Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

Overview

This unit has not been taught yet but will be part of an "Early Success" Kindergarten Program that includes the Reading Teacher, Classroom teacher, Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist. Students are divided into four small groups. Each group meets with a teacher once a week for 30 minutes. In this unit the Reading Teacher and the Classroom Teacher would team together for an hour block of instructional time. This unit should be given at the beginning of the school year for approximately six weeks, one hour, once a week. Students will be immersed in the importance of listening during this time. If students are still having difficulties at the conclusion of this unit additional practice in listening should be continued.

In order to effectively function as successful students, children must develop and establish sound listening skills. They must understand why listening is important. Students become better listeners by performing specific tasks which help them to differentiate between the varied levels of listening.

The different kinds of listening that we need to engage in can be grouped into three categories:
• Appreciative:
We try to visualize descriptive passages and react to mood. This is the kind of listening that we do for stories, jokes, etc.
• Informational:
We listen for a specific reason. This is where we listen to follow directions, to answer a question, to follow a sequence, pick out detail, etc.
• Critical:
We attempt to distinguish between fact/opinion, true/ make-believe. We must listen at this level "with a third ear" in order to listen between the lines and make inferences and draw conclusions.
Students must become active participants in listening before they can gain information from listening in order to develop phonemic awareness. The beginning level of listening is the first step towards developing phonemic awareness. If a student is not an active listener they will not be able to differentiate or recognize sounds that are around them.
Current research indicates that phonemic awareness skills are the primary predictor of reading success. In order to learn to read a child must be able to distinguish the sounds he hears in words and understand that these sounds are put together to make words. Listening is an important skill which needs to be reinforced and refined by the classroom teacher. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are important spokes under THE BIG TOP of Communication. Listening skills are an essential element in our fast moving communicating world.

Content Knowledge

Declarative
Students will identify the characteristics of a good listener.
Procedural
Students will be able to model good listening behaviors.

Essential Questions

Why is listening important?
What does a good listener do?
What does a good listener look like?

Connections to NYS Standards

Asterisked performance indicators are assessed by Primary Listening Skills Rubric; all others are addressed throughout the unit.

• ELA #1 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Performance Indicators:
*Attend to the speaker, visually and /or auditory, or task.
*Listen respectfully and responsively.
*Attend to a listening activity for a specified period of time.
*Avoid interrupting.
*Respond with expression appropriate to what is heard.
*Present information clearly in an oral form.
Use information from basic charts and diagrams.
Organize and categorize information/materials.
Follow directions that involve one or two steps.
Accurately paraphrase what they have heard.
Use semantic webs or outlines to organize and categorize information.
Use verbal communication, including alternative communication systems, to convey information, needs and wants.
Use nonverbal communication skills to convey information, needs and wants.
Ask specific questions to clarify and extend meaning.
Use a few traditional structures for conveying information such as similarity and difference.
Use detail or personal experiences to explain or clarify information.

• ELA #2 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
Performance Indicators:
*Listen respectfully and responsively.
*Attend to a listening activity for a specified period of time.
*Avoid interrupting.
*Respond with expression appropriate to what is heard.
Dramatize a poem and song.
Choral read a poem.
Listen to a variety of literature.

• ELA #3 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Performance Indicators:
*Listen respectfully and responsively for a specified period of time.
*Respond with expression appropriate to what is heard.
Listen in order to recognize what is alike in related forms of information.
Compare/contrast information from different sources.
Evaluate their own strategies for listening critically.

