Ashley Cooke

Dryden Street School

Pre-K group of 17

February 10, 2015

Mod E
Formal Observation Lesson

Specific Lesson: Valentines Day: Social Emotional Role Playing/Experimental Observations

Content Area: ELA/Science
Learning Objective: Students will take part in an active role playing exercise on Valentines
Day while rereading selections from the text Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane
deGroat. The students will form text-to-self connections regarding the proper way that we
should treat our friends. Students will later use observation skills when taking part in the science
experiment. Students will recognize that certain mixtures have the ability to change as time
progresses.
NYS Common Core Learning Standard(s):
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World: Theatre/Dramatic Play
5. The Arts: 5. Participates in a variety of dramatic play activities to represent fantasy
and real life experiences. b) Assumes the role of something or someone else and
attempts to speak in the appropriate manner and tone. c) Participates in teacherguided and/or spontaneous dramatic play activities such as acting out a story. d) Uses
basic props, and costume pieces to establish time, setting, and character.
Indicator: The students will role play the different characters and scenes of
the story using props. The students will portray different emotions that the
characters feel.
6. The Arts: 6. Responds and reacts to theater and drama presentations. b) Expresses
his/her feelings about theatrical or dramatic productions or experiences through oral,
written or visual expressions.
Indicator: The students will actively take part in a role playing exercise. The
students will utilize visual expressions and oral language to depict their
thoughts and emotions when reacting to the text and whole group task.
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World: Science
1. Scientific Thinking: 1. Asks questions and makes predictions based on observations
and manipulation of things and events in the environment. a) Uses senses to gather,
explore, and interpret information. c) Makes observations and describes changes in
objects, living things, and natural events in the environment. e) Asks why, how,
and what if questions and seeks answers through experimentation and investigation.
Indicator: The students will use their senses to make observations on the
science experiment. The students will ask questions about what is occurring
and seek to answer them through further small group investigation.
2. Scientific Thinking: 2. Tests predictions through exploration and experimentation. b)
Uses a variety of tools and materials to test predictions through active
experimentation (child uses magnifying glass to examine pine needles; child puts
large paper clip on water to see if it floats.)

Indicator: The students will predict what will happen prior to conducting the
experiment and use a variety of tools such as magnifying glasses to actively
take part in the observation portion of the experiment.
3. Scientific Thinking: 3. Generates explanations and communicates conclusions
regarding experiments and explorations. d) Makes age appropriate, logical
conclusions about investigations. e) Shares ideas about objects, living things and
other natural events in the environments through words, pictures, and other
representations.
Indicator: The students will verbally discuss what is occurring in the
experiment with one another, using age appropriate vocabulary. The students
will record their thoughts by drawing a visual depiction in the form of a
picture.

Rationale: The students have been learning about Valentines Day, the shape of a heart, and
treating friends and other people nicely. Students have also started learning about why we
celebrate Valentines Day and what we can do to show others that we care about them. This
lesson will provide students with a further opportunity to explore several things. One of which is
to recall details from the text about how we should and should not treat friends, students will be
able to use evidence to support text-to-self connections which will help them throughout life.
Many students require additional assistance with regard to inferring information and generating
explanation about observations using oral language, which the closure/center part of this activity
will work on. In the future, students will be able to apply their knowledge of emotions and
showing others that they care to all holidays and everyday life activities. Additionally, students
will be able to further use their knowledge of making predictions to record observations.
Materials:
deGroat, D. (1997). Roses are pink, your feet really stink. New York: Morrow Junior
Books.
Teacher made Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink props
Large cut out heart made out of chart paper
Plastic Cups
Water (Not for drinking)
Candy Hearts (Not for eating)
Spoons
Paper
Crayons
Dora and the Lost Valentine Game: http://www.nickjr.com/games/dora-lostvalentine.jhtml
Development/Procedures:
Introduction/Motivation: Students will recall reading the book Roses are Pink, Your Feet
Really Stink from yesterday with the role playing props, infer different emotions, and identify
how to treat friends properly. The role playing activity will be highly motivating for the students
because they enjoy acting out different characters. Students will also be motivated during the
closure/center part of this lesson, they will get to use candy hearts to develop the science

