Exploring the movement of water
LESSON 3
Children investigate the properties of moving water through drama and play.
Promote curiosity and interest in pond life and moving water.
Encourage children to ask questions and make observations about what they see.
Foster a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world.
Encourage children to appreciate and respect the environment around them.
Use new vocabulary words related to pond life.
Objectives for Teachers
Children become interested in moving water and how it changes.
Children practice gross motor skills through drama and play.
Children learn new vocabulary words related to pond life.
Children practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills by making observations.
Children develop an appreciation for the natural world and the importance of protecting and preserving habitats.
Objectives for Children
Collect and Connect
Play this simple dice game.
Practice the poem “The Little Turtle,” with the actions you came up with.
The Little Turtle
There was a little turtle, he lived in a box
He swam in a puddle, he climbed on the rocks
He snapped at a mosquito, he snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow, and he snapped at me
He caught the mosquito, he caught the flea
He caught the minnow, but he didn’t catch me
Activity Flow
Begin by reflecting on the story “Pond,” by Jim LaMarche. Ask your child what they remember about the story.
Tell your child that today you are going to look at the story and focus on the illustrations. Explain to your child that illustrations are the pictures in the story. The illustrator is an artist who is helping tell the story through pictures.
Turn to the title page and ponder the picture together with your child. Ask questions about what you see in the picture.
By asking questions, your children are practicing their visual literacy skills. Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, understand and make meaning from visual images. It involves analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating visual information. By looking at illustrations, children can use visual details to convey meaning. They can also make connections between the images and the text, which helps them to understand the story better.
Illustrations can also help children develop their imagination and creativity. They can inspire children to visualize characters, and settings in their minds, and encourage them to think critically about the story.
What does the boy look like he is doing in this picture?
What else do you notice in this picture? (garbage, rocks, trees, snow)
What season do you think it is? How can you tell?
4. Turn the page and repeat the same pattern above. Ponder the illustration, and ask questions about what you see. After observing the image you will now include movement into the activity. Use the play silks and your body to mimic what the spring moves like in the picture. The best part about fine arts, drama, and play is that there is no right or wrong way. So have fun with your child, and take some creative freedom with this activity. Follow their cues and imagination.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each page of the story, mimicking the water as it changes and evolves on each page. We enjoyed acting out rain in the rainstorm, pretending to be a frozen pond, a long and winding stream, and a calm and still pond. We also had fun acting out water from images we didn’t find in the story. Like a rushing river, the ocean, a waterfall, and snow falling.
6. After the activity, reflect on your favorite parts together, as well as why a pond would be a good home for the animals you see on the last page.
