ALEX Classroom Resource

  

Promoting Cultural Values Through Alphabet Books

  Classroom Resource Information  

Title:

 Promoting Cultural Values Through Alphabet Books

URL:

 http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/promoting-cultural-values-through-1134.html

Content Source:

 ReadWriteThink
Type: Lesson/Unit Plan

Overview:

Diversity is celebrated in this lesson in which students embark on a cultural research project by first reading a variety of alphabet books about world cultures, including D is for Doufu: An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture by Maywan Shen Krach. They then select a culture to study and work in groups to conduct research into the history and symbols of their selected culture. The unit includes tools for conducting primary interviews and other research techniques. The project culminates with each group writing and illustrating a cultural alphabet book based on their research. Groups share their work with the class and invited guests during a Diversity Celebration.

Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R3.
  • Background knowledge
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussion
Knowledge:
R3. Students know:
  • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.
Skills:
R3. Students are able to:
  • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.
Understanding:
R3. Students understand that:
  • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
1. Contribute meaningful ideas to discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed upon rules.

a. Elaborate on responses in conversations and discussions.

Examples: use precise, descriptive language; build upon previously expressed ideas
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
1.
  • Contribute
  • Meaningful ideas
  • Discussions
  • Peers
  • Agreed upon rules
1a.
  • Elaborate
  • Conversations
  • Discussion
Knowledge:
1. Students know:
  • Strategies to actively engage in meaningful discussions utilizing agreed upon rules.
1a.
  • Elaboration strategies for conversations and discussions.
Skills:
1. Students are able to:
  • Contribute meaningful ideas to a discussion with groups and peers.
  • Appropriately participate in discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed upon rules.
1a.
  • Expand their responses to others in conversations and discussions. For example use precise, descriptive language and build upon previously expressed ideas.
Understanding:
1. Students understand that:
  • Good conversations occur when participants actively listen, build on others' ideas, and ask clarifying questions.
1a.
  • By elaborating their responses, they are fully explaining, justifying, or defending their responses in conversation, which provides clarity to others participating in the conversations and discussions.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 3
39. Gather and evaluate information about a topic from a variety of sources, including digital sources, and utilize it to create a project, report, or presentation.

a. Avoid plagiarism by using their own words and utilizing digital sources ethically.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
39.
  • Gather
  • Evaluate
  • Information
  • Topic
  • Sources
  • Digital sources
  • Utilize
  • Project
  • Report
  • Presentation
39a.
  • Avoid
  • Plagiarism
  • Utilize
  • Digital sources
  • Ethically
Knowledge:
39. Students know:
  • Information can be gathered from print or digital sources.
  • Strategies to gather and evaluate information.
  • Relevant information about a topic should be added to a project, report, or presentation.
39a.
  • Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words or ideas as their own without crediting the source.
Skills:
39. Students are able to:
  • Gather information about a topic from a variety of print and digital sources.
  • Evaluate the relevance of the information to the topic.
  • Use information to create a project, report, or presentation.
39a.
  • Use their own ideas and words in writing and/or presenting information.
  • Behave ethically when using digital sources by appropriately crediting original creators.
Understanding:
39. Students understand that:
  • The first step in creating a project, report, or presentation is gathering and evaluating information from a variety of sources.
39a.
  • Plagiarism is using someone else's ideas and/or words without giving credit, and it should be avoided both in written and digital work.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 4
R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R1.
  • Active listening
  • Discussion
  • Conversation
  • Rules
  • Participation
Knowledge:
R1. Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • How to engage in discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.
  • Agreed-upon rules for participation.
Skills:
R1. Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
  • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
  • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.
Understanding:
R1. Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 4
33. Use research to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

a. Introduce a research topic clearly and group related ideas.

b. Integrate and cite evidence to present research findings in written form.

