Archive | March, 2009

Number-to-Word Match

by on March 15, 2009 in First Days of School

This is a worksheet that can be used to assess the ability to recognize numbers and their spellings.

Recommended Grade Level: First

Color Recognition

by on March 15, 2009 in First Days of School

Abstract: This activity is primarily used as an informal tool to assess the recognition of various colors, animals and their sounds. It can be used with a small or large group.

Objective: To assess students’ ability to recognize various colors, animals and their sounds.

Grade level: Pre-K and Kindergarten

Materials: Brown, Brown, What Do You See? by Eric Carle

Animal printouts (print on heavy paper, cut and laminate)

Procedure: Large Group

Gather students on the “carpet area”. Students are told that they are going to hear a story that they may have heard before. Share some of the elements of the book-title, author, characteristics of Eric Carle books (use of animals, bright colors). This will lead into stating the objective. Students are told that you want to see if they can find the animals as you read the book. Also, that you are going to ask them questions about each animals’ color and the sound they make. Remind students that they will be called on and that you don’t want them to blurt out. Everyone will get turn. This rule is usually repeated several times! Encourage students to read ALONG with you if they remember the story. Lay some of the animals out in front of you or magnet clip them to the board so the students can see them. As you read, call on students to physically choose the animal from the group of animals that corresponds to the page you are on. Once an animal is chosen, ask another student to tell you the color and another to tell the sound of the animal. After each animal is chosen, add more to the group to be selected. I usually have no more than a field of 3-4 animals for the children to choose from. Towards the end of the story, a page filled with children is shown. This page can be used to identify students within the class that may look similar to the children in the book. The last page of the book lists all of the animals. It can be used to initiate physical activity. Have the children stand and repeat with you each animal, their color, their sound and movement as you point to each. You will find that after this activity, students will request it over and over throughout the school year.

Warm and Cool Colors

by on March 15, 2009 in Art, Art Projects

Objective:

Students will recognize “warm” and “cool” colors within nature and works of art.
Students will recognize the purpose of using warm and cool colors within a work of art.

Procedure:

The lesson will begin with the students seated at their desks. Students will be shown some pictures-a yellow sun, a sunflower, a pitcher of lemonade, and a bowl of oranges. The students will be asked what the pictures make them think of. Various answers will be given. The students will then be asked how the pictures make them feel. They will be asked to pay particluar attention to the colors represented in the pictures. The students may recognize that the colors have an energizing effect on the mood. The students will be told that colors such as red, yellow, orange, and even brown and black are considered warm colors and are vivid in nature. The students will then be shown a new set of pictures-a blue ocean, a green meadow, and a purple sunset. Again, the students will be asked what the pictures make them think of and how they make them feel. The students may recognize that the colors tend to have a calming effect on the mood. The students will be told that colors such as blue, green, and purple are considered cool colors and are soothing in nature. The students will then be asked to draw a picture of something they have seen in the outdoors using warm colors and then a second picture using cool colors. Once the pictures are completed. The students will be asked to meet on the “carpet area”. The students will be asked about what kind of pictures they drew and how they want the pictures to make people feel. The lesson will come to a close with the students being asked to share something they learned from the lesson.

Materials:

Photographic pictures, crayons, two pieces of drawing paper per child

Eric Carle Author Study

by on March 15, 2009 in First Days of School, First Grade, Kindergarten

During the first two weeks of school, I engage my first grade students in an author study. This is a great way to introduce your students to the elements of literature and your favorite author. I personally love Eric Carle and find him to be a hit with most kids because of the nature of his stories. His illustrations are also very recognizable for young readers.

How to: I begin by telling the students about the author. I show pictures of the author and give a brief history of the author’s life. Each day I read a selection from one of Eric Carle’s collection of books. After a story has been read, the story is discussed in detail (title, author, patterns in the illustrations, story plot, etc.). Using large chart paper, I make a large graph to hang during our author study. The graph is something that we fill in as we read each book. The graph allows us to see commonalities between the books the author has written. An example of the graph categories are:

Book Title     Kind of Pictures     Main Idea     Main Characters     Setting     Problem     Solved?

I then lead the class in a written activity based on what we discussed about the book. I have on hand a copy of the front cover of the book (for the kids to refer to) and an overhead projector. I use a transparency of the “Author Study Worksheet” on the overhead projector and guide the students through the completion of their own worksheet. This activity is a great way to assess your students’ handwriting and speed during those first days of school.

