LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

THEME: Culture, Dignity, and Identity CONCEPT: Lessons from Africa-African and African American Families, Traditions and Lifestyles CONTENT TOPIC: Exploring African and African American family structures and traditions through fiction and nonfiction texts UNIT TITLE: Families Then and Now
Unit Topic: Look at African American Families from the past to the present Unit Description: Students will take a look at the lives of African American Families over time by comparing literature and informational text discussing a variety of time periods (ex. Civil rights movement, Great Depression, urban upheaval, etc.). Students will then use the information about these time periods to generate questions for an interview. They will interview older families members, neighbors and friends to learn more about how their families have changed over time and present that information via video report, scrapbook or news article. Key Themes: Civil Rights, Great Depression, Families Length: 4 weeks

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LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan
Students will understand that the actions of
older family members have a lasting effect on the students current lifestyle. Students will understand that their actions could potentially have lasting effects on future generations.

Enduring Understandings

Essential Questions

How do culture and identity influence who we

are? How do time, culture and history influence works of art and/or the advancement of science and technology? What can I do to positively impact my community? How can I learn from texts? How can thinking and talking about the questions I have help me to learn?

Common Core State Standards Primary Secondary

Primary: Standards Assessed RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas or pieces of information in a text. W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. SL.1.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. Secondary: Standards Addressed RL.1.1, RL 1.9, RF.1.3, RF 1.4, L.1.1, L.1.2, SL.1.4

Cognitive Skills

Reading, Writing, and Citing Textual Evidence Reading, Speaking and Listening Discuss information that is important to understanding the central message of the story Express opinions using evidence from the story to support ideas Writing, Speaking and Listening

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LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Tell and then retell stories in chronological order Attempt unknown words through sound analysis Discuss the story/text with peers

Content

Building Knowledge through Texts Civil Rights Movement Great Depression African American Political Leaders Diagnostic (Pre-Assessment) Teacher will ask students to create a T-chart (labeled Then / Now) comparing before they came to first grade until the end of first grade. They will also write 2-3 sentences detailing what they did to make those changes. Formative Assessments Teacher will use anecdotal notes, questioning, and group discussion responses to assess students throughout the unit. An informative text will be created at the end of weeks one, two and three, which can be used to assess student knowledge. Teacher could also use student created graphic organizers (T-charts) following the reading of various texts. Summative Performance Assessment Students will interview older families members, neighbors and friends to learn more about how their families have changed over time and present that information via video report, scrapbook or news article. Students will also submit a final research paper detailing their knowledge of African American Families from the past to the present.

Assessments (D) Diagnostic (F) Formative (S) Summative

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LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan
Text

Text/ Resources

The story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story
(Scholastic Reader Level 2) by Ruby Bridges Back of the bus by Aaron Reynold If a bus could talk by Faith Ringgold Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton If you lived in the time of Martin Luther King by Ellen Levine Sit-ins: How four friends stood up by sitting down by Andrea Davis Pinkney Then and Now by Heather Amery The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson Whos in a Family by Robert Skutch Uncle Jeds Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell Picking Peas for a penny by Angela Shelf Medearis A Kids guide to African American History by Nancy I. Sanders Lets Read About Ruby Bridges by Grace Maccarone

Resources 3,2,1 Reading Response sheet Professional Text Black Families by Harriette Pipes A New Look at Black Families by Charles V. Willie Websites Helping Students plan an interview http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/learning-interview

Kids in the Civil Rights Movement

http://civilrightsmovementunit.weebly.com/i ndex.html

African American Life Over Time

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/ 67474/African-Americans

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LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan
Scholastic Kids Press Corps resources
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collection .jsp?id=706

Scholastic Kids News Interview of Ruby

Bridges http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp ?id=3755117

Official Ruby Bridges Website

http://www.rubybridges.com/story.htm

Learning Activities

Week One- Then Students will read non-fiction and historical fiction texts about African Americans during the civil rights era. They will explore the lifestyles of a typical African American as they rode the bus, walked to school, went shopping, attended religious services, etc. They will make notations on one side of a class T-chart (Then/ Now) detailing what they learned about that time period. Students will then use the knowledge gathered over the week to write an informative text entitled The Civil Rights Era, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. Week Two- Now Students will read non-fiction and historical fiction texts about African American life since 2000. They will explore the lifestyles of African American families attending school, shopping, political undertakings, etc. They will make notations on the opposite side of the class T-chart (Then/ Now) detailing what they learned about that time period. Students will then use the knowledge gathered over the week to write an informative text entitled African Americans Life After Civil Rights, supply some facts about the topic, and provide concluding statements. Week Three- Comparisons Students will use the information from weeks one and two to make comparisons about life for African Americans over the span of approximately 100 years. They will describe their comparisons in an informative

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles

Teacher can use a variety of media to explore African American life during the civil rights era. A speaker from the community would be a great resource to students.

Teacher can post the T-chart for use throughout the unit. A photo timeline would also be an option to show change over time.

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LITERACY & SOCIAL SCIENCE

1st Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan
text. Students will combine the informative texts they wrote from week one, two and three to create a larger research paper. Week Four- Interviews and Presentations Students will compose a list of questions for an interview with an older family member, neighbor, etc. These questions should highlight the living conditions for the adult growing up. Students should also make a comparison with current living conditions. Students will partner with a classmate to practice interviewing using the list of questions. Students will choose to present the information from the interview through a video report, news article format or scrapbook display. Students will also finalize their thoughts on African American families from the past to the present discussed in the research paper created over the previous weeks.

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