Art Integration Unit Plan Template

Caroline Skelton University of Missouri Columbia December 1, 2013

Integrated Unit Plan

ECE Integration Unit

Unit Title & Big Idea: Keeping our Bodies Healthy Unit Overview/Summary: This unit raises awareness about ways in which students can keep their bodies healthy. At this age, students are old enough to be able to take some responsibility for the maintaining health through exercise, healthy eating, and trying to avoid getting sick. In kindergarten, children are still quite egocentric and are very absorbed in topics that directly relate to themselves. Because of this, they will be more likely to be intrigued by this topic because it is about each of their own bodies and lifestyles. Visual art, science/health, and literacy will all be integrated into three main lessons that teach students about keeping their bodies healthy. We will be creating art, writing and listing some of our favorite fruits and vegetables, and doing an activity that demonstrates how germs spread. Overall, students will gain knowledge about staying healthy from this unit plan. Grade Level: Kindergarten Class Periods Required: Three Day One: 15 minutes spent discussing, 10 minutes to make the chart: 25 minutes total Day Two: 5 minutes discussing exercise, 15 minutes for introducing artist and analyzing art with VTS. Students will return to desks to work on own art for 20 minutes: 40 minutes total Day Three: 10 minutes discussing germs, 10 minutes for germ activity in circle, 10 minutes for large group discussion: 30 minutes total

Key Concepts Essential Questions o Exercise helps humans maintain their physical health. o How does exercise help us keep our bodies healthy? o Our bodies need a well-balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, o How can we make healthy choices when choosing what food to eat? grains, dairy, and protein to function at their fullest. o How can we stop germs from spreading? o Germs spread in numerous ways, such as human to human contact, through the air, touching surfaces other people have contaminated, etc. Unit Objectives o Students will create a chalk drawing demonstrating their understanding that exercise helps keep us in shape, keeps us physically healthy, and builds muscle. o Students will discuss with partners and then share during large group the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and what types of foods are fruits and vegetables. o Students will participate in an experiment to help them understand how germs spread, and they will discuss what they have learned about germs before and after the experiment. Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) Core Academic Standards (Common Core State Standards) o Health Maintenance and Enhancement o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.3 1. Personal and Family Health o Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing

Integrated Unit Plan D. Health and Skill Related Fitness (HPE4 and NH1: Recognize that active play makes people strong and healthy) Health Maintenance and Performance 1. Personal and Family Health A. Personal Health o HPE2 and NH1: Identify behaviors that keep a person healthy Strand I: Product/Performance 3. Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes in artworks created for various purposes 3. Theme o VA1 and FA1: Create original artwork that communicates ideas about the following themes: people, indoors, outdoors Writing 2. Compose well-developed text 1. Ideas and content o DOK2 and ST CA 4, 2.1: Compose text using pictures and words with ideas that relate to a topic, with assistance o to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.6 o With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.8 o With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Content Areas Integrated: 1. Visual Art 2. Science/Health 3. Literacy

Identify & define common vocabulary/concepts that connect the art form with the other identified subject area(s): o Figure A persons body shape; does not have to be as detailed as when we draw portraits of people o Germs Germs are found all over the world and are very small. Sometimes these germs can make us very sick. o Exercise Moving your body in a way that strengthens your muscles, your heart, your lungs, your bones, and your overall body. o Muscles Muscles move the different parts of your body, inside and outside. They also carry muscles to your brain and have energy needed to move. o Bones Peoples skeletons are made up of bones and are what makes your body structured the way it is. They let you move in many ways and protect organs inside of your body like your heart and lungs. o Disease When a person has something go wrong in his or her body

