Early Learning Lesson

Peanut Butter Rocks

Keep these " rocks" in the refrigerator for hungry explorers.

Note: Check for allergies before beginning any cooking activity. An allergic reaction can occur through taste, smell, or contact with allergens.

The recipe makes about 5 dozen rocks.

What You Need:

• ½ cup (112 g) of peanut butter
• small can (5 ounces or 147 g) of evaporated milk
• ½ cup (112 g) of brown sugar
• 1 cup (250 g) of marshmallows
• 2 cups (80 g) of Cocoa Krispies®
• 3 cups (150 g) of Toasted Oatmeal Squares®, crushed.
  To crush the oatmeal squares: Put 1 cup (50 g) of squares in a small plastic bag. Hold the bag on the floor. Gently step on the bag to crush the squares.
• handful of shelled sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup (56 g) mini-chocolate chips

What You Do:

1. Combine peanut butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, and marshmallows in a small microwave-safe bowl.
2. Cook in the microwave, full power, for 60 seconds. Stir. Cook 60 seconds more. Stir well.
3. In a large bowl combine cereal, seeds, and chips. Pour peanut butter mixture over the top and stir until well mixed.
4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

From Teaching Young Children (EMC 4506)

Kindergarten Connection

"Little Robin Redbreast"

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree,
Up went the Pussy-Cat, and down went he,
Down came Pussy-Cat, away Robin ran;
Says little Robin Redbreast: "Catch me if you can!"
Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a spade,
Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and then he was afraid.
Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did Pussy say?
Pussy-Cat said: "Mew, mew, mew,"
and Robin flew away.

Making the Connection:

Developing vocabulary:

1. Discuss any words in the rhyme that may be unfamiliar to your students. Relate the words' meanings to your students' lives. For example, you might say, "Have you ever dug a hole in the dirt with a shovel? Another word for shovel is spade."
2. Help students learn to read the words "up" and "down" by writing them on index cards, two for each student.

• Give simple directions orally, using the word cards at the same time. For example:
  "Stand up." Students hold up their "up" card.
  "Put your book down." Students hold up their "down" card.
• When your students are ready, use the cards alone to foster their sight word vocabulary.

Comparing:
Spend some time comparing the two animals in the rhyme.

Talk about "more" and "less." If your students are ready, use numbers for comparison.

"The cat has more legs than the bird."
"The cat has two more legs than the bird."

From Reading Readiness Essentials, Learning with Nursery Rhymes (EMC 741)

Word of the Week

beverage
noun
A beverage is something to drink.

The Hawaiian restaurant was famous for its fruit beverages.

Which of the following are beverages?

• tea
• milk
• pudding
• potato chips
• hot chocolate

Name a beverage you have at each meal. What is your favorite beverage?

From A Word a Day, Grades 1-3 (EMC 2717)

Ten-Minute Activity

Alphabet Chains

Materials:

• chalkboard
• chalk
• 1" x 6" (2.5 x 15 cm) strips of paper
• glue
  

Here's How:

1. On the chalkboard, list several spelling or vocabulary words you want your students to alphabetize. Younger students should use words that start with different letters and alphabetize to the first letter only. Older students may use words that can be alphabetized to the second, third, or fourth letter.
2. A student writes each of the words in the center of a different strip of paper, and then lays them in alphabetical order. Partners check each other's work.
3. Students glue the first strip end-to-end to make a circle and then glue each consecutive strip onto the last to make an alphabetical chain.
   

Variation
Make chains of compound words by writing the first word of the compound on the first strip. Students then chain on words that can make compounds with that word.

Examples:
air--p***, port, tight
back--pack, yard, bone, ache, ground
book--mark, store, seller
home--work, made, sick
in--door, field, side, to
snow--man, ball, flake, plow, storm
some--place, day, time, where, thing
water--color, fall, melon, front

From Ten-Minute Activities, Grades 1-3 (EMC 784)

Word of the Week

ignorance
noun
a lack of knowledge

I decided to overcome my ignorance of computer programming and take a class.

Which word or words mean about the same thing as ignorance?

• complete understanding
• lack of awareness
• comprehension
• misinformation
• cluelessness

What is the best way to overcome ignorance?

From A Word a Day, Grades 4-8 (EMC 2718)

Ten-Minute Activity

Letter Ghosts
Materials:

• chalkboard or overhead projector
• paper
• pencils

Here's How:

1. Divide the class into two teams.
2. Teams brainstorm and record as many "ghostly" words as they can that have silent letters.
3. Team 1 writes a word on the board or overhead projector.
4. Team 2 writes the next word.
5. The teams take turns writing the words until a team runs out of ghostly words.
6. The group that writes the last word is the winner.

Game Rules
Ghostly letters are seen and never heard. Blends like "ch" don't count. The "h" in ghost is a good example. Words can't be repeated.

Variation
Each student writes a ghostly word on white paper. The silent letters are written with white crayon and then outlined with black; the other letters are written in different colors. The words may be decorated or illustrated. Display the results.

From Ten-Minute Activities, Grades 4-6 (EMC 785)

Science Activity

Sound
Physical Science
Process Skill: Inferring

Sound is a form of energy. Sound is produced by vibrating objects. As the objects vibrate, they push on the particles of air that surround them. The air particles move away from the object in waves. When the sound waves reach our ears, we hear a sound.

• With your group, brainstorm a list of familiar sounds. List each sound on a chart. Next to each sound, infer what object was vibrating to make the sound.

From Science Cooperative Learning Cards (EMC 5006)