• ELA #4 - Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
Performance Indicators:
*Listen attentively and recognize when it is appropriate for them to speak.
*Listen respectfully and responsively.
*Attend to a listening activity for a specified period of time.
*Avoid interrupting.
*Respond with expression appropriate to what is heard.
Take turns speaking and respond to others’ ideas in conversations on familiar topics.
Recognize the kind of interaction appropriate for different circumstances.
Initiating Activity
Teacher comes into classroom dressed as a clown. The Clown looks at students but does not speak. Through body language and gestures the Clown communicates to students various messages: Hello, Happy, Sad, Shy, Hurt, Angry, Surprise, Danger, I Love you, Hugs, Kisses, Applauding, Push, Pull, Quiet, etc.
As students react to the Clown, the teacher, shows students various communication skills.
Clown does simple sign language, gives students notes, some with writing, some with pictures.
Clown gets students talking then ignores them.
•Clown gives students simple commands (non verbally) by modeling than getting the student to repeat the action. For example: Stand up, Sit down, Jump up and Down, Skip, Hop, give me ______.
The Classroom teacher than asks students what they notice. A discussion should follow about how the Clown communicated with the students. What was missing? (Voice messages) Were you listening to the clown?
Both teachers would than show students a paper circus tent with four poles holding it together. Explain to students that the Big Top in our circus stands for COMMUNICATION. We communicate with each other through Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. This is how we help each other, how we learn from each other. Teacher removes the pole marked LISTENING and the tent starts to crumble. Discuss with the students why all of these have to work together and how important each one is. The pole can stand alone but see how much more it can do when all the poles work together. Communication is the back and forth of telling and listening and responding so that you know you are not alone in this great big world.
To help us become really GOOD LISTENERS we are going to learn some special activities that will help us to be GOOD LISTENERS. (Teachers show the children Brain Gym activities such as: Cross Crawl, the Eagle, and The Thinking Cap). Every lesson will include these Brain Gym activities. (Brain Gym Teacher’s Edition by Paul and Gail Dennison, revised in 1994)
Students form a large circle. You will have to listen carefully for some clues as to what you need to do.

Putting Up The Big Top\
Everybody circle round
Lift the canvas off the ground.
Pull and pull and watch it rise,
The Big Top grows before our eyes.
Everybody circle round,
Form a ring upon the ground,
Now we’re set to watch the show,
Circus acts both high and low.

Students will tell what they think they should do. Some students will act out the poem than the entire group will say and do the actions together.
End lesson by reading the book (Name)_ GOES TO THE CIRCUS ( This is a personalized photo book published by Current, Inc.) Have students close their eyes while teacher reads. Ask them what did they SEE and HEAR in their mind. Discuss. Read the story again and this time show students the pictures and talk about the sounds. Ask them how the pictures compared with what they SAW and HEARD in their mind. Have them go back to their seats and draw a picture of something that they saw and heard from the story. Share the pictures later in a group.

 
Learning Experiences

Lesson #1
Materials:
VCR Tape: The Circus Comes To Town
Good Listener Poster
Poster with Web
Activity 1a:
Introduction: Have you ever been to a circus? What was it like? How did it make you feel? Do you remember some of the sounds that you heard at the circus? How did you feel when you were watching it? If you were at the circus and listening to everything that was going on what would you do? Initiate a discussion as to what a good listener would look like. Write down the points that the children say. Tell students that we are going to take this information and make a special GOOD LISTENER CIRCUS POSTER.
Guide the discussion to include the following points. Each time we go to the circus we are going to check and see what we need to do to become GOOD LISTENERS.
•A good listener keeps their eyes on the speaker.
•A good listener keeps their hands to themselves.
•A good listener thinks about what they hear.
•A good listener is quiet when someone else is speaking.
Activity 1b:
Students view a VCR tape from the Howard B. Sacketts JLHHO BOCES Film Library entitled: THE CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN by Lucerne Films, Inc. The tape runs for 30 minutes.
After students have viewed the tape, give them a minute to share their excitement. Then ask them the same questions that were listed in the introduction. What was it like? How did it make you feel? What were some of the sounds that you heard?
Show students a large poster with a circle (Circus Sounds) in the middle. (Teacher will make a web showing some of the following sounds from the video and relating the information to the previous questions via the Web.)
Examples:
Putting the tent up and down, riggings, machinery, trucks
Animals : Elephant, Monkey, Tiger, Bear
People: Praising, giving commands, directions, applauding, roar, or crowd
Music, rhythm
Ringmaster, whistle

Lesson # 2
Materials:
Good Listener Poster
Cassette Tape - Music : The Grand March
Whistle
Old Clothes - shirts, pants, etc. bright, baggy,
Frilly netting, crowns
Funny clown wigs, red nose
Animal Masks
Make up for clowns and animals
Hats

We are going to get ready for the circus. Let’s review our GOOD LISTENER POSTER. Now you know what a Good Listener looks like. Remember to listen carefully while we tell you what to do. Now we are going to open our ears and get ready to be really GOOD LISTENERS! (Teacher will use BRAIN GYM activities mentioned previously)

Activity 2a:
A circus always starts with a big parade.
Before the parade can begin the Ringmaster has to have his whistle. I think he has a problem. Let’s see if we can help by being GOOD LISTENERS.

