Kristen Houston - Section 02

~. .The Very Hungry Caterpillar Movement Activity

This arts integration lesson plan combines dramatic movement activities with literacyskills for kindergarten. Children will play the role of the "The Very Hungry Caterpillar",

act out, review story details and answer story questions, all with physical movements

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Movement Lesson Plan Objectives

Lesson Plan Objective 1: Through physical movements, kindergarten and first gradestudents will assume and dramatize the role of a caterpillar based on an oral story readingand based on Eric Carle's artwork in the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.Lesson Plan Objective 2: Through physical movements, kindergarten and first gradestudents will move or pose to review the title of the book and story details.Lesson Plan Objective 3: Through physical movements, kindergarten and first gradestudents will move or pose to answer questions about story sequencing regarding thebeginning, the middle and the. end of the story

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Materials Needed for The Very Hungry Caterpillar Movement Activity

L • 5 Hula Hoops*• The VelY Hungry Caterpillar Book by Eric CarIe

Alternatives to Hoops: Tables to crawl under, play tunnels or playground equipment

Materials Set-Up for Movement Activity

Teachers can either set up hoops around the room before the activity or byhaving somestudents or adults hold the hoops vertically during the story. To set up the hoops aroundthe room, teachers can tape hoops to bookshelves or prop and tape them between twochairs. Hoops should be set up vertically so that students can crawl through the hoops topretend to "eat" through the foods in the story.

Reading and Acting Out the Story Movement Activity

Verbal Cues:

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• Find a space on the floor.• As I read this story about a caterpillar, you pretend to be the caterpillar inside the

egg and act out the story.Teacher task:

Read the story. Ask kindergartners any of the prompting questions below if necessary:• If you are the caterpillar, what shape would your body be to be inside the egg?• How does your body look now?• How will you eat through the food?

Verbal Cuec<'"to Review Story Details:

-. At the point in the story where the caterpillar eats through various foods, teacher holds upor props up the hula-hoops (in a vertical position) as the items to "eat through" andstudents make movements to "eat" through the hoops.

Movement Activities for Story Title, Story Details and Story Seguencing

Verbal Cues to Review the Story Title:

• Find a space on the floor.• Tell me the name of the book we read with your words.• Now instead oftelling me the name of the story with your words, show me the

name of the story by moving your body. How can you move that shows me thename of the book? Show me the name of the book with only moving. Now thistime make sure that your mouth doesn't answer at all- only your body.

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'- • Think about 1 thing that-the Hungr-y Caterpillar did in the book. Pretend you arethe caterpillar in the story. Show me with your body one thing that happened toyou in the story.

• How big or little was the caterpillar when he first popped out ofthe egg? (tiny)Make your body as tiny as you can.

• How big or little was the caterpillar after he ate through all of the food? (big,fat)Make your body as big & fat as you can.

• Show me tiny again. And big & fat again.

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Verbal Cues to Review Story Sequencing:

• Tell me with your words what happened in the beginning of the story.• Show me with your body what happened at the beginning ofthe story.• Tell me with your words what happened in the middle of the story.• Show me with your body what happened in the middle of the story.• Tell me with your words what happened at the end ofthe story.• Show me with your body what happened at the end of the story.• Now show me with your body the beginning, the middle, the end.

This interactive lesson plan helps children learn story sequencing through dramaticrepresentation of the main character. Kindergarten students will not only listen to the

story read aloud, but will move like caterpillar to act out the story elements.

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