Easter

ABC Center:

Egg Puzzles--I created these using a sheet of egg-shape notepaper. However, you can also print this set out to use. The egg puzzles in the picture have CVC/sight word sentences but the printable set is CVC only. Print all pieces and then cut apart on the lines. (To save on colored ink, you can delete the colors of the eggs and print on colored cardstock instead).

CVC Easter Egg Puzzles

Math: Dice Graph--print one graph an dice for each child. The child rolls the dice and colors one space to show the picture that it lands on. Continue until one picture reaches the top of the graph.

Writing: Easter Bunny Book--this book compliments the book used in Shared Reading Day 1. Students fill in missing sight words.

Art: Egg Bunnies--I forgot to take a picture of these but they turn out adorable! Each child will need a plastic egg, 2 ears cut out of felt (do not use paper...it will not stick), one nose cut out of felt, and 5 small cotton balls (rip a large one into 5 smaller ones). Before children do the project, use a Sharpie marker to draw eyes on each egg. Children follow directions below to create the bunnies.

Directions

Easter Themed Stories/Lessons

Day 1: Read Easter Bunny, Easter Bunny What Do You See? (printable version): This variation uses environmental print of popular candies. Review sight words in the story by playing sight word memory. Students independently spell the sight words on the sight word practice page.

Day 2: Dying Easter Eggs--using pictures and print to perform a task: I prefer to do this part in small groups. Have students read directions and summarize each step in their own words. Work through the steps with children as they decorate/dye one egg each. For many of my students this is the first time they've dyed eggs. Hint--cut paper towel rolls into rings to make egg stands!

As the eggs are drying, make a list of words that describe the eggs with the whole group. When the eggs are finished drying, have students write a description of their own egg. Place all eggs in the middle of the group area and have children read their descriptions. Use the description to find each child's egg. (Consider modeling how to write a description using your own egg or plastic eggs).

Describing Easter Eggs:  Easy (cloze)  Hard (blank)

Day 3: Oviparous Animals: Read a book about animals that come from eggs (ex: Charlie Chick, Whose Eggs are These?). Make a list of animals that come from eggs on a large sheet of egg shaped paper. Students write a sentence identifying one oviparous animal and draw a picture. Using a brad fastener, attach the top part of the egg so that the egg can open to reveal the picture the child drew.

Oviparous Animals Writing Paper:   Page 1    Page 2

Day 4: Color word egg hunt: To plan this egg hunt, purchase plastic eggs. Decide how many eggs you would like each child to find (I do 4 eggs each). Divide the eggs into sets for each child and make lists that show the colors each child is to find (see example). Staple these lists to paper bags. When it is time for the hunt, give each child a bag and have them find the eggs indicated on their list.

Hand/shoe print chick--Children trace their shoe to make the chick's body. Then they trace their hands to make the feet.

ABC: Egg Roll Game (small group)--divide a large sheet of paper into a grid. Write a sight word or CVC word in each box. Make a few "special" boxes with "extra roll" or "choose a word". Use blocks to build a "barricade" around the paper. Students take turn rolling a plastic egg on the grid and reading the word that the egg lands on. If you you have a diverse group, consider making the grid and taping on words appropriate to each group.

ABC: Eggs-ellent Spelling (see Dollar Store Delights)

ABC: Sight Word Egg Puzzles--purchase a dozen of plastic eggs. Using a sharpie marker write half of a sight word on each half of an egg. Put egg halves in a bin with Easter grass and a list of sight words used. Students reassemble the eggs to spell the sight words.

ABC: Egg Sight Word Spelling--Buy a few fancy plastic eggs. Write a sight word on the outside of each egg. Inside the eggs, place plastic letter tiles to spell the sight word. Students empty an egg and spell the sight word.

Games: Easter Bingo from DLTK-Cards

Rain

ABC Center: Raindrop/Umbrella Match Up--Students read the words on the umbrellas and match them to the raindrops.

CVC Words

Silent E Words

Math: Rainy Day Counting Books--Students use ink pads to make fingerprint raindrops on each page.

Sets of 4 to 8

Sets of 12 to 16

One Stormy Night

Day 1: Read the story. As a class complete a story map: Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution, Ending

Day 2: Reread the story. Divide students into 2 groups...one group reads the story (narration) and the other reads the sounds. Locate sight words within the story and highlight with highlighting tape. Students locate the sight words in the word find.

Day 3: Reread the story. Dramatize the story using instruments for the sounds (maracas for rain, wood sticks for shutters, etc). Have students retell the story as you record it on chart paper. Reread the summary together. Have students sequence the story independently by sequencing the pictures.

