Module 3:
Rounding Roller Coasters

ROUNDING ROLLER COASTERS

MODULE 3

Rounding Roller Coasters

Module Description

This project-based, arts integrated module will explore the mechanics of roller coasters. Students will review their understanding of place value and apply it to the concept of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100 using design, engineering, and the performing arts. Students will design and build a roller coaster to model the concept of rounding. Students will label the roller coaster like a number line and demonstrate what happens when a marble is placed on various points. Designing the slope of the roller coaster will reinforce when the marble rolls forward “rounded up” or rolls backwards “rounded down” based on its pathway of movement. Students will then create a rap, cheer or song that expresses the specific number’s journey as it rounds to the nearest ten or hundred.

MODULE DOWNLOADS

Design Process Rubric Rounding Roller Coasters

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Apply my understanding of place value to the concept of rounding whole numbers
Determine when a multi-digit whole number should be rounded up and when it should be rounded down
Use materials to design and engineer a roller coaster that models the concept of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100
Create a rap, cheer or song that expresses my overall understanding of the concept of rounding

Essential Questions

How can I design a roller coaster that models the concept of rounding multi-digit whole numbers to the nearest 10 and 100?
How does place value relate to rounding multi-digit whole numbers?

Curriculum Standards

GA Performance Standards:

3.NBT.A.1. Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.

National Standards:

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Arts Standards

GA Performance Standards:

VA3PR.3. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of three-dimensional works of art (sculpture) using tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.

Creates sculpture using a variety of methods (e.g. cutting, folding, found objects).

VA3C.2. Develops life skills through the study and production of art.

Manages goals and time.
Adapts to change.
Works in teams.
Guides and leads others.
Directs own learning.
Demonstrates persistence.

M3GM.5. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines

Create rhythmic motives to enhance literature.
Compose rhythmic patterns in simple meter including quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, paired eighth notes, and whole notes.
Compose simple melodic patterns.
Arrange rhythmic patterns creating simple forms and instrumentation.

National Standards:

Visual Arts

VA:Cr1.1.3. Elaborate on an imaginative idea. VA:Cr2.1.3. Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

Content Vocabulary

Place value: The value of where the digit is in the number. Ex: In 352, the 5 is in the "tens" position, so it shows a value of 50.
Thousands place: One part out of 1,000 equal parts of a whole. Ex: In the decimal 56.781, 1 is in the thousandths place.
Hundreds place: One part out of 100 equal parts of a whole. Ex: In the decimal 2543.978, there are 7 hundredths.
Tens place: The value of where the digit is in the number. Ex: In 352, the 5 is in the "tens" position, so it shows a value of 50.
Ones place: The last or right digit. Ex: In 784, 4 is in the ones place.
Rounding: Making a number simpler but keeping its value close to what it was. The result is less accurate, but easier to use. Example: 73 rounded to the nearest ten is 70, because 73 is closer to 70 than to 80.
Whole number: A number without fractions or decimal parts.
Greater than: A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the greater number given first. Ex: 5 > 3 shows that 5 is greater than 3.
Less than: A symbol used to compare two numbers, with the lesser number given first. For example: 5 < 9 means 5 is less than 9.
Number line: A line with numbers placed in their correct position. Useful for addition and subtraction and showing relations between numbers.

Arts Vocabulary

Theatre Arts

Lyrics: The words of a song.
Tempo: This is the speed of the beat.
Rhythm: These are long and short sounds.
Design: To conceive and plan out in the mind.
Architecture: The art or science of building; specifically: the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones.
Engineer: To lay out, construct, or manage as an engineer.
Mechanics: The practical application of mechanics to the design, construction, or operation of machines or tools.

Visual Arts

Form: Is a term used to describe three-dimensional artwork. Forms can be geometric or organic. Three-dimensional art has volume, which is the amount of space occupied by the form. The form also has mass, which means that the volume is solid and occupies space.
Design process: A process that designers and engineers use to arrive at a solution: brainstorm, design, build, test, evaluate, and redesign.

http://www-tc.pbskids.org/designsquad/pdf/parentseducators/DS_TG_DesignProcess.pdf

Formative Assessment

Teacher anecdotal notes during small group collaboration when designing and engineering the roller coaster
Student’s experimentation with the marble and the roller coaster

Summative Assessment

Roller coaster design and creation (see Appendix for Design Process Rubric)
Song, cheer, or rap created that describes the design process and how it relates to rounding

Materials

Visual Arts/Design:
Marbles
Duct tape
Scrap cardboard, cardboard tubes
Plastic cups
Index cards
Black marker
Foam pipe insulation: each small group is given a 4-6 ft. long piece (cut tubing in half to create tracks) (http://www.homedepot.com/p/MD-Building-Products-3-8-in-x-3-4-in-x-6-ft-Tube-Pipe-Insulation-Kit-50150/100665768)

Theatre Arts:
Rubber Ball (light weight, size of basketball)

Theatre Arts and Visual Arts - Activating Strategy

Zip-Zap-Zop:

Place students in a circle.
One student passes the word “Zip” to another student by making eye contact and throwing the ball.
The student that catches the ball passes the word “Zap” to another student in the circle by making eye contact and throwing the ball.
The third student catches the ball and does the same thing with the word “Zop.”
It repeats again with three new players saying the phrase again.

Apply this game to rounding to the nearest ten:

The game works the same except this time the first person throwing the ball will call out a two digit number.
The student catching the ball must determine if the number should be rounded up or rounded down to the nearest ten by stating “round up!” or “round down!”
The third student catching the ball will do the actual rounding and then throw the ball to a new person giving the new person a new two digit number.

*This game could also be used to Round to the Nearest Hundred if time permits.

Main Activity

Part 1

Announce to the class that today we will be taking our understanding of rounding whole numbers to the nearest ten and hundred and applying it to designing roller coasters.
Review our prior knowledge of rounding and the rules of rounding whole numbers.
Watch the video of the roller coaster simulation. (see Additional Resources) Encourage students to count when on the slope so they begin to understand how the concept of rounding connects to the slope of a roller coaster.
Introduce students to the History of Roller Coasters, the engineering and problem solving that is present in the design. (see Additional Resources)
Introduce The Design Process to students. (see Additional Resources for handout)

Explain that the coaster design should express form and function (aesthetically pleasing and functional).

Part 2

Give directions on how we will work in small groups to design our own innovative roller coaster that models the concept of rounding.
Students are to work together to engineer their coaster.
Give each group a different multi-digit number (differentiate these numbers based on leveled groups).
Students are to use index cards, tape and black markers to label the coaster with a multi-digit starting and ending number determined after considering the number they are rounding up or down.
Model this for the whole group by drawing the roller coaster and labeling it. Ex: If you model the number 18 and you are rounding to the nearest ten, then the range of numbers labeled on the roller coaster track would be numbers 10-20. If your example is 127 and you are rounding to the nearest hundred, then the range of numbers would be 100-200 (labeling by tens: 110, 120, 130, etc.)

Part 3

Students will work in their small groups to design and engineer their roller coasters. Students should create a sketch of their design plan, labeling the parts and expressing the
concept of rounding specific to their number.
Students will use foam pipe insulation, tape, cardboard and plastic cups to build an innovative coaster.
Students will label their coaster demonstrating the concept of rounding.
Students will test out the mechanics of their roller coaster by using a marble.
Encourage students to redesign if needed.

Reflection Questions

How did the roller coaster help you understand the concept of rounding?
How could we have used this same roller coaster to round to the nearest thousand or ten thousand?
What are you most proud of after completing this lesson?
If you could do this lesson again,what would you do differently?

Additional Resources & Extension Activities

Video of roller coaster simulation/ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwT5JoN6mHM
Design process: http://www-tc.pbskids.org/designsquad/pdf/parentseducators/DS_TG_DesignProcess.pdf
Design Thinking: http://www.designthinkingforeducators.com/design-thinking/
History of the roller coaster: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/coney/sfeature/history.html
How roller coasters work: http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/structural/roller-coaster1.htm

Books:

Rounding Rescue, a Rounding Numbers Story by Eric Lostorto
Numbers Elementary: Rounding by Mike Shuck

Extensions:

Ask students to name their roller coaster and create a brand based on characteristics.
Ask students to write a story about the process of designing and creating as part of a team.
Ask students to describe the type of energy used in their coaster. Potential energy as energy at rest and Kinetic energy as energy in motion.

Appendix

Design Process Rubric

Back To Modules

Grade 3:
Pollution Matters

POLLUTION MATTERS

Grade 3: Pollution Matters

Unit Description

Students will use theatre, music, movement, and the visual arts to observe, obtain, evaluate and communicate the effects of pollution on the environment. This unit uses The Lorax by Dr. Seuss to bring to life the causes and effects of various types of pollution on the environment and their ecosystems. Students will also strengthen their persuasive and descriptive writing skills throughout the projects in this “Pollution Matters” unit.

