Author: Rhonda
Kulig
E-Mail Address:
rkulig@mail.enc.k12.il.us
School:
George W. Lieb School: Bridgeview, Illinois
THEME : Illinois
BROAD CONCEPT: patriotism
GRADES: 4th grade
INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: Social Studies, Math, Computers, Art, Science, Language Arts
UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE:
The fourth grade Social Studies curriculum consists of studying the various regions of our country. In conjunction with teaching the midwest region, an emphasis is placed on our state of Illinois. The goal of the unit is to increase knowledge in the areas of the history, government, geography, and aesthetics of Illinois. Evaluations of this knowledge will be ongoing with a culminating project at the end of the unit. The projects will follow the model of engaged learning and therefore will allow students to work with others, make choices on their learning, and present their information to others. All evaluations will be performance based and will be assessed using a rubric. The purpose of this unit is to carry on a yearlong lesson in patriotism. Students will gain appreciation for the state in which they live as they study the various aspects of it. This will in turn promote a love of their country.
TIME FRAME:11 days of one activity per day
OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
__CD-ROM Encyclopedia (Encarta)
__ Multimedia (KidPix, Netscape Navigator, Eudora)
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
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 (e.g., mapping, outlining, drafting).
3.B.2b Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unit in relation to purpose and audience.
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.
4.B.2b Use speaking skills and procedures to participate in group discussions.
5.A.2a Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan.
5.A.2b Organize and integrate
information from a variety of sources (e.g., books, interviews,
library reference materials,
web-sites, CD/ROMs).
MATHEMATICS
6.B.2 Solve one- and two-step
problems involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals
using addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
6.C.2a Select and perform computational
procedures to solve problems with whole numbers,
fractions and decimals.
7.A.2a Calculate, compare and
convert length, perimeter, area, weight/mass and volume within
the customary and metric systems.
10.B.2b Collect, organize and
display data using tables, charts,bar graphs, line graphs, circle
graphs, line plots and
stem-and-leaf graphs.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
14.B.2 Explain what government does at local, state and national levels.
16.B.2d (US) Identify major political events and leaders within the United States historical eras since the adoption of the Constitution, including the westward expansion, Louisiana Purchase, Civil War, and 20th century wars as well as the roles of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
16.C.2b (US) Explain how individuals,
including John Deere, Thomas Edison, Robert McCormack,
George Washington Carver and
Henry Ford, contributed to economic change through ideas, inventions and
entrepreneurship.
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
16.E.2b (W) Identify individuals and their inventions (e.g., Watt/steam engine, Nobel/TNT, Edison/electric light) which influenced world environmental history.
17.A.2a Compare the physical characteristics of places including soils, land forms, vegetation, wildlife, climate, natural hazards.
17.A.2b Use maps and other
geographic representations and instruments to gather information
about people, places and environments.
FINE ARTS
26.A.2b Drama: Describe various
ways the body, mind and voice are used with acting, scripting and
staging processes to create
or perform drama/theatre.
26.B.2c Music: Sing or play acoustic or electronic instruments demonstrating technical skill.
26.B.2d Visual Arts: Demonstrate
knowledge and skills to create works of visual art using problem
solving, observing, designing,
sketching and constructing
27.B.2 Identify and describe
how the arts communicate the similarities and differences among
various people, places and
times.
N.C.T.M. STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
*Understand such attributes as length, area, weight, volume, and size of angle and select the appropriate type of unit for measuring each attribute.
*Build new mathematical knowledge through problem solving
*Solve problems that arise in mathematics and in other contexts
*Monitor and reflect on the process of mathematical problem solving
*Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.
*Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others.
*Develop fluency in adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing whole numbers.
*Represent data using tables and graphs
such as plots, bar graphs, and line graphs.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:
LESSON 1: RESEARCH PAPER
Students will have the opportunity to search various websites and resource materials to gain information about either Abe Lincoln, the Chicago fire, or downtown Chicago. To let students have the responsibility of choosing what they want to learn, they will be given a chance to sign up for the various topics. A rubric will be passed out to let them know what they will need to cover for their topic. Students will then search the various material and take notes on their topic using a graphic organizer. They will then transfer their information into an expository essay following the ISAT format. Essays will be written using Microsoft Word. The rubric will reflect the content and the writing format. The elements of the writing process will also be iimplemented. Teacher will be floating around the room to offer suggestions and ideas. Following the completion of the essay, students will be divided into groups consisting of one member that researched each topic. Essays will be read aloud to the other members of the group. This will give students practice in presenting information orally.
