_________________________
Mentor
Teacher's Signature

     ___________________
Date

 

Global Diversity Through Literature

General Information
Name:  Rachel Keown
School/Mentor Teacher: Pine Grove Elementary School/ Wanda Sharp
Grade Level: K
Subject Areas: Technology Integration, Social Studies (Multicultural Understanding)
Date Taught:
Total Duration of Lesson: About 45 minutes

Title of Lesson
Learning With Technology & Literature

Primary Learning Outcomes (PLO)
The primary learning outcomes to be achieved with this lesson include:
A. Student will be able to use the mouse while operating the computer
B. Student will be able to respond to questions about diverse cultures and languages other than English.

Related QCC & GPS Standards
A. Grade: K
Technology Integration
Strand: Basic Skills
5 Topic: Basic Skills
Standard: Operates basic technology tools and applications.

Grade: K
Social Studies Georgia Performance Standard
Geographic Understandings
SSKG1: The student will describe American culture by explaining diverse community and family celebrations and customs (this also includes the cultures represented by children from other countries that are enrolled in our schools, whose native language is other than English)

Materials and Equipment

1. Computer with Internet connection
2. Multicultural children’s book: Haley, Gail E. (1970). A story a story  New York: Atheneum
3. Colored markers, crayons, and chart paper
4. Pencil and paper (to make notes for lesson plan assessment and reflections)
5. Modification of lesson developed by Dr. Diane L. Judd
URL: http://www.valdosta.edu/~djudd/globallesson.html

Technology Connection
Technologies that will be used in this lesson include: computer with Internet connection, a picture developed using a computer drawing program, and a designed website that includes computer painted picture and links to cultural websites of country in multicultural literature book.  Elementary students will use computers to view website developed for multicultural literature book.  Copy of my Global Diversity Activity website is included with this lesson plan.  Website Title: Global Diversity Activity and URL: http://www.valdosta.edu/~rrkeown/global.html

Procedures
Step One: Introduction
Work with a small group of students (2-5).  Tell students that today you are going to read them a special book which takes place in Africa.

Ask students your two introduction questions. (Introduce questions are for you, the teacher, to find out your students' previous knowledge of the subject content.)
1. Example: Today we are going to study about Africa. What do you know about Africa?
2. Do you know where Africa is located on the map? 

Relate lesson to students' lives today and/or future:

After we read our book and visit the website links, we are going to write (or dictate) and draw pictures about the people and their culture (food, clothing, etc.) in the country of Africa.  We are going to see how the people and culture in Africa country are like you and how they are different than you.
 
Estimated Time:
About 10 minutes

Step Two: Teaching the Primary Learning Outcomes

Have students go to your Global Diversity Activity website at http://www.valdosta.edu/~rrkeown/global.html

Have students take turns and control the computer on your Global Diversity Activity website.  (Have students sit at the computer where they can control the mouse and computer.  Assist students, if needed, to scroll up and down on websites.)  Give students a brief overall view of you Global Diversity Activity page.

As the students go through each website, discuss the information and allow the students to make comments or talk about what they see. 
List the three cultural areas on your Global Diversity Activity website with the critical thinking questions for the cultural areas.
1. African Dish (Food) What is your favorite African dish?
2.African Art How is African Art different form American Art?
3.African Music What kind of music do you prefer?

Introduce your multicultural book; tell students the names of your book. A Story A Story, by Gail E. Haley.  First, do a “picture walk” of book (hold up book and show pages, allow students to tell what they think is happening on each page).  Then read A Story A Story to students.  While reading book to students, ask students “questions for understanding.” 
List of Check for understanding before going on: (List four or more questions to ask students while reading your story.)
1. How did Ananse trick the leopard into getting tied up? (Play the Binding Game)
2. What excuse did Ananse use to g et the hornets into his calabash? (It's raining and it would injury their wings)
3. What was the name of the wooden doll? (Gum Baby)
4. Once Ananse paid the price to the sky god, Nyane, what did he get in return? (The golden box of stories)

(Have ready before lesson, the two critical thinking questions written on a large sheet of chart paper, allowing space to record each student’s response.)  To provide practice and feedback related to the primary learning outcomes:  Teacher will ask at least two critical thinking questions to each student using a “language experience strategy” (As children tell you their responses, write each response exactly as they speak).   Teacher will write the responses on a large sheet of chart paper and let each child write their name next to their response.  Students' answer to critical thinking questions can come from the websites or the book about the country.

