| Curriculum Map 2006-2007 | ||
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The Dwight School |
| Content | Purpose/ Objectives | Activities/ Assessments | Resources | ||
| I Believe (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
Who We Are Central Idea: The beliefs and values of cultures are conveyed through rituals, celebrations, the arts and the way people live. An inquiry into: -major world religions -the role religion plays in people's lives and in the development of cultural identity and the arts -the role of rituals and ceremonies that some cultures use to mark important events |
1. What are some of the major belief systems? 2. How do belief systems influence the way people live their lives? 3. How are the rituals and celebrations within the major religions similar and different? 4. How does learning about other belief systems change the way we view them? |
- KWL - Writing and categorizing questions - Overview/discussions on belief systems and world religions -Map study: religions around the world. Students work in small groups to accomplish their assigned area on the map and investigate to find the belief systems in that area. They record their data and report their findings to the class. -Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting belief systems. -Individual inquiry into the lives of religious figures including their impact on the world. Followed by presentations to the class. -Group research projects and presentations using visual displays about belief systems -Field trips to religious places around the city. Student self-assessment: Students write a reflection at the end of the unit on what they have learned about belief systems and how that knowledge will affect how they see and treat people who believe something different from themselves. |
-World Religions, Arquilevich -Belair Lesson Bank Religion Education Series -Biographies of religious people throughout the world -One World, Many Religions, Osbourne -What I Believe, Brown and Langley -How Do You Spell God?, Gellman and Hartman -The Dictionary of Religion, Ellwood |
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| Investigation of Human Spaces (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
Where We Are in Place and Time Central Idea: The values, the history and the resources of a culture are reflected in its architecture. An inquiry into: -the art and science of designing and constructing buildings -evaluation of visual data as clues to history and culture -the”home” and the “city” as indicators of time and place -influence of technology on architectural design |
1. How have buildings changed over time? 2. How does architecture differ from culture to culture? 3. What can looking at a building tell us about the history of the local area? 4. How does a sketch on paper turn into a built building? |
- K, W, L (what do you know, what do you want to know, what have we learned) - Writing and categorizing questions - Block Walk Field Trip - “Heads in a huddle” brainstorm - “Mapping”—your room; your route to school - Sketching neighborhood facades - Learning how to read a drawing (plan, elevation, section) - architecture vocabulary - time line construction - detail drawing - the ability to transform 2D drawings to 3D models using materials and shapes to construct individual or group models in classroom and art class (City Planning project) - literature: Cricket in Times Square; From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler; Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing; Family Under The Bridge - collage from magazines/ newspapers - class mural - current events discussions - Field Trips: Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Guggenheim, Kid City, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of the City of New York - Learning how to research: around the classroom, from outside sources - Research reports on buildings around the world and French monuments - math word problems - French: Architectural design over time in France - Art: Build their own community -sketch book showing observations and details with teacher comments -Vocabulary Quizzes -Journal reactions to museums and block walk with teacher comments -Architecture journal assignments with teacher assessments -Individual building research reports—teacher assessed (O,V,M,N) with comments and student self-assessment -Student-devised Unit Test—teacher assessed Student self-assessment: The students grade themselves on their research reports. They grade their progress on questioning, thinking, research skills, presentation and time management. They are also asked to list what questions they needed to ask themselves and what skills they used. They grade themselves an O,V,M,N according to the report card. |
-local architecture (Block Walk) -local maps and world maps (current and ancient) -student photography -professional photography -literary references to city life and architecture & poetry -videos -children’s books: Skyscrapers, How America Grew Up; Arches to Zigzags; Building Big; Where We Live; Great Buildings; Amazing Buildings; New York Pop Up Book; Under New York; Madlenka; Joe and the Skyscraper -field trips: New York Historical Society, Guggenheim Museum, Met |
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| Formats Count-Publications (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
How We Express Ourselves Central Idea: There are many ways of capturing and persuading a target audience through language and visual media. An inquiry into: - -types of publications and their uses -how design affects the messages -story telling and illustrating -effects of mass production of printed materials -creating with an audience in mind |
