Sample Plans

Emerging and Developing Phases

Two sample units included here illustrate how a teacher might proceed with the topic of 'food at the emerging and the developing phases. The units should not be regarded as being prescriptive, but rather as providing suggestions for teachers who may be unsure as to how to begin.

The teacher should keep in mind that every class is different. Some classes will not be able to cope with all the content and activities suggested, some classes may require more independent activities, while others may respond well to additional group activities and field experiences.

Some classes may be unfamiliar with self and peer assessment strategies or with being involved in establishing evaluation instruments and criteria. These students' will have to be taught specific skills and, as they develop competence, the teacher may ease into these practices gradually.

Preparing for Emerging and Developing Phase Classes

Theme: Food

Several factors must be kept in mind when planning for young students' in the emerging phase.

• They have a short attention span.
• Activities need to be short and well organized.
• students' will accept and adjust quickly to a daily routine.
• A classroom should encourage active participation to help the child develop socially, physically and emotionally.
• If possible, vocabulary should be integrated with other subjects for reinforcement and practice.

In preparation for a unit on food for emerging and developing phase classes, the teacher may choose to do some of the following.

• Check with the teacher-librarian, if available, to collect appropriate stories, songs, books, and videos.
• Check with a teacher of French for materials that may be used or adapted.
• Mount a chart of Canada's Food Guide. As you work with the guide be aware of ways to adapt it for special considerations (e.g., children with allergies, those who are vegetarians).
• Prepare copies of drawings of foods or drinks on coloured paper for games and other activities.
• Write recipes on bristol board or flip chart using the Indian or Michif language.
• Make a chart using bristol board with envelopes stapled to it for inserting pictures.
• Have on hand plenty of flyers, magazines and canned food labels with pictures of food items. If possible, include traditional Indian or Métis foods.
• Prepare a letter to send to parents informing them of what the students' will be learning, requesting volunteers, and possibly requesting supplies needed. A sample is included in Appendix B.
• Arrange the classroom with work stations for planned or incidental independent learning activities. Games, books, colouring books, or worksheets may be made available so students' can work individually or in groups. Include a tape recorder so students' can either listen to songs or tape record their conversations.
• Order or make puppets or ask parent or student volunteers to make some.
• Prepare puzzles, flashcards or worksheets for matching exercises (pictures of foods and the written words).
• If possible, collect replicas of food items.
• Schedule the use of the Home Economics room to prepare foods.
• Make a snakes and ladders type game using the food theme.

Resources for the Sample Plans

The following resources may be of some help in planning these and other units.

Joyful learning: A whole language kindergarten. Bobbi Fisher.

Although this book is written for the primary teacher, it contains many practical ideas for a whole language approach to teaching, as well as ideas for classroom organization, conferencing, meeting with parents, etc., of value to any teacher. It has reproducible materials in the Appendix and an extensive bibliography.

1000 Pictures for Teachers to Copy. Andrew Wright.

One section of this book provides instructions for drawing simple figures, the other section has hundreds of line drawings. Useful for students' and teachers in preparing charts, flashcards, puzzles and worksheets.

Nêhiyawêtân Kindergarten Teacher's Manual Cree.

This is one in a series of manuals prepared for teaching Cree. The manuals provide lesson outlines, vocabulary and suggested activities for instruction at different grade levels.

Kihtikânink (Okinîns Series). Barbara McLeod. (Saulteaux Version: Madeleine Whitehawk, Lucy Quewezance)

This series of story books features families, particularly children, involved in everyday activities. Several of the books show them preparing or eating various foods. Short paragraphs, line drawings.

Native Languages A Support Document For the Teaching of Native Languages, Resource Guide Primary, Junior, Intermediate and Senior Divisions. Ontario Ministry of Education.

This document discusses the theory and application of the communicative approach as well as three other common methods of teaching language. The guide also provides ideas for lesson plans and evaluation strategies.

