Play Ways

Kate Barnard GED 528

Table of Contents
1. Introduction to unit and unit rationale 2.UbD Framework 3. Unit Standards and Grade Expectations 4. Unit Assessments 5. Unit Calendar 6. Unit Brainstorming Web 7. List of Learning Activities 9. Bibliography

2.

Unit Name: Play Ways

BIG IDEA: Play looks very different all over the world.

STAGE ONE: DESIRED RESULTS

ESTABLISHED GOALS (State and/or National Content Standard (s)): Writing 1.11 In persuasive writing, students judge, propose, and persuade. Information Technology 1.18Students use computers, telecommunications, and other tools of technology to research, to gather information and ideas, and to represent information and ideas accurately and appropriately. History and Social Sciences 6.7Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. Mathematics 7.7 Students use geometric and measurement concepts.

UNDERSTANDINGS: Students will understand that Differences in cultures exist There are several factors that can contribute to a difference in cultures The lives of children around the world are not the same as in Vermont, as is evidenced by how kids play all over the world Area and perimeter are both forms of measurement

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How do children play around the world?

KNOWLEDGE: Students will know Area and perimeter Cultural and geography vocabulary words

SKILLS: Students will be able to Write a persuasive letter Interpret geography and solve problems

Local resources, climate, economy of assigned location to study

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY: Persuade (persuasive/persuasion) Economy Climate Resource Per capita Area Perimeter Credible

Ask appropriate geographic questions and use geographic resources to answer them Observe, compare, and analyze patterns of local and state land use Demonstrate conceptual understanding of perimeter of polygons, and the area of rectangles Conduct a skype interview with a foreign classroom

STAGE TWO: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

PERFORMANCE TASK (S): (STUDENTS WILL DEMONSTRATE STANDARD BY) Students will, given dimensions of a space, diagram a plot of land that fits the given area and perimeter measurements given. Students will create a description of the ideal play space for a location given its climate, local resources, and economy. They will also have to work within the boundaries of the perimeter and area given to them, but can diagram the shape of the space however they choose. Write a persuasive letter to a benefactor stating why the play space they designed would fit the needs of that community the best

OTHER EVIDENCE: (FORMATIVE)

Self assessment for group research project Guided research guiding pages Oral presentation after research Explanation of area Explanation of perimeter Good listener checklist during group research presentations Exit Slips Teacher observation Journal Entries

KEY CRITERIA (TO MEET THE STANDARD)

STAGE THREE: LEARNING PLAN (LESSON SEQUENCE)

LESSON # 1: Play Exploration: 2 days in Social Studies.

LESSON # 2: Perfecting Perimeter: 1 day in Math

LESSON # 3: Play Around the World: 1-2 days in Social Studies

LESSON # 4: Making a Good Argument! Word Choice: 1 day in Writing Workshop LESSON # 5: ResearchCredible Sources and How to Use Them: 1 day in Social Studies

LESSON # 6: Accomplishing Area: 1 day in Math For this lesson students will learn what area is and how to measure it. The students will initially discover area looking at Checkers game boards as a way to understand the number of squares that cover the board makes up surface area of the board. Once students understand the concept of area, we will learn how to measure it. The students will be checked for understanding with an exit slip that is tiered for levels of understanding. LESSON # 7: ResearchCiting Sources: 2 day in Social Studies and Writing Workshop Prior to students choosing sources for their research project, they will learn about citing resources. They will have scaffolded researching sheets that will help them to organize their notes and sources, but they will first learn the importance of citing sources and how to do it (basically), and will then try to apply their knew knowledge when they find sources they want to use. This will be a hands on lesson where students spend a lot of the lesson practicing citing different sources and different types of sources with partners. There will be a cheat sheet for each student, too. The teacher will be free to walk around and check in and observe for most of this lesson. LESSON # 8: Mathmaking measurements to scale: 1 day This lesson will teach students how 1 inch can represent 100 feet. Students will already be familiar with conversions (metric system conversions when measuring perimeter), so that concept shouldnt be too tricky for them. The teacher will bring in houses from the board games Monoply and the Game of Life, and make up a scale (i.e. inch is equal to 15 feet) and the students, in partners, will measure the houses and see how big they would be in real life according to this scale. The students will then reverse that task and try to draw some life sized objects smaller but to scale.