Integrated Unit Plan and may look or feel differently than others. Sick When someone does not feel well because he may have come into contact with a germ and gotten sick. o Prevention When talking about staying healthy, prevention is what we can do so that we do not get sick, instead of what we can do after we are already sick. It is what we do to avoid something. Brief Lesson Descriptions 1. The first lesson will be a shared writing integrated lesson. I will start by discussing with the students what makes a food a fruit or vegetable, and then we will talk about how and why fruits and vegetables are good for our bodies. After I feel that the students have a solid understanding of this, I will ask the children to turn and talk to a partner about the fruits and vegetables they like to eat or frequently eat at school and at home. Then we will pull back together as a large group and make a list on chart paper of the fruits/vegetables we come up with. This literacy lesson will involve demonstrating to students how to make a list and I will model sounding out the beginning and ending letters in words. 2. The second integrated content area is visual art, and this will happen in our second lesson. We will begin by discussing the word exercise and what that means. Next, I will ask the students to turn and tell a partner about the different types of exercise they have done so far this week. After we share out different ways, I will then introduce them to artist Keith Haring by showing them examples of his work. Students will analyze his work using VTS (visual thinking strategies), and I will guide them using the three main questions. After we have looked at his example, I will show them an example I have made using rolls of newsprint and chalk. Students will be using these same materials to create their own version of Keith Harings art by demonstrating a figure or figures exercising. For example, I drew three figures with a soccer ball because that is one way I exercise. 3. The third lesson will integrate science/health into the unit plan and will serve as a way to teach students about germs and the ways they spread. We will start by coming up with a definition of germs and then brainstorming ways we come into contact with germs. Next, students will circle up, and three children will get green glitter (the glitter represents germs) sprinkled on their palms. One balloon will be passed o

Lesson Titles in Sequence/Order 1. Our Favorite Fruits and Vegetables 2. Illustrating Exercising 3. Germs Galore

Integrated Unit Plan around the circle from child to child, making the complete rotation three times. After the balloon has circulated, I will ask all children to look at their palms. Even though only three students started with glitter on their hands, after each passing the balloon now every child has glitter on his or her hands. This demonstrates that germs can spread by touching physical objects after someone else with germs has touched the same thing (EX: desk, pencil, door handle, etc.). We will have a large group discussion about what we learned about how germs spread. To get rid of the glitter on their hands students will be sent to the bathroom to thoroughly wash their hands. What student prior knowledge will this unit require/draw upon? The students will need to draw on their prior knowledge about their bodies. They already know that they have certain body parts than can do specific movements/actions, but they may not be as familiar with how to keep their bodies safe and healthy. They also have prior knowledge about food, and some may know what makes a food a fruit or vegetable. Additionally, the students know that they can move their bodies, and that will help them when we talk about exercising. Children have also observed and seen other people or themselves be sick and not feel well, and this prior knowledge will be drawn upon when discussing germs and how they spread. Students have had some experience drawing people and working with crayons and markers, and this knowledge will be used to work with the chalk and rolls of newsprint. What activities will you use to engage students in imagining, exploring, and/or experimenting in this unit? Students will be imagining themselves exercising when they are using the chalk to draw figures moving. They can think about times when they have personally moved or exercised in some way, times when they have seen others exercising, or they may even use their imaginations to think about more creative ways to exercise that they have not necessarily seen or done. There will be plenty of exploring in all three lessons, as students will be exploring the different ways their bodies move, use food for energy to stay healthy, and try to fight off the germs that make us sick. When exploring about how germs spread during the balloon activity, students will experiment with how easy it can be to spread germs through objects that we all touch, such as desks or door handles. Overall, this whole unit is designed so that the kindergarteners will be imagining, exploring, and experimenting in each lesson in an attempt to better understand how they can keep their bodies healthy. How will this unit permit/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways? Many of the activities are open-ended, and this definitely encourages students to solve problems in divergent ways. For example, when the class creates their artwork on the newsprint, there is not one way that is the correct way to complete the activity. Students may think outside the box when drawing figures that are moving. It does not have to be simply running or playing a sport; instead, it could be climbing stairs or doing yoga. I want the students to use their imagination and come up with unique and new ideas. Students will be thinking in divergent ways when we talk about the different types of fruits and vegetables we eat because not everyone will be familiar with the same food items, so we will be raising awareness. Additionally, divergence will be permitted during the balloon activity because there are numerous ways students may think of to avoid coming into contact with germs that may make us sick. I am assuming that many children will immediately think about hand washing, but others may expand that thinking farther and surprise me. The unit is

