Snowflakes
Snowflakes
Body parts
Final Project ⇌ Kristina Johnson
OVERVIEW
Lesson Plan: Snowflakes
Level: 4-5-year-olds
Subject: English and culture
Materials Needed: Two copies of the snowflake template per student, scissors, pencils, rubbers, chalkboard, chalk, chalkboard eraser, drying space, light switch, glue, two white paper strips per student, dancing space, two copies of the snowflake template for the teacher demonstration, and voice
Digital Tools and Sources: SMART Board video and SMART Board
Time: 40 minutes (2 class sessions)
FINAL PROJECT
The topic I chose for the final project is body parts. I selected this topic because I wanted to reinforce the body parts vocabulary the students already know with a winter activity. I liked that the song I used included several prepositions and simple commands for students to follow. As a language assistant to the 4-5-year-olds, I wanted a simple activity that encouraged music and movement. The innovations I used for this project were the SMART Board and myself. I modeled each direction I needed each student to do, as my directions were given in English. I also used simple, monosyllabic words when instructing students on what to do in order to meet the group's lower level of English.
Incorporating music and movement into young children's lessons helps teachers keep lessons developmentally appropriate and matches a young child's attention span. Young children need to move a lot in order to self-regulate, further develop large motor skills, and to expend some of the energy. The use of scissors, pencils, erasers, and Snowflake hand puppets assists children in enhancing their fine motor skills as well.
WHY THIS SONG?
I selected this song because the YouTube video's graphics were beautiful and appealing to young children. The story includes many characters and weather that mesmerize young children (snowflakes, snow, ice, and snowman). Snow is not common in Madrid, which surprised me, as I am from Wisconsin, United States of America (U.S.A.) I am accustomed to receiving a lot of snow (sometimes over a meter's worth) from one snowstorm and was happy to explain this concept to my students. The main English teacher (native Spanish teacher) and I wanted to connect winter to our body parts vocabulary, and winter weather and discovered this song.
The combination of the song and dance encourage students to further deepen their English language comprehension, as all instructions and activities were delivered in English. Activities like these are easy to modify to fit all students' needs. For example, if a student cannot cut a snowflake well, one teacher can hold the snowflake and assist the said child while the other teacher manages the rest of the class. Teachers model movements and then students imitate them in order to connect the body's movement to the English instruction. This is a great way for students to learn the imperative clauses through an authentic experience.
RATIONALE
The use of this song is beneficial to students, because of how it teaches children how to communicate through motions. Early childhood aged children "are figuring out how to move their bodies, process ouds, and recreate the sounds they hear through talking, shouting, and singing (Digital, 2022)." Music facilitates this process naturally, as young children are more inclined to sign or act out what they need before they learn how to speak. This song incorporated many elements needed for a young child to succeed in language development. Some of these elements include recognizing rhythms and phonetics. Since songs repeat the chorus a lot, children learn the imperative clauses in a playful manner. Children learn well through observation and application of what they observed.
OBJECTIVES
This project aims to have students create snowflake hand puppets, write the word "SNOWFLAKE", sing/dance to the "Snowflake" song, and follow English directions.
MATERIALS NEEDED
- SMART Board
- Two copies of the snowflake template per student
- Two copies of the snowflake template for the teacher demonstration
- Teacher art supplies (scissors, pencils, glue, and rubbers)
- Student art supplies (scissors, pencils, and rubbers)
- Dancing space
- Two white paper strips per student
- SMART Board video
- Voice
- Chalk
- Chalkboard
- Light switch
- Drying space
ACTIVITY
This lesson will occur over two class periods (45-minute class sessions). Students already have an established routine of when and how to use art supplies, where to sit when viewing a video on the SMART Board, and how to write on paper. Two English language assistants and the main teacher will work together to facilitate this lesson's success. Multiple teachers are needed for art projects when working with this age group, as there is a huge variety in all student art and writing skill levels. This variety is evident in how students hold pencils or scissors and how students use the art supplies themselves. The teachers must have another activity ready for students to do once the project is completed, as young children at this age do not have the ability to wait for long periods of unstructured time without total chaos ensuing.
The first lesson begins with the main teacher showing students one copy of the snowflake template and identifying what it is. Students are prompted to repeat the word "snowflake" three times. The language teachers walk around the room and assist with student focus and attention on the main teacher. Next, one language assistant explains the four steps for the art project while the other language assistant writes the steps onto the classroom chalkboard with chalk. The steps are: 1) Cut 2) Write 3) Clean 4) Video. Then the language assistants model how to complete the steps as such, as outlined below. The main teacher is to manage students viewing the instructions. The steps are instructed as such:
1) One language assistant teacher says "cut" before cutting out two snowflakes to model the first step, "cut". The language assistant then repeats the word, "cut" at the end of the step. The writer language assistant points to the word, "cut" whenever the other language assistant says, "cut".
2) The modeling language assistant says, "write" and then writes her/his name on the back of the snowflake, turns the snowflake over, and writes the word "SNOWFLAKE" on the front of it. The writing language assistant writes "SNOWFLAKE" on the board at this time and reads what s/he wrote before the modeling teacher then repeats, "write". The writer language assistant points to the word, "write" whenever the other language assistant says, "write".
3) The modeling language teacher says, "clean" before modeling how to gather paper scraps and disposes of them into the recycling bin before tidying up art supplies. Teacher models how to stack completed snowflakes in a pile and place in the middle of the table. The writer language assistant points to the word, "clean" whenever the other language assistant says, "clean".
4) The modeling language teacher says "video" before modeling how to sit in student's assigned chair and look at the SMART Board. Students will view the SMART Board video when they are at this step, but not during the demonstration. The writer language assistant points to the word, "video" whenever the other language assistant says, "video".
The modeling language teacher then repeats the directions, enunciating every word while the writer language teacher points to each word. The main teacher dismisses the students to gather their papers and supplies to begin the project immediately once supplies are gathered. All teachers and assistants assist students in completing the activity and repeating the same instructions using the same vocabulary written on the chalkboard. Once several students are done, teachers dim the lights and watch the video. Teachers continue assisting other students and showing other choice videos, if time permits. Once all students are done, teachers then glue the white paper strips onto the backs of each snowflake. The ends of the strips are glued onto the snowflake, but the middle piece is left unglued to create a gap large enough for students to use as a hand puppet for the next class. Teachers finally place the snowflake hand puppets in a safe location to dry.
The following class period begins with the students reviewing what a "snowflake" is and viewing the SMART Board video. The main teacher sings the lyrics, moving first the left hand the first time "snowflake" is stated and then the right hand when "snowflake is repeated again. Both hands are used to move downward when singing, "falling, falling, falling" before placing both hands on the song stanza's dictated body part. Students practice the movements and song with the same teacher. Finally, the main teacher models how to perform the song with the snowflake puppets. The language assistant teachers encourage the other students to follow the main teacher's directions.
The students are given their snowflake hand puppets before being divided into three groups to practice the song and movements with their snowflake hand puppets. After 15 minutes of practice, students come together as a large group to practice a final time before one teacher records the final "Snowflake" performance. Students were permitted to take snowflakes home after this performance.
SOURCES
Digital, H. (2022, October 4). What is Music and Movement in Early Childhood? Montessori for Today. https://montessorifortoday.com/what-is-music-and-movement-in-early-childhood/
Raffel, A. (2014, November 26). Snowflake Outline. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62768988532386857/
S. S. S. K. S. (2012, March 18). Little Snowflake | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbbKjDjMDok
Snowflakes © 2023 by Kristina Johnson is licensed under CC BY 4.0 
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