Counting with Crow Finger Play

September 16, 2021

I have a new action rhyme finger play for you - Apple Tree. Your little learners can count with crow and get ready for listening on the mat as you transition between lessons or get settled for the day.

Finger plays allow you to incorporate some movement and action while keeping your class managed for instruction - perfect!

As well as being engaging for students you can use the text as part of your reading program

use it as your model read for the day
leave it on display to encourage students to read independently as you learn it and say it regularly over a week or two
isolate aspects of the texts for short, explicit mini lessons - e.g. a lesson on the sight word 'the' - ask a student to circle every 'the' they see as you project it on the electronic board

I have included numbers 1 to 10 to enable you to incorporate some early counting activities alongside your literacy lessons and also simple listening behaviors for whole class management (look, hands still, in lap, quiet).

This finger play is shared with you freely - find it through our website!

In the file is also a one page cloze reading activity - students cut and paste 4 words to complete the text. This is a great take home sheet for students to read to their families.

If you are looking for more ways to expand your program and lessons using this text as a springboard, you may like our bundle of activities. With the bundle you get a bonus printable - Word Cards and Puppets.

With the puppets (attach the pictures to a craft stick):

encourage your students to retell the rhyme in their own words
make up stories about crow, bee and the tree
talk and engage with their peers

Use the words cards, in a pocket chart or on a bulletin board to:

model how to 'write' the text (put it together with the class watching and verbalize the process of reading, re-reading and finding words to put in order)
let students put the words in order in a pocket chart as a learning center activity
provide 2 sets of the words in a basket for matching and playing games

The bundle also includes a collection of creative activities to help develop fine motor skills and to allow your learners to reflect and respond to the text after reading. I've included:

big shape tracing pages
pinning pages (pokey pin)
writing quick crafts
one page crafts
directed drawings

Directed Drawing

4 drawings, each in 4 projects styles (drawing, draw and write, classic directed drawing and read-draw-write).

2 simple drawings - crow + bee
2 detailed drawings - 3 bees and beehive + crow on a gate

Quick Craft Writing

3 writing templates (each provided in both plain and lined) for students to write a sentence or two. Each feature a picture that can be quickly cut around and displayed in the classroom on a bulletin board or string line.