Story Sequencing    Story Sequencing Pictures

Day 4: Reread story adding actions for each page. Locate the words "flap" and "tap" in the text. Put those word cards in the pocket chart and have children tell you what they notice (rhyming, same letters at the end). Use letter cards to build other "ap" words. Have students use stamps to complete "ap" books (fold in half horizontally then vertically).

ABC: Raindrop Rhyming--students glue raindrops under cloud to show rhyming groups (uses -an and -ug word families).

Math: Give each child a copy of the Raindrop Coloring page and a die with numbers 1-3 (2 of each). Students take turns rolling the die and coloring the number of raindrops indicated. They continue until someone fills their page to win. (You can use this as a reading game by having children read a word before rolling the die).

ABC: Children cut out the raindrop letters to spell the words.

CVC words   Silent E words

Seeds/Flowers

ABC Center: /ee/Words Stamping--Students use letter stamps (or letter tiles) to spell words with the "ee" spelling.

Easy Version ("ee" and "eed")

Hard Version ("eed", "eet", "eep")

Math: Seed Scoop--Provide students with 2 types of seeds (you can use beans as the seeds). Have students use a spoon to scoop a mixture of the seeds. Students count and record the number of each type of seed and the total number of seeds (this can be done as addition sentences).

Recording Sheet

Art: Have students cut 5 hands out of colored construction paper (red, yellow, blue, purple, pink, orange). Provide strips of green construction paper and have students cut out 2 hands from green construction paper. Cut the thumbs off of these. Glue the pieces together to make a flower.

Directions

Writing: "My Seed" book (based on The Seed)--Students write and glue the missing words to complete the book.

Printable Book

Cut/Glue Pieces

The Seed

Day 1: Access prior knowledge about seeds/plants...have students share experiences with gardens, planting, etc. Read the story modeling reading strategies. After reading p 15, stop to have students predict what will happen at the end. Optional: record predictions on chart.

Day 2: Review the concept of "setting". Show students pictures of various settings. Have students identify the setting of each picture. Reread the story. Have students identify the 3 settings used in the story. Complete a chart showing the settings and what the characters did in each setting (see page 6 of teacher's guide for example).

Day 3: Reread the story. Have volunteers read the parts of the characters. Use Wiki-Sticks to identify the quotation marks throughout the story. Have volunteers choose pictures of different plants from a bag and dictate sentences telling what they will grow in their gardens using the pattern "I will grow a __," said ____. Write the sentences on chart paper using different colors to highlight the quotation marks. Have students write their own sentences telling what they will grow following the same pattern. Use dry macaroni for the quotation marks.

Day 4:  Reread the story. Have students act out the story (provide props). Ask volunteers to recall events from the beginning, middle, and end of the story to write a summary as a class. Have individuals complete the summary paper to show beginning, middle, and end.

Summary Paper     Pictures for Summary

Day 5: (Science Connection) Read a nonfiction book about plants and growing. Show students a model of a plant showing the parts (seeds, petals/flower, stem, leaves, roots). Label the model together. Consider have students examine a real plant as well to identify the parts. Sing the "Parts of Plants" song. Have students create their own diagram of a plant using art materials: provide beads for seeds, tissue paper for petals, a craft stick for stem, green tissue paper for leaves, and yarn for roots (see examples on the site below). Students cut and glue labels to show the parts. You can download and print a model of a plant along with some games that will teach the parts of a plant at this site: Parts of a plant and their functions

Extra Lesson: (Science Connection) Read a nonfiction book about planting and growing (or reread book from Day 5). Discuss the growth of a plant. Sing the "Growing Flowers" song. Have students act out the parts...pretend to be a seed and grow like a flower. Have students sequence the growth of a flower on a sentence strip and label. Staple together to make a hat.

Sequencing Pictures

Math: "Plant a Garden" (see Math Activities page)

ABC: /ow/ Flowers--Students cut and glue the petals with /ow/ pictures onto the flower and then write the words.

Science: Have students plant seeds in large Styrofoam cups (poke holes in the bottom).
Sing the song "This is the Way We Plant Our Seeds". As a class, decide what steps to take to plant the seeds. Have students dictate steps as you write them on chart paper. Have volunteers draw pictures to accompany the steps. Have students follow the steps to plant seeds (try miniature sunflowers).

Science: Place a variety of seeds in your science center along with magnifying glasses and sorting mats. Provide a poster that identifies each type of seed (you can use the seed packets for this). Have students explore and sort the seeds.

Science: Lifecycle Puzzles (see Science Center Activities)

Science: Plant Parts Match Up--small group game (see Science Center Activities)

**Weekly Journal Prompts**

Have students glue the prompts into their journal and then write/draw a response.