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Step 2: Decide On How To Teach Reading And Math

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

July 22, 2014 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT

If you’ve come to this page, you’re probably looking for steps on how to write lesson plans for preschool.

Writing preschool lesson plans can be time-consuming and confusing. But it doesn’t have to be. I’ve put together a series of five posts that lay out everything you need to do to write year-long preschool lesson plans an entire year in advance.

How to Write Lesson Plans for Preschool

Step 2 in preschool lesson planning a year in advance - decide on how to teach reading and math

In just five easy steps, you’ll have an entire year of preschool lesson plans written in up a single afternoon. Be sure to subscribe to get extra lesson planning tips and perks delivered right to your email!

This post included two FREE printables to help you with your preschool lesson planning, so be sure to grab them at the end of the post! (And be sure to read the entire series for more free lesson planning printables).

Be sure to subscribe and follow along on social media so that you can also get the BONUS POST!

Good teaching stems from planning

No matter your teaching philosophy, good instruction stems from some advance planning.

That is not to say the excellent teaching doesn’t ever happen in the moment, but your very best teaching will almost always draw from your preschool lesson plans.

This is why I believe so strongly in having a preschool scope and sequence to follow. A scope and sequence is an outline of skills and concepts you plan to teach throughout the school year. 

You best teaching will always draw from what you have in your preschool lesson plans.

This kind of planning helps you identify what needs to be taught, but also the order. Many skills are incremental, with one skill or concept will building upon another, so it is only appropriate that your lesson plans reflect a specific order.

You can grab a copy of the exact scope and sequence I use at the end of this post!

How to Write Preschool Lesson Plans an Entire Year in Advance

With a scope and sequence in hand, (aka: a a roadmap for the year) writing your preschool lesson plans for the year will be a breeze, and you can get it all done in a single afternoon.

These lesson plans will be detailed enough to take the guesswork out of what you should teach every day, but still flexible enough that you can make appropriate changes based on the needs and interests of your students.

If you haven’t read Step 1: Create A Calendar, then you should do that, and the tasks in it right now. You definitely want to have your calendar solidified before you do these new tasks. Right now, you are on Step 2.

Learn How to Write Lesson Plans the Easy Way

My system for writing preschool lesson plans is only a few simple steps, and now you can have this easy and quick system delivered right to your inbox, completely free! Just fill out the form below.

5 SECRETS TO EASY PRESCHOOL LESSON PLANNING

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

    How to Teach Reading in Preschool

    There are a couple different approaches to teaching reading in preschool. Neither of them are right or wrong. The approach you choose is simply based on what your students need and how well it fits in with your own teaching style.

    State/Common Core Standards Or “Mom” Standards?

    I discussed this idea when I posted about how to select learning materials for a preschool co-op.  Some states have some sort of preschool standards from which you can use as guidance. To align with early childhood development, these standards tend to focus more on social, emotional, and physical development. Any academic skills cited are typically vague.

    I have found the National Association for the Education of Young Children to be very helpful in how to write lesson plans for preschoolers.

    The second approach is to create a set of “mom” based standards that reflect what you personally believe your child should be learning. You might find yourself gleaning from state or common core standards, as well as incorporating several skills and concepts that you believe are appropriate for your child.

    Either approach is fine.  It is a matter of personal preference.  The important thing is to have a set of goals appropriate for your child that you are choosing to follow (and possibly tweak as need dictates) for the year.

    So, how do you teach reading to preschoolers?

    There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to teaching reading in preschool.

    Phonics (letter of the week) vs whole language.

    Letter of the week is much like as it sounds. A new letter is explicitly introduced each week and much of the literacy instruction is centered on that letter names and sounds, as well as load of phonological awareness and oral language skills that are systematically introduced and practiced.

    The whole language approach introduces letters to preschoolers more naturally and often times after a child has developed an interest in that specific letter, such as the letters in their name or the letters in their favorite cereal. The whole language approach is thoughtful, but not always systematic.

    Ask yourself which feels most natural for you — a phonics based approach or whole language.

    There are merits to both approaches, however research strongly supports explicit phonics instruction over whole language. Here is some reading that might be of interest to you.

    Phonics Instruction: The Basics
    What is the Difference Between Implicit and Explicit Phonics Instruction?
    What is Phonics?

    Many educators now look for ways to use phonics as part of while language instruction, striving to teach meaningful phonics in the context of literature. This is how to take on both approaches.

    Want Affordable Preschool Reading Lesson Plans?

    I could continue to walk you through all the steps on how to write lesson plans for preschoolers, of you can save yourself the (little) work there is by purchasing a done-for-you, affordable program.

    The Complete Preschool Curriculum by Stay At Home Educator is a year-long curriculum I created out of demand from my readers. It has everything you need to teach your preschoolers literacy and math in a fun and engaging way, without all the boring worksheets!

    • The Complete Preschool Curriculum by Stay At Home Educator
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    What should you teach in preschool literacy?

    Many believe that all children need to learn to read is knowledge of letter names and sounds. But this is not true.

    Preschool literacy instruction includes:

    ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
    PRINT AWARENESS
    PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
    ALPHABETIC PRINCIPLE

    You can also purchase done-for-you, low-prep, and affordable lesson plans in each component.

    • Phonics Preschool Lesson Plans
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    • Oral Language Preschool Lesson Plans
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    • Phonological Awareness Preschool Lesson Plans
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    • Preschool Literacy Lesson Plans Bundle
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    How to Teach Math in Preschool

    A comprehensive math curriculum will include more than simply counting.

    For my math instruction and sequencing, I rely heavily on Teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood by Sally MooMaw.  It is a fantastic book about how to teach early mathematics fundamentals in a play-based manner.

    What should you teach in preschool math?

    There are five disciplines of math (number sense, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis), and I spiral through each discipline focusing on one discipline each week, (with the exception of data analysis for my 3-4′s class, which I don’t introduce until the second half of the year). 

    THE 5 DISCIPLINES OF PRESCHOOL MATH ACTIVITIES INSTRUCTION

    NUMBER SENSE
    GRAPHING
    MEASUREMENT
    PATTERNING
    SHAPES
    SORTING

    So, that means that week one I focus on number sense skills, week two algebra skills, week three geometry, and so on.  Then, we loop through those disciplines again and again until the end of the school year.  

    Now, this does not mean that only that discipline is taught during that week.  It is only the focus of my math instruction.

    When possible, I like to keep math activities theme related.  But, these activities, while listed out and “planned” for, are not set in stone.  I allow myself the freedom to make changes or ignore them if I think of something better, or if my students request more time with a specific concept or activity.

    All five disciplines of math should be included in any preschool lesson plans.

    Once these activities have been introduced, I keep them out and available to my students to refer to during math center time so that my students have even more time to practice and reinforce specific skills.  

    At any one time, I typically have three to four activities set out.  It works well as most of my math instruction is play-based and hands-on.

    Want Affordable Preschool Math Lesson Plans?

    I have written my own preschool math lesson plans. Like my reading lesson plans, this came about out of necessity.

    FOR CLARIFICATION – These are not the thematic lessons I mention above, but these are complete lesson plans that include everything you need to teach preschool math for an entire year.

    • Preschool Math Curriclulm
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    This product is a bundle of all nine math units and includes EVERYTHING YOU NEED to teach preschool math for an entire year! It is systematically designed, allowing you to teach your child or preschool students math in an organized manner. 

    You can also purchase each unti individually.

    • Graphing Preschool Math Unit
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    • Addition and Subtraction Preschool Math Unit
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    • Positions and Patterns Preschool Math Unit
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    • Measurement Preschool Math Unit
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    • Shapes Preschool Math Unit
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    • Sorting Preschool Math Unit
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    • Counting Cards for the Entire Year (16 Themes)
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    • Counting 0-20 Preschool Math Lesson Plans Bundle
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    Get your copy of my scope and sequence

    In order to write lesson plans for the preschool year, you need a template for your scope and sequence. You can download my scope and sequence below. Just click the image and the pdf will be sent to your email.

    You also get a BONUS preschool literacy scope and sequence for the year with this download.

    Or, check out these EDITABLE templates and create your own

    Each template in the following file is slightly different and which one you choose to use is dependent upon how much detail you want filled in for you.

    There are two levels, 3-4’s and 4-5’s class templates. And there are two versions of each template. One version is a template of math content to cover at it’s most basic form, and the second version offers topics within each math discipline to cover.

    Click the image below to get your templates.

    Oh, and might I mention that they are fully editable, too! As in, you can just type right in them, or you can still print them out and write the activities in by hand.

    How to Write Your Own Scope and Sequence for Preschool Lesson Plannning

    At this point, you will only be filling out part of the template, and you may find that you’d rather wait to fill it out.

    First, decide if you’d like your math activities to be theme related.  If you do want them to be theme related, then wait, and just fill out what concept you’d like to focus on under each weekly discipline.

    If you prefer not to have your math instruction be theme related (believe me, it can be exhausting and require a ton of extra planning and preparation), then you can begin filling out the template.  Let’s look at the Math Scope and Sequence 3-4’s as an example.

    For week one, the discipline is number sense and the concept is counting.  So, you might write in a quick counting activity such as Apple Drop Counting, It’s a Zoo, or Dot Counting Cards, or you can do something even more basic like rolling a die and pushing the corresponding amount of buttons into play dough.  Choose or make up a counting activity, and write it down.

    The discipline for week two is algebra, and the concept is sorting.  What kinds of sorting activities would your child or preschool students enjoy? Consider any one of these activities.

    Continue writing up activities until the template is full.  If you want to plan your math instruction so that it aligns with a theme you are also teaching, that is great.

