Sensational Parts of Speech

Overview

The inspiration for this lesson was to encourage students to experience and appreciate nature with their senses while addressing a Common Core State Standard. This activity allows students to infer what an object is by using all senses but sight. Phonemic awareness is a skill difficult to isolate outside of the context of reading; the audio portion of the lesson can help struggling readers distinguish and categorize sounds and process auditory information.

Student friendly objective

I can sort and define nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

Lesson Preparation

It would be beneficial to go to the trail ahead of time to perhaps “plant” a few tangible items such as pinecones, leaves, and acorns for students to feel, so they experience them without going off-trail. Check with district policy about outdoor activities. Let the office know where you’ll be and take the walkie-talkie.

Procedure

Introduction Lesson

While students are gathered on the carpet, instruct them to close their eyes and feel the rug beneath their fingers. Allow a few second for this. Now write “Adjectives” on a chart paper heading and underneath write “describing words” Take a few answers from the group. Examples might be: “fuzzy” “rough” or “dry.” Now invite them to feel their shoes, hair, etc. Write the descriptors/adjectives on the chart.
Tell students about how when people as how Alaska was, I had to use adjectives to describe my experience. I didn’t say “It was mountains” because that doesn’t make sense because mountains are the “thing”. I needed to describe the mountains. I would say The mountains were ‘colorful’ or ‘majestic’ or ‘beautiful.’” I want to show you a video that looks like my trip to Alaska PowerPoint and it will help you label things with what they are like, or describe something using adjectives.
Play the following YouTube video, starting from 2:42m.

Now take about a minute of silence to listen to sounds at school. Write what you hear.
Write a noun chart and a verb chart: Nouns (person place and thing) on another chart write Verb (it’s an action word it’s what you do, lets name a few). Break apart “desks moving” between the two charts. Or “kids (noun) talking (verb)”
“In a little bit, we’re going to go outside and observe sights, sounds, smells, how nature feels but not tastes, because that’s not entirely safe. We’re going to write them down.”

Hike

Each child should have a notebook and pencil. Before the hike, review trail expectations/rules with the class. Model sitting down, closing eyes (maybe placing your own palms over closed eyes), feeling or smelling an object and then writing down DESCRIBING WORDS. Instead of writing only “pine needles” I will write: “pine needles pokey, sharp, brittle,etc.” “Also, stay on the trail to make sure you do not touch poison ivy.”Hike to the trail. Explain that when you clap your hands twice, the last person in line is to stop and sit on the trail and start writing observations.
It may be beneficial monitor children’s time for them: “Ok, all eyes should be closed and we should be listening for sounds now. For the next minute listen with your eyes closed.” Wait a minute. “Ok, open your eyes now and write down ALL the sounds you heard.” This type of prompting depends on the class.
After about 20 minutes of observations. Hike back inside to debrief.

Closing

Come back to the classroom and classify our observations on the “adjectives,” “nouns,” and “verbs” chart. If there is time before to prepare, it may be beneficial to have some words pre-written on index cards to place into the three categories on a pocket chart. Have a class discussion asking:

• “Do you think it helped to close our eyes? Why?”
• “Why did you think that sound was a bird and not a barking dog?”
• “Do you think this would be different at the beach? How?”
• Picture being out there in the winter. What would we feel then? What would we smell?

Extensions/games:

The following activities can be brain breaks or conducted at morning meeting to reinforce parts of speech.
Adjective game: “The Minister’s Cat is a very _______ cat.” In a circle students take turns giving the cat an adjective. See the example: http://www.originsonline.org/educator-help/ministers-cat

Chant “Verb, it’s an action word, it’s what you do. Let’s name a few. (teacher calls a student) ‘Jump’ I jump (teacher jumps) You jump(students jump) Panthers jump(we all jump)” Panthers are our school mascot. This can be repeated for several other verb suggestions. Make a Noun Town for different biomes or seasons. Noun Town is where people, places, and things live. Each group can be given a biome and chart paper to work as a group to make people/animals, places, and objects on the page. If a group, for instance, received Taiga, they could put moss, caribou, Spruce trees, etc.

Assessment

To prepare for the assessment, cut hole with 3” diameter. Place 1 natural object, like a feather, inside the box. Tape it closed. Do this with 3 other shoeboxes and 3 different natural objects, placing them at opposite corners of the room. Administer the test four at a time, only allowing one student at a time at each box. Other students may read books at their desks. Once a students hand in the paper, send that student to read on the carpet so they do not discuss what is inside the box with others. Send another student who needs to take the assessment to that box. Continue until all students have taken the assessment.

Author/Credits

Teacher Kristen Kangas adapted this lesson plan as a capstone project for the 2014 teacher training course entitled: Climate Change: Seeing, Understanding, and Teaching, held in Denali National Park. The course is facilitated by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) in partnership with Alaska Geographic and the National Park Service.
Project Learning Tree PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide, pg. 26 activity 4, Sounds Around. Copyright American Forest Foundation, 2013. Seventh printing. Origins Online Schoolhouse Rock