Learning Objectives:
Students will listen the story about fall foliage;
Students will have a walk outside to observe trees and their colors, to gather different leaves and fruit and act out the song “Leaves on the trees”;
Students will compare and describe objects they have brought from outside.
These activities will be provided to
systemize students’ knowledge on fall natural processes;
learn and master new vocabulary (fall foliage; chlorophyll; evergreen trees, Autumn; golden, scarlet colors; names and parts of trees, etc.);
practice listening, analyzing and talking skills by commenting their finds, expressing their feelings and ideas;
train connected speech.
Early Learning Content Standards
Procedures:
Decorate the classroom with visual images of fall before the lesson.
Introduce the topic of the lesson by observing and commenting classroom decorations and asking students what they know about the current season (Appendix A).
Take a picture/poster/collage of a tree with colorful falling leaves and read the story “The Anxious leaf” (Appendix B) introducing new words (parts of the tree: a twig, a branch, a tree; colors: scarlet, golden, lead-colored, striped with colors; autumn months).
Go outside to walk around the school in order to gather different leaves and fruit the children like;
Gather the students in the circle and have them perform the song “Leaves on the trees” holding leaves in hands and acting like leaves (Appendix C);
Come back to the classroom and let students sort, describe and put their leaves in albums. The home task is to create a short story about autumn using leaves and fruit children prefer.
Opportunity for discourse:
Child-to-Adult:
Fit the class story to natural processes that are visible outside. On which trees the leaves are wearing holiday clothes and are ready to fly away? What colors are their clothes? Is it windy today? Can you feel the puff of the wind? Can you find leaves that have already fallen sleep? What do you think the twin, the branch and the tree tell the leaves at parting? Let’s gather some sleeping leaves, throw them up and watch their beautiful dance. How do they move? How do they sound?
Child-to-Child:
Have the students remember what kind of trees grow next to their homes; to discuss with each other what leaf colors they like or dislike; which trees change colors and which ones stay evergreen. Let them compare the leaves and fruit of each other on their size, shape, color, texture, etc. and discuss the differences.
Environment Considerations:
30-40 minutes
Small group activity
To wear something scarlet/burgundy/ golden; to provide fall decorations, the picture/poster/collage of a tree with colorful falling leaves, the story “The Anxious Leaf”
Portfolio albums
Assessment of Learning
Observing and analyzing children’s story retellings, descriptions of their finds, expressing the students’ thoughts and feelings; group answers (Appendix D); writing notes at the end of the day on the quality and progress of children’s speech, responses, attitudes, and language skills.
…