Sample Plan Emerging Phase

Theme: Food

Foundational Objectives

students' will demonstrate emerging:

• ability to listen politely.
• awareness that print and symbols, signs and gestures of Indian languages convey meaning.
• ability to participate in small or large groups for various purposes.

Learning Objectives

Listening and Comprehension
students' will have opportunities to:

• listen and observe attentively. (C, PSVS)
• understand the meaning of situations through gestures, tones, emotions and expressions. (C)
• follow instructions. (C, PSVS)
• practice the intonation, rhythm, patterns and stress points of the language. (C)

Speaking
students' will have opportunities to:

• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (PSVS, IL, C)
• practice their pronunciation, intonation, stress points, and volume to suit the situation. (PSVS, IL, C)
• utilize the vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves. (C, IL)

Cultural Considerations
students' will learn:

• vocabulary related to traditional and local foods. (C, PSVS)
• appropriate meal time behaviour. (IL, PSVS)

Assessment

• Checklists - Check that each student is listening, participating and speaking.
• Portfolio - Have students' draw pictures illustrating learned vocabulary.
• Rating scales - Rate students' progress within context of objectives.

Lesson 1

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• practice the intonation and rhythm of the language. (C, CCT, N)

Engaging Activity

• Have students' sit in a circle with you. Review counting 1 - 10 using a counting rhyme.
• Have on hand several foods (e.g., apples) or pictures of selected foods. Introduce new vocabulary by showing the articles and saying the new word (e.g., 2 apples).

Exploring Activities

• One at a time, pass the pictures or articles around the circle as the whole group repeats the terms. Make it sound like a chant.
• Place pictures face down in the centre of the circle and cover foods with a towel. Have students' take turns selecting a picture or lifting a towel and have the group say the related words.

Extending Activities

• Tell students' that they will move to tables where they will find paper and crayons. As they go, each student will whisper to the teacher what food and how many s/he will draw.
• After the pictures are drawn, students' will share their drawings by telling the number and name of the foods on their pictures.
• Display pictures.

Lesson 2

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• understand meaning through gestures, tones and expressions. (C, IL, CCT)

Engaging Activity

• Ask students' to look at the pictures displayed. Have children working in pairs to select one and tell what is shown.
• Using facial expressions and exaggerated gestures, introduce additional terms (e.g., I like ..., I want to eat ...) as you point to certain pictures. Have students' repeat.

Exploring Activities

• Using selected pages from grocery flyers, have each pair of students' select a few foods for which they would like to learn the name.
• Have students' cut and paste the pictures on heavy paper. They may print their names on the back.

Extending Activities

• Display the pictures on the chalk ledge.
• Say the words for each picture and have the pairs of students' practice them. These words will be their "special words".
• Ask students' to bring grocery bags to class for next period.

Lesson 3

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• Display the pictures the children mounted as well as other pictures on the chalk ledge.
• Working in pairs, each with a grocery bag, students' approach the display and select 3 (or more) pictures of foods that they would like to 'buy'.
• Have them sit in a circle with their bags.

Exploring Activities

• Have pairs of students' take turns showing what they have in their bags. If they know the appropriate words, they may say them and "teach" them to the class. If they don't know, another student or the teacher may "teach" the term. Practice the new terms.
• Read some stories that show food, sing songs, or make up a story, song or chant with the students' using vocabulary that the students' are practicing.

Extending Activities

• Review the vocabulary the students' know. Count the number of words.
• Have each student draw a picture showing what they will "teach" someone at home.

Lesson 4

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• utilize appropriate vocabulary to respond to questions. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• Have students' report on their experiences of "teaching" someone at home. Reinforce the positive experiences.

Exploring Activities
The following activity may be coordinated with science.

• Discuss where foods come from, especially the ones that we get directly from plants in a garden.
• Have on hand some seed packages. Choose large seeds that grow easily and quickly (e.g., beans, peas, grain).
• Pass around containers holding some seeds. Discuss their appearance and what they need to grow.
• Working in pairs, have students' list or draw the items they will need in order to plant the seeds. Over the next few days, have children bring any items not available at school.