Unit Essential Question

How can we obtain, evaluate and communicate the effects of pollution on the environment?

Real World Context

We study the effects of pollution on the environment because it is in the world around us and affects our lives on a daily basis. Understanding the impact of pollution on our environment will help us make better decisions about our everyday choices as producers and consumers.

Cross-Cutting Interdisciplinary Concepts

Cause/Effect
Compare/Contrast

Projects

Project 1: Ego vs Eco
In this project, students will learn about air, water and land pollutants from around the world. Students will express how they feel emotionally about pollution through movement. They will respond to images addressing pollution using dance. The culminating activity for students is creating an environmental awareness brochure that synthesizes all of their knowledge around pollution.

Project 2: Good Garbage
In this project, students will examine the effects of pollution on the ecosystem in a musical way! This project includes students creating new lyrics to a song about pollution. Students step into role as lyricists and use music to help humans understand the causes and effects of pollution around them.

Project 3: The Lorax
In this project, students will listen to the story The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Students will discuss the art elements they see in the text. They will sketch and use oil pastels to recreate their own scene analysis of the illustrations before and after the Onceler. Students will also relate to the changes of mood throughout the story. Students will then create a persuasive writing piece comparing and contrasting the Lorax’s habitat.

Project Essential Questions

PROJECT 1:

How does pollution affect people from different cultures in different ways?

PROJECT 2:

How can I use music to evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution on people and the environment?

PROJECT 3:

How can art be used to compare and contrast the land of the Lorax before and after the Onceler? How do you analyze the mood in a piece of artwork using key vocabulary?

Standards

Curriculum Standards
S3L2. Obtain, evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.
ELAGSE3W1: Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
Provide a concluding statement or section

ELAGSE3RI3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

ELAGSE3RI6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text

ELAGSE3RL5: Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

Arts Standards

VA3AR.1: Discuss his or her artwork and the artwork of others.

VASAR.2: Uses a variety of approaches to understand and critique works of art.

D3CR.1: Demonstrates an understanding of creative and choreographic principles. processes and structures.

Responds through movement to a variety of stimuli (eg. Literature, visual art, props)

D3CR.2: Demonstrates an understanding of dance as a way to communicate meaning.

Uses a combination of improvisations and choreographic tools to create movement based on one’s own ideas, feelings, concepts and kinetics awareness

M3GM.1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

M3GM.5: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

Create rhythmic motives and enhance literature.
Compose simple melodic patterns.
Arrange rhythmic patterns creating simple forms and instrumentation.

TAES3.2: Developing scripts through improvisation and other theatrical methods

Uses the playwriting process: pre-write/pre-play; prepare to write/plan dramatization; write; dramatize; reflect and edit; re-write/play; publish/perform
Collaborates to generate story ideas
Describes the elements of script writing; plot, setting, point of view, sequence of events, and cause and effect

TAES3.4: Designing and executing artistic and technical elements of theatre

Uses technical theatre elements to design costumes, props, sets, sound and lighting
Incorporates technical theatre elements such as costumes, props, sets, sound, lighting, into dramatizations

VA3PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.

Creates artworks to express individual ideas, thoughts, and feelings from memory, imagination, and observation.
Creates artworks emphasizing one or more elements of art (e.g., color, line, shape,form, texture).
Creates art emphasizing one or more principles of design (balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, unity, contrast).
Combines materials in new and inventive ways to make a finished work of art.

VA3PR.2 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art processes (drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed-media) using tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.

Creates drawings with a variety of media (e.g., pencils, crayons, pastel).
Draws lines with varied weights and in varied ways.
Uses directional lines (vertical, horizontal, diagonal).
Creates landscape with foreground, middle ground, background.
Achieves distance through diminishing sizes and placement of objects higher on the page

VA3AR.1 Discusses his or her artwork and the artwork of others.

Describes how size, colors, lines, shapes, and textures are organized in artwork to create a focus or center of interest (emphasis).
Demonstrates a respect for art forms and art objects.
Uses art terminology with emphasis on the elements of art: line, shape, form, color, space, texture.
Uses art terminology with emphasis on the principles of design. (e.g., balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, unity, contrast).
Recognizes that lines can be used to suggest movement, feelings, sounds, and ideas.
Points to descriptive, directional, and expressive lines in artworks.
Explains how texture (implied and actual) is used in two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional forms.
Identifies intermediate and complementary colors, tints, and shades of colors.
Recognizes value as the lightness and darkness of a color.
Distinguishes between 2-D shapes and 3-D forms.
Recognizes the division of picture plane into foreground, middle ground, and background.
Describes how negative and positive space is related.
Recognizes and compares symmetrical and asymmetrical balance in artworks.

Materials to be Purchased for this Unit

Science Weekly Newspapers
Post It brand chart paper
Clear Garbage bags
Black Ultra Fine Sharpies
Soft Chalk Pastels
Patel Card Paper
Light Filters or Color Transparencies
Flash Light
Spray Fixatives

Character Education

Components

Students can also create and share brochures with other students, school visitors, and/or grade levels to encourage environmental awareness. Students will collaborate with peers to create a variety of projects that educate others on the awareness of pollution and what they can do to limit the amount of garbage and pollution in the ecosystems around the world.

Character Attributes Addressed During Unit

Empathy
Learning with others
Environmental awareness
Respect

Summative Assessments

Pre/ Post Test

Partnering With Fine Arts Teachers

Music Teacher:

Can provide assistance to students with creating song documenting awareness of pollution
Help students select music to use with song lyric creation
Review Quaver program to assist students with composing music

Visual Arts/Drama Teacher:

Assist students with the process of text rendering when creating visual representations of art using the garbage collected
Discuss with students the elements of art (tone, mood, warm/cool colors) when analyzing a piece of art

Physical Education Teacher:

Teach students empathy by sharing a variety of movements that express a variety of emotions

Appendix (See Additional Resources)

Pre/ Post Test

Credits

Jill McNally, Alisa Moore, Julie Palmieri, Edited by Jessica Espinoza, Edited by Dr. Carla Cohen, Edited by Jessica Rosa

Ego vs. Eco

Description

In this project, students will learn about air, water and land pollutants from around the world. Students will express how they feel emotionally about pollution through movement. They will respond to images addressing pollution using dance. The culminating activity for students is creating an environmental awareness brochure that synthesizes all of their knowledge around pollution.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Ego vs. Eco Rubric

Suggested Collected Items

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

I can identify types of pollution around the world
I can analyze the effects that pollution has on human life
I can express feeling towards pollution using movement

Essential Questions

How does pollution affect people from different cultures in different ways?

Curriculum Standards

S3L2. Obtain, evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

Arts Standards

D3CR.1: Demonstrates an understanding of creative and choreographic principles. processes and structures.

Responds through movement to a variety of stimuli (eg. Literature, visual art, props)

D3CR.2: Demonstrates an understanding of dance as a way to communicate meaning.

Uses a combination of improvisations and choreographic tools to create movement based on one’s own ideas, feelings, concepts and kinetics awareness

Content Vocabulary

Pollution
Reduce
Recycle
Reuse
Garbage
Litter
Smog
Smoke
Water Vapor
Acid Rain
Oil Spills
Run off
Pesticides
Fertilizers
Emission (ex: car, airplane)

Arts Vocabulary

Mood: emotion or feeling
Locomotive Movement: movement traveling through space
Non-locomotive movement: movement standing in one place
Body Levels: the plane in which your body is moving, including high, mid and low levels
Movement Pathways: the path a dancer travels through space, such as curved or straight

Technology Integration

Formative Assessment

Brainpop quiz: Effects of humans on the environment
Graphic organizer while watching video

Summative Assessment

Project 1 Rubric (See Downloads)

Materials

Microsoft SWAY program
Chart paper
Markers
Pollution Articles (located in Main Activity Part 2 below)
Computer/tablet for Padlet (if chosen)
Post it Notes
If doing extension, old t-shirts

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Students will view a slide show: https://sway.com/lT9ZpXuLI9nUt7Gy including images regarding pollution and discuss the images as a class.
After each slide, students will stop to interpret a movements to show how each image makes them feel. The teacher will ask students to explain their rationale for choosing each movement.

Main Activity

Part 1:

Introduce to students the concept of “Ego vs. Eco” (human advancement at the expense of nature vs. caring for the ecosystem): Use this website resource to explore/ research https://recyclingsutainabiliy4a.weebly.com/ego-vs-eco.html
Students will create digital journal entries on Padlet/Post it notes (teacher's choice) to explain possible causes of and solutions for pollution viewed in the images from the slideshow.

Part 2:

Students will share journal entries from Part 1 with partners. Students will share their partner’s entry with the class.
The teacher will provide students with newspaper articles about pollution. Teachers may use the following articles or chose an article from GA Studies Weekly.

