Through CHD 146: Math, Science, and Social Studies for Children, I learned basic content, methods, and

materials to implement a math, science, and social studies curriculum for preschool aged children. By including this Mathematics Lesson Plan, I demonstrated that I understand how to generate a lesson plan for preschool aged children focused on the basic mathematical concepts of classifying and sorting objects based on various characteristics.

ARTIFACT CHD 146 Math Activity Susan Johnson Name: Chelsea Lee Concept Covered Targeted Age Group:
Preschool aged children (3-4 years old)

1. Classifying/Sorting based on color 2. Classifying/Sorting objects based on shape

Standards: Indicate-Milestones of Early Learning, VA Foundation Blocks, or VA Standards of Learning (SOLs)

According to The Virginia Foundation Blocks (Mathematics #6), preschool aged children should be able to classify, sort, and group items based on several characteristics, such as, color, shape, and size.

Learning Objective(s): (What do you want children to understand/be able to do after completing this lesson?)
After this lesson the students should be able to sort/classify items by color and shape.

Resources/Materials Needed: (What resources will the teachers and the children use?) You must include at least
one manipulative in this activity.

4 blue squares blocks 2 green triangle blocks 2 purple circle blocks 4 blue triangle blocks (or enough for each child involved in the activity) 4 blue circle blocks 2 yellow rectangle blocks Table that can accommodate the activity Chairs to accommodate the children during this activity

Strategies: (How will the teacher engage the children? What activities will the children complete? Indicate the teacher
questions/prompts, expected child action, and the closing portion. Indicate at which point the students are teacher-directed and at which point they are child-directed.)

Activity 1: The teacher will ask the children (small groups of 4) to gather around the table. There will be various shaped/colored blocks scattered on the table (see resources/materials needed). The teacher will hold up 1 blue square block and ask the students to find all the objects on the table with the same color. After each child has collected one object, the teacher will ask, What color does everyone have? The response at this time should be blue. Set all the blue items in a pile to the side of the table. Remove all the objects on the table that are not blue. (this activity could be repeated with other colors) Activity 2: For this part of the activity, the teacher will focus on shapes. Using the same configuration as Activity 1, the teacher will hold up 1 blue triangle block and ask the students to find the objects on the table with the same shape. After each child has collected one object, the teacher will ask, What shape

does everyone have? The response at this time should be a triangle. Put all the blue triangle blocks to the side and continue this activity with the remaining two shapes (circle and square blocks) These activities can be repeated with different shapes and colors, as well as different materials. (instead of using wooden blocks, the teacher can use different colored buttons for Activity 1 and different shaped pretend food, not necessarily all the same color, for Activity 2)

Adaptation for Learner Diversity: (How can this lesson be adapted or structured for children with special needs
or for children at different ability levels within your selected age group?)

Advanced Learners: At the end of the activity have the advanced learner(s) count how many blue blocks there are on the table (Activity 1) or how many triangles or squares there are in a group (Activity 2). To give an even greater challenge, the teacher can hold up a block and ask the child to identify both the color and the shape. They can repeat this activity several times with various shapes and colors. Exceptional Children: Activities 1 and 2 can be simplified so that the child has to identify a blue shape from similar shaped items, instead of incorporating multiple shapes and colors in the activity. For example, ask the child to identify a blue circle from a group of various colored circles, as oppose to choosing a blue circle from multiple shapes and colors. ELL students: The teacher can use an ELL assistant teacher to help clarify the activity. The teacher can also use the childs primary language (if possible) when asking about the color and shape of various objects.

Assessment:

(How will you determine the extent to which the children grasped the concept? What evidence will you collect to indicate that the objectives were met?)

If a child successfully chooses a blue block during Activity 1, than they understand the concept of identifying/classifying the color blue. If a child successfully chooses a triangle during Activity 2, than they understand the concept of identifying/classifying triangles. (If these activities are repeated, the child should correctly identify the color and shape each time) To further teach these concepts in the classroom, provide various opportunities for children to sort, group, and classify objects by their characteristics. You can supply colored blocks, various small animal figurines, colored buttons and ribbons, different shape cookie cutters, etc. Observe the children to see if they sort, group, and classify objects during informal activities and play time. If you observe this, ask questions as to why they classified/sort certain things.

Attach-Analysis/Reflection: (How well did this lesson work? Would you change anything next time? What did you
learn from this activity)

Before the activity: I predict the children will enjoy doing this activity, as well as, successfully identify the colors and shapes required. I did this activity while working at the Kid's Club. My students consisted of a 4 preschool aged boys (3-4 years old). I knew they would be interested in this activity because these boys love playing with different shaped blocks and are currently interested in naming colors. I did the activity as explained above and it went exactly as I predicted with the exception of one child. 3 children successfully identified the shapes and colors required in the activity, while the 4th (and youngest) had trouble identifying the triangle shaped blocks during Activity 2. Since he wasnt easily recognizing the triangles, I repeated the activity again. This time I tried to slow the pace of the activity down. After redoing this activity, he was able to correctly recognize (with the help of the rest of the students) the triangle shaped blocks. It was nice to see the other children in the group step in and help when this child was struggling. I did not expect that! I learned that many developmental domains can be supported by this activity. The children are able to pick up objects, which supports their development of gross motor skills. Children are also very social

during this activity. They interact with each other and the teacher while trying to find the shapes and colors required. Cognitively they are practicing mathematical concepts of grouping, classifying, and sorting. I learned that this activity can lay the foundation for many other activities using the same concepts. So in the future, I would change the activity so I could utilize it with a larger group. I would also like to use the entire classroom for this activity, instead of limiting the students to just using the tabletop. I could ask the children to find shapes and colors within the classroom, which would help them associate these mathematics concepts with every-day items. I think this activity helped the children in the group to distinguish the difference between various shapes and colors. More importantly I think the children saw that color does not effect the shape and vice versa. For example, a yellow triangle and a blue triangle, even though they are different in color, still retain the same shape.

Source of Idea/Information: Charlesworth, R. & Lind, K.K. (2010). Math and Science for Young Children (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth