Individuality Unit Plan

Pre-K 3 and 4 year olds

Mary Katherine Whatley and Cari Wilson

Cooperating Teachers: Alicia Ezell and Elzundra Edwards

Harris Early Learning Center

April 8, 2019- April 12, 2019

Table of Contents
 1

Unit Rationale……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Long-Range Planning-Unit Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Week One………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Week Two………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Week Three………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...5

Week Four……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....6

Week Five……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....6

5 Day Lesson Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....7

NAEYC standards…………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Central Focus……………………………………………………………………………………………………………....8

Learning Objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………………….….8

Materials/Technology………………………………………………………………………………………………………8

Essential Questions…………………………………………………………………………………………………………9

Academic Language………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Procedures………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Assessment……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11

Student Samples……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..12
 2

Music Monday………………………………………………………………………………………………………………12

Artsy Tuesday……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

Work Together Wednesday………………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Tasty Thursday………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Family Friday……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16

Lesson Plan Reflection……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...17

Resources…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...18

Books……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….18

Possible Field Trips…………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

Integrated Extension Activities……………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

Unit Rationale
 3

This unit plan focuses on the Pre-kindergarten age. The target focus of this unit plan addresses individuality, specifically things

that make us different and ways we are the same. For pre-k students, individuality is a word that is not fully understood, as they are

still developing what things they like and what they dislike. During the unit, students will explore their interests as well as find out

interests of others in order to further develop their own meaning of individuality. Students will access many different types of careers

as well as many different types of interests in this unit. These varied interests and careers (used as key concepts in the unit) include:

music, art, dance, engineering, sports, foods, family, colors, and health. This plan will access most aspects of interests and careers, so

as to include all interests of the target audience (students). The unit will help students develop their interests based on those that they

already have as well as ones they may not yet have accessed.

Essential questions explored in this unit include (but are not limited to):

● What are some instruments used in the orchestra?

● Can you think of any other instruments that you’ve seen?

● How do we show individuality through art?

● Do all of our art pieces need to look the same?

● What are some foods that are healthy?

● What are some foods that are unhealthy?

● How does it make our bodies feel when we eat healthy foods?

● Who are the members of your family?

 4

● How do we stay connected with family even when they are far away?

● What makes us different?

● What things do we know we like?

● What things do we know we don’t like?

● What things are we interested in?

● Where does our food come from?

● How do people work together in the world around us?

Long Range Unit Plan Overview

Week One- Individuality celebrated in The Week of the Young Child
● Music Monday
● Artsy Tuesday
● Work Together Wednesday
● Tasty Thursday
 5

● Family Friday

Week Two- Our Different Interests

Essential Questions: What makes us different? What things do we know we like? What things do we know we don’t like? What things
are we interested in?
● Music, Visual Art, Dance, Engineering, Sports
● Music- Listen to different genres of music and discuss, learn songs to sing, explore instruments
● Visual Art- class craft, view artwork from famous artists
● Dance- Learn a simple dance
● Engineering- create a structure with different materials
● Sports-learn about and how to play different sports, explore (outside time)
● Field trip? (ASO kid performance) or expert in the classroom from ASO or Alabama Ballet or Museum of art

Week Three- Working Together

Essential Question: How do people work together in the world around us?
● Career Types (Explore different careers each day)
● In-class “expert” for each day
● Each day we would talk about all of the different jobs within each setting and how everyone must be able to work together to
be successful. I.e. doctors can’t do their job properly without the help of their nurses.
● We would add pretend play of each of these jobs to our dress up center
● Monday: People who work in the hospital
● Tuesday: People who work in an fire station
● Wednesday: People who work in a grocery store
● Thursday: People who work with athletes
● Friday: People who work in schools (Celebrate our teachers, classroom helpers, cafeteria staff, etc.)

Week Four- From Farm to Table

● Where does our food come from? This week we would focus on how farms provide food for us to consume.
● Field trip-Steele Orchard Johnny Appleseed
 6

http://www.steeleorchard.com/tours.html
○ Steele Orchard teaches children about the life cycle of apples
● Books:
○ “From the Farm to the Table” by Baby Professor
○ “Before we eat: From Farm to Table” by Pat Brisson
○ “Sally at the farm” by Stephen Huneck
● Create a vegetable stand one of our centers for the week. The children can pretend to be the stand manager and customers and
use play money to buy their produce

Week Five- Family Fun

● https://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-family-activities.html
● Family faces (on paper plates with yarn & colors)
● Create families with pre-cut shapes, glue, & colors
● Discussion of who is in each child’s family and make an anchor chart with pictures

5 Day Lesson Plan- Week one: Week of the Young Child

MK Whatley and Cari Wilson
emkay91@uab.edu cwilso17@uab.edu
EEC 610
Harris ELC-Pre-K Classroom

Monday 4/8 Tuesday 4/9 Wednesday 4/10 Thursday 4/11 Friday 4/12
 7

Topic: Music Monday Topic: Artsy Tuesday Topic: Working Topic: Tasty Thursday Topic: Family Friday
20 minutes 20 minutes Together Wednesday 20 minutes 20 minutes
20 minutes

Naeyc Standards: Naeyc Standards: Naeyc Standards: Naeyc Standards: Naeyc Standards:
1. All the domains of 1. All the domains of 7. Children develop best 4. Development and 7. Children develop best
development and development and when they have secure, learning result from a when they have secure,
learning-physical, learning-physical, consistent relationships dynamic and continuous consistent relationships
social, and emotional, social, and emotional, with responsive adults interaction of biological with responsive adults
and cognitive-are and cognitive-are and opportunities for maturation and and opportunities for
important, and they are important, and they are positive relationships experience. positive relationships
closely interrelated. closely interrelated. with peers. 10. Play is an important with peers.
Children’s development Children’s development 8. Development and vehicle for developing 10. Play is an important
and learning in one and learning in one learning occur in and are self-regulation as well vehicle for developing
domain influence and domain influence and influenced by multiple as for promoting self-regulation as well as
are influenced by what are influenced by what social and cultural language, cognition, for promoting language,
takes place in other takes place in other contexts. and social competence. cognition, and social
domains. domains. 9. Always mentally competence.
8. Development and 8. Development and active in seeking to
learning occur in and are learning occur in and are understand the world
influenced by multiple influenced by multiple around them, children
social and cultural social and cultural learn in a variety f ways;
contexts. contexts. a wide range of teaching
10. Play is an important 10. Play is an important strategies and
vehicle for developing vehicle for developing interactions are effective
self-regulation as well as self-regulation as well as in supporting all these
for promoting language, for promoting language, kinds of learning.
cognition, and social cognition, and social 10. Play is an important
competence. competence. vehicle for developing
self-regulation as well as
for promoting language,
cognition, and social
competence.
 8

Central Focus: Central Focus: Central Focus: Central Focus: Central Focus:
Instruments of the Exploring understanding Building interpersonal Nutrition Family connectedness
orchestra of differences skills

Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives:
The students will mimic The students will color The students will be able The students will The students will be able
the movement of the their own chameleon to successfully choose healthier options to identify the members
differing orchestral with their chosen colors contribute to their for their individual trail of their family.
instruments with 80- based on their self- portion of the class art. mix creation.
100% accuracy. identity.
The students will
choose from 2 given
food options and be
able to identify the
healthier choice with
75-100% accuracy.

Materials/Technology: Materials/Technology: Materials/Technology: Materials/Technology: Materials/Technology:

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin A Color of His Own by All Are Welcome by
by Lloyd Moss Leo Lionni Alexandra Penfold and The Hungry Caterpillar The Invisible String by
Suzanne Kaufman by Eric Carle Patrice Karst
Movement activity with Color chameleons their
motions of the own personal color Collective art project DIY Trail Mix: Students will bring in
instruments (with (Chalk on black butcher Pretzels, M&Ms, chex pictures of their family
recordings of paper) cereal, raisins, granola, and talk about who is
instruments) sunflower seeds, connected to their
invisible string

Essential Questions: Essential Questions: Essential Questions: Essential Questions: Essential Questions:
What are some How do we show Why is it important to What are some foods Who are the members of
instruments used in the individuality through work well with your that are healthy? your family?
orchestra? art? friends? What are some foods How do we stay
Can you think of any Do all of our art pieces that are unhealthy? connected with family
 9

other instruments that need to look the same? How does it make our even when they are far
you’ve seen? bodies feel when we eat away?
healthy foods?

