Focus Lesson Planning Sheet
Focus Lesson Looking for letters we know in familiar charts
and books: letter M through shared reading
Topic
and literacy centers
Materials
Book – Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Story written on chart paper, Markers, pencils, scissors
Strategy Center – M picture cards with words, M
handout
Book Center – copy of the words from “Five little
monkeys jumping on the bed”, words from “Five little
sitting in a tree “
Topic Center – Monkey pictures matching handout
Connection
So far in kindergarten we’ve learned a lot of letters. We’ve learned
the letters ______.
1 minute
Explicit
Instruction
5-10 minutes
Today, we’re going to be working on the letter M. Teacher writes
the letter M on the board.
There are lots of words we know that begin with the letter M.
There’s the word Monday, mom, Mrs., and math. All of these words
begin with the letter M. Today, I’m going to read the story “Five
Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” to you. As I’m reading this
story I want you to listen and try to hear any words that may begin
with the letter M.
Teacher reads story.
Guided
Practice
5 minutes
Now let’s reread this story one more time but now we are going to
read it together. I know that we are good readers so I want to hear
from everyone.
Now let’s search through this text and find different words that
began with the letter M and let’s circle them on our chart. I’ll show
you how to do this.
Teacher searches through text and models how to find words that
begin with letter M and circles the word.
Then, teacher asks students to find others words that began with
the letter M. Students come up and circle words beginning with the
letter M. (monkey, Mama, more, monkeys)
Send Off [for
Independent
Practice]
Now you will be going off to different literacy centers in the
classroom. Don’t worry – you will all have an opportunity to visit each
of the centers at some point, so don’t rush to get through all of
them today. I want to see your best work.
The first center (strategy center) is where you will be working on
the letter M and naming different pictures that begin with the /M/
sound. Then there is a special monkey activity for you to work on
where you will get to illustrate a monkey jumping on something that
begins with the letter M.
The second center (book center) is where you will have the
opportunity to sing and learn the gestures to the words from the
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed” but also to another song
that is similar called “Five little monkeys sitting in a tree.”
The last center (topic center) is matching activity where you will
get to cut out different words from the book and match it to the
correct number on monkeys.
Group Share
Choose one student to share their work from each of the centers.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
By: Eileen Christelow
It was bedtime.
So five little monkeys took a bath.
Five little monkeys put on their pajamas.
Five little monkeys brushed their teeth.
Five little monkeys said good night to their mama.
Then five little monkeys jumped on the bed! One fell off and
bumped his head. The mama called the doctor. The doctor
said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
So four little monkeys jumped on the bed. One fell off and
bumped his head. The mama called the doctor. The doctor
said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
So three little monkeys jumped on the bed. One fell off and
bumped her head. The mama called the doctor. The doctor
said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
So two little monkeys jumped on the bed. One fell off and
bumped his head. The mama called the doctor. The doctor
said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
So one little monkey jumped on the bed. She fell off and
bumped her head. The mama called the doctor. The doctor
said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
So five little monkeys fell fast asleep. “Thank goodness!” said
the mama. “Now I can go to bed!”
Name: _____________________________________
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Cut out each box.
Match words to pictures.
Glue your answers.
1 little monkey
2 little monkeys
3 little monkeys
4 little monkeys
5 little monkeys
magnet
mouse
mitten
mop
mitt
microphone
moon
mountain