LESSON # 9: ResearchVideo Conferencing: 4 days in Writing Workshop and Social Studies The students will become familiar with the amazing concept of video conference! The students who are researching the same countries (individually researching but on the same countries) will pool together to video conference with either somebody from that country or a school in that country. The students will learn video conference etiquette and how essential it is to be well prepared with good questions. At this point the students will have gotten the bulk of their research in so should be informed enough to develop questions. Students will learn about juicy questions that they could learn a lot of information from and how to write these kind of questions. The students who are studying the same countries will work together to come up with 5-10 good questions for the video conference. LESSON # 10: Making a Good Argument! Persuasive Pieces: 2 days in Writing Workshop

LESSON # 11: The Play Space Grant: 3 days in Social Studies and Writing Workshop This lesson is where the final, culminating assessment and performance task will be introduced. The students will work on this project in class due to a possible need for help, resources, in-class-previously-done-work that will be helpful, etc. A description of what the students will be working on is on the assessment, which is included in the assessment section. LESSON # 12: Persuasive LettersLetter Writing: 1 day in Writing Workshop This lesson will teach students about the standard pieces of a letter. The class will take a look at some examples of good and bad letters together, and then practice just certain parts of the letter so they are not overloaded with a ton of written work to do. It will be important that the students know the pieces of a letter as they will be writing a letter as a part of their culminating assessment.

3.

Standards and GEs for Grade 3 Play Around the World Unit

Writing 1.11: In persuasive writing, students judge, propose, and persuade. This is evident when students: o clearly define a significant problem, issue, topic, or concern; o make an assertion or judgment, or propose one or more solutions; o support proposals, as appropriate, through definitions, descriptions, illustrations, examples from experience, and anecdotes W3: 16 In persuasive writing, students present and coherently support judgments or solution(s) Communication 1.18: Students use computers, telecommunications, and other tools of technology to research, to gather information and ideas, and to represent information and ideas accurately and appropriately. R3:16 Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by... o Connecting information within a text EXAMPLE: Combining, comparing, or using information found in both the written text and in a caption in a text R38.1 o Making basic inferences, drawing basic conclusions, or forming judgments/opinions about central ideas that are relevant R-38.3 o Distinguishing fact from opinion R38.4 History and Social Sciences 6.7: Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. GEs: H&SS3-4:11: Students interpret geography and solve problems by o Observing, comparing, and analyzing patterns of local and state land use to understand why particular locations are used for certain human activities o Creating effective geographic representations using appropriate elements to demonstate and understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape of the local community, Vermont, and the U.S. and locations worldwide o Asking appropriate geographic questions and using geographic resources to answer them Math: 7.7: Students use geometric and measurement concepts.

M3:14: Demonstrates conceptual understanding of perimeter of polygons, and the area of rectangles on grids using a variety of models or manipulatives.

4.

Exit Slip Measure and record the perimeter of this shape:

___________

Measure and record the perimeter of this shape: _______________ Convert the measurement: _____________________

Draw a rectangle that has a perimeter of 20cm:

Math 7.7: Students use geometric and measurement concepts

Play Exploration
Answer the questions below. Did you play on the structure? Did you play in the field? Did you play on the blacktop? Did you play in the same place for the entire time? Did you use any equipment? Did you play by yourself? Did you play with 1-2 kids the whole time? Did you play with 3 or more kids the whole time? Did you have to share any equipment? Did you argue over any equipment? How many different activities did you do? (approximately) Did you run? Did you feel as though you had a lot of different options to play? Did you use your imagination while you played? Did you do any pretend play? Did you climb anything? If you did climb something, was it a tree or part of the structure? Did you feel safe while you played? History and Social Sciences 6.7 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No No No No

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No No No No

Yes

No

Source Station Questions

(to be glued onto index cards by teacher)

Station 1: Primary vs Secondary in person sources 1. Ask your partner what the teacher had for breakfast. 2. Ask the teacher what the teacher had for breakfast. Station 2: Non-fiction vs fiction books 1. Write one FACT from each book about Vermont.

Station 3: Primary vs Secondary online sources 1. Read the short excerpts from each blog. Can you find opinions in either of them? Station 4: Wikipedia vs Britannica online encyclopedias 1. Do both sources give the same information? 2. Is there any evidence on Wikipedia that the source may not be 100% accurate? (hint: warning signs and footnotes) Station 5: Photographs vs Drawings 1. How does the drawing give you a different idea than the picture?

Communication 1.18: Students use computers, telecommunications, and other tools of technology to research, to gather information and ideas, and to represent information and ideas accurately and appropriately.

Journal Write Response Rubric Answered At least 3-5 Student

prompt (0-5 points)

sentences (0-3 points)

Points (08)

History and Social Sciences 6.7: Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future.

Persuasive Pieces Self Assessment 1. In my letter I established the facts: Yes No I am not sure 2. In my letter I respected others ideas: Yes No I am not sure 3. I ended my letter with a conclusion: Yes No I am not sure 4. What did I do best in my letter? _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________ 5. What should I work on more in my next persuasive letter? _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________

Writing 1.11: In persuasive writing, students judge, propose, and persuade.

