Ocean Unit Kindergarten - Manchester University

[Pages:62]Ocean Unit Kindergarten

Whitney Whitehair EDUC 327

December 10th 2009

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Table of Contents

Introductory sheet Pages 3-7

Standards

Pages 7-8

Curriculum map Page 9

Letter to parents Page 10

Trade books

Pages 11-12

Bulletin Board

Pages 12-13

Field trip/guest speaker Page 14

Pre-test/Post-test Pages 15-18

Technology & literature Page 19

Lesson Plans

Pages 20-62

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Introductory Sheet Grade Level and Typical Learner Science is directed at the five and six year olds in the Kindergarten Indiana State standards by making the curriculum developmentally age appropriate. It is very important to provide developmentally appropriate content through the age level in both the cognitive and physical learning styles. A report from the National Education for Young Children (NAEFC) provides teachers with a significant description on the appropriate development of children that states,

"Most five-year-olds can begin to combine simple ideas into more complex relations. They have a growing memory capacity and fine motor physical skills. They have a growing interest in the functional aspects of written language, such as recognizing meaningful words and trying to write their names (NAEYC 1986). They need an environment rich in printed materials that stimulates the development of language and literacy skills in a meaningful context. They also need a variety of direct experiences to develop cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially. Since five-year-olds come to school with an interest in the community and the world outside their own, curriculum can expand beyond the child's immediate experience of self, home, and family (NAEYC 1986).

Six-year-olds are active learners and demonstrate considerable verbal ability. They are interested in games and rules and develop concepts and problemsolving skills from these experiences. Hands-on activity and experimentation are necessary for this age group (NAEYC 1986). Seven-year-olds become increasingly able to reason, listen to others, and show social give-and-take.

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Spatial relationships and time concepts are difficult for them to perceive. Flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance of unfamiliar ideas essential in social studies are formed to a remarkable extent by the interactions of the four- to eight-year-olds (Joyce 1970). Eight-year-olds combine great curiosity with increased social interest. They are able to learn about people who live elsewhere in the world. During these early grades, children can learn from the symbolic experiences of reading books and listening to stories; however, their understanding of what they read is based on their ability to relate the written word to their own experience (NAEYC 1986)".

NCSS Board of Directors. (1988, June). Social studies for early childhood and elementary school children preparing for the 21st century. Retrieved from

Rationale Why do students need to participate in this unit of study?

Kindergartener's main focus according to the state standards is incorporating the unit of the ocean through the idea that "Living and Learning Together" should be an area of study. Students focus upon their immediate environment, and stress is placed on social and civic learning experiences, including interaction with peers and respect for others. This unit on oceans is very broad and can be used to incorporate many subject areas, not just science. Even though Indiana is not a state that is surrounded by an ocean, this unit should still be taught in the classroom (as seen in the standards). Students need to participate in activities that are meeting the standards. This ocean unit helps students focus on their environment and its many differences. Students will gain the opportunity to get an inside look at how living and learning together impacts things such as our ocean.

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Goals

? I want to strive for the parents to get involved in the unit, whether it is with helping out in the classroom or providing additional materials to supplement our unit.

? My student's ideal field trip would be to end the unit by visiting an aquarium. My goal is for them to make an end connection with everything we have been learning in the unit. (May not happen this time, but if I use the unit in the future, this would be a goal for this unit plan.

? I would like the students to overall to enjoy this unit. I want to engage them as much as possible so it is a unit that they will always remember. It is a goal to somehow survey what they liked and did not like so I can alter the unit in the future.

? I have a goal of my classroom that behavior-wise I can control the focus on the unit through manipulative and hands on experiences.

? I want by the end of the unit for the kindergarteners to individually tell me at least 5 things they learned from the unit. I think that being able to explain this to me as a teacher through this unit. I want to make it fun learning so that they do not actually know they are learning.

Learning Objectives

SC=SCIENCE; SS=SOCIAL STUDIES; M=MATH; R=READING; W=WRITING; E=ENGLISH; D=DRAMA; MU=MUSIC; PE=PHYSICAL EDUCATION; A=ART

LESSON ONE

SS K.3.2./SC K.1.1. Given 4 assessment problems, students will identify maps and globes as a class for a way of representing Earth and identify map symbols for land and water at the end of the lesson with 75 % (3 of the 4).

LESSON TWO

M K.5.1 /SC K.4.2. Given a ruler, the student will recognize which whale is longer or shorter with 66% accuracy. (2 of the 3 measurements)

LESSON THREE

SC K. 1 Given 6 toys and a tub of water, students will identify which items float or sank with 83 % accuracy. (5 out of 6)

SC K.6.1. Given a journal, students will identify compare 3 similarities and differences in families, classmates, neighbors to other living creatures that can swim with 66% accuracy. (2 out of 3)

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LESSON FOUR

R K.7.3 After reading the story, the students will describe 4 characteristics for each character in at least 3 of the 4 boxes.