Gross Motor Game to develop listening

Blow, Whistle, Blow
One child hides with a whistle then blows it three times. The other students close their eyes while he is hiding and blowing the whistle. Students open their eyes and take a turn telling where they think the sound is located. The child that locates the sound gets to hide. They must find where the missing child is hiding from the sound of the whistle. Let several children take turns hiding and locating the whistle. Stress that it is important that we LISTEN for the sound of the whistle.
Activity 2b:
Now that we have our whistle we have to decide who is going to be in our circus parade. I am going to say something about someone in the circus then I am going to call a name. The student has to tell me who they are going to be and then they may choose what they are going to wear in the parade. (Teacher will help them get dressed.)
LISTEN carefully and THINK about who I might be describing from the circus.
•I fly through the air with the greatest of ease!
•I have stripes and growl quite loudly.
•I do not speak but I am funny.
•I have a beautiful tail and I like to gallop around the ring.
•I tell everyone what to do by blowing my whistle.
•I walk in a line by holding on to my friend’s tail.
•I usually walk on four feet but in the circus I walked on two
•I look like a little person and I love to do tricks.
•I can throw three things in the air and not drop them.
•I like to do tricks by jumping and rolling in the air.
•I am the King of the Jungle.
•I have lots of muscles and can lift big weights.
•I can walk on just a thin wire.
•I let the wild animals know that they have to listen to me.
Activity 2c:
When the students all have their costumes on go over the following choral reading. The first time the two teachers will read the poem modeling the parts and GOOD LISTENING. Teachers will show how important it is to LISTEN to each other. Then students will clap in time and repeat their lines from the Choral Reading. Remind them that when we are doing a choral reading they must LISTEN carefully to each other so that we can stay together.

Circus Time
Teacher: We will see a big parade.
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: We’ll have pink lemonade.
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: The horses will put on a show.
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: The clowns will march in a row.
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: There will be some acrobats.
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: There will be some tiger cats.
All: The Circus is coming to town.
Teacher: There will be a GREAT SHOW!
All: The circus is coming to town.
Teacher: Come on! Let’s go! Let’s Go!
All: The circus is coming to town.

Activity 2d:
The children will clap and march in step to the following song. Remind them that when we are doing a song they must LISTEN carefully to both the music and each other so that we can stay together.

Let’s All Go To The Circus Today
Sung to: Mary Had A Little Lamb
Let’s all go to the circus today,
The circus today, the circus today,
Let’s all go to the circus today
and watch the animals play.
See the lions jump through the hoops,
Jump through hoops, jump through hoop,
See the lions jump through hoops
At the circus today.
See the big seals spinning balls,
spinning balls, spinning balls
See the big seals spinning balls,
At the circus today.
See the little dogs jump and twirl,
jump and twirl, jump and twirl,
See the little dogs jump and twirl,
At the circus today.

Activity 2e:
Teacher will put on the cassette tape: The Grand March.
Everyone will get in line and parade around school, clapping and marching to the music. Teacher will take the tape player along with the students on the parade.

Lesson # 3
Materials:
Good Listener Poster
Clown Patterns
Glue, scissors, brass fasteners, glitter & stars
Circus Figures
Top Hat
12 inch circles cut from oak tag with circus designs.
Tape Recorder
Cassette tape: The Clown Parade
Before we begin today let’s review our Good Listener Poster. Who can tell me one thing that a good listener must do. Continue discussion until all points are brought out. Have students show what a GOOD LISTENER looks like. (Do Brain Gym Activities)
Activity 3a:
Students are given two pictures of something from the circus. Students are told to hold up the appropriate picture when they hear it mentioned in the rhyme. Teacher says the following rhyme.

Under the BIG TOP on circus day,
One little CLOWN tumbles out to play,
Out trot the HORSES and RIDERS galore.
Here come the ACROBATS. Look? there’s more!
Parading ELEPHANTS. Tame LIONS, too,
The BAND toots their HORNS - root-a-toot-toot!
The RINGMASTER enters - coattails, top hat.
It’s a three-ring circus. Imagine that!
Lots of glitter and spangles, laughs and fun.
CANDY and POPCORN and HOT DOGS IN BUNS.
I love the CIRCUS - excitement and noise!
The CIRCUS is here! Come on, GIRLS and BOYS!