Calling all experts on play! The island of Wannaplacetaplay has found a very generous benefactor who is willing to spend unlimited amounts of money in funding a space for the kids on the island to play. The island and benefactor are holding a competition to see who can enter the best space for the kids to play. Entries now being accepted! The winning entry will be the design of the new play area and the play area will be named after its designer. Here is some helpful information about Wannaplacetaplay you might take into consideration when thinking about your entry Wannaplacetaplay has a pretty warm climate, it never snows there and it is typically sunny. The local resources of the island are several different metals, petroleum, it exports a lot of plastic, and sand. The island is willing to give up land that has a perimeter of 5,000 feet, in whatever shape the designer chooses. After the benefactors initial gift of the play space, it will be up to the island to maintain it. The islands income per person is about $4,000. All entries must include a rough diagram of desired play space that has a perimeter of 5,000 feet, with outline of play space drawn to scale. Its important to include the area of your play space, too. The rough diagram must also include features of the playground the designer thinks woud be a good idea for the kids of Wannaplacetaplay (features within the boundary of the play space do not need to be drawn on a scale). Lastly, along with your drawing please submit a letter persuading the benefactor and island why your entry would be the best fit for the children of the island.

We Need YOUR Help! Wanted: Play Experts!

Good luck!!!
Writing 1.11, History and Social Sciences 6.7, Math 7.7

Wanted: Play Experts! Assessment Rubric

B= Beginning to grasp standard D= Developing towards meeting the Standard S= Securely met the standard E= Exceeds the standard

Student Name__________________________________________ Students use geometric and measurement concepts (circle most accurate): 1. The student was able to create shape with a perimeter of 4,000ft: B D SE 2. The student was able to calculate area of shape: B D S E 3. The student was able to draw the shape to scale. B D S E In persuasive writing, the students judge, propose, and persuade. 1. The student was able to state the facts/define topic: B D S E 2. The student was able to support proposal with strong conclusion: B D SE 3. The student used powerfully persuasive word: B D S E 4. The student followed the conventional letter format: B D S E Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. 1. The student used given geographic knowledge to make informed decisions for a play space: B D S E

Check the sources you used for your research project. Make sure you have at least 3 technology sources, and at least 5 sources total.

Research Sources Self Checklist

Encyclopedia Book Magazine Photograph Primary Source Video conference Blog Online encyclopedia Online article Website Other: ______________________

Communication 1.18

5.

Monday

Tuesday SS: Play Explorations M: Perfecting Perimeter

Wednesday SS: Play Around the World

Thursday SS: Play Around the World

Friday WW: Making a Good Argument! Word Choice

Week One

SS: Play Explorations

Monday

Tuesday M: Accomplishing Area WW: Research Citing Sources

Wednesday WW: Research Citing Sources SS: Research Citing Sources

Thursday SS: Research Citing Sources M: Making Measurements To Scale

Friday WW: Research Video Conferencing

Week Two

SS: Research Credible Sources and How to Use Them

Monday

Tuesday WW: Research Video Conferencing SS: Research Video Conferencing

Wednesday WW: Research Video Conferencing SS: Research Video Conferencing

Thursday SS: Research Video Conferencing WW: Making a Good Argument! Persuasive Pieces

Friday WW: Making a Good Argument! Persuasive Pieces

Week Three

WW: Research Video Conferencing SS: Research Video Conferencing

Monday

Tuesday SS: The Play Space Grant WW: The Play Space Grant

Wednesday SS: The Play Space Grant WW: The Play Space Grant

Thursday WW: The Play Space Grant

Friday Unit Celebration Museum Walk!

Week Four

SS: The Play Space Grant WW: Persuasive LettersLetter Writing

Unit Calendar
SS= Social Studies, WW= Writing Workshop, M= Math 6.

Connect with geography materials Maintenance

climate

Interview ELL students

measurement/dimensi ons

Plan and Design playground

Playgrounds Around the World

Write a mini grant for small improvement

height

Pen pals

jump rope rhymes/folklore

Park visits

safest equipment

cultural studies

7.

