A Year of Wonders: Exploring the Four Seasons

Materials Needed:

• A large piece of paper or cardboard
• A marker or pencil
• Colored construction paper (green, orange, red, yellow, pink)
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Cotton balls
• Crayons or markers
• A book about the seasons (e.g., "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle)
• A small collection of clothing/props for dress-up (e.g., sunglasses, a winter scarf, a flower, an umbrella)
• (Optional) Small nature items like fallen leaves or twigs
• (Optional) Glitter for "snow"

Lesson Plan Details

Subject: Science, Art, Language Arts

Grade Level: Pre-K / Kindergarten (Age 5)

Time Allotment: 45-60 minutes (flexible)

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

• Verbally name the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn (or Fall), and Winter.
• Identify and describe at least one key characteristic of each season (e.g., "In winter, it's cold and it snows.").
• Create a four-part art project that visually represents the changes a tree goes through during the four seasons.

2. Instructional Activities & Procedure

Part 1: The Spark - Introduction (5-10 minutes)

1. Engage with a Question: Start by looking out the window. Ask, "What does it look and feel like outside today? Is it warm or chilly? What are the trees wearing?"
2. Story Time: Read a book about the seasons. As you read, pause to point out the pictures that show different seasons. Ask questions like, "Look at all the snow! What season do you think this is?"

Part 2: The Adventure - Exploration & Movement (10 minutes)

1. Seasons Dress-Up Game: Introduce the four seasons one by one. For each season, have a prop ready and talk about what happens.
   • Winter: "In Winter, it gets very cold! Brrrr! Sometimes it snows." (Hand the student a scarf to wear). "What do we do in winter? We build snowmen and drink hot cocoa!"
   • Spring: "After winter comes Spring! The snow melts, it rains, and baby flowers start to grow." (Hand the student a flower or an umbrella to hold). "What do we do in spring? We jump in puddles and watch the baby birds!"
   • Summer: "Next is Summer! It gets very hot and sunny." (Hand the student sunglasses to wear). "What do we do in summer? We go swimming and eat ice cream!"
   • Autumn (Fall): "After summer is Autumn, or Fall. It gets a little cooler, and the leaves on the trees change colors and fall down." (Toss some fallen leaves in the air for them to catch). "What do we do in fall? We wear cozy sweaters and jump in leaf piles!"

Part 3: The Creation - Main Activity (20-25 minutes)

1. Prepare the Canvas: Take the large piece of paper and draw lines to divide it into four equal sections (a large plus sign in the middle).
2. Draw the Tree: In the center of the paper, overlapping all four sections, draw the trunk and bare branches of a large tree. Explain that you will show how this one tree changes through all the seasons.
3. Decorate Each Season's Quadrant: Focus on one season at a time. Have the student help you label (or you can label for them) each section: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
   • WINTER: Leave the branches bare. Have the student glue cotton balls on the branches and the ground to look like snow. Add glitter for icy sparkle!
   • SPRING: Have the student tear or cut small pieces of pink paper to glue onto the branches as new blossoms. They can draw green grass and rain showers with a blue crayon.
   • SUMMER: Use green construction paper to cut out many leaf shapes. Have the student glue the green leaves all over the tree branches to make it look full. They can draw a bright yellow sun in the corner.
   • AUTUMN/FALL: Use red, orange, and yellow paper (or real leaves) for the leaves. Have the student glue some leaves on the tree and some on the ground as if they have fallen off.

Part 4: The Share - Closure & Review (5 minutes)

1. Art Show: Display the finished "Four Seasons Tree" artwork. Admire the work together.
2. Review Questions: Point to a section and ask a guiding question.
   • "Can you show me the summer tree? How do you know it's summer?" (It has green leaves, the sun is out).
   • "What did we use for snow on our winter tree?" (Cotton balls).
   • "What is your favorite season? What do you love to do then?"

3. Differentiation & Inclusivity

• For Extra Support: Pre-cut the leaf and blossom shapes. Focus on just two highly contrasting seasons first, like Summer and Winter, before introducing the others. Guide the student's hand when using the glue stick if needed.
• For an Extra Challenge: Encourage the student to add more details to each panel, such as animals we see in that season (a bear hibernating in winter, a butterfly in summer). Have them try to write the first letter of each season's name in the correct box (W for Winter, S for Spring, etc.).

4. Assessment

• Formative (During the lesson): Assess understanding through the student's answers to questions during story time and their participation in the dress-up game. Observe their ability to sort the craft materials into the correct season (e.g., knowing cotton balls go in the winter section).
• Summative (End of lesson): The completed "Four Seasons Tree" serves as a creative portfolio piece. The primary assessment is the student's ability to point to each section of their artwork and verbally name the season and one of its characteristics during the final review.