 
Activity 3b:
What is the job of the Ringmaster at the circus? He gives directions and helps to keep the circus running smoothly. What would happen if he told the Lions to go out in the ring and had the trapeze artists flying though the air at the same time? The lions would get upset and no one would know what they were suppose to do. That is why we have to listen very carefully when we are told to do something.
Tell the children that the teacher is going to put on the Top Hat and become the Ringmaster. Listen carefully to the directions.
Put students and their chairs in a circle. Remind students that it is important to LISTEN and THINK. Give directions orally.
•Stand behind your chairs.
•Stand in front of your chair.
•Put one hand on your chair.
•Put one hand behind your chair.
•Put one foot on your chair.
•Put your hands by your sides.
•Take your foot off the chair.
•Sit on your chair.
Give students a colored block. Give directions orally.
•Put your block on your chair.
•Put your block under your chair.
•Put your block behind your chair.
•Put your block in front of your chair.
•Put your block beside your chair.
•Sit on your chair.

Take the colored block and place a 12 inch circle in front of each chair. Make sure students have enough room between them to move around their circle. Give directions orally.

•Stand inside your circle.
•Put one hand on your circle.
•Walk around your circle.
•Sit on your circle.
•Pick up your circle and give it to the Ringmaster.
•Sit on your chair.
Activity 3c:
Send in the Clowns
Clowns in the circus can be happy, sad, silly and very funny. Today we are going to make a clown mask that will let you be any kind of clown you would like to be. You are going to make a mask by listening carefully to what I tell you to do. Remember that you need to show me what a GOOD LISTENER looks like. (Teacher gives the following directions and has students retell it before they go and get their things.)
You will go over to the table and pick up your packet. Take your packet back to your work area. Do not open your packets until we tell you to open them. Your packet will include: scissors, glue stick, one wide stick, one clown face, one mouth pattern, two red circles, one orange circle and a large purple triangle. Students will orally review directions before they go to get their materials.
Teacher gives the following directions orally. Do not show the student the finished product until all steps are completed.
•Cut out the clown’s mouth.
•Cut out the two eye holes on the clown’s face..
•Cut out the large orange circle.
•Cut out the two medium sized red circles.
•Cut out the large purple triangle.

When students have all the pieces cut out have them show what they have cut out. Listen carefully to the following directions:
•The orange circle is the clown’s nose. Please hold it up. Now you may glue it where his nose should be.
•The two red circles are the clowns rosy cheeks. Please hold them up. Now you may glue the cheeks on your mask.
•Now take the large purple triangle. Please hold that up. What do you think that might be? that’s right, his hat. Please hold it up and show me where it should go?
•Glue it on the top of your mask. (Teacher checks to see if any of the children have had difficulty listening and following directions.)
What is missing? We don’t have the clown’s mouth. You have to decide how you want your clown to look. Is he a happy clown? How would the mouth look? Have someone show that the corners of the mouth are turned up. Is he a sad clown? How is the mouth going to look? When you have decided how your clown feels today we are going to attach it to your mask with a special fastener. Have a student show a happy face and a sad face clown.
Are we all done? How are we going to put the mask on? We are going to glue our mask onto the wide stick. Glue the stick right behind the clown’s chin. When everything is glued you may decorate the hat with glitter or stars. When you are finished put your name on the back of your mask. When students have completed the activity tell them that we are going to take our masks and have a CLOWN PARADE. When we stop I want you to put your mask on the back table and sit down in a circle. You are going to hold your mask in place with one hand, with the other hand I want you to clap in time to the music. Clap your hand to your upper thigh while we march around. Put on the music: The Clown Parade and march around the room marching and clapping in time to the music. (Check to see how well the students listened and followed directions.)

Lesson #4
Materials:
Good Listener Poster
Clown masks.
Masking Tape
Tape Recorder
Cassette tape, Baby Elephant Walk by Henri Mancini
(Optional) Web sites: www.wildheart.com/kidstuff/kidsquiz/quiz.html
http://www.learningplanet.com/kids0.htm
Elephant quiz, teacher needs to explain to them what to do.
Mr. Elephant’s Memory Game - they need to listen to oral directions from the teacher then concentrate on the activity.
Review the Good Listener Poster. Talk about how we can tell if we have been a good listener. Do Brain Gym activities.

