Curriculum Plans—Unit Map Page 5 of 5
Theme 6: “Light and Shadow”
Book List:
The following books are included in this unit as read-alouds:
Corduroy / Don FreemanDay Light, Night Light / Franklyn M. Branley
Guess Whose Shadow / Stephen R. Swinburne
Louie / Ezra Jack Keats
Moonbear's Shadow / Frank Asch
The Puddle Pail / Elisa Kleven
The Very Lonely Firefly / Eric Carle
Additional Resources:
The following books are not required, but could be used to complement and enrich this theme, if teachers have access to these or similar titles:
Shadows and Reflections / Tana HobanLight: Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows / Natalie Rosinsky
Lights Out / Richard Fowler
My Shadow / Robert Louis Stevenson
Nothing Sticks like a Shadow / Ann Tompert
No Matter What / Deb Gilori
Dreams / Ezra Jack Keats
© 2012 Acelero, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Uses are subject to the limitations set forth in your user agreement. Your right to use these materials is contingent upon remaining a current SARGE subscriber with Acelero, Inc.
Curriculum Plans—Unit Map Page 5 of 5
Theme 6: “Light and Shadow”
/ Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 /Big Idea(s) / This week, our new curriculum study will introduce children to the fascinating phenomenon of shadows. We will create shadows with different light sources (such as flashlights and outside in the sun) and investigate how shadows move and change. / As children continue exploring with flashlights and shadows, we will also expand this theme to include other concepts related to light and dark – such as the variety of light sources and the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque materials. / In the final week of this theme, children will expand their exploration of light to include mirrors and reflections and will explore concepts such as shiny and dull.
Read-Alouds
Mon / Moonbear’s Shadow by Frank Asch / Corduroy by Don Freeman / Louie by Ezra Jack Keats
Day Light, Night Light by Franklyn M. Branley (picture-walk)
Tues / Moonbear’s Shadow / Day Light, Night Light by Franklyn M. Branley / The Puddle Pail by Elisa Kleven
Wed / Guess Whose Shadow? by Stephen R. Swinburne
Preview Corduroy with picture-walk / Louie by Ezra Jack Keats / The Puddle Pail
Thurs / Corduroy by Don Freeman / The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle / The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
and/or Guess Whose Shadow by Stephen R. Swinburne
Fri / Guess Whose Shadow? (rereading)
AND/OR Rereading (teacher choice) / The Very Lonely Firefly / Rereading (child choice)
Small Groups
Mon / Group 1 – Hand Shadows / Group 1 – Measuring Shadows / Group 1 – Find the Rhyme
**Embedded Assessment
Tues / Group 1 – Shape Blocks & Patterns / Group 1: Letters Big & Small / Group 1 – Shadow Puppets
Wed / Group 1 – Shadows & Silhouettes / Group 1: Corduroy Retelling Extension / Group 1 – Shiny/Dull Collages
Thurs / Group 1 – Size Hunt / Group 1: Transparent or Opaque? / Group 1 – Grouping Bears / Grouping Buttons
**Embedded Assessment
Circle Time
Mon / Question of the Day (QOTD): Can you see your shadow in the classroom right now? (Yes / No / Not Sure)
Song: “My Shadow Likes to Move” and/or “I See Shadows” / Question of the Day (QOTD): Which type of light do you like best? (Lamp/candle/flashlight)
Silhouettes: Show the silhouettes you created in last week’s small-group, and invite children to guess who each one is. / Question of the Day (QOTD): Which do you think we will see when we go outside today: sun or moon?
Shadow puppets – if shadow puppet theater is new to Dramatic Play this week, introduce it.
Tues / What do we know about shadows? Start KWL chart or have an open-ended discussion. / What gives us light? Ask children for their ideas, and make a list (with images if possible) on chart paper.
Groundhog Day (optional) / Song – repeat one from earlier in this unit, or a class favorite
Prisms – if you have a prism available, demonstrate how it works.
Wed / QOTD: Do you think we will see our shadows when we go outside today? (Y/N)
Song/Movement: “My Shadow Likes to Move” (see below) / QOTD: Which of these do you think would make a longer shadow? (As answer choices, provide two classroom objects of clearly different sizes – e.g., a large doll and a small block.)
