What's in the Grass?

Materials

In the Tall, Tall

Grass by Denise

Fleming

art materials:

construction

paper, paper

plates, yarn

markers

crayons

glue or paste

mural paper

Instructions

1. Gather the children and show them the pictures of the cricket and grasshopper.
2. Invite the children to comment on the appearance of each insect and encourage
them to share what they already know about crickets or grasshoppers.
3. Invite one or more children to demonstrate how a cricket might sound
and how it might hop about. Invite another child to demonstrate how a
grass hopper might jump about the classroom.
4. Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to be the crickets and the
other group to be the grasshoppers.
5. Have all the children line up at the far side of the room with one or two feet of
space between each child.
6. Take turns displaying a cricket or grasshopper picture and saying commands
such as, "Crickets hop three times," or "Grasshoppers jump twice."
7. Continue calling out commands until all the crickets and grasshoppers are
sitting at your feet.
8. Share one of the books with the children and then repeat the activity.
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
* Make copies of the cricket and grasshopper pictures. Give each child a picture
to hold as they hop or jump across the room.
Assessment
Consider the following:
* Invite a child to page through one of the books suggested in the list on this
page. Listen as the child "teaches" you what she knows about crickets or
grasshoppers.
* Can the children