Lesson Plan: Kindergarten Science and Technology

Kindergarten Learning with Technology Integration

Technology Integration Lesson Plan Template

Your name:	Margaret Nelson
Date:	February 2020
Lesson Title:	Emotions in Motion
Grade Level:	Kindergarten
Technology Standard (NETS-S)	This lesson addresses the following standards for students from the International Society for Technology in Education (2007): 1. Creativity and Innovation: Students will apply their existing knowledge of emotions to generate new ideas about how to distinguish how emotions fit into the scientific world, and how to separate fantasy from reality. 4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Identifying data from web tools and analyzing data to come to conclusions and generate ideas for discussion.
Subject Area/Content Standard:	California Frameworks Content Standards, Set 2, Kindergarten Sciences
Technology tool/software:	This lesson will utilize the game called “Express Yourself!” from the web page “Ology,” www.amnh.org, created by the American Museum of Natural History. Web tool URL: https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/brain/express-yourself2

Preparation

Prerequisites: What do students need to know prior to this lesson?

Students need to know that humans are called human beings, that we are humans, and that we are animals.

Context: Where does this lesson come in the unit?

As human beings evolved, so did our emotions. Using our bodies can communicate messages about our emotions. Using our faces is an effective way of doing this. This is where this lesson enters into the unit.

Vocabulary: What vocabulary will be learned or reinforced in this lesson? How will you make the vocabulary development part of the lesson?

Brain: The part of our bodies that processes information and lets us pick which message to use about how we feel. Evolution: The process used by living things to change what they are able to do, and what they look like. Humans: The type of animals we are.  Emotions: The things we feel.  These vocabulary words will all be reinforced in this lesson because they all go together in a way that can be constantly referenced. The way I will make the vocabulary development a part of this lesson is through lots of repetition of asking the children where emotions come from, and how each human face is talking about what it feels inside. I would ask if other animals use their faces in the same way, or have they evolved different ways of communicating. I would also do the same to address plants and trees. This would help students gain concepts of science and the study of living things, as well as understand concepts of anthropomorphism and the differences between fantasy and reality as it relates to science.

Materials: What resources are needed to make this lesson successful? What will you need to prepare in advance?

This lesson will require a projector that connects to the computer, permission to use the tool on this website, and papers for the children to draw the faces of their work partners. Children will also need crayons to color their drawings with. This lesson assumes the presence of at least one computer within the classroom.  Using a software tool like a form generator, I would create these worksheets: WORKSHEET 1: a worksheet that has 3 circles for children to illustrate facial expressions that go with the emotions described.  WORKSHEET 2: a worksheet that has a space for students to draw a tree. WORKSHEET 3:  a worksheet that has several examples of plants and animals. Instructions to circle the ones who use their faces to show emotions. All mammals should be circled (birds should not, and neither should plants or trees).  WORKSHEET 4: UDL worksheet that provides visual examples of emotive faces that students can point to or look at when prompted.

Objectives or Learner Outcomes

How will the learning be measured and assessed?

General Goal(s):

Goal: Students understand the way human beings express emotions Goal: Students know that humans are animals, and that other animals communicate in lots of different ways. Students know that plants do not have faces to communicate emotions with. Goal: Students learn a general idea of the concept of evolution. Goal: Students develop empathy skills to apply to themselves, and to the living things around them. Essentially, this addresses the issues of where and how children assign anthropomorphism, which is described in the California Frameworks Standards Set 2 for Kindergarteners. Set 2 states “scientific observation of plants and animals helps students in kindergarten to understand the difference between characteristics of the real world and of fantasy” (California Frameworks Standards, 2004).

Specific Performance-Based Objectives:

Performance-based objectives include being able to distinguish a plant from an animal, a human being from other animals, and emotions that humans use by matching their images to their correct term. Performance will be assessed upon completion of partners activity and individual completion of WORKSHEETS 1, 2, AND 3.

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In)

An "attention getter" to focus students’ learning?  A discussion or activity to activate students’ prior knowledge?

Have students gather on the carpet or sit in a circle if possible. Lead class in a fun song about animals, like “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” Begin discussion of what different animals say.

Step-By-Step Procedures

Instruction: List procedures for what will happen first, second, and so on to teach what you expect the students to learn. SDAIE instruction should include some consideration of language development.

ONE DIRECTED INSTRUCTION SECTION: Ask the class what sounds different animals make. List animals one at a time for the benefit of all learners, including English-learners. (Examples: The cow says “moo,” the cat says “meow,” the dog says “woof”) Ask the class: “Do animals sound different when they are happy or sad? How about when they are mad?” (Example: Who can make a happy dog sound? Who can make a sad dog sound? Who knows what a dog sounds like when he is angry?) Now as the class what else they might see when they go outside. Do they see flowers or trees? Ask: “What sounds does a tree make?” The class will not know. Ask: “Can you stand like a tree?” The class will stand. Ask: “Can you stand like a happy tree?” Children will smile. Ask: “Can you stand like a sad tree?” Children will likely frown or their bodies will droop. Say: “Actually, that is wrong. A tree stands like this during happy times.” Stand tall. “A tree stands like this during days you feel sad too.” Stand in an identical position. Explain that trees and plants do not communicate emotions, but animals do. Ask the class: “Did you know that we are animals too?” Inform the class that we are animals, and we can show emotions. Ask: “What does it look like when we are happy?” “What does it look like when we are sad?” “Angry?” “Sleepy?” “What parts of our bodies are we using to communicate these emotions? Point to face, guide children to say “our faces.” Students are ready to begin the “Express Yourself!” game. Lead students as a class through the game.