Song – “The Light in You”
Movement: “Yoga” (see below) / QOTD: Are you wearing something shiny today? (Y/N)
Movement: “Mirror Pairs” (see below)
Thurs / Poem: “My Shadow” by Robert Louis Stevenson (verses 1-2 only) / Song: “The Light in You.”
Morning Message / Morning Message
Fri / QOTD: Which bear do you like best? (Moonbear/ Corduroy)
Poem: Repeat “My Shadow” / QOTD: Which do you like better, light colors or dark colors?
Song: “The Light in You” – and/or repeat one from last week / QOTD: Can you see your reflection anywhere in the classroom? (Y/N)
Movement / One child does a movement (stretching, jumping, etc.) while the group imitates it and sings the song, modified accordingly: “My shadow likes to stretch, just like I do…” Repeat with other movements and allow different children to be leader. / “Yoga” – put on slow music and have children stretch, bend, curl, reach and breathe. For example, stand tall like a tree and spread branches (arms); lie flat on stomach, push up onto elbows and hiss like snake. / Mirror Pairs: Have children stand facing each other in pairs and take turns being the leader (making movements) or the ‘mirror’ (imitating leader’s movements). Model or guide as needed.
Centers
Blocks / Small flashlights (children can build towers, then shine flashlight on them to create shadows)
Paper and writing utensils (for tracing shadows) / “Cave”: Hang a sheet or blanket to create a dark space; add a flashlight and small objects (including glow-in-dark bracelets if available). / Reflective materials (mylar, shiny wrapping paper, mirrors, etc.) that children can incorporate into constructions.
Transparent colored shape blocks or color paddles
Dr Play / Shadow puppet theater – use a light behind a hanging white sheet. / Louie by Ezra Jack Keats
Additional shadow-puppet materials (see Shadow Puppets small-group) – e.g., colored cellophane to add color to stick puppets.
Toys-Games / Parquetry/pattern blocks (flat multicolored shapes) / Variety of buttons, with containers to sort them, thread to string them on, and/or tweezers to pick them up with. (related to Corduroy)
Inch cubes and pieces of yarn/string (see Measuring Shadows small-group)
Alphabet cards; pieces of yarn or pipe cleaners (as follow-up to Letters small-group)
Art / Black paint, black construction paper (to add shadows to artwork, or for “shadow collages”)
Lamp or flashlight. / Shiny and dull collage materials—e.g. foil, glitter, shiny paper or stickers, buttons; sandpaper, cardboard, construction paper, cloth, wood sticks
Black paper with chalk or white crayons. / Black paper and colored chalk
Hand mirrors – encourage children to look at their reflections and draw what they see
Library/Writing / Read-aloud books for this week
Other books relating to shadows (if available) / Props related to Corduroy and/or The Very Lonely Firefly, to encourage children to retell the story / Colored pencils
Discovery (Science) / Flashlight(s)
“Shadow Box”: A dark box with a hole on one end. Encourage children to place objects in the box and shine light on the object to make shadows. / Small mirrors
“Observing Shadows” (if possible) – Place a plant, block tower, or other standing item in the window and check its shadow at different times of day. / Reflective objects (shiny foil, spoons, etc.)
Kaleidoscopes and/or plastic prisms (near window if possible)
Collections of natural objects (bring back any that children have not explored in a while) with small pails to collect and sort them
Sand-Water / Bubbles in water table. / Whisks or hand egg beaters; various objects. Children can make bubbles (using whisks), then explore what they see reflected in the bubbles. Which objects can they see reflected? / Glitter mixed into the sand
Music-Movement / Rhythm sticks. / Spotlight (if available) – encourage children to make their shadows dance.
Computer / “Shadow Show” – put shapes together to create a shadow. http://pbskids.org/sid/shadowshow.html
“Explore Shadows” – videos from Peep & the Big Wide World on “Making Shadows” and “Watching Shadows Change.” http://www.peepandthebigwideworld.com/resources/exploration/shadows/ / “Cave of Darkness” – video of children trying to create a completely dark space.
Go to http://pbskids.org/sid/videoplayer.html; click “Investigations” at left side, then scroll down to “Cave of Darkness.”
Outdoors / Look for shadows while outside. Notice your own shadow on the ground or building, and encourage children to make their shadows move and change. Use chalk to trace shadows on the sidewalk.
