Teaching Homonyms: Key For ELLs

This week our weekly activity - (box to the right) focuses on homographs and homophones. These can be especially difficult for English learners. In this post we discuss those words that sound the same and are pronounced the same way but have different meanings. These are homonyms, which are problematic for many preschoolers.

There are words like bark and bark. A dog can bark and a tree has bark on its trunk. 
We can hold a soup can but we can jump and skip.
A fair can be a place to see enjoy rides. We should be fair in how we treat each other.

The first step in helping our early learners pay attention to these confusing words is to heighten our own awareness about them. Sometimes these are so ingrained in our everyday speech that we forget these can be puzzling for children - and as mentioned this is something that needs explicit teaching for English learners. 

After we identify those words that can bewilder children, we can discuss these words as they are encountered in speech and books. We should point out these words and have children act out the differences. These little skits can be a source of laughter, which makes the word differences easily remembered for children. 

You can also show pictures depicting the differences and have children "teach" one another about these differences. When we are responsible for explaining something, the learning is active and memorable. 

Of course, a final step is to have children draw their own pictures. Give each child a large piece of paper, divide it in half, and ask children to draw the two meanings. You can print out the words (like can) and children can glue them to their art. This means families can learn along with children! 

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC - 2.B.01 & 2.D.04

Head Start - VI.A. & IX.A.

The Importance of Clean Air and Exercise: A Preschool Lesson

This week we offer ideas to help you show your children the benefits of a clean environment along with the importance of exercise. Below are suggested lesson steps to achieve this objective.

You may want to begin with a play stethoscope. Ask children to explain what a doctor does with a stethoscope. Discuss the importance of a healthy heart and lungs. Lead children to the understanding that clean air and exercise can help our bodies stay healthy.

Show pictures of mountains, forests, lakes, etc. Ask children, “How do these pictures make you feel?” Encourage children to talk about clean air and water along with the idea that these places can help us feel happy and peaceful.

Next show children pictures of smokestacks and other areas that emit dirt into the air. You may even want to share a picture of people smoking. Tell children that when people breathe dirty air, they can get sick. Discuss the importance of clean air.

You can ask children to draw pictures of places with clean air. Have children share these pictures. You may even want to take dictation from them so these pictures have captions.

The next day you can continue your lesson by talking about the importance of getting outdoors to play. Show pictures of parks, playgrounds, hiking trails, etc. Hold a ‘grand conversation’ about the importance of exercise in keeping hearts healthy. Have children put their hands over the hearts to feel their heartbeats. Tell them that their heart is a muscle that needs exercise just like their body. By running, jumping, and walking, the heart muscle will stay strong.

You can finish your class discussion by playing a game based on “Mother May I?” Use the words, “Healthy people…” Say sentences like:

Healthy people run.

Healthy people watch television.

Healthy people jump.

Healthy people walk.

Healthy people play video games.

For each sentence that is true about healthy people, children can act out the activity (run in place, jump, walk around the room). This is a fun and meaningful way for children to demonstrate their understanding of the importance of exercise. 

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC - 2.K.01.

Head Start - I. A. & B. 

A Fun Ocean Song

The last few weeks we have been talking and doing activities about oceans. Singing is a wonderful way to involve all children, especially English learners, in learning. Enjoy singing this song!

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC - 2.G. & 2.K.03 & 04.

Head Start - I.A. & B.,XI.A. & B.

A Sense of Wonder: Thinking About Female Scientists

It's always important for our children to learn about good role models. We especially like to share examples of careers that children may not readily see. Last week we talked about our oceans and their essential role to life on Planet Earth. Many children do not always have the chance to think about those who study our oceans and help protect them. This is a topic near and dear to my heart as my husband was an early researcher studying the impacts of plastic pollution in our ocean waters.

Share stories of people like Sylvia Earle who was a pioneer in living underwater in a specially constructed "home." This helped scientists live beneath the surface of the ocean for weeks at a time. Imagine what these scientists could see!

This is exactly what you can invite your children to consider. Show photographs of the ocean. Talk about the darkness in the deep parts of an ocean. Imagine what it might be like to try and learn about fish and plants that stay in these deep waters. We suggest beginning sentences with "I wonder..." to have a grand conversation.

Marie Tharp is another female scientist who contributed to what we know about oceans. She used the mathematical information from naval ships to map the floor of the ocean. It was her work that showed the world that the ocean had hills, valleys, and ridges. She found a large ridge we call the "backbone of the earth." Today her maps hang in the offices of many scientists.

After telling the brief story of Marie Tharp, ask your children to wonder what a map of the ocean floor might look like. Ask them to draw their own maps. You can use this activity to discuss perspective. Do children draw their maps so they are looking down at the floor of the ocean?

Katy Payne* listened carefully to the sounds that whales make. She used special tools to record these underwater sounds. She even made pictures showing what whale songs look like. Then she found out that whales can change their songs and other whales learn the new songs!

Ask your children to wonder what whale songs might sound like. Have children sing possible whale songs to each other. Then play actual whale songs so children can check their guesses. You can hear whale songs from Katy Payne here.


Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.G.03.
Head Start - XI.B.1.

*Next week, our activity packet will feature Katy Payne. Be sure you are signed up to receive these. Just add your email in the yellow box above.

