unit plan template -...

“Frog and Toad are Friends!”

Name: Dana McKie Date April 16, 2013

Unit OverviewTitle “Frog and Toad are Friends!” by Arnold LobelFocus Questions


If your friend was sick and not feeling well, what are some things you could do to cheer him/her up? Why is it important to be a friend? What are some ways that you can think of that makes someone a good friend? What do friends NOT do to each other? What does the word “caring” mean to you?

Unit Summary


This is a reading unit that was designed to teach children about friendship , all while involving five other subject based lesson plans including language arts, reading, art, music, science, math, and social studies. The “Frog and the Toad are Friends” is a classic book series from the 1970’s that most children would not have heard of or read in their classroom. In this particular unit the children will be learning about the importance of friendship and good deeds and will be able to create their own frog at the end of the unit to place on the “Map Wall” displaying good deeds they have witnessed or done throughout the unit. At the end of this unit the students will have created their own frog using a variety of artistic motor skill, learned a song about frogs, done a science lesson on facts about frogs and toads, a math game involving numbered leap frogs, and learned a variety of vocabulary words to place on the “Word Wall” in the classroom. At the end of this unit the children will get the chance to show their frog journal they kept of pictures of frogs and frog and toad facts to the class for show and tell day. I will also be introducing our very own frog class pet at the end of the unit plan as a surprise to the students!


Subject Area(s): Reading, language arts, and science are the main focus of this unit plan but there are extra-curricular subjects included such as music and art. Grade Level: Kindergarten


STANDARDS:Science:Scientific InquiryK.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world.The Scientific EnterpriseK.1.2 Begin to demonstrate that everyone can do science.* observation: gaining information through the use of one or more of the senses, such as sight,Smell, etc.Language Arts: Concepts about PrintK.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.


Learning ObjectivesThe students will be able to :

Relay an understanding of what friendship means, as well as list ways they can help their community by lending a hand and being a friend to others.

Given a set of mathematical problems the students will be able to correctly identify numbers 1-10 labeled on the leap frog game.

List at least 5 to 10 facts they learned about frogs throughout the unit in their frog journal, as well as explain where they found the information.

Label and cite the key vocabulary words and place them on the “Word Wall” created for vocabulary words recognized from books read in the classroom.


Unit Scope and Sequence Brainstorm ways to be a good friend Letter written to other students in the classroom Research facts about frogs and toads Research points of interest Frog journal filled with pictures and facts about frogs (pictures can be found on the internet as well as hand-

drawn.) Creative bulletin board with a frog representing each student. Frog will be moved up or down from the good

deeds they do for others. This can be done in the classroom or out of the classroom in the community. Partner evaluation/character analysis will be performed in the social studies unit when talking about the

importance of community members such as teachers, fireman, policeman, our parents and our friends.


Student Assessment Students’ will be assessed individually as well as in a group setting. Students’ will be assessed on their ability to recognize and understand good deeds. There will be a language assessment on the letters the students are required to write to one another, as well

as the science facts written in their frog journal. Assessment will involve correctness of the use of the vocabulary words, spelling, and if the facts about frogs and toads are correct in their booklets.

Unit ImplementationInstructional Strategies Grouping Options Scaffolds


Prior to beginning: Go over objective questions with the class. The students will be gathered on the reading rug area in front of the teacher. The teacher will then ask : •If your friend was sick and not feeling well, what are some things you could do to cheer him/her up?

In the beginning of the Unit Lesson the students will be gathered as a class on the reading rug. There is no differentiation at this point for the students because they must listen to the story to apply and comprehend the rest of the lessons in this Unit.

No scaffolding tools used yet. Students will be asked to just listen carefully to the story and think of ways the frog and the toad are friends to each other.


•Why is it important to be a friend?•What are some ways that you can think of that makes someone a good friend? •What do friends NOT do to each other?What sort of things can we do to make new friends in the community?


Next the teacher will read “The Frog and the Toad are Friends.”


Day 1: Introduce Unit with this question. What are ways you are a good friend to others? Why does this make you a good friend? What other things can you do to be a good friend to others that you don’t know? Explain that this lesson we will be reading about “The Frog and the

Brainstorm general ideas as a class of ways to be a friend. This can be done in groups of 3 or 4. Have the student’s brainstorm, things they would put in their frog journal. Have them think of facts they know about frogs already, and things they want to know about frogs.

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Toad are Friends.” Explain a few of the projects we will be doing such as writing a letter to someone in the class, learning a song about frogs and friendship, the facts we will be putting in the frog journal we create, and lily pads we will be making for our good deed wall.


Day 2: Persuasive Letter: Write a letter to a classmate replying to the letter frog sent to toad in the book read on day 1. Draw names of classmates to write a letter using 2 of the vocab words in the book. The letter will be saved to be used in the art lesson further to come.

Write letter individually. In partners read and evaluate the letter. No grouping options as this point of the lesson.

-Materials for this portion:Costume for snail mail deliverer (snail hat or snail sticker.)-book and vocab words


Send the letter to the classmate. The “snail” will be the mailman for everyone in the class and be asked to put the letter in each individual’s cubby hole. Each student will read their letter to the class. Frog letters will then be placed on the mobile for the art lesson.

