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Literacy Prop-Box Lesson Plan

Cody Polk
Objectives:
Have students explore through play the role of a farmer and their daily activities.
Have students read books that entertain as well as inform them about agriculture, farming
concepts, and animals.
Develop and widen students use of concept based vocabulary routed in farms and farm
animals.
Spectrum of Vocabulary:
Students will range from knowing nothing about farming to understanding the concepts of
advanced farming vocabulary. For example, some students may have never seen a pig or cow
before. Others may have seen the animals and are able to associate words with what they
represent. Students may also know advanced farming vocabulary such as silo, tractor, and
compost.
Examples of related vocabulary (not animals): Barn, tractor, hay, wheat, field, milk, sunrise,
sundown, rain, weather, plow, till.
These all can be related to farming and the role the child is taking part in, along with many other
words not listed.
Materials Used:
Green felt (representing grass)
Brown felt (representing dirt or field)
Blue felt (water)
Farm animal figures (two of each: pig, cow, chicken, horse, goat, sheep, and dog)
Small toy barn
Several small rocks
Hay (made from brown and yellow paper shreds for allergy concerns)
2 Straw hats and overalls (for the child to dress the role of running the farm)
Introduction to Play:
The activity would start by reading the book, Pete the Cat: Old McDonald Had a Farm. This
book uses a classic farm based song to engage children with various animal noises they can
repeat in order to increase their interactivity in play and read aloud time. Children enjoy making
animal noises while singing the song, which in turn will lead to overall engagement. The book
and song also help with recognition of animals who live on a farm so they are able to use these
ideas and concepts in their play. Students will then be able to interact through play being a
farmer and using the animal sounds to portray the animals on their farm. After the book is
finished, two students at a time will be allowed to play with each prop-box. In theory, there will
be enough prop-boxes for the class.
Open Ended Questions:
How are the cows doing today?
Do you think it will rain?

What are you planting?


Can I buy any corn, eggs, or milk?
Songs and Rhymes:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Old MACDONALD had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a cow
E-I-E-I-O
With a moo moo here
And a moo moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo moo
Old MacDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
Old MACDONALD had a farm
E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a pig
E-I-E-I-O
With a oink oink here
And a oink oink there
Here a oink, there a oink
Everywhere a oink oink
Old MacDonald had a farm
*Continued for various farm animals
Retrieved from: https://kidsongs.com/lyrics/old-macdonald-had-a-farm.html/

Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks, that I once knew,


Fat were three and skinny were two.
But the big mother duck with the feathers on her back,
She ruled her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.
Quack, quack, quack. Quack, quack, quack,
She ruled her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.
Down to the water, they would go,
Waddle, waddle, waddle, to and fro.
But the big mother duck with the feathers on her back,
She ruled her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.
Quack, quack, quack. Quack, quack, quack.
She ruled her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.

They swam around here and there.


They bobbed for food, everywhere.
But the big mother duck with the feathers on her back,
She ruled her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.
Quack, quack, quack. Time to go back.
She told her ducklings with a quack, quack, quack.
Retrieved from: http://www.preschoolexpress.com/music_station07/farm-songs-sep07.shtml
Related Books:
Bogan, P. (2009). Lulu the big little chick. New York: Bloomsbury.
Cronin, D., Lewin, B., & Potash, D. (2004). Duck for President. New York: Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers
Cronin, D., & Lewin, B. (2000). Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. New York: Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Dean, J. (2016). Pete the cat: Old McDonald had a farm. New York: Harper
Himmelman, J. (2010). Pigs to the rescue. New York: Henry Holt.
Huneck, S. (2002). Sally goes to the farm. New York: Abrams.
Rice, D. (2012). A visit to a farm. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials.
Richardson, J. (2001). Grunt. New York: Clarion Books.
Wilson, K., & Hall, M. (2010). The Cow Loves Cookies. New York: Margaret K. McElderry
Books

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