Telling Stories Through Objects - Brooklyn Children's Museum

ACTIVITY 1
All Grades
Related Objects: All
Introductory Activity: Word Play
In this exercise, students have fun changing each other’s
perception of an object while practicing vocabulary.
Students will also begin to sense the relationship between
objects, words, and ideas. The word that is placed next
to an object may color or change how we perceive it. You
may find that several words can be applied to the same
object. Students will become more aware that objects
and words do not have one absolute meaning—instead,
their meanings can change depending on their context.
Materials:
• Word Play” form (see following page), cut up into
individual cards
• A variety of everyday objects from the classroom
• Objects in the case
What To Do:
1 Cut apart the words on the “Word Play” form. There
should be enough words so that there is one per child.
If not, some students may receive the same word, or
you may add words of your own choosing.
2 Place the words into a container and pass it around.
Have each child take a word.
3 Ask each child to read his or her word aloud. Make
certain that each child understands the meaning of
the word.
TELLING STORIES THROUGH OBJECTS 10
4 Give the class four to five minutes to find an object in
the classroom that they wish to associate with their
word. Explain that the words can but do not have to
identify or describe the object. Instead, they can relate
to some aspect of the object’s use, purpose, or meaning.
For example, “shield” might be associated with
the window screen, which shields the room from sunlight.
Encourage your students to make imaginative
connections between words and object, while remaining
true to each.
5 Have each child explain to the class why he or she
chose that object to go with their word.
6 Repeat this exercise using the objects from the case.
7 Have students discuss how their ideas or understandings
about the words and/or the objects changed
when the association changed.
Discussion Questions:
• What word/object connection did you make?
• Why did you associate your word with that particular
object?
• What other word could you use with that same
object?
• Were you surprised at the objects other students chose
to go with their words? Why?
See page 23 for details on how this activity meets
New York State Learning Standards.