Extending Activities

• As students' are dismissed, hold a puppet which asks students' an appropriate question in the language being learned. (e.g., "What do you like to eat?") Each child must respond appropriately before leaving.

Lesson 5

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• utilize vocabulary to express themselves. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• Have the students' take inventory of their planting materials. Use counting and other new vocabulary as much as possible.

Exploring Activities

• Plan with the students' which new words they could use as they are planting their seeds. Practice them. You may wish to introduce others. It will be necessary to give students' specific instructions for planting (e.g., amount of soil, depth of seeds, etc.) The teacher may wish to have older students' or parent volunteers to assist with the planting.
• Have students' working in pairs to plant the seeds. Have them practice appropriate vocabulary (e.g., 1 bean, 2 beans, ...) as they are working.
• Mark the calendar with a message (e.g., "Today we planted our seeds.")

Extending Activities

• Display all the food pictures on the chalk ledge. Have students' working in pairs to discuss which of the foods could be grown in a garden.
• Children may take turns selecting the pictures, using learned vocabulary as they do so.
• Display those pictures in a special area. Name it "Garden Foods".

Lesson 6

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• understand a situation through gestures, tones, emotions and expressions. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• As students' come into class, have them check their seed pots. Watering may be required.
• As soon as any growth can be detected, record it on the calendar.
• Have the children join you sitting in a circle, placing a finger over their lips and closing their eyes. Speaking in a soft voice, say, "Imagine that you can see the little seed growing in the ground. See the little roots reaching for water and food. Watch the stem begin to grow. ....") Keep the story going until the plants in the story have foods ready to eat. Have students' open their eyes slowly to the count of 5.

Exploring Activities

• Direct their attention to the "Garden Food" pictures. Have them imagine that the foods are growing in their garden. Teach them words like, "We will pick ..."
• Then have each pair of children "pick" a food, using the appropriate word in a phrase or sentence.

Extending Activities

• Look at the pictures and foods that did not fall into the "garden" category. Discuss where these foods come from.
• Establish some new categories, grouping the pictures and foods accordingly.
• During the weeks that follow, keep records of the growing plants, practicing and learning vocabulary as appropriate.

Lesson 7

Objectives
students' will:

• listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, CCT, PSVS)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• Plan with the students' to make a soup for their lunch, using as many of the foods dealt with in class as possible.
• The teacher may choose to have children bring ingredients from home or shop for them at a local store.
• To determine ingredients and the amounts needed, have the children study a recipe and calculate what they will need so that each student will get one serving.

Exploring Activities

• Ask students' to list what they need to bring from home or shop for at the grocery store. Depending on their stage of development, some students' may draw pictures, some will make letter formations.
• Have students' sit in a circle with pictures of proposed soup ingredients in the centre. Have students' imagine they are making the soup. Go through the procedures by selecting the food, and pretending to chop it, and add it to the soup. Use learned vocabulary.

Lesson 8

Objectives

• students' will listen, observe and participate according to instructions. (C, IL, PSVS)

Engaging Activity

• This lesson involves preparing the ingredients, making the soup, and eating it. Arrange to have this happen first thing in the morning so that the soup is ready for lunch, or prepare it in the afternoon for lunch the next day.
• Teach the students' how to use a knife and peeler safely. (Arrange to have parent volunteers to assist the groups or have them use a knife only under the teacher's supervision.) Then, working in small groups, have them prepare the ingredients carefully.

Exploring Activities

• Have the students' follow the recipe and combine the ingredients for the soup. (The teacher may wish to read the story Stone Soup during Language Arts period. Add a large smooth stone to the soup, just for fun.)
• The children may check the soup as it simmers.
• Discuss appropriate phrases and behaviours associated with eating together. (These may include common sense behaviours and/or those associated with a specific culture.)
• While eating the soup together, have students' identify various ingredients, using the learned vocabulary.
• Have all students' share the job of cleaning up.
• This activity may be videotaped and shown later to see how many new words the students' used during the activity .
• Select appropriate computer assisted learning activity.

