Description

Where in the sky is the sun while you are eating lunch? This fifth lesson from the unit, Sky High Counting, engages students in literature as they learn about the sun. Students continue their counting books adding a page for the number 5.

Materials

-Crews, Donald. [Ten Black Dots]. New York. Scholastic. 1968.

-McGrath, Barbara Barbieri. [The M&M’s Brand Counting Book]. Watertown, MA. Charlesbridge. 1994.

-Gibbons, Gail. [Sun up, Sun down]. New York. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. 1983.

-Student Web Lesson, Sunrise, Sunset (See Weblinks for the link.)

-One copy of “Moving Sun Rhyme” from the associated file from the lesson plan Three Bears and Three Goats in the Morning Sun

-Five quarter-size, yellow construction paper or sticker dots per student

-Yellow construction paper cutout of the numeral 5, one per student plus one for the teacher’s number wall card (see associated file from lesson plan One Sun, One Moon)

-Copy of the student worksheet from associated file – one per student

-Copy of the formative assessment checklist previously used with this unit – one per student

-One sheet of chart paper

-Various colors of markers for writing on chart paper

-Five large yellow stars traced from the pattern for the number wall cards (see associated file for lesson plan One Sun, One Moon)

-One 12 x 16 sheet of dark blue construction paper to make number wall cards

-One sheet per student of light blue, 6 x 8, construction paper

-Pencils – one per student

-A set of multiple colors of crayons and/or markers per student or group

-One one-gallon plastic bag per student (previously used with this unit)

-One set of M & M candies per student (1 blue, 2 green, 3 orange, 4 yellow, 5 red, 6 brown)

Procedures

Note: This is lesson plan number five of ten that makes up the unit Sky High Counting available from the link in the top corner or the Extensions section of this lesson plan. This integrated lesson plan includes reading, writing, mathematics, and science.

Review –

1. Draw students’ attention to the wall chart for the numbers that were previously presented. Orally review the lines of the numerals by having students trace them in the air as you verbally describe them. Ask a student to count the number of stars on the chart as you touch the stars to demonstrate one-to-one correspondence. Ask whether the blue paper is supposed to be the day sky or night sky and encourage students to explain how they know.

Math –

2. Read the section of the book, [The M&M’s Brand Counting Book] that deals with counting 1 - 10. As you read, demonstrate one-to-one correspondence while counting the various candies in the story.

3. Ask students to relate the book to their own experiences of eating M&Ms or a similar candy. Ask guiding questions about these experiences that result in the answer “five” such as: “If you had one M&M on each of your fingers, how many would you have?”

4. As each page is read, have the students predict what might be on the following page. Ask why they made that prediction. They can predict what number will be displayed, what color may be used, and the positions of the candies.

5. Display the number wall card for the number 5. Announce that today our special visitor is the number five.

6. Trace the cutout numeral on the chart with your finger. As you do, talk to the students about the shape of the numeral five. Verbally trace the five by modeling and saying, “Trace down, then around. Last, put a hat on the top.” Have the students trace the five in the air with their fingers.

7. Touch the yellow stars on the wall chart and say the number words “one, two, three, four, five” demonstrating one-to-one correspondence.

8. Make the relation with the numeral five and the five stars obvious. Touch the star and say “one, two, three, four, five.” Then, trace the numeral and say “five.” Remind students that the numeral tells how many stars are on the paper.

9. Hang the wall card on the wall high enough that students can see it but low enough that they can touch the stars.

10. Display the chart paper. Remind students that their homework last night was to find things that have five parts. Make a list as related by the students. The list should be words and drawings if possible and may include hand, feet, stars, starfish, snowflakes, etc. As the students respond, give formative feedback such as, “Yes, my hand has five fingers.” or “No, a flower could have more than five petals or less than five petals. We don’t know that it will always have only five petals. What has only five parts?” When students have had the opportunity to add as many answers as possible to the list, hang the list under the wall chart for the number 5.

11. Pass out the worksheet from the associated file. Have students write their names on the papers. Using their fingers, have the students trace the numeral 5 on the paper. As students are tracing with their fingers, verbally describe the procedure saying, “Trace down, then around. Last, put a hat on the top.” Have students pick up their pencils and trace the numeral 5 using their pencils. Verbally describe the tracing again.

12. Tell the students that there are many stars on the paper, but our numeral tells us to only color five stars. Tell students to pick five colors to color five stars. They can be colored any way the student chooses as long as he/she only uses five colors and only color five stars. They can be striped, one each color, two colors on each, etc. The purpose is to be sure the student understands the concept of five.

13. Collect the papers. Use the papers to formatively assess individual student’s knowledge of the numeral and number five. Mark students' ability on the formative assessment record sheet. Remember that you are assessing whether students adequately demonstrate their knowledge of counting to five, not their coloring or tracing abilities.

