Date: October 25, 1998

Grade Level(s): Kindergarten

Subject(s):

• Health/Mental or Emotional Health

Duration: 45 minutes

Description: I will have the class sit in a half circle on the floor. I will sit in the center. Then I will ask the class if they know what a monster looks like. I will then get many answers since everyone's definition of a monster is different. Many times when children are young, they believe that there could be a monster in their closet or under their bed at night when it gets dark. This lesson plan will show the child that monsters are created in our imagination.

Goals: Students will realize that the cause of our fears is sometimes our own imagination.

Objective(s): The learner will be able to demonstrate that Monsters are created in our imagination and they are not real living beings.

Materials:

• Ed Emberley's "Go Away Big Green Monster!"
• "Monster-iffic!" page for students to color, cut, and glue to the "Go away big _____ Monster!" sheet(The Education Center, INC. Teacher's Helper TEC8670, Sept/Oct 1998)
• "Go away, big ______ Monster!" activity sheet (simply draw a circle for the head and write the words "Go away big _____Monster!" on the paper and make copies for each student.
• crayons, scissors and glue
• ingredients for "Monster Munch" ( companion to "Monster-iffic!" sheet): sunflower seeds, chocolate puff cereal, chow-mein noodles, raisins, spoons, paper cups.

Procedure:

1. I will read Ed Emberley's "Go Away Big Green Monster" to the students. This book illustrates and describes the features of a monster and reinsures the children not to be frightened of make believe monsters. The pages of this die-cut book adds features to watch the monster grow as each page is turned. Then when the children are ready to take charge of this monster, with the flip of a page the monster's features disappear little by little until it is gone. This book is a great way to help the kids chase away their night time monsters.

2. Next, there will be three centers for the children to work at in flexible groups assigned by me.
   1. In the first group, the students will color, cut, and glue the monster's features from the " Monster-iffic!" page onto the "Go away, big ______ Monster!" activity sheet. Here the student will fill in the blank with the color they choose for the monster's face, then color and glue the features and create their own monster.

   2. In the second group, we will be making "Monster Munch" using sunflower seeds (rat toes), chocolate cereal (ant eggs), chow-mein noodles (dried worms) and raisins (bug eyes). Each ingredient will be placed in a separate paper cup, then the student will put a spoon full of each into his or her own paper cup to create their "Monster Munch". As they are eating their snack, they will also be coloring the recipe so they can make it at home with their parents.

   3. In the third group, we will be working on the "Freaky Four" Activity sheet. The student will listen to each direction given to complete this activity.

   1. Point to the monster wearing a vest. Color the vest green.
   2. Point to the furry monster. Color its tummy yellow.
   3. Point to the monster wearing pants. Color the pants orange.
   4. Point to the monster with a yellow tummy. Draw a big blue nose on its face.
   5. Point to the monster wearing orange pants. Draw a red mouth on its face.
   6. Point to the monster wearing a purple T-shirt. Draw two brown eyes on its face.
   7. Color the rest of the monster's features using your favorite colors.
   8. Draw a black circle around the monster you like best.

Assessment: I will visit each group making sure every student is completing the desired task and helping them with any difficulties. I will also ask each student how they would make a monster disappear if they were ever frightened. An example of a correct response would be "to tell the monster to go away!" This displays that monsters are imaginary.

Closure: Every student in the class will share his or her "Go away, big ______ Monster!" activity sheet with the class by holding it up and reading it to the class. For example someone might say, "Go away big red monster!" and hold up the monster that they created.