Thursday, October 14, 2010

Predictable Pattern



Hutchins, P.(2000). Ten red apples: N.Y.: Greenwillow Books.
INBS:0-688-16797-7

Content of the Story:
A farmer is happy because his apple tree finally grows full of red apples. There are ten of them, but every time an animal visits him, they take one away.  He keeps asking them to save some for him, but one after another, animals come and take his apples away.  Finally, when his wife needs some apples for a pie, there are no more apples left.  However, the story ends happily because the farmer finds another apple tree full of red apples!

The reason for three to five year olds:
There are fun onomatopoeia words with each animal.  This is the great way to learn how each animal makes a sound.  And also it is a fun way to find the next solution.

Illustration comment:
This is a comic type of illustration.  Each character looks like a toy, and gives the feeling of unrealistic, playful fantasy world.  For example, the horse has this patter on the body that real horses wouldn’t have.  The farmer also changes his facial expression from page to page, that evokes children’s wonder.

Provocation:
Put the large size of magnet board on the wall.  On the magnet board, draw a picture of the tree, but not apples.  Place apples on the back, and put them on the floor. Children can wonder why they are there, why the magnet is attached on the back, and start playing.  Eventually, they enjoy putting them on the tree, or taking them off as well.  By experiencing this, children can learn tree fruits can be taken off of the tree as they are harvested.  This can be a simulation of a great harvest experience.

Presentation:
1. Simply read the book and then add the rhythm of chants and read the book again.  By reading the book with the rhythm of chants, children become more familiar with the content and determine the predictable pattern of the book.  I would stop on a page half way through, and wonder what will happen next to see if children are getting the idea of predictable pattern. Then stop again towards the end of the book when all the apples are gone, and wonder together what will happen because of the pattern they have learned it is not going to work any more.

2. Tell this story with a felt board because children actually can see apples disappearing from the tree when each animal comes and takes one.  Also using the rhythm of the chant so that children can join the story-telling part while the teacher is showing what is going on.

3. Show and tell this story with a magnetic stage.  In this way, children are able to get the idea of what stage shows are like.  Use people instead of animals, and let children have the feeling of watching “a play” because as an extension, they can act out this book.  The challenge in making this story as a magnetic play is how you make apples disappear.  Instead of putting magnetic apples onto a metallic tree, make the tree out of paper or plastic so that the apples are held in place by another magnet behind the tree.  When the back magnet, the apple falls off the tree just as it does in the real situation.  Children can see and enjoy magical moment of the “falling part”.

Extension:
1. Before children arrive, teachers put uncoloured animals on the walls.  After reading the book, reflect with children on what kind of animals they saw in the book.  By finishing recalling the animals, children are eager to start colouring animal pictures.  Since they saw pictures on the wall, they will know where to get them.  While reading the book, you can mention how some of the animals’ colours are different from the real ones; for example, the horse on the book is pink and has a unique pattern on the body, children notice those kind of details and enjoy the open-ended art part of activity by remembering what they say on the book.  You can simply make black and white photocopies of the animals from the book, or you can find them on the Internet:

2. Talk about how fun the colouring activity was. Reflect on what kind of animal they coloured.  Then wonder together how we can use the pictures by making a paper head-band. While l try the paper head-band on my head, children notice that they can put their coloured pictures on the band and make their own animal head-band.

3. Make a play of the story.  Now they have got their own head-band, they have learned the story with the rhythm of chant; they are ready to act out the story. You can use the magnetic apple tree on the wall from provocation.

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