14. Pass out the sets of M&M's. Reread the section of the book, [The M&M’s Brand Counting Book] that demonstrates counting 1 - 10. As each page is read, students arrange their candies as shown in the book. Call on individuals to count their M&Ms using one-to-one correspondence.

15. After completing the counting activity with the book, allow students to eat the candy only as you say. Give verbal instructions such as: “Show me two yellow M&M's. You may eat them.” This activity allows students to create sets to represent quantities given in verbal form. Be sure to make students demonstrate understanding of counting by giving instructions that do not match the colors the students have. For instance, if you tell them to show and eat three orange ones, and they only have three orange ones, you don’t know if they know how to create a set of three or they are just eating all the orange ones. A better determination of whether students can create sets to represent verbal numbers would be to ask them to show a set of five. They will probably show the five red ones. After the first five are eaten, ask them to show you five again. Now they must create their own set since the five red ones are gone.

Reading (read-aloud) –

Note: While asking questions and requesting student input, be sure all students have the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, share their predictions, and abilities, etc. Don’t allow the more vocal students to dominate.

16. Show the book, [Sun up, Sun down].

17. Look at the cover of the book. Ask if students can predict what the title might be. Teach students to predict by using what they see. Ask guiding questions such as: “Is this a day sky or night sky?” “What is wrong with the picture on the cover?” (There are two suns.) After students predict the title using the illustration, read the title to them. Ask if they know why there are two suns in the picture now. Which one do they think is the sun up and which one do they think is the sun down.

18. Now that students know the title of the book, ask them to predict what they think the book will be about. Give formative feedback as to whether they are using the title and illustration to make their prediction and whether the prediction is realistic. Possible feedback might be, “Looking at the pictures of the suns on the cover, you may be right. The book probably is about the sunrise and sunset.”or “We see a sun on the cover. Do you think there would be two suns if the book were about day sky and night sky sky? Think about it some more and I’ll come back to you for another guess.” Formative feedback tells why the student is correct and/or guides the student towards the correct answer.

19. Read the first page to the students. Ask students if they know a poem that is like this first page. Remind students of the “Moving Sun Rhyme.” Ask students to relate the first illustration to their own lives. Can they see the sun from their beds in the morning? Is their bed larger or smaller than the one in the picture? Do the girls sleep with their hair in pigtails? Do they wear slippers?

20. Ask students to predict what will happen next. Give feedback on their predictions as to whether they are logical and whether students used the illustrations to make the prediction.

21. Continue reading the first 17 pages of the book (to the page where the rain starts, but not about the water cycle and rainbows). Read the last 4 pages of the book (after the rainbow and to the end). For each page, follow the read, relate to students’ own lives, and predict what will come next, procedures that have been established.

22. Place the book in a predominant place in the classroom, such as on the chalk tray. Invite students to read the book during their “self selected” reading time.

Science –

23. On the way to lunch, leave the classroom a few minutes early and take time to observe the placement of the sun. It should be high overhead.

24. Ask students about the sun they observed when they got home from school yesterday. Where was it in the sky? What color was it? What other information do they have?

25. Reread the appropriate sections of the book, [Sun up, Sun down] as described in procedures #21. As each page is turned, discuss the placement of the sun in the sky.

26. After reading the first page about the sun rising in the east, ask if the students have heard anything like that page before. Hopefully they will relate it to the first stanza of the “Moving Sun Rhyme.” Recite the first stanza. Then, continue reading the book to the raindrop page. Take every opportunity to discuss the day sky, night sky, and placement of the sun.

27. Continue reading. After reading the page right after the rainbow page about the sun setting in the west, ask if the students have heard anything like that page before. Hopefully they will relate it to the last stanza of the “Moving Sun Rhyme.” Recite the last stanza. Then, continue reading to the end of the book. Take every opportunity to discuss the day sky, night sky, and placement of the sun.

28. Teach the students the middle stanza of the “Moving Sun Rhyme” from the attached file from the lesson plan, Three Bears and Three Goats in the Morning Sun. Use the following motions with the rhyme: “I’m eating lunch.” move your hand like you are eating. “When I look in the sky” turn your head upward. “There is the sun, Straight up high, ” Point your finger straight up. Answer any questions about the noon sun. Repeat the stanza at least three times.

29. Add the beginning stanza and the last stanza of the rhyme to the middle stanza just learned. Say and do the motions to the entire poem several times.

30. The purpose today is to make students aware of the apparent movement of the sun. Later in this unit, you will teach them that it is actually the earth moving, not the sun.

