Kyra Weiss
CPC room 101
Unit 3: winter
Overview and High Level Vision:
In this unit we will focus on the changes around us in the
winter! We will spend a lot of time doing science experiments
and talking about the physical changes of H20. We will also
focus on the social studies aspects of winter – i.e. where it
snows, who lives in snow, what animals live in snow and
what we can do or build with snow. This will most likely
transition into our construction unit.
Students will come away from this unit being able to describe
the changes in snow, the properties of water, what lives in
snow, where it snows. Students will use observation skills
and scientific tools/technology.
Investigations:
Week 1: 1/6 – 1/10
The Snowy Day
- What happens when we bring snow inside?
- What does snow feel like?
- What is the temperature of snow?
- What happens when snow gets too warm?
- What happens when water gets too cold?
Week 2: 1/13 – 1/17
The mitten
Enduring Understandings:
 I can tell people what I think and feel by using my
words.
 Other children will not want to play with me if I hit, kick,
or push them.
 I love my self I love my friends I love my brain
 I follow directions to learn so my brain will grow big
 We use our big hearts to love our friends
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Rules:
We use walking feet so we don’t fall
We use gentle hands and feet so we get hurt
We use inside voices so we don’t disturb others
We clean up so that we can play again tomorrow
We use kind words to keep our friends happy
Prioritized Objectives:
Social-emotional
- 1a. manages feelings
- 3b. solves social problems
physical development:
- 6. Gross motor manipulative skills
Cognitive
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11e. shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking
21a. recognizes and recalls
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What do we wear in the snow?
Where does it snow?
When does it snow?
When is it cold?
How many items can we fit in a mitten?
Week 3: 1/21 – 1/24
Tacky the Penguin
- What types of animals live in the snow?
- Where do these animals live?
- Where are the coldest places on earth?
- How can these animals live in the cold?
Week 4: 1/27 – 1/31
The missing mitten mystery
- What do other animals do in the snow?
Week 5: 2/3 – 2/7
The biggest snowman ever
- what can we build with snow?
- How can we build it?
- It is easier to build with liquid or solid?
Literacy
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8b. follows directions
9d. tells about another time and place ** (67)
Math
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20b. quantifies
21a. understands spatial relationships**
22. Compares and measures
Science
27: earth’s environment
28: tools and other technology
social studies
31: change related to familiar people or places
32: geographic knowledge
Art
34: musical concepts and expression
36: drama through action and language
Week 6: flexible
Co-teacher Vision: Work efficiently on checklists with
assistant-teacher. Require checklists at the end of every
week with specific evidence
Family Vision:
 writing in notebooks
 frequent positive feedback
 survey – do they want homework?
 Organize another literacy school wide event
Prioritized Unit Vocabulary
Books:
“wow words”
week 1: snow day and properties of snow
- temperature
- melt
- solid
- liquid
- freeze
Week 2: The mitten and cold temperatures
- discover
- investigate
- comfortable
Week 3: Tacky the penguin
- unique
- companion
- politely
Week 4: The missing mitten mystery
- persistent
- imagine
- realize
- important
Week 5: The biggest snowman ever
- teamwork
- collaborate
- enormous
- advice
Week 1:
3 read: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack
Keats
MAIN IDEA: Sometimes good things come to
an end; When we’re having so much fun and
enjoying something, we want it to last forever.
We are sad when it comes to an end.
Week 2:
3 read: The mitten by Jan Brett
MAIN IDEA: When Nicki loses his
white mitten in the snow, it becomes a
warm shelter to a series of forest
animals.
Week 3:
3 read: Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Sometimes people are different from us. They
are unique. Everyone has a place in the world.
We should accept everyone for who they are
Week 4:
3 read: The Missing Mitten Mystery
MAIN IDEA: Sometimes we lose or misplace
things that are important to us. If we retrace
our steps we can find things we thought were
lost.
