SIZES: Concept and Language
Lesson Plans for Young Learner Classes
Step I. INTRODUCING SIZES
These three lesson plans provide optional natural transitions to SIZES from a previous
topic of study. Initially, you could choose the one your pupils are most ready for. Later
in the term, later activities from the other approaches could serve to extend the study of
sizes.
From Animals |
From Family, Body, Clothes |
From Fairy Tales, Rhymes |
mothers – babies
big – small animals |
parents – children
hands, feet, arms, legs |
giants – dwarfs
3 sizes bears, goats, etc. |
1. Using animal pictures
introduce big – little
and also large – small. |
1. Using dolls/puppets
introduce big – little
and also large – small. |
1. Tell the story of Goldilocks
and the Three Bears or the Three Billy Goats Gruff. |
2. This can be extended by the use of very. |
2. This can be extended by the use of very
or extra. |
2. Emphasize the elements of size in the
story and teach big – little, large – small, and very. |
3. Using animal cards/figures have students
sort animals into three piles/groups: big, little and ??? Where would they draw the lines
between each group? |
3. Make comical drawings on paper/board of
big/little eyes, nose, ears, mouth, arms, hands, legs, feet. |
3. Think of other big/little, large/small
elements in tales Don’t forget Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.
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4. What do we call the size in the middle?
Medium |
4. Discuss what we call the Size between big
and little.
Medium or average |
4. Discuss which figures are Strong? Weak?
Clever? Stupid? Scary? Young? Old? |
5. Sing the song, “I Know an Old Lady Who
Swallowed a Fly” with progressively larger sizes. Pupils could draw/chart them. |
5. Have children in the class arrange
themselves according sizes. (height). Where do they divide between big, medium and little? |
5. Review Red Riding Hood’s words: “What big
eyes/ears/nose/ teeth you have!” What effect does the stress on BIG give? Are there any
stories where you could say, “what little feet you have!” (Cinderella,
Thumbilina?) |
6. Write another version of the song with
another sequence of animal sizes. |
6. Bring in clothes (hats/shoes/ mittens) to
teach too big, too little, too large or fit (in terms of bodily fit). |
6. Introduce the idea of too big to do (something)
or to fit (somewhere). Alice in Wonder-land? |
7. Talk about science fiction films with
giant ants, shrunken people, and other such size reversals. You’re Are they comic or
scary? |
7. Role play shopping and trying on clothes
that don’t really fit right. |
7. Create a tale with giants and dwarfs about
size. You can use “What big…, What little…,” and “You’re too big to …, too
little to…” |
Step II. EXPANDED SIZE CONCEPTS
This is in the area of basic vocabulary building in terms of size
descriptions.
1. Build on your introductory activities to introduce other size
concepts and terms, not forgetting to act out and dramatize the meaning physically:
Long-short (horizontal)
Short-tall (vertical)
High-low
Wide-narrow
Fat-thin
2. Learn and act out this rhyme (add a simple melody if you like)
Big and little,
Large and small,
Long and short,
Short and tall. |
Wide and narrow,
Fat and thin,
High and low,
Out and in. |
3. Create a class Opposites Book, labeling each page
with one antonym. Each pupil chooses a page to illustrate. These could be photocopied and
given to each pupil.
4. After stimulating their imaginations with picture books,
pictures, and objects, discuss and make lists (as a class/in small groups) of things that
are:
Big (the sun, elephants, mountains, the sea, etc.)
Little (bee, button, baby, coin, piece of candy, etc.)
Long (road, river, hair, snake, line/queue, class, etc.)
Short _____________
Tall _____________
Wide _____________
Narrow _____________ |
Fat _____________
Thin _____________
High _____________
Low _____________ |
This is an introduction to the idea and language and is not being
taught to be tested as “learned”.
Step III. INTRODUCING COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES
1. Review big-little, large-small, using two sizes of
paper snowflakes/flowers/hands/cats, etc.
2. Ask: “How do we talk about differences for two sizes?”
“This is BIG.” “This is LITTLE.”
“This is BIG.” “This is BIGGER.” (large-larger, small-smaller) NOTE: littler is
not used. I would not stress spelling changes here, but rather the spoken word.
3. Starting from good-bad we need to introduce irregular
comparatives.
“This is GOOD.” “This is BETTER.”
NOTE: gooder is not used.
“This is BAD.” “This is WORSE.”
NOTE: badder is not used.
4. Now you can bring in a third sized snowflake/flower/hand/cat,
etc. How can we talk about differences with three or more items different in size?
BIG-BIGGER-BIGGEST
LARGE-LARGER-LARGEST
LITTLE-LITTLER (not used) –LITTLEST (sometimes used)
SMALL-SMALLER-SMALLEST
GOOD-BETTER-BEST
BAD-WORSE-WORST
5. You can also reintroduce and practice long, short, tall, wide,
narrow, fat, thin, high, low here, trying to use comparative patterns here.
6. There are many forms of picture identification, drawing and
movement games that can be used to further practice these concepts more concretely.
Step IV. SIZE CHANGES OVER TIME
Here is an interesting cross-curricular extension that works well with
sizes and science.
1. How do most things change in size over time? A tree? A baby? A
puppy? An apple? They grow in size! Pupils can bring in photos of themselves as
little babies and as 3-4-year-olds and see how much they have grown. Or use a sequence of
pictures of a growing plant or animal. Use words (but don’t try to “teach”) like
“GROW”, “EXPAND” “GET BIGGER”, “GET LARGER”.
2. Yet some things get smaller: a balloon, a pencil, a piece of
chalk, a candle, etc. These mostly get smaller with use. A balloon is interesting:
it starts SMALL, gets filled with air/gas and becomes BIGGER, but in time gets SMALLER and
SMALLER again.
But a snowman or an ice cube is melted “away” by natural processes.
Mountains, islands, and rocks also get eroded by natural processes of weather conditions.
Use words here like “SHRINK”, “CONTRACT”, “GET SMALLER”, “GROW SMALLER”.
3. At the same time, some things stay the same: a chair, a book,
a computer, a bicycle, etc.
They get OLDER but don’t change their size in any way.
4. Make a Class Book or a wall chart about SIZE CHANGES,
illustrating the three possibilities. If pupils are interested, discuss the difference(s)
between living things growing and changing and non-living, man-made things which may
either stay the same or get smaller.
By Erin Bouma
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