Supplies:
Pencil, Glue, and Scissors
Cereal Box
Wrapping paper
String
Markers/ Crayons/ or Colored Pencils
Copies:
Three per student
Sides are 2up, plus front and back of box
Grade Levels K, 1st and 2nd
This activity is a step-driven process for students to create a goal for the New Year. It introduces onomatopoeia and helps students learn the concept of inference through the building of their superhero.
Students will identify their strengths and personal character traits to help them determine their mission and make a change.
Pair it with the PBS KIDS Xavier and the Secret Museum Movie and/or I am Marie Curie, by Brad Metzler to help students understand how they can be anything they set their minds to and make big changes in our future.
At the end of the activity, each student will have a personalized plan to achieve a yearly goal represented through character traits as a superhero on a cereal box. The activity includes a lesson guide, anchor chart examples, templates for the cereal box activity; as well as, an emblem and mask for oral presentation.
This lesson incorporates the story The Little Spot of Feelings by Diane Alber, but does not require companion resources to complete the lesson.
Suggested Companions
Movie
Books
Brain Break
Discussion Anchor(s)
Discussion: Use your Storytelling Superpower for discussion! We began with the Xavier Riddle Movie and used the five pieces of the puzzle to anchor our lesson to what ordinary people need to prepare themselves to be a superheroes. We wrote these on chart paper and posted them in the room for quick referral through the completion of the lesson. (The colored dots are explained below in SEL.)
Social-Emotional: The Little Spot Book series is a big part of our classroom. We have been working on identifying our feelings and how to battle them with healthy responses this year. We utilized the feeling spots as our superhero colors. We colored our costumes using these to identify the strengths of a hero.
The Audience: Movement breaks are a must for primary and Danny Go is the superhero in our classroom. "Ka-Pow!" was just what we needed for our lesson in onomatopoeia and was easily incorporated movement into our lesson.
Tech Time: I wanted the kids to have an opportunity for engagement even though we would use a coloring page for the cereal box. PBS Kids has a cool interactive you can use to build your superhero. We took time out to have some fun and make it engaging for them. (This would be a great opportunity for fourth and fifth graders to use the tech creator to build the character before they draw their own on the cereal box cover.)
Read Aloud: I am Marie Curie by Brad Meltzer video story was incorporated with PBS Kids Xavier Riddle lesson on Marie Curie and used with the printable Biosketch so the kids could highlight vocabulary: ( Nobel Prize and persistence).
Hands-On Hooray: Let students build the hero on technology, color their hero cover for their cereal box, and write their onomatopoeia in the dialogue balloons. Use the Think Sheet to identify three words, for each of the questions, so that writing is easier. (Pictured are some of the things we generated during our actual discussion. Sorry I didn't recreate it for better picture quality). The cereal box's sides and back were individual lessons during our writing time.
Art: Color your mask and create your emblem for presentation!
Why Multi-Resource Lessons Matter!
Multi-resource lessons are a Teaching Toolbox.
Ready to spice up your lessons? Here are some tips:
Know your audience: Tailor your resources to their age, interests, and learning styles.
Mix and match: Don't be afraid to get creative! Combine traditional methods with modern technology, hands-on activities with thought-provoking discussions.
Curate with care: Choose resources that are accurate, engaging, and relevant to your lesson objectives.
Make it interactive: Encourage students to interact with the video resources, ask questions, and share their insights through discussion or in graphic organizers or workbooks.
Identify their Superhero Skills!: Every child has a unique learning superpower. Some zoom through sight words, others build bridges with Legos, even, making it across the Monkey bars requires the skill of being prepared for the next rung and never giving up.
By using different resources, you cater to diverse learning styles, helping each child unlock their special skills and build confidence as they conquer learning challenges.