PROJECT: EMOTIONS

TEACHER: BONNIE JEAN BUSH

SCHOOL: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

CONTENT: Social Emotional/Arts

GRADE LEVELS: Preschool

OBJECTIVES:
The student should be able to:

• State various emotions (knowledge).

TIME: 1 or 2 days

MATERIALS
Pictures of faces showing various emotions
Popsicle sticks
Avariety of songs (on a CD)
CD player

INTRODUCTION/PREPARATION/ANTICIPATORY SET:
The students will be given several scenarios.  For example, how would you feel if your parents tell you that you are going to Disney World; how would you feel if your pet dog or cat runs away?  Students will be told that the ways they feel are called emotions.

ACTIVITY:
Day 1
Teaching/ Modeling: The teacher will show the students pictures of people/faces that are displaying different emotions.  The teacher will look at one picture at a time, describe the picture, and state the emotion.

Guided Practice: Guided Practice:  Students will work in pairs.  Each pair will take a turn displaying an emotion and the students will have to name the emotion.

Independent Practice: Each child will be given an index card that has been divided into 4 sections.  Each section will have a different facial emotion pictured on it.  Students will be given paper markers of different colors.  They will be given the following directions-  place the green marker on the sad face, place the yellow marker on the excited face, etc…

Closure: The teacher will state an emotion and the children will display that emotion using only their face.

DAY 2
This lesson will begin with a brief review of emotions.  Students will be told that just as they can look at pictures (or people) and know how they are feeling, music can cause us to have certain feelings.  An excerpt of Vivaldi’s “Spring” will be played then of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue.”  Students will be asked how they felt when they heard each song.

Teaching/Model: Excerpts of other songs will be played.  The teacher will demonstrate possible ways to move depending on the emotions expressed in the music.  The teacher will introduce students to the terms “levels” and “improvisation.”

Guided Practice: The teacher will tell students that the song that will be played next, “Fields of Gold,” is a relaxing and peaceful song.  Students will be encouraged to move to a portion of this song.  The same procedure will be repeated using “Procession of the Nobles.”  Students will be told that this song makes one feel proud (like you would be a king or queen).  They will be encouraged to move as a portion of this song is played.

Independent Practice: Since some students may be shy to perform one at a time, I will accommodate for this by putting different types of music in the music center and observe the children as they move to the music and talk to the children about how they feel when they hear the different songs.

Closure: :  Random selection of music will be played.  Students will move to the music.  When the music stops children will say how they felt during that song.

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
Day 1: Formative/informal: The teacher will use a checklist as students take part in the independent practice described in 1d.
Summative/formal:  Pictures of faces expressing different emotions will be glued    on popsicle sticks.  Children will take turns selecting a popsicle stick and stating the emotion.

Day 2: Formative/informal: The teacher will take note of students as they are in the music center (independent practice, 2d).  Anecdotal notes will be written as the teacher observes the children moving to music and talks to the students about the emotions expressed in the music.
Summative/formal: The class will be divided into five groups.  Each group will be given a picture of a person expressing a different emotion.  The students in each group will act out their emotion first and their classmates will say what emotion they are portraying.  Next, a song that corresponds to the emotion will be played and students will move (with that emotion) to the music.

ART CONTENT/CONCEPTS:
Express ideas, experiences, feelings, and images in original and artistic choreography.
Execute original or existing artistic dance movement or works or art using elements and skills of dance.
Dance in different tempos as music or accompanist changes.
Improvise responding to the qualities and phrasing of music.
Understand dance as a way to create and communicate meaning.

COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM, GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS/BENCHMARKS:
GLE (LA-4 standards):
(PK-MM-MA2) Respond to variations in music-pitch, volume, tempo, beat, rhythm, and patterns
(PK-MM-ME2) Use music as an avenue to express thoughts, feelings, and energy
(PK-MM-CM3) Show creativity using their bodies (dance, march, hop, jump, sway, clap, snap, stomp, twist, turn)
(PK-HP-GM2) Exhibit balance and spatial awareness
(PK-HP-GM1) Exhibit body coordination and strength

MODIFICATIONS | ACCOMODATIONS:
The teacher will group students in order to ensure that each group has a heterogeneous make-up.
The child with developmental delay will be seated near the teacher so his attention can be redirected and he can receive extra support.

TEACHER'S REFLECTION:
I taught this lesson on the students last day of school before the Easter holiday.  Because of all the “special events” the school had scheduled for that day I was a bit hesitant about teaching this lesson on that particular day because my students were so excited about the Easter egg hunt and Easter party.  This turned out to not be the case at all.  The children responded very well to the lesson and in retrospect I believe the children not only enjoyed the lesson and activities, but also needed some “structure” in was an “unstructured” day.

After reflecting on how this lesson impacted student learning, I determined that all students were able to identify the emotions presented in this lesson (happy, sad, angry, crying, proud, sleepy) with 100% accuracy as determined by independent activity 1d. My four year old students absolutely loved working individually and with group members to demonstrate emotions (both facially and with entire body).  Some of the children became very animated when portraying the emotion of crying/sad.  One child actually cried (produced tears) and two other students decided to use Kleenex to help them act out sad/cry. 

There are a few aspects of this lesson I will change when I address this topic (emotions) with future pre-k classes.  Depending on the class, I feel the children would have more success with moving in different ways to the music if I would have provided more opportunities for (free) movement with music as opposed to just showing different facial expressions.  As I was teaching this lesson and arrived at activity 2b and started introduction the terms levels and improvisation, I could tell the children were ready to start moving and getting involved in the activity.  Therefore, I introduced the term levels by asking a few students to demonstrate different levels with me.  Because of the short attentions span of four year olds I chose not to introduce another term (improvisation).  I will continue to use the term “levels” during movement activities and will introduce the term improvisation at a future time.  Students in my pre-k class often act out stories and participate in movement (and music) activities.  Consequently, these children will have many more opportunities to practice and build upon what was learned in this particular lesson.

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