Snow Creations

Designed by: Christine LeBlanc, A.C. Moore Elementary

GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten                   SUBJECT(S): Math

CORE CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE(S):

Explore how money is used in daily situations. (KME3-1)

Identify and name coins (penny, nickle, dime, quarter) and dollar bill. (KME3-2)

Explore the value of different coins (pennies) and dollar bill. (KME3-3)

OVERVIEW:

Students will read the book, Snowballs by Lois Elhert and will brainstorm ideas of snow creatures they might create and materials they could use. Students will organize a class store and assign prices for these materials. They will then plan and buy the items they need using coins equal to 25 cents and use the items to create their own original snow creature. Finally, students will photograph their creation with a digital camera and will record the experience in their math journal.

FOCUS/ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S):

What do we use money for?

What is the name of this piece of money?

How much is this piece of money worth?

TIME FRAME: Two forty five minute class periods.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:

Paper 
Crayons/pencils 
Scissors 
Glue/tape 
Coins(pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters) 
Cash register 
Digital Camera

Suggested materials for snow creatures: buttons, ribbons, yarn, bottle tops, fabrix scraps, wallpaper samples, twigs, seeds, nuts, screws, nails, glitter, pebbles, beads, confetti, noodles, feathers, raisins, popcorn, etc.

Books: 
Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert 
Nuts to You, Lois Ehlert 
Hands, Lois Ehlert 
Ben's Snow Song: A Winter Picnic, by Hazel J. Hutchins 
The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader 
The Biggest, Best Snowman, by Margery Cuyler
Clifford's First Snow Day (Clifford), by Norman Bridwell 
Emmett's Snowball, by Ned Miller

Internet Connections:

http://www.kidsdomain.com/games/winter.html http://www.scoutinglinks.com/GSRC/crfts400.htm http://www.kinderart.com/color/snowman.htm http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7997/wintercrafts.htm

CULMINATING ASSESSMENT:

Teacher observation/student's finished snow product and math journal record.

Snow Creation Rubric

+Student was able to identify and label coins with 100% accuracy / Student was able to identify and label coins with 75% accuracy . Student was unable to identify and label coins

+ Student was able to use appropriate values of money to buy materials with 100% accuracy / Student was able to use appropriate values of money to buy materials with 75% accuracy . Student was unable to use appropriate values of money to buy materials

INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Activity 1: Ask the children to share their experiences with snow and making snowmen. Introduce the book Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert. The book describes various things made with snow, besides a conventional snowman, using a variety of materials. Direct the children to think about what they would want to create as you read the story. Generate lists of characters to make (snow boy, rabbit, dog, monster, etc) and materials that can be collected. Send a letter home explaining the activity to parents and asking them to help the children find suitable materials to contribute to the class store for this activity.

Activity 2: The following day, instruct children to sort the materials according to how much each will cost. (Hint: Prelabel bins with money amounts ie.1 cent, 2 cents, 3 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, etc.) This is an opportunity for the children to discover what supply and demand is as they decide on what to charge for each item.

Children will count out 25 cents and take turns visiting the store to buy the items they require. Paper, circle templates, crayons, pencils, scissors and glue may be obtained for free. Facilitating questions may include:

How much money have you spent? How much money do you have left? What would happen if you put your change together with a friend? Could you buy something else? Who spent all of their money? Who has money left? What should we do differently next time?

Students will then use the materials to create their own snow creature. Encourage the students to work together and explore what choices they have when they combine their money with a partner.

When they are finished they will use the digital camera to take a picture of their creation. The pictures will be printed and the children will record their money transactions and describe their creation. Snow creatures will be displayed in classroom to be used in future lessons involving sorting and graphing data. Ask the children to explore ways to sort the various creatures (big/small, happy/sad/mad, male/female, two legs/four legs, etc.)Materials from the lesson will remain in class store to be used in future activities.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Replicate pictures using a scanner. Use scanned pictures to create patterns or a memory game.