Perfecting Perimeter

1 day
LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: (1-2 sentences) Students will construct an understanding of perimeter, using string, drawing paper, pencils and partners. After ideas on perimeter have been mulled over the class will measure perimeter of items in the classroom, and then do an exit slip on perimeter. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Geometric and Measurement concepts 7.7: Students use geometric and measurement concepts. This is evident when students: e. Select and use an appropriate unit (standard or non-standard) with which to measure, according to the properties, size, and use of the quantity to be measured f. Measure as exactly as possible or round off, as appropriate, and justify the choice and carry out simple unit conversions such as between m and cm M3:14 Demonstrates conceptual understanding of perimeter of polygons, and the area of rectangles on grids using a variety of models or manipulatives. Express all measures using appropriate units. M3:15 Measures and uses units of measures appropriately and consistently, and makes conversions within systems when solving problems across the content standards. GOAL/OBJECTIVE: (1-2 sentences) Students will be able to measure the perimeter of polygons by selecting the appropriate unit to measure in and be able to convert measurement simply (m to cm). MATERIALS/RESOURCES: String Drawing paper pencils Perimeter Investigations! sheet Exit Slip

LESSON: The teacher will start off by modeling the activity the students are going to do, then will ask students to pair up with their turn and talk partners. Once the students are paired up, the teacher will hand out a 3 foot piece of string to each pair, and ask them to trace each others hands, then lay the string around each drawing, noting where on the string the drawing ends and keeping a finger there. The pair must then measure how long the string is up until the point of the finger, and record their

measurements on the drawing. After allowing the pairs 10-15 minutes to complete this activity, the teacher will regroup the class and discuss what this measurement is called, and what it is. The teacher will talk about and briefly demonstrate how their perimeter measurements were obtained using a string which the students measured on a ruler afterwards, but can easily be done using a ruler to measure polygonal shapes. The teacher will draw special attention to the unit of measurement that the students recorded their answers in, and inquire why they chose that unit of measurement. The teacher will then model for the class, using a few different centimeter measures how to transfer to millimeter measures. The teacher will then hand out Perimeter Investigations! sheet for the students to work on in the classroom, and end the lesson with a unit slip where students must measure the perimeter of polygons and convert the measurements. INTRODUCTION: This lesson will be introduced to students as an exploratory activity, within guidelines. They will work with partners to find the perimeter of their hands, without knowing what they are actually doing. After the students have worked together to obtain these measurements the teacher will regroup the class and work backwards with the students to talk about what they actually just measured. LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: The first learning activity will be students measuring perimeter of their hands by tracing, tracing the drawing with string, and then measuring the string. Students will complete this in partners, thus will have opportunities to construct meaning from this activity prior to regrouping as a class. The second learning activity will be the students own exploration of perimeter in the classroom, using the Perimeter Investigations! sheet as a guide for their discoveries. CLOSURE: The closure for this lesson will be the exit slip. MINI-ASSESSMENT: Exit slip asking students to measure and record perimeter of several polygons, convert the measurements, and draw a shape with a certain perimeter. ACCOMODATIONS: Because students turn and talk partner are heterogeneous, this pairing will for the first activity will be an automatic accommodation where high flyers will be able to help their lower flying partners. The Perimeter Investigations! sheet will also have options for students to measure perimeters that will be more difficult, and some on the easier side and the teacher can float around during activity and point out to different students individually items that would be good for them to try. The students also can choose to do either 2 OR 3 investigations,

allowing students who work a little more quickly to stay busy, and students who work a little more slowly to still meet an expectation in a timely manner.

Name___________________________

Date________________

Perimeter Investigations!
Choose 2-3 of the following to measure the perimeter of and answer the questions that follow. Remember to label your units! o A book in the reading corner o The perimeter is _______, which is equal to ________. o I measured this using string and ruler/only ruler. (circle one) o A round student table o The perimeter is _______, which is equal to ________. o I measured this using string and ruler/only ruler. (circle one) o The SMARTboard o The perimeter is _______, which is equal to ________. o I measured this using string and ruler/only ruler. (circle one) o The stop sign o The perimeter is _______, which is equal to ________. o I measured this using string and ruler/only ruler. (circle one)

Exit Slip Measure and record the perimeter of this shape:

___________

Measure and record the perimeter of this shape: _______________ Convert the measurement: _____________________

Draw a rectangle that has a perimeter of 20cm:

Play Exploration 2 days

LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: (1-2 sentences) Because students will be later researching about how other communities in the world play, they first must be experts on how they play. A lot of comparing and contrasting will be done, as it is a higher level of learning, as students learn about how other communities play, and in order to be able to compare students need to be experts on how they play. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: History and Social Sciences 6.7: Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. (this lesson leads up to work done on this standard but isnt particularly pertinent itself to the standard) GOAL/OBJECTIVE: (1-2 sentences) Students will explore their own play and come to realizations about how kids in their community play. Upon coming back inside, students will fill out a brief checklist regarding their 25 minutes of play outside. The teacher will collect this checklist from each student and later compile a graph for the students to look at when they talk about how their community plays. MATERIALS/RESOURCES: SMARTboard to display graph Microsoft Excel (or comparable graphing program) Play Exploration student checklists