Activity 4a:
Have students get their clown masks and sit in a circle.
I am going to tell you something that might have happened at the circus. I am going to call on someone and I want them to make their clown’s mouth happy or sad and tell us why the clown would feel that way.
•I just got a great big bag of popcorn from my friend.
•I can’t go to the circus today because I am sick.
•The clown next door lost his nose and I helped him to find it.
•The children all laughed at my jokes.
•I was pushed through the door and I bumped my funny bone!
•The ringmaster said he needs me to collect tickets today.
•The trapeze artists helped me pack all my things.
•The monkey stole my orange wig.
•The ringmaster told me thank you.
•I was so busy that I didn’t have time to get my lunch.

Activity 4b:
We have had a lot of fun with the clowns but there is something else at the circus that I always enjoy. Listen carefully to my poem and see if you can guess what I am.

Right foot, left foot, see me go.
I am gray and big and SLOW.
I come walking down the street
With my trunk and four big feet.

Ask students to tell you what clues they heard that helped them to figure out that it was an elephant. Discuss color and size. You are really getting to be good listeners when you listen for clues. Now let’s listen for some clues that will tell us about a sound. Does anyone know what sound an elephant makes? Let’s all try to make the sound softly. Now let's try and pretend that the elephant is calling its baby. How would that sound? Now Papa Elephant is very angry. How would that sound?
Now listen to the following jokes and riddles. See if you can tell me what clues you heard that helped you to figure out the answer?
Why do stuffed animals make better friends than elephants?
Discuss their answers and clues.
Tell the answer:
Try cuddling an elephant and you’ll find out.
Compare/contrast their answers and clues. (Venn Diagram)
What time is it when an elephant sits on a fence?
Discuss their answers and clues.
Tell the answer:
Time to get a new fence.
Compare/contrast their answers and clues.
Have students make up some jokes, riddles, or "Knock Knock Jokes". Talk about why clues are important and why we need to listen for them. Share them with the group. Remind them that even though we can have fun and get silly we still need to remember how a Good Listener looks and listens.

Activity 4c:
Close your eyes and LISTEN carefully to my directions. See if you can figure out what we are going to do.
•Put your right arm, slightly bent, hand down, up alongside of your head and make it wiggle.
•Take your left arm, hand up, and put it in back of you, make it wiggle.
• Rock your body to the left and right.
•Move your right foot forward, put it in the air, make it "CLUMP" when you put it down.
•Move your left foot forward , put it in the air, make it "CLUMP" when you put it down.
•Repeat the steps
Open your eyes. Who can show me what we are going to do. Have students come up and perform. See if they know what animal they are. After a few students have had a turn, review the steps to see if they have included everything. Give all the students a few minutes to practice the steps.
Tell students that this is the Official Elephant Day Dance. We are going to be elephants and move in time to the music. Put on the tape recorder and let them listen to the music: "Baby" Elephant walk" by Henri Mancini. When the music is over have everyone get up, put on the music and have them move around the room doing the Elephant Dance in time to the music.

Activity 4d:
Teacher may take students in small groups to the computer and complete the simple kids Elephant Quiz together. Students will have to listen and follow directions in order to complete the activities. Teacher will have to read the directions and explain the tasks to the students.
Web site: www.wildheart.com/kidstuff/kidsquiz/quiz.html
Mr. Elephant’s Memory Game:

Lesson # 5
Materials:
Good Listener Poster
9 x 12 white drawing paper with 4 boxes crayons
Talk about a Good Listener. Review the poster. Have students tell and show what a good listener looks like and does. Do Brain Gym activities.

Activity 5a:
Listen carefully to my little poem.

TINY TIGER
This little tiger is very wild.
This little tiger is a loving child.
This little tiger has some big black spots.
This little tiger likes to prowl and smell,
But his teeth are too small to bite quite well.

