A Good Place (2024 Building Block Nominee): Home

Preschool-Age 6

K-2 Innovation - Design: Practice a design process. Create a product based on my ideas.

K.GM.C Identify shapes and describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, recognizing the name stays the same regardless of orientation or size. 

1 class period of 30-50 minutes

This lesson was created by Hope Hunter from Lucy Wortham James Elementary School. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Bee, Ladybug, Beetle, and Dragonfly are looking for somewhere to live. And each has a different want: Bee loves flowers, Ladybug prefers leaves, Beetle is fond of dead wood, and Dragonfly likes ponds. But every time they find what seems like the perfect spot—with beautiful flowers, a tiny pond, some dead wood, or gorgeous green leaves—they discover it’s underfoot, near traffic, or otherwise not safe. Will these four friends ever find a good place? Lucy Cousins brings her bold artwork and endearing characters to an inviting story that leads to a dazzling conclusion, showing children that even in an urban environment, encouraging wildlife and natural ecosystems can create a healthy and beautiful habitat for all of us.

Build-a-Bug example, shapes cut from construction paper, glue sticks, and crayons/markers

Objective

• Students will be able to identify shapes and describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, recognizing the name stays the same regardless of orientation or size. 
• Students will be able to create a product based on their ideas.

I Can Statements

• I can Identify/name shapes.
• I can create a product based on my ideas. 

Introduction

• "Take a look at the cover and listen to the title of the book, A Good Place. What do you think the title, A Good Place, means? What comes to mind when you hear it?"
• "Now, think about insects—where do you think would be a good place for them to live?"
• "Let’s keep those ideas in mind while I read, and as we go through the story, listen carefully to find out if the insects in this book find a good place to live."

After Reading

• "Now that we’ve finished reading, let’s talk about the story. At the end, Butterfly led the insects to a good place over the wall. Why do you think it was a good place for them to live? What made it different from the other places they found?"
• "Where was Beetle at the end of the story? Why do you think Beetle chose to stay in the dead wood? How was that spot just right for Beetle?"

Activity

Build-A-Bug

• Provide a variety of cut out paper shapes, glue sticks, and coloring supplies. 
• Have kids create their own bugs by combining shapes and drawing/coloring each bugs’ features.

• Observe students during the "Build-a-Bug" activity to ensure they are correctly identifying and using shapes in their project. 

• For students needing additional support: Provide shape templates for students to trace, cut, and paste. Offer additional one-on-one guidance during group activities to help with shape recognition.
• For advanced learners: Encourage students to use more complex shapes (e.g., hexagons, pentagons) in their insect creations and challenge them to describe the parts of their bugs using these advanced shapes.
• For students with sensory needs: Provide tactile shape manipulatives or textured shapes to allow them to explore shape names through touch.