Extension: For each book we study, I also have the students engage in a follow-up art activity in which they can make a character or something related to the book.

An author study can be a great project for any time of the year. Complete one so children understand what an author study entails. Children can then choose their own author to study by reading from their collection.

These are the books I suggest by Eric Carle:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: board book & CD

Price: $11.51

4.6 out of 5 stars (534 customer reviews)

98 used & new available from $0.01

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Mixed-Up Chameleon

Price: $6.99

4.7 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)

92 used & new available from $0.80

The Mixed-Up Chameleon

The Honeybee & the Robber

Price: $12.91

4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

56 used & new available from $4.11

The Honeybee and the Robber

The Very Busy Spider

Price: $6.99

3.7 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)

103 used & new available from $0.01

The Very Busy Spider

The Foolish Tortoise (World of Eric Carle)

Price: $7.99

4.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

66 used & new available from $0.01

The Very Foolish Tortoise

A House for Hermit Crab (Stories to Go!)

Price: $0.01

4.2 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)

37 used & new available from $0.01

A House for Hermit Crab

Little Cloud (Picture Puffins)

Price: $5.99

4.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

93 used & new available from $1.97

Little Cloud

The Very Lonely Firefly

Price: $14.01

4.2 out of 5 stars (64 customer reviews)

120 used & new available from $2.32

The Very Lonely Firefly

Pancakes, Pancakes! (World of Eric Carle)

Price: $7.99

4.3 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

84 used & new available from $0.20

Pancakes, Pancakes!


A list of additional authors for your study can be viewed here.

Henri Matisse

by on March 15, 2009 in Art, Art Projects

Objective:
Students will recognize the difference between a “realistic” piece of art and an “abstract” piece of art.
Students will recognize the cutout work of Henri Matisse.
Students will create an abstract collage that contains a pattern.

Description:
The lesson will begin with the students seated on the “carpet area”. The students will be given a brief history of Henri Matisse. The students will be told that due to illness and age he became unable to paint, so he began experimenting with cutouts using bright colors and unusual shapes. The students will be told that these works are called “collages”, which means that shapes were cut and stuck to a background to create a picture. The students will then be introduced to what “abstract” means. They will be told that although Mr. Matisse painted realistic pictures early in his career, his pictures gradually became more “abstract”, meaning that they did not look exactly like real life. The students will also be told that although his collages were very abstract, recognizable objects can be found by looking closely. The students will then be shown examples of Matisse’s work and we will discuss the shapes that students see. The students will be told the title of each work and asked if they find any of the objects in the picture (for example, “The Beasts of the Sea”). Students will also be asked if they see any repeated patterns throughout the pictures. The students will then be introduced to the activity. The students will be told that they are going to make an abstract collage using some of Mr. Matisse’s ideas. The students will then be directed to return to their seats. I will first demonstrate how to cut an interesting abstract shape by starting at the bottom of a piece of construction paper and cutting up and around in order to eventually return to the bottom of the piece. Each child will then receive 2 pieces of 6 x 9″ construction paper. The children will be told that they will be using all of the paper. I will then guide the students in cutting an abstract shape. The end result should result in a “cutout” (or “positive”) shape, and a “leftover” (or “negative”) shape, both of which are from one piece. The students will then be told to glue one of their negative shapes in a top corner of their background paper, lining up the edges as neatly as possible. The students will then be shown how to reposition the positive shape within the negative shape (it should fit together like a puzzle). Next, the positive shape will be flipped down beneath the negative one and glued into place, creating a mirror-image effect. The students will then be given the opportunity to glue various shapes around the images as they prefer. The students will be encouraged to add shapes that repeat. The students will be shown an example and asked to notice how the picture is “balanced” by the surrounding shapes. The students will be told that Matisse sometimes used small repeating shapes, or patterns, to create a pathway for our eyes. Students will be given about 15-20 minutes to work on their art. The students will then be brought back to the carpet area. We will briefly review the new concepts. The students will then be asked to share what shapes and patterns they used throughout their artwork.

Materials:

White drawing paper, scissors, glue, 4.5 x 6″ construction paper in various colors, various examples of Matisse’s work.

Assesment:
Students will be assessed according to their participation in the group discussion as well as their completion of an abstract piece of artwork that contains a pattern.