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Lesson 4 I Am Special and You Are Special Too Lesson Series

I Am Special and You Are Special Too 

Student Teachers:

Christina Franz & Amber Stahl
Project Children L.E.A.D. Director: Dr. Vincenne Revilla Beltran
Subject Area: Diversity
Grade level: Kindergarten (Ages 5-6)
Length of Lesson: 60 minutes

Learning Goals:

Early Childhood Learning Continuum Indicators:

Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening

  • 1.1Learning to Read Independently

    • D. Connect information and events to real-life experiences, when being read a story.

  • 1.3 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

    • A. Read a literature and participate in guided discussion

  • 1.4 Types of Writing

    • Use early forms of writing, dictation, or illustrations to express ideas.

  • 1.6 Speaking and Listening

    • Listen in order to understand and follow directions.
    • Listen to a selection and share information and ideas.

Objectives:

The students will be able to:

  1. Review the classroom rules as well as rules for how to be a good listener, and how to be a good speaker.

  2. Express what they like about themselves:

    1. Verbally - This will be done through discussions about the story we will read entitled I Like Me as well as through show and tell.

    2. Artistically - By doing the "Me Flag" activity the students will be able to draw what they like about themselves.

  3. Recite the words to the song "I am special".

  4. Create a cookie portrait of themselves by looking at themselves in a mirror.

  5. Recite the words to the song "Buddy Boogie"

  6. Learn the movements that go along with the "Buddy Boogie" and be able to use those movements along with singing the song.

Materials and Equipment Needed:

  • Posters of written rules-"Rules for Good Speakers," "Rules for Good Listeners," and "Classroom Rules"
  • Music to play in the background
  • Camera for final photograph of all students together
  • Signs to designate each learning area (learning center)

Activity 1- book

  • Book called I Like Me by Nancy Carlson (see reference list)

Activity 2-"Me Flag"

  • Cutouts of flags, can use paper to make flags (May use fabric instead of paper, so students do not injure each other with paper tips on flag).
  • Crayons or markers (I'd prefer crayons for younger children)
  • Multicultural crayons
  • Wooden sticks (from craft store)
  • Stapler/Staples or glue

Activity 3-music & movement

  • Copy of song for teacher's reference
  • Words to song "I am Special" listed somewhere that is visible to children's eyes (see reference list)
  • "Me Flags" for the march

Activity 4-language arts/show & tell time

  • Each child either has to have an item or story to share with the class

Activity 5-Cookie Portrait

  • Sugar cookie
  • Candy corn
  • Mini-M&Ms
  • M&M Candies
  • Icing for skin tones (colors may vary)
  • Knife to spread icing (students can handle knife as long as under teacher supervision, unless teacher does not feel comfortable. If students use knives, use rounded tip plastic knives).
  • Paper towels/napkins
  • Plates to place cookies on
  • May need sandwich bags to place completed cookie for safe storage
  • Icing for hair colors (colors may vary)
  • May need icing tips for straight, thin lines

Activity 6- "Buddy Boogie" - music

  • Copy of song "Buddy Boogie" (see reference list)

Procedure:

Review:

  1. Introduction/Review of classroom rules; the rules include how to be a good speaker and how to be a good listener.
  2. The teacher will explain the activities of the lesson, and how the lessons relate to being special, and how everyone is different.

Introduce:

Activity 1-book

  1. Before reading the book I Like Me, the teacher will engage in a quick discussion with the students about themselves; asking question on how they relate to the book.
  2. The teacher will then read the story called I Like Me, and ask questions during the reading.
  3. After the reading of the story, the teacher will then ask questions that are related to the story; questions about changing opinions from pre-reading questions and other questions about the completion of the book. Try to get the students to notice the differences in their answers, so they know how they are special.

Develop:

Activity 2-art

  1. The students will move to the art table, which consists of the materials for the "Me Flag."
  2. The students are to think about the things they like about themselves and the things they like to do for fun, and create a flag about themselves. The students will be creative, and they can use words and draw pictures to describe themselves.
  3. The teacher will connect the wooden piece to the flag, so the students can hold it up high for everyone to see. The teacher must either staple or glue the wooden piece to the flag.
  4. Each student will present their "Me Flag" to the class, along with an explanation of why they chose the items that are either listed or drawn.

Activity 3-music & movement

  1. The children will next learn a song called, "I am Special." The song will be used for the parade of the "Me Flags," but first the class has to learn a song called "I am Special"
  2. The teacher will sing the song first, while the students listen to it. Then, the teacher will sing the first line, and the students will echo, and repeat this throughout the song. The class (as a whole) will then try to sing the song the entire way through, but the teacher can intervene when the students have trouble with the song. The class will practice the song until they know the words.
  3. When the students know the song, they will line up (single file), along with their "Me Flags" and march through the hallway singing "I am Special."

Activity 4-language arts/show & tell time

  1. The students had drawn things that were special to them, so now it is time for the students to show and tell us what is special to them, by having a little "Show and Tell" time. Each student will show the class something that they brought from home, and share why it is important to them, or they can tell the class a story about themselves, and explain why it means as much as it does to them.

Activity 5-Cookie Portrait

  1. It will then be time for snack time. The students will need to go to the snack table, in which each student will receive a sugar cookie, and the instructions are as follows:

    1. Use the mirrors
    2. Place icing over the top part of the cookie; this represents the skin color.
    3. Decorate the cookie using the icing tubes of different colors for hair.
    4. Place two mini-M&Ms in place of eyes.
    5. Use candy corn for the nose.
    6. Use M&M candies to create a mouth.

  2. The cookies will be shown to all of the other students, and then placed back onto the table. We will all show our faces to each other to see the differences in each other's cookies. The class will come to realize that we are all special, and that we are all friends.

Activity 6- "Buddy Boogie" - music

  1. The closing activity for the class is to sing a song about friendship, and it is called the "Buddy Boogie." Each student will pair up with another student, and learn the words to the song, and then use movement to express the words.
  2. Now, all of the buddies of the class will get together for a final photo.

Assess:

The students will be evaluated based on their participation during class, and also how they behave during the lesson. The teacher will also ask the students what they have learned during the class. The proof of the student's understanding will be presented by the activities that have been completed.

Close:

The close of the lesson will review what they have completed during the time allotted. All of the activities are related to being different from each other, and allows the children to understand that even though we may be the same in many ways, we are all different.

References:

Carlson, N. (1988). I Like Me. Scholastic Inc, New York.

Caroll, S. (2004, August 2). "I am Special." All About Me Songs, Poems and

Fingerplays. Retrieved September 20, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.alphabet-soup.net/me/mesong.html

Jordano, K., & Callalla-Jones, T. (1998). "The Buddy Boogie." Fall Phonemic

Awareness Songs and Rhymes. Creative Press.

Songs:

"I am Special" (for march)

I am special, I am special
Look at me, look at me
A very special person, a very special person
That is me, that is me.

Caroll, S. (2004, August 2). "I am Special." All About Me Songs, Poems and

Fingerplays. Retrieved September 20, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.alphabet-soup.net/me/mesong.html

"Buddy Boogie"

Give your pal's hand a shake,
Give your pal's hand squeeze.
Give your pal's hand a pat,
And then tap him/her on the knees.
You do the Buddy Boogie,
And you turn yourself around.
Friendship's what it's all about.
Names with /b/ jump in,
Names with /b/ jump out.
Names with /b/ jump in,
And you shake yourself about.
You do the Buddy Boogie
And you turn yourself around.

/b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/

Jordano, K., & Callalla-Jones, T. (1998). "The Buddy Boogie." Fall Phonemic

Awareness Songs and Rhymes. Creative Press.