WEBSITES
Abraham Lincoln
www.surfnetkids.com/lincoln.htm
members.aol.com/RVSNorton/Lincoln2.html
Chicago Fire
www.chicagohs.org/fire/intro/gcf-index.html
www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/greatfire.html
Downtown Chicago
www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/
www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/IT94/Venue.html
REFERENCE MATERIALS
Encarta CD-Rom
World Book Encyclopedia
LESSON 2: LINCOLN'S LOG CABIN
Mass and volume will be reviewed in this lesson as students construct Lincoln's log cabin using pretzel rods. Each group of 4 students will bring in a bag of pretzel rods and will be asked to glue them together to make Lincoln's solid log cabin. Students must keep track of the number of pretzels they use to determine the volume. After their cabin is constructed, students will use a balance scale and weights to measure the cabin in grams. Using excel, students will create a bar graph of their information of mass and volume in comparison with the other groups.
LESSON 3: CHICAGO'S DEMOGRAPHICS
Students will research the statistics of Chicago's demographics using the website listed below. Each student will then use Cruncher to develop a spreadsheet of the information. The spreadsheet will include all of the ethnic groups listed in the website. The sum will be calculated to determine the approximate population of downtown Chicago. A pie chart will be made to represent the various groups.
WEBSITE:
http://chicagonorth.about.com/citiestowns/midwestus/chicagonorth/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm
LESSON 4: TIMELINE
Students will receive a handout of the information that is found in the website below. At this website, various tragedies in Chicago have been recorded through the centuries. In the students handout, they will receive the tragedies and the dates mixed up according to numerical order. Their job is to put the dates in the correct order in a timeline called Chicago's tragedies. This timeline will be made on posterboard. The students will check their order of events by searching the Chicago Timeline website.
WEBSITE:
http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/greatfire.html
LESSON 5: MINI-BIOGRAPHIES
Using the jigsaw puzzle model, students will incorporate engaged learning as they become the experts of 2 important people from Illinois. By picking sticks with the names of important people of Illinois, students will use World Book Encyclopedia and Encarta CD-Rom to research. Illinois VIP list includes:
Carl Sandburg
Marshall Field
George Pullman
Jane Addams
Jean Baptiste DuSable
Frank Lloyd Wright
Ronald Reagan
Ulysses S. Grant
Jesse Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
Robert McCormack
Louis Joliet
Jacque Marquette
Notes will be collected on index cards about the person's birth, death, occupation, contribution to the state, etc. Students will then meet in groups to discuss their findings with others who researched those people as well. They will have the opportunity to jot notes as they listen to others findings. Next the expert groups are split and rearranged so that each new group has an expert of each Illinois VIP. They will do a 5 minute talk of each person they researched
ACTIVITY 6: SCAVENGER HUNT
Students will go the Illinois website to research facts on Illinois. Pointers will be given about highlighted headings and the arrow changing to a hand to make their search easier. They will be allowed to look all over this site to answer questions about the governor, 3 past capitals, state bird, state song, symbol, motto, natural resources, and many more facts.
At the end of the hunt, the class will learn the words to the Illinois song and practice singing it. They will perform it for their parents in the culmination of the unit.
WEBSITE:
www.state.il.us/facts/
ACTIVITY 7: AG IN THE CLASSROOM
A representative from Cook County Farm Bureau will come to the classroom to discuss Illinois agriculture. Agriculture is defined as the raising of livestock and the growing of crops. During the presentation, students will see a video of farmers telling of machinery, crops, and livestock. Students will also do a seed sorting exercise where they will sort a variety of seeds and guess the plant. They will be introduced to soybeans and corn, the major crops in Illinois. The speaker will discuss the many uses of these 2 crops and many others.
ACTIVITY 8: ILLINOIS PRODUCT AND RESOURCE MAP
Students will consult the Rand McNally atlas and maps in their social
studies books and encyclopedias to find rivers, plants, natural resources,
wildlife and cities in Illinois. Next the students will go to the site:
http://geography.about.com/science/geography/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=
http://www.oocities.org/Athens/Sparta/4692/StateOutlineMaps.html
At this site, students will save the image of the outline of Illinois on a disc. Then students will use the Kidpix CD-Rom to transfer the image of Illinois to make a slide of their map. They can use stamps or draw with the paintbrush/pencil. There must be 2 slides, one a cover page and the other the map filled with the rivers, plants, natural resources, wildlife and cities in Illinois. Also included will be a map key to explain what the symbols represent and a scale to determine distance between cities. Students will create a slideshow for a presentation at the end of the unit.
One copy of the slide of the map should be printed. Each student will create word problems that require the use of the map scale to complete the solution. Ex. How many miles is it from Springfield to Wilmette? Use your map scale to determine the approximate distance. Students will trade word problems and solve.
ACTIVITY 9: STATE SEAL/FLAG
Once again using Kidpix, students will use a handout provided to copy a picture of the state seal or flag. The objective is to try to create a replica of the original on paper including colors. The picture will be printed and students will decorate a tagboard frame for their picture to be displayed at the end of the unit.
