Shanté Keys and the New Year's Peas Activity - Albert Whitman ...

FINE ARTS
SUBJECT AREA ACTIVITIES
STATE GOAL 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art
are produced.
B. Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one or more of the arts.
26.B.1d Visual Arts: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create visual works of art using
manipulation, eye-hand coordination, building and imagination.
Party Hat
Children love celebrations! Designate a day and time for your class’ New Year’s
celebration. If homemade treats are allowed at your school, ask parents to donate
them. Encourage them to share treats particular to their cultures.
Prior to the party, have the children make their own New Year’s party hats, or a
crown like Shanté is wearing on the cover of the book. (A pattern follows for the
hat.)
If you make the hat at the size printed on the following sheet, it will be a very
small hat, so you will need to enlarge it. If you don’t have a copy machine that
can do the job, use an overhead projector. To enlarge the pattern, copy the sheet
on a transparency sheet. Tape a sheet of large construction paper on the board or
wall and project the transparency on the paper. Adjust the size of the image to
the proper size to create a hat to fit the heads of your students. Trace the image
on the paper to create a pattern.
Before the designated time, have the children put on their hats. Have some fun
and countdown to the time. So if the party is to begin at 12 noon, for example,
use the classroom clock to countdown 10‐9‐8‐7. . . !
New Year’s at My House!
Have students draw a picture or make a collage of what the parties would look
like if Shanté came to their houses for a New Year’s celebration! Here are some
questions to get them to think about the elements in their picture:
What are the people wearing?
What are they eating?
Is it a celebration with an extended family, or just the people who live in
your house?
Does your family celebrate on January 1 st or another time of the year?
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