Social Studies

1st Grade: George Washington Carver, Relay Drawing

Brewer Elementary

Hill/Rowe – Addie Newcomer

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to look at a finished product and reverse engineer that product (imagine what the process was like to make it and use visual art to show the process of engineering).
Students will be able to recall various products George Washington Carver created.
Students will be able to use visual art to express their social studies knowledge.
Students will be able to collaborate with their peers on a visual art project.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & Visual Art

State Standards:

SS1H1 Read about and describe the life of historical figures in American history.

Identify the contributions made by these figures: Benjamin Franklin (inventor/author/ statesman), Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence), Meriwether Lewis and William Clark with Sacagawea (exploration), Theodore Roosevelt (National Parks and the environment), George Washington Carver (science), and Ruby Bridges (civil rights).
Describe how everyday life of these historical figures is similar to and different from everyday life in the present (for example: food, clothing, homes, transportation, communication, recreation, etc.).

SS1G1 Describe how each historic figure in SS1H1a was influenced by his or her time and place.

American colonies (Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson)
American frontier (Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea)
National Parks (Theodore Roosevelt)
Southern U.S. (George Washington Carver and Ruby Bridges)

SS1CG1 Describe how the historical figures in SS1H1a display positive character traits such as: fairness, respect for others, respect for the environment, courage, equality, tolerance, perseverance, and commitment.

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.

Students will review multiple products George Washington Carver invented such as a sweet potato or peanut. Students will be able to talk about and draw the final product, what it may have looked like while it was in the process of being made, and finally what it looked like as a sweet potato plant.

The students started with box one (how the sweet potato plant looked in its beginning stages). Then passed their paper to the right. The next student drew in box 3 (how the final product looked), and then passed the paper again. The third students filled in the middle on their own. When it was time to share their piece, they chose whether they shared three, two, one, or one, two, three. They identified themselves whether they were “zooming in” or “zooming out” the engineering process.

Notes:

During this lesson, you can also discuss with students the idea of point of view. An ant climbing the tree, a bird high in its branches, and a bird flying over the tree have distinct and different points of view. What part of the product are you looking at if you are the ant? What part of the product are you looking at if you are flying over the product from a great height?

3rd Grade: Geography, Body Percussion

Brewer Elementary

Whatley – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to identify specific geographic regions on a globe.
Students will be able to use body percussion to express understanding of the content.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & Music

State Standards:

SS3G2 Locate and describe the equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe.

ESGM3.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

Create rhythmic and melodic motives to enhance literature.

Materials/Playing Space:

Students can stay by their desks

Description:

The PAIR Specialist introduced body percussion, telling students all the instruments needed for the lesson were already in the room. After a few suggestions of where these instruments were hiding, students figured out the instruments in the class were our bodies. Students learned to use claps, laps (hands to thighs), snaps, and stomps as four instruments we would use during the lesson. The PAIR Specialist also introduced tempo and volume.

The teacher then reviewed latitude, longitude, prime meridian, equator, North Pole, etc. Students were then divided into groups of 4-5. Each group was assigned a specific region on the globe (equator, prime meridian, or lines of latitude and longitude).

Students were then instructed, for example, how sound/rhythm/tempo might be affected do to placement on the globe. For example, students could imagine that a person is traveling from the equator to the North Pole, what sources of sound would you use and why? What source of sound would you start off with and how would the tempo be affected as you travel over mountains, or through bodies of water?

The students were challenged to reverse their body percussion creation: What would the rhythm sound like if the person was traveling from the North Pole to the equator?

Teachers are also encouraged to give students a particular area on the globe by giving them latitude/longitude number values. They must then find the exact location on the globe and create sources of sound that correspond with the location and thoroughly explain why.

Notes:

Side coaching from the teacher is very important during the activity. As the students do it more often, they will become more comfortable and creative.

3rd Grade: Native Americans, Name 6

Brewer Elementary, Year One

Whatley/Thomas/Straughter – Elizabeth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to locate the six (6) specific geographic locations Native Americans settled.
Students will be able to describe how Native Americans used their surroundings to receive shelter, food, and clothing.
Students will begin to explore their personal connection to the issues through the perspective of Native Americans.
Students will be able to engage effectively in listening, giving focus, and speaking clearly for others to hear.

State Standards:

SS3H1 Describe early American Indian cultures and their development in North America.

Compare and contrast how American Indians in each region used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

ELAGSE3SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & English

Materials/Playing Space:

Open Space for Movement
Ball

Description:

The teacher asked the students to form a circle around the room. One student will be appointed into the middle of the circle. The PAIR Specialist started out the game by asking simple category questions that students should be able to quickly answer, such as colors, states, what you find at a restaurant, etc. The student in the middle of the circle is the person giving answers to the category.

The timer for the center student is created by the ball being passed around the circle. By the time the ball returns to the original student, the player must have named six facts about the subject or question asked. If the player does not succeed in naming six colors, states, etc in the time the PAIR Specialist will ask for helping hands from the circle to give additional answers. If the circle is small, the ball should be passed around two or more times. Once the class as a whole has come up with six answers to the category, the student in the middle gets to choose a new student to step into the circle to answer a question.

After the PAIR Specialist did a couple practice rounds with general content, the teacher took over with specific questions regarding the content of the subject, such as different types of food and shelters for American Indians or six important facts about American Indians by their specific region.

