Curriculum Connections

Curriculum Connections
Indiana’s Academic Standards http://www.doe.state.in.us/standards/grade00.html
Kindergarten Standard 3
READING: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text
Students listen and respond to stories based on well-known characters, themes, plots (what happens in a story), and settings (where a story takes place). The selections in the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html) illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. In Kindergarten, students will listen and respond to grade-level-appropriate fiction, such as classic and contemporary stories, Mother Goose nursery rhymes and other poems, songs, folktales, and plays.
Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text
K.3.1 Distinguish fantasy from reality.
Example: Listen to The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate the Wash, Trinka Hakes Noble’s story about a class field trip to a farm, and Farming, Gail Gibbons’ nonfiction book about farming. Tell how these two books are different.
K.3.2 Retell (beginning, middle, end) familiar stories.
Example: Retell the story of a folktale, such as the version of The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg.
K.3.3 Identify characters, settings, and important events in a story.
Example: Identify the main characters in a story, such as Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells. Describe the setting in a familiar story, such as Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Retell the important events in a story, such as the folktale Jack and the Beanstalk.
K.3.4 Identify favorite books and stories.
K.3.5 Understand what is heard or seen by responding to questions (who, what, where)

Curriculum Connections:

Early literacy research supports the selection of a wide variety of books and materials, develop relationships between spoken and written language, give opportunities to print, and to listen to stories read aloud. I have incorporated 3 versions of traditional literature and a culminating activity to correlate with Indiana academic standards for kindergarten students.

Lesson: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Lomazzi, M. 2001. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Cross Curriculum Reading Comprehension and Art Lesson for Elementary School Teachers” at: http://lessons.ctaponline.org/~mlomazzi/teachers/

Books Selected
Aylesworth, Jim. 2003. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. New York: Scholastic Press.
Buehner, Caralyn and Mark. 2007. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. New York: The Penguin Group.
Lowell, Susan. 2001. Dusty Locks and the Three Bears. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Objectives
1. Students will be able to retell the story identifying the four characters, the setting and the key events.
2. Each student will create artwork that represents the setting, characters and/or a key event of the story.
3. Working collaboratively, students will assemble their individual pieces of artwork to create a class mural or book which will illustrate the story.
4. Students will write a key word or short sentence to accompany each piece of artwork .

Day One:
Explain to students that you will be reading a version of a folk tale and will not show them the illustrations. Ask them to picture in their mind the story that you read. You might tell them to make a "T.V." in their heads. If they unfamiliar with what a folk tale is, you may want to discuss this with them.
Read one version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears without showing the illustrations in the book.
There are many versions of the story of Goldilocks. Some versions of this story are very traditional and other have more modern settings or slant.
Review the story with the students. Discuss the first part of the story, what happened next, and what happened last.
Ask students to tell you about the what they pictured or imagined in their mind while you read. You might ask:
* When Baby Bear broke the chair, what did you see in your mind?
* What was Baby Bear wearing?
* What color was his clothes?
* Did he wear a hat?
* What kind of chair did you imagine?
* What room in the house was he in?
* Where were Mama and Papa Bear when this happened

Day two/three:
Discuss the definition and difference between "author" and "illustrator".
Explain how illustrators used images, color and details to bring a story, visually, to life. Explain how the story might be different if the illustrator had drawn or painted the pictures a different way?
Re-read the first version or another version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears this time showing the illustrations as you read. Show the illustrations from the first version you read. Compare the illustrations discussing how the artists chose to use different styles, color, details, etc. to bring the story to life. Compare the different versions and remember the mental images that were discussed previously. How do the different styles make the story feel different?

Tell the students that they will be illustrators and that they will each illustrate a different scene from the the Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Your class may have done this on other occasions; remind them of this connection.
As a class, decide which version of the story your class will illustrate (modern vs. traditional) and which style and medium will be used. The teacher might want to make this decision on her own depending on the skills and materials available. I like to give students choices when I can. White construction paper can be used for crayons, felt pens, colored pencil, pastels or water colors. I suggest that students draw a light pencil illustration first before permanent color is used. The teacher should "okay" the pencil work before color is added. The students should draw "big" to fill the page. After pencil and color work is complete, students can outline their drawing with a black felt pen or crayon if the teacher wishes.
Students can volunteer or teacher can assign which portion or scene of the story will be illustrated by which student. Two students might collaborate on one scene with each drawing a different part. Such as one might draw Papa Bear's bed and the other draw Mama Bear's bed. The teacher should record this information. Student names should be written on the back of the page. The teacher should closely monitor progress of the illustrations providing and guidance and feedback as needed.
Some classes or students may need extra time to finish. Provide activities for those that finish early.
At this point, the teacher can decide to make this into another day, or finish.
The students now need to do the writing. This step would be best accomplished in small group or individually. The students will look at their illustration, remembering which part of the story it is from. They may need guidance. The students will write or dictate a word, phrase or short sentence that would accompany the illustration. Accept responses according to student skill level. Use pencil. Write names on the back. Once the student is finished, paper clip the words to the illustration to be glued in place later.
There are several different ways a teacher may choose to accomplish this depending on the class ability and/or availability of a computer. Teacher might use:
*half sheet of blank paper
*half sheet of lined paper
*strips of paper cut 2 x 11 inches
*computer word processing
My sample shows computer word processing. The students dictate and I type. I have them sound out the words and tell me what letters to type. An advanced student may be able to do the typing themselves. Print and trim the words to fit the illustration.