experiment. Students will be intrigued to see the changes that occur within the experiment
between the water and candy hearts. The reactions between the candy hearts and the change in
water and size of the hearts will be extremely motivating to the students as it will capture their
attention and interest.
Instructional Strategies:
After reviewing parts of the book Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink and going
over that different words that friends say to each other can trigger us to feel different
emotions, the teacher will select several students to role play the characters from the book
utilizing props. Scenes from the book will include when Gilbert writes his Valentines,
when Margaret and Lewis receive their Valentines, and the events that occur after Gilbert
rethinks his decisions.
The students selected will wear the props of their selected character and role play to
portray the different emotions the characters feel.
After several of the students receive a turn role playing and all students assist in making
the different facial expressions, the teacher will explain that we will be passing around a
giant heart.
The students will pass the heart from one student to the next and the teacher will explain
that the students may crumble, fold, or gently rip different sections of the heart. After
every student receives a turn with the heart, the teacher will collect the heart to unfold,
uncrumble, and smooth out the heart.
The teacher will explain that the actions the student did to the heart represent the hurtful
things that friends sometimes say. The students will discuss what happened to the heart
and that it will not return to its beginning state, signifying that hurtful words to friends
can leave a lasting impression. How would you feel if you received this Valentine from a
friend?
All centers will correspond with our ongoing Valentines Day theme in the classroom.
Centers will be as follows:
1. Science: Students will observe water and candy Valentine hearts in a cup. Students will
add several candy hearts to a cup of water and mix the two together. Students will be
encouraged to draw a picture of their observations, look at the candy hearts with
magnifying glasses, and conclude the change in size of the hearts as well as the change in
water color as time progresses. Teacher will lead the discussion and record the students
thoughts/responses under their observations pictures. The teacher will utilize language
experience and write down the students written thoughts to connect thoughts/oral
language to writing. *This will be a teacher directed center.*
2. Dramatic Play: Students will pretend to be postal workers, mail carriers, and letter
writers. The dramatic play center will have 3 mailboxes, a post office storefront, mail
carrier bags, dress up clothes, various kinds of paper, envelopes, stamps, and golf pencils
to write and mail letters!
3. Sensory Table: Students will be asked to rip up various kinds of wrapping paper and
tissue paper into our bin. This center is great for fine motor exercise for the pincer grasp
when holding a pencil later on in the year. Students will sort heart cut outs into the
different boxes by color. Students will be able to put small objects/beads into boxes and
practice wrapping them like Valentine presents that they would give to friends.

4. Technology: Students will navigate the Mac Laptops and www.nickjr.com, exploring the
interactive Dora and the Lost Valentine game by creating patterns, counting cardinal
numbers, and building upon receptive language in both English and Spanish.
5. Math: Sorting by 1 attribute. Students will use premade shape envelopes and labeled
mailboxes to sort the envelopes by shape and color independently.
6. ABC: Using teacher made heart letters, students will practice matching corresponding
capital and lowercase letters to one another. Students may use the alphabet wall cards,
letter cards, and color correspondence to further assist in correct matching.
7. Lacing: Students will lace with shoe strings various teacher made lacing cards that go
with our Valentines Day theme.
8. Fine Motor/ Math Play-Doh: Students will use play-doh to make hearts, practice 1:1
correspondence and rote counting while utilizing 10 frames. *Differentiated instruction
between the difficulties of the mats (preshaded/unshaded boxes depending on student
levels)
9. Library: Students will practice concepts of print, read books to each other, socialize, and
practice appropriate center behavior while reading books about Valentines Day!
Academic Language:
Vocabulary: Compassion, emotions, observations
Close proximity: Children will be seated on the carpet with students requiring additional
attention sitting closer to the front where the teacher is.
This lesson involves a multisensory approach to learning and allows for students to be
actively involved throughout the duration of the lesson.
Differentiation: Every student has different learning abilities, making no two students learn in
the same way. Some students need to be moving around often, therefore this lesson will allow
them to do so through the multisensory approach to learning. There will be a large number of
visuals for ELL students and other visual learners, including the use of the book, props with
student dramatization, and large heart cut out. Additionally, during the closure/center portion of
the lesson, groups of students will be called over according to varying ability levels. Groups will
consist of higher level and lower level students to better allow for a collaborative learning
environment. Lower level students will benefit from learning experiences with students of a
higher level through encouragement of oral language and idea expansion. Students will be able
to collaboratively work together and share ideas about what might happen to the water and candy
hearts as time progresses. Students will be encouraged to observe changes and visually depict
their ideas on paper, while the teacher records written thoughts; providing the idea to text
connection. For students that have difficulty inferring information, the previous experiments
will be on the table to aid as an added visual for comprehension.
Technology Component: Mac Laptop computers and interactive Dora and the Lost Valentine
Game http://www.nickjr.com/games/dora-lost-valentine.jhtml during centers where students will
create patterns, count cardinal numbers, and build receptive language in both English and
Spanish in various activities that will allow for Dora and Boots to complete the quest.
Closure:
Assessment:

Short Term: The students will be informally assessed throughout the duration of the
lesson to see their understanding of the objectives. This will be done through teacher
observations during the formal group lesson, as well as the teacher directed center activity. The
teacher will also assess the students verbal responses during the lesson activities and take mental
noted on students, and writing down any notable ones in a log later on specific students at the
completion of the lesson. The students will be assessed on their observation skills during the
science experiment through their recorded picture observations.
Long Term: The students will be able to apply their knowledge of the new material on
Valentines Day, compassion, and making observations to future lessons. The activities in this
lesson will allow students to build their vocabulary that they use in everyday life. The students
will be able to recall positive ways that they can treat their friends as well as further develop an
understanding of making observations (through the teacher directed science center) throughout
the upcoming months. Students will be further assessed on these skills throughout the remainder
of the year.
Re-engagement: In the coming months, students will better be able to socialize with friends and
develop better relationships through using different strategies talked about as a whole group. The
students will continue working on building text-to-self-connections as the year progresses.
Additionally, the ability to make observations from science experiments will be revisited and
practiced more in future lessons when coinciding with appropriate themes for example plants,
butterflies, and bugs. Student will continue to make observations in a similar way to this lesson,
through oral discussion, visual depiction, and the language experience approach.