Kinder+Unit+Plan

=**Kindergarten Unit Plan: Getting Along**=


 * Created By:** Karielle Fakatoka, Michelle Sanshey, Mick Donahue
 * Grade Level:** Kindergarten
 * Time Frame:** 2 weeks
 * Theme:** Getting along, good citizenship
 * Subject Matter:** Social Studies, Language Arts
 * Key Words:** good citizen, sharing, responsibility, taking turns, consequences, rules, honesty, courage, cause and effect, empathy


 * Brief Summary of Unit:** Character education is an integral element to any student's overall academic experience. Teaching children to get along, respect each other, and work together is as important as any part of a school's curriculum. This unit seeks to teach students basic values they can carry throughout their lives like sharing, taking turns, following rules, and taking responsibility for their actions. The stories and activities contained in this unit will introduce students to the concept of good citizenship, and what it entails.

=**Stage 1: Identify Desired Results**=

K.1 Students understand that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways. K.1.1 Follow rules, such as sharing and taking turns, and know the consequences of breaking them. K.1.2 Learn examples of honesty, courage, determination, individual responsibility, and patriotism in American and world history from stories and folklore. K.1.3 Know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters' actions.
 * Standards:**

1. Why do we follow rules? 2. Who are good citizens? 3. What can we learn from stories?
 * Essential Questions:**


 * Knowledge and Skills Acquired:** The student will be able to demonstrate the characteristics of a good citizen like: sharing, honesty, taking turns, empathy, courage, and determination. The student will also be able to identify these important characteristics through the characters in stories and folklore. The student will be able demonstrate knowledge of the consequences for not acting like a good citizen.

=**Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence**=


 * List of Performance Tasks:** Getting Along Charades, Hunting For Words, Little Busters, Who Are Good Citizens?, What Can We Learn From Stories? (Each task is explained in detail below).


 * Other Evidenc**e: (quizzes,tests, student self-assessments, etc.) The performance tasks ask students to act out vocabulary words, make collages to answer the essential questions, complete a school improvement project, make stick puppets, and actively participate in various other aspects of tasks. These will all provide a chance to gather evidence of student progress, and check for understanding.

** Performance Task Blueprint #1 **
 * Task Title: Getting Along Charades **


 * Description: Play this game after introducing the vocabulary word for each lesson.**


 * Task:**
 * 1) **Have volunteers choose vocabulary cards to "act out" for the class. Encourage children to keep in mind the types of things that others would easily recognize about the word they selected. For example, a child might pantomime stopping at a stop sign to illustrate the word //rule//.**
 * 2) **Have the rest of the class guess and say the vocabulary word**

1. Select vocabulary cards, one at a time. 2. Give clues to the class about the word. For example, "This word tells you what you can do." Encourage volunteers to correctly identify the word. 2. After children have become comfortable with the words, have them play the game in small groups.
 * Question and Answer:** Use the Vocabulary cards to introduce words at the beginning of the unit and to reinforce learning during instruction and at the end of the unit.

** Performance Task Blueprint #2 ** __** Task Title: **__** Hunting for Words **


 * Description: Have children make collages to illustrate each vocabulary word. **

*This performance task will be used three times throughout the unit to address the 3 essential questions.*
 * Task: **
 * 1) Have children look through magazines or other materials in a learning center to find examples of the vocabulary words. Children should look for the words themselves, and for pictures that illustrate the word.
 * 2) Have children cut out the images, with supervision, and paste them to poster board, with the vocabulary word as the focal point.

** Performance Task Blueprint #3 **


 * Task Title: Litter Busters **


 * Description: Children will understand that being a good citizen means acting in certain ways. Children will brainstorm ways to select a project to complete to make the school a better place. **


 * Task: **
 * 1) **Brainstorm:**
 * Materials: paper and markers
 * Explain that being a good citizen means acting in certain ways, many of which help other people or the community. Conduct a brainstorming session in which children list ways to improve the school environment. Record the children's ideas to create a list. As a class, select a project to undertake. For example, children may wish to become litter busters. Discuss how littering impacts everyone in a negative way, and how as good citizens the class could improve this situation.
 * 1) **Create:**
 * Materials: poster board, markers, paint
 * Have children make posters discouraging others from littering. Have children create announcements to broadcast over the school public system that remind others not to litter. Have children make a "Good Citizen" class book in which each child writes and illustrates a page.
 * 1) **Act:**
 * Materials: latex gloves and bags to be used for collecting liter.
 * Have children organize a "Keep our School Beautiful" day. Encourage children to extend their efforts into their own neighborhoods. Give children gloves and bags. Have them pick up litter around the school property (inside or outside).

