.Charlotte Moore
Preschool Leaf Theme Lesson Plan
Objective
Students will be able to classify objects via single criterion: the objects color.
Suggested Group Size
The whole classroom can be a single group or individual instruction of small groups works as well.
Preparing Materials
Advance Preparation
1. Cut small and large leaves into paper that are Fall colors (red, orange, yellow, brown).
2. Put 10 of these small and large leaves into a baggie for each students.
3. Create a large wall-graph for the entire class.
4. Create a smaller chart for which you can write dictation from the children.
5. Write-down each child's name on an empty baggie for what will be known as the nature walk.
6. Trace large shapes that looks like leaves onto manila paper.
7. Create the leaf-matching game.
Books to Prepare For Use
1. "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf,' by Lois Ehlert.
2. "When Autumn Comes," by Rober Maas.
3. "Autumn Leaves," by Ken Robbins.
More Items to Have Prepared
1. Real leaves.
2. Butcher Paper.
3. Markers.
4. Glue.
5. Red, yellow, orange, and brown crayons.
6. "The Leaves Are Falling Down," song.
7. "My Fall Book,"
8. List of all the students names (for making an assessment).
9. Watercolor paints.
Language of Instruction
The teacher should use words such as: Classify and sort.
The students should be able to use word such as: Different and same.
Teaching Procedure
Read the book, "When Autumn Comes," and discuss the signs/hints of Fall covered in the book.
Inform the students that they will be taking a walk to look for the signs of Fall and that they will be allowed to bring items from their walk back inside to the classroom!
Have everyone go on a nature walk and point-out the signs of fall. Be sure to emphasize the leaves.
Allow the students to pick-up leaves and put them in their collection bags.
Head back to the classroom and upon returning collect the bags from the students they will later take home.
Take dictation from all of the students about the signs of Fall that they were able to observe on the nature walk.
Teach students the song, "The Leaves are Falling Down," and have them pretend to be falling leaves.
Fall Leaf Sorting Activity
Show the students the leaves that have been cut out of paper and give each of the children one leaf. Tell them that as a class they are going to sort the leaves and make a graph.
Instruct the students to now go and find their classmates who have the same colored leaves, and as they find these classmates to stand by them (all the reds standing together, and yellow together, and so forth).
Have the students place their leaves upon the graph one at a time in the correct place (read leaves go in the red leaf column, for example).
Now, as a group count how many leaves are found in each column. Determine which color leaf has the most times it appears and which leaf color appears the least. Also, discuss which colors appear the same number of times.
Inform the students it is about to be time for centers. Tell them they will be working with you to make their own leaf graphs when they cycle to your center.
Introduce Each center to your students and then break into these centers:
• Teacher's Table: Each child gets ten small leaves. They then sort these leaves by color. After that they can place their leaves on their own graphs just like the whole class did. For the purposes of assessment the teacher (your) should make note of which children are able to sort their leaves by color and which are not able.
• Assistant's Table: The assistant will read the words found in the book to the students. They will also help the students color the leaves on each page so that they match the color-word. Then, the students will cut the leaves out along the lines and the assistant will then staple them. This group can also practice reading their books together.
• Center Choices: Students at this center can choose to cut-out and watercolor paint large leaf shapes or they can make a nature collage using the items they collected outside. Also, if they want they can play the leaf matching game.
Going a Little Further
For Students Having a Hard Time: Try to modify the activity by only giving them two colors they need to sort and graph.
For Students Excelling: Have these students count the leaves in each column of their own personal leaf graphs and then have them write the corresponding numbers.
Assessment and Evaluation
Make sure to take note of which students are able to classify by color and which are not.
- Photo: Pacific Preschool Development Center (Lynnwood, Washington) www.pacificpreschoolllc.com
- Photo: With Our Own Two Hands Preschool (Richmond, British Columbia) www.withourowntwohands.ca
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