Students will locate key vocabulary or unknown words from the text (text rendering).
Students will combine their words to create a class vocabulary list and define the words together on an anchor chart.
Students will reread the article independently, or with a partner, to increase their understanding of the academic language in context.
The class will review the slideshow together again now and describe the images using their newly acquired vocabulary.
Students get into small groups of 4-5 students. Review the research and make a list of 6 verbs used to describe pollution. Direct students to work together to choreograph movement for the 6 verbs and string them together to form a dance. Direct students to select music that they connect to and rehearse their dances.

Part 3:

Student will create an environmental awareness brochure using six facts from the articles they have read and their science resources (books, texts, etc…). They must accurately use the science vocabulary in their persuasive video. A word bank will be provided from the class discussion.

Students will then summarize the project by answering the following questions:

How does pollution make us feel and why?
What is something new you learned about pollution while participating in this project?
How can we further reduce the amount of waste that we have?

*Extension activity to create a reusable shopping bag by recycling an old t-shirt- instructions provided in the link below. http://www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com/2015/09/how-to-make-tote-bag-from-t-shirt-no-sewing.html/2

Reflection Questions

Name the different types of pollution you saw and describe the effects it has on our world.
How does it make you feel seeing pollution around the world?
Where have you seen pollution in your own environment?
What could you do to help the environment? Can your family do anything together to positively impact the environment?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level:

Provide sentence starters for students’ journal entry writing.
Provide a template for the brochure.
Allow for peer tutor and pairings.

Above Grade Level:

Turn and talk with partners: How would you feel if you were in the same situation or you were in that environment?
In partners, what do you think caused the pollution in the environment? Come up with possible solutions.
Create electronic brochure in Microsoft Word with template and share within Office 365.

EL Students:

Include picture support on the vocabulary anchor.
Allow students to copy their articles into Microsoft Word Online and use the “Immersive Reader” feature to hear their articles read aloud. (Office365 Student Account>Word Document Online>View>Immersive Reader)
Provide sentence starters for students’ journal entry writing. Use first language support to clarify unknown academic vocabulary.
Provide a template for the brochure.

Additional Resources

Sway PowerPoint of images: https://sway.com/lT9ZpXuLI9nUt7Gy
Ego vs Eco Picture: http://recyclingsutainabiliy4a.weebly.com/ego-vs-eco.html

Appendix

Rubric for Project 1

Credits

Pollution Matters

Description

In this project, students will examine the effects of pollution on the ecosystem in a musical way! This project includes students creating new lyrics to a song about pollution. Students step into role as lyricists and use music to help humans understand the causes and effects of pollution around them.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Good Garbage Rubric

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Write song lyrics that explain the various types of pollution
Create an adaptation for a song that relates to pollution and its effects on the environment
Rehearse and Perform a song for an audience

Essential Questions

How can I use music to evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution on people and the environment?

Curriculum Standards

S3L2. Obtain, evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

ELAGSE3RI6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text

Arts Standards

M3GM.1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

M3GM.5: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

Create rhythmic motives and enhance literature.
Compose simple melodic patterns.
Arrange rhythmic patterns creating simple forms and instrumentation.

Content Vocabulary

Garbage
Pollution
Compost
Biodegradable/non-biodegradable
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Conservation

Arts Vocabulary

Lyrics: the words of a song
Verse: writing arranged with a metrical rhythm, typically having a rhyme
Chorus: writing arrangement that is a repeated section of a song
Genre: category of a musical composition such as a rap, ballad, etc...

Technology Integration

YouTube video: Tom Chapin: Good Garbage Song, Pretty Planet Song (1979) American School in London - https://youtu.be/GXSBHlLdboQ
Footprint Calculator website – http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
http://web.stanford.edu/group/inquiry2insight/cgi-bin/i2sea-r2b/i2s.php?page=iscfc#
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
www.padlet.com
www.quavermusic.com

Formative Assessment

Teacher will check for appropriate usage of unit vocabulary through their song writing.

Summative Assessment

Project 2 Rubric (See Downloads)

Materials

Recycled materials
Computer/tablet if using padlet
Post it Notes
Science journals

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Review the list Suggested Collected Items (See Downloads) and find 5-6 items to bring into the classroom. With the class, use Padlet (www.padlet.com) to generate ideas with the class on how we can reuse the items.
In whole group, use Footprint calculator and discuss their reactions and how their footprint can be improved.

Footprint Calculator website – http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx http://web.stanford.edu/group/inquiry2insight/cgi-bin/i2sea-r2b/i2s.php?page=iscfc#

Main Activity

Part 1:

Watch YouTube Video: “Good Garbage” (https://youtu.be/GXSBHlLdboQ). Discuss in whole group vocabulary such as compost, biodegradable/non-biodegradable, recycle, reuse and reduce.
As a whole group, discuss the author’s purpose of writing the song. Why is it catchy? Discuss the rhythm, chorus, verse, rhyme, alliteration, stanza, poems, etc.
As a whole group, discuss well-known songs that students may like to use to create/write a class pollution song. Students will create a chorus for a new pollution song. Discuss the elements of the song in relation to the ELA standards main idea and supporting details. Separate into 4 groups and have students create verses for the four categories: air, land, water and conservation.
*Strategically assign your students to homogenous groups.

Part 2:

Review “Good Garbage” song in whole group.
Have the students revise or edit their assigned part for their song.
Come up with music for the class song using Quaver or GarageBand.

*Extension: Students can also create their own instruments to create their music for their group’s songs.

Reflection Questions

What was the author’s purpose for writing the song?
What is the main idea? What are the details in the song?
How does the tone of the song make you feel?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level:

Provide students with the lyrics from the “Good Garbage” song to use as a model for writing their verses including sentence frames and a word bank.

Above Grade Level:

Students will create their own version of a pollution song.

EL Students:

Have students choose 3-5 key vocabulary words from the vocabulary list generated in project one to include in their verse.
Provide all EL students with the lyrics from the “Good Garbage” song to use as a model for writing their verses.

Additional Resources

Appendix

Rubric for Project 2
Suggested Collected Items

Credits

The Lorax

Description

In this project, students will listen to the story The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Students will discuss the art elements they see in the text. They will sketch and use oil pastels to recreate their own scene analysis of the illustrations before and after the Onceler. Students will also relate to the changes of mood throughout the story. Students will then create a persuasive writing piece comparing and contrasting the Lorax’s habitat.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

The Lorax Rubric

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Create a persuasive piece to compare and contrast the scenes in the Lorax’s habitat before and after the Onceler
Create a piece of art that shows the cause and effect of the pollution that occurred in the Lorax

Essential Questions

How can art be used to compare and contrast the land of the Lorax before and after the Onceler?
How do you analyze the mood in a piece of artwork using key vocabulary?

Curriculum Standards

S3L2. Obtain, evaluate and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.

ELAGSE3RI6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text

Arts Standards

TAES3.4: Designing and executing artistic and technical elements of theatre

Uses technical theatre elements to design costumes, props, sets, sound and lighting
Incorporates technical theatre elements such as costumes, props, sets, sound, lighting, into dramatizations

VA3PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.

Creates artworks to express individual ideas, thoughts, and feelings from memory, imagination, and observation.
Creates artworks emphasizing one or more elements of art (e.g., color, line, shape,form, texture).
Creates art emphasizing one or more principles of design (balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, unity, contrast).
Combines materials in new and inventive ways to make a finished work of art.

Creates drawings with a variety of media (e.g., pencils, crayons, pastel).
Draws lines with varied weights and in varied ways.
Uses directional lines (vertical, horizontal, diagonal).
Creates landscape with foreground, middle ground, background.
Achieves distance through diminishing sizes and placement of objects higher on the page

VA3AR.1 Discusses his or her artwork and the artwork of others.

Describes how size, colors, lines, shapes, and textures are organized in artwork to create a focus or center of interest (emphasis).
Demonstrates a respect for art forms and art objects.
Uses art terminology with emphasis on the elements of art: line, shape, form, color, space, texture.
Uses art terminology with emphasis on the principles of design. (e.g., balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, unity, contrast).
Recognizes that lines can be used to suggest movement, feelings, sounds, and ideas.
Points to descriptive, directional, and expressive lines in artworks.
Explains how texture (implied and actual) is used in two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional forms.
Identifies intermediate and complementary colors, tints, and shades of colors.
Recognizes value as the lightness and darkness of a color.
Distinguishes between 2-D shapes and 3-D forms.
Recognizes the division of picture plane into foreground, middle ground, and background.
Describes how negative and positive space is related.
Recognizes and compares symmetrical and asymmetrical balance in artworks.