Week 5:
3 read: the biggest snowman ever
Activities
Math or Literacy
- winter roll and write http://prekinders.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01/Winter-Roll-Write-Game.pdf
- winter story problem
http://prekinders.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/12/pocket-chart1.pdf
Literacy
- shaving cream writing
- acting out the mitten
http://www.janbrett.com/mitten_masks_main.htm
- the mitten beginning sounds
- early readers:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/books/holiday/winter/isee/
- snowy day graffiti mural
- sketch 3 things that happened in the story, 1st 2nd and 3rd
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_KFkXp61byuV2k5VTNxMTdCYjQ
/edit
- easy reader “I am a snowman” (downloaded)
Math
-
roll and add parts to snowman
graphing mittens vs. gloves whole group
pattern with snowman and snowflake cutouts
http://www.prekinders.com/pdf/PatternStrips.pdf
snowman counting cups. Students have to place the correct amount
of snow balls (cotton) into each cup with snowmen
Winter Estimation Station: Materials Needed: Precut snowmen of
different sizes (not too large!); lots and lots of cotton balls or pompoms!. Have the children "guess" how many cotton balls or pompoms it will take to cover the snowman. Have them place the items,
one at a time, on the snowman while counting out loud.
MAIN IDEA: Desmond and Clayton
needed to work as a team to build the
snowmen. Their friendship and
teamwork was the reason they were
able to build the biggest snowman
ever! Working together can produce an
incredible result.
other read aloud books:
- Minerva and the winter hat
- -the first snowfall ever by Anne
Rockwell
- snowballs by lois ehlert
- the hat by Jan Brett
- the jacket I wear in the snow by
Shirley neitzel
- the first days of winter by denise
fleming
- There was an old lady who
swallowed some snow
- lady bug girl and the big snow by
david soman
- Snow / Cynthia Rylant
- When it starts to snow by phillis
gershator
- Snow on snow on snow / Cheryl
Chapman
- Animals in winter / by Susanne
Riha.
- Bear snores on / Karma Wilson
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numbers on mittens, have your
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EXTENSION: Record their estimates next to their names. Or have
them record their estimate! And then record the actual number!
Number Count: Write numbers on mittens, have your children hang
the mittens on a clothesline in numerical order, reverse numerical
order, by 2s, etc.
Art:
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white cotton ball painting – draw a snowy scene and have children
dip and paint with cotton balls for snow
mitten – cut out mitten shape (or have kids cut), whole punch sides
and tie yarn on one side, students can use l like lacing card and
decorate mitten
ice cue art. Two colors of powdered tempura paint on paper plate.
Use ice cube on a popsicle stick to swirl around and blend colors.
Cut out the mittens, lace or tape them together, cut out animals,
color and reenact
http://www.janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm
Snow paint Make Your Own SNOW PAINT: Mix 1 cup of flour with
1/2 cup of salt. Mix in 3/4 cup of water and paint away
Coffee Filter Snowflakes: Materials needed: round coffee filters;
scissors. - Have the children write their names as best they can on
the coffee filter. Show the children how to fold the filter in half and
then half again. Show them how to cut little snips out and then have
them practice fringing the bottoms. Write their names in pen on their
snowflake and hang from the ceilings to have a winter wonderland
in your classroom
Glitter Scene: materials: Glue, Glitter, Black Paper. Have your
children paint a winter scene on black paper using glue. Before the
glue dries sprinkle glitter all over it. This makes a lovely winter
scene.
Sleep balck bear sleep
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Polar animals / Norman Barrett.
science
- melting ice with salt: freeze a cup of ice with kids over night, next
day have them pull away Dixie cup, place ice in bowl, pour salt over
and watch melt. Can put food color over ice to help view
- ramps and pipes: use various materials for students to drop ice
cubes down
- Cryogenics - Cryogenics is the study of the effects of freezing
temperatures on different materials. In this activity, we place four
different substances (water, liquid soap, vanilla pudding, and honey)
into small cups, then freeze them. After they are frozen (the next
day), we take them out to observe and touch to see what effect
freezing had on the substances.
- Will it Melt?
Materials: a variety of objects on a tray, some that will and some
that will not melt.
