Beth


 * Lesson 1: Number Sense**

//Content (Math, Social Studies, Science, and Literacy) ://

One thing my group noticed during this activity is that more often than not there existed two perspectives in every situation we were exploring and documenting. For example, in the case with the picture of the newspaper stand, there were more //Old Gold and Blacks// in publication than they were people willing to put them into circulation or there were less people willing to put them into circulation than there were //Old Gold and Blacks// in publication. This particular concept of being able to interpret a "more than" statement into a "less than" statement and vice versa shows a higher level of thinking on Bloom's taxonomy and would be a good way to assess whether students understand the relationship between "more than" and "less than". This concept could further be connected to literacy and math if the teacher were to provide the students with further data from the //Old Gold and Black// such as the number of newspapers in publication and the number of newspapers in circulation over a time period. The students could then make a table out of this data and then create a line graph with the teacher's guidance using this data. Ultimately, the teacher could evaluate whether the students understand the trend in the line graph by asking them what their prediction is for the future relationship between the number of newspapers in circulation and the number of newspapers in publication. A link to technology and literacy could be included if the teacher was to ask the students why they think this pattern is occurring. Most likely, in order to come up with the answer--that with increased technology usage, many people are reading the newspaper online rather than in print-- some scaffolding would have to occur.

//Pedagogy://

As the teacher, your job would be to first of all assess whether your students are capable of performing this higher level of Bloom's taxonomy before incorporating this lesson into your classroom. I would recommend this lesson for upper elementary grades (perhaps third grade through fifth grade). If you decide that this could be a successful lesson for your students, make sure you bring in an //Old Gold and Black// for reference and read them two articles to pique their interest in the lesson. As a pretest in order to assess prior knowledge, you can ask your students whether they liked the first article "more than" or "less than" the second article and evaluate there responses. Then, follow the procedure listed under content and keep in mind the specific content this lesson is trying to have students construct: number sense through the relationship between "more than" and "less than".

//Technology://

A [|prezi] is a great visual to help guide these students along the way. Also, you can give the students two forms of newspapers, one in-print and the other online (such as [|Old Gold & Black], [|The New York Times], or [|The Washington Post]) in order to see which newspaper they would prefer reading if they had a choice.

//Sustainability://

You can introduce the terminology of "scarcity" and "abundance" through the use of this lesson in which there were a scarcity of newspapers in circulation and an abundance of newspapers in publication. Furthermore, you can relate this to the necessity to use our natural resources wisely because they are not abundant, but rather they are becoming more and more scarce.

//Identify (One each) Assessment, Mobile App, and Other Media://

As mentioned earlier I would provide a pretest and post-test. The pretest would be the asking them whether they liked the first article "more than" or "less than" the second article and the post-test would to see whether they are able to fully grasp the pattern in the line graph by asking them to make a predication about the future relationship between the number of newspapers in circulation and the number of newspapers in publication. You could also introduce the idea that of yet another form of newspapers that people are beginning to use through mobile applications such as [|The New York Times Mobile App]. You can then have your students think of the implications of these newspaper mobile apps in regards to the trend identified through the use of the line graph. Although this [|youtube video] is definitely not age-appropraite for elementary students, it is another media source that describes the uncertainty of the future of print newspapers.


 * Lesson 2: How much water do you drink in a day?**

//Content (Math, Social Studies, Science, and Literacy)://

I would integrate this lesson into as many content areas as possible. So examples include: Math: Introduce the [|"Gallon Man"] or [|"Mr. Gallon"] to the class by bringing into the classroom a gallon of water, a cup of water, a quart of water, a pint of water, and a cup of water. You can have your students put them in order from smallest unit of measure to largest unit of measure. You can also physically show them that the measurements of conversion/equivalency are accurate as they are depicted by the "Gallon Man" or "Mr. Gallon". For example, you can make sure that four quarts equals a gallon by measuring out four quarts of water and making sure that when poured into a gallon, they fill it up. After showing these equivalent/conversion measurements, you can have students create 4 equations based off of "Mr. Gallon" or the "Gallon Man". The equations may be as simple as 4 quarts = 1 gallon, or as complex as 2 quarts + 2 pints + 4 cups = 1 gallon. You can then ask them to try to estimate how much water they drink in a day. This can be a collaborative or individual assignment. Science: Either explain the necessity of water to the human body or the water cycle. Social Studies: Have students locate the [|Water Tower] nearest them and describe its function. Moreover, expand your students' horizons by having them look at water on a more global scale by asking them to find bodies of water, such as rivers, oceans, or lakes, on a map or globe. Literacy: Books About This Subject: [|All the Water in the World] [|Science With Water] [|Why Should I Save Water?] [|The Drop in My Drink]

//Pedagogy://

This lesson plan can be adapted to many different age-levels. For example, in order to make the initial inquiry of the lesson plan more complex, ask your students how much water do you use in a day. Make sure and assess their prior knowledge before starting the content of this lesson plan. One way this can be done is by asking your class to think about ways in which they interact with water on a daily basis, such as when it rains or when they flush the toilet. Based on the answers that they come up with, arrange your lesson plan accordingly so that it is age-appropriate, relevant/authentic, and engaging. The relevant/authentic and engaging portions of this lesson plan are evident if you emphasize how essential water is to everyone on a daily basis. The lesson plan becomes further relevant/authentic and engaging as you tailor the lesson plan to the individual by eventually inquiring about the the student's daily consumption of water. Don't forget to keep in mind the objectives of your specific lesson plan and make sure to incorporate them and an adequate assessment that your students have satisfied these objectives.