Shadow Tag: On a sunny day, find some light-colored pavement where shadows show up best. Rather than tagging children directly, the child who is “it” tries to step on their shadows. / Encourage children to look for shadows; to notice their own shadows on the ground or the building; and to make their shadows move and change.
“Observing/Measuring Shadows”: Leave an object (e.g., bottle, bowling pin, etc.) in one place outside, then check it at various times of day to notice changes in its shadow (e.g., shape, size or position). Trace the shadow or mark its length with chalk or tape to document changes throughout the day. Or have children do this with their own shadows! / On a sunny day, take a pail of water outside and move it to different locations, trying to “capture” different reflections. Tip: a pail with a dark interior will capture reflections more visibly. ** Also remind children not to look directly into sun!
AND/OR create a puddle outside and let children explore making reflections in the puddle using various objects.
Other
Family Involvement / communication / Send home family letter (see Activities packet) to share this new topic of study with families and suggest activities that they can do at home. Also point out connections to the theme in the Parent-Child Activity Calendar.
Ask families to lend items needed for this theme—especially flashlights! (Desk lamps, spotlights or penlights would also be helpful.) Be sure to mark all items with family’s name so they can be returned.
Ask for parent volunteer(s) to help with the small group activity “Shadows & Silhouettes” during Week 2 of this theme. / Encourage families to extend the theme into their home through continued explorations of shadows and light. You could send home the Hand Shadow Puppet page for them to try (see Activities packet from week 1), or suggest that they use a puppet to “help read” a story at bedtime. Families can look around their house and notice all the different types of lamps or other light sources they have. Perhaps there is even a space at home to make a “cave of darkness”!
If relevant, inform parents about your discussions of Groundhog Day and invite them to “celebrate” it too.
There are always props and materials needed for classroom activities, and parents can be extremely helpful by donating or lending items. This week items include different kinds of plastic lids (clear, almost clear, & solid color lids), plastic wrap, wax paper, and bubble wrap packing material. / Encourage families to extend the theme into their home through continued explorations and discussions related to light. For example, parents can point out different items around the house that are shiny, dull, reflective, transparent, etc., as well as encouraging children to look for their reflections in different surfaces (spoon, toaster, window, etc). At night, whether inside or outside, parents can discuss with their children about the different light sources they see (street light, car headlights, stars, etc).
Materials Needed:
The following list compiles any new, unusual or important materials needed for this unit. (Materials are also listed under the appropriate small-group activity, read-aloud guide or lesson plan for that week.) Items are listed only in the first week they are used, but may be re-used in a later week of the theme.
Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 /- Desk lamp or spotlight; multiple flashlights
- Large sheets of light-colored paper
- Parquetry blocks/pattern blocks
- Pattern cards showing shape patterns (optional)
- Yarn, string or ribbon in different lengths and colors (e.g., short yellow pieces, medium red, long blue…)
- “Shadow Box”: A dark box with a hole on one end.
- Black paint/construction paper / - Inch cubes (such as unifix)
- Alphabet cards
- Assorted pieces of yarn and/or pipe cleaners
- Assorted transparent, opaque, & translucent items (see Small-Group Activity for examples)
- Sheet or blanket to create a dark space
- Glow-in-dark bracelets (if available)
- Shadow puppet theater (or white sheet to hang in front of light source)
- Variety of buttons
- Shiny and dull collage materials, for example: Shiny: aluminum foil, glitter, shiny paper, shiny stickers, photo paper, plastic buttons; Dull: sandpaper, cardboard, construction paper, cloth, wood sticks
- Small hand mirror(s) / - Shadow puppet materials: Craft sticks or straws; stiff paper or cardstock (cut into puppet shapes); feathers, pompoms, felt and/or yarn
- Assorted buttons OR bear counters
- “Mirror, Mirror” poem: individual copy for each child; word/picture cards for each rhyme choice (see Activities packet)
- Reflective materials: mylar, shiny wrapping paper, shiny spoons, etc.
- Kaleidoscopes and/or plastic prisms
- Collections of natural objects
© 2012 Acelero, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Uses are subject to the limitations set forth in your user agreement. Your right to use these materials is contingent upon remaining a current SARGE subscriber with Acelero, Inc.