Academic Language: Academic Language: Academic Language: Academic Language: Academic Language:
Trumpet, trombone, Colors, individual, together Healthy foods, Family, invisible,
violin, bassoon, different unhealthy foods individual, love
orchestra, french horn,
cello, oboe, harp, flute

Procedures: Procedures: Procedures: Procedures: Procedures:

Opening: Opening: Opening: Opening: Opening:

Read Zin! Zin! Zin! A Ask the students if they Yesterday, we all used This week we’ve been Did everyone enjoy
Violin by Lloyd Moss enjoyed our Monday color to create some talking about all sorts of making healthy snacks
lesson. Ask what their really cool art. Everyone things that make us feel yesterday? Did anyone
Middle: favorite instrument of colored their own good. We talked about go home and share their
Teach the students the the lesson was. Review beautiful picture. Today music and we talked snacks with anyone at
motions of each the motions of their is “work together about the art that we home? Who did you see
instrument in the book favorite instruments. wednesday” so what do like. What are some when you were at home?
one by one and practice you all think we are other things that make Those people are your
together. Quiz students Music is a fun way to going to do today? Are us feel good? family. Family is so
by saying something celebrate ourselves. we going to do important because they
like “Show me what Another fun way to something by ourselves An important thing that take care of us and teach
playing a trombone celebrate ourselves is today or are we going to makes us feel good is us all sorts of new
looks like” with color. Today we do something with our the kind of food that we things.
are going to use our friends? eat. What kinds of
End: favorite colors to create foods make us feel Read The Invisible
Turn on recordings and something special. We are going to read a good? String by Patrice Karst
introduce the sound of great book today about
the instruments, do the Read A Color of His welcoming everyone Read The Hungry Middle:
motions along with the Own by Leo Lionni into our classroom. Caterpillar by Eric Talk with the students
music. When we welcome Carle about their families. If
 10

Middle: everyone, we have the they want to, they can

Talk to students about best chance of creating Middle: share family pictures.
what makes the something together. Ask the students “how We will talk about who
chameleon different than did the hungry is part of their family.
other animals. caterpillar feel when he
Talk to students about Read All Are Welcome ate the fruits and End:
how different people Here by Alexandra veggies?” The students will use
like different colors. Penfold and Suzanne Ask the students “how their fine motor skills to
Ask students about Kaufman did the hungry create their family
which colors are their caterpillar feel when he members with playdoh.
favorites. Middle: ate the junk food?” While they are making
Talk to students about Ask the students to their family, we will
End: the importance of choose the healthier continue the
Each student will working together with option when given the conversation about who
complete a coloring our peers. choice between two all is part of the family.
sheet with a chameleon Ask: What are some food items.
with however many nice ways to work with
colors they choose to your friends in the End:
use. classroom? Students will have the
opportunity to create
their own trail mix
snack by making
End: healthy choices.
The class as a whole
will create an art project
using chalk and black
butcher paper.
Remind students of the
nice ways we can work
together and how to use
their manners when
sharing materials.
 11

Assessment: Assessment: Assessment: Assessment: Assessment:

Our assessment will be During their art project, During their art project, We will assess the We will observe the
observational. We will we will encourage the we will encourage the students by observing students fine motor
be able to see if the students to use language students to use language the choices they make skills when they
students have learned to describe what they are to describe what they are when they create their manipulate the playdoh.
the motions of each of creating. They will share creating. They will share own snacks. We don’t We will be able to assess
the instruments crayons so we will also crayons so we will also expect them all to make their creativity and see if
be assessing their social be assessing their social the healthiest choices at they how they portray
skills when sharing skills when sharing their age, but we would the members of their
objects within a group. objects within a group. like for them to actively family. We will also be
participate in encouraging them to use
conversations about their language and their
healthing eating. social skills during this
time of play.

Student Samples
 12

On Monday, we read “Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin!” We worked on our gross motor skills by imitating the motions of the musicians
playing their instruments.
 13

On Tuesday, the students showed their individuality by coloring their own Chameleons. They used their own colors and their own
techniques.
 14

On Wednesday, the students worked together to create a piece of art to hang in their classroom.
 15

On Thursday, the students learned about nutrition after reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and made their own snack mix.
 16

On Friday, we celebrated families. We read “The Invisible String” and used some yarn as a manipulative. Then, the students made
play-doh families. Some students made their moms and dads, some students made their babies, and some made their pets.

Lesson Plan Reflection

 17

Monday 4/8: Music Monday

The students loved reading the book “Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin!” They enjoyed learning about each instrument and counting
how many instruments were in the book. They showed off their gross motor skills and did a great job imitating the movement of the
instruments. They were engaged throughout this lesson and had many extra instruments to add to our conversation.

Tuesday 4/9: Artsy Tuesday

The students did a great job listening to what made the chameleon in our book unique. They all showed their individuality and
skill level in the way that they colored their own chameleons. It was nice to see how different each child was in the choices they made.

