Cinquain

Context: This unit was created during Student Teaching in Mrs. Roten's 5th Grade class in the Spring of 2008. To produce this lesson the students worked in Microsoft Word.

The purpose of this lesson was teach the students about slavery and the importance of codes in the Underground Railroad.

Impact: During this lesson the students read different books that dealt with slavery including Sojourner Truth and Follow the Drinking Gourd. They also went to a presentation that discussed slavery in the Appalachians and how to decoded some of the secret words. Then they were to write up a cinquain and/or a ballad relating it to slavery.

Alignment:

Standard 6: Elementary teachers have a broad understanding of the basic concepts of the arts.

Indicator 2: The indicator was met by discussing the uses of symbols such as quilts to lead slaves to freedom. The students then made their own quilts that illustrate that time period.

Standard 11: Elementary teachers connect social studies with the broad curriculum.

Indicator 1: This indicator was met by sharing our cinquains as well as making our quilt squares and discussing the significance of the symbols.

Indicator 2: During the lesson students were able to learn about different forms of art and poetry.

Indicator 3: This was met by talking about how hard it was to communicate to others and how there was barely any technology.

Indicator 5: After the discussion of slavery the class went to the computer lab and typed up their poems about slavery which was then illustrate.

Standard 12: Working alone, or with arts specialist teachers and/or other qualified arts professionals, elementary teachers are able to integrate the arts into the elementary curriculum.

This standard was met by illustrating their poems and placing them into a classroom book. They also created a quilt square that showed symbols of the underground railroad. This quilt was hung-up during International Art night.