as needed.
a. As the child identifies each character, he/she will select the correct
corresponding card and place it next to the correct event on the chart.
9. The teacher will continue to prompt the child to make the 7 correct character-event
matches until the entire chart has been completed. The completed chart will serve
as a reference for the next portion of the activity (Memory game). Offer support as
needed.
10. Once the character-event chart has been completed, the teacher will introduce the
Memory game to the child.
11. The teacher will explain how the game works to the child, and offer support as
needed.
a. If the child is unfamiliar with the typical game of memory, the teacher will
explain the basic rules.
i. Taking turns, each player chooses two cards to flip over. If the cards
form a correct pair, the player keeps them and gets to go again. If they
do not form a correct pair, the cards are to be flipped back over, and
the players turn is over. Once all pairs have been identified, the
players count their cars, and the player with the most cards wins.
b. If the child is familiar with the typical game of memory, the teacher will only
need to explain how this specific game of Memory is a little different.
i. In a typical game of memory, matches are made between two identical
cards (two identical cards make a correct pair). In this version, no two
cards are identical. Rather, the pairs are to be made between story
characters and corresponding events.
ii. The correct Memory game pairs will match the previously made
character-event chart matches. Thus, the child may use the previously
completed chart as a reference during the Memory game.
12. By the end of the game of Memory, the child should have identified the 7 correct
character-event pairs.
13. Provide closure (described below).

Differentiation:
1. If the child is having difficulty making predictions, offer additional support.
a. For instance, if the child is having difficulty the first time you ask him/her to
make a prediction, the teacher can model what this would look like. Another
option would be to call the childs attention to what happened previously.
2. If the child is having difficulty identifying which character from the story (animal)
goes with each event (action/item) when completing the chart, refer back to the
book to offer additional support.
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3. If the child is having difficulty finding the correct character-event pairs during the
Memory game, call their attention back to the previously completed character-event
chart to offer additional support.
4. For a child who is more advanced, reverse the completion of the character-event
chart.
a. Rather than the chart already containing the cards with the events, and
asking the child to identify the character that goes with each event, this will
be reversed.
b. For a child who is more advanced, the chart will contain the cards with
characters, and the child will be asked to identify the corresponding event.
i. The teacher will also need to modify the questions being asked of the
child. For instance, rather than asking the child, Which character
from our story asked Squirrel to nibble a pumpkin? and having the
child select Mouse, the teacher would instead ask the child, What did
Mouse ask Squirrel to do?.
5. For a child who is more advanced, steer the child away from referring back to the
previously completed character-event chart during the Memory game.

Closure: Once all of the procedural steps have been carried out, the teacher will bring the
activity to a close. In order to do this, the teacher will ask the child questions in order to
summarize the activity, and main events of the story. For instance, he/she may ask why
Squirrel couldnt do any of the things the other characters in the story asked him to do. The
teacher may also ask questions pertaining to the character-event correspondences. For
instance, he/she may ask the child to recall which character asked Squirrel to lie in the sun,
or he/she may ask what Owl asked Squirrel to do. These questions can be varied to address
multiple and different characters and events from the story.

Assessment: The teacher will use the following rubric in order to assess the child.
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Name: ________________________________________________ Date:________________________

The Busy Little Squirrel Assessment Rubric

Criteria Beginning to Progressing Proficient Exemplary

Emerge 2 3 4
1
Did not always Always offered Always offered Offered and
Making and offer and/or predictions, but and evaluated evaluated
Evaluating evaluate did not always predictions predictions
Predictions predictions evaluate them when without
when when prompted. prompting.
prompted. prompted.
Identified some Identified most Identified all Identified
Identifying (1-3) correct (4-6) correct (7) correct correct
Correct character-event character-event character-event character-event
Character- matches when matches when matches when matches
Event Matches prompted. prompted. prompted. without
(Chart) prompting.
Identifying Identified some Identified most Identified all Identified
Correct (1-3) correct (4-6) correct (7) correct correct
Character- character-event character-event character-event character-event
Event Pairs pairs with pairs with pairs with pairs without
(Memory) support from support from support from support from
chart. chart. chart. chart.