OBJECTIVES:
The student should be able to:
• Identify verbs. (Comprehension)
• Create an action word (verb) movement for a given animal’s body part. (Synthesis)
• Create movements to represent a given animal. (Synthesis)
TIME: 45 minutes
MATERIALS
Appendix A “From Head to Toe” rubric
Copy of book “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle
Chart paper and marker or SMARTboard
Appendix B Visuals of animals
Dr. Jean CD “Kiss Your Brain”
INTRODUCTION/PREPARATION/ANTICIPATORY SET:
The teacher will display and introduce the big book “From Head to Toe” by author/illustrator Eric Carle. A picture walk through the book will be taken to identify the animals on each page.
ACTIVITY:
Teaching Model: Before reading the story, the teacher will focus attention to the animal on the front cover. What action is he performing? The teacher will explain that this action word is called a verb. The students will listen to the beginning of the Dr. Jean song “Verbs”. As the story is read, the students will be instructed to identify the verb in each sentence.
Guided Practice: As the story is read, the students will identify the action verb in each sentence. A list will be kept of the verbs identified. As the story is read, the students will be prompted to perform the action word along with the character of the child in the story in response to the question “I can do it. Can you?”
Independent Practice: The students will be divided into groups of two or three. Each group will be given a picture of an animal that did not appear in the story. Each animal will have a different body part circled. The students will be instructed to work with their partner to come up with a movement to represent that animal and an action for that animal’s circled body part. The teacher will demonstrate with an animal from the story to clarify what is expected. The students will be given five minutes to work with their group. 1c As each group presents, the students will be asked to identify the verb being acted out. A list of identified verbs will be made as the groups present.
Closure: The teacher will review the chart made during presentations. How do we know that these words are verbs? The teacher will play the entire Dr. Jean song, “Verbs”. The children will form a circle in which to act out the song.
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
Formative: 1b,2b The teacher will observe the students during guided practice to determine that they are demonstrating the correct action word (verb).
Summative: 2c,3c The teacher will complete a rubric (Appendix A) to determine that each group understood the assignment.
ART CONTENT/CONCEPTS:
Identifying and demonstrating movement elements and skills in performing dance. Achievement Standard: Students a. accurately demonstrate nonlocomotor/axial movements (such as bend, twist, stretch, swing).
Social Living: To make a connection to Social Living, the teacher could have the students label the body part being used on each page in the story.
Art: To make a connection to the arts, the teacher could have the students create a class book in the style of the author/illustrator Eric Carle. Each group would be given a black and white copy of their animal. The animal would be filled in using scraps of tissue paper to create a collage to cover the animal. A sentence using the verb each group had acted out would be written to create the story. For example: I am a (animal). I can (verb) my (body part) . Can you do it?
COMPREHENSIVE
CURRICULUM, GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS/BENCHMARKS:
ELA-3-E4 Identify and use knowledge of parts of speech, including basic singular and plural nouns, pronouns, and verbs.
ELA-1-E2 Identify the author and the illustrator of a book.
MODIFICATIONS | ACCOMODATIONS:
Because I am not the classroom teacher, I do not see these students every day. I plan to meet with the classroom teacher to arrange groups of students so that students working together in this lesson will work well together and higher level students can assist lower level students as needed. If a student has a movement challenge, that group will be assigned a body part which the challenged student will be able to move and participate.
VARIATIONS | ENHANCEMENTS:
none provided
TEACHER REFLECTION:
The lesson began well, with the students able to identify the animals in the story and read much of the story along with me. The students also participated well in acting out the action verb being shown by each animal in the story. The students were also able to identify the verb on each page in the story. One or two students were a little apprehensive with acting out the action verb during the reading of the story and did not participate. The students were naturally a little rambunctious during the reading. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would instruct the students to wait until after reading the words “Can you do it?” to act out each animal’s action verb. At some points in the reading, a few students began the action before both pages had been read.
The students also worked well with their partners. I walked around and spoke to each pair to be sure they had an appropriate action before calling everyone back to the rug. At this time, I was also able to make suggestions if I felt that the action may not be clear to others. The students all acted out their action when it was their turn to present. Even the students who had not participated earlier during the reading of the story were able to make an effort to participate. During the closure song, it was sometimes hard to hear the next verb being said. Again as a way for the song to flow better, I should have had a signal for everyone to stop performing the action in the song and listen to the next word being presented. I think the children had heard this song before in their classroom and were familiar with it so they seemed to know which words to act out and when to stop.
In the end the lesson went well and the students had a great time. We were all worn out after this lesson from all of the movement that was going on throughout the lesson. I would teach this again because I know the students will not forget what was learned.
REFERENCES:
Carle, Eric. From Head to Toe. Harper Festival, 2007.
Feldman, Jean. Kiss Your Brain. “Verbs”. 2003. Seabrook Island, SC, 2003.
”GLE’s for English Language Arts,” Louisiana Department of Education. http://www.louisianaschools.net/Ide/ssa/1840.html
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