Unit Framework- Email the teacher
Title: "Face the Facts -Discrimination
A Thing of the Past?"
Subject and Level - Social Studies & Language Arts, Grade 5
Learner Description - The students are 5th graders at Eisenhower Elementary School.
Overview -
What will be taught?
Definitions and understanding of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. We will also discuss forms of discrimination, and how to address these issues in students' lives.
How will it be taught?
What will the students do and learn?
Rationale -
Why would you teach this unit? -
We have chosen to teach the children about discrimination, as it fits into Martin Luther King, Jr. studies, Black History Month, and the discussion on slavery as it relates to the fifth grade study of the Civil War. There are several Rebecca Caudill books on this year's list of recommended literature that we can use to make the subject "come alive," and we read the book, Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues by Harriette Gillem Robinet, as a class read-aloud. Books that involve various types of discrimination issues, will be read and discussed with students as well.
This is an engaged learning project using the following indicators:
The Vision of Learning includes:
•Responsibility for learning
•Strategic learning
•Energized by learning
•Collaborative teamwork
The Tasks are:
•Authentic
•Challenging
•Multi-disciplinary
The Assessments are:
•Performance-based
•Generative - students will produce a video
Instructional Models are:
•Interactive
•Generative
Learning Context is:
•Collaborative
•Knowledge building
•Empathetic
•Compassionate
Grouping:
•Heterogeneous
•Equitable
Teachers role:
•Facilitator
•Guide
•Co-learner
Student Roles:
•Researcher
•Cognitive apprentice
•Teacher
•Producer
Technology is an important component of this unit because students used:
The project is authentic in that the final product will be a movie all about discrimination, to be possibly aired on the local cable TV channel, and also shared with the other 5th grade classes. It will remain in the Eisenhower Library as a resource for our Environment for Excellence program in our school.
Goals - Content, Cognitive and Social -
The purpose of this unit is multi-faceted. Children will gain the knowledge of racism, prejudice, and discrimination, historically, and also how to avoid it in the present day. In addition, they will learn research skills, writing skills, cooperation, communication skills, listening skills, and technological skills.
National, State benchmarks/Standards addressed:
English/Language Arts Learning Standards
1.B.2b Identify structure of nonfiction texts to improve comprehension.
1.B.2c Continuously check and clarify for understanding.
1.C.2d Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate to purpose of material.
3.A.2 Write paragraphs that include a variety of sentence types; appropriate use of the eight parts of speech; and accurate spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
3.B.2a Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies.
3.C.2b Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology.
4.B.2a Present oral reports to an audience using correct language and nonverbal expressions for the intended purpose and message within a suggested organizational format.
5.A.2a Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan.
5.A.2b Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources.
5.B.2a Determine the accuracy, currency and reliability of materials from various sources.
5.B.2b Cite sources used.
5.C.2a Create a variety of print and non print documents to communicate acquired information for specific audiences and purposes.
5.C.2b Prepare and deliver oral presentations based on inquiry or research.
Social Studies Learning Standards
14.F.2 Identify consistencies and inconsistencies between expressed United States political traditions and ideas and actual practices (e.g., freedom of speech, right to bear arms, slavery, voting rights.)
15.A.2b Describe how incomes reflect choices made about education and careers.
16.A.2a Read historical stories and determine events which influenced their writing.
16.A.2c Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images and other literary and non-literary sources.
16.D.2c(US) Describe the influence of key individuals and groups, including Susan B. Anthony/suffrage and Martin Luther King, Jr.,/civil rights, in the historical eras of Illinois and the United States.
18.B. Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.
Learning activities -
The activities the children will experience during this unit are:
Student Assessment
The students will be assessed using a rubric for their video presentation. We will also be assessing whether or not students understand the various types of discrimination, and how to take a stand against it in their own lives. Students will also be evaluated on their behavior and use or class time.
Resources
The students will need CD Roms, internet resources, encyclopedias, district adopted social studies textbook, book bags from public libraries, computers for word processing, scanner, video-camera, VCR, monitor video projector.
Management -
The teacher will manage the students by circulating around the room and assisting children as needed. This will help to keep children on task. The children will also be given check points in which they should complete various requirements. This project was completed in a classroom with 5 internet connected computers. The computers were treated as a station and children took turns using them. Children that are not using the computers will be using books (textbook, encyclopedias, library books,) word processing, or planning their skits.
Unit Evaluation -
After putting together the initial imovie, students watched and evaluated it, making suggestions for changes, and even retaping one segment which hadn't turned out well. Overall, the students were proud of their work, and want to bring the videotape home for their parents to watch.
Several times throughout this unit, other instances of discrimination would occur in class, such as letting the girls pick a candy from the candy jar first. The boys quickly accused me of gender discrimination. :) I assured them that they would be first the next time, thereby equaling out the discrimination evenly...
Overall, we believe that the unit on discrimination was worthwhile and beneficial. We enjoyed working together to team teach this unit, and came away with some valuable teaching strategies for the future. Students shared differing viewpoints with each other, and realized that discrimination comes in many forms. We feel we were successful in reaching all students, and helping them to be aware of discrimination in their own lives. The imovie created will help their elementary peers to take a realistic look at eliminating discrimination in the school setting, and in their personal lives. We are hopeful that the students of Eisenhower School, and all who view our imovie, will indeed be more cautious and aware when they themselves are part of, or witness, episodes of others being unfairly discriminated against, and take steps to change that behavior.