Cutlery Wind Chime Lesson Plan

HEADING (1 pt)

Name: James Hoff                                                                                                School: Valley City State University

Room: Eml 378                                                                                                      Content: Art

Time: 9:30 – 10:45                                                                                                Topic: Recycling

Date: November 20^th  2012                                                                                  Lesson: Cutlery Wind chimes

CONTENT STANDARDS/COMMON CORE

OBJECTIVES (3 pts)

The learners will to the best of their ability:

  1.      Collect 1 paper plate, 1 pencil, markers, 4 pieces of long ribbon and 7 pieces of short ribbon, and 7 pieces of plastic cutlery to make a cutlery wind chime.

  2.      Color the paper plate with markers.

  3.      Poke 4 holes on the edge of the paper plate with a pencil an equal distance apart.

  4.      Poke 7 holes randomly in the inner circle of the paper plate.

  5.      Tie a knot in the 4 long pieces of ribbon at an end

  6.      Feed the long ribbons through the outer holes in the plate facing one direction.

  7.      Tie the 4 long pieces of yarn together to create a hanging plate.

  8.      Tie a knot in the 7 short pieces of yarn at an end

  9.      Feed the short ribbons through the random holes in the plate facing opposite the long ribbons.

  10.  Tie 1 piece of plastic cutlery to each short ribbon with the handle facing the plate.

  11.  Trim the ribbon to create clean knots.

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT (2 pts)

  1.      1 example cutlery wind chime

  2.      1 paper plate per student

  3.      1 pencil per student

  4.      1 package of markers per student

  5.      4 Pieces of long ribbon (16”) per student

  6.      7 Pieces of short ribbon (10”) per student

  7.      7 pieces of plastic cutlery per student

  8.      1 scissor per 3 students 

INTRODUCTION (3 pts)

Raise hand to get attention. Start after everyone’s hand is in the air.

  1.      How many of you have created art projects out of recycled materials?

a.       Look for raised hands

  2.      What kinds of projects did you make?

a.       Popsicle houses

b.      Popsicle picture frames

c.       Accordion foldout books

d.      Christmas ornaments

e.       Qr code games

  3.      What types of recycled material did you use?

a.       Pop bottle tops

b.      Popsicle sticks

c.       Cardboard boxes

d.      Chop sticks

  4.      Today we are going to add to your recycling art experience by creating cutlery wind chimes.

DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES (4 pts)

  1.      Gather all materials and sit quietly at the table

  2.      Color both sides of the paper plate whatever design you so choose with markers.

  3.      Using a pencil, poke 4 holes on the outer edge of the plate so that each hole is evenly spaced.

a.       Another way to think about it is to place the holes in a plus pattern.

  4.      Using a pencil, poke 7 holes in the inner circle of the paper plate at random.

  5.      At each end of the 4 long ribbons tie a knot at the end.

  6.      Take each ribbon and feed it through the 4 hour holes (one string per hole) so that the knot is touching the plate.

  7.      Tie the un-knotted end of the 4 long ribbons together in order to create a way for the plate to hang.

  8.      At each end of the 7 short ribbons tie a knot at the end.

  9.      Take each ribbon and feed it through the random 7 holes in your plate. 

a.       Make sure to have the knots touching the plate, but on the opposite side of the knots from the long ribbons.

  10.  Tie 1 pieces of plastic cutlery to each short ribbon with the handle closest/facing the plate.

  11.  Trim the ribbons to create clean knots.

CLOSING ACTIVITIES (2 pts)

  1.      Clean up

  2.      Markers back in boxes

  3.      Give Scissor back to teacher

  4.      Extra material back to teacher

  5.      Thank the learners, compliment them on well-made wind chimes, and introduce the next teacher

  6.      If last teacher, thank the learners, compliment them on well-made wind chimes, and state that we will now wait for the rest of the groups to finish and then we will join the main class.  

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING (3 pts)

Rubric Components:

  1.      Plate colored

  2.      7 pieces of cutlery hanging from short ribbons off plate

  3.      4 pieces of long ribbon create a holder

  4.      10 points

  5.      Student will be able to show a completed cutlery wind chime and talk about using recycled materials for art projects.