Arrange a variety of objects on a tray (ones that you won’t mind
getting wet), some examples might be, a little car, a pencil,
popsicle, ice cube, a pinecone etc. Pass the tray around the circle
and ask the children to predict which items will melt and which will
not. Then, place the tray near a window and let it sit for a few hours.
At the end of the day take the tray out and look at it again and
discuss the predictions that were made earlier.
- Ice Cube Game
Materials: Ice cube, music (Frosty the Snowman would be ideal).
Have the students sit in a circle and explain the rules of the game:
when the music plays the students pass the ice cube around the
circle just like “Hot Potato”, when the music stops the person who is
left holding the ice cube is “out”. Before you begin, ask the children
to predict what will happen to the ice cube as it is passed around.
you may want to write down your predictions on a large piece of
white chart paper in the shape of a snowman or snowball to post on
the wall. This game is a huge hit, you may want to keep your ice
cube tray full because they will beg to play over and over again!
- Melting Chart Have your children predict what will make ice melt
the fastest (salt, cold water, hot water, salt water, nothing) Use each
method on similar size chunks of ice and graph the result
Gross motor
- ice skating: student can emulate ice skating by putting one paper
plate on each foot
- Snowman Bean-Bag Button Toss: Make a very large snowman
out of paper and tape it to the floor. Draw a face on your snowman.
Draw 3 buttons on the snowmans chest. Provide the children with a
bin of bean bags and have them toss the bean bags to try and
cover the buttons!
Whole group:
- Tell about another time and place: what they did this morning!
This is more of a chant than a song. Have the children act out
what you fill in the blank: It's snowing, it's snowing, I'm
_____________ this morning. Suggestions: I'm shoveling; I'm
putting my boots on; I'm shivering; I'm throwing snowballs; I'
building a snowman. Ask the children for ideas as well!
VARIATION: You could act it out and let them try to guess what
you are doing and then act it out with you
- How Cold Is It Today: Provide several thermometers for the
children to look at. Discuss how they measure how cold it is,
that the line goes up when it is warmer, etc Place one outside to
check the temperature. Record the temperature each day.
Provide extra thermometers and many cups of water at different
temperatures for them to experiment to see what each type of
water does to the thermometer.
- Clothesline Mitten Matching: Fill a bag full of matching mittens.
Have your children pull one mitten at a time out of the bag
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Sensory
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Colorful Snow: Fill spray bottles with water colored with food
coloring. Bring them outside and let the children spray the snow! If
you can't get outside try this: Bring in different sizes of bowls of
snow, spray them with the water bottles and then let them melt.
Once melted, freeze them overnight. The next day, put the different
colors and sizes of ice in a bin (or your water table) and let the
children sprinkle salt on them! They'll be amazed at what the salt
does to them!
Songs:
5 little snowmen
5 little snowmen made of snow.
5 little snowmen in a row.
Out came the sun and it shone all day.
And one little snowman melted away. (put one finger down).
Ask "How many left? Let's count! 1-2-3-4
4 little snowmen made of snow....
a chubby little snowman
A chubbly little snowman Had a carrot nose (point at nose) Along came a
rabbit (Make 2 fingers hop like a rabbit) And what do you suppose? (Put
arms out and shrug shoulders)
That hungry little rabbit (2 fingers hopping) Looking for his lunch (Put hand
above eyes as though searching for something) At that little snowman's
nose (pretend to grab your nose) Nibble, Nibble, CRUNCH!
Winter Time Poem
by Mary Ryer
Icy fingers, icy toes,
Bright red cheeks and bright red nose.
Watch the snowflakes as they fall,
Try so hard to count them all.
Build a snowman way up high,
See if he can touch the sky.
Snow forts, snowballs, angels, too,
In the snow, so white and new.
Slip and slide and skate so fast.
Wintertime is here at last.
snowball
I made myself a snowball
Just as perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me
I gave it some pajamas
And a pillow for its head.
Then, last night it ran away,
But first . . . .it wet the bed!
I'm a Little Snowman
(Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little snowman short and fat.
Here is my scarf and here is my hat.
When the snow is falling come and play.
Build a snowman every day.