Lesson Plan – Final Project
APLNG 410
Fall, 2008
“Teacher’s Reference”
- Materials Needed
- Songsheet for “Hello, how do you do!”
- “Days of the Week” song with music and lyrics
- “Months of the Year” song with music and lyrics
- Whiteboard or Blackboard – to write “winter” words on
- List of Important Vocabulary Words for “Frosty the Snowman”
- “Frosty the Snowman” Storybook
- Flashcards with sounds – “Fr, Sn, Th, etc.”
- Computer hookup with screen or video projector – for YouTube video
- Craft project materials – traced snowmen papers, construction paper, cottonballs, gluesticks, markers, buttons, googly eyes, etc.
- Introduction
- “Hello everybody! Let’s greet each other by singing our Hello Song!”
- Sing: “Hello, how do you do!” (This is a ritual - for every class intro)
- “What day of the week is it today? If you need some help remembering the days of the week, let’s sing “The Days of the Week” song….”
- “Do you remember the day of the week now?” “Yes, that’s right – it’s THURSDAY.”
- “Who remembers what month we’re in?” “Let’s sing the “Months of the Year” song to help us out….”
- “Who can tell me what month we’re in now? Yes, that’s right – DECEMBER.”
- “How many days have passed in December so far? Let’s look at the calendar to help us out…. So far there has been 3 days in December – today is THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4TH.”
- Body
- “Who here thinks winter has arrived?” “Why do you think it is winter now?”
- Possible responses: It’s cold outside, Thanksgiving is over, It’s starting to snow, Christmas (or other winter holidays) is getting closer, etc.
- “What are some words that relate to wintertime?” (Write the vocabulary they respond with on a large whiteboard or chalkboard. This helps them to see the words in written form – helpful for pre-literacy skills.)
- “Good job – thanks for helping me think of words related to winter!”
- “Today we’re going to learn a common American Christmas Carol – but it has more to do with winter, than with Christmas.” “The title is: Frosty the Snowman.” “Does anybody here know this song already?” (If so, then they can be my helpers as I teach it to the rest of the class….)
- “I have a book here with pictures that describe the words of the song…let’s learn some important vocabulary words – so we all understand what’s happening in this story/song.”
- Important vocabulary words:
- Frosty (the adjective, and here as the name of a snowman)
- Snowman
- Jolly
- Soul
- Corncob pipe
- Button
- Coal
- Fairy Tale
- Magic
- Silk hat
- Dance
- Alive
- Laugh
- Thumpety/Thump
- Hills
- Sun
- Hot
- Run
- Fun
- Melt
- Village
- Broomstick
- Square
- Catch
- Street
- Town
- Traffic cop
- Paused
- Moment
- Holler
- Stop
- Hurry
- Waved
- Goodbye
- Cry
- “As we go through this storybook, there are some words I will point out – see if you can help me find the pictures that help describe the meaning of the words.”
- “I’m going to start by taking you on a Picture Walk (a pre-literacy skill), then we’ll come back and learn the whole story.”
- Have the list of important vocabulary words handy next to you as you do the Picture Walk – pointing them out as you go along. Ask the children to help you find the pictures for the words you mention. Pantomime, gesture, and demonstrate the words as needed – to aid comprehension.
- “Okay class, now that we have learned the important vocabulary words – let’s go back and read the whole story!”
- Read through the story slowly, allowing the children to examine the pictures in more detail and understand what’s happening in the story. Do some “Story Prediction” (a pre-literacy strategy) when you get close to the turning point in the story – when the sun comes out and Frosty has to hurry away. “Has anyone ever built a snowman? What happens to snow when the sun comes out and it gets warmer outside? That’s right, it melts. What do you think will happen to Frosty when the sun comes out? Do you remember what happens next from our Picture Walk?”
- (After reading the story) “Okay Kids, now it’s time to learn each line of the song – first by speaking them, and then by singing them.”
- “But before we learn the words and phrases – let’s practice some of the sounds.” (This is known as “Vocal Play.”)
- “Say the following sounds after me…Ahhhh…(repeat), Frahhhh…(repeat), Steeeee…(repeat), Frahhhhsteeeee….”
- “Now let’s try…Ohhhh…(repeat), Snoowww…(repeat)…maaaaannn…(repeat)…Snooowwwmaaannnn….”
- “Let’s try just those beginning sounds one more time – Frrrrrrr….Snnnnn”
- “Now we’re going to do a harder sound – Thhhh – do you feel your tongue between your teeth when doing this one?”
- “Say: Thhhhump…Thhhhump…. Now: Thhhhumpty….” “This word comes up in the song – when you hear this word, pat your hands on your lap. Like this…Thumpty Thump Thump, Thumpty Thump Thump….”
- (I will have flashcards with these sounds broken up separately – so the children can see the letters together and get a feel for what they sound like.)
- “Okay, I want to teach you one last sound before we learn to say and sing the whole story…. When Americans say the word ‘button,’ and some other words, it sounds like this…’But-uhn’ This is called a flap – and it occurs when your tongue goes to the roof of your mouth and changes the sound – so you don’t say ‘But-ton’ – instead it sounds like ‘But-uhn.’
- I would like each of you to repeat this word to me as I come around and give each of you a button. (Go around and make sure they understand the difference between ‘But-ton’ and ‘But-uhn.’)
- “Very good everybody! Now we can learn the whole song! I will say each line first, then you repeat after me. Here goes…
- Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul (repeat)
- With a corncob pipe and a button nose (repeat)
- And so on…for the whole song (with the storybook as a guide)
- (The first time through the whole song with the children repeating will be speaking – the second time will be the exact same format, only with singing.)
- “Great job everyone – now let’s try doing the same thing, only let’s sing this time! One line at a time….”
- “Now we have a special treat…we’re going to practice singing the song with a musical accompaniment – just like karaoke! Can anyone tell me what karaoke is?”
- “Ok, I know this is a long song and you may not remember every part of it – so if you forget some of the lines, just make sure you do the following: sing ‘Frosty the Snowman’ each time it comes up, and sing ‘Thumpety, Thump, Thump’ while patting your hands on your lap. Those are the most important things you can do to help me sing this song….” (We will sing through the song with the YouTube video from my 410 presentation)
- Conclusion
- “That was wonderful everyone! I think we’re going to have to perform this song for all of your families!”
- “Now, before you all leave today – we’re going to do a craft. You’re going to make your very own snowman! But, before we get started, let’s review a few important parts of this story/song (a way for them to recall the story and help reinforce and strengthen vocabulary and comprehension).
- “What is Frosty?”
- “Was Frosty alive or dead?”
- “What did Frosty do with the children?”
- “What happened halfway through the story – that made Frosty run and hurry along?”
- “Where did he go?”
- “Who stopped him?”
- “What happened next?”
- “Do you think the end of the story was happy or sad?”
- “Very good boys and girls! Thank you for all of your hard work today! Now let’s make our very own snowmen! Unfortunately, we can’t use real snow – so we’ll have to pretend and use cotton balls and paper….”
- Craft project:
- Paper with a snowman traced on it.
- Children glue cottonballs on the paper with gluesticks.
- Some extra things will be available – like buttons for the nose and googly eyes and construction paper for decoration.
- This draws the lesson to an end…as the children finish their craft project, they will leave the class.