Laura Bjerkness
Laura Shelander
Megan Kirchenwitz
Laura Schrupp
2 Week Unit on the Circus
Monday
- introduction to the unit- teach kids song
- send out parent letter
Lets go to the Circus
(Sung To: "Mary Had a Little Lamb")
-
Let's all go to the circus
The circus today, the circus today
Let's all go to the circus, today
And watch a big parade
See the clowns all tumbling around, tumbling around, tumbling around
See the clowns all tumbling around
In the circus ring.
Lions and tigers jumping through hoops
Jumping through hoops, jumping through hoops
Lions and tigers jumping through hoops
In their circus cage
The prancing horses step so high, Step so high, step so high.
The prancing horses step so high
In the circus ring
C
I
R
C
U
S
-
discussion on what is the circus, what their ideas of the circus are
-
word activity- circus poem
Tuesday
-
circus journaling: kids write about what they think the circus is, what they would
want to see at the circus
Lesson 1: Circus Acts (see lesson plan for details)
Vocabulary- circus discussion of words you would use/find at the circus- make
class list
Wednesday
-
PE Circus Lesson (see lesson plan for details)
If I were a Clown- descriptive writing
If I were a clown I would look like………..
Kids will also draw a picture of what they would look like
-
Fine Arts/Drama Lesson Plan (see lesson plan for details)
this would be used throughout the unit to display in the classroom, especially for
our end of the unit circus party/performance
Thursday
-
Social Studies Circus Lesson (see lesson plan for details)
Art activity- My Math Counting Book (kids can color)
Read book- Dr. Seuss, If I Ran the Circus
Friday
- Under the big top – movement activity/song
Under the Big Top, what will I see?
Look there's an elephant smiling at me.
Behind the elephant, what will I see?
Look there's a bear dancing for me.
Behind the bear, what will I see?
Look a wild lion is roaring at me.
Behind the lion, what will I see?
A little seal doing tricks for me.
-
Science Lesson/Activity (see lesson plan for details)
Art activity- paint by numbers
Week 2
Monday
Service Learning- visit to hospital (take up most of the morning)
Read Book- You See a Circus, I See
Tuesday
Math Activity/lesson- (see lesson plan for details)
Reading Comprehension- read circus story The Circus Surprise to class and have them
journal about the story and discuss with class about the story
Wednesday
Science Activity/lesson- (see lesson plan for details)
Time to work on class Circus Mural- provide art materials, construction paper,
streamers, etc for students to use
Thursday
Read book- Emeline at the Circus
Take Me Out To the Circus- song to learn for party on Friday
Take me out to the circus
Take me to the big top
I want to see the clowns tumbling
As I eat popcorn and drink soda pop
Oh, the lions and tigers may scare me
And the high wire acts amaze me
So . . .You! . . .see . . .all the great things we will do
On our circus day
Friday
Class circus party and performance
Specific Skills taught:
Phonemic awareness/phonics- found in math and science lesson. Students will match up
numbers with letters to decode the pair. Students will match up colors with the word to
make appropriate pair. When teaching this lesson teacher can go through each word, the
letters and sounds they make and visually match them with the appropriate color or
number.
Comprehension- students will read books together in class and through discussion,
journaling and writing the kids will work on reading comprehension.
Unit Goals for Thematic Unit
Team: Acrobats- Megan, Laura Shelander, Laura Bjerkness, Laura Schrupp
August 27, 2007
1. children will learn and identify the different people and jobs that are involved in a
circus
2.
children will learn and be exposed to different foods that you eat at a circus
a. cotton candy
b. popcorn
c. hot dogs
d. peanuts
e. soda
3. children will learn different animals that are involved in a circus
a. tigers
b. lions
c. elephants
d. camels
4.
children will learn and be exposed to different events that take place at the circus
a. lion tamer
b. acrobats
c. clown show
d. magician
e. fire man (man that plays with fire)
f. tight rope walkers
g. elephant tricks/show
h. cannon man
i. cyclists
j. juggling
k. face painting
l. balloons/balloon animals
5. children will be involved in one or more parts of the circus
Dear 1st Grade parents, family and friends:
I am excited to announce that for the next two
weeks we will be studying a circus theme unit. We will
be reading many books about the circus and doing fun
activities. We will be learning about circuses around the
world, the acts that go on in a circus, and the food that
is involved. During the next two weeks we will also be
doing many arts and crafts and singing songs.
