The Many Sizes of Families
Inspiration Books:
One family by Shannon, George — Frances Foster books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 0.8. A family can be many things, in this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten.
AND
Families by Rotner, Shelley — Holiday House, 2015. Dewey: 306.85; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5. Photographs and simple text introduce different types of families. SS
Background: The kindergarten and first grade teachers and I begin the year getting to know the children and their families. We’ve tried many different ways, but the combo story hour computer lab lesson below is the one I like best to use in the library. Because both kindergarten and first grade begin the year with similar topics, I make sure that I don’t duplicate their classroom efforts nor they mine. Neither do we want to use the same books nor do the same activities.
That means coordination and consultation and collaboration are essential. The first year planning may be tricky and time consuming, but thereafter, a quick hallway conversation is all that may be necessary--the teacher says something like, “Next week our unit is about families; I like what we did last year, except for…” Your response might be something like, “OK, I’ll adjust by removing…., and I have a new idea or new book …”
Most of our planning is much more focused, organized and detailed. I meet with each grade level teacher every week--if there are more than one teacher per grade we meet together, thus all the teachers know what the other is doing and emphasizing. We meet at many times: before school, lunch hour, and after school. My public school was only K-5 and there were three teachers per grade so planning was a lot easier. Additionally, the district had early dismissal on Friday afternoons specifically for planning purposes. I was able to do three half hour planning slots during that time. My small private school does not have that perk, so we really need to wiggle planning time into the daily schedule. It works--the librarian needs to be willing to give up some personal planning time for group or team or individual planning time, but the benefits are well worth it. One of my principals thought the planning time was so vital that he did not assign me to recess or lunch duty. Now, I was pleased to accept that perk with a HURRAH!
In the case of the family theme, we carefully coordinate with the the kindergarten teacher and first grade classroom teacher to assure that we don’t duplicate and also that we expand the concepts from kindergarten to first grade.
The two Inspiration Books were both Notable Social Studies Trade Books in 2016, but One Family by Shannon is far simpler than Families by Rotner so I use One Family in kindergarten and Families in first grade. Initially I didn’t have a copy of Families so used One Family in both grades--it was new to both grades that year and changed the computer activity for the two grades.
Both of the lessons presented here are basic and simple and even mundane. They are meant for the beginning of the year when students are introduced to many new policies and procedures. Consequently, I chose a quality story and a simple project that results in a project.
Another My Books Alive blog entry emphasizes the me, myselt, and I concept. That lesson is based on Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers. I use that lesson first because the sequence the teachers have developed is: me, family, school, library...
Kindergarten: Who’s in My Family?
Background: As part of the kindergarten orientation the kindergarten teacher visits each home and takes a photo of the family. She makes an appointment and requests that all members of the family be present. She also takes a separate picture of the kindergarten child.
Preparation: Take photos as described above or at an open house and download the two photos into the computer files you have set up for each class and each student. I have a class file and within the class file, files for each child. OR have each child bring a family photo to school and take a digital picutre of the photo and download to your computer files.
Computer and projection capability in the story hour area.
Computer lab access for each child during class time. Prior to class have an assistant, volunteer or parent, open up the draw program your school uses and download the family picture into half side of the draw program for each child. Add the sentence: There are _____ people in my family.
Make large tagboard numbers from 1-10.
Introduction: Who is in your family? Who lives at your house? At my house, you will find my husband Ed and my two sons John and Paul. That makes four. Can you name the members of your family and count them for me? (Allow time for those who are willing and able to tell and count.)
In our book today, the author and illustrator count members of different families. Read aloud:
One family by Shannon, George — Frances Foster books, Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 0.8. A family can be many things, in this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten.
Who has one person in their family? (Reread the page. Continue with the next numbers to the end of the book. As you reread, shuffle the seating arrangement grouping children by numbers in the family. Use the tagboard numbers to “label” each group.) How many boys and girls have 1 in their family? 2? 3? Etc.
Do you remember the picture your teacher took of you family (when she visited, or at the open house, or the one you brought to school)? My helpers have put that picture in our computer file. In the computer lab, you’re going to draw a picture of your family next to that photograph. There is a sentence at the bottom of the page that reads, “There are ____ people in my family.” Type in the correct number for your family. When you’re finished with your picture, raise your hand and the teachers and helpers will save your picture and print your picture.
Extension or Alternative for Computer Activity:
Play dough pedigree charts – we put a tarp down and gave the kids some blue and pink play dough. Blue for males and pink for females in their families. They put their creations on paper plates.
Family paper dolls holding hands – kids could tape/glue additional family members to show how many people are in their family: download – Family paper dolls instructions and family paper dolls
Grade 1: All Kinds of Families
Background: Instead of simply emphasizing the students personal families, this year we expand the concept to include families around the world and nontraditional families. The preparation is similar.
As part of first grade orientation the teacher visits the home of new students and takes a photo of the family. She makes an appointment and requests that all members of the family be present. She also takes a separate picture of the first grader child.
