Reading/Language Arts

Reading/Language Arts

Objectives:

· To increase vocabulary

· To motivate students to read other books on their own which feature the character Horton or are written by Dr. Seuss

· To gain skill in remembering the details of a story plot

· To be able to retell the story with the correct sequence of a beginning, middle, and end.

· To identify the characteristics of the two main characters, Horton and Mayzie

Materials:

· Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss

· Author’s biography info at http://www.easyfunschool.com/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg.html

· Vocabulary word list at http://www.easyfunschool.com/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg.html

· Vocabulary word search sheet at http://www.easyfunschool.com/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg-Word-Search.html

Procedure:

· Introduce the book to the students.

· Introduce the author to the students.

· Introduce the new vocabulary to the students.

· Give students the vocabulary word search sheet for homework.

Other teacher resources:

http://www.nancypolette.com/LitGuidesText/horton.htm

STEM Lesson Options

BRAINSTORMING

Story elements/props/costumes

· Elephant

· Bird

· Egg

· Tree

· Circus

· Cage

· Nest

S=SCIENCE (astronomy, botany, geology, meteorology, medicine, anthropology, oceanography, zoology, etc.)

INCUBATION

Objectives

· To learn why birds sit on eggs

· To understand the concept of incubation

· To note the differences in incubation times for different species of birds

Materials

· 2 plastic eggs (from Easter)

· 2 small balls

· URL on bird incubation times at http://www.ogpbb.com/accessories/incubation-guide/incubation-period-of-birds.html

· URL for video of robin egg hatching at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKgLfWheoI

Procedure

Explore children’s background knowledge of:

· What kinds of animals lay eggs? (most fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds)

· What kinds of animals lay hard-shelled eggs? (Reptiles, birds, and one mammal – the duck-billed platypus)

· Which kinds of animals sit on their eggs? (birds, and one mammal – the duck-billed platypus)

· What do the others do to incubate their eggs? (fish typically just release them in the water, or amphibians may hide them in underwater vegetation, or reptiles may bury them, especially in decaying vegetation)

· What is the distinguishing characteristic between the group that does not sit on their eggs (fish, amphibians, and reptiles) and those that do (birds and the one mammal)? Cold-blooded vs. warm-blooded animals

Explain new vocabulary as necessary.

How long does it take for a bird egg to incubate? Do different kinds of birds have different incubation periods? View online incubation chart to find the answers. Note that the eggs must be turned several times a day to keep the egg uniformly warm and to prevent the developing chick from sticking to the inside shell.

Set up a long table and place a ball on one end. Ask a student to try to get the ball to the opposite side with a single gentle nudge. Then ask another student to try to do the same with the egg. Let someone else try. What happens?

Why are eggs not round spheres like the ball? If they were round, what would probably happen when the bird tried to turn them in the nest?

What kind of elephant is Horton? African or Asian? http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/elephant/Elephantquiz.shtml

T=TECHNOLOGY (computer, smartphone, digital camera, GPS, scanner, tablet, Internet, videocamera, etc.)

READING REINFORCEMENT THROUGH YOU TUBE VIDEOS

Objectives

· To involve the family in the child’s learning by using technology to share the story with them

· To utilize YouTube for reading reinforcement and reading pleasure in the classroom

Materials

· Computer with Internet access, capable of viewing videos (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.)

Procedure

· View the story on YouTube:

· http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh162y_horton-hatches-the-egg-part-1_shortfilms

· http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh1644_horton-hatches-the-egg-part-2_shortfilms

· Include the above URLs with families in your weekly parent newsletter or eNewsletter.

MAP SKILLS

Objectives

· To learn to find places on a map

· To learn to use the Internet mapping utilities to find distances

Materials

• Map of the USA

• Internet map sites via computer, etc.

• http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Boston,+MA&daddr=New+York,+NY+to:Weehawken,+NJ+to:Washington,+DC+to:Dayton,+OH+to:Kalamazoo,+MI+to:Chicago,+IL+to:St.+Paul,+MN+to:Drake,+ND+to:Wichita,+KS+to:Palm+Beach,+FL&geocode=FZ9WhgIdw7bD-ykbMT0NLWXjiTGg6GIBJL98eA%3BFR1AbQIdK8KW-yk7CD_TpU_CiTFi_nfhBo8LyA%3BFQoYbgIdvomW-yl1u_GnL1jCiTFDl9u2p6IJEA%3BFQh-UQIdsoRo-ylb5PZa3sa3iTEqXYjUIkVSwg%3BFWSsXgIdiVb7-ikPI6iYLm8_iDHkTA7ykuNApg%3BFftRhQId4wrm-im5kjFJeZ0XiDEJMFdJ0vh82g%3BFbGUfgId_JDG-inty_TQPCwOiDEAwMAJrabgrw%3BFRrMrQIdZoJz-imfN-nkztSyUjEpLto_0pFyyA%3BFclD2wIdeHAE-imV34wshmDZUjFdFwF-xSPkQw%3BFUwjPwIdN78y-iktGH_Satu6hzE-PdN0v9WWkw%3B&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=42.79972,-85.716215&sspn=14.658506,39.506836&ie=UTF8&z=4

Procedure

Find these places on a map of the United States:

• New York, New York

• Boston, Massachusetts

• Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Chicago, Illinois

• Weehawken, New Jersey

• Washington, D.C.