Extending Activities

• Reflect on the activities. Discuss what the students' have learned.
• Hand out large sheets of drawing paper. Show students' how to fold paper into 6 or 8 sections. Working in small groups so that they may assist each other, students' may illustrate in each section a new word learned.
• Invite the students' to suggest what they would like to learn as extensions of this unit of work.

Sample Plan Developing Phase

Theme: Food

Foundational Objectives
students' will practice/develop the following:

• ability to use listening to understand meaning.
• curiosity about and interest in print by participating in independent and shared reading and writing activities.
• ability to discuss a limited number of topics using the Indian or Michif language.
• awareness of and respect for cultural protocol.
• ability to participate in small or large groups for conversation and other purposes.

Learning Objectives

students' will be given opportunities to:

• listen and observe attentively. (C, PSVS)
• follow instructions. (C)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, IL)
• master the intonation, rhythm, patterns and stress points of the language. (C)
• utilize vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves orally and in writing. (C, CCT, IL)
• express themselves through writing using vocabulary learned in the oral and reading portion of the class. (C, CCT, IL)
• read and recognize the written version of the oral vocabulary that has been introduced. (C)

Assessment

• Checklist - listening, participation and completion of assigned tasks
• Portfolio - written assignments
• Rating scale - peer & self evaluations, teacher made quizzes

Lessons

Lesson 1

Learning Objectives
students' will:

• listen and observe attentively. (IL, PSVS)
• follow instructions. (C, CCT)

Engaging Activity

• Begin the lesson by writing the word 'food in both languages.
• Display flashcards of various food items.
• Discuss with the students' how the foods might be grouped.
• Write the categories and names of these foods in webs. Webs may be written in the first or second language or a combination of both.
• Brainstorm for other foods that can be included in the groups.
• The students' may choose which group of foods they want to study.

The resulting sample web might resemble the following:

The web may be expanded to include other items such as cooking terms and prices of food, according to the students' choices. The teacher will proceed depending on the progress and enthusiasm of the students'. An occasional review of this web may be in order.

Exploring Activities

• Have on hand an assortment of flyers and magazines. Divide the class into groups and have them cut out various pictures to glue on cards.
• Display the illustrations. Using the illustrations and the web, assess what food related vocabulary students' already know, and what they need or want to learn. Make appropriate lists.

Extending Activity

• Explain to the students' that they will be required to complete a project during the next few weeks. Most of the work will be done outside of class time. students' may work individually or in small groups. They might think about and discuss with family or friends the type of project they would be interested in doing.
• As they leave the class, have students' each select a food picture, and say a word related to it.

Lesson 2

Learning Objectives
students' will be able to:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• follow instructions. (C, CCT)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, IL, PSVS)

Engaging Activity

• For this sample unit it is assumed that the students' chose to study fruit words.
• Introduce vocabulary for food, fruit, listen (you singular and plural), say it (you singular and plural), close your eyes, (you singular and plural). Practice words with the students'.
• Using the picture flash cards the students' made and any other illustrations available, review new vocabulary. Say, "Listen," and say the word. For more emphasis hold your hand to your ear to indicate what you mean. Name the fruit. Repeat twice. On the third time around, again in the language being taught, use the command, "Say it!" If the students' can't say the word, say, "Close your eyes." Practice the terms.
• Utilize appropriate software.

Exploring Activities

• Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 students'. Have each group decide on which terms they will practice. They may get the pictures for those terms from the chalkboard ledge. Give them a set time (8 min.). The teacher may circulate among the groups and provide assistance as needed.
• At the end of the designated time, one spokesperson from each group may share with the class what they practiced.