LESSON: The beginning 25 minutes of the lesson will be the children playing outside, with access to whatever is available to them at recess (structure, field, blacktop, etc.). The students will be told their only job while they play is to pay careful attention to how they play and what they play, because they will need that information for afterwards. After the students come inside, they will fill out a brief checklist regarding how they spent their exploratory play time outside. When this lesson is revisited on day 2, the teacher will start by pulling up a graph to represent answers that were

indicated by students on their checklists. The class will then have a grand conversation about what it looks like and means for kids to play in their community. INTRODUCTION: This lesson will be introduced that the students are going to explore how kids play, by playing! It will be introduced in a fun, exciting mission manner, but with the understanding that while it is a time to focus on playing, the students do need to be mindful of how they are playing and what they are playing because they will need to use that information later. LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: Playing outdoors Completing the play exploration checklist Having a grand conversation

CLOSURE: The closure for this lesson will come fro the grand conversation the class has, as the class and teacher collaboratively (and figuratively) paint a mutually agreed upon picture of what it looks like for kids in their school to play. MINI-ASSESSMENT: The mini assessment for this lesson will be the play explorations checklist that students complete following their exploratory play session outside. ACCOMODATIONS: The accommodation of a lot of movement is built into this lesson as half of it takes place outdoors and essentially unstructured. Also, the first part of this lesson is entirely accessible to all and universal; everybody can play. The checklist has a very simple (mostly yes/no )format which will simplify it for students who may take a little longer. Also, because there is little written work students will not have much fine motor work to worry about.

Name_____________________

Date___________

Answer the questions below. Did you play on the structure? Did you play in the field? Did you play on the blacktop? Did you play in the same place for the entire time? Did you use any equipment? Did you play by yourself? Did you play with 1-2 kids the whole time? Did you play with 3 or more kids the whole time? Did you have to share any equipment? Did you argue over any equipment? How many different activities did you do? (approximately) Did you run? Did you feel as though you had a lot of different options to play? Did you use your imagination while you played? Did you do any pretend play? Did you climb anything? If you did climb something, was it a tree or part of the structure? Did you feel safe while you played?

Play Exploration

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No No No No No No No No No

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

No No No No No

Yes

No

Research: Credible Sources and How to Use Them

1 day LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: (1-2 sentences) As students will be conducting their own research projects and will need to use all different types of sources, they will learn to discern between sources that are trust worthy and sources that arent, and what the implications of choosing a trustworthy sources versus a non-trustworthy source are. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Information Technology/Information Literacy 1.18: Students use computer, telecommunications, and other tools of technology to research, to gather information and ideas, and to represent information and ideas accurately and appropriately. H&SS3-4:4: Students conduct research by o Locating relevant materials such as print, electronic, and human resources o Citing sources GOAL/OBJECTIVE: (1-2 sentences) The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to understand that not all sources are completely reliable, what could happen if you use a resource that isnt reliable, and what resources are generally reliable. MATERIALS/RESOURCES: 5 index cards per student, previously hole punched in the corner 1 Index card ring per student station questions previously glued on index cards Vermont (Portraits of the States) by Jonathan A. Brown (non-fiction book) Kate's Vermont Venture (Camp Club Girls) by Janice Hanna (fiction book) Link to blog giving opinion on current event Link to blog FROM current event http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_champlain (Wikipedia link to Lake Champlain)

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/105180/Lake-Champlain (Encyclopedia Britannica link to Lake Champlain) Photograph of Burlington, Vermont Cartoon of Burlington, Vermont

LESSON: This lesson will be a series of stations for partners to go around to. Students will pair up with their turn and talk partner, and then circle around each of the 5 stations of sources. There will be two different carousels of 5 stations, so all together there will be 10 stations, but the 5 stations in one carousel are the same as the 5 stations in the other carousel so each pair needs only to go to the 5 stations in their carousel. The five stations will be as follows: Primary versus secondary (and beyond) information in person Non-fiction books (see materials for specifics) versus fiction books for research Primary versus secondary (and beyond) information online (twitter, blogs) Wikipedia vs Britannica Online Encyclopedia Photographs vs Drawings The teacher will quickly model what will happen at each station before the class splits up. At each of these stations, the pair will be faced with an index card for each student to add to their sources card ring. At each station, the pair will be presented with a credible source and a source that shouldnt be used in research. For stations requiring the computer, the computers will already be set up to where the students need to be so they will not have to navigate. There will be a question, already glued onto each index card at the station for the pair to mull over. After all pairs have been to all 5 stations, they will have completed their Sources flipbook. They will then meet with their reading buddies briefly, and come together as a class to briefly review their findings from the sources. INTRODUCTION: Prior to the pairs breaking off to circle around to the stations, the teacher will give a brief introduction to using sources in research, and how good researchers choose their sources carefully. If researchers choose sources that may not have all the information, or information that isnt true, their project could be doomed! LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: The 5 source stations to be done in pairs The making of the sources flipbook CLOSURE:

