[image] 1


Fun and Funky Dancing Socks

Crystal Nielsen

Grade 1

Subject Math

Topic Counting By Two’s

Descriptive Sentence
Aieee! Crawfish pie, file gumbo…Create a funky Math Art gallery of two dimensional and three
dimensional art pieces. Make a crazy patterned dancing sock, counting by two’s sorting, comparing,
classifying shapes, colour, size and texture. Paint a mural path for your fun and funky socks to dance a
Cajun “two step” on. Bayou boogeying and mathematics, what a pair! Aieeee!

Curricular Outcome or Expectation
Please see the lesson plan preview for the expectations/outcomes for your province.

Introduction activities/research
Socks are a visual resource for this unit. Create nametags with colored construction paper shaped like a
Christmas stocking. Have the students create patterned necklaces from elbow macaroni dyed in two
colours. Explore the patterns that pairs of feet can make, group the students to make it interesting.
Books to read include "The Ants go Marching One by One", "Omar on Ice", "The Lost Sock", "The Spirit
of Math" by Charles Ledger. Visit an Art gallery. Discover installation art, two and three dimension art
pieces. Explore activities pertaining to the Arcadian/Cajun cultures, foods, music, celebrations.

Materials
Construction paper assorted colors, white "tacky" glue, Styrofoam cups, clothespins, clothesline(jute,
rope etc.), "Nipigon Nylon" or adult size work sock, wax paper cut to fit inside sock, clear sandwich bags,
a selection of brightly coloured items: foamies, buttons, beads, pompoms, fabric scraps, ribbons, wool,
sequins, pipe cleaners, seeds, papers, laces, bells etc., water based paint in the three primary colors,
brushes, stamping sponges, pie pans for paint, drop cloth, newspapers, old wipe cloths, mural or brown
Kraft paper cut 30"x36", old white shirt, black markers or crayons, camera and film opt., CD player,
Celtic/Cajun theme music.

Space Requirements
Classroom with desks for Lesson 1. Desks pushed to perimeter of class for Lesson 2 and 3.

Complete Description of Unit Activities

1



[image] 2


Lesson 1

Getting Ready

" Each student has a sock name tag, clothespin, sock with wax insert, gathering bag, a cup of glue
between 2 students, 2 popsicle sticks (1 for gluing and 1 for counting). Have the gathering centre
prepared with assorted items. Have a CD player and fun music ready too.
" Discuss visits to an art gallery. What was seen? What do people do there? Why do we have them?
Discuss creating a Math Art Gallery in your classroom by making funky dancing socks and painting a
mural dance path.

Develop

" For the introduction to pairs I use a chalkboard to enhance the lesson on pairs with images. Draw 2
shapes on the board. Circles work well. Discuss what could be added to these shapes to create
interesting creatures, funky bugs perhaps! Using student's suggestions, add pairs of eyes, legs, arms
etc. Discuss how pairs are not always identical.
" With the gathering bags, students gather 12 pairs of items from the centre. They count by 2's to
achieve a total of 24 items. At their desks they can sort the pairs. Together, discuss how pairs were
sorted; by colour, size, texture and shape etc. How can 2 feathers be a pair if they are different
colours?

Application
Please take a moment to review
the “Create Dancing Sock” Slides

DANCING SOCK
The students design an eye pleasing pattern on their sock with their pairs of items. They cannot use the
bottom of the sock, the dancing part. Put a dab of glue on the sock, stick the item on the glue and use
the counting stick to hold the item down. Count by 2's to 24, two times. Don't forget the music! Set
socks aside to dry. Remove wax paper insert; clothespin nametag to sock to laundry line.

Closure

Discuss how the dancing sock and name tag are a pair. Discover the patterns designed on their socks
using pairs.

Extensions

Students can sketch their socks, using lots of coloured crayons. They can include a pair of sentences to
go with their drawing.

2



[image] 3


Lesson 2

Getting Ready

" To prepare the paint centre, push the desks to the outside of the classroom. Set out drop cloth,
primary paints, brushes, sponges, wipe cloths etc. Discuss painting protocol, how to keep colours
clean, leave the area like it was found, clean up and so forth. Each student receives a mural paper and
will put their name on the back. How do we learn a new dance? A visual aid leads us. We follow the
footprints that are illustrated in a dance pattern.

Develop

" Group the children into pairs. Each child has a black marker or crayon. With their partner, they take a
turn tracing each other's footprints on each other's mural paper. Emphasize the fun placement of the
feet. Each draws 4 pairs of footprints and count by 2's to check. At the paint centre discuss how to use
paint, brushes and sponges to create a pattern, using repeating lines, shapes, colour, size etc.

Application
Please take a moment to review
the “Dancing Path” Slides


PAINTING MURAL PATH
" Paint the patterns inside the drawn footprints, not outside. Have two pairs painted the same and the
other two pairs not the same. Discuss again that pairs can be similar and dissimilar. Together, clean
up to the beat of some funky Cajun dancing music!

Closure

" When dry, hang or place the dancing path under/around the laundry line of socks. This creates the
installation piece for the math art gallery. Observe and discuss the works of art and the processes
used.

Extensions

" For the area surrounding the dancing feet, glue on leftover assorted items. These embellishments
create a three dimensional backdrop that enhances the painted footprints.

Lesson 3

Getting Ready

" Each student will receive his/her dancing sock, name tag, mural path. Prepare dancing music,
maestro!
3



[image] 4


" To prepare for the paintshirt printing, put desks together in twos. Lay shirt on newspapers, put
primary paints in pans with a sponge in each, have ready wet cloths for wiping. Review discoveries
made while doing the activities with pairs.

Develop

" Students will choose a pair of prints; hands, thumbs or fingers. They will also choose a pair of primary
colors.
" Press the chosen pair of appendages into paint saturated sponges, then onto the shirt. Rub the two
primaries, blue and red together to discover the secondary color that is created, purple. Stare at the
new color for a count of 60 by 2's. Close eyes till color changes, it will be yellow, the primary not used
and is also the complimentary to purple. Discuss how you see color with eyes open and closed.
Discoveries of color using adding and subtracting, math and visual art. Amazing! Clean up and move
onto the dance.

Application Please take a moment to review
the “Two-Step Dance” Video


DOING THE FUN AND FUNKY DANCE
" Take off shoes, put dancing sock over a socked foot. Join murals together to create an interesting
dance path. Photograph pairs of students with pairs of socks on pairs of murals. Later, develop pair of
prints, one for each.
" Discuss the Acadian/Cajun culture, their food, music, history, celebrations. They trace their roots to
early French speaking East Coast Canadian provinces. They were banished in 1755 to the bayous of
Louisiana by the conquering English. The two lead instruments in Cajun music are the fiddle and
accordion. This pair of instruments enhances their two step dances. Explore and create two step
dances using pairs of feet, hands, elbows etc. Group pairs of students together to create and present a
short dance through the mural paths. Everything is done in pairs.

Closure

" Dance, dance, dance! Bayou boogey till the alligators come crawling two by two.
Return socks and paths back to art gallery.
" Review the whole experience of learning pairs and counting by twos Cajun style.

Extensions

" Create a hand puppet from their socks adding noses, eyes and smiles!
" Have an afternoon Acadian celebration with song, dance, stories and food.
" Create a story about the dancing socks.
4