Lesson Extension

• Discuss with the students' the assignment mentioned last period. The teacher may wish to set out specific criteria like a minimum number of new food related words included, evidence of a cultural component, and the length of time students' have to complete it.
• Have the students' suggest various possibilities for projects. They might include: a recipe book; a food (picture) dictionary; a food alphabet book; a story (involving foods, preparation, and related protocol) recorded on audio tape; a research project on traditional foods; a diorama showing some aspect of food gathering, hunting, etc.; a computer based project; or a video showing food preparation.
• Establish with the students' the evaluation procedure (e.g., number & distribution of marks), and the due date.
• If students' are ready to make decisions on their projects, have them outline on a page what they want to do, sign the page, and hand it in. If they change their minds about their projects, they will consult the teacher.

Lesson 3

Learning Objectives
students' will be able to:

• listen and observe attentively. (C, PSVS)
• utilize the vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves orally and in writing. (C, IL)
• master the intonation, rhythm, patterns and stress points of the language. (C, IL)

Engaging Activity

• Review previous lesson using "teacher-talk". Using flashcards, have students' name all the fruits that were introduced in the previous lesson.
• Introduce a conversation pattern like the following:
  I am hungry.
  Are you (singular) hungry?
  What do you (singular) want to eat?
  __________ or _____________?
• Use the flashcards for students' to make choices. Some students' may not be ready to say the words and may just point at their choice. The teacher may make a note of this for future instruction.

Exploring Activities

• Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5 students'. Give each group a picture for each student and some masking tape. Have the students' tape a picture on each student's back. In the group the students' take turns. Student 1 asks, "What do you want to eat?" She shows her picture and the group replies, "We want .... (whatever is shown on Student 1's back)." After each student in the group has had a turn, mix up the groups and go through the same process again.

Extending Activities

• Have students' work with partners. Give each pair a worksheet with pictures of different fruits on them.
• Have students' write the appropriate name under each picture using the words written on the board or on the worksheet.
• Practice with appropriate software.

Lesson 4

Learning Objectives
students' will be able to:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, PSVS)
• master the intonation, rhythm, patterns and stress points of the language. (PSVS, C)
• utilize the vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves orally and in writing. (C)

Engaging Activity

• Have students' sit in a semi-circle in front of the Canada Food Guide poster.
• Point to the fruits on the poster and ask, "What is this?" (Note: Be sure that review drills like this are fast paced with students' feeling free to make mistakes.)
• Use flashcards for more practice.
• Read an appropriate story. (If a story is not in your dialect or is entirely different from your language, consider requesting permission to translate the story.)

Exploring Activities

• Have the students' sit in a circle. Introduce new words with appropriate pictures or objects.
• Hand out pictures of new and familiar vocabulary so that each student has a picture.
• Start the record player with some music. As the music plays, students' pass along their pictures. Stop the music. The students' show their pictures, and name their foods either to the whole group or the person next to them. students' should feel free to help one another. Start the music and continue.
• The activity may be varied by using different phrases or sentences.

Lesson Extension

• Discuss with the students' the kinds of fruit (and other foods like nuts or dressing) that would be good in a fruit salad. This may include canned or frozen fruit as well as wild berries.
• Have each student volunteer to bring some ingredients for the next lesson. Some students' may wish to bring other things to eat with a salad, such as bannock or chips.
• Check with the students' on the progress of their projects. If appropriate, plan a class period for them to bring necessary materials to work on projects in class. This will help the students' who have limited time outside of school hours and will give the teacher a chance to assist students' who are having difficulty.

Lesson 5

Learning Objectives
students' will:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• follow instructions. (C)
• strengthen students' social skills (working in groups). (PSVS)

Engaging Activity

• Take an inventory of the salad ingredients. It may be a good idea to have extra ingredients on hand.
• Give the students' instructions on handling peelers and knives safely. (The teacher may wish to have older students' or parents assisting.)
• Discuss the ingredients and size of chunks needed for the salad.

Exploring Activity

• Have the students' working in groups, making one large or several small salads.
• Before serving the salad, discuss appropriate behaviour (basic courtesies and cultural protocol) when eating together.