Content Vocabulary

Compare/Contrast
Cause and Effect
Pollution
Conservation
Environment
Air Pollution
Land Pollution
Water Pollution

Arts Vocabulary

Lines: an identifiable path created by a point moving in space; can vary in width, direction, and length; Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin
Color: the element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye
Shape: a flat, enclosed area of an artwork created through lines, textures, colours or an area enclosed by other shapes
Form: refer to a three-dimensional composition or object within a three-dimensional composition
Texture: the perceived surface quality of a work of art
Shade: created when only black is added to a hue. This results in a rich, often more intense and darker color
Warm colors: such as red, yellow, and orange; evoke warmth because they remind us of things like the sun or fire
Cool colors: such as blue, green, and purple (violet); evoke a cool feeling because they remind us of things like water or grass
Proportion: concerned with the scale and size of an object (a whole) in relationship to another object (another whole)
Contrast: a principle of art, referring to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc...

Technology Integration

The Lorax (Ebook Read-Aloud) by Dr. Seuss:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzf6dQyNN7s
Warm Colors Mood- To demonstrate the “before” part of the story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1j_DThGI9M&feature=youtu.be
Cool Colors Mood- To demonstrate the “after” part of the story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1jpKTYmIzA&feature=youtu.be
Vic Munez Artwork:
http://time.com/3775724/portraits-with-purpose-vik-muniz-in-waste-land/

Formative Assessment

Teacher will observe the students for the understanding of appropriate usage of unit vocabulary through their persuasive writing.

Summative Assessment

Project 3 Rubric (See Downloads)
Persuasive Writing Piece

Materials

The Lorax Book- eBook
Pastel Card paper
Black Sharpies
Pencils
Pastels
Fixatives (after drawing is complete- Spray and let dry so pastel does not smuge)
Loose-leaf paper for writing piece

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Read and listen to the first half of the eBook of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.

Main Activity

Part 1:

After the first half of The Lorax with the students, discuss as a group the art elements they saw while reading.
Use this The Lorax movie clip to help with recalling the mood of the “beginning” part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1j_DThGI9M&feature=youtu.be
Students will fold paper in half. (landscape) Label “Before the Onceler” on the left hand side of the paper with center adjustment and “After the Onceler” on the right hand side of the paper with center adjustment.
Then they will lightly sketch the horizon line, the foreground and the background on both sides of the paper. Once the students sketch, they will use the black sharpies to outline their drawings.
Students will then use oil pastels to recreate the before scene. This will be where the colors are warm. Remind students to include the characters: Barbaloot Bears, Truffala trees, Hummingfish, and Swammie Swams.

Part 2:

Read the second half of The Lorax with the students. Discuss as a group the art elements they saw while reading the second half of the story.
Use this movie clip to help with recalling the mood of the “ending” part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1jpKTYmIzA&feature=youtu.be
Students will then use oil pastels to recreate the “After the Onceler” scene. Remind students to think about how many characters have vanished from the setting. How did the colors change? What happened to the Truffla trees?
In whole group, teacher will lead a discussion referring to theatrical set rendering. Using the illustrations that the student created we can discuss how a set might be designed and assembled in a theatrical performance.
Use a sample drawing of the scene done in black and white and have the students experiment with a flashlight and colored light filters to recreate the mood of their illustration as a model of the set.

Part 3:

To conclude the project, in whole group, discuss the point of view from the main characters (Onceler/ Lorax). Have students pair up and recreate a quick conversation between the characters. Point of view must be clearly identified and supported.
Students will then create their own persuasive writing piece using their Suess inspired illustration picture to compare and contrast the Lorax’s habitat before and after the Onceler.

Extension Activity: Discuss the artist Vik Munez. Use the pictures attached to discuss his artwork and what inspires him. Students will be able to create their own art pieces using garbage collected.
http://time.com/3775724/portraits-with-purpose-vik-muniz-in-waste-land/

Reflection Questions

How does the Land of the Lifted Lorax compare after the Onceler?
How would you describe the mood of the scene before and after the Onceler?
What was the main cause of the destruction to the Land of the Lifted Lorax?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level:

Folded paper available and provide pencil sketch of background, foreground and horizon line.
Provide sentence starters for students. Include a visual word bank for additional support.

Above Grade Level:

Third Panel of the storyboard with the possibly of the UNLESS scene and how they think it would look (possible outcomes, new small plants growing, grass beginning to grow again etc…).

EL Students:

Make sure to use the ebook link provided below because it has the words to the story along with the pictures.

Additional Resources

The Lorax eBook:
https://youtu.be/aKmbSJjXzFk

Appendix

Rubric for Project 3

Credits

Grade 3: Pollution Matters

Additional Resources

Websites

What would you do to save the planet?

Suggested Books

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Additional Videos

Scientific Sketching

Back to Units

Grade 3:
Magnetic Masterpieces!

MAGNETIC MASTERPIECES!

Grade 3: Magnetic Masterpieces!

Unit Description

In this “Magnetic Masterpieces!” unit, students will explore and discover the world of magnets through the arts. They will do hands on arts projects and make real world connections to gain in depth understanding of how magnets work. Students will use visual arts, theatre, and music to strengthen their science and art content knowledge.

Unit Essential Question

How do magnets interact with one another and other objects?

Real World Context

Students will explore magnets through the use of everyday objects. They will discover why certain objects are attracted to magnets, while others are not. They will also discover why the poles of magnets attract and repel each other. We will explore the world of Disney to see how they use magnets throughout the park every day. We will also look at how magnets are used in sorting materials at recycling centers.

Cross-Cutting Interdisciplinary Concepts

Compare and Contrast
Cause and Effect

Projects

Magnetic Discovery Painting
In this project, students will use their knowledge of previously taught magnetic properties to create a visual arts piece. Students will explore a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic materials to create a one-of-a-kind painting. During their painting, they will differentiate objects between magnetic and non-magnetic properties. Students will take time to document their observations and write about their magnetic discoveries.

Magnetic Slime
In this project, students will work in small groups to create magnetic slime. Each group will have different amount of iron filings in their mixture. Students will use magnets to explore the pull of the magnetic field on the magnetic slime based on the amount of iron filings in it. Students will use the visual arts to create this pliable sculpture made of magnetic slime!

Magnetic Drama
In this project, students will dramatize how magnets attract and repel. Students will create dialogue and use their actor voices and bodies to dramatize different magnetic poles, as well as common objects that are magnetic and non-magnetic.

The Magnet Rap
In this project, students will integrate their knowledge of magnets to create and perform a rap. Students will use music, rhythm, and verses to dramatize objects that do and don’t have magnetic pulls. They will do this using a sixteen measure, four-beats per measure composition to create their verses. Students will use actions, emotions, and voice to perform their rap.

Standards

Curriculum Standards

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.
Investigate how magnets attract and repel each other.

CCSS.ELA.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1.d Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.V.3.2.b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

CCSS.ELA.Literacy.V.3.3.a Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feeling to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

MGSE3.OA.3 Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. See Glossary: Multiplication and Division Within 100.

Arts Standards

VA3PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.

Creates artworks emphasizing one or more elements of art (e.g., color, line, shape, form, texture).

Creates paintings with a variety of media (e.g., tempera, watercolor).

VA3PR.3 Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of three-dimensional works of art (ceramics, sculpture, crafts, and mixed-media) using tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills.

Creates sculpture using a variety of methods (e.g., paper-mâché, cutting, folding, found objects).

TAES3.2 Developing scripts through improvisation and other theatrical methods.

Develops characters and setting through action, sensory details, cause and effect relationships, and Dialogue.
Creates scripts that are appropriate in purpose, expectations, and length for the audience.

TAES3.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining with roles within a variety of situations and environments.

Communicates a character's actions, motives, emotions, and traits though voice, speech, and language.

M3GM.1 Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Sing melodies in the range of an octave using appropriate head voice accompanied and unaccompanied.

M3GM.2 Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Perform rhythmic patterns using body percussion as well as a variety of instruments with appropriate technique.

Character Education

Components

In “Magnetic Rap,” third grade classes will perform their rap for first grade classes. The reason for this pairing is because both grade levels learn about magnets. The first grade students will watch and critique the performance, ask questions, and give compliments.
Attributes

Respect to others
Collaboration with one another
Ensemble skills (working together)

Summative Assessment Tools

Pre/Post Test
Magnetic Discovery Rubric
Magnetic Slime Rubric
Magnetic Drama Rubric
Magnetic Rap Rubric

Partnering with Fine Arts Teachers

Music Teacher:

Enhance the creation of the rap and the percussive elements of the performance. The music teacher can encourage students to create a rhythm for the rap using percussion instruments.

Visual Arts Teacher:

“Magnetic Slime” and “Magnetic Discovery Painting” could both be conducted in the visual arts classroom. Visual Arts teachers may have suggestions on how to showcase the artwork created from “Magnetic Discovery Painting.”

