What's in Your House?

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the rooms in a house and the common items found in those rooms.

Teacher Planning

These activities can be incorporated into a single lesson.  Or, they may be taught over a period of several days.

Materials/Resources

• Class text:   unit on housing
• Visuals of rooms, furniture, and other items found in a home
• 4 x 6 colored index cards:  a master set for use with the whole class and 5 or 6 sets more for use by individual groups of students

• Chart for cards
• 4 COLUMN CHART

Individual whiteboards and markers

Activities

1. Begin with class text and introduce topic.
2. Elicit the rooms and the common items found in each room.
3. Use the master set of 4 x 6 index cards to highlight the vocabulary.  Color code the items.  For example, the kitchen items might be on hot pink 4 x 6 index cards.  The living room items might be on yellow 4 x 6 index cards, etc. 
4. Have the students categorize the items on the master 4 x 6 index cards according to the room in the house in which they are found.
5. Divide the students into groups by having them count off.  Give each group one of the sets of index cards and use the CHART FOR CARDS to have students come to the front of the class and place their index cards under the correct category – or room of the house.
6. Have the students interview each other.  Have students take out a sheet of notebook paper.  Fold it into 4 columns (fold the sheet vertically in half, and then fold vertically a second time….producing a 4 COLUMN CHART).  At the head of each column write a question. The 4 questions in this lesson are: 

   What is your name?

   How many bedrooms do you have?

   How many bathrooms do you have?       

   What color is your house or apartment?

   (As you introduce this final question, review the colors with the students, writing the words on the board)  Students write down the answers of their fellow students on the 4 COLUMN CHART.

7. Ask about the information the students have gathered.  “How many bedrooms does _______ have?  How many bedrooms does _________ have?  What color is _________'s house or apartment?  What color is the most common?  How many bedrooms do most students have?  How many bathrooms do most students have?
8. The individual whiteboards activity involves distributing a whiteboard and marker to each of the students.  The teacher says or shows a household item and the students write on their whiteboard the name of the room where that item is found.  Once they have written the name on the board, the students lift up the board to show their answer.  The teacher might bring in small prizes to reward the fastest students, the most accurate student, etc.          

Assessment

The whiteboard activity may also be used as an assessment.