Integrated Unit Plan open for students to come up with their own individual thoughts and problem solving. How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning/learning processes? The chart we will create together will be an excellent way for students to reflect on the learning process. By discussing and compiling the different fruits and vegetables that the partners have discussed, each child will be reflecting on what they have learned from this process. The chart will also be posted in the classroom as a reminder to students of what some food items we can eat to get enough fruits and vegetables. Large group discussion will play a large role in our reflective learning process. After we do our balloon activity we will talk about what we learned from passing the balloon around and getting glitter on our hands. Students will be making connections from the activity to their daily lives, and that will help them create a more concrete understanding of the subject matter. The art lesson will be a time in which students reflect on the different ways they move their bodies and exercise, and then that reflecting will be turned into a chalk drawing of figures on rolls of newsprint. In general, the students will continue to tie each lesson back to the overall theme of keeping our bodies healthy, and we will be reflecting verbally during discussions, and through artwork and experimenting. How will this unit engage students in assessing their own work and the work of peers? The students will be assessing their work and the work of their peers during the literacy lesson as we do shared writing to make a chart of fruits and vegetables we can eat. Since they will have first turned and talked to a partner, coming back as a large group to share out ideas will help them assess the own ideas they told their partner, in addition to the ideas and learning that their peers are sharing out loud. During the integrated art lesson, students will assess their own learning by putting what they know about exercise and movement onto paper through chalk drawings. They will need to demonstrate that they can formulate a way that we can keep our bodies moving by illustrating that through a figure on paper. After everyone has completed his or her Keith Haring artwork, there will be an opportunity for students to share their work and peers will provide feedback. This is a process that allows the children to assess the learning of their peers by constructively responding to the artwork of their classmates. The germ lesson will allow for assessment during the large group discussion. When students share out what they observed and how that connects to germs spreading, their peers and I will be able to assess what they have learned and how deep their understanding is. Students may also assess themselves by comparing their understanding and learning to that of classmates during discussion. Students will also be receiving a checklist of the topics we will be covering during this unit, and that checklist will travel back and forth from school and home in Friday Folders. This way, the students will be assessing their work by being able to mark off the concepts and objectives we have covered, and the families will also be able to see the progress when the checklist is sent home. What opportunities/activities will students be given to revise and improve their understandings and their work? The discussions after each lesson are a critical time for students to revise and improve their understanding. When hearing the ideas of peers, the children can accommodate and assimilate those ideas into their own thoughts and understanding. After everyone shares different types of fruits and vegetables with a partner, we will share out loud as a class. This is a prime opportunity for all children to take into account what their peers said and then add that to their own knowledge of fruits/vegetables; therefore, they will be improving and maybe revising their understanding of these two food groups. After sharing our artwork, students will have the chance to create another chalk drawing of figures during center time later that day. During this time, children can make changes to their existing chalk drawing, or they may create a new one. By providing students this opportunity I am making sure that if they feel like they can improve or alter their understanding and new skills, they have the space to do so. The germ lesson will teach students a lot about how germs spread, and I assume that they will be altering their understandings during the large group discussion. They will most likely look at physically objects differently now because they will understand that they can get sick even if they dont directly touch a sick person; germs can spread through indirect contact.

Integrated Unit Plan

What opportunities/activities will you provide for students to share their learning/understanding/work in this unit? The students will share their learning during the first lesson when we create the chart together as they share out what they talked about with their partner. In the second lesson, the children will be sharing their artwork to the class after everyone has finished, so this is another opportunity to collaborate and show the class what they learned and worked on during this unit. For the balloon activity, students will once again be able to share their understanding and learning during the large group discussion following the activity. How will you adapt the various aspects of this lesson to differently-abled students? The lesson will be adapted to meet the needs of all students, depending on what exactly they need as an individual. Depending on the needs of the child, the first lesson may be adapted for children who have trouble focusing. If they struggle to sit on the carpet while everyone shares ideas, I may provide cues to help him or her stay focused. If there is a child who is hearing disabled, we may have someone come in and communicate with the child through sign language, or that child can gain understanding through the visual cues and directions provided. For a child with autism, the hands-on activities may need to provide more guidance and step-by-step instructions with frequent reminders. Luckily, for children with ADHD, the lessons are engaging so that their attention will be held more closely. If a child has a disability that is linked to his or her fine motor skills, I may alter the art lesson if the child struggles to work with chalk. Maybe there is some sort of grip or larger medium that could be used to create the figures if the child struggles to hold that in his hand. Clay that is easy to mold and shape may be provided for students with disabilities linked to motor skills. There are plenty of opportunities to adapt the various aspects of my lessons, but obviously each adaptation would be directly related to the disability of the child.

References Haring Kids. (2010). Keith Haring Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.haringkids.com/ Kidshealth.org. (2013). KidsHealth. The Nemours foundation. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/ Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts%20Integration.pdf Visual thinking strategies. (2001). Understanding the basics. Brooklyn, NY: info@vue.org Womens and Childrens Health Network. (2013). Kids Health: Child and youth health. Government of South Australia. Retrieved from http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=2457#1