-chart paper-names of students to be drawn for the letter writing-pencils, markers, frog stickers, and cut out frog paper to write the letter on.

Individual grouping. No scaffolding suggestions.


Day 3-Science portion of the Unit

Day 3- contd.

Fact book: Frogs and toads. Frog and toads fact game will be played by using a frog game board with a spinner. Every fourth dot is a shiny dot representing a frog. Ask questions as to whether the fact pertains to a toad or a frog. When the student lands on a dot (frog) they must answer a question about frogs or toads. Students will get to move ahead if the fact is right, but they have to stay where they are if the fact is incorrect.

Materials needs are frog stickers, fact cards number spinner, 2 – 4 payers for each group, and the frog and toad movers.

Day 4- Art Unit- Students will work in groups of 3-5

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students. Each student will be asked to take their letter and place it on the frog letter to make a frog mobile.

Students will be given frog pattern, paper for title, coat hanger, glue, tissue paper, glitter, letters for language arts, scissors, hole punch, yarn, and whatever other craft materials they desire.

Day 5- Social Studies Creating a bulletin board With the title The bulletin board that we will create will be labeled “Friends Help Each Other!”


“Friends Help Each Other!”

The students will be asked to take the lily pads they are given and draw a picture and put their name in the middle of the lily pad. They will then brainstorm how friends help each other, for instance, sharing, caring, helping others in need, being respectful, etc. As students help each other throughout the unit (and can be continued throughout the years as well), they will get to place a lily pad on the lily pad bulletin with the name of the person that helped them and what they did. At the end of the day the students will get to vote who did the best deed for the day, or who had the most lily pads placed on their name. -Materials needed for this unit are lily pads (enough for the whole class each day), blank laminated frogs, dry erase pens or markers, and Velcro.


Day 6-Math Portion In the math portion of this unit the students will be working on number

The students will review the numbers 1-10 before playing the game. Next, the teacher will set up flip charts for number word recognition and numeral


recognition. This is one of the math standards for kindergarten in Indiana. This game will involve a leap frog type format.

recognition. After reviewing the numbers the children will be given frog stickers and introduced to the tag board where they will be moving their frog up or down according to what number they get on the number flash cards. Frogs are addition, and toads are subtraction. The teacher will roll the dice and pick a card. If the card the teacher picks is a toad the student will move down the said number on the board. If the number is a frog the students will move up on the number board. The first student to 50 on the number chart wins the game. Students can “leap” over other students on the board to get to the top!


Day 6 contd.Day 6 contd.

Students who are ESL or have an IEP

Students who are ESL will still be asked to participate in all of the activities but may be given more one on one help when using vocabulary words. Students with IEP’s will be evaluated on their ability to participate on a more personal and individualized level.

Gifted and talented students will be asked to

Extensions cited in teacher’s Unit Explanation.


cite more facts in their frog fact journal. (6-10 facts.)

Management/Organization TipsStudents will be put in to groups several times during this Unit. It would be best to have groups assigned and divided before the lesson begins to cut back on transition time from lesson to lesson. All normal classroom rules will apply including be respectful of your neighbors and your group members, use classroom supplies respectfully and keep our classroom neat and organized, no shouting, pushing, hitting, or shoving, and always use our level 2 voices.Approximate Time NeededThe Unit is planned for 6 days and each lesson is estimated to take anywhere from 30- 45 minutes,


depending on the subject. The art and music lessons are shorter, while the Social Studies and Science lessons are estimated to take 30-40 minutes. If along the way the students state there is something else they wanted to know or learn about frogs or toads, this can be added in as an extra “bonus day” of this unit. Prerequisite SkillsStudents will be expected to know numbers 1-10, be able to recognize their own name as well as their classmate’s names, and the children should be able to write short sentences to be recorded in their frog and toad journal. Materials and Resources Required for UnitThe book “Frog and Toad are Friends.”


IPad/ComputersCraft supplies-construction paper, hangers, dry erase markers, coloring markers, paint, glue, math game materials,, blank laminated frogs, dry erase pens or markers, and Velcro, tissue paper, glitter, letters for language arts, scissors, hole punch, yarn, and crayons.Optional Technology Extensions

The students may take turns looking up facts about frogs and toads on the classroom computer or IPad.

Key Word Search and Best

Key Word Search-Students may run into words they are not familiar with when they are looking up facts about


Practices Used

frogs and toads for their fact journal. If and when this happens I will have the students look up the word in the picture dictionary in the classroom, or if the word is too hard to look up I will gather the class around and explain the word or words found to the entire class so everyone knows.

Best Practices-One of the best practices I am most passionate about as a teacher is the practice that states that students respond positively to learning things that they can relate back to the community they live in. I feel very strongly about teaching students ways that they can give back to the community. I also think it is very important to give students the choice of community activities they would like to participate in. This unit lesson was designed around


caring about others. This would be a starter unit lesson that would eventually lead into students choosing a project that would benefit their personal community or a community they would like to learn more about.

AuthorFirst and Last Name Dana McKie – teacher

Author of “Frog and Toad are Friends” - Arnold LobelEmail Address [email protected]