** Performance Task Blueprint #4 **


 * Task Title: Active Path- Who are Good Citizens? **


 * Description: Children will learn examples of values from American and world history from various stories and folklore.**


 * Materials: Teacher resource page, //I Will!// handout, art supplies (yarn or crepe paper, foil, star stickers or star shaped sponge, white paint, cardboard circles, tape, stapler), and stories //Brave Irene// or //Amos & Boris.//**


 * Task:**
 * 1) **Build background:**
 * **Activate Prior Knowledge**: Ask children what they think makes someone a good member of their neighborhood or community. Why are these traits important?
 * **Introduce Vocabulary:** Preview the lesson vocabulary word: //citizen//. Ask if children know citizens of any other countries.
 * 1) **Teach:**
 * Introduce stories: Explain to children that through stories they will learn examples of patriotism, honesty, individual responsibility, determination, and courage.
 * Active steps:
 * Patriotism: Tell the popular, although apocryphal, story of Betsy Ross and the first United States flag (see teacher resource page 8T3). Have children make a windsock to represent the flag.
 * Honesty and individual responsibility. Tell the story of how Abraham Lincoln got the nickname "Honest Abe".
 * Determination and Courage: Read aloud //Brave Irene, Amos & Boris,// or another related story. Have children recall a time when they, too, met a challenge and achieved a goal. Have children color and complete the handout on p. 8T4. Have them create a "medal of courage" for a classmate by covering a cardboard circle with aluminum foil and decorating it. Have children exchange badges that you will tape on them.
 * 1) **Assess:**
 * Assessment is based on participation and completion of windsock, //"I Will!"// handout, page 8T4, and medal of courage.
 * **Extending**: Encourage children to ask a family member how they would complete the //"I Will!"// handout. Send extra copies of the handout home, or record oral responses by asking volunteers to share in class. Showcase responses in a class display.

** Performance Task Blueprint #5 **


 * Task Title: Text Path- What can we learn from stories? **


 * Description: ** Standard K1.3: Students will know beliefs and related behaviors of characters in stories from times past and understand the consequences of the characters' actions.


 * Materials: **// Find out More // Handout, Student Text


 * Task: **
 * 1. Build Background **
 * Activate Prior Knowledge- ** Ask children to share the title of their favorite story and a reason why it is their favorite story and a reason why it is their favorite.
 * Preview the Lesson- ** Read the first paragraph with the class. Ask children to point to the story that Henry is holding. Tell them that the name of the story is //Jack and the Beanstalk.// Explain that they will find out more about stories and the characters in them.
 * Introduce Vocabulary- ** Preview the vocabulary with the class. Ask volunteers to name their favorite story characters. Have them explain what they like about each character they name.


 * 2. Teach **
 * Read Together- ** As children read, ask them to make predictions about the stories and characters they are reading about.
 * Reading Informational Text- ** Ask children which character from the lesson is their favorite character. Have them explain their answers.
 * Literature- ** Read the selections. Discuss the characters, settings, and important events in both books. Discuss the consequences of the characters' actions. What other choices could the characters have made that might have changed the ending? For children to begin to differentiate between fact and fiction, ask them what parts of the story could not be true.

Have children identify the behavior of the characters they have read about. Have them tell what they have learned from the stories.
 * 3. Assess **
 * Extending- ** Read or retell //The Three Little Pigs// or another story to children. Have them draw a picture to show how the story might change it the three pigs acted differently.

** Performance Task Blueprint #6 **
 * Task Title: Active **** Path- What can we learn from stories? **


 * Description: ** Children will learn, through acting out a story, how the behavior and actions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears resulted in unexpected consequences.


 * Materials: **// Goldilocks and the Three Bears, // Handouts pp 12T3-T4, Tape or glue, crayons, scissors, craft sticks, yarn


 * Task: **


 * 1. Build Background **


 * Activate Prior Knowledge- ** Discuss cause and effect with children. Ask children what happens when everyone waits in line at school. What might happen if children didn't wait in line? Ask children to think of a favorite story. Ask children to think of examples of cause and effect in the stories.
 * Introduce Vocabulary- ** Preview the lesson vocabulary word: //character.// Read the story //Goldilocks and the Three Bears// to the class. List and discuss each character in the story. Have children help sequence the events that took place in the story.

1. Give the children the handout. Have children draw a line to match Goldilocks' actions on the left to their consequences on the right. 2. Give the children the handout. Have them color and cut out their stick puppets and tape them to craft sticks. 3. Recall the story of //Goldilocks and the Three Bears// and have children use their puppets to act out the sequence of the story.
 * 2. Teach **
 * Introduce Actions and Consequences Activity:** Explain to children that actions have consequences.
 * Activity Steps:**

Assessment is based on participation and completion of stick puppets.
 * 3. Assess**
 * Extending-** Enlarge the puppet characters to make costume necklaces to hang around the children's necks with yarn. Discuss with children the beliefs Goldilocks may have had. Why might she have gone into the Three Bears' house?

**Technology Use**
//Safety rules in a variety of situations can be learned through kids' activities and adult resources.//
 * Internet Resources:**
 * bhttp://www.helpkeep kidssafe.org//**

//**http://www.ipl.org**// //Under KidSpace, click on// Story Hour// to view an illustrated retelling of Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare."

Links to video clips of fables, fairy tales, and folklore from around the world can be found on the Web site.
 * http://pbskids.org/**

**Parent Involvement**
- will list the main ideas we are learning - will list family activities such as: Talking together, Learning together, and Reading together: //Pancakes for Breakfast,// by Tomie dePaola. //The Hole in the Dike,// by Norma Green. //Aesop's Fables,// retold by Jerry Pinkney
 * School-to-Home Newsletter:**
 * Talk Together-** Discuss the rules followed in your home with your child. How do rules help the members of your family? What would happen if your family did not have rules?
 * Learn Together-** Help your child learn about rules and being a good citizen. In your community, look for signs that post rules. Read them with your child. Discuss why these rules are important.
 * Read Together-**