Math
Learning Objectives:
Students will craft monsters from colorful paper and googly eyes;
Students will participate in creating a large poster “Monster Party” attaching their own monsters;
Students will analyze their crafts and the large poster;
Students will sing and act out a song “One Little Monster”.
These activities will be included
to stimulate number sense by determining “how many”, by touching and counting objects, by demonstrating one-to-one correspondence by counting;
to practice understanding of meaning mathematical operations by constructing sets and joining several sets in one;
to use measurement techniques by comparing, classifying and ordering objects by color, size, and shape;
to practice algebraic representation;
to improve mathematic language (geometric terms cube, tube, triangle, circle, square)
to train motor skills.
Early Learning Content Standards
Procedures:
Introduce students the coming craft activity during which they are going to familiarize with new shapes, teach new math words, and solve easy problems.
Tell a short introductory story about the sad lonely Monster that is celebrating his birthday and has no friends to invite. Students are to create new monsters and make a good Birthday party.
Familiarize the students with a magic “cube” (an opaque box) where new monsters “sleep” and let children pick up some monsters to wake them up and send to the party (to glue eyes and attach to the party poster). Every new monster is to be commented on its shape.
Have the children come up to the teacher by turn and inform how many googly eyes they need from the eye tube. Let each child check up if the teacher gives the correct number of eyes (teacher may pretend to make mistakes).
Children decorate their monsters by a certain number of eyes (according to inscriptions on their blanks).
Gather the students near the Party Poster and have them place new monsters on it by grouping, classifying, ordering, and solving easy problems. Analyzing the ready collage of Monster Party (A).
Singing and acting out the party song “One Little Monster” (B).
Opportunity for discourse:
Child-to-Adult:
Play a role of children’s assistant in googly eyes distribution. Integrate the Monster story with other activities: stimulate children imagination by interviewing them on peculiarities of monsters they craft (What is the name of your monster? Is it kind or angry? Has it got any relatives? How many? How many eyes does your monster need to see well? What is it going to bring to the party? How much? etc.) Creating easy problems to be solved (If it loses the biggest eye, how many eyes will remain?).
Child-to-Child:
Have the children discuss with each other the differences of their crafts concerning shape, size, and color. Allow them to correct errors of others.
Environment Considerations:
40-50 minutes
Small group activity
A large-sized sheet of paper (A1) with an …