• Dayton, Ohio

• St. Paul, Minnesota

• Wichita, Kansas

• Drake, North Dakota

Using the Internet site above, find out how many miles Horton traveled with the circus before he ended up in Palm Beach with Mayzie.

E=ENGINEERING (building, designing, testing structures, checking for safety features)

DESIGNING A SAFE EXERCISE AREA

Objectives

· To create safely separated multiple “nesting” sites for Horton-style exercises

· To utilize the motivational momentum from reading the Horton story to gain stamina in exercise.

· To learn the concepts of perimeter and center

Materials

· PE Central Horton lesson plan found at http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=9715

· Yardstick

· Hula hoops (one per student)

· Poly spots (one per student)

Procedure

Instead of the teacher setting up the exercise course, let the students plan a course that keeps enough space between the hoops so that they all can exercise safely. Ask the students to consider how much space should be between hoops so that they can do jumping-jacks within the hoop without bumping another “Horton” from his hoop nest. The yardstick can help them sweep the perimeter of their hoop nest so that they are not too close to their neighbor. Then they can place the poly spot in the estimated center of their nest.

M=MATHEMATICS (meaning of numbers, numeric symbols, mathematical processes, statistical processes, graphic representations of mathematical analyses, etc.)

INTRODUCTION TO PERCENTS

Objectives

· To learn to read and write the % symbol

· To learn the meaning of 100%

Materials

· Pencil or pens

· Lined paper

· Markers

· Large index cards

Procedure

Introduce the % symbol and its written form “percent.” Let students practice writing “100%” . Ask them what 100% means and lead them to the correct understanding. Have fun with the concept. Questions such as: “How much of your lunch period should I give you today?” or “How much do you want Santa to bring you what you asked him for?” can elicit the “100%” response from the students.

Have the students use their index card and marker to make a very large “100%.” Reread the Horton Hatches the Egg story, or parts of it, and ask the students to raise up the 100% cards whenever they hear you say “one hundred percent.”

WRITING NUMERALS, DATES FROM THE SPOKEN WORD

Objectives

· To practice writing numerals from the spoken version of them.

· To practice writing dates from the spoken version of them.

Materials

· Online biography of Dr. Seuss at http://www.easyfunschool.com/Horton-Hatches-the-Egg.html

· Tablets with writing app loaded, or individual slates with chalk, or individual dry-erase boards with dry-erase marker.

Procedure

The teacher reads the online biography to the students, pausing wherever there is a date or numeral. The students, seated in pairs, write the date or numeral on their tablets, check for agreement with their partner, then turn the tablet to face the teacher. The teacher assesses the needs for further instruction, and practice regarding the objectives.

Designing a Spinning Top to Replicate a Classic Circus Wagon Wheel

Objectives

· To learn the size of a circle in degrees and how to segment it using a compass, protractor, and straight edge ruler.

· To experiment with colors and shapes to replicate the motions of classic 16 spoke circus wheels.

Materials

· Old CDs

· Blank CD labels

· Colored markers, (optional paints and stickers)

· Marbles

· Prescription bottle caps or plastic milk bottle caps

· All-purpose glue

· Protractor

· Compass

· Straight edge ruler

· Pencil

Procedure

1. Search the Internet for classic circus wagon wheel designs. Notice that the wagon wheels had 16 spokes.

2. Take a blank CD label, and using a straight edge and a pencil, divide the circular label in half.

3. Since a whole circle is 360, and you need 16 spokes, divide to find the number of degrees between each spoke. Using the protractor and straight edge ruler, mark out the 16 spokes.

4. Using the markers, create your own 16 spoke wagon wheel design. Bright and colorful designs will look even better when your top is spinning.

5. Peel out the CD label and affix it to the CD.

6. For a different look, paint the top of the CD with bright-colored poster paints instead of using a label.

7. Use stickers to decorate the CD in lieu of or in addition to poster paint.

8. Paint or color the bottle cap with fun colors that match the CD's new design.

9. Put glue on one side of the marble.

10. Affix the marble to the hole on the bottom of the CD. Press firmly and hold until the glue dries.

11. Apply glue to the rim of the bottle cap.

12. Affix the bottle cap to the top of the CD around the center hole (covering the top of the marble). Press firmly and hold until the glue dries.

13. That's all there is to it. Hold onto the bottle cap and give your top a spin on the marble.

Read more: How to Make Toy Spinning Tops | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4896803_make-toy-spinning-tops.html#ixzz1rbm37TVF

Toriskie 2012 Page 1