BYU-Idaho Preschool Lesson Plan 

Lesson Plan #4 

Lab 1 
 
Pets 
 
Date: Monday May 13​th​, 2019 
Supervisor: Julee Dykes 
Lead Teacher: Keelie Potter 1 
 
Children Receiving Specific Focus Today: 
1. Miguel​-No info 
2. Raleigh​-Manipulatives  
3. Drake​-Gathering time 
4. Cora​-Transition from gathering time to self-selected  
5. Griffin​-No info 
 
 
Preassessment and Findings: 

During the home visits that we have accomplished, we have collected information that the 
majority of the children are interested in animals, especially animals that are considered pets. 
Peter​, ​Isaac​, and ​Paisley​ all verbalized that they love animals such as cats, dogs, and horses.  
Peter ​was asked in our home visit if he liked animals and he said, “I like kitties, doggies, and 
horses.” He was also able to make several animal sounds to me when I asked him the sounds 
that cats, dogs, and horses make. At ​Cora’s​ ​home visit, she was pretending to be a dog. ​Hawk’s 
parents reported in his paperwork that they have a dog and that he enjoys playing with his 
grandma’s cat. At ​Jacob’s​ home visit, he drew a giraffe, fish, and an elephant on the back of a 
piece of​ paper.  
The developmental focus for this day will be to work on fine motor development. There are 
many self-selected activities as well as small focus where the children will be able to use their 
pincer grasp to strengthen their fine motor skills. 
 
 
Ideas to be Emphasized and Overall Developmental Focus​: 
1. There are many different types of animals that you can have as pets​ ​such as cats, dogs, 
lizards, guinea pigs, horses, etc.  
2. There are many ways to take care of your pets such as feeding, petting, and bathing 
them. 
3. Today’s activities will focus on strengthening the children’s fine motor development.  
 
   

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 BYU-Idaho Preschool Lesson Plan 
Lesson Plan #4 
Lab 1 
Pets 
   

Date: Monday, May 13​th​, 2019 

Supervisor: Julee Dykes 
Lead Teacher: Keelie Potter 1st 
 
 
Ideas to be Emphasized and Overall Developmental Focus​: 
1. There are many different types of animals that you can have as pets.  
2. There are many ways to take care of your pets. 
3. The activities will focus on the different animals that can be kept as pets and there will be 
activities where children can learn the skills needed to successfully take care of your 
pets.  
 
 
Assignments:   
Self-Selected: All Check-in/Check-out: KD 
Small/Focus Groups: Amy Handwashing/Cubbies: Ivy/Amy 
Outdoor play: Julee/KD Photographer: Julee 
Snack: Ivy   
 
 
OPENING CIRCLE 8:20 – 8:35 a.m. 
Activity Name  Description  Materials 
Book:   I will read the book to engage the children right  Fritz’s Fish​ by Géraldine 
Fritz’s Fish​ (E8)  away.  Elschner (E8) 
Movement Activity:  We will sing and do animals actions along with  Kindle/Speaker 
“Slippery Fish”  the song.  
 
Phonemic  The children will sit together and close their eyes.  None 
Awareness:   A teacher will be chosen to stand somewhere in 
Animal Sounds  the classroom and say, “woof, woof” like a dog. 
The children will point in the direction of the 
sound and identify the animal sound. The 
children will improve their listening skills during this 
game.  
Music Activity or  We will sing the song and use the hand motions.   None 
Song or Fingerplay: 
“The Itsy Bitsy Spider” 
Age Appropriate  I will explain the rules of Simon Says, and then we  None 
Game: Simon Says  will play the game. I will explain that when you 
hear “Simon Says” you need to do what they tell 
you. I will have them do things such as putting 
their arms above their heads and jogging in 
place.  
 
 

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GATHERING TIME​ ​8:35 – 8:50 a.m. 

Activity Name  Description  Materials 

1.​ ​There are different  “Pets are animals that are tamed and that you  Guinea Pig 
types of animals that  can keep at your house, either inside or outside,   
can be kept as pets  and we have a special pet in our classroom!”   
such as geckos,  “Turn to a teacher and tell her about a pet that 
dogs, horses, cats,  you have or that your friend has.”  
and guinea pigs.   “Lots of people have cats or dogs as pets, but 
  there are many different types of animals that 
you can have as a pet. We can have animals 
such as fish, cats, dogs, horses, lizards, and 
guinea pigs! In our preschool we have pets that 
belong to all of us. We have a fish, gecko, and 
guinea pig. We take turns with the other classes 
taking care of the different class pets.”  
“I want to introduce our special friend to you 
today. My friend gets really nervous around 
people, so we need to try to be quiet so that he 
doesn’t get scared. I need you all to stay sitting 
on your pockets. Are you ready to see my first 
friend?”  
I will then get the guinea pig out of his cage and 
hold him with a towel.  
 