Appendix (See Additional Resources)

Pre-test/Post-test

Credits

U.S. Department of Education
Arts in Education--Model Development and Dissemination Grants Program
Cherokee County (GA) School District and ArtsNow, Inc.
Ideas contributed and edited by:
Shannan Cagle, Liz Pendlington, Melissa Joy, Shannon Green, Dr. Maribeth Yoder-White, Susie Spear Purcell, Jessica Espinoza

Magnetic Discovery Painting

Science, English Language Arts, and Visual Arts

Description

In this project, students will use their knowledge of previously taught magnetic properties to create a visual arts piece. Students will explore a variety of magnetic and non-magnetic materials to create a one-of-a-kind painting. During their painting, they will differentiate objects between magnetic and non-magnetic properties. Students will take time to document their observations and write about their magnetic discoveries.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Magnet Discovery Painting Rubric

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Make predictions about magnetism based on my knowledge of magnetic properties
Differentiate objects that are magnetic from those that are non-magnetic
Use visual arts to create a unique painting based on the properties of these objects (magnetic objects will be used to “paint” while non-magnetic objects will remain stationary).
Sort objects by their magnetic properties
Reflect on my findings and draw conclusions about magnets based on my project observations

Essential Questions

What common objects are attracted to magnets?
How do objects both magnetic and non-magnetic interact with magnets?

Curriculum Standards

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.

ELA.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Arts Standards

VA3PR.1 Creates artworks based on personal experience and selected themes.

Creates artworks emphasizing one or more elements of art (e.g., color, line, shape, form, texture).

Creates paintings with a variety of media (e.g., tempera, watercolor).

Content Vocabulary

Magnet
Characteristics
Iron
Steel
Attract
Magnetism
Bar magnet
North Pole
South Pole

Arts Vocabulary

Aesthetics: the term that refers to that which is beautiful and visually pleasing
Color: an element or art with three properties 1) hue, the name of the color, e.g. red, yellow, etc. 2) intensity or the purity and strength of the color such as brightness or dullness and 3) value, or the lightness or darkness of a color
Media: the tools and materials an artist uses

Technology Integration

Recycling YouTube video: Kid-powered Magnetic Separating Recycling Conveyor Belt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFvc0-cP0jw

Formative Assessment

Teacher will monitor students through anecdotal notes while they are creating their paintings and sorting their materials

Summative Assessment

Written student observations and reflections in Science Journal
Magnetic/Non-magnetic painting Rubric (See Downloads)

Materials

Thick cardstock, Tempera paint (primary colors), various sized paint brushes, chalk pastels, class sets of wand magnets, dozen cookie sheets (small)

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

YouTube video: Kid-powered Magnetic Separating Recycling Conveyor Belt (57 seconds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFvc0-cP0jw
Teacher demonstration with soda can and vegetable/soup can
Discuss: Why is one type of can magnetic while the other is not?

Main Activity

Part 1:

Teacher will lead a class discussion of what makes an object magnetic. Teacher will make a T-chart (magnetic, non-magnetic) and students will contribute ideas to fill it in. Students will make predictions as to which objects are magnetic and non-magnetic.

Part 2:

Students will create a T-chart and label one side magnetic and the other non-magnetic.
Student partner groups will each be given a paper bag containing: small piece of wood, penny, paper clip, eraser, dime, screw, thumb tack, nail.
Each group will be given two bowls, one to sort magnetic, one to sort non-magnetic.
Each group will be given one cookie sheet, two pieces of cardstock, two magnetic wands, tape to adhere the paper to the cookie sheet, and four colors of paint (one squeeze of each color on each paper).
Students will take turns choosing an item and seeing if they can paint with it. After both students have used the item, they will place it in the appropriate bowl.

Part 3:

Students will complete their T-chart based on their sorting of magnetic or non-magnetic objects.
Students will complete a written reflection evaluating why certain objects are magnetic or non-magnetic.
Compare the T-chart created as a class to those created by the students.

Classroom Tips:

Teacher will pre-select partner groups
Teacher will lay-out behavior expectations
Teacher will model how to set-up the cookie sheet, paper, paint, and magnets

Reflection Questions

How did creating a painting through the exploration of magnetic and non-magnetic materials help me identify some common objects that are attracted to magnets, as well as those that are not?

Differentiation

Accelerated:

These students could research how recycling is done in the real world using magnets to separate metal from other objects (like in the video). They could then compose a narrative story to portray the journey of a piece of metal or nonmetal object through the recycling process. Also, they could research other uses of magnets in the real world (such as store sensors on clothing for anti-theft).

Remedial/EL Students:

During the Reflection part of this project the following modifications could be made: place students in small groups, assist with Guided writing, provide sentence starters, provide graphic organizers, a word bank based on content vocabulary, a paragraph frame, or modify the length/writing assignment based on student needs.

Additional Resources

Books

What Makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley

Websites

YouTube video: Kid-powered Magnetic Separating Recycling Conveyor Belt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFvc0-cP0jw
sciencewiz.com/Portal/portal_to_magnetism.php
www.internet4classrooms.com/science_elem_magnets.htm

Appendix (See Downloads)

Magnet Painting Rubric

Credits

Magnetic Slime

Science, English Language Arts, and Music

Description

In this project, students will work in small groups to create magnetic slime. Each group will have different amount of iron filings in their mixture. Students will use magnets to explore the pull of the magnetic field on the magnetic slime based on the amount of iron filings in it. Students will use the visual arts to create this pliable sculpture made of magnetic slime!

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Magnetic Slime Rubric

Magnetic Slim Written Reflection

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

I can explain the correlation between the amount of iron oxide and the magnetic pull of the magnet on the slime.
I can compare and contrast the viscosity of the slime (through writing) depending on the amount of iron oxide in each mixture.

Essential Questions

What common objects are attracted to magnets?
What are characteristics of objects that are attracted to magnets?
How does the viscosity of the slime change based on the amount of iron oxide in the mixture?

Curriculum Standards

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.

ELA.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Arts Standards

MA:Cr2.1.3 Form, share, and test ideas, plans and models to prepare for media arts productions.

Content Vocabulary

Magnet
Characteristics
Iron
Horseshoe magnet
Magnetism
Attract
Strength
Viscosity
Compare & contrast

Arts Vocabulary

Media: the tools and materials an artist uses
Collaboration: two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort
Dialogue: a conversation between two or more persons
Diction: using a “crisp and clear” actor voice that can be understood by everyone watching and listening

Technology Integration

Make a “How To” video of the magnetic slime process. The video will demonstrate the correlation between the amounts the iron oxide and the magnetic field of the slime.

Formative Assessment

Teacher observation with anecdotal notes regarding student participation and exploration during the slime experiment.

Summative Assessment

Students’ video demonstrating the correlation between the amounts the iron oxide and the magnetic field of the slime.
Students’ compare and contrast writing piece, discussing both the magnetic field as well as the viscosity of the slime.

Materials

Class sets of horseshoe magnets, class set of neodymium magnets, bags of iron filings, liquid starch, liquid white glue, paint stir sticks, smocks, 4 bowls per small group

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Monster Magnet Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfNt44pFo9o
Discuss that we will be making our own magnetic slime.

Main Activity

Part 1:

Teacher will list steps to create magnetic slime. Each group will make four different strengths of slime.
Teacher will explain the purpose of creating four strengths of slime.

Part 2:

Pour ¼ cup of liquid starch into each of your four bowls.
Add 1 tablespoon of iron powder to one bowl, two to the next, three to the next, and four to the last. Stir each until well mixed. (Each bowl should be labeled so students know how much iron filings they contain.)
Add ¼ cup of white liquid glue to each bowl and mix.
Take the slime out of each bowl and mix (separately) with your hands until it’s well mixed.
Pat the slime dry with a paper towel to get rid of any excess liquid. The finished slime won’t make your hands black, but the extra liquid will.

Part 3:

Students will use their magnets to explore the correlation between the amount of iron filings in the slime and the strength of the magnets pull.
Students will use their hands to explore the viscosity of the slime depending on the amount of iron fillings in each mixture.
Students will write a preliminary compare and contrast based on their findings.

Classroom Tips:

Teacher will pre-determine small groups that can work well together.
Students will wear smocks to protect clothing.
Teacher will set clear behavior expectations.

Reflection Questions

How did creating magnetic slime with different amounts of iron filings help me understand the correlation between the amount of iron filings in the slime and the strength of the magnets pull?

Differentiation

Accelerated:

These students could predict what effect different sizes of magnets would have on each oobleck sample. Students could also design a color coded ratings chart for the strength of the magnets based on ROYGBIV (red could be the strongest magnetic attraction and violet could be the least magnetic attraction).
These students could also make a table projecting what would happen if more filings were added, or if the slime had less filings in it. Students could use a similar ratings chart as above for the amount of filings in the substance.

Remedial/EL Students:

During the Reflection part of this project the following modifications could be made: place students in small groups, assist with Guided writing, provide sentence starters, provide graphic organizers, a word bank based on content vocabulary, a paragraph frame, or modify the length/writing assignment based on student needs.