Did anyone hear some words that sounded alike? See if they can identify : wild, child, smell, well.
Now we are going to try and make a finger play that might go along with the words. Go through the poem line by line and help students to come up with their own finger play. They need to LISTEN to each other and work together, as a group, to come up with a finished product. Some possible ideas are listed below:

TINY TIGER
This little tiger is very wild.
(Growl like a tiger, hand motion)
This little tiger is a loving child.
(Pet the second finger)
This little tiger has some big black spots.
(With thumb and forefinger of the right hand, for a circle. Place it over the middle finger for spots)
This little tiger likes to prowl and smell,
(Dot the ring finger with the pointer of the right hand)
But his teeth are too small to bite quite well.
(Let the little finger prowl all around the lap, smell, smell, smell)

Activity 5b:
We just talked about a little tiger. let’s see if you were a Good Listener. Can you describe the tiger to me? Did the tiger look the way we picture a tiger? What is the difference? Give students a chance to compare/contrast what they know with what they heard in the poem.
(This would also be an excellent small group activity)
Now you are going to describe a real tiger for me. I am going to listen to what you tell me then I am going to draw a tiger that will look like your description. Teacher models Good Listening. When students have had a chance to describe the tiger teacher draws what they have said in Box #1 on the large white paper. Discuss how it looks and whether or not it fit the dictated description.
Explain to students that they are going to have a chance to Listen and Draw. They are going to get a piece of paper with 4 boxes on it. They will be numbered; 1,2,3,4. Box Number 1 is in the upper left corner of your paper. Box Number 2 is in the upper right hand corner of your paper. Show me your right hand. Continue going through the boxes and location orally using terms lower left, lower right.
Give them a piece of paper with four large boxes on it and a box of crayons. I am going to describe an animal and you are going to draw it in the numbered box that I say. Some of the animals may be seen in the circus, some of the animals may not be seen in the circus. Be careful and show me Good Listening. Remember it is important to listen first, you may not draw until I say you may start.
•This animal is a huge, huge animal.
•It has a swinging trunk that looks like a rope.
•It has a tail, four legs, and very big feet.
•It has two large ears.
•It is gray in color.

Please draw this animal in the Box located in the upper left hand corner of your paper. Box Number 1.
•This animal has a long tail, two legs and two arms.
•It is all covered with brown hair.
•It likes to climb trees.
•It likes to swing in trees and walk on it’s feet.
•It likes to eat bananas.

Please draw this animal in the box located in the upper right hand corner of your paper. Box number 2.
•This animal is called the King of the Jungle.
•It lives in the jungle but doesn’t eat plants.
•It has a fluffy mane, a long tail, and four legs.
•It has light gold hair covering its entire body.
•The mother and father look different from each other.

Please draw this animal in the box located in the lower left hand corner of your paper. Box number 3.
•This animal likes to swim.
•It likes to eat fish.
•It lives where it is very cold.
•It is covered with pure white fur.
•It looks like another animal that is all brown.
Please draw this animal in the box located in the lower right hand corner of your paper. Box number 4.
Have students share their pictures in a group. They are to tell one thing that they like or don’t like about this animal using a complete sentence.
 
Lesson #6
Materials:
Good Listener Poster
Masking Tape
A small child’s umbrella with safety tips
Cassette tape: Tina, The Tightrope Walker
Tape Recorder
Mystery Bag filled with small circus items.
Go over Good Listener Poster and Brain Gym activities with students. Have them give some examples of Good Listening. This would be a good lesson to divide students into three small groups ( a three ring circus) and have them do activities simultaneously.
Activity 6a:
Students are all in a straight line in a large open area. (Gym would be a good location)
We are going to pretend to be circus animals; prancing horses (students show how to prance), leaping lions (students show how to leap), dancing elephants (students show how to dance).

Prancing Horses
(Tune: 10 Little Indians )
Prancing, prancing, prancing horses,
Prancing, prancing, prancing horses,
Prancing, prancing, prancing horses,
All around the ring.
Leaping, leaping, leaping lions,
Leaping, leaping, leaping lions,
Leaping, leaping, leaping lions,
All around the ring.
Dancing, dancing, dancing elephants,
Dancing, dancing, dancing elephants,
Dancing, dancing, dancing elephants,
All around the ring.