ACTIVITY 10: GOVERNOR'S LETTER
Students will be read the book State and Local Government. This book explains who is in charge of your city and state. It talks about the origin of laws and how governors are elected. It describes how all of these parts of government help our country to run smoothly.
Students will receive a lesson on the format of a business letter. They will then be asked to e-mail a letter to the governor using Eudora. All appropriate parts of the business letter will be included such as: student address, business heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. In the body of the letter, students should include questions they have for the governor. The purpose of writing the letter should also be explained in the letter. Some possible questions could be regarding the governor's responsibilities, accomplishments, and his favorite part about being a governor. Should students receive a response, they will read it aloud to the class.
Email the governor at:
http://www.governor@state.il.us
ACTIVITY 11: FINAL VARIETY PROJECT
Students will choose one of the following projects as an individual or as a group of no more than 3 people. These projects will be completed mostly on their own time, but the presentation will be on the last day of the unit. At the start of the unit, students need to be given the project guidelines/rubric to prepare. The teacher will be available to answer questions and will frequently ask how the students are coming along with their projects using a conferencing approach.
Choices:
Diorama-use a large box to demonstrate any important scene from Illinois past or present. For example, you can do a scene of downtown Chicago, the Chicago Fire, or Lincoln Sites. In addition, you must use at least 6 different materials to create your scene such as: plastic figures, paints, paper, popsicle sticks, crayons, cloth material, or computer generated products. Label everything in you diorama and include the title somewhere outside the box.
Travel Brochure-On a large sheet of construction paper or on the computer, include six pages of information about any Illinois sites. Each page should include the title of that particular site, information such as fees, location, time, and other interesting facts. All pages should also include a picture or map/diagram of your site.
Song-Use the tune from a familiar song to rewrite the lyrics to words about Illinois. This will be performed for the class. Include any instrments, costumes, and props you may need for the performance. You also will need to provide a copy of the words to the song you have rewritten.
Skits-Make up a short play relating to a factual event or occurrence
about anything in Illinois' past and present. Turn in a copy of the
script with your report. This will be performed in front of the class
without scripts. Include any costumes, props, etc. to make this entertaining.
Following the culmination of the unit, students will write a final response in their journal as to the knowledge they have gained through doing this unit. They will be asked to write their feelings of Illinois, and in a broader sense, the United States.
SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
All projects that have been created will be either shared orally with classmates or displayed at the final presentation. On day 11, students will be presenting their final projects to parents, principal, and teacher. The room will be decorated with all of the prior projects they have completed. The students' Kidpix creations will be on the overhead projector system for parents to enjoy. Following the presentations, all students will sing the Illinois state song.
The culminating project will be a choice of a diorama, travel brochure, song, or skit. The projects are described above on day 11 activities. Following is a rubric which will be used to assess their final project.
Diorama (100 points total)
48-the project is factual and relates to Illinois topics
12-oral presentation explains the Illinois topic and is clear
10-a variety of materials were used
10-project has labels/title
10-creativity
10-neatness and organization
Travel Brochure (100 points total)
48- information relates to Illinois and persuades others to visit
12- oral presentation
10-six pages in length
10- pictures and maps per page
10-colored and is neat in appearance
Song (100 points total)
48-rewording of lyrics to relate to Illinois topic
12-song includes at least 2 verses
10-copy of song in report
10-voice projection
10-costume
10-instruments and props
Skit (100 points total)
48-information in skit relates to Illinois topic
12-overall presentation(memorization of lines)
10-copy of script in report
10-voice projection
10-costume
10-props
STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:
Students will have the role of the explorer as they research all of the Illinois topics. They will be a cognitive apprentice in that the teacher will act as a mentor to help them with their various activities in the unit. Students will play the role of a teacher as they share what they have learned in their research with other students, the teacher, and parents. This role really comes to play in the jigsaw puzzle model as they do their mini-biographies. They will be a teacher as they help other students with using technology as well. Last, students will be a producer of products. There are a variety of products in this unit such as dioramas, songs, maps, timelines, research papers, etc. Making all of these products will help the students gain knowledge on Illinois and hopefully help them develop a love for not only their state, but their country as well.
The teacher will act as the facilitator in this unit as he/she acts as she provides students with the resources they need to become researchers. He/She will be a guide to help students discover the history of Illinois. The teacher will walk around the room to monitor progress and offer assistance when needed. Before, after, and during the unit the teacher is a learner. He/she researches to find areas of interest to the student to provide meaningful activities. As the students are presenting their activities, the teacher is learning from all that they have researched. After the unit, the teacher continues to learn more about Illinois to make next year's project a success as well.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE :
World Book Encyclopedia
Compton's Encyclopedia
Rand McNally Atlas
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
State and Local Government by Laurence Santrey
Illinois Handbook of Governmentby the Office of the Secretary of State
Illinois Visitor's Guide by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism
From Sea to Shining Sea: Illinois by Dennis Fradin
FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:
URL1: http://familycrafts.about.com/parenting/familycrafts/library/projects/bltophat.htm
Description1: This site describes crafts teachers can make
with their students such as Lincoln's top hat and log cabin.