The children will be able to participate in their own
circus on November 1st, 2007 at 10:30 am. In class we
will be practicing our roles and have the opportunity to
perform on this day. Our class is inviting all parents to
attend the performance. The performance will be
about 30 minutes and snacks will be provided
afterwards.
If you would like to volunteer on the performance
day or preparation work please contact me at
mlll@csp.edu or 651-222-7777. We are looking forward
to studying the circus and hope to see you on the
performance day!
Sincerely,
___________________________________
Service Learning Project
Circus at the Hospital
We will use what the children have learned from this unit and bring it to the area
children’s hospital and share our new found knowledge with the children. Our students
will dress up in costume, create care packages to bring for the children, as well as put on
a performance. There will be music, games, and food all for the kids to bring a circus
environment into the hospital. There will be an author’s chair to share stories with the
children about the circus. In our performance students will take on different roles of
those in the circus.
Anti-bias/multicultural elements woven throughout
Circuses around the world-we will focus on two places across the world that also bring
circuses as a form of entertainment to their people. (Circus d’Hiver, Paris, Moscow
Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow. This will teach the children that children
around the world also know this form of fun.
Pre and Post Tests and Ongoing Assessment
-
KWL chart- class will create a list of what they already know about the circus and
what they don’t know and want to learn. In the end, they will be able to list new
things about the circus that they learned.
-
journaling
-
small group work
-
observation of completion and participation in activities
-
use webbing- in this case it would be an “acrobat’s net” the assess what the
students have learned after reading a book or after an activity
-
specific assessments according to individual lesson plans that were included in the
unit
Accommodations for disabled and ESL learners
-
grand conversations
read alouds, discussing story with children afterwards
word walls, integrate the child’s home language with English; use pictures
partner reading particularly with a strong English reader and writer
flash cards with words and pictures for the child to make connections
introduce vocabulary words, emphasize connections with words and topics
Different Learning Style Strategies
-
reading logs
for struggling readers let them pick the book they want to read; something that
interests them and gets them excited to read
authors chair
use visuals to make connections
include movement in different activities; literacy centers
allow for longer think time
buddy system, partner work with those who have disabilities
find out level using things like running records; choose appropriate materials
based on their levels
differentiated instruction; one on one learning with the individual
Website Reviews
Site name/
Title
Ideas For a
Circus
Unit/
Theme in
your
classroom
Site address
Summary
http://www.teachingheart.net/circustheme. The website covers the circus unit very well.
html
There are a ton of links to others sites and
ideas and suggestions for educators to use.
The circus unit from this website includes
ideas for cross curriculum ideas in subjects
like math, music, art.
Ecole
http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/wes/web
Whitehouse quests_themes/circus/teacher.html
Elementary
- Circus
A to Z
Teacher
StuffCircus
Everything
Pre-schoolPre-school
circus
theme
The
Activity
Idea Place
The circus theme was what this website was
all about. Lots of ideas for games and
activities. I would have liked to have seen
more ideas for things to do in more subject
areas like social studies, math, or science.
Like the last website I reviewed I would have
also liked to have seen more about diversity
and culture incorporated into the theme. I did
not see any suggestions for literature pieces
which would have also been a nice touch.
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Circus This site is going to be very helpful to us for
/
our planning and searching of different
activities to do surrounded with the circus
theme. They give you ideas for circus
themed lessons in all subject areas.