The closure to this lesson will be that after all the sources flipbooks are done and all stations are complete, the turn and talk partners will split up and find their reading buddies. With their reading buddies they will compare findings in their source flipbooks, to make sure they agreed on the more credible and reliable source at each station. MINI-ASSESSMENT: Completion of the sources flipbook will serve as the mini-assessment. ACCOMODATIONS: This lesson has a couple built in accommodations. First, because there will be a lot of movement in this lesson students who need to move more will find that built right into the lesson. Second, by completing the stations with turn and talk buddies (which are heterogeneously grouped), students who need a little more support will have built in scaffolding. For the students who will be providing some of the scaffolding during the stations, they will have an opportunity to converse with homogenous partners when they talk with reading buddies. The source flipbook will also be a good reminder and keepsake for students who forget easily going forward in their research project.

Source Station Questions (to be glued onto index cards) Station 1: Primary vs Secondary in person sources 1. Ask your partner what the teacher had for breakfast. 2. Ask the teacher what the teacher had for breakfast. Station 2: Non-fiction vs fiction books 1. Write one FACT from each book about Vermont. Station 3: Primary vs Secondary online sources 2. Read the short excerpts from each blog. Can you find opinions in either of them? Station 4: Wikipedia vs Britannica online encyclopedias 3. Do both sources give the same information? 4. Is there any evidence on Wikipedia that the source may not be 100% accurate? (hint: warning signs and footnotes) Station 5: Photographs vs Drawings 1. How does the drawing give you a different idea than the picture?

Making a Good Argument!: Word Choice (1 day)

LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: At the end of the unit students will be asked to write a persuasive letter trying to sell their idea. Powerful word choice and use of persuasive clich words/phrases will be helpful to students as they prepare to write a persuasive letter. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Standard 1.11: Persuasive Writing W3: 16: In persuasive writing, students present and coherently support judgments or solution(s) GOAL/OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to use powerful, persuasive words when trying to convince somebody else of their ideas. MATERIALS/RESOURCES: I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff Chart paper to record words Markers to write on chart paper Persuasive magnets Cookie sheets Winning words sheet Neutral statements cut up into strips Bowl for neutral statements Classroom books where a character is trying to obtain something (Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems, Click Clack Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, Earrings by Judith Voirst, Hey Little Ant by Phillip Hoose, My Teacher for President by Kay Winters, etc) LESSON: The lesson will start off with a read aloud book, I Wanna Iguana. This story is about a boy who writes persuasive letters back and forth with his mom trying to convince her that he should be able to have a pet iguana. The teacher will read the book through once out loud, then lead a brief discussion about what it means to be persuasive and suggest that the boy in the book probably used some extrapersuasive words and phrases to help try to convince his mother. The teacher will then read the book aloud again, asking the class to raise their hands while listening to the story whenever they hear a persuasive or convincing word in the boys letters

or the moms letters and the class will start to brainstorm a Persuasive Word Wall. Once the book is done, the class may continue to offer any additional/last ideas for persuasive words and/or phrases to be added to the Persuasive Word Wall. The class will then split into their groups to cycle through the Persuasive Stations (as described in the learning activities). The stations will be very briefly explained and modeled to all students prior to any student starting. INTRODUCTION: The introduction to this lesson will be the first time the book I Wanna Iguana is read aloud. LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: The learning activities in this lesson will be stations that kids will rotate through. There will be four kids at each station, but they will work in pairs within their group at each station. The stations will be: 1. Persuasive Magnets: The teacher will have premade magnets of persuasive words that appear in the book and will likely be brainstormed by the children. At the station will be the persuasive word magnets, neutral word magnets (verbs, nouns, pronouns, etc.) so students can create sentences and phrases that are persuasive. The students will use cookie sheets to stick the magnets to. 2. Believable books: There will be a stack of books for partners to flip through and see what persuasive words they can find. If any are found that are not on the Persuasive Word Wall partners can write them on the sheet of paper that will be left at that station for that purpose. 3. Convincing classmates: Partners will take turns drawing slips of paper from a bucket, which have neutral sentences on them, and either agreeing with or disagreeing with the statement on the paper using persuasive words of phrases. 4. Winning Words sheet: Similar to the convincing classmates station, partners will rewrite short, neutral statements to be as persuasive as possible. 5. Persuasive me: At this station, partners will just have a quick discussion about words they use when they want something, and if they use any of the words on the Persuasive Word Wall. CLOSURE: The closure to this lesson is that the teacher will tell everyone she cant wait to see all the new persuasive words in action! Next in writing they will be learning about parts of a persuasive position. MINI-ASSESSMENT:

While students are circling through the stations the teacher will walk around to make sure all students are engaged, on task, and participating. ACCOMODATIONS: This lesson has several built in accommodations to the unit. It appeals to several different learning styles; auditory, kinesthetic, and interpersonal. It also calls upon several different levels of knowledge; from recognizing persuasive words and phrases in books to creating statements that are persuasive both from scratch and with the scaffold of the magnets. Again, working in partners will allow for students who need extra support to lean a little bit more on their partners. Completion on any of the tasks at the stations will not be required, as long as students are working and on task while they are there.

Winning Words
Rewrite the statements below once to persuade or convince the reader. Underline your strong, persuasive words! See the example for hints. Statement: The summer is hot. Persuasion 1: The hot summer climate can be dangerous and unhealthy. Persuasion 2: The hot summer climate is so helpful to the growing plants that need the heat.

The dog is loud. _______________________________________________________

An ostrichs eye is bigger than its brain. ________________________________________________________ A goldfish has a memory span of 3 minutes. ________________________________________________________ Thomas Edison was an inventor. _________________________________________________________

Convincing Classmates
(to be cut and put in bowl) The Red Sox are a baseball team. Finding Nemo is a movie. Tomorrow is Friday. Cheetahs can run 70 miles per hour. There are 50 states in the USA. School starts at 8:00am. Hats are not allowed in school. You must be 16 years old to drive a car.

Believable Books Examples

Making a Good Argument!: Persuasive Pieces (2 days)

LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: At the end of the unit students will be asked to write a persuasive letter trying to sell their idea. Having a framework of how to set up a persuasive argument will prove very helpful to students as they write persuasive letters. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: Standard 1.11: Persuasive Writing W3: 16: In persuasive writing, students present and coherently support judgments or solution(s) GOAL/OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to recognize three parts of a persuasive argument, and with guidance be able to write a 3 part persuasive argument. MATERIALS/RESOURCES: 3 part persuasions poster Letter written to class Markers for each student 3 part persuasion framework LESSON: The lesson will start by recalling the powerful persuasive words on the word wall, and talking about taking the next step in becoming persuasive writers: making the persuasive argument. The teacher will reference the 3 Part Persuasions poster in the classroom as each part is discussed. The three parts are 1) establish facts, 2) respect others ideas, 3) form conclusion. The class will then all be handed out a copy of a letter that was written to them by the principal and the teacher will put a copy of the letter on the SMARTboard. Each student will also grab a marker. The class will go over the letter together, marking on it where each part happens. After the class marks up the letters, they will be handed out a 3 part persuasion frameworks sheet to guide their ideas. The teacher will model how to fill this out in

response to the principals letter, and then verbally model what her letter may sound like. The students will then work independently to fill in their frameworks guide and head towards starting a persuasive letter response back to the principal. INTRODUCTION: The lesson will start by recalling the powerful persuasive words on the word wall, and talking about taking the next step in becoming persuasive writers: making the persuasive argument LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: The learning experiences and activities will be the class marking up the persuasive parts on the letter together, and then filling out their own persuasive framework guide independently and getting started on a persuasive letter back to the principal. CLOSURE: Teacher will compliment students on becoming great persuasive writers after letter responses have been collected. MINI-ASSESSMENT: The assessment will be checking each students letter to make sure it has the 3 parts that the lesson focused on, and will be done via a self-assessment checklist by the students. ACCOMODATIONS: For the high-flying students, additional criteria can be made for their letters, such as including at least 5 powerful and persuasive words and/or phrases in their letters back to the principal. For students who need extra support, the teacher will discuss the option with them about writing a rough draft of this letter to hand in and that will be sufficient. The rough draft will include just bullet points from the 3 part framework guide. For students who can get hung up on writing, they will be allowed to type their letters.

1: Establish facts 2: Respect others ideas 3. Form conclusion

Letter from principal

Dear Third Graders, I am writing to you with some very important news. A lot of third grade parents have been saying that their children are finishing their homework too quickly and having too much fun playing afterwards. Because you all seem to be finishing your homework so quickly, your teachers will start assigning you two more homework assignments each night. Also, as your principal I think third graders should be spending at least 2 hours on homework every night. Lastly, this will prepare you for when you are older as you will learn to manage your time. At first when you consider this change I am sure you will be disappointed with having less time for play and fun, but I am sure you will come to find that you will start learning more as a result of having more homework. Dont let it overwhelm you, it really wont be bad once you get used to it. Your teachers and I have thought hard about this, and we think this will be the best solution for everyone. Starting next Monday you will have 2 hours of homework each night. If you have any questions about this you can follow up with me. Thank you, Your Principal

3 Part Persuasion Framework

Establish Facts
What facts am I going to establish?

