Classroom Activities
Speaking and Listening
The first classroom activity I would do with students is fill up the grammar wall with verbal suggestions. I would display a picture from the poems I have chosen for this unit. I would have the students look at the picture in silence for a few minutes (between 3 to 5 minutes). When the students are ready I would ask them to raise their hands and give me details about the picture: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives about Season, Settings, etc. I would be writing these details on post-it tabs and placing them on the table or board, not on the grammar wall. I would allow 10 to 15 minutes for this activity. For example for the illustration to Baa Baa Baa Black Sheep that we have chosen, students would identify 3 black sheep, a little boy, a man, the sheep corral, setting the scene on a farm or sheep camp, in the mountains, during Spring or Summer time. The students could even identify with the little boy’s emotion about getting wool from the sheep, which they might own. The students might even go as far as envisioning a sheep auction instead of the country path setting the illustration shows.
Once the students have finished identifying the details and discussing what is happening in the picture, I would read the poem that goes with the picture. I would ask the students to listen for words they listed in response to the picture and also for words they think they did not list. This is where the English terms and phrases come into play and where they would increase their vocabulary. After reading the poem they would be asked detailing questions to confirm comprehension.
We would then start putting the words that students pulled from the poem on the grammar wall. Having the students join in and place words in the section where it belongs would help them understand the different Parts of Speech. I would allow for the students to compare their words and the words of Mother Goose.
Writing
Once the grammar wall is filled up I would inform the students that we will write a poem about the Baa, Baa Black Sheep illustration using our own words from the grammar wall. I would pull an article to start the sentence, then find a noun, then pull an adjective and link it with a verb to model how to build a simple sentence. I would write the words on poster board, modeling letter formation and spacing between the words to create a sentence. I would be dictating and pointing at the post-it word frames as I write the words to model how to build a sentence out of words from the grammar wall. I would then have the students continue to finish up the poem, making sure all student contributed to the poem. I would pull names from a Popsicle stick can and set them aside. (We put their names on the Popsicle sticks to ensure everyone gets a chance to speak). At the beginning of the unit the student would need a lot of wait time to think about how they want to use the words on the grammar wall. Once a word is used I would reuse it; however once the students have learned to create sentences I would challenge them by not re-using the words. When students have built a sentence, I would have them write their sentences in their own handwriting to display as a finished product. Because they are at the Kindergarten Level some students would need extra time to write their sentences, so this part of the exercise would vary with the students.
Illustration
When the students are finished with their poems I would have them illustrate what they wrote. I would make sure the details of what they wrote are represented in their drawings. I would have to sit with a small group and work with one student and one sentence at a time until the details have filled their drawings. This is where the students would show their emotional connection with the poem and with the illustration that they have already seen.
To finish off the project, around the room I would display the student’s pictures with the poems they created as a class. When all the poems are completed and the students have had a chance to get their work completed I would arrange a gallery walk in my classroom and invite the parents/family to come and see what their child has accomplished.
Appendix
My unit is guided by using [] Arizona’s English Language Arts Standards for the Kindergarten Classroom. I have created the unit classroom activities around the following standards.
Reading for Literature
The students need to understand the key ideas, characters, and setting to a poem. They need to be able to ask and answer questions about the poem, such as who, what, when, where, why and how. They need to retell key details from a poem. The students should be able to use phonics to write words and express thoughts and ideas in writing.
Writing Standards
The students should use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to craft texts with different purposes. The students should be able to generate ideas for writing from reading stories, poetry, and informational texts and should be able to write frequently used words.
Speaking and Listening Standards
Student should listen actively. They should be able to speak in complete sentences for effective communication. They should be able to share ideas with peers. They should be able to use common nouns and verbs
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