Author Christine Clemente Stack Illustrator Jenny Campbell Editorial/Art Director Karen Sevaly Graphic Designers Cory Jackson Jim Sevaly Look for the entire series of Teacher’s Friend Early Childhood Theme Books at your local school supplier. Copyright © 2001 All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-439-50008-7 Reproduction of these materials for commercial resale or distribution to an entire school or school/library district is strictly prohibited. Pages may be duplicated for one individual classroom set only. Materials may not be reproduced for other purposes without the prior written permission of the publisher. Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Table of Contents How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Everything You Need to Know About The Ocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Literature List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Dictation and/or Creative Writing Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Clip Art Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Awards and Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Songs, Poems and Fingerplays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Activities and Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Patterns and Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Bulletin Board Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 My Book About The Ocean! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Goodies to Make and Eat! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 At Home with Ocean Adventures! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 About the Author Christine Clemente Stack is from a suburban community in upstate New York. She holds permanent certification as a Special Education Teacher. As an educator for over twelve years, she has had the opportunity to spend many hours dedicated to the encouragement and enhancement of the development of young children. She has been engaged in several professional opportunities, including teacher, supervi- sor, presenter/trainer, facilitator, collaborator, mentor, Early Intervention Specialist, and Child Development Specialist. Her most rewarding aspect of each position has been the time spent with children and their families. She encourages you to enjoy this book and hopes that it will help you to better serve each young child in your care. Safety Warning! Parents and professionals should use their best judgment to determine whether a particular idea or suggestion would be appropriate to use with an individual child or group of children. It is important that children only use materials and products labeled child-safe and non-toxic. Small children should always be supervised by a competent adult and youngsters must never be allowed to put small objects or art materials in their mouths. Please consult the manufac- turer’s safety warnings on all materials and equipment used with young children. When using food products, make sure that you take into consideration any children’s allergies or food restrictions. Make sure that you take special note of the beliefs, values, and culture of the families you serve. 2 Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company INTRODUCTION 3 This 48 page thematic book about the ocean contains a collection of skill-based activities and ideas for children ages 3 to 6 years. The ideas and suggestions are based on the philosophy of developing the whole child through play, exploration and varied experiences. These activities should enhance the child’s ability to develop communication, motor/physical, cognitive, social/emotional, and adap- tive/self-help skills. The teacher should approach and implement the activities in a way that takes into consideration each child’s individual needs and abilities. Many of the activities have been organized to meet the criteria of the interest areas (centers) found in most early childhood classrooms. They include: • Art and Crafts • Library/Writing • Dramatic Play • Housekeeping • Math and Manipulatives • Sand and Water • Outdoor Play • Music and Movement • Computer Center • Blocks and Building • Table Toys • Cooking and Nutrition Opportunities to develop pre-literacy and literacy skills should be apparent in every center in the classroom. Using the activities in this book, children can explore the basic concepts of color, shape, number, quantity and position that naturally occur in a stimulating, early childhood environment. It is essential for early childhood educators to build each child’s vocabulary every day. It is one of the basic components needed by children in order for them to become successful learners and literate adults. In almost every activity throughout the day, there will be an occasion to incorporate infor- mation related to basic language concepts. With this book, one will discover activities and games which will allow the children to explore ideas and vocabulary which will help them develop essential skills. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK This resource book includes an array of ideas, activities and reproducible pages that you and other early childhood educators can utilize to develop stimulating activities around a given theme. The graphics, clip art, game ideas and other reproducible pages throughout the book are meant to be copied for individual classroom use. You may adapt or modify the ideas or instructions to best meet the developmental level of the children you serve. As a time saver, protect your work by laminating the products or placing the reproducible pages in plastic page protectors. The following describes each section and some helpful tips and hints regarding how to implement the ideas into your curriculum: Everything You Need to Know About… This section includes a number of interesting facts or points about the ocean in general. It also includes a list of websites that may be used as a resource for additional information on the topic. Dictation and/or Creative Writing Page Use this page for children to write their own words or stories. Make several copies and place them in your writing center with appropriate writing tools. Clip Art There are many uses for these cute, simple thematic illustrations. Each graphic can be enlarged or reduced to meet your individual needs. You can use the clip art illustrations in the following ways: In newsletters and notes In rebus recipe charts