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/the
mes/circus/index.htm
I think it covers the topic in a nice way.
With the help of this website and other
websites a thematic unit on the circus is
definitely doable. It gives you helpful ideas
and lessons, without giving you an entire unit
planned out to the T. It allows for you to
make your own lessons and ideas, while
giving you great tips and ideas to go along
with others.
http://www.123child.com/animals/circus.h This site is very thorough on the topic of the
tml
circus because it goes across all subject.
areas. It covers the areas of arts and crafts,
games math and science, group times and
songs, and snacks. There are a number of
ideas under every subject areas that could be
adjusted to accommodate different grade
levels.
Circus
The
Activity
Idea Place
Lesson
Plans for
Teachersthe Circus
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/presc
hool_themes/circus/circus.html>
Again this site focuses on different areas that
would complete a thematic unit for the
circus. They included: circus songs, circus
games, circus snacks, circus books, circus
art, and circus science. Each of these areas
has a multitude of ideas that can be used with
your students for this unit of study.
http://www.123child.com/animals/circus.h Yes, it just gives activities that are still done
tml
today at the circus. Covers the topic
completely. This website is just giving ideas
in which you can do with your students in the
classroom.
http://www.courierThis website is just a lesson plan about the
journal.com/education/lessonplans/97072 circus units.
8circus.html
Book Bibliography
Downs, M. (2005). You See a Circus. I See… Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Duncan, L. (1993). The Circus Comes Home. New York: Bantom Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
Inc.
Fletcher, R. (2001). The Circus Surprise. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Granfield, L. (1998). Circus, An Album. New York: DK Publishing Inc.
Johnson, N. (1995). Big-Top Circus. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Schlein, M. (2002). Hello, Hello! New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Webb, S. (2003). Tanka Tanka Skunk! New York: Scholastic.
Falconer, I. (2001) Olivia Saves the Circus. New York: Antheneum/Anne Schwartz Books.
Seuss, Dr. (1956) If I Ran the Circus. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.
Priceman, M. (2001) Emeline at the Circus. New York: Dragonfly Books.
College of Education
Teacher Education
Name Laura Bjerkness
Date October 22nd, 2007
Location lesson was/will be taught: Concordia University
Classroom teacher supervising lesson: Michael Pickel
Learning Area(s): Language Arts Grade Level(s): 1st grade
Lesson Title: Circus Act Est. Lesson Length: 40 minutes
I. Objectives/Learner Outcomes.
-
Student will be able to list acts of a circus
Students will be able to perform acts of a circus through role-playing
II. Assessment Plan.
The teacher will observe each students effort and creativity with their circus
poster. Also, the teacher will observe the partner circus acts and each student’s
participation.
III. Materials and Resources Needed to Teach the Lesson/Activity.
-
Book: Olivia Saves the Circus
Paper for each student- poster size
Writing utensils for each student
Circus props for the role plays (bean bags, masks, circus food)
IV. Accommodations
ESL learners may draw or write their circus acts on their poster during the written
portion of the lesson.
V. TEACHING or INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Reflection
Read the book: Olivia Saves the Circus
Have the children brainstorm different types of circus acts
Have the students choose chose one circus act and have them write a
description or draw a picture of it being performed on a poster.
In partners have the students present their act orally in front of the class.
*CIRCUS
ANIMALS AROUND THE WORLD*
(Social Studies)
UNIT: Circus Animals
TEACHER: Laura Shelander
CONCEPT: Social Studies/ Mapping
OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to learn, and tell the class about where the breed of
the dog they chose, originated from.
MATERIALS: Library access, research materials, books, computers, informational cd’s,
pamphlets, paper pictures of the different type of animals in the circus, tape, a large
map of the world, books about animals (library, or your own).
ACCOMODATIONS: Peer group assistance, partner work, one-on-one teacher
assistance, separate, appropriate activities for special needs.
