Post Office

Interest Area/Invitation Activity Plan # 5                        Your Name    Dianne Watts

Ages of Children Participating  3 & 4

Activity Name

Post Office

Goal

The goal is to increase the children’s literacy, imagination, and math skills by learning about letters, mail, and mail carrier jobs

Objectives (Learner Outcomes)

Children will demonstrate number recognition by sorting letters into P.O. Boxes with corresponding numbers.  Children will increase literacy skills by writing (or drawing) letters to mail.    

Domains (highlight all addressed)

cognitive  :The children will practice letter and number recognition. 

social  :The children will write letters to friends and interact through dramatic play. emotional  : The children will express themselves through pictures and words. 

physical  :  Children will carry mail in bags around the playground on tricycles.

creative:  The children will create mail with the various materials provided.

Content Areas (highlight all addressed)

dramatic play  :  Children will pretend to be postal workers and customers. 

science  : 

math  :  Children will match numbers with P.O. Boxes

language/literacy  : Circle time will include books about post offices, postal workers, etc., and children will write letters and learn words associated with postal work. 

art  :  Children will draw pictures for their letters and make envelopes.    

music  : 

physical  : Children will ride tricycles around the playground to carry the mail. 

social studies Children will learn about jobs people do. 

/anti-bias  : 

social-emotional  :  The children will interact with each other in dramatic play.

Materials Needed

Pictures of post office and mail carriers

Assorted pre-labeled mail boxes with P.O. Box numbers and/or names

Assorted envelopes and paper as well as pre-addressed letters and envelopes they can sort into boxes.

Plenty of writing and art supplies

Mail shirt and hat

Mail carrier bags

Post office sign

Tape            

Set-up Description

Cover the walls with pictures of post office and mail carriers and put up a Post Office sign in the dramatic play area.  Hang up mail shirts and hats, mail carrier bags.   The area will also have pre-labeled mail boxes, envelopes and paper, tape and glue, as well as pre-addressed letters and envelopes they can sort into boxes.  The pre-labeled boxes and supplies will lend themselves to immediate use of the post office.  Leave a good supply of writing and art supplies on the tables.  As time goes on the children will write their own pictures and letters and make their own envelopes.  They may wish to write their own names and decorate their own mail boxes (be sure to keep P.O. Box numbers on the boxes for their address).    

                                   

Opportunities for Teachable Moments

Watch for moments to help the children learn about matching letters and numbers and writing their own mail. Say things like, “Does this match?”  Look for ways to help the children learn about letters, numbers, and mail.

Differentiation

For a child in a wheel chair you could decorate their chair like a mail car by securing a box around it and have the children have draw windows and doors.    

           

Evaluation

I will use observation to evaluate what the children have learned.  I will also ask questions to assess their knowledge of their new skills as well as have a check list to see what numbers and letters they know.