Ecd450 3 1

Running Head: LANGUAGE ACTIVITY 1
Language Activity: We Can Describe It!

Amber Kalender
Fresno Pacific University

CA Preschool Learning Foundation:
Listening and Speaking
1.1 Use language to communicate with others in familiar social situations for a variety of basic
purposes, including describing, requesting, commenting, acknowledging, greeting, and rejecting.
Title of Lesson:
We Can Describe It
Background Information:
We Can Describe It is an on-going circle time or group time activity. The purpose of We Can
Describe it is to take a part of the current curriculum, in this case a food and have the children
use all their senses to verbally state descriptive words about the subject being studied. This
activity can appeal to the child who learns hands on by allowing the child to touch, taste, see, and
hear the object. The auditorily learners can listen to their teachers and classmates verbal
description of the object. The visual learner can reference the large chart the teacher is creating
using all of the descriptive words that they class has come up with when describing the object.
Objective:
Students will use their senses to verbally describe how popcorn tastes, smells, looks, sounds, and
feels.
Materials:
Large post-it poster paper
Marker
Popcorn
Oil
Popcorn machine
Cups
Popcorn Book by Frank Asch.
Procedure:
Review Students will need to have the understanding of the ways we interact in circle
or group time such as: raising a hand to speak and allowing friends to finish their thought before
speaking. Students will also be familiar with the concept of sense from previous We Can
Describe It activities
Overview Show students the pre-portioned cups of popcorn and explain to the class
that we will being using our senses to describe the snack popcorn.
Presentation During whole group time read the story Popcorn by Frank Asch.
Emphasize on the descriptive words when the bears are eating (MUNCH/CRUNCH). After
reading the story place the We Can Describe It: Popcorn, chart in front of the group of students
at circle time. Read the columns that the children will be describing: Tastes, Smells, Looks,
Sounds, Feels. Then pass out cups of popcorn to students.
Instruct students to eat a piece of popcorn. After the students have finished eating ask the
question: How does popcorn taste? Encourage the responses to be in complete sentences using
the sentence frame: The popcorn tastes______. (buttery, salty, yummy) Record responses on the
chart.
Instruct students to smell the popcorn. Ask the question: How does popcorn Smell?
Encourage the responses to be in complete sentences using the sentence frame: The popcorn
smells______. (buttery, sweet, delicious). Record responses on the chart.

Instruct students to look at the popcorn. Ask the question: What does the popcorn look
like? Encourage the responses to be in complete sentences using the sentence frame: The
popcorn looks______. (yellow, fluffy, bumpy). Record responses on the chart.
Instruct students to listen to the sounds the popcorn makes in their hands and in their
mouths when they are eating it. Also have the students think about the sound the popcorn made
when it was popping in the microwave in class. Ask the question: What sounds do popcorn
make? Encourage the responses to be in complete sentences using the sentence frame: The
popcorn sounds ______. (loud, squeaky, crunchy). Record responses on the chart.
Instruct students to hold some popcorn in their hands. Ask the question: How does
popcorn feel? Encourage the responses to be in complete sentences using the sentence frame:
The popcorn feels ______. (warm, melty, soft, silky). Record responses on the chart.
Wrap up by asking the students if there are any other ways we can describe popcorn,
discuss and record necessary. After the discussion introduce the story, Popcorn, by Frank Asch.
Read the story to the students while they eat their popcorn from the activity. Close the discussion
by talking about the popcorn featured in the story Popcorn, and the popcorn that the students
interacted with in class. Listen to ideas about other activities the students would like to do.
Differentiated Instruction
This lesson incorporates many learning styles such as visual where the child prefers using
pictures and images which is incorporated with the use of the popcorn chart. The next learning
style addresses it auditory-musical where the child prefers using sound and music, this addressed
by allowing the children to experience the sounds that popcorn makes as well as the book being
read before the lesson. The Verbal learning style is when the child prefers using words, both in
speech and writing which is the core of the lesson, the children will state verbally descriptive
words which are recorded in writing by the instructor. The physical learning style is when the
child prefers using their body, hands and sense of touch which is required of the children in order
to describe the popcorn in this lesson. The social or interpersonal learning style is when the child
prefers to learn in groups or with other people which is addressed by making this activity a
whole group experience.
Discussion Questions:
1. How does popcorn taste?
2. How does popcorn Smell?
3. What does the popcorn look like?
4. What sounds do popcorn make?
5. How does popcorn feel?
6. Are any other ways we can describe popcorn?
Evidence of Learning:
The instructor will check for understanding by analyzing the chart. Were the students
able to come up with many descriptive words or did they struggle with coming up with a few
ways to describe the popcorn. The amount of words listed in the descriptive columns of the chart
will be a way to assess if the children understood the activity and if they had enough vocabulary
words to properly describe popcorn.
Next Steps:
Completion: Move on to the next story time/We Can Describe It activity in the next
week with
no added support on descriptive words.
Incompletion: During the next We Can Describe It activity model some descriptive
words before starting the lesson. Write and tell of a few examples throughout the activity.
One example of this is when talking about what the object looks like prompt the students
by asking them what color the object is or what shape it is.

Asch, F. (1979). Popcorn. New York: Little Simon.
California Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved September 04, 2017, from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/

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Running Head: LANGUAGE ACTIVITY 1

Language Activity: We Can Describe It!

Fresno Pacific University

CA Preschool Learning Foundation:

Listening and Speaking

purposes, including describing, requesting, commenting, acknowledging, greeting, and rejecting.

Large post-it poster paper

Popcorn Book by Frank Asch.

Sounds, Feels. Then pass out cups of popcorn to students.

smells______. (buttery, sweet, delicious). Record responses on the chart.

popcorn looks______. (yellow, fluffy, bumpy). Record responses on the chart.

whole group experience.

1. How does popcorn taste?

2. How does popcorn Smell?

3. What does the popcorn look like?

4. What sounds do popcorn make?

5. How does popcorn feel?

6. Are any other ways we can describe popcorn?

words to properly describe popcorn.

no added support on descriptive words.

by asking them what color the object is or what shape it is.

Asch, F. (1979). Popcorn. New York: Little Simon.

California Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved September 04, 2017, from

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