Drake​ will be able to work on his goal of sitting at 
an activity while he sits and participates in the 
gathering time alongside his peers.  
2.​ ​There are different  “There are certain ways that we take care of our  Glitch 
ways to take care of  different pets. How do you take care of your pet  Water Bottle 
different pets.   at home?” (Wait for responses, if they don’t say it,  Food 
lead them towards feeding, cleaning, and giving 
water.) “When we pet a guinea pig, we need to 
pet from his head to his tail. For now pretend you 
are holding Glitch. Get out your towel (not a real 
one, but have them pretend) and carefully 
place your Glitch on the towel. Show me how 
you will pet him. Later on you can hold the real 
Glitch, but for now we’re just pretending.” 
“What else does Glitch need to be taken care 
of? That’s right, he needs food and water!” (then 
talk about what he eats and have the real food 
and his water bottle there. )  
  
Transition to  “Okay boys and girls, stand up and wave  None 
Self-Selected  goodbye to our pet friends.” 
  I will have them walk to their centers like an 
animal that they would want to have as a pet.  
Cora​ ​will be able to get into the routine of 
transitioning from one activity to the next in a fun 
and engaging way.  
 

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SELF-SELECTED ACTIVITIES​ ​8:50 – 10:05 a.m.  
 
Books:  
Rabbits and Raindrops​ by Jim Arnosky (A15) 
Clifford’s​ Puppy Days by Norman Bridwell (B30) 
The Little Fish​ by Bernadine Cook (C15) 
Where is that Cat?​ By Carol Greene (G14) 
Guinea Pigs​ by Julie Manchi (M38) 
Follow Carl!​ By Alexandra Day (D2) 
A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog​ by Mercer Mayer (M16) 
Grandma’s Cat​ by Helen Ketteman (K6) 
 
Activity Name  Description/Activity Objective  Materials, Special Set-up 
Creative Art:​ ​Paint  Activity Description: ​Children will explore the effects  Smocks (Classroom)  
Brushes (4)  of different paintbrushes on paper with paint.   Purple Paint (RR1)  
  The different paint brushes are: Clothespin and  Green Paint (RR1)  
  cotton ball, a feather taped to an unsharpened  Blue Paint (RR1)  
pencil, Q-tip, a sponge, and a rolled piece of  Bowls (RR1 C19)  
paper with one end cut in thin slices.   Butcher Paper (WR) Clothespin 
-Tape butcher paper to a table, lay out different  and cotton ball (RR1 17)  
paint brushes (after construction), fill bowls with  Feather (and tape and pencil) 
paint mixed with soap.  (RR1 13)  
  Q-tips (RR1 9)  
Sponge (RR1 15l) 
 
Language/Literacy  Activity Description: ​Children will play with the 
Activity: Magnet  magnet boards that are sitting in front of the books 
Magnet boards (Classroom) 
Boards  at the reading center. They will be able to make 
Magnets (Classroom) 
  words with the magnets that they can find in the 
Books (Listed above) 
(4)  books about pets.  
   
Manipulatives:  Activity Description:​ The children will play with the  Construction Set in a Box (While 
Construction  construction tools to pretend that they are fixing  52) 
  the table or the other tools at the center.   Plastic Hammer and Nails 
(3)    (RR1 White 55) 
   
Raleigh​ will be able to play at the manipulatives 
center alongside other boys since construction 
tools generally attract boys. 
 
Alternatives: 
Creative Art:  Activity Description: ​Children will be able to stick a  Contact Paper (WR)  
Contact Paper  number of objects onto contact paper. Great for  Foam Shapes (RR1 24 Drawer 
(3)  children that don’t like messes.  2) 
 
 
ROTATING SNACK​ ​9:00 – 9:45 a.m​.  
3 Club Crackers 
¼ cup raisins 
Water 
 

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OUTDOOR PLAY​ ​9:10 – 10:00 a.m. Location: South Playground 

Gross Motor: Stilts  Activity Description: ​The stilts will be set outside for  Stilts (GG) 
  the children to use and practice balancing on. This 
  will help to increase the children’s gross motor skills 
and coordination.  
 
IELG: ​Balances on one foot; hops forward on one 
foot. 
 
 
CLEAN UP​ ​10:05 – 10:15 a.m.  
At the five-minute warning, put out the cleaning tubs, cover the sensory table, close the gate to the loft, 
and pass out colored necklaces. When it’s time to clean up, play the cleanup song on repeat to signal to 
the children that it’s time to clean up. 
Transition to Small  For the transition song I will do the “I Can Blow a  None 
Focus Groups  Bubble” song. After each time that the song is 
  sung, I will chose a different color group to dismiss 
to small focus groups.  
 