Provide students with paper, crayons, and/or markers to make illustrations of their answers to the critical thinking questions by drawing pictures on their papers.  (Later you can add their answers to the critical thinking questions on their papers with their illustrations.)

Estimated Time:
About 25 minutes

Step Three: Closure
Students will discuss their pictures and the cultural of Africa country.  Have student explain how the American culture is different and similar to the culture of the country they are studying.  Tell students that you are going to put their picture on the Internet and they will be able to go on the Internet and share their pictures with friends and family.  (If possible teacher should take notes during the lesson and concluding discussions for the lesson plan's assessment and reflections to be added later.)

Estimated Time:
About 10 minutes 

(You will need to save the students’ pictures and answers as evidence for your lesson plan learning goals.  You will also share in class your chart paper with students’ answers to critical thinking questions and pictures.  Later you will need to scan the students’ papers to place in your ECE Portfolio.  You will also add reflection comments in your ECE Portfolio.) 

Assessment the Primary Learning Outcomes
A. Technology Integration
Student will be assessed through observation while using the mouse to control the computer and using the drawing program.

B. Social Studies
Student will be assessed through answers to questions, illustrations, and discussions about diverse cultures.

Rubric: For Evaluation of Technology Integration and Social Studies PLOs

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Student is able to use the mouse to control the computer with no or little assistance.

Student is able to use the mouse to control the computer with much assistance.

Student is not able to use the mouse to control the computer.

Student responded with accuracy to two of the critical thinking questions about cultural diversity.

Student responded with accuracy to one of the critical thinking questions about cultural diversity.

Student responded with accuracy to none of the critical thinking questions about cultural diversity.

Student
Performance Level
Describe the Student Evidence that Illustrates the Performance Level of their Use of Technology PLO
1
Level 3
Student 1 was able to control the mouse and computer with little assistance.
2
Level 3
Student 2 was able to control the mouse and computer with little assistance


Describe the Student Evidence that Illustrates the Performance Level of their Use of Social Studies PLO
1
Level 2
Student 1 was able to answer the critical thinking questions but took a little longer to answer. it was apparent that Student 1 got confused easily and the lesson was over his/her understanding.
2
Level 2
Student 2 was able to answer the critical thinking questions but only one accurately. It was apparent that student 2 listened to the instructions and was able to navigate but the lesson was a little over his/her understanding.

Comments & Reflections:

1. Comment on your teaching of how your Global Diversity lesson created learning experiences and activities that implemented the use a variety of resources and technologies. 
    Book, Websites, Paint Picture, an art activity.

2. State evidence in two or more sentences to show that your students gained knowledge during your Global Diversity lesson.
    My students were able to answer the questions quick and easy. They were able to portray a scence from the book without any help or prompt. They stayed involved and they enjoyed using the computer.

3. Give at least one suggestion that would lead to improving your teaching practices and student achievement.
    I think the level of the material was over their heads. I needed to make adjustments in my story in order to bring the stor down to where they could understand it. I think if I was to teach this lesson again, I would slowly introduce Africa to them and bring it into my other lesson a little more that way when we got to the computer they would have a little bit of a foundation to build on.



Scanned Pictures of African Cultures
by Elementary Students

Global Diversity Lesson developed by Rachel Keown
for
Kindergarten at Pine Grove Elementary School

 

studen't picture

1.) What is your favorite African food?
         -The chicken with all the different sauces and the red shrimp that was in the bowl.
2.) How are African instruments differnet from American instruments?
        - Their piano is much smaller than ours. We have black and white keys, they only have brown keys.        

This is the hornets that Ananse captured in the jar during the story.           

 

student picture

1.) What is your favorite African food?
         -The chicken with all the different sauces
2.) How are African instruments differnet from American instruments?
        - They make things out of animal skin                            

This is an African person living inside their straw hut. The are dreaming of the stories Ananse brought down from the sky.