In thank you notes On rebus stories or letters On song charts On homemade games In experiential charts or books In each center or area With your calendar As part of your routine chart On charts and bulletin boards On rewards/certificates Library and Writing Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company 4 Awards and Certificates Use these cute, thematic certificates to reward children or thank volunteers. You can use the awards to: Recognize accomplishments Praise good deeds Identify strengths Recognize good sportsmanship Support teamwork Thank volunteers Acknowledge acts of kindness Support positive behavior Acknowledge good choices Thematic Literature List This list of children’s literature with the theme of the ocean includes books to read to the class, picture books, and books for beginning readers. A list of vocabulary words pertinent to the theme of the ocean is also included. Here are a few tips for reading books aloud: • Select good, well written and illustrated books • Position yourself so that each child can see the book • Review some of the words in the book before you read it • Change the intonation of your voice to dramatize the story • Read leaving words out to elicit responses from children • Point out beginning consonant sounds (phoneme) and connect it with the letter (symbol) • Comment on words that rhyme • Point out the title, author and illustrator • Point to words from left to right and top to bottom, etc. • Keep the children on track - listening to the story • Ask "wh" questions - "what, where, why, when" • Expand on the concepts in the book in other centers • Repeat readings of the same story Songs, Poems and Fingerplays Songs and fingerplays are an essential piece of an early childhood curriculum. These simple thematic jingles are set to familiar children’s songs. Short poems and fingerplays are also included in this section. They help children to learn about the rhythm and rhyme of our language. (Copies of the songs and poems can be shared with parents and used at home.) The songs can be written on large poster board so that children, families and volunteers can follow along. Clip art pictures can be added in place of words to create a rebus song chart. Develop a song basket filled with copies of each song. (Song cards can be made by copying each song to a large index card. Glue a clip art pic- ture to the back of each card and laminate for durability. Place the song cards in a large basket for children to easily select a song they wish to sing.) Activities and Games These skill-based activities and games can be used with the entire class, small groups of children or by individual children. The activities have been organized as they relate to interest centers typical- ly found in the early childhood classroom. Use the ideas and activities in each section to facilitate the following skill development and concepts: exploring emotions practicing skills vocabulary development dress-up & make believe sharing & turn-taking using imagination using creativity imitation social skill development acting out life experiences resolving conflicts self-help skills pretend play & role play receptive & expressive language development Library and Writing Music and Movement Dramatic Play Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company 5 & Field Trips exercise exploration gross-motor skills social skills following directions teamwork trying new things fair play & sportsmanship building concepts (Science) using math & science tools following directions time & space social skills cognitive skill development findings & predictions language skills math concepts & properties living & non-living thing visual-perceptual skills position, quality & quantity gathering information measurement relationships recording information turn-taking experimentation & exploration learning properties of substances learning about your surroundings number, letter, shape recognition and matching gross-motor development singing & vocal expression beat following directions rhyme & rhythm math skills movement of body parts exploration of emotions pre-literacy skills language skills individual expression imitation literacy skills use of writing tools retelling stories sound-symbol relationships exploring books following directions creative writing self-expression attention span concept & vocabulary development looking at, listening to and participating in stories Patterns and Crafts This section includes several patterns or craft ideas to utilize in your art center. One must always consider that, for the young artist and creator, the “process” is much more important than the product. The young artist develops skills in several development domains. Use the ideas and activi- ties in this section to facilitate the following skill development and concepts: creativity pre-literacy skills exploration & experimentation unique products learning properties of substances using drawing, writing and cutting tools building self-esteem finding new ways to use materials building fine motor skills manipulation of various materials following directions Bulletin Board Ideas Several suggestions are included for creating interesting and informative bulletin boards based upon the theme of the ocean and can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom. Here are a few tips: Keep them neat and professional looking Display children’s unique creations Display photos of kids at play & work Change the boards periodically Display magazine pictures of "real" things Use neat and concise letters & writing Keep them current to theme or activities of the program Display at the appropriate height for children’s viewing Display higher for family members and volunteers Math and Manipulatives Music and Movement Library and Writing Arts and Crafts Outdoor Play Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company 6 My Book About… Make copies of the pages in this section to create an interesting book about the ocean for your young learners. Simply duplicate the pages, cut and assemble them by number. Attach the pages together with staples or brads. Laminate the front and back for durability. Children will enjoy lis- tening to the story and coloring the pages. Older children may have the skills to color, cut, assem- ble and read the story for themselves. Having children make their own book helps develop pre- emergent reading skills in early learners. Goodies