Final day
It is now time to make the mural or book. Ahead of time, prepare:
A mural will need a long strip of butcher paper. A contrasting color works well. The length of the butcher paper will depend on the number and length of the student artwork. The artwork will be glued/mounted side edge to side edge with two or three inches in between each page. The writing will be affixed below each illustration. Allow for a cover page and final page. You may also want to place a title page that lists the names of the authors and lllustrators, (the students. Lay the paper out on the floor or attach to a wall. Illustrations may be trimmed slightly if needed. Have glue ready. Note: a mural can be cut apart and made into a book at a later time. Also, if wall space is limited and you have Fire Marshal approval, a mural could be hung from a tight wire that is strung across or diagonally across a room. Use heavy duty eye-bolts that are screwed into a wall stud. Of course, you would want to glue first before you hung the mural up high for display.
A mural alternative: If you would like to save paper, the illustrations could be made into a story board by stapling the illustrations onto the wall or bulletin board length-wise at child's eye level or perhaps in two or three rows.
A book can be prepared from larger pieces of construction paper or from butcher paper. I have had success with both but prefer to use butcher paper. A contrasting color works well. The number of book pages will depend on the number of illustrations with the addition of the cover, title page, "The End" page and back cover. Cut the pages to fit the illustration plus the writing to be glued at the bottom or top of the page and allow for binding at the left edge. The sample book is 18 x 24 inches. Illustrations may be trimmed slightly to fit better. Have glue ready. Binding can be done with staples, rings, string, yarn, etc. Laminate the pages before binding.
Working as a whole group, pass out the illustrations to each student. Have students tell you which part they illustrated as a reminder. Some may need guidance.
The mural/book will now be assembled.
Slowly retell the story and have students bring up their illustrations as the story gets to their part. The teacher glues the illustration and words onto the mural/book. The student can help press their work on. The teacher may want to glue lightly now for speed purposes then finish gluing later.
Once the mural/book is assembled, read the whole story together. Reading the mural may cause the whole class to move their bodies along as the story is read. What fun!
10 Question Assessment for Comprehension
Students can be assessed indiviually in a casual discussion format. Score one point for each correct answer.
1. What is the setting of the story?
answer: Cabin/house in the woods.
2. What does Mama Bear make for breakfast?
Answer: Porridge or hot cereal.
3. Who comes to the bear family house?
answer: A little girl named Goldilocks.
4. What was wrong with Papa Bear's porridge?
answer: It was too hot.
5. After tasting the porridge, what is the next thing that Goldilocks does?
answer: She sits in the chairs.
6. What happened to Baby Bear's chair?
answer: Goldilocks sat in it and it broke.
7. Goldilocks goes up stairs, what does she see?
answer: Three beds.
8. What was wrong with Mama Bear's bed?
answer: It was too soft.
9. Goldilocks wakes up, sees something and runs out of the house. What scared Goldilocks?
answer: The Three Bear family was looking at her.
10. Could real bears live in a house and make porridge? Do you think this is a real or pretend story?
answer. No real bears could not live in a house and make porridge. Yes, this is a pretend story.


First Grade
Indiana’s Academic Standards http://www.doe.state.in.us/standards/grade01.html
Standard 1
READING: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development
Students understand the basic features of words. They see letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language by using phonics (an understanding of the different letters that make different sounds), syllables, and word parts (-s, -ed, -ing). They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent (smooth and clear) oral and silent reading.
Phonemic Awareness
1.1.4 Distinguish beginning, middle, and ending sounds in single-syllable words (words with only one vowel sound).
Example: Tell the sound that comes at the beginning of the word sun. Tell the sound that comes at the end of the word cloud. Tell the sound that comes in the middle of the word boat.
1.1.5 Recognize different vowel sounds in orally stated single-syllable words.
Example: Say the sound that is in the middle of the word bit. Say the sound that is in the middle of the word bite. Tell whether this is the same sound or a different sound.
1.1.6 Recognize that vowels’ sounds can be represented by different letters.
1.1.7 Create and state a series of rhyming words.

First Grade Curriculum Connection:
One of the important aspects of early literacy is to develop a phonemic awareness of spoken
language, to incorporate decoding activities, and to read aloud to children daily. Through the lessons, first graders will also achieve Indiana academic standards.

First Grade Lesson:
Read the Prarie Primer: A to Z book by Caroline Stutson. Emphasize how words rhyme and give children opportunity to participate in a large group by creating words that rhyme with particular words within story (e.g., butter). I think this version would be a delightful addition to fall activities or a farm unit.


