Letter C: Cars, Cats, Cows & Cookies Storytime Lesson Plan

Letter "C" for Cars, Cats, Cows & Cookies!

Books

My Car by Byron Barton, Greenwillow, 2011. *Note: Also available board book-lap edition for baby/lapsit programs. 

Brownie & Pearl Go for a Spin by Cynthia Rylant, Beach Lane Books, 2012. *Note: Also available as an early reader.

What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas, Harcourt, 2007. 

Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? by by Bill Martin Jr, Two Lions, 2008. *Note: Also available as a board book for baby/lapsit programs.

Toot Toot Beep Beep! by Emma Garcia, Boxer Books, 2008. *Note: Also available as a board book for baby/lapsit programs.

Moo!- by David LaRochelle, Bloomsbury/Walker Books for Young Readers, 2013. *Note: Also available as board book. Awards & Honors:  2014 Minnesota Book Award winner, 2014 Minnesota Once Upon a Reader book selection, 2015 Minnesota Star of the North Children's Choice Picture Book Award

The Cow Loves Cookies!- by Karma Wilson, Simon & Shuster/Margaret K McElderry, 2010.

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont, Henry Holt and Company, 2008. 

The Duckling Gets a Cookie? by Mo Willems, Hyperion Books for Children, 2012.

Mr. Cookie Baker? by Monica Wellington, Dutton Childrens Books, 2006. Note: Also available as a board book for baby/lapsit programs.

Songs

"I Know a Chicken"- Laurie Berkner, The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band (3:14). Note: Hand out shaker eggs

"Wiggy Wiggy Wiggles" - by Hap Palmer, Sally the Swinging Snake (2:29)

Fingerplays/Action Rhymes

"Driving Round In My Little Red Car"   Storytime Katie Blog, accessed 9/22/15

Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Driving round in my little red car
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep

(Repeat with other colors, have children pretend to drive)

"Where is Big Cat?" Miss Katie's Storytime Wiki, accessed 9/22/2015

 [To the tune of "Where Is Thumbbkin"]

Where Is Big cat, where is big cat? (hide thumbs behind back)

Here I am, here I am (bring thumbs out one at a time)

How are you today, cat?  (wiggle one thumb)

Very well I thank you (wiggle other thumb)

Meow, Meow, Meow (put thumb behind back)

Meow, Meow, Meow (put other thumb behind back)

[Repeat with "little cat" using pinkie finger)

Props

Egg Shakers, accessed 9/22/15 from Lakeshore Learning

Flannel Story: "Do You Have the Cookie? "

Set up: Hide the "cookie" behind one of the cows and have kids help you guess which cow the cookie is hiding behind. Before you look have them sing the following rhyme with you. Repeat with each guess/colored cow until you find the cookie.

 Do  You Have the Cookie?

Blue Cow,  Blue Cow,

Do you have the cookie now?  [lift up the blue cow to look for cookie]

Other

Opening Song: "If You're Ready for a Story Find a Seat"

If you're ready for a story find a seat (clap, clap)

If you're ready for a story find a seat  (clap, clap)

If you're ready for a story check your hands (hold up your hands)

And check your feet (touch your feet)

If you're ready for a story find a seat. (clap, clap)

 *Use this song to indicate beginning on storytime and for everyone to find a seat and stop pre program chatter

Opening Song:"Hello Everybody"

Hello everybody and how are you, how are you, how are you? [wave]

Hello everybody and how are you, how are you today?

Hello every and touch your nose, touch your nose, touch your nose, [touch nose]

Hello everybody and touch your nose, touch your nose today. 

Hello everybody and touch your toes, touch your toes, touch your toes [touch toes]

Hello everybody and touch your toes, touch your toes today.

*Sing this once everyone is seated and before you introduce yourself and official welcome everyone. 

Credit: Adapted fromJbrary, accessed 9/27/2015

5 Practices Song: Sing Talk Read Write Play

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play

Growing Readers Day by Day

*Use this after your early literacy message in beginning of storytime

Credit: Saroj Ghoting "Star Power" Every Child Ready to Read training and adapted from Salt Lake City Public Library, accessed 9/27/2015

Closing Song: "Goodbye Everybody"

Goodbye everybody we'll see you soon, see you soon, see you soon.

Goodbye everybody we'll see you soon, on another day. 

Credit: Adapted fromJbrary, accessed 9/27/2015

Every Child Ready to Read Practices/Skills

Singing—Lots of opportunities to sing and listen to music  are incorporated in this plan. Invite children and caregivers to join you.
Talk— Use the books, particularly otherwise simple books such as Moo! to start conversations about the pictures in the book and what they think might be happening in the story.  Highlight interactive books such as Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? Ask questions related to the themes: What's your favorite cookie? Where do cows live?  Talk about different kinds of cookies or other animals that start with the letter "C".
Read— Ask children to help you "read" Moo!, trace fingers along repeated phrases in the The Cow Loves Cookies
Write— Have children practice tracing (in the air) the letter of the day after you introduce it. Write the upper and lowercase letter on a white board.
Play— Children will play by participating in the action rhymes, shaking eggs along with the Laurie Berkner song, and playing the "Who Has the Cookie" guessing game with the cow flannel.

Possible ECRR Asides to Parents & Caregivers

"All of our storytimes are based on early literacy best practices. Early literacy includes all of the important skills that your child needs in order to formally learn how to read later when they enter school. It is the foundation for later reading success. Researchers have identified 5 different practices that you can do with your child to help them get ready to learn how to read. Those activities are Singing, Talking, Reading, Writing and Playing.  Many of these practices you're probably already doing with your child. That's great! I'd like to talk a little bit about why these activities are so important.  You might hear me mention these activities in more detail throughout the program."

"Playing "hide and seek" games like we did with the cow and the cookie is great way to sneak in playful learning throughout the day. While your child is having fun engaging in the game, they are also learning colors,  counting, vocabulary, and narrative structure"

"Giving your children access to a variety of of writing utensils is a great way to build  both print awareness and fine motor skills.  They will begin to recognize that the letters and words on a page correlate to the words that they hear. For young toddlers this might mean letting them scribble with crayons or sidewalk chalk on a warm summer day. These scribbles will turn into shapes, the shapes into letters, and the letters into words. Let them start exploring the progression of writing at a young age."

Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress

Language and Literacy Development:

Language comprehension

Artistic expression and interpretation

Vocabulary and syntax

Shape and picture recognition and interpretation

Motivation, engagement

Letter recognition

Concepts of print

Comprehension of narrative text

Storytime Implemented

Toddler Storytime, 20-30 minutes

Opening Song: "If You're Ready for a Story" 

Opening Hello Song: "Hello Everybody"

Early Literacy Main Message

Sing 5 Practices Song

Introduce Letter of the Day

Read  Book 1: " The Cow Loves Cookies"

Action Rhyme: "Driving in My Little Red Car"

Read Book 2 : Moo!

Flannel: "Blue Cow Do You Have the Cookie?"

Read Book 3: "My Car"

Song: "I Know a Chicken" with shakey eggs

Ending Song: Wiggy Wiggy Wiggles

Review Letter of the Day

Closing/Goodbye Song