Field Experince Reflection

My 40 hour field experience at Lodoen Kindergarten Center with Mrs. Huseby was a unique and awesome experience. I was able to meet many educators during this time (usually in the teacher’s lounge) and asked many questions. I learned about everything I could think of during my time there. What M.A.P. scores were and how they are used? How a kindergartner gets put on an IEP? What are signs of ADHD? How to do weekly lesson plans? How you deal with the obstinate or gifted/talented child in your room? What happens when you get a new student who is way behind your class? How you help the children cope when a student leaves the class? What style discipline tactics work? These were just a few of the questions I asked. What I learned in my field experience is just the beginning. However, it has provided me with a strong base to start. It helped me to solidify that my dream is to work with younger learners.
  The best part of my experience was anytime I was allowed to teach. I really enjoyed making homemade applesauce day, and the day I taught the learners about bats. These were the times I was most in charge of the entire class and Mrs. Huseby was mostly observing me. She gave great tips and I was able to implement some of them right away.
  The worst part of my experience was discipline. I didn’t know what would be acceptable so I took discipline slow. This led to a few small problems early on (the learners thought I would be a pushover). I should have asked about discipline styles in my first meeting, but I didn’t want it to come off as being one of the important issues. Next time I will ask what he/she does in the classroom before I am in front of the learners so I know the game plan better.
  Overall this experience was great for me. It was an awesome first step and I cannot wait to take the next one.

Practicum Journal #7

Journal 7

Grade K Time 8:30 – 1:00 Date 10/17/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?

• Calendar time
• Daily planner
• Reading centers
• Going to gym
• Prep for returning students
• Checking papers
• Getting students from gym
• Snack time
• Math
• Going to lunch
• Getting students from playground.
• Poems

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Today, I was able to take small groups during reading centers or as they are sometimes called “Daily 5’s”. The Para educator who usually comes in during this time was sick today. I took the lower reading proficiency students. There were 5 groups of students who came to me in groups of two students.
We first worked on recognizing harder alphabet letters for each group. The letters I was supposed to ask about were preset for each student based on where they were having trouble. Then, we moved to white board writing of sight words. Again, we focused specifically on certain words for each group. We read together the book they were supposed to take home. Finally, each student read the book alone one last time.
When the learners were not in a group with either Mrs. Huseby or I, they were doing one of four other tasks. Those tasks are:
1. Reading to self
2. Reading to partner
3. Listening centers
4. Playing a sight word game called “Bad Bat”
Each task runs for 5 minutes for a total of 25 minutes of reading time with a minute in between for transition. The total time taken is 30 minutes. At the end of 5 minutes Mrs. Huseby flips over a rain stick to signal the end of the time. You could use a timer or a bell, but the learners seem to really like the sound of the rain stick.
I really like the idea of reading centers run this way for kindergarten. However, having three teachers in the room during this time seems to be best. When there is just the two of us like today, keeping the learners not in small groups on task seems to be a big issue.

Practicum Journal #6

Journal 6

Grade K Time 12:00 – 4:00 Date 10/12/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?


• Reading time “Bats”
• Bat Books
• Poems
• Bat Books
• Bus time/free time
• Core teacher meeting (about reading proficiency, splitting students up into groups, and dividing them among the teachers.)

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Today we had another themed day. The theme was bats. Mrs. Huseby felt it was time for me to teach an entire unit. I got to read a science book called “Bats” which led to a fairly long discussion with the learners about bats and how they see, eat, and live.
After the discussion, I led the learners back to their desks and taught them to create a six page bat book. It was an art/science project. We did the first two pages before poems and the last four after to split up the work a little.
Bats are a great topic to cover during October in Kindergarten (being its Halloween). They seem to be interesting to nearly every learner. The themed day focuses the learner. However, making the bat book seemed to be too long of a project for some.
I had a few learners that were complaining about the amount of pages they needed to work on and I have to agree. The average Kindergartner has an attention span of five minutes. This project took almost half of a day. I feel the book is a great idea for a week long project. Perhaps a page a day in the morning, when the learners are first coming to class, with a final extra page on Friday and then putting it together.
The experience to take a unit and teach was priceless. Also, it was a lot of fun. On a side note, today we had two learners who each lost their first tooth. This is a huge rite of passage for the learner and creates an environment of pride throughout the entire classroom. Having two in one day was awesome. I find it funny that both times every student had to go check out the lost tooth. It is that big of a deal to the learners. Overall it was a great day.