SMALL FOCUS GROUP 10:15 – 10:30 a.m.  
 
Ivy (Red)  KD (Yellow)  Amy (Blue)  Julee (Green) 
1. Raleigh  1. Isaac  1. Paisley  1. Jane  
2. Cora  2. Miguel  2. Drake  2. Hawk 
3. Hunter  3. Skylar  3. Hugh  3. Enzo 
4. Griffin     
Your Activity   Description & Objective   Materials 
My Pet Creation  Description:   Paper 
  Children will be able read and listen to the stories  Googly Eyes 
that are assigned to their different teachers. While  Colored Pencils 
the teachers are reading the story, the children will  Markers 
create their own pet using art utensils such as glue,  Crayons 
pom poms, paper, and drawing supplies.   Feathers 
  Pom Poms 
  Glue 
ITBE   
The children will improve their fine motor skills by using  Books 
their pincer grasp to grab their materials and place  Pet Care b ​ y Betsy 
them on their papers.   Chessen (P C21) 
Hand Talk: Zoo ​by 
George Ancona (A9) 
Swimmy b ​ y Leo Lionni 
(L22) 
Big Red Barn ​by 
Margaret Wise Brown 
(B35) 
CLOSING CIRCLE 10:30 – 10:40 a.m. 
Transition to Closing  I will play the song “We are the Dinosaurs”  Kindle and speaker 
Circle  Music and play the song until all the children make it 
  over to the closing circle area. The words to the songs 

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 are: 
 
 
Review: ​As a group we will practice “holding” and petting our guinea pigs, and we will talk about how to 
take care of the guinea pig.  
  
Activity Name:   
Scarf Movement Activity 
 
Description: 
This activity will include the children dancing to the freeze dance song. When they are doing this, they must 
put their scarf on their head, if it falls, then they will pick it up and continue their dancing. I will encourage 
them to dance next to their friends and help pick up their friends’ scarves to relate to the theme of working 
together.  
 
Materials: ​Scarves (WR Shelf 1) 
Activity Name: 
Hey Diddle Diddle Rhyming Book  
 
Description: 
Before reading the book, I will explain to the children that rhyming means that words sound the same. I will 
then give them an example of two words that rhyme with each other. I will then read the book ​Hey Diddle 
Diddle & Other Mother Goose Rhymes​ to the children. Throughout the book I will ask the children what 
rhyming words they hear.  
 
Materials: 
Big Book: Hey Diddle Diddle & Other Mother Goose Rhymes by Tomie daPaola (B D5) 
 
Activity Name: 
We are the Dinosaurs 
 
Description: 
I will play the We Are the Dinosaurs song so that the children can be actively engaged in the song and 
dance.  
 
Materials: 
Kindle and Speaker 
 
Activity Name: 
Phonemic Awareness 
 
Description: 
The children will sit together and close their eyes. One child will be chosen to stand somewhere in the 
classroom and say, “woof, woof” like a dog. The children will point in the direction of the sound and identify 
the animal sound. This will be continued with the remaining children. 
 
Materials: 
None 
 
Activity Name:  
Wheels on the Bus 
 
Description: 

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We will sing the Wheels on the Bus and I will let the children decide which action we are going to do next.  
Materials: 
None 
 
 
 
 
WORDS TO SONGS & FINGERPLAYS​: 
We Are The Dinosaurs 

We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

We are the dinosaurs 

Whaddaya think of that? 

We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat 

We make the earth flat 

We stop and eat our food, when we're in the mood 

We stop and eat our food on the ground 

We stop and eat our food, when we're in the mood 

We stop and eat our food and then we march around 

'Cause we are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

We are the dinosaurs 

Whaddaya think of that? 

We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat 

We make the earth flat 

We stop and take a rest, over in our nest 

We stop and take a rest at the end of the day 

We stop and take a rest, over in our nest 

We stop and take a rest and then you'll hear us say 

That we are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

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We are the dinosaurs 

Whaddaya think of that? 

We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching 

We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat 

We make the earth flat 

And then we roar! 

'Cause we are the dinosaurs! 

(Roar!) 

 
Come to the Carpet 
I will play the song “Come to the Carpet” by Harry Kindergarten 
Music and play the song until all the children make it over to the closing circle area. The words to 
the songs are: 
5 6 7 8 
Come to the carpet. Use your walking feet! 
Come to the carpet. Moving to the beat! 
Come to the carpet, be careful not to shout! 
And don’t forget that when you sit, you have a quiet mouth. 
 
Itsy Bitsy Spider 
The itsy bitsy spider 
Went up the water spout 
Down came the rain and 
Washed the spider out 
Out came the sun 
And dried up all the rain 
Now the itsy bitsy spider 
Went up the spout again 
 
 
 
RESOURCES  
Julee 
Leah 

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