ASSESSMENT: The end presentations will be their assessment. My students will talk
about their animal to the class and show the class where their animal comes from on
the map of the world.
ACTIVITIES: Leading Question: Can we make a list of the different types of animals
that are in the circus?
1) First we’ll talk about all of the different types of animals that are in the circus,
and make a list of them, and talk about them.
2) We then will talk about how there can be several different types of animals in
the circus, but they can all live in different areas. I will have a list of the
different animals the students can choose from so that the animals will be from
all over instead of in the same region, then we’ll have to look at a book that we
received from the library about animals to find more if needed.
3) I will then tell the students what the project is that we are going to do. What we
are going to do, have each student choose one animal in the circus, and find a
book about that animal, to see where it originated from and all of the
characteristics associated with animal.
4) The students will put a mini poster together with a little information on their
animal, and share that information with the class. Give the students a week of
our social studies time to go to the library and research their particular breeds.
5) Finally, we will put up a large poster of the World, and after each student shows
the class their picture of their animal and any information they may have found
on their animal, we will then have the students place a mini picture of their
animal on the world to show where their animal is from.
Name: Laura Schrupp
Date: October 21, 2007
Learning Areas: Science and Literacy
Grade Level: K-1
Lesson Title: Balloon Match
Estimated Lesson Length: 20-30 minutes
Objectives/Learner Outcomes:
-
the student will be able to categorize the balloons according to their colors
the student will be able to match the appropriate colored balloon to the
appropriate color label
Assessment: I will assess whether the student has met the objectives by giving them a
variety of colored balloons and asking them to group them together by their color. I will
have a chart that will have a column for each color with the word of the color at the top
and the students will have to put the colored balloons in the appropriate column.
Materials and Resources:
- balloon cut outs (make your own or use a print of some sort if available); have
enough cut outs for each student- at least 2 balloons for each color category
- markers, paints, crayons, etc to color in each balloon a different color; red,
orange, blue, green, yellow
- color chart for categorizing (large one for class, small ones for each student)
- scissors (each student)
- glue (each student)
Accommodations: have kids work in pairs, especially if you have children who are ESL
learners or have ADD or ADHD. A friend to work with can help keep them on task.
Teaching Instructions/Procedures:
This lesson can be geared more for a science center activity rather than a teacher taught
lesson.
To begin you would want to have the chart for each child and one larger chart for
the whole class to use. The chart should be broken up into a column type chart with the
colors spelled out at the top or each column. You want to have a number of different
color balloons in green, blue, yellow, red and orange. You can expand on colors, but
keeping it to five I think will prevent from overload and confusion. As a class you can
show them the pictures of the different colored balloons. While you do this you want to
also show them the spelled out word for that color and match them together. After you
get through showing each colored balloon with the word spelled out begin to randomly
show different colored balloons and asked the kids to tell you which column to categorize
it in.
After this, you can have balloon cutouts for each student to cut out and color
themselves. Have a chart made for each student ahead of time which they can use for
categorizing.
Other Options: have this activity set up in the science center so kids can do it freely as
they wish.
Evidence of learning: students will be able to successfully categorize the balloons to the
appropriate label.
Closure: kids can take it home to work on
Reflection:
Name: Laura Schrupp
Date: October 21, 2007
Learning Areas: Math and Literacy
Grade Level: K-1
Lesson Title: All Aboard
Estimated Lesson Length: 20-30 minutes
Objectives/Learner Outcomes:
-
student will be able to match numerals 1-10 to sets
student will be able to order numbers according to the proper sequence
student will be able to match the number of animals in the train car to the
appropriate spelled out word
Assessment: I will assess whether the student has met the objectives by observing them
putting the appropriate number card on the train car with the corresponding number of
animals. I will also assess their learning through their ability to match the number of
animals in the train car to the spelled out word on the corresponding number card.
