Materials
Dramatic play items related to the current theme
Plastic storage container with lid
Instructions
1. This is a daily graphing activity to do during Circle Time.
2. To prepare for this activity, write a question on a sentence strip. For example,
to relate to a theme such as Transportation, ask, "Have you ever flown in an
airplane?", connect to the daily routine, "Did you bring your lunch from
home today?" or relate to a child, "Do you have a pet?" Use pictures or
graphics to help the children "read" the questions.
3. Attach the sentence strip to the top of the pocket chart.
4. Place YES and NO cards below the sentence strip to form what will become
two columns.
5. Write each child's name on index cards and put them on a table or chalkboard
ledge. (See the illustration on the next page.)
6. As each child enters the classroom, ask her to locate her name card, read the
question, and place her card in the appropriate column.
7. At Circle Time, discuss the graph. Begin by asking, "Who can read today's
question?" Encourage the children to share their observations, such as "more
people said NO" or "only two people said YES."
8. Then, guide the discussion to touch on a few concepts, such as counting,
more and less, identifying/reading each other's names, rhymes ("Who sees a
name that rhymes with MOO?"), syllabication ("Who sees a name with two
claps?"), first and last letters, positional words, and ordinal numbers. The list is
almost endless!
More to do
Write a question on the sentence strip that requires three or four columns, such
as "Which do you like best: APPLES, APPLE JUICE, or APPLESAUCE?" Extend the
activity to literature by asking, "Which story (or character) did you like best?"
(This activity is so well loved by the children that if I do not have time to put up
a question, they ask for one! Sometimes they even suggest their own questions.)
