We're Going on a Bear Hunt

 We're Going on a Bear Hunt

Prepositions

               Final Project     ⇌     Kristina Johnson

Image Source: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/e1/45/82e145accc31013d1371b1876af848c9.jpg

OVERVIEW

Lesson Plan: Identify common prepositions

Level: 1º

Subject: English and culture

Materials Needed: Chair, light switch, movable body, and door

Digital Tools and Sources: SMART Board, Bear Hunt Slides, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt song

Time: 10 minutes (5 sessions)

FINAL PROJECT

The topic I chose for the final project is prepositions. I selected this topic because I noticed that many students did not fully understand prepositions when I spoke to them. Prepositions are a topic that must be taught separately from academic language, as teaching prepositions directly in the midst of an academic lesson is not appropriate. It is not appropriate because students lose focus of the lesson's goal. Prepositions need to be taught directly and in isolation for full comprehension. 

WHY THIS SONG?

I selected this song, because this song can be utilized to teach many other linguistic and cultural topics. For example, you hear the tune to the nursery rhyme, "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat." After teaching students about the previously mentioned nursery rhyme, another teacher can sing that nursery rhyme during this part of the song to help students identify the tune with music, not just words. This exposes children to the English language rhythm, early phonology skills, and basic phonemic awareness. This song is great for teaching opposites as well. For example, "fast" and "slow", "open" and "close", and "light" and "dark" are highlighted in the song and easy to teach directly to the language learners. I focused on teaching prepositions with this song but will return to the same song in future lessons to highlight some of the previously mentioned language targets.

This song also incorporates many different sounds to further emphasize what is happening in the song. The drumbeats are slower when the children are to "walk", and the drum beats faster when the children are to "run". The music becomes higher pitched when the children are climbing "up" a tree, and the music becomes deeper when the children climb "down" the tree. The music also makes a "swishing" sound when the children are to imitate going through a wheatfield. A door "opening" and "closing" sound is also heard during the song, creating an authentic language sound association experience. The singer stutters when giving a command of taking a picture of a bear, further creating anticipation and suspense for the students.

This song focuses on following a specific sequence forward and backward. This encourages students to strengthen their memories in order to recall which event will occur next. The events are presented at different paces, which deters boredom from the song. If the students have difficulty remembering what will happen next, the sound cues coincide with the song's sequence to hint at what is to happen at that time.

Students are able to view this song on YouTube as well, as the illustrations reflect the song's lyrics and pacing perfectly. Students learn how to connect their auditory and visual skills together simultaneously when viewing this song. This is the perfect song for creating a foundation for students, as there are many songs similar to it. The singer's voice is audible. The singer enunciates the words well, which is helpful for language learners. Written prompts appear at the bottom of the screen and are useful for visual aids to assist students who may forget what to do. 

A book titled; We're Going on a Bear Hunt exists as well. This book is a great way to connect the book theme and expose the language learners to various ways of expressing similar language through different modes. Students are able to view the written words as well as hear the spoken words, learning to connect words and sounds together, indirectly. Expressing the same material in different ways makes students become more fluent in their targeted language, as you are able to meet all student learning styles and have natural modifications created as the lesson unfolds.

RATIONALE

The use of this song is beneficial to students, because it targets their long-term memory directly and works on creating a positive relationship between the child and learning another language. Repetition of this song helps children learn the natural flow of the spoken English language. Music also connects with students who may have difficulties expressing themselves in the traditional sense and activates the dopamine-reward system. Once the dopamine-reward system is activated, students are motivated to quickly learn the lyrics, repeat the same song and comprehend the activities better (Willis, 2023).

OBJECTIVES

My main objectives for this activity were for students to imitate me correctly and to comprehend what the prepositions: up, down, over, under, around, and through. Their comprehension is visible through their participation in the song. 

MATERIALS NEEDED

• SMART Board
• Chair
• Door
• Bear Hunt Slides
• Light switch
• We're Going on a Bear Hunt song

ACTIVITY

This lesson will occur daily over the span of five days and serve as a structured activity for students to do when they return from patio to their classroom. Students are to remain seated at their desks when we first present this song. The predictible rhythm and sequence of events calms students that may come from unstructured homes and are suffering from traumatic events (eviction, homelessness, etc.). This builds upon creating a strong school community, as social connection is extremely important to children at this age. 

I begin the lesson by showing the students my Bear Hunt Slides and having them repeat each vocabulary term after me. I turn a light switch on and off, announcing "light" when the light is on, and "dark" when the lights are off. I then directly teach physical movements and repeat each movement twice. Students are expected to repeat movements as well. For example, I take a chair and crawl "over", "around", and "under" it., while moving my arms the way I want them to imitate me. I then model how to show "over", "around" and "under" while remaining seated. Next, I open and close a door. I imitate a squeaking sound when I close it the second time. I then model how to "open" and "shut" a door while seated and using both arms. I open the door a third time and announce that I am walking "through" it, while moving my arms in front of me. I do this twice before I "close" the door. The students and I practice moving our arms to show "through". 

I then have them view the song on the SMART Board. Next, I have the students watch me as I play the music at the same time as using the same movements we practiced. Finally, we perform the song and movement together as a whole group. I pace the lessons this way, as not all students are on the same language level. Some students may have some special needs that need this type of modification to help them remember this new activity better. The incorporation of the movements and music meets the needs of the kinesthetic and musical learners.

SOURCES

Cora, C. (2019, March 22). We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/621637554795233104/

F. (2007, November 30). I’m Going on A Bear Hunt. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzIcu6tbEko 

Willis, J. (2023, May 3). Using Music During Instruction to Support Cognition. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-music-support-deeper-learning

We're Going on a Bear Hunt © 2017 by Kristina Johnson is licensed under CC BY 4.0