K - Act. 09: Our Families, Yours, and Mine

Summary

The activities in this lesson plan will help students understand the similarities and differences in families and identify attributes in themselves and others.

Materials

• face cards of people glued on to cut poster board (cards should represent grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, step-parents, girlfriends and boyfriends, foster parents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers, old people, middle age people, young adults, teenagers, older and younger children, toddlers and infants)
• rolled paper for graphing
  OR
• looped chains representing family members
• paper
• stampers (male & female)
• scissors
• glue

Additional Resources:

Patterns & Shapes:

Patterns by Samantha Berger
What If the Zebras Lost Their Stripes? By John Reitano
The Shape Hunt-Geometry Shapes by Sharon L. Young
What Is Round? by Rabecca Kai Dotlich
What Is Square? by Rabecca Kai Dotlich
What Is a Triangle? by Rabecca Kai Dotlich
Shapes Shapes All Over the Place by Janie Spaht Gill
Square Is a Shape A Book about Shapes by Sharon Lerner
Shapes and Things by Tana Hoban
Circles, Triangles and Squares by Tana Hoban
Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert (Animals are made with shapes-Ref. Standard III)

Families:

Who Looks After Me? by Demi Stanos
The Berenstain Bears and Baby Makes Five by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears Are a Family by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeny
We Have Fun by Erin McKean
This Is My House by Arthur Dorros (Say “This Is My House” in thirteen Lang.)
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
How Many Stars in the Sky? by Lenny Hort
Watch Out! Big Bro’s Coming by Jez Alborough (Ref. Animals-Standard III)
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
Mama, Do You Love Me! by Barbara M. Joosse
My Mom’s the Best Mom by Stuart Hample
Who Can Fix It Up? by D.D. Torino (Mom’s)
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
What Moms Can’t Do by Douglas Wood
What Dad’s Can’t Do by Douglas Wood
I Love You Mom by Iris Arno
I Love You Dad by Iris Arno
Hooray for Mother’s Day by
Clifford, I See My Dad by
Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy
I Love You the Purplest by Barbara M. Joosse
I Love You as Much... by Laura Krauss
Franklin says “I Love You” by Pallette Bourgeois
The Berenstain Bears, The Week at Grandmas by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Teacher Resources:

Easy And Effective Ways To Communicate With Parents (Scholastic)

Background for Teachers

Because of their limited prior knowledge, children often presume that all families are the same as their own. Children need to be exposed to similarities and differences in other families, identifying attributes in themselves and others, which make each person and family special and unique. Hopefully, these activities will help children be more respectful and accepting of others.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Intended Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate a positive learning attitude.
2. Demonstrate social skills and ethical responsibilities.
5. Understand and use basic concepts and skills.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written and nonverbal form.

Process Skills
Symbolization, observation, description, classification, problem solving

Instructional Procedures

Invitation to Learn
Read the book Patterns by Samantha Berger. Clap different patterns and have the children listen and try to clap the same pattern back.

Instructional Procedures

1. Grouping families—Picture Cards: Parents may send a family portrait to school with their child. Together the children will share and discuss contributions of family members. They will find cards that represent members of their own family and place them in an order—Oldest/Youngest, Biggest/Smallest, Tallest/Shortest, First, Second, Third, etc. If the class has too many students to do this activity, family chains may be made instead, using stampers.
2. How is my family the same as other families and how is my family different? Forming groups with other children, example: children who have a grandparent living with them or who live with a grandparent stand together behind the picture of grandparents.
3. Clap Family Patterns: After the children have been successful with several clapping patterns, the teacher will clap the pattern of his or her family. Example: Clap, Clap, pause, and one, two, three (mom, dad, and three children). Each child will be given the opportunity to clap their family pattern (or a pattern of their choosing) and have everyone try to clap the pattern back.

Extensions

Possible Extensions and Adaptations
Special Needs: The teacher could stand behind a child and help him or her clap a pattern by gently holding their hands on the outside of the child’s hands and clapping with them.
Extended Activities: Read one of the shape books listed. Have the children stand and hold shapes of different colors, cut out of construction paper, to form patterns, and string beads into patterns of different shapes and colors. Pattern cards can be purchased or made by the teacher. Read The Shape Hunt by Sharen L. Young, and take the students on a shape hunt around the school.

Family Connections
Family skill bags: flash cards of numbers 1-20, small shapes of different colors cut out of construction paper, lined paper, a number line 1-20, crayons and a pencil.
Parent and Child Timeline Questionnaire, Homework: (Ages one, two, three, four and now) What did your child do at these different ages? What can your child do now that they could not do when they were two? etc. Return & share with the class.

Assessment Plan

Observe the interactions of the children to see if they are making family connections.

Math Pattern Assessments: Ask the children to make patterns with shoe laces and beads or with math colored counters or unifix cubes.