Transportation lesson
plans for Kindergarten
Tammy Partanen
Educ 200
University of Southern California
School Characteristics
Escontrias Early Child Center Student Ethnicity
10400 Alameda
El Paso, TX 79927 Hispanic 99%
Grades: Pre-K to 1st White 1%
Pre-K enrollment: 102
Kinder enrollment: 150
1st grade enrollment: 151 Teacher Ethnicity
Economically disadvantaged
students: 91% Hispanic 74%
Limited English proficient
students: 59.4% White 26%
Classroom Information
Ms. Partanen’s Pre-K
10 students
4 computers
1 TV
Radio/CD player
Students sit around a large “U” shaped table.
Various centers: kitchen, sandbox, alphabet
rug, building blocks, etc.
Interesting posters of animals, people, and
the alphabet. Student work and a calendar
also adorn the walls.
Observation Field Notes
How the teacher identifies the objective
The teacher states objective in words students
understand. Gets the children involved by having
students answers questions.
How the children know what is expected from
them
Teacher models expected behavior and procedures.
How the teacher gives the rationale – Does the
teacher make the lesson relevant to kids?
Gives rationale through discussion and examples
that relate to students’ everyday life.
Observation Field Notes cont.
How the teacher checks for understanding
Asks questions to see if answers are correct,
checks that assignments are done correctly.
What kinds of group activities do the children do?
Carpet: calendar math: clapping in a pattern,
clapping to the number of that day’s date. Singing
and movement/dancing to songs, story time, Simon
says, clapping syllables, playtime/pretend.
Observation Field Notes cont.
How the teacher assesses the kids at
the end of the lesson
Takes note of participation, questions students,
assesses students’ projects/products.
What role does the social curriculum
play in the classroom?
A large role because children are very
impressionable at such a young age. Students
must obey posted class rules: respect other
students, do not touch students, etc.
Transportation Lesson Plan 1
Standard
o Reading: Literary Response and Analysis: 3.2
Identify types of everyday print materials (e.g.,
storybooks, poems, newspapers, signs, labels).
Objective
oTSSBAT discuss the form of a given material; whether
it is a story, newspaper article, etc.
Motivation
oAsk the students how they got to school this
morning. Discuss the importance of
transportation in our world.
Transportation Lesson Plan 1 cont.
Input of information
oRead/present various forms of information about transportation
(story, poem, newspaper article, traffic signs). Explain how the
mediums are different and yet all about transportation.
Checking Comprehension
oHave the students discuss a story/poem they read/heard, a traffic
sign they saw, etc. involving transportation. Make sure students
understand the form the information originally came from (story,
newspaper, poem, etc).
Structured Practice
oRead/present additional stories, poems, articles, etc. on
transportation and ask the students to identify the form.
Transportation Lesson Plan 1 cont.
Guided Practice
oPrintout: several short samples of the various forms of
information. Students read the excerpts and label what the
form is. Technological enhancement: computer created printout.
Closure
oClass discussion about the different information provided by
different forms of info and the clues that signify the forms.
Students tell which form they like best. Read a fun, age
appropriate transportation story.
Assessment
oTake note of the students’ response in the closing
discussion and their work on the practices. Have students
recreate the form they like the best: write a short story
on transportation, write a poem, write a newspaper article,
or make up a new traffic sign to present to the class.
Evaluation
“I think that the idea of talking with kids
about the ways transportation is important to
our society and the mobility of the people in
it is a great idea! The cars, busses, planes,
trains, subways, taxis etc. are all things that
will capture their interest because if I
remember, I was obsessed with things on
wheels when I was young. Great ideas...
visual aides will really get kids interested in
this lesson!”
-Lindsay Merkle
Transportation Lesson Plan 2
Standard
oAlgebra and Functions: 1.1 Identify, sort, and
classify objects by attribute and identify objects
that do not belong to a particular group.
Objective
oTSSBAT distinguish which items are the same or
different and why.
Motivation
oRead an age appropriate story about different
forms of transportation.
Transportation Lesson Plan 2 cont.
Input of Information
oClass discussion about how and why objects, colors, etc. are the
same or different and why, focusing on transportation items.
Checking Comprehension
oPresent large drawings of transportation items (car, bike,
boat, wheel, paddle, etc.) with 2 of each picture. Ask the
class which pictures are the same or different and why.
Structured Practice
oStudents sort pasta “wheels” by color (green,
red, and yellow). They then glue the pasta on
paper into the correct category.
Transportation Lesson Plan 2 cont.
Guided Practice
oPrint-out: students use green, blue, and red crayons to color
the pictures of 4 cars, 3 bikes, and 2 buses. They then cut out
the pictures and group the items: first according to type of
object and then according to the color of the object.
Technological enhancement: Computer print-out pictures.
Closure
oClass discussion about ways in which objects can be similar
or different (color, shape, size, etc). Sing “The Wheels on
the Bus.”
Assessment
oTake note of the answers the students provide during the
closure and their performance on the practices.
Evaluation
Having a theme is a great
idea. Using transportation
to tie lessons together is
wonderful. Kids love to
color and cut out pictures.
-Dr. Colbert
Transportation Lesson Plan 3
Standard
oNumber Sense: 2.1 Use concrete objects to
determine the answers to addition and subtraction
problems (for numbers that are less than 10).
Objective
oTSSBAT calculate the answers to addition and
subtraction problems by using objects.
Motivation
oGive 2 students steering wheel covers and tell the
class the students are both cars. How many cars are
there? Give another student a wheel and ask the
class how many cars there are now. Repeat until all
students are cars.
Transportation Lesson Plan 3 cont.
Input of Information
oDiscuss addition and subtraction. Define terms.
Checking Comprehension
oGive visual examples of addition and subtraction with a
power point presentation. Have the students answer the
problem before the answer is shown in the presentation.
Make sure all students participate. Technological
enhancement: Power point presentation.
Structured Practice
oPresent large pictures of items related to transportation. Find
answers to given math problems, as a class, using the pictures.
Technological enhancement: Computer created images.
Transportation Lesson Plan 3 cont.
Guided Practice
oStudents use toy cars to solve addition and subtraction
problems. If they have 3 cars and add 2, they will have 5 cars.
Closure
oClass discussion of how math can be difficult but the students
have done a wonderful job adding and subtracting their items.
Q & A.
Assessment
oStudents will color small pictures of various forms of
transportation (train, rocket, submarine, and
spaceship). They will cut out the pictures and glue
them to paper to form several given math problems.
Evaluation
“Excellent job with making the students
involved in the activity. The idea of
making them all become cars and
counting is a great idea. It is important
for all of them to get involved with the
counting activities. Nicely done!”
-Michael McCrimons
Citations and references
School Information
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-
bin/tx/other/6357
Clip Art Gallery- Discovery
Channel School
http://school.discovery.com/clipart/
California State Department
of Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/