The Season of Falling Leaves

1. The teacher will bring in tangible items for the students to be able to touch that represent each season. For example: Winter (cotton ball that represents snow), spring (umbrella to represent the rainy season), summer (a seashell to represent going to the beach when it is hot outside), and fall (a miniature pumpkin and/or candy corn- which can later be given to the students to eat as a snack).
2. The teacher will not tell the students which item represents each season. This is an opportunity to question students existing knowledge on seasons. The teacher will hold up each item and have the students write down on their whiteboards which season they think that item represents. Once the students have shown me what they have written on their whiteboards I will have a few students explain why they chose the season that they did.
3. The teacher will ask students what season that they think that we are currently in.
4. The teacher will read “Fall Leaves Fall” by Zoe Hall to my students. This book provides a detailed description of what the leaves look like during the season of fall.
5.  After reading the story, the teacher will then tell them that we are going outside to the playground area to explore.  They will quietly line up at the door and then we will proceed to the explored portion of the lesson.
6. The teacher will have the students go outside and pick up a leaf of their choice off the ground. Students will be encouraged to pick a leaf different from their classmates (think about color, shape, size, etc.)
7. After the students have found their leaf, they will go back to the classroom.
8. Once back in the classroom, the teacher will give them a glue stick and a piece of construction paper. The students will glue their leaves to the construction paper.
9. In the book, “Fall Leaves Fall”, there is a page that shows all different kinds of leaves that can be found during the season of fall (maple, sassafras, oak, ginkgo, and beech).  The teacher will display this page somewhere in the classroom where all the students can easily see.
10. Once the students have glued their leaf to the construction paper, I will have my students describe the leaf that they found and compare the leaf that they found to the leaves that were represented in the book.  What color was their leaf?  What size was their leaf (big or small)? The students will write this portion on the same piece of construction paper that was given to them, they will just be instructed to write underneath where they glued their leaf.
11. During this time, the teacher will walk around the classroom and assist anyone who needs help.
12. Students will have 20-25 minutes to complete this activity.
13. Once time is up the students will move to the carpet and have the opportunity to share their leaf projects with the class.
14. After the students share time, the teacher will prompt discussions with the students using questions such as:
    1. What is similar about the leaf you found and the leaf in the picture?
    2. What do you think the name of your leaf is called?
15. The students will realize, after the discussion, that some leaves they found were mentioned in the book and some leaves they found were not mentioned.
16. This lesson is created to be taught during the season of fall, but it is important that students know all of the seasons. To extend, the teacher will explain to the students what happens to leaves during every season. (example: during Winter, there are barely any leaves on trees due to cold weather).  If the students do not know what each of the seasons are, this could also be an extension that could be added.  The teacher will ask students what all 4 seasons are and once they have raised their hand and established all 4 of the seasons, the teacher will lead a discussion with the class about the details of each season and the order that the seasons occur in.  The teacher could get the students to write down each of the seasons and then draw a picture of what that season looks likes.

• This lesson was created with the intentions of the season being fall.  This lesson will change depending on the season.
• Before implementing this lesson, make sure that there are leaves on the ground! This lesson will not work if the leaves have not fallen yet.

Examples of other books for other seasons:

Spring: The Falling Flowers

Winter: Cold and Hot

Summer: Summer Wonders

The assessment will be solely based off of the discussion that takes place towards the end of the lesson. The explanation process and the way that the students answer the questions throughout the lesson will be the formative assessment.  The teacher will be able to determine the student’s understanding solely based off of their leaf project and he teacher could use this as a summative assessment.