Alexandra Buser
TITLE OF ACTIVITY: Exploring Our Homes
Grade Level: Pre-Kindergarten
I. SECTION ONE: Standards and objectives
A. Pre- Kindergarten: PA Learning Standards for Early Childhood
1.1: Learning to Read Independently
1.1.1. Purposes for Reading
- Use a variety of text during play.
- Select a variety of genre during play.
1.1.2. Continue Recognition Skills
- Continue teacher-initiated word patterns.
- Identify familiar words.
1.1.3. Vocabulary Development
- Describe pictures in books using detail.
- Practice new vocabulary with teacher assistance.
- Match vocabulary to picture clues.
1.1.4. Comprehension and Interpretation
- Respond appropriately to directions and stories.
- Identify story details through questioning.
- Draw connections between story events and personal experiences.
1.2: Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Text
1.2.1. Text analysis and Evaluation
- Discuss events in a book or story.
- Explain reasons for liking or disliking a book or story with prompting.
1.3: Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
1.3.4. Literacy Devices
- Recognize rhyming words in works of literature with teacher support.
1.4: Types of Writing
1.4.2. Informational
- Share information through pictures and dictated words.
1.5: Quality of Writing
1.5.1. Focus
- Illustrate and/or tell about a specific topic.
1.5.2. Content
- Generate ideas for a picture, story or shared writing.
- Identify and/or create illustrations that depict story detail.
1.6: Speaking and Listening
1.6.1. Discussion
- Listen and respond attentively to conversations.
- Ask and answer relevant questions.
- Follow two-step directions.
1.6.2. Listening Skills
- Share experience when asked.
- Speak in simple sentences.
- Answer questions.
1.6.3. Discussion
- Communicate using detail when relating personal experiences.
- Pose questions and listen to ideas of others.
- Contribute to class discussion.
1.6.4. Presentation
- Share information about an item of interest.
4.1: Environment and Ecology
4.8. Humans and the Environment
- Identify types of shelters that humans use.
7.1: Basic Geography Literacy
7.1.2. Places and Regions
- Describe the characteristics of his/her home and frequently visited
locations.
7.2: Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions
7.2.1. Physical Characteristics
- Describe the location of items/ areas at home.
8.1: Historical Analysis and Skills Development
8.1.3. Research
- Understand that information comes from many sources, such as books.
9.1c: Production and Performance: Visual Arts
9.1c.1. Representation
- Represent experiences, thoughts and ideas through visual arts.
9.1c.2. Construction
- Combine a variety of materials to create new products.
9.1c.3. Personal Connections
- Share how artwork is connected to own personal experience.
9.3: Critical Response to Works of Art
9.3.1. Critical Response
- Share an opinion about others’ art products.
9.4: Aesthetic Response to Works in the Art
9.4.1. Emotional Response
- Demonstrate emotional response to viewing or creating various art
works.
10.5: Concepts, Principles and Strategies of Movement: Fine Motor
Development
10.5.3. Use of Tools
- Use writing and drawing implements with correct grip to make
pictures.
15.1: Constructing and Gathering Knowledge
15.1.1. Curiosity and Initiative
- Ask questions for clarification and to seek meaningful information.
- Show interest and interact with others about their work or actions.
15.1.2. Risk Taking
- Demonstrate an increased willingness to participate in both familiar
and new experiences.
15.2: Organizing and Understanding Information
15.2.1. Engagement, Attention and Persistence
- Attend and follow through and adults’ one or two-step directions.
- Complete short tasks, activities, projects and experiences from
beginning to end independently.
- Work towards completing task despite interruptions or classroom
disruptions.
15.2.4. Reasoning and Problem Solving
- Try different ways to complete a task.
- Attempt to accomplish a difficult task on own.
15.3: Applying Knowledge
15.4.1. Creativity, Flexibility and Intention
- Use art to express ideas and feeling
- Produce and explain the purpose for a new creation
15.4: Learning Through Experience
15.4.1. Home-School Identity
- Relate home or outside-learned knowledge to school experiences.
20.1: Connections: Shared Understandings of Family and School Values,
Philosophies and Cultures
20.1.3. Home to School Connections
- Learn about the family and home setting and incorporate into the
school experience.
25.1: Self- Concept (Identity)
25.1.1. Self Awareness
- Demonstrate awareness of self and one’s own preferences.
- Know and state independent thoughts and feelings.
25.2: Self- Regulation
25.2.1. Emotional Regulation
- Ask for and accept offers of help when needed or appropriate.
- Adjust to changes in routines and activities with guidance.
25.2.2. Behavioral Regulation
- Use materials with purpose, safety and respect.
- Understand and follow simple classroom rules.
- Make transitions between activities after warning.
- Wait for teacher approval before acting in required situations.
- Clean up or put away materials on own with teacher direction.
25.3: Pro-Social Relationships with Adults
25.3.1. Trust
- Seek help from familiar adults when needed.
- Respond to familiar adults’ questions and directions.
- Engage in reciprocal conversation with familiar adults.
25.4: Pro-Social Relationships with Peers
25.4.1. Social Identity
- Cooperate in both large and small group activities that are facilitated
by adults.
