Lesson Plan: The Super Shoe & Sensory Poem Adventure!

Focus Areas:

• Skill: Introduction to Shoe Tying
• Literacy: Rhyming and Simple Poem Creation
• Science: Five Senses Exploration

Grade Level:

Preschool / Kindergarten (Ages 4-5)

Timeframe:

One Week (5 Days)

Materials Needed:

• A pair of lace-up shoes (an adult's shoe is great for practice)
• Extra shoelaces, preferably two different bright colors
• Sturdy cardboard (from a shipping box)
• A hole punch and marker
• Picture books with strong rhyming patterns (e.g., Dr. Seuss books, Giraffes Can't Dance)
• Large paper or whiteboard for writing poems
• Markers or crayons
• Sensory Items: Various objects with different textures, sounds, and smells (cotton balls, sandpaper, bells, lemon, cinnamon stick, etc.)
• Optional Baking: Ingredients for simple sugar cookies and a shoe-shaped cookie cutter.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the week, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate the initial steps of tying a shoe (the "first knot" and making one "bunny ear").
• Identify and generate simple rhyming word pairs.
• Verbally contribute to creating a simple, five-senses poem.
• Identify and describe objects using at least three of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste).

Alignment with Early Learning Standards

• Fine Motor Skills: Developing hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity through lacing and tying.
• Phonological Awareness: Recognizing and producing rhyming sounds, a foundational skill for reading.
• Scientific Inquiry: Using observation and the senses to gather information about the world.

Daily Lesson Breakdown

Day 1: The Touch & Tie Introduction

Theme: The Sense of Touch

1. Warm-Up (5 mins): Read a rhyming book about getting dressed or shoes. As you read, emphasize the rhyming words. Ask, "Did you hear two words that sound the same? Blue and shoe!"
2. Activity 1: Shoe Tying Story & Practice Board (15 mins):
   • Introduce the shoe-tying rhyme: "Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree. Criss-cross the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold!"
   • Create a practice board: Cut a shoe shape from cardboard. Punch 6-8 holes for lacing. Let the student help decorate it.
   • Sense of Touch: Have a small basket of different laces (flat, round, thick, thin, silky). Ask: "How does this one feel? Is it smooth? Bumpy? Soft?" Let the student choose a lace for their practice board.
   • Lace the board together. Practice just the first step: the starting knot ("Criss-cross the tree...").
3. Activity 2: Rhyming Pairs (10 mins):
   • Say a word related to our day, like "shoe." Ask the student to think of a rhyming word ("blue," "two," "moo").
   • Continue with other simple words: "lace" (face, space), "tie" (my, sky, pie). Keep it fun and silly!

Differentiation: For a student struggling with lacing, focus only on pushing the lace through the holes. For an advanced student, see if they can create the "bunny ears" after the first knot.

Day 2: The Sight & Sound of Shoes

Theme: The Senses of Sight and Sound

1. Warm-Up (5 mins): Recite the "Bunny Ears" poem from yesterday. Practice the first knot on the cardboard shoe again.
2. Activity 1: Shoe Hunt & Description (10 mins):
   • Sense of Sight: Go on a "shoe hunt" around the house. Find different pairs of shoes.
   • Ask descriptive questions: "What color is this shoe? Do you see stripes? Does it have big laces or small ones? Is it shiny or dull?"
3. Activity 2: The Sounds of Steps (10 mins):
   • Sense of Sound: Put on different shoes (sneakers, boots, slippers). Walk on different surfaces (wood floor, carpet, tile, outside on grass).
   • Ask: "What sound does this shoe make? Is it loud like a stomp? Or quiet like a tiptoe?" Listen to the sound of Velcro ripping and laces pulling.
4. Activity 3: Shoe Tying Practice & Poem (10 mins):
   • Using a real (large) shoe, practice the first knot and then making the two "bunny ears." Don't worry about finishing the tie yet. Just focus on making and holding the loops.
   • Start a simple poem on a big piece of paper. Write "My Shoe." Ask the student for a rhyming line. Example: My shoe is blue, / What does it do? Add their ideas.

Assessment Note: Observe if the student can hold a "bunny ear" loop, even for a second. Praise the effort immensely.

Day 3: The Smell & Story Adventure

Theme: The Sense of Smell

1. Warm-Up (5 mins): Read your "My Shoe" poem together. Add another line to it based on yesterday's sounds (e.g., It goes tap, tap, tap / On my lap!).
2. Activity 1: What's That Smell? (10 mins):
   • Sense of Smell: This is a fun one! Safely smell different shoe-related things. The leather of a boot, the rubber of a rainboot, a brand new sneaker.
   • Expand to other pleasant smells. Have hidden items in cups for the student to smell: a lemon slice, a cinnamon stick, a flower. Ask them to describe the smell. "Is it sweet? Spicy? Fresh?"
3. Activity 2: Shoe Tying - The Full Story (15 mins):
   • Using the practice board or a real shoe, go through the whole "Bunny Ears" poem, demonstrating each step slowly.
   • Focus on the "loop, swoop, and pull" part ("...jumped into the hole..."). Guide their hands to help them feel the motion. This is the hardest part, so be patient and positive. Try it 2-3 times and then stop to avoid frustration.

Teacher Tip: Use two different colored laces in one shoe. This makes it much easier to see which lace goes where (e.g., "Take the red lace and wrap it around the blue bunny ear.").

Day 4: A Taste of Success!

Theme: The Sense of Taste

1. Warm-Up (5 mins): Review the "Bunny Ears" poem and practice making the loops on a real shoe. Celebrate any progress!
2. Activity 1: Sensory Poem Creation (10 mins):
   • On your large paper, create a "Five Senses Poem" together.
   • Use these sentence starters:
     I see... (a shiny black shoe)
     I hear... (a loud stomping sound)
     I feel... (a soft, fuzzy lace)
     I smell... (new shoes from a box)
     I taste... (Let's get creative here! The next activity will help.)
3. Activity 2: Shoe Cookie Bake! (20 mins + baking time):
   • Sense of Taste (and Smell!): Make a simple sugar cookie dough. Let the student help mix and roll.
   • Use a shoe-shaped cookie cutter to make cookies. While they bake, talk about the wonderful smell.
   • Once cooled, decorate and taste the cookies! Now you can finish your poem: "I taste... a sweet shoe cookie for me!"

Differentiation: If baking isn't possible, use play-doh and a shoe cookie cutter for a similar, non-edible sensory experience.

Day 5: The Grand Finale Celebration!

Theme: Putting It All Together

1. Warm-Up (5 mins): Read both poems created this week ("My Shoe" and the "Five Senses Poem"). Use silly voices and actions.
2. Activity 1: The Shoe Tying Showcase (10 mins):
   • This is a low-pressure "showcase." Ask the student, "Can you show me what you learned about tying your shoe this week?"
   • Let them try on their own shoe. Cheer for every single step they accomplish: making the X, pulling the first knot, making one loop, trying to wrap the other lace around.
   • The goal is NOT a perfectly tied shoe. The goal is celebrating their effort, growth, and willingness to try. High-fives and praise are the most important part!
3. Activity 2: Five Senses Review Game (10 mins):
   • Have a mystery bag with a few items from the week (a shoelace, a bell, a lemon, a cotton ball).
   • Have the student reach in without looking and use their sense of touch to guess what it is. Then, they can use their other senses to describe it.
4. Closing: Talk about what was the most fun part of the week. Was it the rhymes, the smells, or practicing with the bunny ears? This reinforces the positive learning experience.