Additional Resources

Books

Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin (fiction)
Magnet Magic by Phyllis Adams (fiction)
Marto’s Magnets by Wendy Pfeffer

Websites

Monster Magnet Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfNt44pFo9o

Appendix (See Downloads)

Written Reflection Sheet for Magnetic Slime
Rubric for Magnetic Slime

Credits

Magnetic Drama

Science, English Language Arts, and Theater

Description

In this project, students will dramatize how magnets attract and repel. Students will create dialogue and use their actor voices and bodies to dramatize different magnetic poles, as well as common objects that are magnetic and non-magnetic.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Magnetic Drama Rubric

Magnetic Drama Written Reflection

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Describe why magnetic poles attract and repel
Dramatize magnetic poles using dialogue and movement
Apply drama to the classification of common objects that are magnetic and non-magnetic

Essential Questions

Why do magnets attract and repel each other?
How can drama be used to model the relationships between magnetic poles?

Curriculum Standards

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

Investigate how magnets attract and repel each other.

ELA.W.3.1.D Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

ELA.V.3.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

ELA.V.3.3.A Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feeling to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

Arts Standards

TAES3.2 Developing scripts through improvisation and other theatrical methods.

Develops characters and setting through action, sensory details, cause and effect relationships, and dialogue.
Creates scripts that are appropriate in purpose, expectations, and length for the audience.

TAES3.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining with roles within a variety of situations and environments.

Communicates a character's actions, motives, emotions, and traits though voice, speech, and language.

Content Vocabulary

Poles
Attract
Repel
Magnetic
Non-magnetic
Opposite

Arts Vocabulary

Character: an actor or actress in a specified role
Collaboration: two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort
Concentration: the ability of the actor/actress to be “in” character – that is, to be like the character s/her is portraying – in dialog, attitude, carriage, gait, etc.
Dialogue: a conversation between two or more persons
Diction: using a “crisp and Clear” actor voice that can be understood by everyone watching and listening
Facial Expression: using your face to show emotion
Gesture: an expressive movement of the body or limbs

Technology Integration

Computers or tablets could be used to type students’ scripts instead of writing them on an index cards

Formative Assessment

Accuracy of written dramatization
Collaboration of peers

Summative Assessment

Written script with beginning, middle, and end.
Magnetic Drama Rubric (See Downloads)
Completed Video

Materials

North and South magnet labels (affixed to the magnet characters shoulders. North on one shoulder, South on the other shoulder), pictures of other common objects that are magnetic and non-magnetic (paper clip, nail, safety pins, aluminum can, a plastic bottle), iPad for videoing or other video device

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Teacher will begin lesson by getting all students involved in the process of using their voice and body.
Teacher can begin with the E-clap technique. The teacher will say “E” using different levels of voice and speed, while the students clap at that level and speed. The teacher can then clap, and have the students say “E” to the volume level and speed of the clap.
Any other drama voice warm-up strategies would also be effective.

Main Activity

Part 1:

Teacher will use magnets to demonstrate how opposite poles attract and like poles repel.
Teacher will then demonstrate how to dramatize how opposite poles would attract, and like poles would repel using voice and body movements.
Teacher will also demonstrate how to dramatize how common objects are either magnetic or non-magnetic.

Part 2:

Teacher will review the information the students have learned about magnetic and non-magnetic objects.
Teacher will review the elements of a story telling drama using a simple beginning, middle, and end script.

Part 3:

Students will create and write a small group short dramatization about magnets and how the poles attract.
Students will include a beginning, middle, and end for their dramatization.
An example of this would be two north poles walk up to each other, and repel one another.
Students will use their voice and body to dramatize this action. They might begin with “Hey, why are you pushing me?” (beginning), “I’m not pushing you, you are pushing me.” (middle), “I know, we are like poles, and we are repelling each other.” (end).
The students will repeat this type of process with common objects in their group.
Groups will have at least 3 small scripts with beginning, middle, and end. One of them has to be about the poles repelling and attracting.
The others can be about being attracted or not attracted to the other magnetic and non-magnetic objects in the group.

Part 4:

Students will present their magnetic drama to the class. Other classroom students may provide constructive feedback on theatrical delivery (diction, facial expression, tone, volume, pitch, etc.) using theater vocabulary.

Classroom Tips:

Teacher will pre-select student groups
Teacher will constantly monitor the room, and work with groups as needed.

Reflection Questions

Explain how north and south poles attract and repel each other.
How did our drama production help me understand how north and south poles attract and repel each other?
How did our drama production help me understand how other common objects are attracted or not attracted to magnets?

Differentiation

Accelerated:

These students could compose a song using found/body sounds that goes with either repel or attract. When two objects/poles come “on stage” in the class, they would provide the song in the background to illustrate either repelling or attracting as the drama is performed on stage.
These students could also research to compare and contrast the earth’s north and south pole to the north and south (positive and negative) poles of a bar magnet.

Remedial/EL Students:

In Part 2 of this project, teachers could provide students with visual guides of what makes up magnetic/non-magnetic properties, and provide students with visual guides on story parts.
In Part 4 of this project, a Review of Theatrical Terms with students in small group would be beneficial.

Additional Resources

Books

Magnetic and Nonmagnetic by Angela Royston
Amazing Magnetism (Magic School Bus) by Rebecca Carmi

Appendix (See Downloads)

Magnetic Drama Rubric
Magnetic Drama Written Reflection

Credits

The Magnetic Rap

Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, and Music

Description

In this project, students will integrate their knowledge of magnets to create and perform a rap. Students will use music, rhythm, and verses to dramatize objects that do and don’t have magnetic pulls. They will do this using a sixteen measure, four-beats per measure composition to create their verses. Students will use actions, emotions, and voice to perform their rap.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

The Magnetic Rap Rubric

The Magnetic Rap Written Reflection

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Classify objects that are and are not magnetic
Create a sixteen-measure verse, with four beats per measure, that demonstrates my understanding of magnets
Perform my rap using actions, emotion, and voice

Essential Questions

What common objects are attracted to magnets?
What are characteristics of objects that are attracted to magnets?
How can music be used to dramatize the concept of magnetism?

Curriculum Standards

S3P2 Students will investigate magnets and how they affect other magnets and common objects.

Investigate to find common objects that are attracted to magnets.

ELA.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Arts Standards

M3GM.1 Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Sing melodies in the range of an octave using appropriate head voice accompanied and unaccompanied.

M3GM.2 Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Perform rhythmic patterns using body percussion as well as a variety of instruments with appropriate technique.

Content Vocabulary

Magnet
Magnetic
Non-magnetic
Attract
Repel
Opposite
Poles
Metal
Non-Metal
Informational

Arts Vocabulary

Beat: the pulse underlying music
Measure: the space between two bar lines
Collaboration: two or more people working together in a joint intellectual effort
Diction: using a “crisp & clear” actor voice that can be understood by everyone watching and listening

Technology Integration

iPad: students will record their group performances on the iPad. Performances will be used as a summative assessment.

Formative Assessment

Student rap template – one 16-measure verse, with 4 beats per measure, about objects that are attracted to magnets, one 16-measure verse, with 4 beats per measure, about objects that are not attracted to magnets.

Summative Assessment

Recorded rap
Completed rap writing

Materials

iPad, garageband application, rap template, wooden pitch frogs, plastic egg shakers

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Teacher will sing and perform the chorus of The Magnet Rap using Garage Band app.
Teacher will distribute instruments and have the class perform the chorus.
Discuss: How will creating a rap help you remember what objects are and are not magnetic?

Main Activity

Part 1:

Teacher will show the chorus of the Magnet Rap on the promethean board. Teacher will demonstrate (sing) the 16-measure, 4-beats per measure verse. Teacher will model to students how to use the Magnet Rap Template to write their two verses. (One verse for magnetic objects, one verse for non-magnetic objects)
Teacher will also use the measure and beats of the rap to correlate the creation of the rap to multiplication and division skills.

Part 2:

Student groups will create two verses of The Magnet Rap. Students will use the template to create their verses. Teacher will circulate while groups are working and assist where needed.
Students will use instruments and/or body percussion to perform the rap.
Students will use 16 measures, with 4 beats per measure, to write and perform their rap.

Part 3:

Students will practice their rap to bring it to performance level
Student groups will perform their rap using instruments and/or body percussion.
Students will perform their rap using actions, emotions, and voice.

Classroom Tips:

Teacher will pre-select student groups that will work well together.
Teacher will pre-select areas for the groups to work together on their rap.
Teacher will discuss group work expectations using the Magnetic Rap rubric (See Downloads)

Reflection Questions

How did creating a rap help me remember common objects that are magnetic and non-magnetic?
How did using the 16-measure, 4-beats per measure pattern help my group write the rap?
What math skills were utilized to write the rap?
How did math help you write and perform the rap?