Wednesday 4/10: Work Together Wednesday

“All Are Welcome Here” is one of our favorite books. It shows children that it is important to welcome our friends even if they
don’t look like us. We built upon Tuesday’s lesson about individuality by flipping the idea and showing that we can all work together,
even though we aren’t all the same. The students came together and created a beautiful art piece together to hand in their classroom.

Thursday 4/11: Tasty Thursday

We started this day with the classic book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. The students had read this book previously in class,
so they were excited to share what they already knew. Once we read the book, we had a conversation about which food made the
caterpillar feel good and energized and which foods made him feel sick and tired. Then, we had the students make their own snack
mix. They got to use a lot of communication and social skills during this time because we didn’t allow them to just grab the
ingredients that they wanted. They used a lot of fine motor skills during this lesson because it took a lot for them to be able to use the
spoons to scoop the snacks into their sandwich bags.

Friday 4/12: Family Friday

This lesson was my least favorite. While the students had fun, they didn’t fully understand the concepts talked about in the
book “The Invisible String”. It was a little to abstract for them. However, the all really enjoyed using their fine motor skills to create
play-doh families. They showed creativity and individuality in the way that they chose which family members to represent and how to
create them using the play doh.
Resources
Books:
 18

Story Books:
1. Moss, L. (1995). Zin! zin! zin! : a violin. New York, NY :Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. [su]
2. Lionni, L. (1975). A color of his own. New York, NY: Knopf. [su]
3. Penfold, A. & Kaufman, S. (2018). All are welcome here. New York, NY: Knopf. [su]
4. Carle, E. (1969). The very hungry caterpillar. New York, NY: The World Publishing Company. [su]
5. Karst, P. (2000). The invisible string. Camarillo, CA: DeVorss and Company. [su]
6. Jennings, C. S. (2008). Animal Band. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company. [su]
7. Priddy, R. (2016). We are better together. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. [su]
8. Meyers, S. & Frazee, M. (2004). Everywhere babies. Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin Harcourt. [su]
9. Penn, A. (2006). The kissing hand. Indianapolis, IN: Tanglewood. [su]
10. Campoy, F. I. & Howell, T. (2016). Maybe something beautiful: How art transformed a neighborhood. Boston, MA:
Houghton Miffin Harcourt. [su]
11. Schofield-Morrison, C. (2014). I got the rythm. London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. [su]

Informational Books
1. Brisson, P. (2018). Before we eat: From farm to table. Thomaston, ME: Tilburry House Publishers. [su]
2. Elhert, L. (1996). Eating the alphabet. Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin Harcourt. [su]
3. Helsby, G. (2008). My first classical music book. Potters Bar, UK: Naxos. [su]
4. Harris, R. H. (2012). Who’s in my family: all about our families. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. [su]
5. Gordon, S., ph.D. (2000) All families are different. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. [su]
6. Paul, M. (2016). Whose hands are these? A community helper guessing book. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press.
[su]
7. Rockwell, A. (2000). Career day. New York, NY: Harper Collins. [su]
8. Rogers, B. (2014). When I grow up...: A look at 10 future careers for kids. Scotts Valley, CA: Create Space. [su]
9. Dickmann, N. (2010). World of farming: Farm animals. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library. [su]
10. Dickmann, N. (2011). World of farming: Farm machines. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library. [su]
Possible Field Trips:
1. ASO kids performance
2. Steele Orchard
 19

3. Firestation
4. Publix grocery store tour
5. Stone Hollow Farm
6. Baker’s Farm

Integrated Extension Activities

Monday Video about how the orchestra instruments are made and what they sound like. Possible guide: Disney’s “Toot, Whistle,
Pluck, Boom.”
Tuesday Exploration of colors- Students can explore how colors mix together to create other colors in a finger painting color mixing
activity. This activity could also be done with shaving cream and food coloring. Students will put their chameleons in a gallery walk to
walk through like an art museum. The teacher will have a discussion before about what an art museum is, and what guidelines there
are for going on a museum/gallery walk.
Wednesday: Puzzle Table- If the students finish their activity early, we will have puzzles available. There are not enough puzzles for
each child to have their own, so they will have to work together to complete them.
Thursday: The Healthy Eating Song- EYN Partnership. This song can be taught by the teachers, or the class can watch the music
video together on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JldSBUQB34
Friday: Play-Doh Family Show and Tell. If the students finish creating their playdoh families, they can take turns going around the
room and presenting their creations to each other.