Provide a metaview, lifting students into a wider view of the concept. Use another medium (not reading or writing) to connect students' personal knowing to the concept (i.e. visual arts, music, movement, metaphor, etc.) Involve learners in reflective production that blends the emotional and the cognitive.

Read PARTY BALLOONS. Make balloons.

Objective: To listen to a poem and then design a balloon of their own. Stress the color words.

Activity: Read PARTY BALLOONS. Party balloons, party balloons. It's my birthday today! I have balloons for all my friends, When they come over to play. Here is a pretty round blue balloon. Blue as the bluest skies. Here is a shiny red balloon, just about your size. Here is a happy yellow balloon, Yellow as bright sunshine. Here is a lovely purple balloon, Like purple grapes on a vine. Here is a little orange balloon, Like oranges from a store. I have one more green balloon and I don't have anymore. Let children explore with one or more of the following activities:
-Bubbling Balloons: Pour 1/4 cup of dishwashing liquid into a container. (An empty cottage cheese carton works great.) Add small amounts of water and tempera paint until the color is intense. Place a straw in the paint mixture and blow carefully until the bubbles start to overflow. Gently place the paper over the bubbles, then lift carefully. The broken bubbles leave a beautiful design. Repeat the procedure with several colors, overlapping the designs.
-Spin Designs: Sprinkle a small amount of three colors of dry tempera paint near the center of a piece of paper. Place another piece of paper over the paint. Press down firmly, turning the top sheet one complete circle. Lift the top sheet. Both pieces of paper will have circular designs. Spray them with fixative or hair spray. -Powder Painting: Put various colors of dry tempera powder in small containers. (Empty margarine tubs work well.) Paint a sheet of paper with liquid starch. Using a slightly damp paintbrush, pick up the paint powder and dab it onto the starch-covered paper. Repeat with other colors. An interesting textured painting will result.

Assessment: Did they participate in any of the projects?