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Topic: The Fourth of July
Grade: Kindergarten
Objective:
The student will be able to explain why we celebrate The
Fourth of July with 100% accuracy and draw at least 2 activities or symbols associated with The Fourth of July.
TEKS: Kindergarten
113.2 Social Studies, Kindergarten; (b) Knowledge and skills; (1)(B) identify customs associated with national patriotic holidays such as parades and fireworks on
Independence Day.

• crayons
• paper
• book
Kimmelman
• American Flag by Leslie
1. The teacher tells the students that they are going to make a list on the board together listing all of the things that they know about
The Fourth of July. Then she lets the children name as many things as they can and lists them on the board.
2. The teacher gathers the children on the rug to read Happy 4th of
July, Jenny Sweeney by Leslie Kimmelman.

3. After the story, the teacher asks the class to look at the list they made on the board. She asks “Did we see all of these things in the book?” And, “Let’s name more things that we learned about the
Fourth of July from reading the book.”
4. The teacher returns to the board to expand the list. While the children are listing things they know about the Fourth of July, the teacher uses the following questions as needed to guide the children.
• Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July?
• Who celebrates the Fourth of July?
• What does the American Flag look like? What color? What is on it?
• What is the American bird?
• What kinds of things do we do to celebrate the Fourth of July?

5) The list should include:
• American flag with red and white stripes and stars on a blue square.
• Independence Day/America’s birthday
• All Americans celebrate The Fourth of July.
• Bald Eagle
• Picnics
• Parades
• Fireworks
• **The list can include other things that the students associate with the holiday such as cup cakes or family gatherings.

Summary and Assessment:
•The teacher asks the class to tell her why we celebrate The
Fourth of July. After a few students answer or are called on she asked them to all say “Happy Birthday America” together. Then the teacher asks “What is another name for the Fourth of July?”
Once one or a few children answer, “Independence Day,” the teacher asks them to say “Independence Day” together.
•The teacher passes out the paper and crayons.
•The teacher asks the children to draw and label (optional) as many things that they can think of that they know about The
Fourth of July.
•Each student should have at least two pictures with or without words from the list they made on the board on their paper such as a flag, fireworks or an eagle.

Topic: Learning how to cut with scissors
Grade: Kindergarten
Objective: Using scissors and line worksheet the student will cut on the lines within ¼ of an inch of the line. The student will have their fingers in the correct holes, thumb on top, and scissors perpendicular to paper.
TEKS: Kindergarten
112.2 Science, (b) Knowledge and skills; (1)(B) learn how to use and conserve resources and materials
117.2 Art (b) Knowledge and skills; (2)(C) develop manipulative skills when … constructing artworks using a variety of materials

• One pair of scissors per child
• Pre-made line sheet with straight, zigzag, and curvy lines printed on the paper for practice.
• Stickers for thumb hole of scissors.
• Book: Don’t Eat the Teacher by Nick Ward
• Tape to make straight, zigzag, and curvy lines on the floor
• Box for cutting supplies
• Paper with Texas flag for evaluation.
• Crayons to color the Texas flag and write name.
: Talk about safety and proper use of scissors.

• Put tape down on floor in different types of lines (straight, zigzag, and curvy) prior to lesson.
• Put stickers on top of all scissors next to the thumb hole so that when in correct use, the stickers will be facing up.
• Using the various tape lines on the floor, have the children walk while following the lines with their feet.
• While following the floor lines, have the children practice cutting motion with their hands by: opening arms, taking a step forward, and closing arms.
• Once they have practiced this, have them use their dominant hand with thumbs facing up to practice open, move, cut with their hands while walking along the floor lines.

2) Setting the Purpose of the Objective:
• Teacher comments on how difficult it was to stay on the line while making the arm and hand cutting motions.
• The teacher reminds class that doing many things at once (open, move, cut, and stay on the line) is difficult and that they are doing well.
• In today’s lesson the students will learn to hold scissors correctly and cut neatly.

3) Input and Modeling:
The teacher orally describes and models the steps of the task to the students.
The task steps are as follows:
1. Scissors should always point away from you.
2. Your thumb (on the hand that you write with) should be in the round hole and should be on top. Make sure your sticker is facing up!
3. Two or three of your fingers on your writing hand should be in the oblong hole and should be on the bottom.
4. With the other hand, hold the paper flat above the table.
5. Open scissors and move the scissors to take a “bite” out of the paper. Make sure you are going to cut on the line.
6. Then you repeat the open, move, cut pattern to move across the paper. Make sure you are moving the scissors across the paper, not the paper to the scissors.

4) Check for Understanding:
As the teacher does input and modeling, she asks questions such as:
1. What finger is on top?
2. Which direction should the sticker face?
3. How many fingers are in the long hole?
4. Which way do the scissors point?
5. How do the scissors move across the page?
6. Does the paper move to the scissors or the scissors to the paper?

5) Guided Initial Practice:
• Divide the children into centers of 3 or 4.
• As the students come to the cutting center, the teacher tells the students to use the scissors to cut the straight, zigzag, and curvy lines on the paper.
• The teacher is there to guide and go over the cutting steps once again as needed while the students cut the different lines.
6) Independent Practice:
• One center will have a cutting box for students to use.
• Inside the box are scissors and paper with the Texas flag on it.
• Children color the flag and then cut out the different parts of the flag.
• Students glue the pieces together on another sheet of paper to make a Texas flag collage.
• Students will write their name on the collage and turn it in to the designated area for evaluation.

7) Closure
•The teacher asks the class what they liked about cutting.
•Was it difficult? What made it difficult?
•Why is it important to cut neatly?
•Discuss with the class the importance of cutting neatly.
8) Assessment
•Children will be graded on completion of activity, noting which students may need extra individual practice in centers.

CanTeach. Evaporation Painting. Downloaded from http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/physical2.html
Hollenback, K. (1997). Exploring our world: Neighborhoods and communities.
New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Kimmelman, L. (2003). Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney. Morton
Grove, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.
Relf, P. (1996). The magic school bus wet all over: A book about the water cycle.
New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Richardson ISD. School locator Map . Downloaded from http://www.richardson.k12.tx.us/Global/Maps/LocatorMap.pdf
U.S. Government ( 1999). Your Neighborhood. Downloaded from http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/neighborhood/index.html.
Ward, N. (1998).
Don’t eat the teacher.
London, United Kingdom:
Scholastic UK.