Science

1st Grade: Investigating Light, Relay Drawing

Brewer Elementary

Waters – Addie Newcomer

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to describe the differences between transparent, translucent, and opaque.
Students will be able to identify objects that can be described using one of those terms.
Students will be able to collaborate with classmates about how light can be seen and can travel through transparent, translucent, and opaque objects.
Students will be able to show their understanding of the content through visual art.

Integration Area/Subject:

Science & Visual Art

State Standards:

S1P1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate light and sound.

Use observations to construct an explanation of how light is required to make objects visible.
Ask questions to identify and compare sources of light.
Plan and carry out an investigation of shadows by placing objects at various points from a source of light.

VA1.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

Generate individual and group ideas in response to visual images and personal experiences.
Generate visual images in response to open ended prompts, themes, and narratives.
Produce multiple prototypes in the planning stages for works of art (e.g. sketches, models).

VA1.CR.2 Create works of art based on selected themes.

Create works of art emphasizing one or more elements of art and/or principles of design.
Create works of art that attempt to fill the space in an art composition.

VA1.PR.1 Participate in appropriate exhibition(s) of works of art to develop the identity of self as artist.

Complete works of art.
Sign a finished work of art.

VA1.RE.1 Discuss personal works of art and the artwork of others to enhance visual literacy.

Use a variety of strategies for art criticism.
Explain how selected elements of art are used in works of art to convey meaning.
Demonstrate an appreciation for art and art making processes by communicating thoughts and feelings.

VA1.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

Explore universal concepts (e.g. self, family, community, world) inspired by other subject areas.

VA1.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

Materials/Playing Space:

Plain computer paper, tri-folded
Pencils

Description:

The teacher pre-folded the computer paper into three boxes, labeling each box 1, 2, or 3 from top to bottom. For Relay Drawing, the paper is passed around the class, so, at the end, a single piece of paper has the work of three artists on it. The paper can be passed a final time, so that a student who had no hand in the creation of the art can assess it and explain what they see in the artwork created by their peers.

Using the Relay Drawing strategy, students first drew a transparent object in box 1. The students then passed their paper to the student to their right, who then drew a translucent object in box 2. Again, the paper was passed to the student to the right, who drew an opaque object in box 3.

At the end of this strategy, help students to freely discuss similar items different students had drawn, new objects they may not have thought of, and their favorite complete Relay Drawing pieces, describing the reasons why it was their favorite. A good challenge is to have them pick a drawing they did contribute to.

Notes:

If your class is ready to move deeper into visual art theory, they can each create a gray scale of three boxes to match up with transparent, translucent, and opaque. The transparent portion of the grayscale would be completely white paper, the translucent portion would be partially colored gray with pencil, and the opaque portion would be colored with pencil as dark as possible. Art vocabulary words like shading, light, value, saturation, and grayscale can be incorporated.

3rd Grade: Geographic Regions, Conducted Story

Blanchard Elementary, Year One

Martin/Stafford – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to compare/contrast the different geographic locations.
Students will be able to recall information about various geographic regions and use that information to tell a story.
Students will collaborate with peers in order to achieve a cohesive story.
Students will build soft skills such as teamwork, adaptability, and creativity.

State Standards:

S3L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the similarities and differences between plants, animals, and habitats found within geographic regions (Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau) of Georgia.

Ask questions to differentiate between plants, animals, and habitats found within Georgia’s geographic regions.

TA3.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

Collaborate and perform with an ensemble to present theatre to an audience.
Create and perform characters based on imagination.

TA3.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

Participate as an audience.
Demonstrate appropriate theatre etiquette.

Integration Area/Subject:

Science & Theatre

Materials/Playing Space:

Open classroom space

Description:

The PAIR Specialist asked students to share what they knew about Improv. The goal answer to the question is that improv is a form of theatre arts where the content is completely made up on the spot. The improv game, Conducted Story, is a game where a group of students creates a story beginning as any good story does with “Once Upon A Time.” The ‘conductor’ of the story is the teacher. The teacher controls how long a student will add onto the story by pointing to them and when the teacher pulls her hand back, the student must stop telling their story, even if it is in the middle of a sentence!

Pointing to another student, the story continues on where the last student left off. Student 1: “Once upon a time there was a lion who was walking down” Student 2: “the street to the circus. Then he ran into a girl lion and he” Student 3:, etc, etc. The PAIR Specialist emphasized that this story would be unique and exceptionally creative because it was not being created by a single storyteller, but by many, which means that the story would be something even greater because of the collaboration. The PAIR Specialist also emphasized the importance of listening to make sure that the story stays connected and makes sense from beginning to end.

The PAIR Specialist chose five students to create a story that had never been told before and would never be told again. This story had no boundaries and was a completely improved creation.

The teacher then chose five more students to play Conducted Story, but this time added a layer of information to the story being told. This layer was to create a story using the facts students remembered about different geographic regions. If the students had trouble remembering things, the teacher gave leading questions to help them continue with the story.

Notes:

It is important when using Conducted Story to continue to encourage creative ideas around the core subject matter being used within the story. Keeping creativity within the story allows for a fully arts integrated lesson.