Learning About Oceans

As we highlight the accomplishments of women in March, we thought it would be fun to take a look at our oceans, where so many female scientists have done amazing work. But before talking about these women*, begin by introducing your children to what an ocean is and how it can be studied.  In this lesson, you can emphasize concepts such as weather, transportation, and special clothing, which are a natural part of the curriculum for young learners.

First show your class a globe. Spin it around and show children that oceans make up a lot of our world. Ask children to point out all the water on the globe. Realizing that the oceans are colored blue helps them to develop an understanding of how to use text features in the future.

Explain to children that today you will be finding out more about oceans, their water, and what lives in them. Show children several pictures of different ocean scenes (easily available on the Internet). These should include: the Arctic as this is a good example of cold water, a warm ocean area near the equator, and a picture of a storm on an ocean. Hold a “grand conversation” about the many differences they can observe about oceans.

Next talk about the type of water that is found in oceans. Show two containers of water and a container of salt. Put the salt into one container and stir it. Explain that ocean water is salty. Ask children to ‘turn and talk’ in response to the question: Can people drink ocean water? Ask children to imagine what this might taste like. Some children who have been swimming in an ocean might share their experiences.

Then talk about people who study oceans. Show pictures of a submarine and boats. Discuss how these can be used as transportation to help scientists reach places in the ocean they need/want to learn more about. Discuss the special equipment a scientist needs to wear when swimming in the ocean. Show pictures of scuba divers.

Finally, have children make their own depiction of a scuba diver. You can pre-cut materials as shown below so children can create a scientist who learns more about the ocean habitat. You can even encourage them to make up a story about what their scientist discovered about an area of the ocean. 

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.G. & 2.J.05.

Head Start – III.C.1 & 3., XI.B.1.

*Next week we will share some female oceanographers. 

Appreciating Trees

Is the air getting warmer? Do you see tiny sprouts peeping from the ground? Help your children to see these early signs of spring. Following is one activity we like young learners to engage in as they not only develop a sense of understanding for seasons, but also encourages them to understand that trees are important.

Begin by showing pictures of trees. Elicit from children the many positive things we get from trees. For example, they might discuss beauty, shade, homes for animals, and places to play, etc.

Put up a picture of a large tree. Have children stand in front of the tree and breathe in and out deeply. Explain to them that the tree helps give them good air to breathe and then takes out the bad air that they breathe out. Have them stand and practice this several times as it will help them remember and appreciate the “work” of trees as they use gross motor skills.

Make the point that trees help us so we should and can help them, too. Have a conversation about what children think trees need. After they have shared ideas, have them participate in a “little play” about a tree.

Hold up a seed from a tree that is local to your area. Tell children to pretend to be this seed. Children should scrunch down on floor.  Explain that the seed needs to land in good soil. This is like the homes they each have – a tree needs a good home, too.

Then dramatically tell the children that rain starts to fall.  You can even play the sound of rain to make this more fun. Explain that seeds need water to sprout.

Encourage children to begin sprouting. You can show them how to begin moving their hands/arms away from their scrunched body.

Explain that besides good soil, trees need the sun. This warmth helps the seed to break its way through the soil. Have children act out breaking through the good soil.

Tell children that over time, through many years, the tree grows. Its roots become strong. Have children stand still carefully in one place like tree roots. Talk about the development of a strong and sturdy trunk and have children stand up straight.  Tell them that more rain comes to help the tree and that the sun lets the tree make food.

Continue with your tree “play” by having children make branches by putting out their arms and wiggling their fingers for leaves.

Share that trees develop their seeds, which fall to the ground or might be carried to other place by animals. New trees grow. If appropriate, have children start their “play” all over again.

To extend this activity, show pictures of different types of soil (sand, mountainside, etc.) Discuss how these might be challenging for a tree’s growth.

Standards Alignment:

NAEYC – 2.G.02 & 2.J.

Head Start – III.B. & XI.B.2.

Subitizing: Fun and Interactive!

Many educators and mathematicians believe subitizing is an important readiness skill for later math success. This means we should be aware of what this is and how to help children and families.

Subitizing is the ability to “instantly see how many.” In other words, children can immediately see how many objects are in a set.

For more information on subitizing, watch the video below.

You can make subitizing tactile by using puffy balls or other 3 dimensional objects that children can touch and manipulate in various arrangements. See our previous blog post for more ideas http://www.maggiesbighome.com/2013/10/a-predictor-of-later-math-success.html

In addition to the ability to visually tell how many objects are in a set, children can also use auditory skills. Stomp, clap, or ring a bell and ask children to tell you what they heard. Children can even draw dots or lines to represent the number of stomps, etc.

We also encourage you to use nature to provide subitizing opportunities. When walking, point out groups of trees or flowers. Invite children to tell you “how many.” Gather children around and show them how to put fallen leaves in different arrangements and then ask a friend to tell how many leaves they see. Collecting pine cones or acorns? Have children arrange them in different ways and ask others to tell how many are seen. Children can arrange and rearrange them.

This is something you can encourage families to do at home. Soon, you will notice that children are doing this on their own!

Why not give families a definition of subitizing in your newsletter? Or better yet, give them the link to this website!

See our weekly free activity for more information. Sign-up to receive these free printable and age-appropriate activities for classroom or home use by providing your email in the white box. You can see examples by clicking on the Emergent Activities and Spanish tabs.

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.F.02 & 04.
Head Start - X.A.1, 4, & 5.