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Unit 4: Lesson 3Read "Kim" in Seedfolks; Instruct on Investigating & Annotating the Text; Experiment with Music

Unit 4

Planting a Community

                

 

 

Purpose 

In this unit, students read like detectives, asking questions and looking for clues about what characters are thinking, feeling, and doing. As they read, students compose music that represents those investigations in order to gain a deeper understanding of the characters and how they relate to the central theme of the story.

 

Unit Description

In this unit, students create a whole-class musical composition to Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, a Newbery Medal winning author. Seedfolks is told in a series of character chapters connected by a central theme. To prepare, students become “reading detectives,” annotating the text as they ask questions and look for clues about what characters are thinking, feeling, and doing. In doing so, they are making inferences and text-to-text connections and working toward identifying a central theme of the book. As students read, they learn a range of music elements and create music using classroom instruments and found objects to represent what they have learned about the characters. As a culminating event, the class creates and performs a Seedfolks Composition for an invited audience.

Intention of Unit

A4L Unit 4, Planting a Community, was initially designed and developed to target four primary literacy goals that were identified by teachers as particularly difficult for their students to master and apply – making inferences, text-to-text connections, determining theme, and annotating text.  The integration of an art form was perceived as a promising character traits with musical sounds and rhythm, by inspiring students to express and convey meaning and emotions, and to facilitate visualization of a theme for the text. 
 

Unit 4 Art Form

The art form designed for this Unit is music.  In much the same way that a story is conveyed in motion pictures or any media arts genre, the music is interwoven and connected to the text and images to identify and guide the viewer’s emotional interpretation of about what the characters are thinking, feeling and doing.  E.g.; the musical score is connected to descriptions of images and actions so that once the viewers have experienced the combined words with associated sounds, they can visualize what is happening when only the associated music is heard.    
 
The creation of music through found objects as well as available musical instruments is used as the art genre in this Unit.  This decision was made to comply with the strategy for equity and access used in all the A4L Units so that all students could experience the creation of a musical score even though their school may not have access to traditional musical instruments and students are not already knowledgeable about how to play them. 
This approach of relying on sounds, rhythm, dynamics, duration, pitch and timbre is not unprecedented and is masterfully used in music and dance compositions such as the Stomp and in the motion picture August Rush, as well as many other examples.  By using found objects to make sounds that convey the personality traits and actions of the characters in Seedfolks, students learn to listen intently and to discriminate the meaning of sounds and to be resourceful in finding ways to create music without formal music instruction.  
 

Differentiation Options

 
Vocal Music:  In addition to using music produced with found objects, a musical alternative is to use sounds produced by the human voice or body.  For example, the voice can also produce sounds that create different levels of dynamics, duration, pitch and timbre.  The voice alone is sufficient to produce the range of sounds and variations to define the characteristics of each character in the text and a thematic overview of the book.  The voice may also be effectively supplemented by sounds created using other parts of the body (e.g. clapping, rubbing hands, humming, stomping feet, etc.) or through a combination of voice and use of other found objects or musical instruments as suggested in the Unit.  
 
Visual Arts & Writing:  A substitute for the art genre of music could also be visual arts and writing, in which the students complement the association of sounds with quick linear gesture drawings and later with colors that convey character traits, emotions, and action.
 

Newly Added Feature: This Unit's student texts have been translated into Spanish

 

                

 

Common Core State Standards

Arts for Learning is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. This Overview describes the scope of the standards and this Quick Reference Guide provides each of the standards fully or partially met within this A4L Unit, followed by the charts that specifically identify the standards addressed in each lesson and step in the Unit. The standards are also coded and listed at the beginning of each lesson in the unit. Arts for Learning also provides a comprehensive student assessment program in each unit. This A4L Assessment Toolkit Quick Reference Chart indicates an overview of the locations of the tasks to be scored in the unit.
 
