Learning+Center+Design

** A. Center Information **
 * Cross-Curricula Learning Center Design **
 * 1) **// Author: Heather Lutz //**
 * 2) Title of the Centers: Shape Explorations
 * 3) Grade Level: Kindergarten
 * 4) Content Area: Math
 * 5) Types of Centers: Exploratory, skill, and enrichment
 * 6) Organization of Centers: The students will be broken up into four color math groups, including the blue, yellow, red, and green groups. Depending on the number of students in the classroom, there can be up to six students per group. Each color math group will be assigned to start at a table, which will have one of the math center activities at it. They will have approximately 8-10 minutes to complete the activity until the teacher will shake a maraca. The students will quietly clean up their activity and give a “thumbs-up” signaling they are ready to switch to the next center. The color math group will rotate in a circle to their next center job and will continue in this fashion until all jobs are completed. When the maraca sounds after the last center, the students will clean up like usual and the teacher will choose a student to bring up their center materials and clean up the tables.
 * 7) Number of Centers: Four
 * 8) Time Needed: 45 minutes

**B. Learning Objectives, including cognitive and behavioral objectives**
 * Students will know the word shapes.
 * Students will understand that shapes have names and characteristics.
 * Students will understand that graphs help people organize information so that it is easier to understand and remember.
 * Students will understand that good readers visualize what they are reading to help them better understand the story.
 * Students will understand that good writers use describing words in their stories, so that readers can better visualize the story.
 * Students will identify 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes.
 * Students will explore 2 and 3-dimensional shapes by creating different shapes with given objects.
 * Students will create and analyze a bar graph.
 * Students will identify shapes by their attributes color, size, shape, and thickness.
 * Students will identify the mystery attribute block by listening and visualizing the given descriptions.
 * Students will use iPads to match shapes.


 * C. Materials **
 * ** Center 1: Making 2-Dimensional and 3-Dimensional Shapes **
 * Marshmallows on small trays
 * Toothpicks on small trays
 * Camera
 * ** Center 2: Create a Shape Picture and Graph It **
 * Die-cut shapes made out of different colored construction paper
 * White 8 x 11 construction paper
 * Glue sticks
 * Shape graph paper
 * Markers
 * ** Center 3: Describing Shapes to Visualize **
 * Attribute blocks
 * Blank writing paper
 * Markers
 * Prompt papers for attributes: Color, Size, Shape, Thick/Thin
 * ** Center 4: Identify and Match Shapes **
 * iPads


 * D. Center Activity Description **


 * ** Center 1: Making 2-Dimensional and 3-Dimensional Shapes; Integrating Math and Social Studies **
 * The teacher will remind the students that we have been learning about shapes at math time.
 * The teacher will ask the students to identify the materials for today’s lesson, explaining that we will be using toothpicks and marshmallows to make the shapes that we have been learning about at math time.
 * The teacher will display different large shapes and the students will assist her in helping to identify them. These shapes will include a square, rectangle, and triangle. She will explain that today it will be their job to make each of these shapes using toothpicks and marshmallows.
 * The teacher will discuss proper safety use of the materials, allowing for students to explain why we need to handle the toothpicks carefully.
 * The students will use the materials to create a square, rectangle, and triangle. The teacher will show pictures of things in the community to give the students ideas of all of the things that are around them that are made of shapes. Example- house, buildings, etc.
 * The teacher will remind the students that these are 2-dimensional shapes. She will then model how to turn a 2-dimensional shape into a 3-dimensional shape by adding more toothpicks and marshmallows to the already made shape.
 * The teacher will display pictures of different 3-dimensional shapes, including a cube, pyramid, and rectangular prism.
 * The students will use the materials to create different 3-dimensional shapes.
 * The teacher will discuss why we couldn’t make a circle, oval, cone, or cylinder today. The students will collaborate with a partner and share out to the center group.
 * The teacher will take pictures to documents the students shape creations as a form of assessment.
 * The teacher will remind the students that today we were practicing how to name different shapes and making them. Making them will help us remember what each shape looks like so we can become shape masters!


