Fall/Winter Seasonal Change – Grade 1/2

I can take ideas from a book and express them within a piece of art work. 

CR1.1: Demonstrate understanding that the arts are a way of expressing ideas.

CR2.1: Examine arts expressions to determine how ideas for arts expressions may come from artists’ own communities.

Formative: the students will hand in their worksheets at the end of class to help create the grade ½ version of Not a Box. 

Set: 10 minutes. 

The teacher will begin by having the students gathered on the carpet in front of the white board. 

The teacher will draw a picture of a box on the white board, and ask the students what I drew. The teacher will then ask the students what they could create using that box. 

The teacher can jot down answers beside the box, for students to use further into the lesson.

After the students have a genuine conversation, the teacher will begin reading the book Not a Box by Antoinette Poitras. 

The teacher can stop at certain parts of the book stop and ask for student reflection. 

Once the book is over it will lead the students into the development of the lesson. 

Development: 20 minutes (or less). 

After the story is over, the teacher will show the students the worksheet they will be given. 

The teacher will have an example to show as well* 

The students will be instructed to take their box that is on the sheet and create whatever they can imagine. They can create whatever comes to their mind! 

The teacher will explain the students will use pencil first and then marker or whatever type of colour they would like to create their own version of “Not a Box”. 

During this time the students will be transitioning to their tables!

The students will be told to do their best work because all their worksheets will be created into a story for their classroom. Their own version of “Not a Box”. 

The students will each be given a sheet of paper and asked to grab their secret agent box and begin creating their “Not a Box”. 

When students are finished they will be asked to draw on a white board till the rest of the class is finished. 

Closure: 5-10 minutes.

Once all students have completed their worksheets, the teacher will instruct the students to put their secret agent boxes away and go turtle mode at the desks. 

After, the teacher will give each student the opportunity to share their “Not a Box” with the rest of the class. (this will be done by having hands raised to come to the front). 

After the teacher will collect the sheets and create the classroom story (which will be brought in the following week). 

White board

Carpet Area (for discussion & book)

Not a Box by Antoinette Poitras 

Secret Agent Boxes (in classroom)

Not a Box Worksheet (already printed) 

Teacher Example of Worksheet 

Possible Adaptations:

For a visually impaired student one adaptation would be ensuring the student is at the front of the room to be able to see the story, or have Ms. Williams have another copy of the story and go through it one-on-one. 

(Ms. Massey has two copies of the book to ensure the student has a successful learning experience)

Key Transitions: 

If the lesson is taught after a specific period, the students will be advised to go have a washroom break and fill up water bottles before Ms. Massey begins her lesson. 

Another transition is when the students are going from the carpet to there desks, the teacher needs to ensure this is a smooth process for all the students. 

• What was one highlight from my lesson?
• What’s one part that I could think about changing or trying? 
• How well do the students seem to understand this concept? (Most of class)
• What could my “next step” be?