Lesson Plans

Olive, Olive, who do you see?: A Kindergarten - 1st grade lesson plan

A photograph of Olive Ruby Henty with three unidentified students posed on a hill in the Fens wearing hats and coats.

Overview:

Olive Ruby Henty saved many photographs in her scrapbook. Flipping through the pages, students will see a number of images of ORH and what seem to be her friends. There are pictures of her surroundings, as well. Using the photographs found in ORH's scrapbook, this exercise covers peer and social relationships, color identification, and basic photography principles.

Objectives

  • Students will be able to discuss their relationship to and identify one another
  • Students will practice color identification
  • Students will gain a basic understanding of photography in the early 1900s and how it works today

Time Needed

45 minutes

Classroom Setup and Materials

Procedure

A Colorite color sample card with swatches in burnt straw, violet, brown, cadet blue, sage green, navy blue, cardinal red, and black.
  1. Show students the selected pictures of Olive Ruby Henty with her friends and ask students to identify the colors in each photograph.
  2. Explain that these photographs were taken almost one hundred years ago, when cameras could not capture the different colors.
  3. Pass out the photographs (pre-pasted on name tag template) to each student, and ask them to write their name at the bottom of the photograph.
  4. When students finish writing their name, take a piece of twine and feed it through the punched hole at the top. Ask the students to wear their "name tag" and sit in a circle on the floor.
  5. Read the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
  6. Still sitting in a circle, ask the students to go around and identify "who they see," using the name tags a guide if they get stuck. After they identify a student by name, ask them to describe the color of an article of clothing that the student is wearing.
  7. When each student has finished, ask students to gather into groups according to color and take their picture. (Make sure to take a few silly ones, too!)
  8. Print out the photographs in color and post them around the classroom to reinforce student relationships and color identification. Post some pictures of Olive Ruby Henty and her friends so students can compare and contrast their photographs and time periods.
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