Clifford's Neighborhood is Like Mine (for Pre-K & K's)

Presented by: Lisa Herman

Subject Area(s):

K-12: Language Arts
Thinking and Reasoning
Working With Others
Geography

Grade Level(s):

K-2nd Grade

Description:

This "e literacy" lesson (unit) was designed to introduce Pre- Kindergarten and Kindergarten students to the notion of "community" around them, through mapping a neighborhood. As well, the students will experience "the art of story-telling," thus fostering their creativity and strengthening their use of language-- and its conventions -- and their listening skills.

Goals & Objectives:

Literacy Skill(s):

To recognize letters and words
To learn how to hold a pencil (and a crayon
To identify the parts of a story
To create a framework for organizing information & sequencing
To strengthen listening and speaking skill
To follow directions
To evaluate an end product

Instructional Goals:

Students will identify specific characteristics of their own neighborhoods and share the information with their classmates.
Students will learn how to understand and use maps.
Students will begin to understanding the notion of “community” around them.
Students will identify classroom words
Students will learn how to hold a pencil and a crayon
Students will identify the parts of a story
Students will create a framework for organizing information & sequencing
Students will strengthen listening and speaking skills
Students will understand the process of locating place/s (on a map)
Students will follow directions
Students will evaluate an end product

Learning Objectives:

Students will continue to strengthen their ability to recognize letters and words
Students will successfully recall and identify classroom words
Students will successfully manipulate a pencil (or a crayon) and gain dexterity in the writing process
Students will locate place/s (on a map)
Students will understand the notion of community
Students will successfully learn the “beginning, middle and end” parts of a story
Students will successfully organizing information in sequencing order
Students will continue to gain proficiency in listening to, recalling and communicating information
Students will learn about the process of creating a book
Students will successfully follow directions
Students will learn the elementary tools for evaluating an end product
Students will identify specific characteristics of their own neighborhoods and share the information with their classmates.

Motivational Goals:

To generate interest in the writing process.
To build the students’ confidence in their ability to communicate verbally and to view themselves as “thinkers and writers”
To motivate the students to continue to use their literacy skills to read and organize information
To encourage the students’ sense of mastery by stimulating their powers of observation
To encourage the students’ sense of mastery by strengthening their sense of place – in their family, in their community (i.e. neighborhood) and in the world
To encourage the students’ sense of mastery by stimulating the creative writing process
To promote the students’ satisfaction in their drawing and writing accomplishments AND to have fun with words

Life Skills: Displays effective interpersonal communication skills; learns and practices using new vocabulary; listens respectfully and learns to take turns speaking.

Materials:

Library books: Clifford Makes a Friend and Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors

Chart board, tablet/computer, projector, SmartBoard

Brown paper for floor map, cardboard, rubber cement

Clifford “Activity sheets” (of various houses), Paper, pencils, crayons

Procedures:

Introduction: DAY 1

Library Teacher asks the children where they live, how do they get to school (i.e. who walks or rides?) and whether anyone lives in the same building or next door to a classmate? Briefly introduces the notion of neighborhood.
LT reads: Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors to the whole group.
LT initiates a short discussion about “neighborly behavior”
Students discuss the features/ the characteristics of their neighborhood, teacher lists building (names), businesses, etc. on the chart board. Discuss with children the characteristics of their neighborhoods posing questions such as these:
Are there houses, buildings, or both in your neighborhood?
If there are buildings, what kind are they? What is the nearest store?
Are there any public play areas, such as a park or a playground?
What kinds of people live in your neighborhood?
Library Teacher shows the students a 3-D building from Clifford’s neighborhood. S/he explains that there are eight buildings in all to first be colored, then cut, then finally assembled before they will create Clifford’s neighborhood.
S/he distributes the activity sheets and the children sit at tables and color. [After class, a monitor helps cut and assemble the buildings >> be sure each child’s name appears on the “BASE” of the building!!]

Body: DAY 2 – Summary of previous day’s work

Each student “adds” his/her building to the floor map of Clifford’s neighborhood (drawn on an extra large sheet of brown paper)
Students discuss the creation of the story, listing the event, sequentially, identifying the key elements.
Then they add a “segment” of a story about Clifford’s neighborhood.
Teacher Librarian types the story right in front of their eyes (on the tablet and projects it onto the screen or SmartBoard).
Teacher Librarian reads their story, and they can spend some time rearranging any parts of the story. Then it is printed!
Teacher Librarian demonstrates how she will paste and bind the book together
Summary of day’s work

Conclusion: Day 3 -- Summarize the “unit” of mapping and story telling. Students will listen to their story read aloud, enjoy the presentation, modeling appropriate behavior.

Students will practice reading the book to each other and/or “role-playing” in/on Clifford’s Neighborhood Floor Map.
Teacher Librarian will compare what is found in Clifford’s neighborhood, with what is found in their neighborhood. S/he will draw a Venn diagram to reinforce the notion of neighborhood and place.

Students will share and summarize their experiences writing and creating --evaluating the finished product: their story – as well as the “neighborhood.”

Follow-up activity:

City Map Reading Activity Printout #1 - Answer the questions about the city map.

City Map Reading Activity Printout #2 - Another map reading activity page.

http://interactive2.usgs.gov/learningweb/teachers/mapadv.htm

Assessment:

Observation of collaborative effort-teamwork

Activity sheets colored and assembled by the students

Group assessment of story (book) and of their created ?neighborhood?

Finished product: a story (book) and a neighborhood map!!

Supporting Files:

Clifford_Web Resources.doc
•Printable “Activity” sheets from PBS Kids Website ~
Clifford's Neighborhood_Standards.doc
NYS LA Standards_PreK _1895.doc

Standards:

ACRL Standards (Higher Education IL Standards)

Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance

National Information Literacy Standards (K-12)

Appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety of formats.
Develops creative products in a variety of formats.

Participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

Respects others' ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions.

Information Skills and Subskills (K-16)

Evaluation

Evaluates end product
Subject: Geography

National Content Standards (K-12)

The World in Spatial Terms

Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic tools and technologies

Places and Regions

Understands the physical and human characteristics of place
Knows the location of places, geographic features, and patterns of the environment
Subject: K-12: Language Arts

Listening and Speaking

Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes