Lesson 1: Falling Into Shapes

Lesson 1: An Introduction to Shapes: Falling into Shapes
This is the first lesson in a series about shapes. Each lesson will build off the previous lesson and focus on the same integrated objectives to reinforce skill development.

Objectives:
Language Arts- Listen to poems, rhymes, & songs.
Social Studies- Make decisions/choices about what they want.
Science- Use attributes (color and size) to identify/describe objects.
Math- Recognize simple shapes; triangle, circle, square, and hearts.

Materials:
Leaves (enough red, yellow, brown, orange, and green leaves so each student has one of each color)
Large clip art pictures or Ellison press cut outs of circle, square, rectangle, triangle, and leaf.
A bunch of Craft store leaves
Construction paper
Butcher paper
Chart paper with song “Leaves, Leaves”
Finger paint (red, yellow, orange, green, & brown)
Glue
Puffy paint/sand (for students with visual impairments)
Paint brushes
Parachute or Large sheet
Foam shapes ( for students with visual impairments)
Picture of a tree in the fall with different colored leaves
Fan
Large leaf cut outs
Brown bags

The following procedures can be done in one day or broken down over several days depending on the students.

Procedures:
First, have students seated or standing in a circle. Sign the word leaf http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm to the group and explain that they will be learning about leaves today. Sing the song “Leaves, Leaves” by Susan A. Miller Sung to: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
Put a parachute in the middle of the circle and have each student hold on to the parachute. Practice pulling the parachute up and down. Then put leaves in the middle (either real or craft store leaves) of the parachute and sing the song “Leaves, Leaves” again as the students pull the parachute up and down. Repeat as necessary.

Then, have students sit in a circle with access to a table top.
Tell the students they will be learning about shapes and colors this week.
Hold up individual pictures of the following shapes while naming each one: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and last leaf. For students with visual impairments let them feel each foam shape as the teacher holds up the picture.
Tell them leaves are a natural shape found outside.
Ask if anyone knows where leaves come from.
Show them a picture of a tree. Leaves come from trees. In the fall, the leaves change color and when the wind blows they fall to the ground. Turn on the fan and simulate this by dropping leaves in front of the fan.
Next, put a piece of construction paper with five different leaves of each color glued on them in front of each student.
While using a model and pointing, tell them to touch red leaf, touch green leaf, touch yellow leaf, touch brown leaf, and touch orange leaf. Assist them in touching each color leaf as needed verbally repeating the color and leaf as they touch. For students with visual impairments, trace leaves on their construction paper with puffy paint and help them to feel them with their hands and put the real leaves in the outline. Sign the word leaf with their hands. http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm

Then, tell students they will be going on a leaf hunt (this can be outside or inside). If you choose to hunt for leaves inside, you will need to scatter leaves throughout the school building and get permission prior to doing so. Have each student choose which color leaf they would like to look for. You can help them decide by referring to their construction paper and letting them touch the color they would like to look for. Assist the students in finding and gathering leaves. They can collect them in brown bags. The leaves they gather can be added to the collection of leaves used for the parachute activity.

Lastly, have the students paint white butcher paper using red, yellow, orange, brown, or green either with paint brushes or by finger painting depending on their abilities. (Sand can be added to the fingerpaint for students with visual impairments to add texture). This can be done on an individual basis as the students are doing something else or a group activity. Talk about the colors they are using as they paint and ask students which color they would like to use next.

Exploration: Finger painting on white paper with no boundaries.
Imitation: Either finger painting or painting with a paintbrush with an adult modeling the movements within a leaf drawing or without.
Application: Painting with a paintbrush within a leaf drawing.

Once the paint has dried, trace leaf cut outs on the butcher paper and cut out the painted leaves. You can use the leaves for a class bulletin board with a fall tree theme or for turkey tail feathers.

Song: “Leaves, Leaves” by: Susan A. Miller
Sung to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Leaves, leaves falling down, (wiggle fingers downward)
Falling on the ground.
Red and yellow,
Orange and brown,
Leaves are falling down.