Thematic Unit: The Magnitude of Mountains

Alayna Wilkins

EDU 251: Integrating the Arts

4 December, 2023

Grade 1st-3rd

Name: Alayna Wilkins

Date: 4 December 2023

Title: The Magnitude of Mountains

Grade Level: 2nd (1st-3rd)

1) Broad Unit Understandings/Goals:

 Students will understand how mountains formed, popular mountain ranges around the
world, and how they can be compared and incorporated into the content that we are
learning.

2) Unit Questions:
 ELA: What is the author trying to tell me? What is this text really about? (ex: main idea)
 What are some vocabulary terms that relate to mountains?
 Math: What kind of problem is this? What are we looking to find out/learn?
 Social Studies: Why and how do landforms change? What effects do these changes have?
o What have we learned about the history of specific mountain ranges? Where are
some of them located?
 Science: Why do the continents move, and what causes earthquakes and volcanoes?
o What are some landscapes that are located around our area? What have we
learned about them?

3) State/Common Core Standards (obtained from PDESAS): ELA, Math, Social

Studies
 ELA: CC.1.2.2. A
o Identify the main idea of a multi-paragraph text as well as the focus of specific
paragraphs within the text
 Math: CC.2.2.2. A.1
o Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 100.
 SocialStudies:7.1.71B.
Locate frequently visited locations using landmarks.
 Science: 7.2.2.A
o Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.

4) Learning Objectives:
  ELA:
o Students will be able to recognize and pick out the main idea after reading and
then pick out key details that support the main idea.
 Math:
o Students will be able to understand the methods of addition and subtraction for a
variety of numbers less than 100.
 Social Studies:
o Students will be able to identify the physical characteristics of places and regions
that we have discussed in class.

5) Description of Unit:

The theme that I chose to incorporate into the curriculum is mountains, with a unit titled
The Magnitude of Mountains. I think that there is a lot of variety with this theme, and it can be
incorporated into each content area in some way. Mountains are all around us so it would likely
be a topic that my students are familiar with in some way.
Regarding ELA, I would find a story that has mountains involved somehow and from
there I can build activities based on it. For example, I could have them find the main idea of the
story and identify the supporting details that occur throughout the story. They could also write
their own story using a mountain to represent the parts of a story (beginning, rising action,
climax/peak, falling action, and resolution). For math, I could teach addition and subtraction and
compare it to a mountain because addition results in a larger number (going up) and subtraction
results in a smaller number (going down). The standard that relates to this activity is CC.2.2.2.
A.1, that specifies that we would be working with numbers that are less than 100. One standard
related to geography is for students to be able to identify physical characteristics of places and
regions. So, for this lesson I would most likely focus on specific U.S. (or international) mountain
ranges and have them identify and describe what they see.