Practicum Journal #5

Journal 5

Grade K Time 7:45 – 1:15 Date 10/10/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?

• Meet with my teacher
• Morning meeting
• Reading centers
• Going to gym
• Prep for returning students
• Checking papers
• Getting students from gym
• Snack time
• Big book circle
• Going to lunch
• Getting students from playground.
• Poems
• Sorting and pattern assessment
• Writing journals

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Today was a great experience for me. With conferences coming soon, formal assessments needed to be done. As part of the learners’ math assessment, I was able to test the students on their sorting and pattern making abilities. The learners were brought to my desk one by one in alphabetical order. Using 15 chips of three different colors, first they were asked to sort the pile of chips into the three different colors. Then they were asked to take the chips, make a pattern, and tell me what the pattern was.
Overall, the learners did very well with the task. Pattern making was a concept they were just starting to work on. All but two of the learners were able to make some sort of pattern and tell me what it was. Sorting been covered for a while and all but one of the learners was able to sort.
The learner, who was unable to sort and make a pattern, set off a red flag. He is a very bright student and was able to do both tasks before in different settings. Also, he seemed very frustrated during the test. I asked Mrs. Huseby about the learner after the assessment. She thought for a moment and got an embarrassed look on her face. The learner is red green color blind and all three colors of chips were in his colorblindness area. To the learner, I had provided chips that all looked exactly the same. After we realized our error, I quickly picked three different colors I knew he could tell the difference between. I re-tested him and he passed with no errors.
Sometimes it is little problems that cause big errors. I felt very bad that I had put the learner through a frustration like that. However, I did not know about his colorblindness. I learned an important lesson about accommodation today. Even little accommodations like color change can have a big impact.

Practicum Journal #4

Journal 4

Grade K Time 7:45 – 2:45 Date 10/05/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?

• Meet with my teacher
• Start apple sauce
• Morning meeting
• Reading centers
• Going to gym
• Prep for returning students
• Getting students from gym
• Check apple sauce
• Snack time
• Ten apples up on top with high school helpers
• Writing unit
• Going to lunch
• Getting students from playground.
• Check apple sauce/ add sugar and cinnamon
• Poems
• Apple sauce tasting
• Free time/ bus children leave

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Apple Sauce
Today we made homemade apple sauce in class. It took all day long to do, so it was an apple themed day. We started when the learners first came into class in the morning. After they had put their items away and done their beginning of the day routine, one by one they got to come to the apple sauce making station. I showed them how to use a corer/peeler and they got to cut their apple (using a spoon) up and put it in a crock pot. Each learner then got to take a small piece of apple and taste it so they would know that the apple tasted like before it turned into apple sauce. After all the students apples were in the crock pot, we added a cup of water and let it cook down, checking and stirring it every hour.
Each time the learners came back to class from outside activities (gym, lunch, etc.) they all came as a group and got to see how the apples had changed. After lunch we added the sugar and cinnamon and let it cook down until just before free time at the end of the day. For some the waiting was nearly unbearable. Finally, we all got to taste the apple sauce. The learners all sat on their carpet square and we passed out the apple sauce. Mrs. Husbey counted to three then we all took a taste. One by one the learners then got to talk about what they thought of the apple sauce. There were mixed results, but the learners had fun with the science event. I would not have changed a thing about this lesson. The learners had fun, it is a great activity, and you can pair so many other learning activities with an apple themed day.

