Amelia the Pigeon: How Do You See Me?

Grades: K-2

Time Estimation: Allow one 45-50 minute period to complete the lesson.

• identify common objects from different perspectives
• draw and describe common items from a variety of perspectives
• match pictures of the same item from two different perspectives

Pre-requisite Concepts: The students should be able to recognize and identify basic shapes.

Skills: Observing, Describing, Comparing, Matching

Standards:

AAAS Benchmarks: 2A, K-2 #1, 2C, K-2 #1, 9C, K-2 #1
NCTM: Standard 9
NGS: Standard B
NCSS:

Materials:

• sets of pictures for each group of 4 students
• unlined paper
• crayons or markers
• chart paper (Optional)

Grouping

The students should be in cooperative groups of 4 or 5. Have picture sets and other materials ready for easy distribution.

About this Lesson

This lesson is designed to introduce the students to the concept of looking at objects from a different perspective.

Engage (5 minutes)

Invite the students to share their experiences from the following situations: looking down monkey bars or a jungle gym or looking down out a window from a very high building? As what did they see. Ask how did things look on the ground, how did the different. Explore different perspectives by asking about what they would see if they could only crawl on the ground.

Explore (5-10 minutes)

Give each group of students the set of cards that has the top view of the objects. Ask them to look one card at a time and try to identify the object. The students should write down, draw, or discuss what they think the object is. Use whatever is method is age-appropriate for your class.

Explain (10-15 minutes)

Now give each group of students the side view photos. Have the students try and match the side views with their top view partners.

Ask your students to think about what they thought the top view picture was. Do they still think that it is the same thing now that they have the side view picture also?

Each group needs to agree on which pictures go together to make a side view/top view pair and the identity of the object.

Ask your students what shapes they can identify in the pictures?

Have each group pick one of the picture pairs and be prepared to tell the class what it is.

Extend (10 minutes)

For younger students:

1. Draw a rectangle on the board. Make sure you have a particular object in mind. Some examples include a door, book, computer, TV, telephone, house, school, church, etc. Ask your students, "Looking only at this shape that I have drawn on the board, what do you think I am drawing?"
2. Write the students' responses on the blackboard or overhead so the whole class can see the responses. Ask your students why they think that.

   If a student believes that you are making a dog on the board, make sure they explain how a dog can be made from a rectangle. The idea behind this exercise is to get the students to guess different objects that are in the classroom that could be represented by this lonely rectangle.

3. Draw a different shape and do the same thing with the students. Ask your students, "Now looking at this new shape that I have drawn on the board, what do you think I am drawing?"
4. Now allow one or more of the students to draw a shape and let the rest of the class guess what he/she is drawing.

Make sure the student tells you what they are drawing.

For older students

1. Break the students into pairs within their groups of 4.
2. Have the pairs of students choose an object in the classroom that they will draw from two different perspectives.
3. Tell them not to let another pair know what their item is, because once they have finished drawing their picture, they will exchange pictures with another pair of students and try to guess each other_s pictures.
4. The students should give only one perspective at a time to the other pair of students so their partner can guess which is the top view or which is the side view.
5. Have the students describe to each other (in the pair groups) the shapes they see in each other_s drawings.
6. Once the students have identified their objects they need to outline with a marker the shapes that they see.

Evaluate (homework)

Introduce the homework using the following questions.

• What are some of the things you learned from today_s activity?
• What did you observe today?

Ask the students to draw a picture of any room in their house from two perspectives. First, from standing in the doorway looking across the room, and second as if they were a fly on the ceiling

• Ask the students to compare the drawings and be able to discuss how the drawings are alike and how they are different.
• Then ask the students what map would be the most helpful if their mom told them that she was going to have a baby, and they had to share their room with their new brother or sister.