Title2: History Channel
URL2: www.historychannel.com
Description2: Teachers can search any topic in history at this
site. One neat feature is the option for teachers/students to type
in their birth date and learn all the facts in history that occurred on
that day.
Title3: Business Letter
URL3: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/BusinessLetter.html
Description3: Here teachers can find the format for a business
letter in block style and indented form. It includes a sample as
well that teachers can use with their students.
Title4: Field Museum
URL4: http://www.fmnh.org
Description4: This is the Field Museum's homepage in downtown
Chicago. Go here to learn about what to see there. This is
great to search ahead of time if you are planning a field trip here.
Title5: Museum of Science and Industry
URL5: http://www.msichicago.org
Description5: This is the homepage for the museum of science
and industry. A good place to check out what is available to see
at the museum. Students would enjoy seeing this one as well.
See pictures of the largest, newest T-Rex.
Title6: Ag in the Classroom
URL6: http://www.agintheclassroom.org
Description6: This is a fantastic site made by the Illinois
Farm Bureau. Teachers can find numerous bits of information about
Illinois agriculture. Here teachers can also find the number for
the Cook County Representative who they can schedule to come in and speak
to their students about ag in Illinois. Fantastic presentation!
Title7: AgriBiz
URL7: http://www.Agribiz.com
Description7: This site would be strictly for teachers.
It is full of research, statistics, and news articles on agriculture.
This would be a good reference for those teachers who'd like more information
on the subject.
Title8: Illinois Department of Agriculture
URL8: www.agr.state.il.us/markets/foodguide/search.html
Description8: This site offers information on the businesses
in Illinois involved in food production. It is arranged according
to the categories of the food guide pyramid: Dairy, Breads/Grains,
etc. Search for a business and find the address, phone number, and
sometimes the e-mail address of some businesses. This would be good
when introducing business letters. Students could write to the various
companies and receive information about their products. Lots of businesses
also mail free goodies, too!
URL1: www.surfnetkids.com/lincoln.htm
Purpose of Use1: This site can be used for those doing their essay on Abraham Lincoln. It is a great research tool.
Description1: This site offers virtual tours of Lincoln's log
cabin, letters, and speeches that he wrote.
Title2: Abraham Lincoln Research Site
URL2: http://members.aol.com/RVSNorton/Lincoln2.html
Purpose of Use2: This site can be used for those doing their essay on Abraham Lincoln. It is a great research tool.
Description2: Here students can find out all kinds of information
on Lincoln's life including family, career, presidency, and assassination.
Title3:The Great Chicago Fire
URL3: www.chicagohs.org/fire/intro/gcf-index.html
Purpose of Use3:This site will be used for students' research papers.
Description3: This covers the damage, fire, rescue/relief,
and reconstruction of the Chicago Fire.
Title4: Chicago Public Library
URL4: www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/greatfire.html
Purpose of Use4: This will be used as a resource for the teacher to create a handout the students can use for their timeline. It will also be used as a way for students to check their accuracy in their timelines.
Description4: The site offers dates and facts on tragedies
that have occurred in Illinois.
Title5: Exploring Chicago
URL5: www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism/
Purpose of Use5: A great tool for those doing downtown Chicago as their research paper and for the travel brochure as well.
Description5: This gives an alphabetical listing of subtopics
such as: museums, art, music, parades, recreation, conservatories,
theatres, talk shows, zoos, sports, etc.
Title6: About.com
URL6: http://chicagonorth.about.com/citiestowns/midwestus/chicagonorth/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm
Purpose of Use6: This is a tool for students to use in their pie graph of Chicago demographics.
Description6: This divides the city of Chicago into ethnic
groups and gives the population of these different groups.
Title7: Illinois Facts
URL7: www.state.il.us/facts/
Purpose of Use7: This is to help students complete their scavenger hunt.
Description7: This is the state of Illinois homepage.
It gives all kinds of information on the Governor and Illinois. This
particular page offers facts on Illinois symbols, tourism, and history.
Title8: State Outline Maps
URL8: http://geography.about.com/science/geography/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.
oocities.com/Athens/Sparta/4692/StateOutlineMaps.html
Purpose of Use8: This will be saved to a disk for students to use in their Kidpix demonstration.
Description8: At this specific site, it gives an outline for
all the U.S. states. All graphics can be saved and transported to
another site. It is also a great resource for teachers who are doing state
units. There are units on many of the states at this site.