# Kindergarten — Week 1: Me & My Name

**Life Academy** · Top-tier parent script · ~50–65 minutes/day  
**Rule:** Mastery before speed. Short, clear, daily. Days are **not copies** — each one adds a new sound, a new math move, and a new sense.

> **PICTURES FIRST:** Open the child Story Studio before teaching from this script:  
> `illustrated/storybooks/kindergarten-week-01.html`  
> (letter art, counting picnic, kindness scene + phonics picture cards)

## Week targets
| Strand | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Literacy | Letters **Mm**, short **a**, **Tt** — mouth shapes & clean sounds. Blend **mat**. |
| Sounds | m=/m/, a=/ă/, t=/t/ |
| Heart words | I, a |
| Math | Count 1–5 with one-to-one touch counting; compare more/less |
| Science | Five senses — **one sense per day**, then mix on Friday |
| Unplugged STEM | Sequences (first/next/last) and a 5-block tower that can stand |
| Life Skills | Say full name clearly 3× |

## Materials
Letter cards Mm / a / Tt, pencil, crayons, 20 counters, 8–10 building blocks, blank paper, timer, week journal folder, a “mystery bag” (smooth spoon, rough sponge, soft sock)

## Parent coaching stance
Speak less. Model once. Let the child struggle productively for 10–20 seconds, then prompt — don’t take over.

---

### Day 1 — Letter Mm · See · Count 1–3

#### 1) Literacy — Meet **Mm** /m/ (20–25 min)
**Sounds/skills:** m=/m/ only today  
**Heart words:** I  
**Visual:** Large Mm card → lips together, hum /m/ → milk, mouse, map pictures  

**I do (parent):** “This is M. Sound /m/. Watch my mouth stay closed.” Trace M in the air.  
**We do:** Sky-write M 5× while saying /m/. Hunt the room for 3 things that start with /m/.  
**You do:**
1. Point to Mm and say /m/ alone, 5 times  
2. Color or trace Mm on paper  
3. Sort picture cards: /m/ vs not-/m/ (3 each)

**If stuck:** Drop writing. Only oral /m/ until 4/5 tries are clean.

#### 2) Math — Count 1–3 with one-to-one touch (15–20 min)
**CPA path:**
- **Concrete:** 3 beans or spoons  
- **Pictorial:** child draws 3 dots  
- **Abstract:** numeral 3 only after touching is easy  

**I do:** Touch each bean. Say 1, 2, 3. Shuffle. Recount.  
**We do:** Make a pile of 2 and a pile of 3. Which has more?  
**You do:** Child makes piles of 1, 2, and 3 without help.

#### 3) Science — Sense of **sight** (10–15 min)
**Observe → Say → Record**  
Go to a window or step outside. Child names **3 things they see**. Draw them in the week journal. Parent writes the labels.

#### 4) Life Skills — Full name (8–12 min)
Practice first name clearly 3×. Add last name if it is already easy. Parent records on the phone for pride playback.

#### Movement break (2–3 min)
10 jumps. Then done for the day.

#### Unplugged STEM (5 min, optional)
Say a 3-step sequence out loud and do it: *get crayons → draw M → put crayons back.* That is an algorithm — a recipe a computer could follow later.

---

### Day 2 — Short **a** · Hear · Count to 4

#### 1) Literacy — Review Mm, introduce short **a** /ă/ (20–25 min)
**Sounds/skills:** m=/m/, a=/ă/  
**Heart words:** I, a  
**Visual:** Apple, ant, alligator pictures. Mouth open, jaw drop for /ă/.  

**I do:** Contrast /m/ (lips closed) vs /ă/ (mouth open).  
**We do:** Switch game — parent shows M or a; child says the sound. 10 rapid rounds.  
**You do:**
1. Trace a (lowercase) 5× while saying /ă/  
2. Build **am** with letter cards (say /ă/ /m/ → “am”)  
3. Heart word **I**: “I am ___.” Child finishes the sentence.

**Fluency (2 min):** Point to yesterday’s Mm. Sound?

#### 2) Math — Count 1–4; match numeral to set (15–20 min)
**Concrete:** 4 counters. Touch-count. Hide one. “How many now?”  
**Pictorial:** Draw 4 boxes; put one counter in each.  
**You do:** Flash numerals 1–4. Child builds that many with objects. 6 rounds.  
**Retrieval:** Make 3 (from Day 1) without looking at a model.

#### 3) Science — Sense of **hearing** (10–15 min)
Sit still 60 seconds. Child names **3 sounds** (fridge, bird, voice). Sort: loud vs quiet. Draw one loud and one quiet in the journal.

#### 4) Life Skills — First + last name with a pause
“Maya. Chen.” Practice the pause between names. 3 clean tries.

#### Movement break
Wall push-ups × 8.

#### Unplugged STEM (5 min)
**Robot parent:** Child gives 4 commands (*step, step, turn, sit*). Parent obeys only what was said — not what was meant. If it fails, debug: change one command.

---

### Day 3 — Letter **Tt** · Touch · Count to 5 · Build

#### 1) Literacy — Introduce **Tt** /t/; blend **at** (20–25 min)
**Sounds/skills:** t=/t/, review m and a  
**Visual:** Tiger, ten, turtle. Tongue tap behind teeth for /t/ (no extra “uh”).  

**I do:** Clean /t/ — not “tuh.” Blend **at**: /ă/ /t/ → at.  
**We do:** Sky-write T 5×. Blend **at** and **am** together.  
**You do:**
1. Point to T, M, a in mixed order (10 taps)  
2. Build **at** and **am** with tiles  
3. Dictation: parent says “at” → child writes a t in boxes _ _

**If stuck:** Stay oral. Do not force writing T yet.

#### 2) Math — Count 1–5; compare more/less (15–20 min)
**Concrete:** 5 counters. Touch-count to 5.  
**We do:** Pile of 3 vs pile of 5. “Which is more? How do you know?”  
**You do:** 5 comparison rounds (2 vs 5, 4 vs 1, 5 vs 5). Child says more, less, or same.  
**Abstract:** Match numerals 1–5 to the correct piles.

#### 3) Science — Sense of **touch** (10–15 min)
Mystery bag: child reaches in (no peeking). Name smooth / rough / soft. Draw the favorite texture.

#### 4) Life Skills — Knock, enter, say full name
Child knocks on a door, waits, says full name as if starting school. 3 times.

#### Movement break
Stretch to the ceiling, touch toes, 5×.

#### Engineering (8 min) — **Five-block tower**
**Ask:** Can you build a tower using exactly 5 blocks that still stands when you blow once?  
**Imagine / Plan:** Sketch first (stick drawing is enough).  
**Create:** Build.  
**Improve:** If it falls, change the base — don’t just stack taller. This is engineering, not playtime with no goal.

---

### Day 4 — Blend **mat** · Smell / taste · Take-away 1

#### 1) Literacy — Mix m / a / t; read **mat** (20–25 min)
**Sounds/skills:** m=/m/, a=/ă/, t=/t/  
**Heart words:** I, a  
**Visual:** Picture of a mat. Finger-tap 3 boxes: /m/ /ă/ /t/.  

**I do:** Stretch **mat**. Snap it together.  
**We do:** Build **mat**, **at**, **am**. Mix the tiles; child rebuilds **mat**.  
**You do:**
1. Read 4 cards: m, a, t, mat  
2. Dictation: mat (boxes _ _ _)  
3. Sentence: “I am at a mat.” (parent writes; child tracks with a finger)

**Fluency (2 min):** Rapid sound pack — 12 mixed letters from this week.

#### 2) Math — Five, take 1 away (15–20 min)
Start with 5. Remove 1. “How many left?” Repeat with 4→3, 3→2.  
**You do:** Child tells a take-away story with counters (“5 crackers, I ate 1…”).  
**Pictorial:** Draw 5 circles, cross one out, write the numeral that remains.

#### 3) Science — **Smell** and **taste** (safe kitchen) (10–15 min)
**Safety:** No allergens. Tiny amounts. Child may skip taste.  
Smell cinnamon vs lemon (or soap vs orange). Taste water vs a drop of juice if the family is comfortable. Journal: “I smelled ___. I tasted ___.”  
Circle which sense they used.

#### 4) Life Skills — Teach a stuffed animal your name
Child becomes the teacher. If the toy “forgets,” child models again. That’s retrieval practice.

#### Movement break
10 jumps + a silly freeze.

#### Data (5 min)
Tally marks: walk the house, count things that start with /m/. That’s a data table — kindergarten technology without a screen.

---

### Day 5 — Mastery Friday (Week 1)

**Theme check-in:** Me & My Name

#### Spaced Retrieval Quiz (no teaching first — test then fix)
1. Say each new sound from this week: /m/, /ă/, /t/  
2. Read **mat**, **at**, **am**  
3. Write **mat** from dictation (or build it with tiles if writing is not ready)  
4. Math: touch-count a set of 5; show which pile is more  
5. Life: say full name clearly once  
6. STEM: rebuild the 5-block tower **or** give the parent a 3-step robot sequence

**Scoring:**  
- 5/6 or 6/6 → celebrate → preview Week 2 card  
- 3–4/6 → reteach missed skill Saturday/Monday before advancing  
- 0–2/6 → repeat Days 3–4 of this week (mastery over coverage)

#### Family showcase (10 min)
Child teaches the parent one sound, one math move, and how the tower was improved.

## Visual flashcards this week
Use matching cards in `../flashcards/` for: m=/m/, a=/ă/, t=/t/

## Real-life extension (optional weekend)
Connect the theme **Me & My Name** to one outing or home job. Child uses /m/, /ă/, /t/ out loud. Rebuild the tower for a visitor and explain what you changed.