Differentiation

Accelerated:

These students could turn the rap into a music video with different sounds and video features.
They could also design an album cover, keeping in mind to use certain colors for magnetic objects (perhaps warm) and other colors for non-magnetic objects (perhaps cool).

Additional Resources

Books

Magnets: Pulling Together, Pushing Apart by N. Rosinsky

Appendix (See Downloads)

Magnetic Rap Rubric
Magnetic Rap Written Reflection

Credits

Grade 3: Magnetic Masterpieces!

Additional Resources

Books

Magnets: Pulling Together, Pushing Apart by N. Rosinsky
Magnetic and Nonmagnetic by Angela Royston
Amazing Magnetism (Magic School Bus) by Rebecca Carmi
Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin (fiction)
Magnet Magic by Phyllis Adams (fiction)
Marto’s Magnets by Wendy Pfeffer
What Makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley

Websites

Back to Units

Grade 3:
Rock-N-Art

ROCK-N-ART

Grade 3: Rock-N-Art

Unit Description

In this arts integrated unit, students will explore Rocks and Soil. These projects focus on bringing multiple art forms to the Earth Sciences for third graders. Students will focus on comparing and contrasting the 3 types of rocks, as well as their attributes. They will create and perform a riddle in which the class will try to guess which rock the riddle represents. The students will analyze the rock cycle by composing small group dance compositions. Students will take a “Gallery Walk” viewing photographs of different types of soil in its natural setting and illustrate their own version of soil in its natural setting.

Unit Essential Question

How are rocks and soil formed and how do they change over time?

Real World Context

We study rocks and soil because they make up the surface of the Earth. Geologists study rocks and soil to discover things like Earth’s history through fossils, or how water, wind and ice shape the Earth’s surface.

Cross-Cutting Interdisciplinary Concepts

Cycle
Change

Projects

Project 1: Word Art & Rock Riddles
In this arts integrated project, students will use visual arts and theatre to apply their knowledge of rocks. Students will create a Word Art illustration focusing on one of the 3 types of rocks. Students will then create and perform a riddle and or monologue in which the class (audience) tries to guess which rock it represents. Students will compare and contrast the attributes/characteristics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

Project 2: Soil Study Artistic Renderings
This arts integrated project should be taught after the students are able to identify the four types of soil, compare and contrast the four types of soil, as well as classify soil based on its attributes. The students will be led through a “Gallery Walk” of photographs of plants and or animals living in specific types of soil. The students will draw/illustrate/paint a naturescape depicting something (plant or animal) that lives in a specific type of soil.

Project 3: The Rock Cycle Dance
In this arts integrated project, third grade students will analyze the rock cycle by composing small group dance compositions. Students will use the dance concepts: body shapes, non-locomotive and locomotive movements to depict how rocks change their form based on physical and chemical changes that naturally occur over time. Groups will observe their peers and evaluate the dance pieces based on their understanding of rocks.

Standards

Curriculum Standards

S3E1 Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils

S3CS8 Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry

ELAGSE3SL4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace

ELAGSE3SL1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

Arts Standards

VA3AR.1 Discusses his or her artwork and the artwork of others

VA3C.2 Develops life skills through the study and production of art

VA3PR.2. Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes of two-dimensional art processes (drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed-media) using tools and materials in a safe and appropriate manner to develop skills

Creates drawings with a variety of media (e.g., pencils, crayons, pastel)

TAES3.3 Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments

D3CR.2. Demonstrates an understanding of dance as a way to communicate meaning

Uses a combination of improvisation and choreographic tools to create movement based on one’s own ideas, feelings, concepts, and kinesthetic awareness
Recognizes and accurately describes movement and movement elements.
Moves expressively to music or other accompaniment (e.g., sound, text)

Character Education

Components

Students have opportunities to become “experts” on the rock cycle and teach the cycle to their peers. In this process they teach the types of rocks and how over time they change.

Attributes

Solid as a “rock”
Integrity
Reliability
Patience
Perseverance

Summative Assessment Tools

Students will write an informational essay demonstrating their knowledge of the following: the 3 different types of rocks, their attributes, as well as how each type of rock is created. (See Downloads for the Informational Writing Rubric.)
Video recording of Rock Cycle Dances
Students could write about the process of creating the rock cycle dance as a reflection writing piece. They could also critique or evaluate their peers when they perform their dance compositions.

Partnering with Fine Arts Teachers

Visual Arts Teacher:

Additional support in Project 2: Soil Study Artistic Renderings
Assist with nature photography techniques and layout
Assist with styles and techniques for artistic renderings
Assist with providing ideas for different examples of nature photography or artistic renderings of rocks and soil and the plant/animal life they support

Dance Teacher:

Additional support in Project 3: The Rock Cycle Dance
Assist with dance terminology, locomotive movements, and creating cyclical choreography

Appendix (See Project Downloads)

Blank 3-Column Chart
Informational Writing Rubric
Examples of Nature Photography
Reflection Questions-Soil Study
Choreography Planning Document

Credits

U.S. Department of Education
Arts in Education--Model Development and Dissemination Grants Program
Cherokee County (GA) School District and ArtsNow, Inc.
Ideas contributed and edited by:
Diane McMullen, Edith Alexander, Liz Pendlington, Jessica Espinoza, Richard Benjamin Ph.D., Michele McClelland, Mary Ellen Johnson, Jane Gill

Word Art & Riddles

Science, English Language Arts, and Visual Arts

Description

In this arts integrated project, students will use visual arts and theatre to apply their knowledge of rocks. Students will create a Word Art illustration focusing on one of the 3 types of rocks. Students will then create and perform a riddle and or monologue in which the class (audience) tries to guess which rock it represents. Students will compare and contrast the attributes/characteristics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Blank 3-Column Chart

Informational Writing Rubric

Word Art Examples

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Identify the 3 types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
Classify the 3 types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
Perform and create a monologue/riddle describing the 3 types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic
Compare and contrast the 3 types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic

Essential Questions

What are rocks?
How are the 3 types of rocks formed?
How are the 3 types of rocks alike and different?

Curriculum Standards

S3E1 Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils

S3CS8 Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry

ELAGSE3SL4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace

Arts Standards

VA3AR.1 Discusses his or her artwork and the artwork of others

VA3C.2 Develops life skills through the study and production of art

Content Vocabulary

Rock
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Attributes/characteristics of rocks:
1. Shape
2. Color
3. Texture
4. Hardness

Arts Vocabulary

Illustration
Monologue
Character traits
Performance
Word Art

Formative Assessment

Students could be observed while performing their riddles to assess their knowledge of the 3 different types of rocks.

Summative Assessment

Students will write an informational essay demonstrating their knowledge of the following: the 3 different types of rocks, their attributes, as well as how each type of rock is created. (See Downloads for the Informational Writing Rubric.)

Materials

Chart paper; samples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks; Blank 3-Column Chart and Word Arts Examples (see Downloads); magnifiers; colored construction paper; markers; document camera

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Each table/group will be given 3 samples/examples of rocks
Using a Blank 3-Column Chart, the groups will discuss and fill in their chart writing down their observations

*Students should note the attributes in size, texture, color, hardness, softness, etc. They should be able to identify all 3 rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. The students are also to explain how each rock is created in a different manner than the others. (See Downloads for the Blank 3-Column Chart.)

Each group shares their observations with the rest of the class. The teacher could compile the group observations into one large 3 column chart paper.

Main Activity

Part 1:

Each small group is asked to create a riddle for an assigned rock (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic).
Teacher demonstrates and shares an example of a rock riddle: I am smooth to the touch. I am round in size and gray in color. Where you may find me is in the river. What type of rock am I?

Part 2:

Each small group is asked to go to the front of the class and perform their riddle.
The class will then try to guess which type of rock is being demonstrated by the words given in the riddles along with any movement that may assist in better understanding.

Part 3:

Students will use a piece of colored construction paper or cardstock to write their riddles.
They will fold the sheet in half, write the riddle on the front cover, then write the answer under the flap.
Take the student-created riddles and showcase them somewhere specific in the classroom.
Create an interactive display where the students can go to read the riddles and then flip display open to view the riddle’s answer.

Part 4:

Students will be given a piece of thick art paper.
Students select one of the 3 types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic.
Direct students to use Word Art in order to express the type of rock they chose.
The students are to consider the type of chemical/physical change that takes place in order for nature to create the rock. As part of their Word Art, they should illustrate this change in a way that demonstrates the type of new rock that forms. This activity takes some imagination. The students may need to visually see the Word Art Examples (see Downloads) in order to fully understand the expectations of the project.