25.4.2. Respect and Empathy
- Share and take turns with adult guidance.
- Respect feelings and belongings of peers.
- Demonstrate polite and respectful interactions.
- Demonstrate respect for children’s differences.
B. Enduring Understandings:
1. A home is a place where one lives.
2. A home is not only a house that humans live in. A home can vary for
different animals. Cows can live in barns. Lions live in the open. Some sea
creatures live in the ocean in a shell.
3. Students can draw or explain with words what their home looks like and
different aspects of their home that makes it unique to them.
C. Essential Questions:
1. What is a home?
2. Are all homes alike? What are different types of homes for other things
(i.e. animals, everyday objects)
3. How can a student describe basic features of his/her home?
D. Performance standards:
-To meet the standards,
1. Students will know:
a. Different types of homes.
b. Not all homes are the same.
c. What their peer’s homes are like.
d. The opinions of their peers on their artwork.
e. The opinions of their peers on the book read.
f. Independent thoughts and feelings.
2. Students will be able to:
a. Identify homes they are familiar with.
b. Discuss with their peers and an adult their opinion on their
artwork.
c. Discuss with their peers and an adult their opinion on the read
book.
d. Discuss with their peers and an adult, aspects of their home and
explain their drawing.
e. Share and take turns with adult guidance.
f. Respect feelings and belongings of peers.
g. Demonstrate polite and respectful interactions.
h. Demonstrate respect for children’s differences.
i. Cooperate in a small group activity that is facilitated by an adult.
j. Seek help from familiar adults when needed.
k. Respond to familiar adults’ questions and directions.
l. Engage in reciprocal conversation with familiar adults.
m. Use materials with purpose, safety and respect.
n. Understand and follow simple classroom rules.
o. Make transitions between activities after warning.
p. Wait for teacher approval before acting in required situations.
q. Clean up or put away materials on own with teacher direction.
r. State independent thoughts and feelings
s. Ask questions for clarification and to seek meaningful information.
t. Show interest and interact with others about their work or actions.
u. Identify familiar words and experiences during the reading.
v. Complete short tasks, activities, projects and experiences from
beginning to end independently.
w. Work towards completing task despite interruptions or classroom
disruptions.
II. SECTION TWO: Identifying assessment
1. Pre-Assessment:
•
Before the story begins, ask the students what they know about homes. Do they
live in a house? What is they’re house like? This will give the teacher an
understanding of the students knowledge revolving around homes.
2. Formative:
• During the reading it is important to involve the students and ask them questions.
These questions throughout the story can tell the teacher if the student in
comprehending the story and able to pay attention. Also they teacher will be able
to tell if the student is connecting information in the story with their own prior
knowledge. Question can include: Before reading certain sections ask the students
if they know the answer, for example… Where do cows live? The book says,
“Cows live in a barn”. Ask the students to point out objects in the pictures and if
they have ever visited places that the book describes. Is their home like the homes
in the book?
3. Summative:
• In the final section on the lesson the students are asked to draw a picture of their
home and explain their drawing to their classmates. This will show the teacher
how they relate to the topic of homes. Also, the teacher will ask questions about
the book and if the students liked/disliked the story.
4. Adaptations:
• If students seem to be struggling with the drawing the teacher can offer help and
encouragement to the student. During the reading, the teacher can also explain
vocabulary that the student may not understand and relate the words to the
illustrations.
• If students are advanced they can have the opportunity to turn the construction
paper over and draw a different type of home that is not their own, either from the
book or their everyday experiences.
III. SECTION THREE: Lesson Activities
1. Materials:
• Children’s Book: A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman (Age 3-8)
• Construction Paper
• Various Drawing Implements: markers, crayons, paint and paint brushes
2. Procedures:
1. Gather a small group of students at a table. Sit at a seat at the table where all students
can see clearly the lesson.
2. Stimulate a discussion between themself and the students about homes. Questions that
should be asked: What is a home? Does everyone have the same home? Do animals
have homes?
3. Read the book A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman.
While reading…
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
a. Omit pages that are marked with sticky notes (pages are not numbered). These
pages are irrelevant to lesson goals.
b. Show pictures to students and ask the students to connect the reading to the
illustrations in the book.
c. Put emphasis on rhyming words and word patterns.
d. Encourage students to ask questions about unfamiliar vocabulary.
e. Encourage the students to point out homes they already knew.
f. Ask the students to describe illustrations in the book and what the illustration
represent.
Then, ask the students what they thought about the book. Did they like/dislike it?
Why did they feel that way? What did they learn from the book? What did they
already know? Have they ever scene any of the homes shown in the book? Give each student a piece of construction paper. Tell the students they are going to create their own home and they can choose the
drawing materials of their liking. Ask the students to gather the materials they want and that they can start when the
said so. Once all the students are seated and ready they can begin the activity. Pay attention to the student’s drawings and offer help if needed, encourage students to
ask for help and create the drawing on their own using their knowledge. Once all of the students have finished their drawing ask a student to share their home
with their peers. Have the student describe what they drew and what makes their
home unique? What is their favorite part of their home? Have the students take turns
sharing their home drawing. Discuss as a group all the differences between the homes
and have the students share what they think and feel about the differences.