6) Introduction

This unit, The Magnitude of Mountains, will provide students in grades 1st-3rd with a
basic understanding of the importance of and the history of certain mountain ranges in the United
States and in the world, how mountains form, and how they can be related and connected to
other content that we will learn. As students age and progress, they will dig deeper into the
science of mountains, but having this unit will help provide a basis for understanding and will
allow them to remember some specific vocabulary terms that could help them in the future.
Mountains are majestic and an important symbol of beauty and splendor, and they can be
representative of a variety of things, such as the ups and downs of life, to simple lessons of math
and writing. I like this topic because I think most students know of or have seen mountains
before so they will be comfortable with the theme, but hopefully willing to learn and explore
more about them.
Play-based, experience-based, and project-based activities are extremely important in any
topic and would be very beneficial to my thematic unit. Having a variety of different activities
and lessons planned can help the students stay focused on the theme while receiving instruction
in different ways. All three types of learning will also keep the students engaged because they
will combine fun, interactive activities with the content, which would likely help the students
learn better. The three components that I chose to include in this specific unit are visual arts
activities, a variety of children’s books about mountains, and some unique ways to incorporate
creative movement into the lessons.
For the visual arts component, I could have the students create a watercolor painting of a
mountain. I could incorporate this into the unit as an activity planned for after we read a story so
that the mountain can be a representation of the parts of a story. For this activity, I would need
watercolor paper, paint, paint brushes, water, and construction paper. First, the students would
cut their gray construction paper out into their desired shape of a mountain, then they would glue
it on to the watercolor paper. Then, they could paint the sky with watercolors to make their
desired background. After the artwork is finished and fully dry, I would have them label the
different parts of the story, such as beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and
resolution. This way, they have a visual of their own art that was fun to make, but also can help
remind them of the parts of a story when they are writing and/or reading a story.
There are a variety of children’s books that I could find that would relate to mountains,
but one that looks to be fitting for integrating the arts across different content areas is called
“Over on a Mountain: Somewhere in the World,” by Marianne Berkes. It takes the reader
through different parts of the world and different mountain ranges and incorporates many
different animals. There is also a song at the end that is super cute that the students could sing
along to. Another book I found that I think would fit well into the unit is “I Am Made of
Mountains,” by Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs, where different children each explore the mountains
in different national parks throughout the United States (Standard: CC.1.1.2.E Read with
accuracy and fluency to support comprehension). Both books are related to mountains and would
hopefully keep the students engaged and I could build other activities from the content in each
story.
A few creative movement ideas that I have are to take the students out on a nature walk,
where they can identify different things in nature that we have gone over in class. It may not be
directly related to mountains but hopefully there would be some mountain ranges close that we
could learn about and explore from afar (7.2.1.A. Identify the physical characteristics of places
and regions.) Inside the classroom, I could have the students play musical chairs. To add a little
spin to it, I would have them walk around the circle as if they are hiking up a mountain, with it
getting progressively steeper as the game goes on. I would also play mountain songs such as
“She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes.”
Overall, these are just three ideas of how to integrate the arts into my thematic unit. There
are several other options and activities that I could also incorporate into my unit about
mountains. I think that mountains are a very important thing to learn about in regard to science
and social studies, and they can be integrated into language arts and math as well. They can also
be representative of the ups and downs of life too, so students will be able to hopefully take away
valuable life lessons from this unit as well.
Thematic Graphic Plan (go back and cite links)
-
Reading Writing Science
- Over on a Mountain: - Story Mountain – - How mountains form
Somewhere in the beginning, rising action, and their effects
World – Marianne climax, falling action, - Plate tectonics
Berkes resolution - - Animals common
https://www.pinterest.c around specific
- I am Made of om/pin/249106041693 mountain ranges
Mountains – Alexandra 25381/ - Types of mountains
S.D. Hinrichs - Writing prompts about
mountains (variety of Art Idea
- I love the Mountains- questions could be - Paper mountains
Hailey Myers asked – favorite hike If - Avalanche science
they have one, what do experiment
- Henry Goes Hiking – mountains remind them
Dee Marie of, etc.)
- Assign each student a
- I Love You More Than picture of a mountain
Mountains – Kristen or National Park and
Emily Behl have them describe
what they see

Social Studies Math

- Mountains of the World - Math mountain –
MOUNTAINS increasing for addition
- Popular international
and U.S. Mountain and decreasing for
ranges (cultural, subtraction
historical, geographical - Math themed
importance) – sequencing puzzles -
important facts and https://www.pinterest.c
lessons for each om/pin/703476404319
- Geography 927113/
- Activity where each
peak is a different
answer
- Measuring heights of
mountains
- Mountain graphing
activity

P.E./Movement Art Music

- Pretend hiking up a
mountain
- Nature walk
- Mountain dancing video
- Musical chairs –
walking around like
they’re hiking up a
mountain
- Mountain diorama - Songs – She’ll be
- Watercolor mountain coming around the
art - https://pin.it/1FaPBoQ mountain, Country
- Torn paper landscape - Roads
https://www.pinterest.c - YouTube – Mountain
om/pin/634023072462 song
45745/
- Mountain sculpture

References
Berkes, M. C., & Dubin, J. (2015). Over on a Mountain: Somewhere in the World. Dawn
Publications.

D., H. A. S., & Mineker, V. (2023). I Am Made of Mountains. Charlesbridge.

Gibbon, S. (2023, November 29). Watercolor snowy mountain craft. Glued To My Crafts.
https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2017/09/watercolor-snowy-mountain.html

Pinterest. (n.d.-a). https://www.pinterest.com/