to Make and Eat! The recipes found in this are devoted to cooking and nutrition. Clay or dough recipes, which you may use in your art or sensory area, are also included. The recipes can be copied onto poster board, large sheets of paper, or recipe-sized cards so that children, families and volunteers can follow along. You may want to add clip art pictures in place of words to create rebus recipe charts. Use the recipes in this section to facilitate these developmental skills: following directions performing activities in sequential order cooperating with others manners and taking turns counting & measurement concepts use of simple kitchen utensils sensory exploration of foods observation of food in different forms pre-literacy and literacy skills practicing different food preparations At Home With… This section is meant to provide families with ideas and activities to do at home with their children. These activities will help to encourage communication between family member and child, as well as support the skill development of the child. The activities should be optional for those families who wish to and have the time to participate. Educators may wish to incorporate the ideas into their newsletters or simply attach the "At Home With… " sheet to their notes. Parent/Family Involvement Throughout each theme book, educators will note the various opportunities to encourage parent/ family involvement. Communication between parents and the program is one key to increasing parent involvement. One mechanism to increase communication with parents is through notes or newslet- ters. Tips for Notes and Newsletters Make them visually appealing – add clip art Write blocks of information Be specific when referring to a day or time Typewritten or printed Write about each center, activity, or type of news Make it neat – professional Add a response sheet for parents Proof for typing errors Request assistance – parent volunteers for at least one activity Keep them easy to read – vocabulary/avoid lengthy sections Avoid using last names on general newsletters without permission Add questions for parents to ask their children to encourage conversation Note: All of the patterns and illustrations in this book can be enlarged to better suit the needs of young learners. Library and Writing Cooking and Nutrition Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company The "Ocean" Facts There are four oceans: Pacific (largest), Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic. They are all connected into one enormous ocean that covers twice as much of the Earth as does land surfaces. Many people use the terms “sea” and “ocean” to mean the same thing. But scientists use the term ”sea” to define parts of an ocean that are nearest to land. Seawater tastes salty because rain has washed the salt off of rocks near rivers, streams and the ocean. The “salt” follows the currents and ends up in the sea. Sea salt is the same salt that we use every day to sprinkle on our foods. Sand is made from tiny pieces of rocks, seashells and coral. Beaches can be tan, yellow, black, pinkish-red/white, or green. The bottom of the ocean is covered with rocks, sand and seaweed near the shore. However, in the middle of the ocean the bottom is covered with red clay. The depth does not allow the sunlight in, so it is dark and cold, the plants are white and the fish have to “see” by smelling and touch- ing. The fish in the deepest parts of the ocean have huge jaws and strange appearances. Some of the animals that live in the ocean have shells for shelter and protection. Examples: scallop, clam, crab, lobster and snail. There are many different fish, mammals and other animals that live in the sea. Here is some information on just a few of them: Fish (in general): Fish use their muscles, tails and fins to swim, balance and change direction. Fish need oxygen to stay alive, so they must breathe underwater. They use their gills to get the oxygen. The fish let water enter through their mouths. The water is pushed out through their gills. The gills absorb the oxygen and it is carried by the bloodstream to all parts of the fish. The fastest fish is the sailfish, which can swim about 65 mph. Stingray: This is a flat, brown or grayish colored, diamond shaped creature with a long tail. The tail has sharp spines that are used to sting predators. They glide along the ocean shores stirring up food for themselves and other sealife. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT "THE OCEAN" 7 Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company 8 Walrus: This sea mammal is approximately 14 ft. long, weighs up to 3 tons and has flippers. They use their ivory tusks to get mates, for climbing onto ice, for protection, and to anchor themselves in the sand while they dig for clams. A walrus can walk on all fours on land and move as fast as people. They live in herds in the thousands. Seal: This sea mammal has a silver-toned oily fur and layers of blubber (fat). They can weigh about 4 tons. They are slow movers on land, dragging their bodies around. They are often found laying in the sun in huge groups. There are different types of seals (Sea Lions – ears out- side their heads and True Seals – no outer ear). Great White Shark: This large and powerful fish can weigh from 5,000 to over 7,000 lbs. It has rows of sharp, jagged teeth that are used to get their prey. As the teeth wear down, they fall out and new sharp teeth grow in. They live between 30 and 50 years. Crab: This sea creature is covered in a hard shell and has five pairs of jointed legs. Its first pair of legs have large claws. They use the claws to attract mates, defend themselves, and get food. They range in size from 1 in. to 12 ft. long. Dolphins: This small-toothed whale is a mammal. They breathe through a blowhole on top of their head. They have long narrow bodies, flippers on their sides, and fins on their backs. They are very social animals and many have been trained. Seahorse: This sea creature has a head that looks like a horse. It is about 5 in. long and uses its tail to hold onto plants. It has a spiny coat for protection. Jellyfish: Some types of this soft-bodied animal have poisonous tentacles that sting their prey. Octopus: This soft-bodied sea creature has eight large tentacles with suckers. They use the suckers to stick to rocks, catch food, and move along the ocean floor. Look for more interesting information on the following websites: www.aza.org www.animaladventures.com www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/ Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Thematic Literature List 9 Barlowe, Sy. 101 Questions about the Seashore. Dover Publications, 1998 Bokoske, Sharon and Davidson, Margaret. Dolphins! Step Into Reading Ser. #2. Random House Books For Young Readers, 1993 Craig, Janet. Discovering Whales and Dolphins.Troll Communications L.L.C., 1990 Ehlert, Lois. Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On . Scholastic, Inc., 1990 Elffers, Joost and Freymann, Saxton. One Lonely Seahorse. Scholastic, Inc., 2000 Ganeri, Anita. I Wonder Why The Sea Is Salty . New York: Kingfisher Publications, 1995 Morris, Robert A. The Dolphin, I Can Read Books. Harper Collins Children’s Book Group, 1983 O’Brien, Teresa. Animals of The Ocean. Maine: Flying Frog Publishing, 1997 Pallotta, Jerry. Going Lobstering. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc., 1990 Ward, Nathalie. Do Whales Ever…? What You Really Want to Know About Whales, Porpoises, and Dolphins. Down East Books, 1997 Ziefert, Harriet. Bob and Shirley: A Tale of Two Lobsters. Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1999 Concepts & Vocabulary aquarium dolphin seahorse shrimp walrus clams fish seal snail whale claws jellyfish seaweed starfish coral lobster shark stingray crab scallops shells tentacles sand gills Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company 10 Dictation and/or Creative Writing Page Name Date Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company [...]... “What We Know About Ocean Animals.” Hint: Use the information on pages 7-8, “Everything You Need to Know About….The Ocean. ” Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 28 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 29 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 30 © Teacher's... OCEAN CLIP ART! Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 11 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Name Name What You Can a Great Do Reader! It! Date Date Teacher Teacher Whale of a Student! awarded to Teacher Date Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 12 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Songs, Poems and... finds a square block or points to a square window Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 20 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company (Science) Armored (with shell) or Not! Look at the picture and draw a Math and Manipulatives around the animals that have shells Color the pictures Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 21 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Math and Manipulatives... Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 26 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing O-C-E-A-N Strips Copy this page and have children practice writing the letters O-C-E-A-N You may want to laminate the completed page and have the children trace over the letters using wipe off markers or crayons O C E A N O C E A N O C E A N Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 27 © Teacher's... written on the plate Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 16 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company (Science) Matching Number Whales! Copy the following "Whale Squares" onto heavy paper Color, laminate and cut the pictures below into individual squares Math and Manipulatives l 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 l0 ll l2 Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 17 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company... silly seahorses sipping soda Lazy lobsters laid on the land Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 31 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing Four funny fish found a funny eel Diving dolphins dined on donuts Seven silver seals sitting in the sun Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 32 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing Wally the walrus... top pocket and your thumb in the bottom Step 1 Step 2 Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures Step 3 34 Step 4 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Arts and Crafts Walrus Puppet Copy the walrus body parts onto construction paper and glue them onto a paper bag as shown Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 35 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Arts and Crafts Lobster Puppet... Scholastic Company Songs, Poems and Fingerplays Music and Movement Three Big Blue Whales Three big blue whales swimming in the ocean, One swam away and then there were two, Two big blue whales swimming in the ocean, One swam away and then there was one, One big blue whale swimming in the ocean, He swam away and then there was none……… The Little Bitty Seahorse (Tune: The Itsy Bitsy Spider) The little bitty... Friend, a Scholastic Company Library and Writing Learning About Animals that Live in the Ocean Display the 11 different ocean animal pictures below horizontally across the class board (If you have clear magazine pictures, use them instead.) The teacher tells the children that all the pictures are animals that live in the ocean Then, the teacher asks or tells the children the names of each animal The teacher... When I go out to sea, I rest my head On a sand and coral bed Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures 14 © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company Dramatic Play ACTIVITIES AND GAMES Fill the dramatic play area with the following items: different sized, colored and shaped stuffed or plastic/rubber fish or ocean animals; fish type puppets; fish, mermaid, or pirate/captain/sailor type costumes; fish . along the ocean floor. Look for more interesting information on the following websites: www.aza.org www.animaladventures.com www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/ Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures ©. glide along the ocean shores stirring up food for themselves and other sealife. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT "THE OCEAN& quot; 7 Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's. Nutrition Early Childhood Thematic Books: Ocean Adventures © Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company The " ;Ocean& quot; Facts There are four oceans: Pacific (largest), Atlantic, Indian,