Name of Lesson - From Head To Toe
Content area(s)/developmental domain(s) addressed
Identification of Body Parts, Gross Motor Movements, Recognizing Text Progression, Gradation, Animal Identification, One to One Correspondence, Physical Relationships
Brief description of the lesson
Read (sing) Aloud of Eric Carle’s From Head To Toe, asking the children to identify the animals, move the different parts of their bodies in different ways, and repeat the phrase, “I can do it” when the line is read and pointed to. After the book is read, small plastic animals will be taken out one by one, with questions relating to the book being asked. The animals will then be played with on the floor, with the children being asked to take out a certain number of animals (from one to six), identify them, choose the one with the most of a quality (the biggest, tallest, or smallest), and place them in different positions in relation to a toy house.
Rationale
Many of the children are beginning to understand one to one correspondence, gradation, and physical relationships, but are not confident or consistent with the concepts. They are very interested in animals as well as books that incorporate music, and respond very well whenever either of these two is utilized.
Timeframe
Read aloud: 15 minutes, Following play: at least 5 minutes, or longer, depending on the children’s interest level
Objective(s) of the activity
Children will demonstrate knowledge of body parts, the biggest or smallest animal, counting out the correct number of animals, naming different animals, placing the animals in the correct place in relation to a toy house.
Connections to standards
· Balancing on one foot briefly
· Demonstrate awareness of own body in space
· Exhibit hand-eye coordination
· Attempt new activities that require physical movement, without adult assistance
· Participate actively in game
· Take turns during play with peers, with considerable assistance
· Use adult help to take turns
· Express interest and excitement about animals and other living things
· Point to and name some body parts
· Listen and participate in story time
· Recognize some quantities
· Use size words appropriately
· Look at two objects and identifies which one is bigger or smaller
· Experiment with physical relationship
· Explore various ways of moving with or without music
· Explore simple songs using voice
· Imitate movement after participating in or watching others perform games or songs
Language and literacy objective(s)
Vocabulary – raise, thump, arch, wriggle, wiggle
Literacy Skills –
· Receptive Vocabulary: Identifying at least three body parts, when requested, identifying objects and actions by appropriate gestures or speech when named, responding to directions that include verbs
· Expressive Vocabulary: Using new vocabulary in everyday experiences, asking others to label unfamiliar objects, using plurals
· Grammar and Syntax: Using adjectives in phrases
· Comprehension: Answering simple questions
· Expressive/Oral Language: Beginning to recall parts of a previously heard story
· Listening Skills: Responding to action words by performing the action, responding by looking when directed toward a certain object, attempting to locate objects when they are discussed by others, listening to short and simple stories while walking, standing, or sitting
· Oral Communication: Demonstrating an awareness of back and forth turn-taking during conversation exchanges
· Conventions of Social Communication: Paying attention to speaker for at least a portion of a conversation, beginning to demonstrate turn-taking in conversation
· Phonological Awareness: Reciting phrases from familiar rhymes, completing a familiar rhyme by completing the last word, participating in rhyming games and songs with other children
Resources/materials needed
Large copy of Eric Carle’s From Head To Toe, several plastic animals of varying sizes and types, one or two small toy houses
Procedures (step by step)
Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation)
“We’ve been playing with all of these different types of animals all week. Who would like to read a book and sing a song about different kinds of animals? What different kinds of animals do you see in this book?
Instruction/Mini Lesson
During the read aloud, the children will be asked to move their different body parts like the animals on the page, with modeling if necessary, and encouraged to say the repetitive line, “I can do it!” whenever it is read. The line will be read with the children as the text is pointed to, then as the story progresses the children will say the line without the teacher as the text is pointed to.
Guided Participation
After the read aloud, small plastic animals will be taken out one by one, with questions being asked about the animals (e.g. “Was this animal in the book?” “How did this animals move?”) All of the animals and toy house(s) will then be taken out and put on the floor. The participation will be play based and follow the children’s lead, but within the play, the children will be asked to name the animals, count out a number of them, identify which ones are the biggest, tallest, or smallest, and place them in relation to the house(s).
Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps)
As children spontaneously move away from this activity, it will come to an end, but can be revisited through a repeated read aloud, counting the animals in the book, and matching the plastic animals to the images in the book and noting their similarities and differences.
Method of assessing children’s understanding of lesson/activity/objective(s)
Questions to ask:
· Were most of the students able to name the animals? Which students were not? Which animals were students not able to identify?
· Were most of the students able to move the correct body part? Which students were not? Which body parts did the students have the most difficulty with?
· Were most students able to remember parts of the book when taking out the animals one by one? Which students were not?
· Were most of the students able to count out the correct number of animals? Which students were not?
· Were most students able to identify the biggest, tallest, or smallest animal? Which students were not?
· Were most students able to place the animal in the correct position in relation to the house? Which students were not?
Plans for differentiated instruction/instructional modifications
To make Easier:
· Model all movements and point to body parts as story is read aloud
· Hand over hand prompt counting out the plastic animals
· Model identifying the animals and placing them in the correct place several times before asking the children to do so
To make Harder:
· Ask children to count out more than six animals
· Ask children about other qualities of the animals (e.g. “Which animal has the sharpest teeth?”)
· Ask children to place themselves in relation to the house(s) or animals
For Different Learners:
· Count on fingers as children are asked to count out animals, and keep fingers held up (visual learners)
· Explain biggest, smallest, and tallest using words (audio learners)
· Have the children move around the classroom imitating the actions in the book with the plastic animals in their hands (kinesthetic learners)
Follow up/Extension activities
. In next read aloud, children will also be asked to say the line, “Can you do it?” as well as “I can do it!”
· Children will be provided with larger cardboard “house” that they can practice being “inside of”, “outside of”, or “next to”
· Children will be asked to hand out napkins and cups at snack time, counting out how many they need as they are placed down
Content area(s)/developmental domain(s) addressed
Identification of Body Parts, Gross Motor Movements, Recognizing Text Progression, Gradation, Animal Identification, One to One Correspondence, Physical Relationships
Brief description of the lesson
Read (sing) Aloud of Eric Carle’s From Head To Toe, asking the children to identify the animals, move the different parts of their bodies in different ways, and repeat the phrase, “I can do it” when the line is read and pointed to. After the book is read, small plastic animals will be taken out one by one, with questions relating to the book being asked. The animals will then be played with on the floor, with the children being asked to take out a certain number of animals (from one to six), identify them, choose the one with the most of a quality (the biggest, tallest, or smallest), and place them in different positions in relation to a toy house.
Rationale
Many of the children are beginning to understand one to one correspondence, gradation, and physical relationships, but are not confident or consistent with the concepts. They are very interested in animals as well as books that incorporate music, and respond very well whenever either of these two is utilized.
Timeframe
Read aloud: 15 minutes, Following play: at least 5 minutes, or longer, depending on the children’s interest level
Objective(s) of the activity
Children will demonstrate knowledge of body parts, the biggest or smallest animal, counting out the correct number of animals, naming different animals, placing the animals in the correct place in relation to a toy house.
