Unit+of+Instruction+1

 Lesson #1

Where We Live media type="custom" key="11522978"

[|Now let's see where YOU live! Click here to check out pictures of your neighborhood.] Description of lesson: This is the introductory lesson for our unit on Denver, a social studies and life skills unit. Students will view and discuss the above film, then talk about their own lives in Denver to form a contextual basis for the unit. Students can also view pictures of their own neighborhood using the link above. In class, we will create the art project listed below as an engaging activity to connect their own lives with the more overreaching learning about their city.

Assignment:  Students will create a labeled drawing of their homes and families with art tools provided in class. Group sharing afterward will promote listening and speaking skills.

Resources/materials needed: Paper, crayons, colored pencils, a computer, internet, YouTube and projector.

Technology reflection: The engaging visuals and voice over provided by the video offer examples of other people's perspectives on the city that the students are studying. Rather than just telling a story, students can step into the story, using the video as a stepping stone to creating empathy and outside mentality awareness.

Evaluation: This should be a clear first lesson for the students, but I will have to wait and see if they are at a level where we would talk about the differences of a city to a state, or about how you can live on a street and in a city... If the labeling part of the classwork is too difficult, I think saying or signing the names will be fine.