 * ** Center 2: Create a Shape Picture and Graph It; Integrating Art and Math **
 * The teacher/volunteer will remind the students that we have been learning about many different kinds of shapes and that there are two different kinds of shapes, both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes.
 * The teacher/volunteer will explain that today we will be gluing shapes on our white papers to make a shape picture. When our pictures are completed, we will look at the picture and graph what shapes we used in our pictures. We will get to practice telling shape names and graphing today!
 * The students will identify what shapes they are using in their pictures for the teacher/volunteer as they glue them on their white papers to create their shape pictures.
 * The teacher/volunteer will ask questions about the shape pictures and the students will answer the questions appropriately. Example: “What is this in you picture?” “A sun.” “Oh, a sun! What shapes did you use to make the sun? Can you tell me and point to them?”
 * The teacher/volunteer will provide the students will their shape graph papers once their pictures are completed. This may occur on the second day of centers, depending on the child and how detailed their shape pictures are.
 * The students will look at their shape pictures and graph the appropriate amount of each shape on the graph.
 * The teacher will ask the students different graphing questions, such as what was the shape that you used the least? Greatest? Were any of your shapes used an equal amount? The students will answer accordingly.
 * The teacher will remind the students that we have been learning the names of many different kinds of shapes, as well as how to graph. Today you did both of these math activities!


 * ** Center 3: Describing Shapes to Visualize; Integrating Literacy with Math **
 * The teacher will remind the students that we have been learning how visualizing can help our reading and writing. We have learned that good readers visualize what they are reading about in their minds, so that they can better understand the story. Great writers try to use good describing words, so that readers can really visualize what they are reading easily.
 * The teacher will explain that today we will be picking an attribute block and using describing words to describe them. She will display the prompt cards to remind the students how we can describe the blocks, reminding them that these are the things that make the shapes special. The prompt cards include one for color, size (big or small), shape, and thick/thin.
 * The teacher will model how to pick a shape and observe it carefully. She will then write down on her blank piece of paper the color, size, shape, and thickness.
 * The teacher will explain that once we have our descriptions or clues about the shape we will then as a class read the descriptions and visualize the clues. We will see if our visualizing can help us find the right attribute blocks!
 * The students will pick an attribute block and describe the blocks like the teacher modeled. The teacher will assist them, reminding them to use the attribute prompt cards for help.
 * The students will describe multiple attribute blocks until it is time to switch centers.
 * The teacher will remind them that great readers visualize when they are reading something and great writers use good describing words so that the reader can visualize their story. Today we used describing words to describe attribute blocks. We will see if our descriptions were easy to visualize, so that we could find our mystery blocks! We will play this game tomorrow at math time with the whole class.


 * ** Center 4: Identify and Match Shapes; Integrating Math and Technology **
 * The teacher will remind the students that we have been learning the names of many shapes and have been practicing this in many fun ways.
 * The teacher will explain that we have been learning how to identify different shapes by telling their names aloud. We can do this by looking at different shapes and matching them with other shapes. We can do this by looking at how many sides and corners shapes have. Today we will be using an app on our iPads called “Shape-O” that has us tell what shape we see and find a matching shape to drag over on top of it.
 * The teacher will explain to the students that it will be their job to pick a picture to make with shapes and click it with your finger. She will model this for the students. Then chose one of the shapes in the picture and find the matching shape at the bottom of the screen. Drag that shape on top of the one in the picture. She will model this also.
 * The teacher will discuss appropriate safety and handling use of the iPads and give the students the opportunity to explain why we need to be extremely careful when we are using the iPads.
 * The teacher will give each student an iPad to use and they will begin to create a shape picture by identifying and matching shapes.
 * The students will identify the shapes that they are using in their pictures for the teacher by answering her questions accordingly about the shapes.
 * The students will show their completed pictures to the teacher and their friends when it is completed.
 * The students may have the opportunity to create and complete multiple “Shape-O” pictures until the maraca sounds, letting them know they need to clean up and prepare to rotate to their next center.
 * The teacher will remind the students that we have been learning how to identify different shapes by telling their names aloud. We can do this by looking at different shapes and matching them with other shapes. We can do this by looking at how many sides and corners shapes have.


 *  E. Assessment **


 * ** Center 1 Assessment: **Students will be assessed informally through formative assessment by displaying their knowledge about shapes through identification and completion of the performance task of making different 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. Students will answer the teacher’s questions about identifying shapes as well. She will document the students creations by taking pictures with her camera.
 * ** Center 2 Assessment: ** Students will be assessed informally through formative assessment by showing knowledge about shape identification and graphing. Students will identify all shapes in their shape picture, display knowledge about filling in and reading a graph, as well as answering questions form their graph. ***ATTACH**
 * ** Center 3 Assessment: ** Students will be assessed informally through formative assessment by showing knowledge and insight on how visualizing can help them read and write by answering teacher questions throughout the lesson and on whether or not they can describe attribute blocks by their attributes. The teacher will be able to determine whether or not the students understood the connection between visualizing and using describing words when they use extended thinking to determine what attribute shape is being described
 * ** Center 4 Assessment: ** Students will be assessed informally through formative assessment by displaying their knowledge about shapes through identification and matching given shapes on the iPad.

**F. Handouts, worksheets:** N/A.