For example, instead of a the story about the facts of the Blue Ridge Mountains, encourage students to create a story where they are a hiker in the Blue Ridge Mountains, experiencing the region for the first time.

Kindergarten: Weather, Conducted Story

Brewer Elementary, Year One

DiPietro – Meagan Cascone

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to describe bad weather.
Students will be able to list the precautions they should take when dealing with bad weather.
Students will be able to put different types of weather into the context of their lives.
Students will demonstrate the ability to focus, concentrate, and use imagination.
Students will be able to be respectful and courteous in an ensemble.

State Standards:

S1E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate weather data to identify weather patterns.

Represent data in tables and/or graphs to identify and describe different types of weather and the characteristics of each type.
Ask questions to identify forms of precipitation such as rain, snow, sleet, and hailstones as either solid (ice) or liquid (water).

TAK.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical works.

Use imagination to create, revise, and/or add to ideas.
Demonstrate skills of the mind (e.g. imagination, focus, concentration).
Follow directions for and contribute in planning theatre experiences.
Listen to others with respect and courtesy in an ensemble.

Integration Area/Subject:

Science & Theatre Arts

Materials/Playing Space:

We used the front of the room as our playing space

Description:

The teacher sat the students in the front of the classroom and pulled up four students at a time. The teacher explained to the students that she would start the story and when she pointed to them, they would need to continue the story. If she wasn’t pointing to them, then it wasn’t their turn to add to the story. The strategy of Conducted Story encourages the students playing to listen to each other and focus on the ensemble to know when it is time to participate and when it is time to wait for their next turn.

The teacher told the students that they were going to talk about ‘weather.’ She would start her stories by saying something like, “The weatherman said we were going to have a big snowstorm today, so that means…” or “One day when all of the students were playing outside, the sky grew dark and big clouds started to form. Then…” The students would then fill in the blanks, either describing the weather or saying what they do when bad weather happens to complete the story.

If a student was having trouble, the teacher would ask if they would like help from another student playing Conducted Story with them. This relieves the pressure of not knowing in the moment and allows the student to see another student as a helper, encouraging the idea that the group is an ensemble that works together to achieve the goal of telling the story.

Notes:

Below are some additional theatre arts standards you could add in to the Conducted Story strategy. For instance, rather than just having students recite their knowledge through Conducted Story, have them show with their bodies and voice what if feels like to be in the kind of weather they are talking about. It is also very easy to teach students that, when they are sitting in their seats, that is the audience space, and when they are standing in front of the class, that is their playing space, thus connecting the technical elements of theatre to the classroom.

TAK.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

Use voice to communicate emotions.
Use body to communicate emotions.

TAK.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.

Identify playing space and audience space.

5th Grade: Spiral Review, Poster Dialogue

Key Elementary, Year One

Ortiz – Jen Weisphal

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will express understanding of all Social Studies lessons learned over the course of the year.
Students will express understanding of all Science lessons learned over the course of the year.
Students will collaborate by asking and answering each other’s questions about Science or Social Studies content.

State Standards:

S5E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to identify surface features on the Earth caused by constructive and/or destructive processes.

S5P1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to explain the differences between a physical change and a chemical change.

S5P2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to investigate electricity.

S5P3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about magnetism and its relationship to electricity.

SS5H1 Describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.

SS5H2 Describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.

SS5H3 Explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.

SS5H4 Explain America’s involvement in World War II.

SS5H5 Discuss the origins and consequences of the Cold War.

SS5H6 Describe the importance of key people, events, and developments between 1950- 1975.

SS5H7 Trace important developments in America from 1975 to 2001.

VA5.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

Describe and discusses various art-related careers and how design impacts daily life (e.g. art historian, art critic, curator, web designer, game designer, fine artist).

VA5.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

Integration Area/Subject:

Science, Social Studies, and Visual Arts

Materials/Playing Space:

Poster size paper
Markers/pencils

Description:

PAIR Specialist introduced Poster Dialogue to the students. With Poster Dialogue, students will have the opportunity to express their knowledge on all Science and Social Studies content learned over the year by either drawing pictures or writing about the content. Additionally, as a way to learn from one another, students were also encouraged to write a question about something they still struggled to understand within the content learned, so that another student following them could answer their question. Poster Dialogue is a great way to allow students to ask questions without feeling judged for not knowing.

The students are also encouraged to have deliberate discussion on the posters. If one student has written content that is incorrect, another student will explain clearly why the information written is incorrect by using the phrase “I disagree because…” This allows students to learn from one another, as well as giving the class the opportunity to lead discussion in a safe and supportive way.

The teacher had students start off by writing or drawing one content point they remember from the course of the year on each poster (one for Science Spiral Review and one for Social Studies Spiral Review). Building on what was already presented, following students would then add to the drawing and writing with additional ideas and information on content, as well as answering questions if a previous student presented a question on the poster.

During this strategy, the teacher encouraged deliberate discussion and asked questions to the group based on the content she was seeing on the posters.