Respect Others Ideas

What points did they make I need to respect?

Conclusion
What points can I state using facts and powerful persuasion words?

Persuasive Pieces Self Assessment 1. In my letter I established the facts: Yes No I am not sure 2. In my letter I respected others ideas: Yes No I am not sure 3. I ended my letter with a conclusion: Yes No I am not sure 4. What did I do best in my letter? _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 5. What should I work on more in my next persuasive letter? _____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________

Play Around the World (? Days)

LESSON RATIONALE/CONTEXT: This lesson is going to be multipurpose. First, it will get the students acquainted with play in a very different way then they are used to and in this lesson the students will examine along side the teacher the factors that may contribute to the difference in play namely being climate, local resources, and economy. Second, this will serve as an example of what kind of information students will be gathering and inferring upon for their research project. VT STANDARDS/GRADE EXPECTATIONS: History and Social Sciences 6.7: Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. H&SS3-4:11: Students interpret geography and solve problems by Observing, comparing, and analyzing patterns of local and state land use to understand why particular locations are used for certain human activities Creating effective geographic representations using appropriate elements to demonstrate and understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape of the local community, Vermont, and the U.S. and locations worldwide Asking appropriate geographic questions and using geographic resources to answer them GOAL/OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to simply identify climate, local resources, and economic trends as contributing factors to why children play differently in different places. MATERIALS/RESOURCES: SMART board Play in Brazil PowerPoint Journal entry prompt

LESSON:

The lesson will start by the teacher calling attention to their study of play, and bringing to mind a couple of things they learned about how the students at their own school played. She will lead into the lesson by exciting them about learning about how another country plays, and why they may play that way. The teacher will also hook the students by letting them know they would be doing a similar project at the end of the semester, so this is also an example of how they could do their project. The teacher will go through the very brief PowerPoint, engaging her students in discussion and taking questions along the way. Following the PowerPoint, the teacher will open up the class to a short grand conversation to discuss how children in Brazil play differently from them, and what about where they live is different than Brazil (specifically local climate, resources, and economy). The teacher will be participating in and scaffolding this conversation as necessary. Following the grand conversation, the students will write a journal entry explaining how local climate, resources, and economy contribute to how they play. INTRODUCTION: The introduction is thinking back to when the students became experts on their own play. LEARNING EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: The learning experiences and activities are the PowerPoint, grand conversation, and journal entry. CLOSURE: The closure will be the students writing what they are able to transfer from the lesson in their journals. MINI-ASSESSMENT: The mini-assessment is checking the journals for understanding of economic, resource, and climate impact on play.

ACCOMODATIONS: While a good part of this lesson will be relying on auditory processing skills, there will be the visual scaffold of the PowerPoint as shown on the SMART board. Copies of the PowerPoint can also be made available to any student who prefers to rely on visual information and can take notes on it, etc. Lastly, students will have a couple different opportunities to absorb the main points of the lesson, the first being in the

PowerPoint, the second being in the grand conversation, and hopefully by the time they start to respond to the prompt they will have something to write.

Writing Prompt: After learning a little bit about how children in Brazil play and some information about Brazil, how does our economy, climate, and some of our local resources contribute to how children here play?

Journal Write Response Rubric Answered At least 3-5 Student

prompt (0-5 points)

sentences (0-3 points)

Points (08)

Bibliography Brown, Jonathan. Vermont (Portraits of the States). New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2006. Print. Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. Print. DenverCityScape. Church Street Burlington. N.d. Denver City Scape, Burlington, Vermont. World Skyline Photos. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Dye. Church St Afternoon, Burlington, VT. N.d. Giclee, Burlington, Vermont. Sean Dye Studio. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. Fact Monster. "Brazil: Maps, History, Geography, Government, Culture, Facts,

Guide & Travel/Holidays/Cities FactMonster.com." Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help FactMonster.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107357.html>. Hanna, Janice. Kate's Vermont Venture. USA: Barbour Books, 2010. Print. Hoose, Phillip. Hey, Little Ant. New York: Tricycle Press, 1998. Print.

"Lake Champlain". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/105180/Lake-Champlain>.

Orloff, Karen Kaufman. I Wanna Iguana. New York: Putnam, 2004. Print. Viorst, Judith. Earrings!. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010. Print. Willems, Mo. Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus. New York: Hyperion Press, 2003. Print. Wikipedia, comp. "Wikipedia." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_champlain>. Winters, Kay. My Teacher for President. London: Puffin, 2008. Print.