Cooperative Learning in Social Studies Lesson Report (Assessment)

• Lesson Title: We Are Members of the Same Community: Our History, Customs, and Traditions
• Grade Level: 1st Grade
• Main Subject Area: Social Studies
• Subjects Integrated: History, Culture, Art, Language Arts
• Time Constraints: Two periods (50 minutes)
• Goals: Students will explore the history of their community presented in art objects and focus on understanding the community’s diversity represented in different customs and traditions.
• Materials/Set-up: Written stories about customs and traditions, PowerPoint Presentations, markers, paints, pencils, paper, photographs, pictorial material.

State Requirements

TEKS/STAAR

§113.12. Social Studies (b) Knowledge and skills. (1) History. The student is expected to: describe the origins of customs, holidays, and celebrations of the community, state, and nation such as San Jacinto Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day; and compare the observance of holidays and celebrations, past and present.

(15) Culture. The student understands the importance of family and community beliefs, customs, language, and traditions. The student is expected to: (A) describe and explain the importance of various beliefs, customs, language, and traditions of families and communities.

(17) Social studies skills. The student is expected to:

1. obtain information about a topic using a variety of valid oral sources such as conversations, interviews, and music;
2. obtain information about a topic using a variety of valid visual sources such as pictures, symbols, electronic media, maps, literature, and artifacts; and
3. sequence and categorize information.

(18) Social studies skills. The student is expected to:

1. express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences, and
2. create and interpret visual and written material.

§110.12. English Language Arts and Reading: (29) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to follow agreed-upon rules for discussion, including listening to others, speaking when recognized, and making appropriate contributions.

§117.5. Art (3) Historical/cultural heritage. The student demonstrates an understanding of art history and culture as records of human achievement. The student is expected to:

1. identify simple ideas expressed in artworks through different media;
2. select artworks that show families and groups, and
3. identify the use of art in everyday life.

ELPS

(3) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/speaking. The student is expected to:

1. expand and internalize initial English vocabulary by learning and using high-frequency English words necessary for identifying and describing people, places, and objects, by retelling simple stories and basic information represented or supported by pictures, and by learning and using routine language needed for classroom communication;
2. speak using grade-level content area vocabulary in context to internalize new English words and build academic language proficiency;
3. share information in cooperative learning interactions;
4. respond orally to information presented in a wide variety of print, electronic, audio, and visual media to build and reinforce concept and language attainment.

Prerequisite Skills

Students know basic definitions of such notions as ‘customs’, ‘traditions’, ‘community’, and ‘diversity’.

Sponge Activity

Students are asked to look at each other and describe similarities and differences in appearance, behaviors, and hobbies. The teacher states that being different, students belong to one diverse and friendly community.

Time: 3 minutes.

Objectives

Having helped students discuss their similarities and differences, the teacher informs students about the objectives for the lesson.

The learner will correctly describe pictures representing the people, festivals, art objects, statues, and monuments associated with the community’s history and culture.

The learner will correctly explain the role of such art as photography and sculpture for the community.

The learner will orally present the stories about their families’ customs and traditions.

The learner will listen to students and ask appropriate questions about customs.

The learner will correctly read the stories about the community’s traditions aloud (English learners focus on unknown words).

The learner will participate in a cooperative group to complete a drawing about a certain community’s tradition.

The learner will complete accurate drawings demonstrating the community’s main customs and traditions.

Time: 2 minutes.

Focus

The teacher notes that students live in a culturally diverse community and demonstrates pictures and the PowerPoint Presentation representing different members of the community celebrating various holidays and participating in festivals. Each picture illustrates a certain tradition or custom. Students are asked to name and describe these traditions and customs referring to pictures and their personal experiences.

Time: 8 minutes.

Rationale

1. Learner-Centered: The knowledge about customs and traditions provides students with a force to feel like part of a strong and friendly community with a long and interesting history.
2. Professional: Knowing the community’s history, customs, and traditions, students can form their identity as part of the diverse community.

