Lesson on Telling Time for the First Grade

To demonstrate how to organize a lesson based on the suggested sequence of instructional strategies, I will use an example developed for a first grade public school lesson on telling time. This example conflicts with the Waldorf curriculum. The concept of time would not be formally introduced in a Waldorf school until the third grade. But, concepts are often introduced in public schools before they would be in a Waldorf school, so Waldorf methods may be applied to present these concepts to students in a more imaginative and less stressful way.

To begin, brainstorm a lesson image with which to teach the concept. Images from nature and fairy tales are best at this age. The Greedy Grasshopper and the Grouchy Lazy Ladybug were chosen for the concept of time, so the grasshopper could characterize the minute hand and the ladybug could characterize the hour hand.

The next step is to render a central concept or process of the lesson as rhythmical movement. This movement activity begins to provide a kinesthetic foundation for imaging the process. Present this activity a week are more before starting the lesson, and repeat it daily. The movement used for this lesson involved a quick tiptoeing and finger crossing movements while counting by 3's to 12 (123 456 789 101112). Then rubbing the belly and saying "Yum! Yum!" This movement activity provides a kinesthetic foundation for the capacity of students to organize the traditional face of a clock.

The formal lesson will begin with a story about the Greedy Grasshopper and Lazy Ladybug. At first, the Lazy Ladybug is always grouchy because when she visits a leaf, Greedy grasshopper has always been there first. But, there comes a time when they visit a leaf at the same time and have a talk. Then lazy Ladybug realizes she always gets just enough to eat and that sometimes Greedy Grasshopper helps her by starting to nibble leaves that would be too tough for her softer teeth. The two set off in the morning with the Greedy grasshopper flitting quickly over a field from leaf to leaf while the Lazy ladybug slowly follows behind. When the sun is high overhead they land together on a fresh green leaf, talk and share a noon meal. This story will characterize the movement of the minute and hour hand around the clock. Do not require the students to do any mental or practical work with this story on the day it is told.

On the next day present, with the rhythmic movement, an image motivated movement based on the story told the day before. In response to the image of the Greedy Grasshopper flitting from leaf to leaf the children flit around in place saying "Yum-yum- yum, yum-yum-yum, yum-yum-yum-yum-yum-yum!" Yum is repeated twelve times. Then in response to the image of the Lazy Ladybug buzzing slowly behind, the children walk in circle one following the other slowly saying "Yum-yum-yum, yum-yum-yum, yum-yum-yum-yum-yum-yum."

Bookwork:

Now the kinesthetic and oral presentation can be the bases for a guided drawing to represent the clock face. In response to the image of the morning sun, that wakes the grasshopper and ladybug, draw lightly a large yellow circle on paper. Then, in response to the image of a leaf growing from a seed, from a small green dot grow green circles at the 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 positions. To help the students orient, use the threes counting rhythm to count around the yellow circle to the quarter time positions. After the circles are drawn, put pointy green caps on each circle and a short stem to make a leaf shape. Next draw an additional two leaves between the quarter time position already drawn to make 12 in all. Draw a Greedy Grasshopper on the 12:00 leaf.

With the story as a reference, explain to the children how the Greedy Grasshopper eats his way all the way around the leaf circle before the Lazy Lady bug gets from one leaf to another. So, when Greedy Grasshopper has went around three times Lazy Ladybug is only on leaf number three. To end the guided drawing, draw Lazy Ladybug on leaf number three. Repeat drawing three or four times demonstrating a different hour of the day. Only one drawing should be done on a given day and it is best if the days are consecutive.

Artistic Rendering:

After this first series of drawings is complete a guided painting, using the wet on wet method, may be presented. Paint a field of yellow streaming out from the middle to fill the paper. In response to the image of the Greedy Grasshopper hopping from leaf to leaf under the blue sky, have the students with blue on their brush hop around their paper to create speckles of green. Then in response to the image of the Grouchy Ladybug buzzing slowly behind, have the students with red on their brush just touch here and there visiting a few leaves to create similar, but fewer reddish orange speckles.

Add to your rhythmical and image movement an interactive movement. After having the students form a circle, select one student to be a Lazy Ladybug sitting in the middle of the circle. Then pick a Greedy Grasshopper to count around the circle by 3's to 12. The student at the12^th position becomes the grasshopper and counts again (all students count with the grasshopper). The grasshoppers remain standing where they stop counting.

After a number of students have been grasshoppers ask the ladybug "What time is it now!" The Lazy Ladybug by counting the number of standing grasshopper can determine the time. At first, count the standing students with the ladybug to reinforce the strategy. The three movement activities rhythmical, image and interactive constitute a kinesthetic lesson. The three respectively, kinesthetically engage the will, feeling and thinking of the students.

Have students draw a circle of leaves as before. Under the circle write a time, such as 3 o'clock. Draw a grasshopper on the 12:00 leaf. Then explain to the students since it is 3 o'clock the grasshopper has went around the clock three times and the ladybug is on the third leaf. Draw the ladybug on the third leaf. Now a series of drawing can be done where the students in response to the suggested time, place the Greedy Grasshopper and Grouchy Ladybug on the appropriate leaves. Eventually explain how when the grasshopper and ladybug visit the 12 o'clock leaf together half the day is done. Another series will follow this series where the corresponding minute and hour hand or added to the picture. End the lesson with a series of drawings that presents to the students a leaf circle with the hands in position for a certain hour, and have the student write under the leaf circle the correct time. The leaves are then replaced with numbers.

The guided painting may be repeated after each series of drawings.