c. Paraphrase portions of texts or information presented in diverse media and formats.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
33.
  • Research
  • Clear
  • Coherent
  • Development
  • Organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
33a.
  • Research
  • Topic
  • Group
  • Related ideas
33b.
  • Integrate
  • Evidence
  • Cite
  • Research
33c.
  • Paraphrase
  • Diverse media
Knowledge:
33. Students know:
  • Research happens when you look up information about a topic.
  • Clear and coherent writing is organized into a text structure and develops ideas with the addition of details.
  • Writing styles can vary depending on the task, the purpose, and the intended audience.
33a.
  • Informative writing should begin by introducing the topic of the text.
  • Writing can be organized into a structure by logically grouping ideas to support the writer's purpose.
33b.
  • Integrate means to combine information from multiple research sources.
33c.
  • Paraphrasing means to express the same meaning of the original source, but use different words or phrases.
Skills:
33. Students are able to:
  • Gather research information about a topic.
  • Create writing that is clear, coherent, and appropriate to the task, the purpose, and the audience.
  • Organize writing into a particular structure and develop ideas using details.
33a.
  • Clearly introduce a research topic in their writing.
  • Logically group related ideas to support explanation of the topic.
33b.
  • Integrate research findings from multiple sources in writing.
  • Cite evidence from research sources in writing.
33c.
  • Paraphrase portions of texts or presented information in writing.
Understanding:
33. Students understand that:
  • Before writing an informative text, they should gather information through research.
  • There writing should always be clear and coherent, but the style may change depending on the task, purpose, and audience.
33a.
  • Focusing on the topic of a text by providing a clear introduction and grouping related ideas draws the reader's attention to important points and supports the meaning of the text.
33b.
  • They must combine multiple sources of information and cite the source of the information when presenting research findings in their writing.
33c.
  • Paraphrasing can demonstrate they understand the source information well enough to write it in their own words.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
R1.
  • Active listening
  • Discussion
  • Conversation
  • Rules
  • Participation
Knowledge:
R1. Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • How to engage in discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.
  • Agreed-upon rules for participation.
Skills:
R1. Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
  • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
  • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.
Understanding:
R1. Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
37. Write about research findings independently over short and/or extended periods of time.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
37.
  • Research findings
  • Independently
  • Short periods of time
  • Extended periods of time
Knowledge:
37. Students know:
  • Researching a topic begins by finding information from multiple sources.
  • Independent writing skills.
Skills:
37. Students are able to:
  • Find information on a particular topic from a variety of research sources.
  • Independently write about research findings over short and extended periods of time.
Understanding:
37. Students understand that:
  • They can share information they have learned about a topic through writing.
  • Some writing projects will last a short time, while others may take longer to complete.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 5
38. Gather information on a topic or question, and share the results through various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.

a. Locate information in print and digital sources.

b. Summarize, quote, and paraphrase information in notes and finished work, providing a list of sources.

c. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic into presentations of research.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
38.
  • Topic
  • Question
  • Results
  • Modes of writing
  • Projects
  • Presentations
38a.
  • Print
  • Digital
38b.
  • Summarize
  • Quote
  • Paraphrase
  • Notes
  • Finished work
  • List of sources
38c.
  • Integrate
  • Topic
  • Presentations of research
Knowledge:
38. Students know:
  • Effective research skills.
  • Transferable writing skills applicable to many modes of writing.
38a.
  • Information can be found in both digital and print sources.
38b.
  • Summarizing is putting the main idea(s) of the source into their own words.
  • Quoting is using direct evidence from the source material.
  • Paraphrasing is condensing the original source by broadly explaining the content.
  • Summarizing, quoting, and paraphrasing are important note taking skills, but they can also be used in formal writing pieces.
  • Credit must be attributed to the original creator of the work by including a list of sources.
38c.
  • Research presentations should include information that is incorporated from several sources.
Skills:
38. Students are able to:
  • Research information from a variety of sources to explain a topic or answer a question.
  • Share information learned through research in various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.
38a.
  • Locate information in print and digital sources.
38b.
  • Summarize, quote, and paraphrase information in written notes and finished work.
  • Include a list of sources with written summaries and paraphrases.
38c.
  • Combine information from several texts on the same topic into one piece of work.
Understanding:
38. Students understand that:
  • They can share their research findings through multiple modes of writing, including presentations and projects.
38a.
  • An effective writer uses multiple sources of information, including print and digital sources.
38b.
  • Including a list of sources with their writing ensures they are giving the original creator credit for their work.
38c.
  • Effective research presentations include multiple sources of information that are integrated in one coherent project.
Tags: alphabet books, Alphabet Organizer, cultures, D is for Doufu An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture, diversity, illustrations, Maywan Shen Krach, research, symbols
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Author: Cassie Raulston
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