Have students try and add more animals verses with action to the song. Divide into small groups and have each group work together to come up with an animal and an action.
Activity 6b:
This is a "Mystery" Bag. In the bag are several objects from the circus. You are going to go to the back of the room and take out one item. Look it over carefully and don’t let anyone see what you have picked. Now you are going to tell us three things about the item. Our good listeners are going to listen to your clues and try and figure out what you have from the bag.
Students pick items where no one else can see the article but them. Students may give one guess when called by name.
Bag includes articles such as: a clown’s red foam nose, a plastic circus animal, a ticket etc. Students sit in a circle and show good listening.
Activity 6c:
Listen carefully to this poem. Who does it make you think of from the circus?

The Tightrope Walker
(don’t say title)
The band is playing,
Back and forth I go,
(pretend to walk tightrope)
High above the people,
Sitting far below,
(cup hand over eyes and look down)
While the crowd is cheering,
I sway from side to side.
(Sway back and forth)
Now my act is over,
and down the pole I slide.
(Pretend to slide down the pole)

See if students can come up with name of the tightrope walker.
Place a long, thin tape line on the floor to represent the tightrope. Do you think a Tightrope Walker would be a Good Listener? What would they need to listen to?
After discussion is completed have students follow directions. One student at a time comes up, gets the umbrella (if directions call for it) and stands, ready to walk the tightrope.
You are going to walk the tightrope with the umbrella, on your tiptoes.
You are going to walk the tightrope with the umbrella, heel to toe step pattern.
You are going to walk the tightrope with the umbrella, backwards.
You are going to walk the tightrope with your partner on your shoulders.(pretend)
Start two children out from either end, You are going to pass your partner out in the middle. Do you think you should have the umbrella? Why? Why Not?
When all have had a turn, play the music; TINA, the Tightrope Walker, and let the children have another turn walking the tightrope.

Culminating Performance

Materials:
Willy the Wisher and Other Thinking Stories by Carl Bereiter and Valerie Anderson
Good Listener Poster
Divide students into small groups.
Read students the story : Mr. Sleeby Tells About The Circus from the book Willy the Wisher and Other Thinking Stories.
Students will listen to the story showing good listening skills.
Mr. Sleeby has a hard time remembering the names of things he has seen at the circus. Students will need to listen carefully and see if they can figure out what he is talking about. Teacher will ask individual students who Mr. Sleeby is describing.
When students have completed Mr. Sleeby have them answer following questions:
•Why is listening important?
•What does a good listener do?
•What does a good listener look like?

Assessment

Students will be scored individually using the following Rubric:
Primary Listening Skills
•Student sits quietly facing the speaker: _______Yes ______No
•Student keeps hands to self: : _______Yes ______No
•Student has eyes on the speaker: : _______Yes ______No
•Student answers questions appropriately: : _______Yes ______No

Prerequisite Skills
Students come to school with diverse experiences as related to listening. This unit introduces students to the importance of being a good listener and how we need to behave in order to achieve good listening. Therefore, each student will develop at their own individual rate.
Modifications
Listening is presented to the students in varied learning styles. Students have a chance to experience LISTENING through auditory, visual, kinesthetic and tactile means. This unit gives students a chance to see how listening personally affects them and their learning. Students who have a difficult time settling down may only be able to apply one of the points at this early developing stage. These students will be guided towards additional activities which will help them further their development.
Unit Schedule/ Time Plan
This unit would be part of an "Early Success" Kindergarten Program that includes the Reading Teacher, Classroom teacher, Occupational Therapist and Speech Therapist. Students are divided into four small groups. Each group meets with a teacher once a week for 30 minutes. In this unit the Reading Teacher and the Classroom Teacher would team together for an hour block of instructional time. This unit should be given at the beginning of the school year for approximately six weeks, one hour, once a week. Students will be immersed in the importance of listening during this time. If students are still having difficulties at the conclusion of this unit additional practice in listening should be continued.
 
Technology Integration

Web site for students with teacher giving directions:
www.wildheart.com/kidstuff/kidsquiz/quiz.html
http://www.learningplanet.com/kids0.htm
Elephant quiz, teacher needs to explain to them what to do.
Mr. Elephant’s Memory Game - they need to listen to oral directions from the teacher and then concentrate on the activity.

Web sites for teacher information
www.geocities.com
www.ctw.org
www.uen.org
www.coreknowledge.org
www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/elak7/k1comcom.htm
www.wildheart.com/eday/e-dance/edance.html