Lesson Plan : Color Sorting
Teacher Name: | Ashlin Winter |
Grade: | Kindergarten |
Subject: | Special Education |
Topic: | Sorting colors and shapes |
Content: | Structured Sorts The reason I chose structured sorts is because it is a cooperative way for the students to implement a skill that they all need more practice with (sorting colors and shapes). This cooperative lesson also allows much more peer interaction than my students normally get. This lesson, which includes a Roundtable, will allow my students to talk and reason with each other. They will also have to share the manipulatives they are given among each other and allow each other time to talk. Vocabulary: yellow green red blue square circle rectangle triangle |
Goals: | (K.8) Geometry and spatial reasoning. The student uses attributes to determine how objects are alike and different. The student is expected to: (A) describe and identify an object by its attributes using informal language; (B) compare two objects based on their attributes; and (C) sort a variety of objects including two- and three-dimensional geometric figures according to their attributes and describe how the objects are sorted. (K.9) Geometry and spatial reasoning. The student recognizes attributes of two- and three-dimensional geometric figures. The student is expected to: (A) describe and compare the attributes of real-life objects such as balls, boxes, cans, and cones or models of three-dimensional geometric figures; (B) recognize shapes in real-life three-dimensional geometric figures or models of three-dimensional geometric figures; and (C) describe, identify, and compare circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares (a special type of rectangle). |
Objectives: | When given 15 different items, the students will cooperatively sort the items by color and shape into 4 different boxes 90% of the time. |
Materials: | 4 small boxes labeled with a color (blue, red, green, or yellow) and a shape (triangle, square, rectangle, or circle) 30 different colored shapes of varying sizes Ex: Red Square Blue Triangle Yellow Circle Green Rectangle Timer |
Introduction: | The teacher will first put the class into two groups of three students. The teacher will ask the students to look around the room and begin thinking about shapes and colors. She will tell the students to find certain shapes around the room and answer as a group. For example: Teacher: Let's find something that is a rectangle in the room Group 1: The whiteboard! Group 2: The Big Book! The teacher will ask the same thing about colors and have the students answer as a group. The teacher will explain to the class that they must raise their hand in order to answer. |
Development: | The teacher will then give each group 4 boxes. The teacher will ask each group to name off the colors and shapes labeled on each of their boxes. She will then give each group 15 different laminated shapes. She will explain to the groups that they are to take the laminated pieces and separate them into the boxes. She will use her own pieces and boxes to demonstrate. The teacher will explain to the students that they will practice together and then do it in their own groups. |
Practice: | The teacher will then allow the students to do 3 pieces (one for each student in each group) out of their bag with the class. The student will explain why he or she thinks it goes in whichever box to the class. The class will be able to provide feedback and no piece can go in a box unless everyone agrees. |
Accommodations: | Instead of having a Venn Diagram or Tree Diagram, this group of students needs much more hands on experiences, so items they could touch and pick up were chosen. A group of higher functioning students would obviously use more abstract category systems. By allowing students to reason their way through each choice, each child has the chance to defend his or her thinking in the best mode for him or her. A child whose verbal skills may not be as developed can pick up a yellow square and point to the square and the color yellow on the box. A child who can speak proficiently can verbally explain that the shape is a square and they color is yellow, so it goes in the corresponding box. It also gives the students a chance to tutor each other, so the higher functioning children can help out the children who may not be so developed in shape/color recognition. |
Checking For Understanding: | As the students work through their shapes and colors, the teacher can walk around and check for understanding. By listening to the children's rationale of their shape/color placements, it gives the teacher time to see if the they truly have the concepts of shape/color sorting or if they are simply guessing. She can also sort through the boxes and make sure that each group correctly categorized their items. A way to see if the students can generalize the knowledge is outlined in the closure. |
Closure: | As the students finish up their boxes, the teacher will bring them back together for another discussion. The teacher will then ask questions about items around the room. This time, instead of asking about shapes and colors seperately, she will ask about shapes and colors together. For example: Teacher: Who can find a red square? Group 2: The carpet at your feet! |
Evaluation: | The lesson is set up to be an ongoing assessment based on observations as the children work. As the children work, the teacher will have a notepad and simply take notes on who is sorting correctly and giving rationale for their sorting. The teacher also has their final product at the end of the lesson. The closure of the lesson is also an assessment to see if the children can generalize the knowledge into other areas of the classroom. Another, more formal assessment, would be for the students to meet one on one with the teacher and do the same lesson. For example, the teacher would have 4 boxes set up and 5 items and ask the student to sort them and explain his or her choices. The teacher could simply have a checklist and check off if the student sorted the items correctly or not. |
Teacher Reflections: | This lesson went very well and was very easy to assess. As a teacher, I had a lot of time as they were sorting to observe the children and listen to them explain their reasoning to each other. The children seemed to all get along fairly well and kept their hands to themselves for the most part :) They finished a bit early, so I know to move up the timer a bit for next time. I grouped some of the higher functioning students with the students who were not so developed in sorting and it seemed to work out well. The higher functioning students really jumped in when they thought maybe something was incorrect, but did not get pushy with the other students. Neither group had to leave a piece out, because they disagreed on an item to be placed. There were not too many interruptions and the students got a chance to practice their verbal and listening skills. |
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