Literacy Center

The  Mystery! literacy center will be based around the story Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? The center will be decorated with investigative items.

               

The unit will be introduced with a meeting on the group carpet. During the meeting, I will present the book to the class and we will discuss who the Authors and Illustrator are. I will then read the book to the students, asking them questions as I read, such as, do you think they took the cookies? The literacy center will be set up using items with the Mystery theme.

Reading

Copies of the story book will be made available for the students to read in the literacy center. Copies of other books that contain mysteries will be available as well, such as Are You My Mother?, and What Really Happened to Humpty?: From the Files of a Hard-Boiled Detective.

                                                           

Writing

Students will interview each other about the types of cookies they like and will write the responses in their detective journal. In the literacy center, worksheets will be available for students to write out the story in their own words, using their friends and family members as the accused cookie thief.

Listening

Students will listen to the story as it is being read to them at the introduction portion of the unit. In the literacy center, recordings of the story book will be made available for students to listen to, along with headphones for privacy.

Speaking

Students will sing the song Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar during carpet time. In the literacy center, students will interview each other about the types of cookies they like. They words to the song will be posted in the center so that students can sing them and play the game with each other.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1 – With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. (Carpet time)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.2 – With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details. (Writing)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 – Participate in collaborative conversation with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (Interviews)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1.a – Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion.) (Carpet time)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6 – Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. (Carpet time and Interviews)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2 – Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. (Writing)