What do you see?

This lesson is designed to teach color vocabulary and some basic animal names to novice level ESL students in grades 1-2 using Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?

A lesson plan for grades 1–2 English Language Arts

By Cindy Young

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• Learn more about English language learners, colors, hands-on, kinesthetic learners, language arts, read-alouds, text interaction, and vocabulary.

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Learning outcomes

Given color charts labeled with color name and a picture, students will glue pictures from their environment and verbally produce the correct color name.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

3 Days

Materials/resources

• Bill Martin’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
• paper plate masks with photocopies of the animals from the book
• chart paper labeled with color name and photocopy of animal from the book
• glue
• scissors
• magazines
• crayons
• tongue depressors

Pre-activities

Teacher should read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin several times during the week prior to the activities. Students should be familiar with both the story and the rhythm of the repeated phrases, “(Animal, Animal) what do you see?” “I see an (Animal)looking at me.”

Students should also be familiar with some common classroom vocabulary (pencil, table, book, etc.)

Activities

Day One

1. Read aloud Bill Martin’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear,What do you See?to the class. The story should be familiar to the students at this point due to previous readings.
2. Give students a paper plate and a photocopy of one of the animals from the story. Depending on the number of students in the class, you may have more than one bear, bird, goldfish, etc. Have students color the animal as it is colored in the book and glue it on their paper plate. Attach a tongue depressor to the bottom of the plate so that it can be used as a hand-held mask.
3. Read the book again to the students. Ask students to stand when their animal is being spoken to and is speaking. Direct them to sit down when it is the next animal’s turn. Encourage students who have started to learn the repetitive phrasing of the book to chant along with the teacher as she reads.
4. After reading, call out each animal name and color, for example, “Brown Bear.” Have the appropriate students stand as they are called.

Day Two

1. Give students their masks again. Read the book aloud again to the students. Have them stand when their animal is spoken to or is speaking.
2. Ask each student to trade masks with another student. Repeat the reading and standing.
3. Trade masks again. Seat students in lines that are the same as the order of animals presented in the book. Instruct students that the teacher will ask the question, “(Animal, Animal) what do you see?” They should look at the person next to them and say the name of that animal, for example, “Red Bird.” If students are able to say the entire phrase, “I see a Red Bird looking at me,” encourage them to do so.
4. Repeat step 3 several times. Change students and masks, giving each student as many opportunities as possible to say the names of the various animals. Continue to encourage each student to use the entire phrase.

Day Three

1. Begin by seating students in rows that are ordered as the animals are in the books. Have students chant along with the teacher as she reads the book. Encourage students to act out the words of the book by turning to their neighbor to ask the question when their animal is speaking.
2. In the front of the classroom, hang charts that have both the animal and the color word for each animal in the book. For example, one poster will have the words “Red Bird” and a colored picture of the red bird from the story.
3. Ask students to look around the room. Tell them that you will ask them the question “(Name, Name) what do you see?” Direct them to answer by giving the name and color of an object in the classroom, for example, “yellow pencil.” Encourage those students who are able to answer using the phrase, “I see a yellow pencil looking at me.” Continue this questioning until all students have had an opportunity to respond.
4. Give each student a magazine and a pair of scissors. Ask students to find one picture for each poster. The picture should match the color on the poster. The teacher should stand in the front of the class to assist students when they have found their pictures. Direct students to bring each picture to the front of the class as they find it. Ask the student to determine which poster their picture matches and then ask them to name the color. Assess students’ mastery of the color names by recording what they say as they bring each picture.

Assessment

The teacher’s objectives for this lesson have been met if the student is able to glue the pictures onto the appropriate poster and verbally produce the color word for each picture.