//Technology://

There are many way to incorporate technology into this lesson plan. As I found on [|Microsoft in Education], you can incorporate Microsoft Excel into this lesson plan if age-appropriate, by asking students to keep track of their water in-take on this program. Moreover, you can create a [|Google Form] to have them begin brainstorming about water, record their findings, and make predictions. Then, you can have students chart or graph the information that you extracted from this Google Form to make a classroom water profile.

//Sustainability://

In order to tie this into a unit on sustainability, you can relate this lesson to the issue of water conservation. Many videos promote water conservation and give tips on how to conserve water: [|GOOD Transparency: Water Conservation] [|Sesame Street: Water Conservation]

//Identify (One each) Assessment, Mobile App, and Other Media://

Assessment: Separate students into groups and have them work collaboratively to create a short commercial to present in front of the class to help children understand how they can conserve water on a daily basis. For a more traditional form of assessment, see this [|Worksheet.] Mobile App: [|Waterlogged] is a Mobile App which allows an individual to track their in-take of water. Other Media: [|NPR], an article that can be both read or listened to, has insight into the water shortage issue from experts.


 * Lesson 3: Interview with Students about Number Sense**

Due to the wide range of mathematical skills in the first grade class that I am observing, I decided to select two students with whom to have an interview about number sense. One of the students which I interviewed, Jenny, represents the lower portion of the mathematical skills spectrum in my class, while the other student, Semaj, represents the upper portion of the mathematical skills spectrum in my class. I thought that by choosing one student who is extremely struggling with the mathematical concepts of first grade and one who is excelling in the mathematical concepts of first grade, I would be able to understand the different levels of learning in my class and be able to better accommodate for both in my future math lessons. I first interviewed Jenny by taking her to a side table away from the other students and telling her that I have something that I want her to help me with and that I needed her to try her best on each task. First, I showed her a 0-99 chart and asked her if she had seen it before. Although I knew the answer to this questions because her teacher, Mrs. Merrill, uses these on a daily basis, I just wanted to make sure that she could recognize the chart. Second, I asked her to place her finger on the number which is how many years old that she is. She was able to complete this task as she put her finger on the six. Third, I asked her to add ten to this number and put her finger on this new number. She was unable to complete this task. Instead of placing her finger on the sixteen, she heard the word ten and placed her finger on that number. Since we had just done calendar, I thought it was appropriate to next ask her subtract, or take away, the number of days we have had in March so far. I was expecting her to take away two since it was March 2nd, but instead she couldn't figure out what day in March it was despite having just gone over it with the whole class. Therefore, I helped her out and told her that it was March 2nd, therefore we have had two days of school this month. After hearing the word two, she moved her finger immediately to the two rather than figuring out the computation. I then asked her to skip count by twos for three times. She was able to skip count by twos by starting at the two, but she disregarded the fact that I wanted her to only do it three times. She would have continued skipping counting by twos throughout the whole number chart, but I decided to intervene and stop her. I decided that she had been pushed far enough and that I had an adequate understanding of her number sense and therefore decided not to continue with the interview. I thanked her for helping me and asked her to return to her seat. After this interview, I was discouraged because it is hard to see a student so far behind. I made sure to record my findings on a piece of notebook paper. Through this interview, I found out that Jenny is able to identify numbers after someone voices them, she knows which number corresponds to her age, and she is able to skip count by twos. However, she is unable to perform simple computations of addition and subtraction. I started my next interview with Semaj the same way and proceeded through each step. He was able to complete each task with no help or verbal prompting. I extended this interview even further with Semaj because I thought that he had more to show me. So after he discovered the "secret number"-- 20 -- I asked him how many tens do you have, and he answered two tens. I then asked him how many ones he had, and he answered zero. Next, I asked him to represent this number using the Unifix cubes which I had laid out on the desk. He was able to connect ten of the individual cubes to make one tens stick and then ten more individual cubes to make another tens stick. Lastly, I thanked him for helping me and asked him to return to his seat. I made sure to record my findings on a piece of notebook paper. Through this interview, I found out that Semaj has a high level of number sense for a first grade student. I could tell that he was familiar and comfortable with this type of number chart and Unifix cubes. However, I did realize that he wasn't completely familiar and comfortable with the number chart because as I asked him to add ten to the original number, he proceeded to count out ten spaces rather than making the connection that the same square on the next row would be the equivalent of moving ten spaces. Overall, I was extremely impressed with Semaj's number sense and wished that I had made up even more questions to challenge him and find out the extent of his mathematical knowledge. From both of these interviews, I was able to realize the wide range of number sense that can be possible between two students of the same age and in the same grade. It will be a difficult task to accommodate for both of the ends of the number sense spectrum in my class, but I feel like the first step in accomplishing this is by identifying and acknowledging that the range exists in the first place.