Ten apples up on top with high school helpers
Another interesting event that happened today was that the class’s high school helpers came to class. The high school helpers are high school students from the alternative learning center.
First, I read Ten Apples Up on Top to the class. Then the high school helpers came to class to help with an art/math project. Using a work sheet, a picture of each student, and a piece of red construction paper, they recreated the balancing of the apples from the book. The learners traced the numbers 1 to 10 on the worksheet. Each number was surrounded by an apple shape. Then the learners got to color the apples with the help of the high school helpers. The high school helpers then cut out the apples. The learners glued their picture to the bottom of the construction paper and then with the help of the high school students, ordered the apples and glued them on top of the head of their picture. When they finished the high school helpers read to their learner.
To me this kind of one on one time is crucial to both the kindergartener and the high school student. It forms a special bond that both parties need. The kindergartner can use all the single attention they can get and they look up to the high school student. Also, these high school students are at risk of leaving school, so any tie that makes them want to stay in school is positive. If given the chance in my own classroom I would take this kind of relationship in a heartbeat.

Practicum Journal #3

Journal 3

Grade K Time 7:45 – 1:15 Date 10/01/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?

• Meet with my teacher
• Morning meeting
• Reading centers
• Going to gym
• Prep for returning students
• Checking papers
• Getting students from gym
• Snack time
• Big book circle
• Going to lunch
• Getting students from playground.
• Poems
• Writing journals

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Today my focus is the writing journals the learners have been doing. They have been working on his task three days per week since the second week of school. It is a 6 step process:
1.The learner thinks about a sentence he/she wants to write about, specifically focusing on “Who?” and “Did what?”.
2.The learner tells a partner about their sentence.
3.The learner goes back to their desk and draws a picture of what he/she wants to write about.
4.The learner says and tests the sentence, with the teacher present, to determine the number of lines for words. (Lines are in blue).
5.The learner then, using sounding out, attempts to write to their best ability.
6.Finally, the teacher writes the sentence using “Big person words”.
This form of journaling teaches reading through writing. This being kindergarten, is the lowest level of the program. There are no expectations at this point which I feel could be bettered. The learners also practice sight words. I feel that these sight words should be integrated into the program and the learner should be expected to use them when they are in a sentence. Maybe this will happen later in the year and it is just a matter of getting the learner used to journaling at this point. Overall, I am told, this program works very well and is continued from k through 3rd grade with increasing difficulty.

Practicum Journal #2

Journal 2

Grade K                                Time   7:45 – 3:45                 Date 9/28/2012

List What occurred during the time you are at your school? What are all the things that happen in the time frame you are in your school?

• Meet  with my teacher
• Morning meeting
• Reading centers
• Going to gym
• Prep for returning students
• Checking papers
• Getting students from gym
• Snack time
• 10 frame counting
• Going to lunch
• Meeting teachers in teachers’ lounge.
• Getting students from playground.
• Poems
• Math centers/Sorting Money
• Free time/ bus children leave
• Lesson Plans for next week

Describe 1 item from the list, in GREAT detail – who, what, when, where, how, why

Ten Frames

            Today the learners were able to use ten frames to help with counting 1 to 10. Making a ten frame is fairly easy. It is just a piece of construction paper with a smaller piece of white paper with 10 boxes on it that has been laminated. The learners used plastic animals to show the number equal to the flash card Mrs. Husbey was showing.  The learners were taught to start at the top left and go right when they counted, to prep them for writing.

            I really like the idea of ten frames. They can be used in a variety of ways.   They could be used for basic addition and subtraction if different color chips were used. Also, because the sheets are laminated, the learners could use marker board markers and practice writing 1 to 10 on them. To me it is a simple and cheap way to create a lot of learning experiences. The learners seemed to have a lot of fun with it too.

Sorting Money

            In the afternoon, after the learners came back from recess, we had math centers. I was asked to take the money center and teach how to sort the money into pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Also, I was to verbally quiz them on the names of each coin. The learners had no previous in school instruction about money so this was just a way to assess where each learner was at and see where to start.

            The sorting went fairly well. Most learners were able to sort them with little effort. Some even sorted the play money out from the real coins. If I were to build this station, I would either use real or fake money, but not both. To some of the learners it was distracting having both.         

            The verbal quiz had mixed results. This was expected. Some learners did not know any of the names, while others knew the names and exactly what each coin was worth. The verbal quiz did give a good idea of where each student was at.

            Finally, it was fun to do both the sorting and the verbal quizzing. This was the first time I was able to have one on one time with each student. Their personalities are so different and unique. It was great to get to know a little about each learner.