So this is an activity I like to do in a small group of students
--maybe three or four students at a time--
where we practice using adjectives, which are describing words in a sentence.
So I have wrapped special items in foil paper.
You can use fabric if you'd like or you could use just regular newspaper, but I use foil.
So this lesson teaches--also with fine motor skills--unwrapping
and the reason I wrapped my items is because it's very exciting to open a present.
Even grown-ups like opening a present. The anticipation is fun.
So inside--and I have different sizes--inside each package is something to describe.
I'm going to look for my students to use a sentence
with at least one special describing word-- maybe "pokey," maybe it's "blue."
So let's unwrap one and try it ourselves.
So I choose a big one because big packages are fun, and I'm going to open it,
and this might take a while for little fingers to get them open.
I'm going to unwrap it and it's so exciting!
Going to unwrap it and (gasp), inside my package...
is a flower.
So they're going to look at this, and they're going to probably smell it,
even though it's not real--mine isn't.
And then I'm going to wait, and I'm going to say to them after they've looked at it,
"Can you tell me about what was in your package?"
And sometimes they'll just say, "Flower."
And then I'm going to say, "Can you tell me more about it?"
And they'll look at it, and they'll say, "Hmm, yellow flower."
And I'll be so excited, and I'll be like,
"Yes! It is a yellow flower. Could you say, 'I have a yellow flower'?"
And then they'll repeat after me.
And then some of their friends will even do it too, which is great extra practice.
And they will say, "I have a yellow flower."
And then I will wrap that back up
and then I'll let somebody else pick a package.
And then this one likes to pick out a big one again.
And so we're going to unwrap this one, and this kid really likes to crinkle it
but maybe they really like to hear noise, and that's okay.
They're going to unwrap it...
and they're going to be (gasp) so excited! Look!
A pine cone!
And they're going to probably look at it and knock it and feel it.
And then I'll wait, and then I'll say,
"Can you tell me about what was inside your package?"
And they'll say, "It's a pine cone, and it's brown, and there's lots of pokey things,
and I really really like it, and can I take it home?"
And then you're going to be so happy because they have so many things to tell you.
Do not stop them from telling you all those things.
Your job is to teach them to describe things with adjectives.
So they said, "This is brown. This is pokey. I really love it."
And so we want to just rephrase it, saying,
"I have a brown... pokey... pine cone. Can you say that with me?"
And then all the students will probably say, "I have a brown, pokey pine cone."
This is a fun way to learn about adjectives that has anticipation,
a little bit of fine motor, and a lot of excitement in describing items.