Materials and Resources:
- scissors
- train cars
- number cards
- pencil
- crayons, markers, etc for coloring the train and animals if desired
Accommodations: have kids work in pairs, especially if you have children who are ESL
learners or have ADD or ADHD. A friend to work with can help keep them on task.
Teaching Instructions/Procedures:
This lesson can be geared for a math center activity if so desired rather than a teacher
taught lesson.
Before the lesson begins, the train and number cards should be cut out, colored
and ready to use. Write the appropriate number on the back of each card for students to
self check their work. To begin, go through each one of the numbers 1-10 and show each
student the spelled out word for each number. The spelled out word should be written on
the number card. After this, go through the following procedures as a class:
- choose a train car
- count the number of animals in the train car
-
place the correct number card in the square on the train car
repeat this process until all train cars have been accounted for
when all the numbers have been placed on train cars, place train cars in order
from 1-10.
Check your work. Kids can look at the number on the back of each train car to see
if it matches the number card.
Work on this together as a whole class and then allow kids to work on it individually or
with a partner, setting it up as a math center activity.
Evidence of learning: students will be able to successfully match the number card to the
appropriate train car holding that number of animals.
Reflection
Name: Megan Kirchenwitz
Date: October 22, 2007
Learning Areas: Movement Education
Grade Level: K-1
Lesson Title: Circus Training
Lesson Length: Varied
Objectives:
-
Students will be able to make connections with different stations in accoridance to
the circus
Students will be able to use the task cards at each station and draw from pictures
and words as to what to do with the given movement activity
Assessment:
Teacher will use the task cards as assessment tools as well as monitoring students and
observing them completing the movement actvity with the task that is shown or written
on the card.
Materials:
Hoola hoops
Tennis balls
Plastic bowling pins
bean bags
Note cards
Large space to work with
Picture cards
Masking tape
Accommodations:
If students have difficulty with movement activities there will be many other ways that
they can participate whether this be them being designated to pose or describe the task
card to group or getting involved through telling or drawing what other students are
doing.
Procedures:
Students will be moving from station to station completing the given movement activity
along with the task that is on the card whether that be making an animal noise from the
circus etc. The following items will be presented at different stations around the room so
students can complete their circus training: Bean bag toss, tennis balls, bowling pins,
jump ropes, balance beam, hoola hoops
Evidence of Learning: Students will be participating in the activity and completing the
tasks on the cards.
Closure: Review with students what they went through in circus training and make
connection to our unit as well as the literacy aspects we have connected into this lesson
plan.
Name: Megan Kirchenwitz
Date: October 22, 2007
Learning Areas: Fine Arts
Grade Level: K-1
Lesson Title: Circus Mural
Lesson Length: Varied
Objectives:
-
Students will be able to identify different parts of the circus to include in
classroom art piece
The overall presentation of the mural and the dramatic play area will reflect the
compnents that should be included the circus.
Assessment:
Through observation and student participation I will be able to see that students have
gained what I wanted them to gain through the different areas we have covered on the
circus
Materials:
Canvas or roll paper
Paint
Markers
Crayons
Pencils
Visual Aids for students to look at
Collected items that can make the dramatic play area unique to a circus
Paint brushes
Stencils
Stuff for mask making
Accommodations:
There will be many different areas that will be worked on through the mural and dramatic
play areas so it will not be difficult for different types of learners to adjust. If need be
accomodations and modifications can also be made.
Procedures:
In accordance with the circus unit we are working on we will be helping make dramatic
play areas into the circus along with a class mural. Students will be in costume for this so
they can get the full experience.
Draw a Circus Mural. Using a large piece of white art paper, create an artwork circus by
drawing and coloring the tents, rings, acts, animals, ringmaster, band and more. You
might want to make a rough sketch to plan out your design before you start the final
version.
Create an act: Encourage students to review the list of acts they brainstormed earlier, and
then come up with an idea for a new type of circus act. They can describe their new act
orally, write a description of it or draw a picture of it being performed.