The teacher can definitely make adjustments to the game depending on the student in the center. If it is a student who struggles with the pressure of a game like this, the teacher can challenge the circle to time their passes to how quickly answers are given to support their classmate in succeeding. If it is a student who excels in the content, the teacher can challenge that student to come up with ten answers instead of just six.

It is always great to debrief from a learning strategy with a discussion. For example you could ask students to reflect on how this game helped them remember important details about American Indians. You could also work on relating soft skills by asking “What did you see us doing?” Great answers to encourage are “we were working together as a team, moving, listening, focusing, etc.”

Notes:

The teacher can encourage rhythm while passing the ball around the circle, tying in music standards to this activity. This would maintain engagement in the activity for the students who can become unfocused in the larger group outside the circle.

Kindergarten: Citizenship, Poster Dialogue

Brewer Elementary, Year One

Cooks/DiPietro – Meagan Cascone

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will be able to define the rules.
Students will be able to differentiate between following and not following the rules.
Students will be able to act out how to follow rules properly.
Students will be able to engage appropriately as audience members.

State Standards:

SSKCG1 Demonstrate an understanding of good citizenship.

Explain how rules are made and why.
Explain why rules should be followed.

TAK.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.

Retell stories.
Sequence plot events for dramatizations.
Generate original ideas for dramatizations.

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

Participate as audience.
Identify the basic elements of theatre etiquette.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies and Theatre

Materials/Playing Space:

The students were at their desks for the activity. Both classes used pictures of following/not following the rules and one used paper with smiles and frowns and another used sticky notes and stickers.

Description:

The teachers introduced the lesson. In one class, the students at each table worked with one another to decide whether the picture showed following or not following the rules. Once decided, they taped a smiley face or a frown on the picture. Once each group was finished, they came up to the front of the class and presented their picture and rule. The teacher asked them questions about what the picture showed and also what following that rule looks like.

At this point, the PAIR Specialist explained that, just like rules in school that we follow for our safety and to be kind to others, there are rules that are followed as audience members in a theatre. The PAIR Specialist then asked the students to show the proper way to follow a rule, also engaging the students still at their tables to act as they think audience members should act when watching other people perform.

In the other class, there were still pictures at each table showing the same things, but the students rotated from one table to the other putting frowny face sticky notes or smiley face stickers on each picture. After everyone rotated, the teacher reviewed the pictures and rules with the class, having students volunteer to come up to the front of the class to be actors and show how to follow each rule properly.

Notes:

Both were great approaches to the material, it just depends on what works best with your class. One way to combine both methods would be for the students to stay in their seats and the teacher and PAIR specialist rotate the pictures around.

2nd Grade: Martin Luther King Jr., Body Percussion

Key Elementary, Year One

Singer – Beth Reeves

Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:

Students will create symbolic sounds based off of the hardship that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to endure.
Students will demonstrate comprehension of rhythmic patterns.
Students will collaborate to create music based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s timeline.

State Standards:

SS2H1 Describe the lives and contributions of historical figures in Georgia history.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights)

ESGM2.CR.1 Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Improvise simple rhythmic patterns using a variety of sound sources (e.g. electronic sounds, found sounds, body percussion, classroom instruments).
Improvise simple pentatonic melodies and accompaniments.

ESGM2.CR.2 Compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

Create sound effects to accompany songs, poems, and stories.

ESGM2.PR.2 Perform a varied repertoire of music on instruments, alone and with others.

Perform steady beat and simple rhythmic patterns using body percussion and a variety of instruments with appropriate technique.

Integration Area/Subject:

Social Studies & Music

Materials/Playing Space:

None

Description:

Students are taught 4 percussion sounds they can make with their bodies:

Hand Clap
Foot Stomp
Chest Clap
Hand Swipes

Students follow the teacher and make each sound in turn to form various rhythms. As each type of percussion is taught, give students a chance to mimic the percussion, go around in a circle to create a classroom beat, and discuss the differences in each type of percussion using vocabulary like rhythm, beat, tone, sharp & soft, low & high, quick & sustained.

The students were then asked what things Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did to help people? Answers included service, giving, marching, speaking, etc. Students were then asked to critically think about what body percussion sound best associated with the activity Dr. King did to help others. Students chose stomping for marching, hand swipes for giving to others, snapping for change, and so on.

Students were then divided into groups to reflect on Dr. King’s life and timeline of things he did, creating music of Dr. King’s life by putting body percussion assigned to the activities of Dr. King in order.

Students were then challenged with the introduction of tone/quality of sound. When Dr. King was speaking, was he afraid? Bold? Not sure of the outcome? How does this affect the way you play your sound? There may be moments where students choose to stomp loudly or snap softly, etc. Perhaps he was hesitant in the beginning of his journey, so any claps may be slower than later on in his life.

Once students have had a few minutes to develop their music, have each group share with a performance of their music to the rest of the class and ask students who are audience members to express moments they really liked what they thought those moments represented and why.

Notes:

Additionally, encourage students to think about span of time as they play certain sections of their music. Did providing service to others take more time that presenting a speech? Then allow that to affect how long a percussion style is played.

If your students are really ready for a challenge, ask them to consider if Dr. King ever stopped doing service projects when he started marching. Perhaps there should be different musicians playing different percussion styles to emphasize overlap in Dr. King’s activities.

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.