Signs of the Seasons

Grade Focus
Grade 1
Age Level
6
Subject
Social Studies
Technology Integration Activity
Discovering the Internet, Imaging, Video Productions
Estimated Time of Completion
4 30 min. classes
Author: Susan Wolk, Glenwood ES Last modified: 11/11/2011

Signs of the Seasons

Downloads for this lesson plan

Introduction

The teacher will read the book "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton.  Students will identify signs of the seasons and weather surrounding the little house.  The teacher will show a photo of the school and explain that like the little house, our school surroundings also change with the seasons. The students will use  online information to review signs of the seasons.  The students will work in partners and use digital cameras to record the changing seasons outdoors at our school.  The images will be used to make ebooks for the teacher to use as literacy centers in the classroom.

Prerequisite Experience

Students will be familair with the four seasons and the characteristics of each.  Students will be able to identify the signs of the seasons in pictures and outdoors.

Teacher Prep Time

30-60 minutes  The teacher will prepare a sample ebook using Naace Big Book Maker. The teacher will prepare computers with databases and headphones ready for use.  The teacher will download and insert media into new class ebook. Parts of this lesson will be repeated at later times to encompass all 4 seasons.

Project

The students will use information obtained from class discussion of book and database to find seasonal changes and photograph them.  Partners will select the best photos from their cameras and prepare text to describe the realtionship of seasonal change and weather to the activities in the photos.  Photos and text will be composed into class ebooks.

Assessment/Grading

Seasons Ebook Rubric (attached)

Lesson Plan Details

Engage

The teacher will begin the lesson by reading "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton.  Students will identify the signs of the changing seasons surrounding the little house and which season we are currently enjoying.  Teacher will show 4 pictures of the school on the promethean board.  Students will use dual pens to change the surroundings of the photos to match the four seasons.  

Explore

Teacher will demonstate location and usage of the PebbleGo!  linked to the Destiny homepage.  As a whole group, students will listen to the What are Seasons? portion of the site.  Teacher will demonstate using tabs to change pages and selecting videos to watch.  Students will head to the computers and watch the portion of the database pertaining to the current season. The information includes how seasonal changes affect plants, animals and people.  In conclusion of the activity, students will work in pairs and brainstorm as many seasonal changes as they can remember on individual whiteboards.

Explain

Teacher will show sample book from the Naace Big Book Maker and explain that the class will be working to make their own ebook showing the signs of the seasons.  Teacher will demonstrate usage of the "green bean" kid-friendly digital cameras. Teacher will review outdoor safety rules in advance of leaving the building.  Students will work in pairs to record at least 4 seasonal changes relating to plants, animals, and people in photos alternating photographers after each photo.  Upon completion of outdoor activity, students will work in the same pairs to select their favorite camera photo and compose a fact to explain the photo.  Each pair will record the camera number, photo number and fact on a sentence strip. 

Elaborate

Teacher will use the sentence strips to download the favorite photos into the computer.  Teacher will insert photos and facts into the Naace Big Book Maker to make a class ebook and project it on the promethean board.  Students pairs will read their facts and explain the signs of the seasons in their photos to the class.

Evaluate

Teacher will evaluate student response by observation during storytime and signs of seasons drawings on promethean board.  Teacher will monitor computer usage and fact recording on whiteboards.  Teacher will use Seasons Ebook rubric to evaluate photo and fact.

Extend

Teacher will post class book on the classroom computer desktop for student use during literacy center time.  Students will repeat computer, outdoor photography, and big book production for each season. As students become more comfortable with technology, pairs may use FlipVideo cameras to record short videos for inclusion in the ebooks instead of photographs.  Students may visit other first grade classes or kindergarten classes and share the ebooks.