1. What is a publication? What are some types? 2. How do different designs and formats portray different messages? 3. Are publications as important today with radio, television, and Internet? 4. What is our responsibility towards our own work (vs. plagiarism) and the messages we send? |
-What is a publication? —class brainstorm -writing and categorizing questions -author studies—Avi and Katherine Paterson -read aloud (Natalie Babbit, Collier and Collier) -literature all year—character and plot maps, theme, mood, story structure, writers’ inspiration -writing workshop—short story and poetry -poetry studies--response journal and discussion each week—Poetry In Motion -article writing—class newsletter -study and creation of various types of publication: letters, poster design, picture book poetry literary magazine/anthology, newspaper—mass production, advertisement design, oral presentation, comic books, yearbook, calendar, colonial newspaper -buddy editing -weekly poems, paintings, and quotations -learning about computer programs—Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher -field trip to Architectural Digest -Spaghetti Book Club book reviews—www.spaghettibookclub.com -video production -book-making and print-making in art class French: some French publications Art: - print making - book making -writing portfolio—teacher assessed -idea maps -outline -paragraph -story-fiction -article -essay -poetry -book review -colonial newspaper -design portfolio—teacher assessed -album cover -book cover -advertisements -proofreading—editing—revising checklists -published work on spaghettibookclub website -sketch and stretch post-novels with teacher comments Student self-assessment: Students will assess themselves through questionnaires prior to student-led conferences. They will also assess themselves through an editing checklist for publication of their book reviews online. They also write a few paragraphs at the end of the year assessing themselves on poetry throughout the year, what they learned, and what they still want to know. |
-Time for Kids weekly kids news magazine -samples of all types of publications -advertisements in magazines -literature all year—picture books and chapter books -current events clippings from newspapers -computer programs—Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher -Teacher Resources: -field trip to “Architectural Digest” -Ways of Seeing by John Berger -guest speaker: book publishing -In The Middle by Nancy Atwell -Spaghetti Book Club website -Creating a Classroom for Authors and Inquirers by Kathy Short |
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| Measuring the Natural World: Weather (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
How the World Works Central Idea: Geography, the seasons, and the climate of a place are intertwined and affect many aspects of weather. An inquiry into: -data collecting and analysis -weather forecasting -location and climate -man’s technology overcoming climate |
1. What are the different types of weather systems? 2. How do weather patterns form? 3. How does the weather affect humans and vice versa? 4. What causes weather to be different around the world? 5. What is our responsibility to keep our air clean and the ozone layer intact? |
-KWL -writing and categorizing questions -vocabulary -Measuring time—seasons and calendars around the world -Measuring weather: -hypothesizing -data collecting—charts -anemometer — wind speed -barometer—gauging air pressure -wind vane—direction -rain gauge—precipitation -spring break weather logs and graphs -Literature: weather myths novels—Hatchet and Li Lun -non-fiction readings on weather elements—nature explained, ie. clouds, fronts, rain, lightning, thunder ( Is Nature predictable?) -atmosphere group models -effects of weather and climate on humans—a look at crops, animals, leisure activities -location and climate connection—geography -weather forecasting each Friday for weekend -reading weather maps and symbols -research projects on weather elements, pollution, global warming, the ozone layer, our responsibilities -written, oral and visual displays -using scientific encylcopedias and almanacs for research -murals depicting survival through weather conditions in novels -possible video presentation French: le temps Art: leaf printing, and drawing landscapes from observation -weather logs and data collecting with teacher assessment -weather journal exercises—teacher assessed -teacher and students assessed weather research reports (notes, research paper, visuals and creativity, oral presentation) (O,V,M,N) Student self-assessment: Students assess their weather projects by the same teacher assessment rubric on their research paper, visual and oral presentation. (O,V,M,N) |
-Books: Exploring Weather, Wind and Weather, Disaster Hurricane!, Exploring Humans and the Environment -Videos from National Geographic—Twister -National Geographic Magazine -Nature images of weather elements -Music, poetry and painting inspired by the weather -field trip to Central Park weather station and Natural History Museum, Hall of Planet Earth |
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| Getting Organized—The Development of Govt Systems (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
How We Organize Ourselves Central Idea: People develop rules and systems for governing themselves. An inquiry into: -Different government systems—compare and contrast -Human rights and responsibilities -Children’s rights -The development of democracy; American government from the beginning -Government as it applies to us today |