Reflective Strategies

Students will write an informational piece demonstrating their knowledge of the following: the 3 different types of rocks, their attributes, as well as how each type of rock is created.
The informational piece could be taken for a Summative writing or science grade.
Informational writing rubric (see Downloads)

Differentiation

Below Grade Level/EL Students:

Provide these students with photographs/pictures of the 3 types of rocks so they are able to refer back to the 3 different types of rocks and are using the correct terminology as much as possible while working on the project. These photographs/pictures could be of the 3 types of rocks in their natural settings so these learners are able to make better connections.

Above Grade Level:

Allow your higher-level learners as well as gifted students an extension research activity. Put these students in pairs. The small groups will be given a mineral. They are to identify the attributes of their mineral, where their mineral is found, and what the mineral is used for or it’s purpose. They are to write a short informational essay using the above information. Then they are to create a “Who Am I” riddle for their assigned mineral. They can then teach this new information to the below level learners as well as the EL students.

(Example of a “Who Am I” mineral riddle: I am yellow and soft. I smell really bad. I leave a yellow stain. I am a mineral. Who am I? Answer = sulfur)

Appendix (See Downloads)

Informational Writing Rubric
3-Column Blank Chart
Word Art Examples

Credits

Shapes All Around Us

Mathematics, Science, English Language Arts, and Visual Arts

Description

Students will identify shapes in visual arts pieces by various artists that feature cityscapes. Students will then explore shapes using their bodies to create tableaus. Finally, students will work in small groups to take their classified attributes and create a composition of a cityscape at night.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Examples Of Nature Photography

Reflection Questions-Soil Study

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Identify the four types of soil visually and verbally
Explain how each type of soil is alike and different from one another
Classify soil based on the attributes I observe
Illustrate a specific type of soil along with a living thing that uses the soil for living

Essential Questions

How do scientists classify soil?
How do I distinguish between the four types of soil?

Curriculum Standards

S3E1 Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils

S3CS8 Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry

Arts Standards

VA3C.2 Develops life skills through the study and production of art

Content Vocabulary

Clay
Silt
Loam
Sand
Topsoil
Subsoil
Bedrock

Arts Vocabulary

Illustration
Color
Photography
Gallery Walk
Rendering

Formative Assessment

The students’ naturescape renderings could be used as an assessment tool to ensure the students are correctly identifying the specific soil they are depicting along with the correct corresponding living thing.

Summative Assessment

The students’ still naturescape could be used as an assessment tool to ensure the students are correctly identifying the specific soil they are depicting along with the correct corresponding living thing.

Materials

White paper, colored pencils, oil pastels, crayons, markers, pencils

Activating Strategy (5-10 min)

Explain what nature photography is:

Nature photography focuses on landscapes, wildlife and plant life as they are found in their natural environment. Photographs of nature provide glimpses of animals, forests or mountains that may not be seen in person. Many nature photographers try to educate people about the beauty of nature, often with the hope that more people will be inspired to help the environment. (Definition by www.ehow.com)

Then share examples of nature photography through a Gallery Walk:

Share Examples of Nature Photography (see Downloads) with the class through a Gallery Walk to inspire their Soil Study Artistic Renderings that they’ll create in the Main Activity.

Questions to ask students during Gallery Walk of images:

What do you see? (Making close observations.)
What do you notice? (Making sound inferences.)
What do you wonder? (What questions do you have for the photographer?)

Main Activity

Explain that today students will be creating their own nature scene with the concentration being on the type of soil (clay, silt, loam, or sand) they choose along with a living thing that lives in or around the soil.
Students will sketch out their soil nature scene first then add color using either colored pencils, crayons, oil pastels, etc.
As the students complete their rendition, they will gather into small groups. They will each share their soil nature scene and ask the group if they are able to tell which type of soil they depicted. The students are to explain their reasonings with one another.
Display these soil scenes around the classroom and or hallway to elicit conversations regarding the four types of soil.

Reflective Strategies

After the teacher has completed the differentiation activities, the students will reflect on the following Reflection Questions (see Downloads) using complete sentences:

How did my illustration of soil help me to better understand the differences in the four types of soils?
Which type of soil did you think would hold water the best? Explain why. Which type of soil did not hold water the best? Why?

Differentiation

Below Grade Level:

Students could take their own photographs of soil scenes outside of the school setting and or on their school playground. They could then share their photos with the class having a discussion regarding the soil type and living things that may inhabit that particular type of soil.

Above Grade Level:

Students could look deeper into the concept of which types of soil holds the most water. Soil types that are able to hold more water may or may not be better to use for farming purposes. This group of students could research the concept of soils ability to hold water. They could then “teach” the other groups/students why knowing which types of soil are able to hold the most water is or is not important to the world around us.

EL Students:

As a part of the Above Grade Level soil/water research activity, this group of learners could actually do a hands-on experiment using the four types of soil. They could have 4 containers that each contain a specific type of soil, then add water to each to examine which soil holds water most efficiently. This information could then become a part of the soil/water activity.

Additional Resources

Soil resource website
Soil & water resource website
How Soil Is Made by Heather L Montgomery
"What’s the Dirt on...Dirt?"

Appendix (See Downloads)

Examples of Nature Photography
Reflection Questions-Soil Study

Credits

The Rock Cycle Dance

Science and Dance

Description

In this arts integrated project, third grade students will analyze the rock cycle by composing small group dance compositions. Students will use the dance concepts: body shapes, non-locomotive and locomotive movements to depict how rocks change their form based on physical and chemical changes that naturally occur over time. Groups will observe their peers and evaluate the dance pieces based on their understanding of rocks.

PROJECT DOWNLOADS

Download Project

Choreography Planning Document

Learning Targets

“I Can…”

Use movement to represent the rock cycle
Identify how the changes in nature result in a new type of rock forming
Identify all of the steps in the rock cycle

Essential Questions

How can art media be classified to then create a composition?

Curriculum Standards

S3E1 Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils

Arts Standards

D3CR.2. Demonstrates an understanding of dance as a way to communicate meaning

Uses a combination of improvisation and choreographic tools to create movement based on one’s own ideas, feelings, concepts, and kinesthetic awareness
Recognizes and accurately describes movement and movement elements.
Moves expressively to music or other accompaniment (e.g., sound, text)

Content Vocabulary

Sedimentary rocks
Metamorphic rocks
Magma
Igneous rocks
Weathering
Sediments

Arts Vocabulary

Body shapes
Body levels
Locomotive movement
Choreography

Technology Integration

A video camera could be used to record each group's performance, allowing for deeper reflection for students by being able to go back and review the recorded performances.

Formative Assessment

Class discussion, group discussions, reflection questions, anecdotal notes when observing students working in small groups, class reflection/discussion, dances created, and the “Road Maps”.

Summative Assessment

Students could write about the process of creating the rock cycle dance as a reflection writing piece.
They could also critique or evaluate their peers when they performed their dance compositions.

Materials

Video camera, chart paper

Activating Strategy

As a whole group/class review the rock cycle together by analyzing a diagram.

Suggested images of diagrams:

Dance Warm-Up

Students will move freely through the space of the classroom while teacher plays instrumental music.
When the music stops they are to make a body shape.
Students will explore creating high, mid, and low body shapes.
Students will create a class list of examples of locomotive movement. (ie. zig-zag, skip, slither, jump)
As the teacher calls out a few of the locomotive movements from the created list, the students will move freely through the the space demonstrating the assigned movements.

Main Activity

Part 1: Expectations:

Place students in small groups and go over the expectations for the dance composition they will create together today.
Stress that each group must have 3 group body shapes that depict the 3 types of rocks and 3 locomotive movements that depict the chemical/ physical changes that occur during the rock cycle that transform the rock into the next type. (ie. weathering, heat & pressure)
Go over the Choreography Planning Document (see Downloads)

Part 2: Small Group Planning:

You may need to scaffold the planning of their dances by first having them create 3 body shapes for their 3 different rocks.
Then have them create the locomotive movements that moves them into each new rock.

Part 3: Sharing their Dances:

Allow time for the small groups to create their “dance”.
Groups will perform their dance pieces for the class.
The students in the audience will observe and determine which body shapes represented which types of rock and also will look for the locomotive movements that represent the changes in nature.

Reflective Questions

How did you know which body shape represented which rock?
Did the movement choices that the group selected accurately depict the rock cycle?
Are there any changes we might suggest these dancers make to their choreography to more effectively show the rock cycle?

Optional Resources

The Rock Cycle By Base 12 Innovations, Open iTunes to buy and download apps. Free Category: Education Updated: Apr 03, 2013 Version: 1.3 Size: 28.0 MB Language: English Seller: Sivaraman Sivaswami © 2011 Base 12 Innovations
Rock Cycle - BrainPOP

Appendix (See Downloads)

Choreography Planning Document

Credits

Grade 3: Rock-N-Art

Additional Resources

Coming Soon!

Back to Units

Module 3: Rounding Roller Coasters

ROUNDING ROLLER COASTERS