Lesson #1
Materials Required: 3-4 groups of commonly found natural and man-made objects of assorted colors and sizes, such as inse
Activity Time: 30-45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Science Education - characteristics and needs of living organisms; Social Studies - human relations.
Objectives for Learners: Elementary students will: 1. associate organisms with their characteristics; 2. use observations to classify organisms (Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement, 1995); 3. select one personal action to prevent racism.
Body of Lesson: Prior to the class session, place objects by group on classroom tables. Open the lesson by telling students that we will examine objects to determine their characteristics. Characteristics include traits like shape, color, size, and texture. We often group objects together when they share similar characteristics; for instance, all marbles are round and made of glass, regardless of their color. Scientists group objects to classify and study them.
Ask students to identify the similarities and differences of objects within each group. For example, when considering insects there are many similarities: insects live outdoors; insects lay eggs; all insects have a head, thorax, abdomen; insects have six legs. Insect differences: some insects crawl, while others fly; different types of insects live in different environments; insects differ by color, size, and shape; some insects have stingers, others do not.
After classifying the other objects according to similarities and differences, consider the group of photos, dolls, or other illustrations of humans. Ask students to identify the characteristics shared by all people, e.g., two arms and legs; ten fingers and ten toes; walk upright; five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision. Identify differences between groups of people: hair, skin, and eye color; language; food preferences; clothing; housing.
Discuss the importance of treating all people as equals, i.e., no one is more or less important than any other person. Racism is when some people treat others differently based on characteristics like skin color, age, or country of residence. We can prevent racism by treating all people as we would like to be treated by others. What is one thing you can do to act kindly toward people who appear to be different from you? Review students' suggestions as a group.
References: Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement. 1995. Compendium Supplement, Primary 3 - TASK 3, Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition.
Lesson #2
Materials Required: novel (Animal Farm), bag full of items, notecards
Activity Time: 2 class periods after novel is read.
Concepts Taught: allegory, symbolism, oral presentation
Title: Bring your Animal Farm character in a bag
Subject/Grade Level: English 9
Objectives: Students will be able to interpret a chosen character from the novel Animal Farm and represent that character in original symbolic form and present orally to the class.
Materials: novel (Animal Farm), bag of "symbols", notecards with explainations of each symbol.
Procedure: Prior to lesson, be sure each student has a clear historical understanding of the Russian Revolution (taught in conjunction in Social Studies class). Also, each student understands what an allegory is and who or what each character in Animal Farm represents.
- Each student chooses one character from novel. Try to have as many different characters as possible.
- Each student must present his/her character to the class using 7-10 objects in a symbolic bag (which also must be symbolically significant). Symbols may be objects found around the house or they may be hand made. Do not be concrete with the symbols (example - a pig figurine for Napolean).
- Each student must present his/her character to the class by showing each symbol and explaining its importance.
Assessment: Rubric (points may altered) based on
- completeness (7-10 items and note cards)
- creativity / originality
- oral communication
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Lesson #3
Title: I Hate English! by Ellen Levine
Purpose of Activity: As a result of this experience, the learner will appreciate listening to quality literature, learn about the Chinese culture, and participate in an oral activity.
TEKS:
3.2 Listening/speaking/culture. The student listens and speaks to gain knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures.
3.4 Listening/speaking/communication. The student communicates clearly by putting thoughts and feelings into spoken words.
3.4 (C) The student is expected to retell a spoken message by summarizing or clarifying.
Materials: Book I Hate English! by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Steve Bjorkman, blue Chinese style dress to be worn by the teacher, globe and/or world map, chop sticks, brown paper bag, brown rice, Chinese vegetables in a can, pre-made fortune strips, homemade "fortune" cookies- Chinese almond cakes- recipe at http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=11029 , Ziploc baggies
Prereading Activities: I will wear a Chinese dress and ask the students to guess what country I am from. When they guess correctly, I will show them China on a map and/or a globe. Next, I will hook into prior learning by reminding them of the science lesson they did using the Chinese wok. Then, I will show them the various items in the bag that relate to China and discuss them. I will set the purpose for reading by saying, "Let's read I Hate English! to find out what it is like to be a student in the United States from another country who speaks another language."
Reading: I will show the cover of the book and introduce the author and illustrator. I will read the book aloud to the students and encourage them to chime in at certain repetitive parts. I will ask questions while reading the story. I will welcome discussion and questions at the end of the story.
Postreading Activities: After reading the book, I will ask, "Have any of you ever been to a Chinese restaurant and had a fortune cookie?" Then I will tell them, "Today you are each going to get your own fortunes with some Chinese cookies I've made. When you get your fortune, read it and think about what it means. Then we will share our fortunes and their meanings." After doing this, I will close the lesson by asking the students about what they learned. I will ask them to tell the favorite part of the lesson to their neighbor. I will also tell them that a copy of the book will be in their classroom if they want to read it again.
Assessment: I will observe and take mental notes on 1) the enjoyment and understanding of the story, and 2) the interest and enthusiasm of the activity.
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