Notes:

These are great posters to hang up in the classroom for continuous discussion and review as students get closer to testing time. Allowing students the opportunity to safely express questions and discuss correct and incorrect information allows for a greater sense of community support within the classroom.

Constructive/Deconstructive Forces, Conducted Story

Key Elementary, Year One

Ortiz – Jen Weisphal

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will recall Constructive and Deconstructive Elements learned and create a story based on that content.
Students will collaborate to create theatre art connected to science elements.

State Standards:

S5E1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to identify surface features on the Earth caused by constructive and/or destructive processes.

Construct an argument supported by scientific evidence to identify surface features (examples could include deltas, sand dunes, mountains, volcanoes) as being caused by constructive and/or destructive processes (examples could include deposition, weathering, erosion, and impact of organisms).

TA5.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.

Use vocal elements (e.g. inflection, pitch, volume, articulation) to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions of a character.
Use body and movement to communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions of a character.
Collaborate and perform with an ensemble to present theatre to an audience.

TA5.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.

Participate as audience.
Demonstrate appropriate theatre etiquette.

Integration Area/Subject:

Science & Theatre

Materials/Playing Space:

Playing space in front of classroom

Description:

The PAIR Specialist asked students to share what they new about Improv. The goal answer to the question is that improv is a form of theatre arts where the content is completely made up on the spot. The improv game, Conducted Story, is a game where a group of students creates a story beginning as any good story does with “Once Upon A Time.” The ‘conductor’ of the stories is the teacher. The teacher controls how long a student will add onto the story by pointing to them and when the teacher pulls her hand back, the student must stop telling their story, even if it is in the middle of a sentence! Pointing to another student, the story continues on where the last student left off. Student 1: “Once upon a time there was a lion who was walking down” Student 2: “the street to the circus. Then he ran into a girl lion and he” Student 3:, etc, etc. The PAIR Specialist emphasized that this story would be unique and exceptionally creative because it was not being created by a single storyteller, but by many, which means that the story would be something even greater because of collaboration. The PAIR Specialist also emphasized the importance of listening to make sure that the story stays connected and makes sense from beginning to end.

The teacher chose five students to create a story that had never been told before and would never be told again. This story had no boundaries and was a completely improved creation.

The teacher then chose five more students to play Conducted Story, but this time added a layer of information to the story being told. This layer was to create a story about constructive and deconstructive properties. This layer created a connection to content that was learned in November for a strategy used in January to see how much information students had retained since they last learned in depth about constructive and deconstructive properties.

Notes:

Conducted Story is a great tool to gauge how much students know about a topic prior to teaching a unit and can then be used after teaching the unit to have students directly connect how much they learned from the first time they played Conducted Story.

3rd Grade: Regions of Georgia, Poster Dialogue

Wesley Heights, Year One

McFarland – Jen Weisphal

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will express their understanding of the similarities and differences in the geographic regions of Georgia.
Students will collaborate to create posters representative of the geographic regions.
Students will create visual art connected to the content they have learned.

State Standards:

Ask questions to differentiate between plants, animals, and habitats found within Georgia’s geographic regions.

VA3.CR.1 Engage in the creative process to generate and visualize ideas by using subject matter and symbols to communicate meaning.

Utilize multiple approaches to plan works of art incorporating imaginative ideas, universal themes, and symbolic images.

VA3.CN.2 Integrate information from other disciplines to enhance the understanding and production of works of art.

Apply art skills and knowledge to improve understanding in other disciplines.

VA3.CN.3 Develop life skills through the study and production of art (e.g. collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, communication).

Integration Area/Subject:

Science & Visual Arts

Materials/Playing Space:

Poster size paper
Markers/crayons/pencils

Description:

PAIR Specialist introduced poster dialogue to the students. There were five posters placed around the room with the different geographic regions of Georgia (Coastal Plains, Mountain, Marsh/Swamp, Piedmont, Ocean) at the top of the posters. With Poster Dialogue, students will have the opportunity to express their knowledge on the geographic regions by either drawing pictures or writing about the regions. The students had not yet learned about Marsh/Swamp, so this poster was a gauge to see what the students might already know about the region prior to teaching the lesson.

The teacher divided the students into groups of 3-4 and each group would get one minute to draw or write as much as they could on the poster they were at. Once the one minute was up, all groups rotated to a new poster. Building on what was already presented by the last group, students would then add to the drawing and writing with additional ideas and information for the new geographic region they were working on.

At the end of all rotations, the class would have collaborative art describing the different regions of Georgia and will have learned from one another as well, by seeing the work from the previous groups.

It is important to take the time to hang the posters up and have the students discuss what they see on each poster and what they have learned from other students’ drawing and writing, as well as inviting them to ask questions about what they do not understand to solidify the learning opportunity created with Poster Dialogue.

Notes:

While students were divided into groups for this art strategy, one or two groups struggled to work together to create one large picture of the region they were working on, instead choosing to divide their poster up so that they had their own separate area to work in. It is important for this version of Poster Dialogue to really encourage students to collaborate with their group and build teamwork skills.