Krystle Louise Lowery

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  1. Unit on Mexico
Home > CI 4000 > Unit on Mexico

Unit on Mexico

NC- North Carolina DPI Elementary Education Specialty Area Standards
Standard: Standard 4: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in social studies.
Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers have a basic knowledge and understanding of the tapestry of world cultures. Teachers:
Detail: Value the contributions of world cultures and religions,
Detail: Have an awareness of, an appreciation for, and sensitivity to diverse cultures, and
Indicator: Indicator 2: Teachers understand the social science disciplines. Teachers:
Detail: Acquire new knowledge in the social sciences.
Indicator: Indicator 4: Teachers have knowledge of and appreciation for multicultural children’s literature. Teachers select appropriate literature that is free from racist and sexist bias.
Indicator: Indicator 6: Teachers understand basic geographic concepts and how they can be integrated including:
Detail: Map, globe and chart skills
Indicator: Indicator 8: Teachers have a knowledge of history and historical concepts including:
Detail: World History
Indicator: Indicator 11: Teachers promote the basic principles of being a citizen as vital to the development of responsible members of society by promoting an understanding of character development, including: Responsibility, Integrity, Self-discipline, Caring, Respect, Perseverance, Courage, and Citizenship.
Standard: Standard 7 : Elementary teachers use developmentally appropriate strategies to design and deliver instruction in all areas of the elementary curriculum.
Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers develop and implement the pacing and alignment of curriculum that is consistent with the NC SCOS, LEA standards and pacing guides, and national standards in all subject areas.
Indicator: Indicator 2: Teachers understand and use an interdisciplinary approach to teaching by connecting and integrating language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, healthful living, and arts concepts and processes, with appropriate technologies to enhance their teaching.
Indicator: Indicator 3: Teachers promote new learning by using students’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and interests when designing lessons.
Indicator: Indicator 4: Teachers implement a variety of teaching and communication strategies for instruction.
Indicator: Indicator 5: Teachers assist students in developing multiple learning strategies to address discipline specific content, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
Indicator: Indicator 7: Teachers develop and use a variety of formal and alternative assessment strategies as an integral part of instruction and learning appropriate for assessing individual, peer, team, and collaborative skills.
Standard: Standard 11: Elementary teachers connect social studies with the broad curriculum. Teachers use the scope and sequence of the social studies curriculum to teach skills through the integration of the social studies content with the areas listed below.
Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers incorporate communication in their lessons.
Indicator: Indicator 5: Teachers incorporate technology skills in their social studies lessons through collecting data, organizing and sorting data, and displaying data in a variety of ways.
Standard: Standard 15: Elementary teachers encourage underrepresented groups to engage in the schooling process, especially math and science.
Indicator: Indicator 1: Teachers use a variety of strategies to encourage underrepresented groups to engage in the schooling process, especially math and science. They:
Detail: Utilize community resources
Detail: Give personal attention and encouragement to underrepresented groups of students
Detail: Use relevant and real-world applications that interest a diverse population
Detail: Encourage underrepresented groups to assume leadership roles.

Rationale

Context:

I created this unit to meet the requirements of my CI 4000 class.  I taught the lessons in April Trivette’s third grade classroom at Mountain View Elementary in Ashe County.  The lessons were taught Monday –Thursday and then Monday – Wednesday the following week.  Throughout the lessons, I monitored all students work keeping examples from a high, medium, and low student for each lesson.  After each day I wrote a reflection on what had happened during the lesson.

The unit topic I choose was Mexico.  My cooperating teacher and I choose this because the third grade classrooms were doing a collaborative unit on the book Santiago’s Silver Mine, by Eleanor Claymer, which is set in Mexico.  My cooperating teacher wanted her students to learn more about Mexico than just what they would be doing with the book, so this fit in perfectly with her plans.  This unit aligns with the third grade NCSCOS competencies 2.02, 2.03, 3.01, 3.03, and 4.03 in Social Studies.

Impact:

See attached File.

Alignment:

I have met standard 4 indicator1 by teaching my unit on Mexico and its culture.

I have met standard 4 indicator 2 by creating this unit.  I have learned many new things about Mexico and its culture while I planned this unit.

I have met standard 4 indicator 4 choosing books about Mexico for my unit that were free from racist and sexist bias.

I have met standard 4 indicator 6 by teaching the Landforms Lesson and using a world map.

I have met standard 4 indicator 8 by teaching the Web Quest on the Maya culture and discussing that Eagle on the Mexican flag was a symbol of Mexico's Aztec heritage.

I have met standard 4 indicator 11 by teaching the Flag Lesson.  Students learned about perseverance.

I have met standard 7 indicator 1 by linking my unit to the NCSCOS.

I have met standard 7 indicator 2 by integrating Language Arts into my Social Studies unit.

I have met standard 7 indicator 3 by using a focus for every lesson that asked students to use their prior knowledge to get them started.  I also discussed with my cooperating teacher before hand what they would already know about Mexico.

I have met standard 7 indicator 4 by using a variety of strategies to present the information such as, discussion, power point, and smart board.

I have met standard 7 indicator 5 by including critical thinking questions on my Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Meurots web quest.

I have met standard 7 indicator 7 by using formal assessment at the end of my lessons. 

I have met standard 11 indicator 1 by being sure to communicate all important  ideas to students.

I have met standard 11 indicator 5 by having the students complete two web quests.

I have met standard 15 indicator 1 by using the library at Mountain View Elementary and Appalachian.  I made sure to give personal attention to all students throughout the unit.  By using the computer I made sure to interest all students in my diverse classroom.  During my unit a student from Mexico brought in artifacts and showed them to the class.

File Attachments:
  1. Impact for Rationale Impact for Rationale

Unit Assessment

File Attachments:
  1. KWL Procedure KWL Procedure

Lesson 1

File Attachments:
  1. Comparing the Different Cultures Comparing the Different Cultures
  2. Reflection for Comparing the Different Cultures Reflection for Comparing the Different Cultures

Lesson 2

File Attachments:
  1. Comparing the Mexican Flag and American Flag Comparing the Mexican Flag and American Flag
  2. Reflection for Comparing the Mexican Flag and American Flag Reflection for Comparing the Mexican Flag and American Flag

Lesson 3

File Attachments:
  1. Maya Web Quest Maya Web Quest
  2. Maya Web Quest Worksheet Maya Web Quest Worksheet
  3. Reflection for the Maya Web Quest Reflection for the Maya Web Quest

Lesson 4

File Attachments:
  1. Landforms Lesson Landforms Lesson
  2. Landforms Worksheet Landforms Worksheet
  3. Reflection for Landforms Lesson Reflection for Landforms Lesson

Lesson 5

File Attachments:
  1. Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos Web Quest Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos Web Quest
  2. Reflection for Cinco/Dia de los Muertos Web Quest Reflection for Cinco/Dia de los Muertos Web Quest
  3. Web Quest Work Sheet Web Quest Work Sheet

Lesson 2 Done Again

File Attachments:
  1. New Comparing the Flags Lesson New Comparing the Flags Lesson
  2. Reflection for Comparing the Mexican and American Flags 2 Reflection for Comparing the Mexican and American Flags 2
Author: Krystle Lowery
Last modified: 11/14/2006 12:09 PM (EST)