R K. 1 Using their assessment worksheet given, the students will orally explain the characteristics of both characters with 100% accuracy. (100 percent meaning they explained both characters; 50 percent would be only one)

LESSON FIVE

W K.2.5 / SC K.2.2 Using pictures and words from Finding Nemo, students will identify the order of the beginning, middle, and end of the story with 66% accuracy. (10 of 15 points)

LESSON SIX

D K.2.1/ SC K.4.1. After reading the Rainbow Fish and Finding Nemo, the student will pantomime a plant or animal without using words 100 percent of the time.

LESSON SEVEN

A K.6.1./ SC K.4.2. Given watercolors and art materials, the student will re-create an animal from the ocean with 100 percent completion.

LESSON EIGHT

PE K.1.1./ SC K.3.2.Given oral commands, the student will perform gross motor skills across the gym with 63% accuracy. (5 out of 8 skills)

LESSON NINE

SC K.3. After reading The Seashore Book and making sea scented play dough, the students will describe 3 of the natural surroundings of the ocean with 66% accuracy. (Correctly describe the 2 of the 3 surroundings)

LESSON TEN

PE K.1.3./ SC K.5.1. Using sea scented play dough, the students will make sea animals using shapes with 100 percent completion. (Students will create one animal)

LESSON ELEVEN

M K.1.2/ SC K.4.1. After the teacher sings the song, the student will echo the melodic patterns about ocean plants and animals participating 75 percent of the time. (Goal is to have the students participating the entire time, but this percent is more realistic for all students in the classroom).

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LESSON TWELVE

E K.7.5/ SC K.4.1. After listening to the storytelling CD, the student will tell a story using a beginning, middle, and end with 66 % completion. (The student will have at least 2 of the 3 parts needed for the story)

Standards

LESSON ONE SCIENCE K.1.1. Raise questions about the natural world. SOCIAL STUDIES: K.3.2. Identify maps and globes as ways of representing Earth and understand the basic difference between a map and globe. LESSON TWO SCIENCE K.4.2. Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and the things they do. MATH K.5.1 Make direct comparisons of the length, capacity, weight, and temperature of objects and recognize which object is shorter, longer, taller, lighter, heavier, warmer, cooler, or holds more. (Core Standard) LESSON THREE SCIENCE K. 1 Students are actively engaged in beginning to explore how their world works. They explore, observe, ask questions, discuss observations and seek answers. SCIENCE K.6.1. Describe an object by saying how it is similar to or different from another object. LESSON FOUR SCIENCE K. 1 Students are actively engaged in beginning to explore how their world works. They explore, observe, ask questions, discuss observations and seek answers. READING 5.7.3. Describe people, places, things (including their size, color, and shape), locations, and actions. LESSON FIVE SCIENCE K.2.2 Draw pictures and write words to describe objects and experiences. (Core Standard) WRITING K.2.5 Identify the order (first, last) of information

Students will learn about the oceans of the world through maps and globes.

Students will measure out types of whales found in the ocean. Then they will compare the size of the whales and determine which is shorter and longer.

Given objects from the classroom, students will predict which items will sink and float in water. Students will learn through this experiment the difference between ocean animals swimming and objects that float and sink.

Students will make character webs describing the characters of the book Rainbow Fish.

Students will write a short story about an ocean animal using beginning, middle, and end. Pictures will be used to help describe and illustrate the student's story.

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LESSON SIX SCIENCE K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals. (Core Standard) DRAMA K.2.1 Explore leading and following skills using contrasting ideas. LESSON SEVEN SCIENCE K.4.2 Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and in the things they do. (Core Standard) CREATING ART K.6.1 Use objects or animals from the real world as subject matter for artwork. LESSON EIGHT SCIENCE K.3.2 Investigate that things move in different ways, such as fast, slow, etc. (Core Standard) PHYSICAL EDUCATION K.1.1 Perform basic (fundamental) locomotor skills. (run, hop, walk, skip, gallop, jump, leap, slide) LESSON NINE SCIENCE K.3 Students investigate, describe, and discuss their natural surroundings. COOKING no specific standard for kindergarten LESSON TEN SCIENCE K.5.1 Use shapes, such as circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles, to describe different objects. (Core Standard) PHYSICAL EDUCATION K.1.3 Perform basic manipulative skills. LESSON ELEVEN SCIENCE K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals. MUSIC K.1.2 Echo short melodic patterns sung by the teacher. LESSON TWELVE SCIENCE K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals. ENGLISH K.7.5 Tell an experience or creative story in a logical sequence (chronological order, first, second, last). (Core Standard)

Students will learn how to pantomime and use ocean animals drawn from a hat to perform pantomime.

Students will use watercolors to "re-create" an animal from the ocean. The artwork of the students will display animals that have been introduced in the previous ocean lessons.

Students will move across the ocean floor as ocean animals while performing basic fundamental motor locomotor skills taught by the teacher.

Students will "re-create" the salty smell of an ocean through a play dough recipe. The student will learn about the senses when you are around the ocean.

Students will make ocean animals using their hands and cookie cutter shapes implementing basic manipulative skills.

Students will sing a song about an ocean animal and/or plant by learning how to echo the teacher.

Students will "re-tell" a story about an ocean animal using logical sequence. The students will create the story using examples of animals used from the unit.

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