Each A4L unit is developed on a common framework and contains a 3-part sequence of instruction that educational research suggests will help students become more self-directed, independent learners. There is a gradual hand-off of responsibility--from teacher to students-- that is supported by assessment and teacher help as needed. Throughout A4L units the arts serve as motive and means to advance reading for meaning and writing thoughtfully.

 

 

 

 

Part 1

Learning

Unit 4: Lesson 3

Read "Kim" in Seedfolks; Instruct on Investigating & Annotating the Text; Experiment with Music

Unit 4: Lesson 3

Read "Kim" in Seedfolks; Instruct on Investigating & Annotating the Text; Experiment with Music

 
 

LITERACY OBJECTIVE

By the end of this lesson students will be able to identify clues in the text that inform the reader about the character, annotate the text to track questions and thoughts while reading, and create sounds that reflect their understanding of the character.
 
 

LITERACY "I CAN" STATEMENT

"I can identify clues in the story that tell me about the character, make notes about the things I am thinking while I read, and create sounds that reflect my understanding of the character."
 
 

 

LESSON OVERVIEW

 

Steps Pacing: 60-85 Minutes
30 Minutes
Step 5: Introduce the Seedfolks Character Chart & Complete for Kim 10-15 Minutes
20-30 Minutes

 

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

 

Targeted CCSS

 

Secondary CCSS

 

Teaching Resources

 

A4L Texts

 

ELL Vocabulary Support

 

A4L Student Notebook

 

Classroom Charts

 

Samples and Templates

 

Art Materials

 

Life & Learning Skills

 

  Differentiation Options  

 

  Leveraging Moments

 

 

 

STEP 1: INTRODUCE LESSON 3

 
 
Process: Give an overview of the lesson objectives: Begin Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman; read Kim and instruct on investigating and annotating the text; experiment with classroom instruments to reflect what they learned about the character.

 

ELL Support: Comprehensible Input

 

Connecting Literacy & Art: Scaffolding Theme Composition

 

  Differentiation Options: Reading & Annotating Kim

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Introducing Seedfolks

 

 

 

STEP 2: READ "KIM" EXCERPT 1, INSTRUCT ON ASKING QUESTIONS, LOOKING FOR CLUES & ANNOTATING THE TEXT

 
 
Process: Guide students to sit in their Seedfolks Ensembles with their A4L Texts. Tell students to wait for the "Go" signal to begin moving. Begin Seedfolks by reading Kim, Excerpt 1. Read the excerpt all the way through and then go back and read each paragraph closely, guiding students to ask "I wonder" questions and to look for clues that tell the reader what the character is thinking, feeling, and doing. See the menu below, Differentiation Options: Reading & Annotating Kim for options to scaffold the process.
 
Display Unit 4 Text, page 2 on the document camera. Model how to annotate the text by writing a "?" to note an "I wonder," circling clues, and writing notes in the margins. Create a Reading Like a Detective chart for students to reference throughout the unit.
 
This lesson is highly scaffolded, as students learn how to look for clues, generate "I wonder" questions, and annotate the text. The process will become more fluid as the unit progresses.

 

Reading Like a Detective

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Students move to sit with Seedfolks Ensembles

 

Begin reading Kim

 

Instruct on asking questions, reading for clues, and annotating the text

 

Rereading Aloud Paragraph 1

 

Reread Paragraph 2

 

Repeat process for paragraph 3.

 

 

 

STEP 3: READ KIM EXCERPT 2, ASK QUESTIONS, LOOK FOR CLUES & ANNOTATE THE TEXT

 
 
Process: Read Kim, Excerpt 2. Read the excerpt all the way through. Then have students work in pairs to reread closely, asking "I wonder" questions and looking for clues that tell the reader what the character is thinking or feeling. Prompt pairs to record their questions, clues, and ideas in their A4L Texts on page 3. See menu below, Differentiation Options: Reading and Annotating Kim to scaffold students appropriately.

 

  Differentiation Options: Reading & Annotating Kim

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Read Kim, Excerpt 3 and Annotate the Text

 

Whole Class Discussion

 

 

 

STEP 4: READ KIM EXCERPT 3, ASK QUESTIONS, LOOK FOR CLUES & ANNOTATE THE TEXT

 
 
Process: Read Kim, Excerpt 3. Read the excerpt all the way through. Then have students work in pairs to reread each paragraph closely, asking "I wonder" questions and looking for clues that tell the reader what the character is thinking, feeling, or doing. Prompt pairs to record their questions, clues, and ideas in the margin.
 
See menu above in Step 3, Differentiation Options: Reading and Annotating Kim to scaffold students appropriately.
 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Reading Kim, Excerpt 3 and Annotate the Text

 

Whole Class Discussion

 

 

 

STEP 5: INTRODUCE THE SEEDFOLKS CHARACTER CHART & COMPLETE FOR KIM

 
 
Process: Guide students through the Seedfolks Character Chart for Kim. Create wall space for a large version of the chart, or display it on the document camera. Have students turn to page 4 in their A4L Notebooks.
 
The Seedfolks Character Chart is designed to help students reflect on what they have learned about the characters in Seedfolks, and to help them begin to think about sounds that will help them represent the characters. The chart is also a way for students to keep track of all the characters and how they relate to each other. See chart with sample responses here.
 
Connecting Literacy & Art: Music Reading Connections

 

Teaching Tip: Making Music VS. Sound Effects

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Guide Students to Engage with the Seedfolks Character Chart

 

 

 

STEP 6: TRANSITION TO MUSIC

 
 
Process: Guide ensembles to gather instruments. Depending on how the room is set up, invite two to four ensembles at a time to gather instruments. Ensembles should gather at least one from each music station. Rotate the order in which groups collect instruments each day.
 
Suggested Dialogue

 

Analyzing Music and Kim's Character

 

 

 

STEP 7: GUIDE ENSEMBLES TO PRACTICE & DEMONSTRATE SOUNDS BRAINSTORMED FOR KIM

 
 
Process: Guide ensembles to use their instruments to try out several of the sounds they brainstormed for Kim. Ensembles should select 3-4 characteristics or feelings and their corresponding sounds to try out using instruments. After 5-7 minutes of experimentation, invite students to demonstrate their sounds for the class.
 
Keep the music experimentation brief. Total time for practicing and demonstrating sounds is 12 minutes.
 
 
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Introducing and Modeling Activity

 

Guiding Students to Practice Creating Sounds to Represent the Character

 

Inviting Students to Share Sounds

 

 

 

STEP 8: COLLECT INSTRUMENTS & RESTORE THE ROOM

 
 
Process: Restore the room to its original state. Students return instruments to their correct storage unit. Feel free to assign students the responsibility of organizing instruments into bins and putting bins away. Students return to their regularly assigned seats.
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Restoring the Classroom...
 
 
 

STEP 9: INTRODUCE THE TREASURE PILE OF BOOKS

 
 
Process: Introduce the Treasure Pile of books, which will increase students' time engaged in motivated reading practice. Frequently invite students to hunt through the pile, read the books during silent reading time, and check them out to read at home. Out of School Reading is essential for students to become successful readers. It is recommended that students form book clubs to help them become a community of readers and to extend their reading detective work. Feel free to use existing leveled reading groups and literature circles, or create new groups based on students' interests and reading levels.
 
Treasure Pile of Books

 

Suggested Dialogue

 

Thinking about Planting a Community

 

 

 

STEP 10: CLOSE LESSON 3

 
 
Process: Close the lesson with a look forward, describing the next lesson.
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Looking Forward
 
 
 
 

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING LESSON 3! YOU ARE NOW READY TO MOVE ONTO LESSON 4 OF UNIT 4.

 

 

 

 

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