Guided Practice (2-3 sentences): What activities will the students engage in to practice the learning? Include some time when the students are working with partners or in small groups. Be sure to include how you will check for understanding throughout each stage of your lesson. Write out high level and/or open-ended questions to ask throughout your lesson.

After the game, students will be set into pairs which will include Partner 1 and Partner 2. They will complete the portraits of each other on WORKSHEET 1, showing each other 3 emotion faces, such as happy, sad, or angry. Ask the students to think about when they feel the things they feel—when they might feel angry, when they might feel sad, when they might feel happy. Ask students if animals like on Old MacDonald’s farm might have the same things happen to them. Would a tree? Would a plant?

Lesson Extension (gifted students): What activities or alternatives will you provide for those who finish early and want to explore the topic more?

Students who finish early or who are ready to explore this topic more can get a new worksheet and interview each other, leading their own interviews. Ask these students to find out when they feel angry, when they feel happy, when they feel sad. Students should be able to talk about each other in terms of “I drew a picture of Classmate #4. Classmate #4 feels happy when she pets her dog. She feels sad when she goes home from Grandma’s house. She feels angry when her little sister moves her stuff.”

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):

Non-verbal students or students with limited abilities could still work with WORKSHEETS 1, 2, and 3. Students who are unable to draw or speak could utilize WORKSHEET 4, with prompts to point to or look at the different emotions. Example: Ask the student to point to or look at what a happy face looks like, versus what a sad face looks like. Can they make a happy face? Can they make a sad face? Can they say yes or no? Guide the student to do what their best work is, whatever it is, and provide validation of the emotions these students are communicating/discovering. This would cover the UDL principle of giving students multiple ways of demonstrating what they know (Roblyer, 2016).

Connections (to other subjects)

For a lead-in to science discussion: A plant may not feel happy, but it still needs specific things to be healthy. Ask: what kinds of things do plants need? Guide discussion toward water, sunshine, soil. Try a class project of growing carrots from seeds in the classroom. For a lead-in to health standards: Encourage students to use their emotion skills on the playground by watching each other’s faces and working together to help everyone feel happy to play.

Independent Practice

What will you do to have students practice the learning independently?

Students will work on WORKSHEETS 2 and 3 independently, after working as partners on WORKSHEET 1. Students can use crayons to color their pages any way they choose.

Closure

Reflect on Anticipatory Set

I think a lead-in activity like a song would be appropriate for engaging a kindergarten class, as well as be a good way to get them thinking about communication and emotions. I think it would help them start to learn how to think critically about fantasy versus reality, and where science fits into the world around them. The only issues I could see becoming obstacles to this anticipatory set would be if the class were comprised of 100% English learners. They would simply have to learn the song, which would be a small obstacle, as well as a likely very fun and engaging class activity anyway. Another obstacle I could see slowing down the anticipatory set would be if they didn’t know what plants or animals were, or how to distinguish the two. It might be necessary to first have a science discussion of what it means to be a living thing, and from there to talk about which living things are plants, animals, etc.

Lesson Evaluation

Scientific Drawings : Emotions in Motion Teacher Name: Ms. Nelson Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY	Weight for Each Category	4	3	2	1
WORKSHEET 1	Student has represented the facial expressions of 3 emotions, and has colored the entire page	Student has represented the facial expressions of 3 emotions.	Student has represented the facial expressions of 2 emotions.	Student has represented the facial expressions of 1 emotion.	Student has incomplete or no representations of 1 emotion or less.
WORKSHEET 2	Student has drawn and colored a picture of a tree. No faces or emotive expressions are present on the tree.	Student has drawn a picture of a tree. It has not been colored. No faces or emotive expressions are present on the tree.	Student has drawn a picture of a tree. Facial expressions are present.	Student has drawn a tree, as well as something other than a tree.	Student has not followed instructions, and has drawn either something different than a tree, or nothing at all.
WORKSHEET 3	Student has circled which animals use their faces to show what they are feeling.	Some plants and trees are circled.	Everything is circled.	2-0: Nothing is circled.	Worksheet is incomplete.
Learning About Classwork	Name is present on the page, and spelled correctly. Date is present on the page, and is listed correctly.	Name is present on the page, and spelled correctly. Date is present on the page.	Name is present on the page, and spelled correctly.	Name is present on the page.	No name is present.

References:

Roblyer, M. D.(2016) Integrating Technolgy Into Teaching. 7^th edition. New York, NY

International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards: Students. PDF file. Retrieved from: https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf

American Museum of Natural History. (2017). “Ology.” Web Tool: “Express Yourself!” Retrieved from: https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/brain/express-yourself2