    You can find all my best math activities for preschoolers here

    Preschool Math Activities

    RECAP ON HOW TO WRITE PRESCHOOL LESSON PLANS

    STEP 1: CREATE A CALENDAR
    STEP 2: DECIDE ON HOW TO TEACH READING AND MATH
    STEP 3: DECIDE ON THEMES
    STEP 4: CREATE A LIST OF SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
    STEP 5: ORGANIZING LESSON PLANS – BONUS!

    Sarah Punkoney, MAT

    I am Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home mama of five! I am the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught range of levels, including preschool and college, and a little bit of just about everything in between. Right now, my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction

    stayathomeeducator.com/

    You might also enjoy:

    Step 1: Create A Preschool Lesson Planning Calendar How To Write Preschool Lesson Plans A Year In Advance Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Pond ThemeFree Pond Theme Weekly Lesson Plans Everything You Need to Know About Preschool Math Lesson Plans

    Filed Under: Preschool Planning Tagged With: featured, free, free printables, Lesson Planning Ideas, lesson plans, Printables

    « Step 1: Create A Preschool Lesson Planning Calendar
    Step 3: Decide On Themes »

    Comments

    1. Becky Spence says

      July 22, 2014 at 8:46 am

      What a great resource, Sarah! Thank you for including Reading the Alphabet in your reading resources. 🙂 Off to pin.

    2. Jenna says

      August 3, 2014 at 11:12 pm

      Hi there! I am just loving these posts and I am one of your newest followers. I teach a preschool in my home 2 days a week similar to you. I’ve been doing it for several years but this year I was hoping to refresh and renew my concepts and planning. Then I stumbled onto your blog and I am so excited! I would love to know more about your sequence of etching reading. I struggle beyond teaching letters/sounds/rhyming/sight words. I would like to focus more on phonemic awareness but I’m not sure what to teach or how to sequence the skills. Any help in this regard would be fabulous! I am going to put your math template to good use for sure! Thank you so much.

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        August 4, 2014 at 7:03 am

        Start here with my post Preschool Co-op Week 1. The Co-op series, which are kinda of hidden in my menu, will take you through a rough version of my reading instruction. They include a lot of phonemic awareness. https://stayathomeeducator.com/preshool-co-op-week-1/

        • Jenna says

          August 4, 2014 at 4:09 pm

          Thanks so much!

    3. Carolyn says

      February 7, 2015 at 9:28 pm

      I really love your blog, and this series is wonderful! One question RE: the scope and sequence templates. Template #1 for both age groups is the same template. Is there a different one for the 4-5’s? Thanks!

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        February 9, 2015 at 12:00 pm

        i’m so glad you are enjoying my blog! Yes, there is a slight difference. The difference is that the 4-5’s templates have data analysis as a math component. It gives the preschoolers a chance to learn about making estimations and graphing information.

        • Carolyn says

          February 9, 2015 at 10:29 pm

          The reason I wondered is because they’re both labeled 3-4’s. I guess if I had printed them out, I would have seen that difference, but didn’t notice it when I was just flipping back and forth between them on my computer. 🙂 Thanks for the clarification.

          • Sarah Punkoney says

            February 10, 2015 at 1:14 pm

            Sorry for mislabeling them. You’re the first to mention it. I’ll have to fix it.

            • Carolyn says

              February 10, 2015 at 7:13 pm

              🙂

    4. Heather says

      April 8, 2015 at 4:30 pm

      Do you have a template for the yearly planning i love your photos

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        April 9, 2015 at 10:15 am

        Yes, they are within the post. There are a few to choose from.

    5. Kate says

      August 6, 2015 at 9:32 am

      Do you use your literacy bundle with your 3s and 4s also?

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        August 6, 2015 at 12:02 pm

        Yes, I use it for my 3’s, with the expectation that the lesson plans are more for exposure rather than mastery. In my 4-5’s classes I expect more mastery.

    6. Brenda says

      February 6, 2016 at 2:20 pm

      Do your books come in book form?

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        February 8, 2016 at 10:17 am

        To which books are you referring? My lesson plans are a digital download.

    7. Jessica says

      July 28, 2016 at 6:30 am

      I am so grateful that I stumbled upon your blog this morning. I have been teaching Kindergarten to ESL students in Guatemala for 2 years and have to write my first scope and sequence this year! I have been very nervous, so I have been procrastinating on getting started. This resource is everything I have been hoping to find! You offer plenty of research, examples, and practical ideas. Even the book links you have provided look excellent, and I will be ordering those as well. I feel equipped to face the task now. You have taught me so much in such a short period of time… I can only imagine how much your students are learning with you every day!. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

      • Sarah Punkoney says

        July 28, 2016 at 10:59 am

        Thanks so much for commenting. Your kind message has made my day! I’m so glad my series has been helpful to you. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via FB or E-mail: sarah@stayathomeeducator.com

    Trackbacks

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