Preparation: For homework have the teacher ask each child to bring a family photo to school and take a digital picutre of the photo and download to your computer files. For the new students the teacher visited download the photos she took into the computer files you have set up for each class and each student. I have a class file and within the class file, files for each child.
Computer and projection capability in the story hour area.
Computer lab access for each child during class time. Prior to class have an assistant, volunteer or parent, open up the draw program your school uses and download the family picture into half side of the draw program for each child. On the other half of the screen, insert a grid that can be used as a graph. Add the sentence: There are _____ people in my family.
Chart paper or whiteboard with two columns: Alike and Different
Introduction: Families come in many shapes and sizes. Think about who lives at your house. How many people live there? How many have grandmas and grandpas? Who has aunts and uncles? How many have cousins? All those people are our family too. The people who live in our house are immediate family; the ones who live in another place are our extended family.
Today we’re going to read two family books about families that live in other parts of the world and families that don’t look like ours. After we’ve read them we’re going to think about alike and different.
Read aloud: Families by Rotner, Shelley — Holiday House, 2015. Dewey: 306.85; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5. Photographs and simple text introduce different types of families. SS.
And
Families around the world by Ruurs, Margriet — Kids Can Press, 2014. Dewey: 306.85; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.0. Looks at different families from around the world.
On our chart paper we’re going to list ways the families in our books are alike and different. (Allow time for students to offer suggestions--might be numbers, where they live, clothes, types of houses, foods, multigenerational, single parent, etc.--let children offer their ideas rather than making sure the categories you want presented are included. The idea is that families are alike and different but they are a family that loves and takes care of each other.
In the computer lab, we’re going to make a family graph. We started the day with questions about mom and dads and brothers and sisters and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. How many live at your house? That’s what we’re going to graph. On the computer screen is a photo of your family and a grid to make a graph plus the sentence “There are ___ people in my family.” Along the bottom of the grid are numbers from 1-10.
Please stand if there is one person in your family. Nobody should stand up. Why? Stand if there are two people in your family. How many boys and girls are standing? Fill in x squares above the number 2. (Continue through 10.) Now we’re going to play some math games. Check your grid before you answer. How many boys and girls have four people in their family? What’s the numer for the biggest family? Do more people have three or four in the family? (Continue with additional questions based on the graph and even ask students to make up some questions.)
Related Titles:
Around the neighborhood : a counting lullaby by Thomson, Sarah L( — Amazon Children's Pub., 2012. Dewey: 398.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. This adaptation of the old nursery poem "Over in the Meadow" introduces neighborhood animals and their young and the numbers one through ten.
Feast for 10 by Falwell, Cathryn — Clarion Books, 1993. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.6. Numbers from one to ten are used to tell how members of a family shop and work together to prepare a meal.
What's new at the zoo? : an animal adding adventure (Arbordale Collection) by Slade, Suzanne — Sylvan Dell Pub., 2009. Dewey: 513.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.8. Rhyming text and illustrations about counting and adding animals in the zoo introduce addition.
The little girl who didn't want to go to bed by Engledow, Dave — Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2017. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.4. There was once a little girl who wouldn't go to bed. So, one night, she decided to stay awake-- drawing pictures, reading books, blowing bubbles. Uh-oh! What's a sleepy little girl to do when she's stayed up all night and now she has a big day ahead of her?
The rabbit problem by Gravett, Emily — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2009 p2010. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.4. In Fibonacci's Field, Lonely and Chalk Rabbit meet, snuggle together, and then spend a year trying to cope with their ever-increasing brood and the seasonal changes that bring a new challenge each month. Presented in calendar format with one pop-up illustration and other special features.
Families around the world by Ruurs, Margriet — Kids Can Press, 2014. Dewey: 306.85; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.0. Looks at different families from around the world.
How my family lives in America by Kuklin, Susan — Aladdin Paperbacks, c1992 p1998. Dewey: 305.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.5. African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American children describe their families' cultural traditions.
Grandma's tiny house : a counting story! by Brown-Wood, JaNay — Charlesbridge, 2017. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.1. In rhyming text, when the whole family and guests show up for the big dinner at Grandma's house, it becomes clear that the house is much too small to hold them all.
Every color soup by Hurley, Jorey — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3. Describes how to make a colorful, delicious vegetable soup. Includes recipe.
Teaching Resources:
Teaching Ideas from Read On Wisconsin for One Family http://readon.education.wisc.edu/?page_id=4984
Activities for One Family from Shannon website http://www.georgeshannonauthor.com/onefamily.html
Play dough pedigree charts – we put a tarp down and gave the kids some blue and pink play dough. Blue for males and pink for females in their families. They put their creations on paper plates.
Family paper dolls holding hands – kids could tape/glue additional family members to show how many people are in their family: download – Family paper dolls instructions and family paper dolls
Families Holiday House guide http://www.holidayhouse.com/docs/FAMILIES_ActivitySheet.pdf
Teaching Tolerance Lesson Plan What is a Family https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/what-is-a-family
|
No comments:
Post a Comment