I just came home from part-time teaching as I begin to write this. The classroom is located next to a railway and doesn’t have any trees around it… When freight trains pass by, we need to pause because it would be hard to hear each other if we continue our lesson. Also, the air in the classroom can be suffocating since there are some factories surrounding our building and inside it are accumulated dust in its air-conditioning system which haven’t been touched for decades. These are moments that I truly appreciate things that commemorate nature…
Discussing nature in the classroom could be excruciatingly boring for some but I think more people should wake up to the fact that NOTHING can replace the natural world and that we SHOULD all go back to it before it’s too late…
Today, we are going to read a Little Golden Book Classic, I am a Bunny by Richard Scarry. It’s a nice book to read in spring or in every day…
Word Focus: verbs (am, live, pick, chase, lie, watch, blow, curl up, dream)
Meaning Focus: savoring the season(s)
Thinking Focus: how to spend time in nature
Purpose: For children to focus their attention to nature
Autonomy: For children to kindle their curiosity about what nature is and how it works
Progress: For children to develop their interest in the natural world
I. PRE-READING
I.A. Spelling
(double letters) bunny, hollow, tree, summer, grass, seeds, fall
I.B. Unlocking Difficult Words
1. spring
2. summer
3. fall
4. winter
5. bunny
6. hollow tree
7. flowers
8. butterflies
9. sun
10. birds
11. grass
12. insects
13. frogs
14. pond
15. rain
16. toadstool
17. dandelion
18. seeds
19. air
20. leaves
21. trees
22. animals
23. snow
24. sky
NOTE: A fun quiz titled What’s This? can be done. Test how much children know about animals, plants, or any natural phenomena.
I.C. Learning Expressions
1. In the ___ season, I like to ~.
I.D. Experiential Question(s)
Do you like outdoor activities or spending time in nature?
If so, what’s your favorite outdoor activity? (or a favorite memory in the great outdoors)
NOTE: I think this can be more fun if an elderly person could join the discussion… since they may hold precious memories that today’s youth may, unfortunately, not have seen or experienced in their lifetime…
My share on this part would be sippin’ flower nectar. This is my favorite childhood memory with nature. I would pick a santan flower (ixora coccinea) and sip its nectar like one proper bee. HAHA!
I.E. Motivational Question(s)
Look at the cover page of the book, I am a Bunny.
What can you see? How does Bunny spend time in nature?
What’s that thing that keeps Bunny dry in the rain?
II. READING
(Read Aloud)
III. POST-READING
III. A. Time in Nature, Time with Nature
Protecting our Mother Earth is THE most pressing issue of today. I really believe that humanity has one special mission, and that is to look after our home.
How can we continue living our lives closer to nature?
Children can try, first-hand, to plant seeds and learn (once and for all) how to take care of a living thing…
Asian Santa
April 25, 2025
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