Time: 2 minutes.

Connections

1. Past or future learning: Ask students how they can explain the meaning of such notions as ‘customs’, ‘traditions’, ‘community’, and ‘diversity’.
2. Community: The teacher tells about art objects, statues, and monuments associated with the community’s history.
3. Culture: The teacher demonstrates the PowerPoint Presentation illustrating art objects, statues, and monuments associated with the community’s history, asks students to name well-known objects, and describe pictures in detail.
4. Student interests: What holidays, customs, and traditions in your family and community do you prefer? Describe them.
5. Integration with other content: Focusing on pictures, can you explain the use of such art as photography and sculpture in the everyday life? Are these arts important for you and your community? Why?

Time: 7 minutes.

Teach/active engagement

Guided Practice

Students are asked to describe similarities and differences in their appearance, behaviors, and hobbies. The teacher points to belonging to one diverse and friendly community. Using the PowerPoint Presentation, the teacher demonstrates pictures representing different members of the community celebrating holidays and makes connections and then pictures representing art objects, statues, and monuments associated with the community’s history. Students are expected to view the pictures, describe them, discuss customs, and explain the role of photography and sculpture for the community. Students discuss where they could see represented art objects, statues, and monuments in their town.

The teacher tells the story about the traditions of her family. Students are also asked to tell stories about customs and traditions followed in their families. Students listen to each other attentively to be ready to ask appropriate questions about the learned facts. Students are provided with stories about the community’s traditions, and they read them aloud. The teacher focuses on the accurateness of reading and asks questions about the content of the stories.

Time: 10 minutes.

Independent Practice

Students are arranged into cooperative groups (4 members) to follow “The Think, Pair, Share Model”. The teacher asks students to assume that they are illustrators in the community’s newspaper and draw a picture that describes the most popular and important community’s traditionally associated with the history, holiday, or custom. Students have 2 minutes to think over the tradition, then they discuss the idea with the partner orally, and then they choose the most preferable tradition to depict. The results of the groups’ work are drawings demonstrating the community’s main customs and traditions. Each student completes an individual drawing.

Time: 12 minutes.

Evaluation of Learning

Students are expected to participate actively in the group discussion. Each student in a group should present his idea regarding the popular tradition. Students are expected to complete drawings that illustrate the tradition selected in a group. In one group, drawings should adhere to one topic, but they should be different. The content of the drawing is evaluated before quality. Drawings should be accurate.

Time: 3 minutes.

Closure

Students look at the completed drawings and summarize what customs and traditions are the most popular in the community, most actively followed in families, and most vividly represent the community’s history.

Time: 2 minutes.

Description of the learning environment

18 students are involved in the lesson. The socio-cultural background of the class is diverse. Students are involved in different types of activities, including reading, listening, storytelling, oral presentation, drawing, and work in groups. The most effective model to organize the group work in this class is “The Think, Pair, Share Model”. Students with special needs are arranged in one group.

Transitional activities

To start the independent practice, students are invited to take places in groups and take sits around tables while assuming that they are illustrators in the community’s newspaper.

Special needs student accommodations/modifications/extensions

English Language Learners are grouped and provided with stories about the community’s traditions which have transcribed and translated/explained words.

Reflecting phase

The work in groups was the most effective part of the lesson to help in understanding the learning objectives because it demonstrated what students could learn at the lesson. The organization of the storytelling can be improved to motivate students to ask more questions to their classmates. Unanticipated events include problems with drawing pictures and naming historical monuments and statues. Students are provided with help in drawing lines and with triggers in naming historical objects.

Such technology as the PowerPoint Presentation was effectively used during the lesson. To evaluate the understanding of the learning objective, it was appropriate to use completed drawings demonstrating the understanding of the community’s traditions. Students seem to understand the material of the lesson effectively while paying more attention to the role of diverse family traditions in the community’s context.