 * Lesson 4: How Much Water is in Your Body?**

Content (Math, Social Studies, Science, and Literacy):

In order to teach my students about the amount of water which makes up their bodies, I would try to incorporate as many different content areas as possible. Using math, I would have my students estimate what percentage of their bodies are made of water and then compare their estimations to the percentage of water composition in the body which they find through research. This lesson could be a good link between an anatomy/health lesson (water composition in the human body and the importance of water in your daily intake) and the mathematical concept of percentages which can then be linked to fractions and decimals. Furthermore, this lesson could be extended in the content area of anatomy and health by introducing other substances that make up your body composition such as fat. Through science, you and your students could explore the structure and elements (oxygen and hydrogen) of water. In social studies, you could discover ways which humans are able to obtain potable water for survival such as through filtration and distillation. A teacher could even integrate art into this lesson by having the students trace their bodies and then color in with blue marker the estimated percentage of water in their bodies. In order to help your students visualize the percentage of water in their bodies, you could fill up a container with that same percentage of water and tell the students that if the container were each of their bodies, that much water would be filling it up.

Pedagogy:

There are multiple ways to go about implementing this lesson but a teacher must pay attention to the prior knowledge, maturity level, intelligence level, learning styles, preferences, attention span, and special needs of his or her students. Body Mass Index can be a controversial issue as some schools in the past have had issues with students and parents as they required their students to undergo a calculation of their body mass indexes. Body mass indexes can be controversial because this information is using calculated in private or by medical advisers. Many parents do not feel like it is the school's responsibility to determine whether their child is obese, overweight, healthy, or underweight. Therefore, as a teacher, one must be aware that the body mass index can be explained to students as a scale to measure body fat according to weight and height. However, a teacher should never suggest or guide a student through calculating his or her own BMI.

Technology:

Technology could be incorporated into this lesson by having students create a graphic organizer for water using the software Kidspiration. Furthermore, you could split the students into groups and have them write a script and for a public service announcement about.water conservation. The students could then act out the script and record the public service announcement using video equipment. You could assign roles to the students through this public service announcement such as actor, actress, director, editor, producer, and cameraman in order to help them better understand the process of making a movie.

Sustainability:

An element of sustainability can easily be incorporated into this lesson by emphasizing the importance of water conservation since water is such a vital part of human survival and, simultaneously, such a scarce, precious resource on this planet.

Identify (One Each) Assessment, Mobile App, and Other Media

Assessment- You could assess your students' prior knowledge of water composition in the human body by asking them in the beginning of the lesson what percentage of their bodies do they think is made up of water and compare this to the actual percentage. You could assess their ability to pictorially represent this percentage by evaluating their tracings of their bodies and the level of water which they colored in to depict the water composition of their bodies. What d Mobile App- [|Withing] is a "intelligent scale" which is connected to wi-fi and therefore your phone through an app or your computer in order to determine and track your body fat percentage, muscle mass percentage, and BMI. As a teacher, you can introduce this app to your students in order for them to realize that their are other materials (such as fat and muscle) besides water which our body is composed of and that there is a standardized scale, BMI, to determine boyd fat using height and weight.

Other Media- The children's book [|Our Earth: Saving Water] educates children on different methods of water conversation.


 * Lesson 5: Field Trip to Old Salem**

If I were to take my students on a field trip to Old Salem, I think the most obvious link to curriculum would be social studies as Old Salem is a historic preservation of a Moravian settlement. The topic of human living patterns could be explored as I challenge students to compare and contrast life today as a student in the 21st century and life in 1753 as a Moravian settler.

I would begin by asking students if they had ever been to Old Salem. If so, I would let the students who have been share what they know about Old Salem to the class. I would then try to find a children's book to read to my class about Old Salem or the Moravian settlers. I would show on a map the distance that the Moravian settlers had to travel from Bethlehem, P.A. to North Carolina.

As we embark on the actual field trip, I would make sure to ask questions along the way such as we are using a school bus to drive a couple of miles through a city in order to get to Old Salem, but how did the Moravian settlers move from Bethlehem, P.A. to North Carolina in 1753? Once we get to Old Salem, I would want the students to observe the buildings of Old Salem and compare them to contemporary buildings. Also, I would want them to think about how the Moravian settlers sustained themselves through methods such as gardening or permaculture. I would want my students to think of the type of clothes that the Moravian settlers wore and the form of religion that they practiced. Moreover, I would want them to think about the access to education which the Moravian children had. Hopefully, as my students are pondering these questions, they are realizing how different their lives are from those of the Moravian settlers.

Upon our return from our field trip, I would spend the next couple of lessons filming a video summarizing what we learned as a class from this field trip. Each student would be designated a certain area of expertise such as transportation, religion, agriculture, education, architecture, or mode of dress. Then, each student would be expected to present on film the similarities and differences that exist between the present and the past (during the Moravian settlement) in this particular area of expertise.

As a final project, I would have the students write two paragraphs about why they think it is important to preserve history, such as through museums, reenactments, or archaeological sites.