Connections to standards
· Balancing on one foot briefly
· Demonstrate awareness of own body in space
· Exhibit hand-eye coordination
· Attempt new activities that require physical movement, without adult assistance
· Participate actively in game
· Take turns during play with peers, with considerable assistance
· Use adult help to take turns
· Express interest and excitement about animals and other living things
· Point to and name some body parts
· Listen and participate in story time
· Recognize some quantities
· Use size words appropriately
· Look at two objects and identifies which one is bigger or smaller
· Experiment with physical relationship
· Explore various ways of moving with or without music
· Explore simple songs using voice
· Imitate movement after participating in or watching others perform games or songs
Language and literacy objective(s)
Vocabulary – raise, thump, arch, wriggle, wiggle
Literacy Skills –
· Receptive Vocabulary: Identifying at least three body parts, when requested, identifying objects and actions by appropriate gestures or speech when named, responding to directions that include verbs
· Expressive Vocabulary: Using new vocabulary in everyday experiences, asking others to label unfamiliar objects, using plurals
· Grammar and Syntax: Using adjectives in phrases
· Comprehension: Answering simple questions
· Expressive/Oral Language: Beginning to recall parts of a previously heard story
· Listening Skills: Responding to action words by performing the action, responding by looking when directed toward a certain object, attempting to locate objects when they are discussed by others, listening to short and simple stories while walking, standing, or sitting
· Oral Communication: Demonstrating an awareness of back and forth turn-taking during conversation exchanges
· Conventions of Social Communication: Paying attention to speaker for at least a portion of a conversation, beginning to demonstrate turn-taking in conversation
· Phonological Awareness: Reciting phrases from familiar rhymes, completing a familiar rhyme by completing the last word, participating in rhyming games and songs with other children
Resources/materials needed
Large copy of Eric Carle’s From Head To Toe, several plastic animals of varying sizes and types, one or two small toy houses
Procedures (step by step)
Anticipatory Set (Connection/Motivation)
“We’ve been playing with all of these different types of animals all week. Who would like to read a book and sing a song about different kinds of animals? What different kinds of animals do you see in this book?
Instruction/Mini Lesson
During the read aloud, the children will be asked to move their different body parts like the animals on the page, with modeling if necessary, and encouraged to say the repetitive line, “I can do it!” whenever it is read. The line will be read with the children as the text is pointed to, then as the story progresses the children will say the line without the teacher as the text is pointed to.
Guided Participation
After the read aloud, small plastic animals will be taken out one by one, with questions being asked about the animals (e.g. “Was this animal in the book?” “How did this animals move?”) All of the animals and toy house(s) will then be taken out and put on the floor. The participation will be play based and follow the children’s lead, but within the play, the children will be asked to name the animals, count out a number of them, identify which ones are the biggest, tallest, or smallest, and place them in relation to the house(s).
Closure (sharing/reflection, next steps)
As children spontaneously move away from this activity, it will come to an end, but can be revisited through a repeated read aloud, counting the animals in the book, and matching the plastic animals to the images in the book and noting their similarities and differences.
Method of assessing children’s understanding of lesson/activity/objective(s)
Questions to ask:
· Were most of the students able to name the animals? Which students were not? Which animals were students not able to identify?
· Were most of the students able to move the correct body part? Which students were not? Which body parts did the students have the most difficulty with?
· Were most students able to remember parts of the book when taking out the animals one by one? Which students were not?
· Were most of the students able to count out the correct number of animals? Which students were not?
· Were most students able to identify the biggest, tallest, or smallest animal? Which students were not?
· Were most students able to place the animal in the correct position in relation to the house? Which students were not?
Plans for differentiated instruction/instructional modifications
To make Easier:
· Model all movements and point to body parts as story is read aloud
· Hand over hand prompt counting out the plastic animals
· Model identifying the animals and placing them in the correct place several times before asking the children to do so
To make Harder:
· Ask children to count out more than six animals
· Ask children about other qualities of the animals (e.g. “Which animal has the sharpest teeth?”)
· Ask children to place themselves in relation to the house(s) or animals
For Different Learners:
· Count on fingers as children are asked to count out animals, and keep fingers held up (visual learners)
· Explain biggest, smallest, and tallest using words (audio learners)
· Have the children move around the classroom imitating the actions in the book with the plastic animals in their hands (kinesthetic learners)
Follow up/Extension activities
. In next read aloud, children will also be asked to say the line, “Can you do it?” as well as “I can do it!”
· Children will be provided with larger cardboard “house” that they can practice being “inside of”, “outside of”, or “next to”
· Children will be asked to hand out napkins and cups at snack time, counting out how many they need as they are placed down