Teacher Questions: 1. Why is government necessary for society? 2. What were the causes, events, figures, and effects of the American Revolution? 3. What is democracy and how did it develop? 4. What are human rights? Children’s rights? 5. What are other government systems? Compare and contrast. |
- KWL - Writing and categorizing questions - by telling the story of history—bringing historical characters to life (J. Fritz and History of Us series) - literature—Who’s Carrie? and My Brother Sam is Dead (Collier and Collier) - Dear America independent projects - Dear America videos (The Winter of Red Snow, A Picture of Freedom) - colony studies - group role plays of J. Fritz books - American Revolution—Causes and Effects, Major Events and Figures - Historical Documents: The Mayflower Compact Common Sense *Declaration of Independence *Constitution and Bill of Rights Gettysburg Address Martin Luther King March of Washington Address - writing our class contract (September) - branches of government tree and balance of power - charts of other government systems - Colonial Bingo - Colonial newspaper research reports on events and figures with articles and illustrations/ ads * ( rewriting in our own words) - comparison to French government system French: La revolution francaise, liberte, egalite, fraternite Art: Keith Haring -study questions that focus on: What is a colony? How did we move from colony to country? —teacher assessed -American Revolution timeline—teacher assessed -government comparison chart—teacher assessed-individual versions of Bill of Rights with teacher comments -democracy brainstorm extensions -teacher and student self-assessment of colonial news research (notecards, articles, illustrations) (O,V,M,N) -teacher assessment of independent projects on Dear America novels—comments -board games—teacher assessed with rubric Student self-assessment: Students assess themselves on cooperative learning with a questionnaire for J. Fritz book role-plays. They also self-assess their colonial news research according to the same teacher-assessed rubric (O,V,M,N). |
-A History of Us series, Dear America Series -Jean Fritz books—Sam Adams, Joh Hancock, Patrick Henry, King George, The Constitution -Words That Built A Nation -Encyclopedia of the Presidents and their times -field trips: New York City Hall, Van Cortlandt Manor -Teacher Resources: People’s History of the U.S. by Howard Zinn, Lies My Teacher Told Me -videos—George Washington, History Rock -U.S. maps and world maps -music from 1776 |
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| Infinite Demands, Finite Resources (Week 1, 6 Weeks) |
How We Share the Planet Central Idea: Water is required for all living things to sustain life. An inquiry into: -water uses for people, plants, and animals -preservation / conservation -the water cycle -water ecosystems |
1. Why is water essential to life? 2. How does the availability of water affect peoples lives? Other living things? 3. What are the various uses of water for people, plants, and animals? 4. How has the water situation in the world changed over time and what is our responsibility? 5. What can we see and hypothesize from experiments with water? |
-water brainstorm—individual spider maps (before unit and after) -writing and categorizing questions -water experiments, mini lab reports -blue water molecules dropped into a glass of water -evaporation and condensation -float versus sink -Periodic Table and molecule models -learn how to hypothesize -water cycle posters in groups -How much water do you use?- daily log -graphs of water use -Venn diagrams showing uses of water for people, plants, and animals -what is our responsibility? Essay/ letters -water fun fact books -visits to local water resources (rivers, reservoir) -body—globe connection (% of water) -water around the world through mapping -water vocabulary -Literature: The Cay and Trumpet of the Swan -non-fiction reading—nature explained, ie. waves, tides, chemistry of water -water ecosystem research and presentations -Lewis and Clark expedition study from reading and writing at end of unit leading into our study of colonies and American History -French: Study of Le Nil (9 countries to share one river – imbalance of water allocation: Egypte 80%) and French water terms -Art: watercolors and poetry writing -lab record book of experiments with water—teacher assessed -vocabulary quizzes -water journal exercises completed and teacher assessed - demonstrating the water cycles through group poster and presentation—teacher assessed through comments, student self-assess on cooperative learning) -water ecosystem research reports presentations—teacher assessed and student-self assessed through rubric (O,V,M,N) -personal plan for water conservation with teacher comments -class-created test—teacher assessed -sketch and stretch after Museum visit with teacher comments Student self-assessment: The students grade themselves on cooperative learning and the water cycle after their poster presentations. They also grade themselves using the same teacher-rubric for their research reports and give themselves a letter grade of O,V,M,N according to the report card. |
-local water sources—rivers, reservoir -Books: Dive!, Water, Water Everywhere, The Water Cycle, Seas and Oceans, The Coral Reef, Water Power Cleaning Up Our Water, The Living River, Life in the Oceans, Swamps and Marshes -maps of Central Park and world maps highlighting water bodies -websites (National Geographic) -artwork inspired by water -field trip to Natural History Museum -video—“Creatures of the Deep” -National Geographic and World (NG for Kids) |
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| Updated: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 |
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