Title: Heart Maps

Subject: English Language Arts

Grade: Kindergarten

Tahnee Pierson-Roberts

Big Idea:
§ Stories and other texts help us learn about ourselves and our families

Curricular Competencies: Content:

• Use developmentally appropriate reading, • Structure of story
listening, and viewing strategies to make • Metacognitive strategies
meaning.
• Writing processes
• Explore foundational concepts of print,
• The relationship between reading,
oral, and visual texts
writing, and oral language
• Recognize the importance of story in
personal, family, and community identity
• Create stories to deepen awareness of
self, family, and community

Assessment
Formative Summative
• Story workshop building and oral § Final heart drawings
descriptions of student’s story
• Sharing during final sharing circle.

First People’s Principles of Learning

• Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story
• Learning requires exploration of one’s identity
• Sharing circle
• Oral storytelling

Adaptations
• For ELL students, create a circle and talk more in depth about what they are
going to build with their loose parts before they go to their table to work
independently. Ensure that they understand that they are communicating
things that they love and give lots of examples.
 • For refugee students, help them come up with examples of things they love
about Canada or school. Focus on the family they have with them and the
friends they have made.
Materials
§ Book “In my Heart”, by Jo Witek
§ Loose parts
§ Paper cut into heart shapes
§ Handout with heart shape on it
§ Drawing materials
Teaching Plan
Time Teacher Does:
10 minutes Read “In My Heart” by Jo Witek to
class.
7 minutes Use document camera to model using
loose parts to ‘build’ what is in my
heart on a heart-shaped piece of
paper.
3 minutes Tell students to turn and share with
their shoulder partner what is in their
heart.
2 minutes Explain to students that they are going
to go back to their tables and use
loose parts to build what is in their
heart on a heart-shaped piece of
paper.
20 Walk around and ask students to share
minutes what they are building and ask them
what is in their heart.
5 minutes Call students back to the carpet.
Explain that they will be drawing what
they created using loose parts on a
piece of paper with a heart-shape on it.
15 minutes Walk around and scribe for students as
they are drawing.
10 minutes Bring students back to carpet to sit in
a circle. Have them go around and share
what is in their heart if they want to.
Students Do:
Sit on carpet and listen to
story.
Watch the projection of
teacher using loose parts to
build what is in her heart.
Students turn to their shoulder
partner and share what is in
their heart.
Listen to instructions and then
go back to their table and build
what is in their heart using
loose parts.
Students use loose parts to
build what is in their hearts.
They share their heart story
orally when asked by the
teacher.
Students come back to carpet
and listen to instructions
before heading back to their
tables.
Draw what they created using
loose parts on their piece of
paper.
Sit in a circle and have the
opportunity to share what
they drew with the class.