31. Students now have a beginning knowledge of the apparent movement of the sun during the day. The Student Web Lesson will help cement this concept into their long-term memory. This interactive Web lesson has audio capabilities to integrate reading and science. The Student Web Lesson can be done individually, but students gain the most from working in pairs as this strategy encourages discussions that assist students in understanding concepts. This Student Web Lesson will be included in the procedures for the next four lesson plans of this unit. Do not try to find time for every student to complete the Student Web lesson today. Only about one-fifth of the students need to complete it today.

32. The Student Web Lesson can be found by clicking the link from the Weblinks, or the link from the unit plan. Once you have opened the Student Web Lesson, add it to your favorites by clicking the Favorites button, Click Add, then OK.

Writing –

33. Review the chart of things in the day sky. Ask for anything the students may want to add to the list. Discuss what there might be five of in the day sky. Guide students to acknowledge that there can’t be five suns in the sky since we only have one sun.

34. Remind students that they are creating a counting book somewhat like [Ten Black Dots] using yellow dots.

35. Tell students that today’s page in their counting book will be for the number five. Ask how many yellow dots each student will need for this page.

36. Pass out one piece of light blue paper to each student. Ask whether this page will be about things in the day sky or night sky. Ask students to explain their answers.

37. Show a container with the yellow dots, and another container with numeral cutouts. Call on groups of students to come get five dots from the dot container and a numeral 5 from the numeral container. As they get their dots and numerals, have students show you what they have selected as they walk back to their seat. Correct any miscounting or misconceptions as the individuals show you their dots and numerals.

38. Have students place the dots and numerals on their papers (just place, not glue). Ask several students to share what their dots are going to be and what they are going to draw. Give feedback to help guide students such as, “Yes, if the dots are birds, you can draw the rest of the birds.” or “No, if the dots are birds, you may draw the rest of the birds, but you can’t draw a birdhouse since a birdhouse would not be in the sky. What could be in the sky with the birds?”

39. Remind students by showing pages from the [Ten Black Dots] book, that each page must have a story that goes with it. Demonstrate how the story on each page must match the picture on the page.

40. Stories should include the number word five, that this is the day sky, and what the item is in the picture. Model a story about five balloons such as: “Five red balloons were caught in the wind. They went higher and higher in the bright blue day sky. If they touch the sun, they will pop.” Ask students what would be in the picture for this story.

41. Give examples and non-examples of stories that could be on the page. A non-example might include the story, “Five balloons.” Explain that since this is a story, there must be a part of the story that tells about what the balloons are doing. Students also forgot to tell that this is a day sky.

42. Pass out crayons and/or markers. Have students turn their papers the tall way to do their drawing. (Then the large construction paper cover can be folded to be the front and back of the book.)

43. As students are drawing, they should be thinking about the story that goes with this page. Tell them to be ready to tell you their story as you come to them, and you will write their stories on their pages for them.

44. Before students begin drawing, assist them in gluing their dots and numerals to the page. This can be done one-on-one, or as a group as you demonstrate depending on the ability of the class. Although this can be time consuming each day, doing the pasting ahead of time does not allow students to place the dots where they desire for their creation and the teaching opportunity of counting one-to-one and relating the counting with the numeral.

45. As students are drawing, circulate and write students’ stories as they dictate them to you. Remind students that their stories must match their drawings; so only tell you a story about what they are drawing. Guide students to use the words “five and day sky” in their story. Give formative feedback as to whether their drawings are appropriate for the night sky and whether their stories match their drawings.

46. Have students store their completed pages in their gallon bags. Place this numeral 5, page in front of the numeral 4, page from yesterday.

Homework –

47. Tomorrow you will be learning about the number six. Talk to your parents about things that have six legs.

48. Tell your parents the poem about the sun that we have learned in class.

Extensions

1. Students can do the Student Web Lesson as a whole group activity using a projector connected to the computer.

2. Students can do the Student Web Lesson in a lab setting.

3. With minor adjustments, this standard (reads and writes numbers to 10) could be added to the unit. This would require additional practice in writing the numerals.

4. Number words can be added to the wall cards, worksheets, and book pages.

5. Zero can be added to the wall cards and book pages.

6. Adult volunteers can help with assembling wall cards, gluing yellow dots and numerals, and taking dictations.

7. ESE modifications may include guiding students’ hands while touching the stars being counted or having students put a mark on rather than color the stars on the worksheet.

8. ESOL modifications may include reading to small groups of students rather than the whole group.

9. If the specific books used in this lesson cannot be located, a book with similar content can be substituted.

10. The Beacon Unit Plan associated with this lesson can be viewed by clicking on the link located at the top of this page or by using the following URL: http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/search/details.asp?item=2982. Once you select the unit’s link, scroll to the bottom of the unit plan page to find the section, “Associated Files.” This section contains links to the Unit Plan Overview, Diagnostic and Summative Assessments, and other associated files, (if any).

Attached Files

A student worksheet for the number 5.     File Extension: pdf