A PEEK INTO THE PAST
Prairie Primer: A to Z (Puffin Books), written by Caroline Stutson and illustrated by Susan Condie Lamb, offers an enjoyable look at family life on a midwestern farm in the early 1900s. This rhythmic, rhyming book uses the alphabet to introduce a variety of practices common to rural life at the time, such as churning butter by hand, wearing knickers, and riding to church in a horse and buggy. The prairie-related objects and activities are presented in alphabetical order, although the ABC format takes a back seat to the rhyming text:
A the Alphabet I'll learn
B for Butter in the Churn
C so Cozy by the stove
D we're rolling out the Dough
Lamb's delightful illustrations of family members participating in a wide array of activities employ soft colors and lines that help evoke a sense of nostalgia. The family of two adults and four young children, their farm, and their community supply Stutson with a variety of appropriate words, so the ABC format never seems forced or artificial.
A glossary might be a helpful addition, as a few of the more archaic words -- such as teetotum (a spinning toy) and velocipede (a two- or three-wheeled pedaled vehicle) -- will not be familiar to the average elementary school reader.
Prairie Primer: A to Z is an excellent introduction to life in a bygone era.

Education World at: www.education-world.com/a_books/books159.shtml


First Grade Activity Connection:
Making a Classroom ABC Book
Woodside, Laura. 1999. Montgomery County Public Schools Early Childhood Technology Literacy Project at: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/littlekids/archive/lesson_abc_book.htm.

Early Childhood
Technology Literacy Grant
Literacy Activity
________________________________________
Title: Making a Classroom ABC Book
Developed By: : Laura Woodside, Washington Grove Elementary School
Overview: First graders love the predictable pattern of ABC books, to see their own photographs and enjoy publishing their own writing. This activity incorporates all of these child pleasers into a class book that is enjoyable and educational to make and upon completion it will become a treasured part of your classroom library. Each child will complete the sentence for their page, following the pattern as follows, (page one)"Maddie found an apple. Apple begins with A." (page two) "Matt found a book. Book begins with B." Featured on each page will be a digital photograph of each child with his/her object.

Student Level: First Grade
(Early Emergent/Emergent readers/writers)
Time Frame: 2 one hour sessions
Objectives: The students will:
• Use letter/sound relationships of initial consonants.
• Use graphophonic cues to write words to complete a sentence that follows a given repeating pattern.
• Identify and write the initial consonant in a given word.

Materials:
• Computer and Printer
• Sony Mavica, or other Digital Camera
• Kid Pix or another Draw and Paint software
• Previously created/saved template (see sample below)
• ABC book (i.e. A My Name Is Alice by Jane Bayer)
Procedures:
1. Read Aloud or review a previously read ABC book. (Opening Set)
2. Invite the children to play an alphabet game. Tell children that you will say a letter and they need to raise their hand if they can think of something in the room that begins with that letter. (i.e. If the teacher says "Letter D", a child may respond with "desk!") If children can easily participate, then they are ready to construct a classroom ABC book. If not, they will need more practice identifying initial consonant sounds before completing this lesson. (Pre assessment)
3. Introduce the idea of making a classroom ABC book by telling the children that you want to take a picture of someone who can find something that starts with the Letter A. Allow a child to find an object in the classroom that starts with the letter A and use the digital camera to photograph the child with his/her object.
4. Remove the disk from the camera and invite the children to watch as you open the photograph onto the computer screen and cut/paste it into your Kid Pix template. (see Kid Pix manual for instructions on pasting digital photographs into Kid Pix and inserting text within a document)
5. Then, ask for a volunteer to help complete the sentence under the photograph.
____________found a ______________.
____________ starts with the letter _____.
6. After you have created this sample page, explain to the students that each of them will have the opportunity to create their own page and that you will put all of the pages together to make an ABC book.
7. Assign a letter of the alphabet to each child and instruct them to find something in the classroom that begins with their letter. Tell the children that when they have found their object, they are to leave it where it is and sit in their seat.
8. Begin calling children who are seated one at a time to take their picture with their object.
9. While you are taking the photographs, have the children write their two sentences by hand filling in the blanks appropriately.
Helpful hint: It is helpful to use a volunteer, Instructional Assistant or Media Specialist to help you take pictures or provide writing assistance.
10. As the children finish writing their sentences on paper invite them up to the computer to type the words to complete their sentence in Kid Pix. Edit spelling with the child as words are entered into the computer.
Helpful hint: Early finishers may work together to design/decorate a cover for the book or complete another page if all letters were not assigned. Or, they may assist others who are having difficulty with writing or finding an object.
11. When all of the children have completed their pages, print and assemble the class book.
Helpful hint: You may want to print multiple copies of each page to support the following ideas: creating a bulletin board display, allowing children to take their page home, placing a copy in writing portfolios, creating a copy of the book to be sent home on a rotating basis.
12. Allow each child to read their page to their classmates and place the finished book in your classroom library.
This project can be spread into a multi-day activity by completing the pictures and handwritten portion on day one and then entering sentences into the computer and sharing final product on following days as time and resources permit.
Additional Resources: Sample Kid Pix Template
Extension: Have children practice ABC order skills by ordering the pages of the book in the Kid Pix slide show.

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