Subject:  Language Arts                                    Grade:  Kindergarten

 

Standard:  #3  Identify the meaning of words or symbols the student often sees in

            everyday experiences.

 

Key Concept:  Word meanings are often triggered by symbol cues.

 

Generalization:  Many models in the real world attach words with symbols to convey

            meaning.

 

Background:  students have been learning about signs and the words that are attached to

            to them that convey meaning.  As a whole group, the class has discussed street

            signs and the shapes and words that go with the sign (e.g. STOP with the shape of         Stop Sign; RRX with the railroad crossing round sign).  This lesson extends the

            idea of words and symbols to familiar products bought in the grocery store.  The

            teacher needs to form three groups.

 

This lesson is tiered in readiness according to process.

 

Tier I:  Cereal Group

This group is having trouble with words attached with symbols.  Students examine cereal boxes and the pictures on the boxes.  They examine the pictures of four different cereal products (rice chex, corn flakes, Captain Crunch, and corn pops).  Then they answer the following questions.

1.      Tell me what you see on the box.

2.      Describe the picture as you see it.

3.      What do you think the box label says?

4.      Can you identify the letters?

5.      Which is the label you like the best?  Why?  Do you eat this cereal?

 

Tier II:  Pizza Boxes

These are students who learn right at grade level.  Students examine the color and shape of the box, the picture on the box, and the letters on the box.  Some boxes are make your own and some are from pizza restaurants (e.g. Chef Boyardee, Totino's, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Pizza King).

1.      What is the shape of the box?

2.      Does the shape of the box have anything to do with the product in the box?

3.      What do you think is in the box?

4.      What do the pictures tell you about the product in the box?

5.      What are the letters on the box?  What do they mean?

 

Tier III:  Granola Bars

These students work above grade level.  They can read.  Students examine the boxes.  They read the word identifying the product first.  Then they examine the symbol on the box.  Try to bring in three variations of the same type of bas (e.g. Kudos chocolate chip, peanut butter, cookies with cream) as well as two other types of granola bars (Quaker or Nutragrain).

1.      What is the type of granola bar in this box?

2.      Is it a special type of that granola bar (i.e., chocolate chip, peanut butter, cookies with cream)?  How can you tell (look at words)?

3.      Is the picture different on the box if the product is a variation of the product?

4.      Which type of granola bar do you think is the most popular just based on picture?

5.      What differences do you see on the boxes?

 

Whole group culminating activity:  Share products and symbols with each other.  Call on groups as Cereal Group, Pizza Group, and Granola Bar Group to share their ideas.

 

Assessment:

 

The assessment for this activity follows the following rubric.  Award the points necessary for placing an assessment in your gradebook.

 

Tier I:

 

1.      How many symbols did this student in Tier I identify?

 

2.      How many letters could the student identify?

 

3.      Did the student connect the symbol with the letters in the title?

 

4.      In the participation section at the end of the group activity, did this student share?  How?

 

 

Tier II: 

 

1.      How many shapes could the student identify?

 

2.      How many of the shapes could the student connect with the symbol on the box?  What connection did the student make (e.g., a large square box serves functionally to hold the shape of a pizza)?

 

3.      Could the student determine the name of the product based on the box and symbol?  How many of these could be determined?

 

4.      Did the student participate in the sharing session at the end of the group activity?  How?

 

 

Tier III:

 

1.      Does the student differentiate among the different types of granola bars?  How does the student accomplish the differentiation?

 

2.      How many different labels can the student read?

 

3.      Does the student differentiate among types and symbols of the different products?  How?

 

4.      How did the student participate in the sharing session?

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KLR-FAD