Bear Went Over the Mountain...... Paper Doll?

When I was a little girl, I LOVED to play with paper dolls.  I would act out all sorts of activities using my paper dolls.  I would wait on the big catalogs (JcPenney, Montgomery Wards, Sears, and Speigel) each season so that I could cut pictures out of the old ones.  I would place paper household items beside, on top of, and under other items to form "rooms" for my dolls. I learned a lot of math by playing these simple childhood games.  Most of our students have never really had the chance to "create" their own activities in the same way we did.  They have everything "ready made".

A while back, I was thinking about how in the Core Standards (as well as our Texas Response to the Curriculum Focal Points) there is an emphasis on using position words for  Kindergarten students. I decided to take the song/story "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" and create a "paper doll" for the bear and various places that the bear can go.  I used clear mailing tape and taped them down to an old lamination pouch carrier. (I like these because they already have a laminated type feel.)  This allows the graphics to be folded down for storage. I taped a ribbon to the back of the bear so that the bear can be manipulated and yet not lost.

I then created a Math Talk About Card with the vocabulary that I wanted the students to use as they act out the story. The students can create their own version of the story, or retell a previous version using the bear and the place graphics.  (For example, the bear can go over the log, through the water, under the bridge, behind the trees, etc. ) You can relate it to camping for the boys in your classroom.  I think this is a fun way for the students to practice position vocabulary and to develop their communication skills.

 Bear Went Over the Mountain Graphics

Talk About It for Bear Went Over the Mountain