Tuesday for Teachers: A View From their Window

WindowIn my book TIME OUT FOR MONSTERS, the boy in the story draws a window with a view.

What would students like to see outside their windows?

Let them draw their dream views on square-shaped pieces of paper. When they’re finished, let them add a paper window frame and panes with thin strips of brown paper and stick glue.

Challenge. How many squares are in each window? (Answer: Five! There are four small squares in each pane and one large square for the entire window.) How many rectangles are there? (Four: Two panes make one rectangle; there are two vertical and two horizontal rectangles.) For older students. point out that squares are also rectangles, which will increase the number of rectangles found in the window.

Display students’ windows under a sign that reads:The-Window-to-Our-Imagination

Our Point of View!

or

Windows into Our Imaginations!

or something similar.

1st and 3rd graGenesisders at Verne W. Critz Elementary in New York state did this as a buddy activity in preparation for my Skype visit. During the visit, we read TIME OUT FOR MONSTERS! again and I shared with them some picture book secrets. But the highlight came when they each showed me their “Window” and read me their stories about their windows, based on the book.

It turned out, many window views had at least one thing in common – CUPCAKES!

Give it a try with your class.

ErisThis activity fulfills learning standards in

  • Math,
  • Art
  • Literacy
  • Students will describe objects in the environment using names of shapes.
  • Students will correctly name shapes regardless of their orientation and overall size
For free resources, free Skype visits and curriculum-based activity guides to go with all of my books check out my TIME OUT FOR TEACHERS Page.