Lesson 6

Learning Objectives

students' will:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, PSVS)
• communicate the meaning of situations through gestures, tones, emotions and expressions. (C)
• utilize the vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves orally and in writing. (C)

Engaging Activities

• Review vocabulary using "teacher-talk". (See Appendix C for an example.)
• Introduce new vocabulary like:
  "Are you (plural) hungry?"
  "I am hungry."
  "I want to eat _____."
  "What do you (singular) want to eat?"
• Model and practice conversations using the above questions and answers.

Exploring Activity

• Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5 students', each with a tape recorder.
• Have students' practice conversations for a few minutes and then record them.
• students' may listen to their recordings for self-evaluation. Encourage students' to listen for pronunciation, etc. If they are dissatisfied, they may practice briefly and tape record again.

Lesson Extension

• If the students' are comfortable with their recordings, have groups exchange their tapes - for learning purposes, not to criticize.

Lesson 7

Learning Objectives
students' will:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• follow instructions. (C)
• read and recognize the written version of the oral vocabulary learned in the oral and reading portion of the class. (C)
• strengthen students' social skills (working in groups). (PSVS)

Engaging Activity

• Have students' look at the web and decide on what other food related vocabulary they would like to learn. For this sample unit, assume that they select menus for different meals.
• Introduce and practice necessary vocabulary.

Developing Activities

• Hand out papers that measure about 8.5 x 14 inches. students' may fold this paper in three sections to make a "Menu" pamphlet.
• The students' may work in small groups or individually to design menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, one meal in each section. The pamphlets may show pictures and appropriate words in each section. If possible, these may be done on classroom computers.

Lesson Extension

• Reflect with the students' on what they have learned to date. List or just count the number of new words. (students' may be surprised how much they have learned.)
• Ask the students' to consider these new words and how they might be used in a story for the next lesson.

Lesson 8

Learning Objectives
students' will:

• follow instructions. (C)
• read and recognize the written version of the oral vocabulary learned in the oral and reading portion of the class. (C)
• strengthen students' social skills (working in groups). (PSVS)

Engaging Activity

• Discuss story ideas with students'. When there is agreement on a plot, have students' dictate a story while the teacher writes it on the chart paper in the language being taught.
• The teacher and students' read the story together, making editorial changes as needed. Save this story and add it to a reading corner where their own stories are placed.

Exploring Activities

• This activity may be coordinated with a Language Arts period. Arrange ahead of time with the teacher-librarian to pull various books that have stories mentioning foods (e.g., Little Red Riding Hood, Gingerbread Man, many others).
• Divide the class into small groups, each with some of stories and some file cards.
• Have the students' write the name of the story on one side of a file card and on the other a sentence about the kind of food mentioned in the story. (The students' may need the teacher's help with vocabulary.)
• Have the students' sit in a circle with the cards in the centre. Have a student select a card. The group that prepared the card may comment on the story and the sentence written.

Lesson Extensions

• If the students' seemed interested in the above activity, have them choose a story and retell it, changing it to occur in the students' community and/or to reflect the culture of the language being studied. This may be done in combination with a Language Arts period.
• In order to do this successfully, the activity should be modelled first. With the whole class select a story, suggest changes, and retell it together.
• When students' understand the process, have them work in groups. Select a story, brainstorm various changes that might be made, and compose the story together. Practice telling it using as many second language words as possible.
• Tell the new story to the class. Have an older student videotape the presentations. View the video later to self critique.

Lesson 9

Learning Objectives
students' will:

• listen and observe attentively. (PSVS)
• develop confidence in their verbal responses. (C, PSVS)
• utilize the vocabulary at the particular level of instruction to express themselves orally and in writing. (C)

Engaging Activities

• Have students' bring their projects to class. Discuss with them how each group would like to share their projects.

Developing Activities

• Have students' share their projects.
• Evaluate according to the procedures and criteria established, doing both a teacher and self-evaluation.

Lesson Extension

• Discuss with students' the direction of lessons to follow.