ARTS IMPACT LESSON PLAN

Theaterand Life Science and Literature Infused Lesson

Designing the Giving Tree

Authors: Christina Perry-Menon with Ana Maria CampoyGrade Level: Kindergarten

Enduring Understanding

Body shapes can be used to show the parts of a tree from literature or nature.

Lesson Description(Use for family communication and displaying student art)

Students use The Giving Tree character descriptions to explore the parts of a tree. They work with a partner, with one student molding the other students into the shape of a tree.

Learning Targets and Assessment Criteria

Target: Identifies the parts of a tree.

Criteria:Names trunk, branches, leaves.

Target: Demonstrates collaboration.

Criteria:Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback.

Target: Invents a shape that embodies a characterfrom literature.

Criteria:Creates a “Giving Tree”tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, or leaves.



Pre-Teach

Read aloud The Giving Tree and identify the parts of a tree.

 Criteria-based teacher checklist: Names the parts of a tree.

Lesson Steps Outline

1. Warm up students with the Statues exercise.

 Criteria-basedprocess assessment: Moves in actor neutral and then freezes in character using whole or parts of their body.

2. Review collaboration and how students will work together in partners to mold tree statues.

 Criteria-basedprocess assessment: Actively participates in group conversations about collaboration.

3. Demonstrate and lead students in molding tree statues with partners.

 Criteria-basedteacher checklist, self-assessment: Creates a “Giving Tree” tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, and leaves. Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback.

4. Lead students into sharing and responding to tree statues.

 Criteria-basedteacher checklist, peer assessment: Creates a “Giving Tree” tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, and leaves. Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback.

LESSON STEPS______

Pre-teach

Read aloud The Giving Tree and identify the parts of a tree.

  • Today we will be reading The Giving Tree and I want you to think about the different parts of the tree.
  • What are the parts of the tree? Please tell me the parts of the tree by beginning withsaying “a tree has ____.”

Criteria-based teacher checklist:Names the parts of a tree.

______

1.Warm up students withthe Statues exercise.

  • Actors use their bodies to create a character’s specific physical attributes. Let’s warm up by using our bodies to make the shapes of characters.
  • Actors walk around in neutral. I will give you a character, then count 3,2,1 and you’ll freeze in your character. (Characters: pirate, monkey, rock/rap star, cat, dog.)
  • What did you do with your bodies to create the statues of the characters?

Criteria-based process assessment:Moves in actor neutral and then freezes in character using whole or parts of their body.

______

2. Review collaboration and how students will work together in partners to mold

tree statues.

  • Actors communicate and work together. That’s collaboration! Collaboration means that you work together and make compromises that will help you both be successful in your partnership.
  • Actors will take turns and compromise, agreeing upon and sharing statues of a tree. It is like in The Giving Treewhen the tree compromised with the boy’s wants.
  • What will you do with your partner that will show you are compromising?Are you moving your partner’s body or are you giving the directions so they know what you want them to do?

Criteria-based process assessment: Actively participates in group conversations about collaboration.

______

3.Demonstrate and lead students in molding tree statues with partners.

  • I’ll demonstrate with a volunteer. We are going to create a tree, inspired by the character of the tree in The Giving Tree.
  • Actors, think about how would like to use your body to represent tree parts. Are you using your hands, arms, legs? Are your arms straight or bent?
  • Student A is the molder and Partner B in the clay. Partner A will be molding their partners into tree statues using various parts of the tree (trunk, branches, leaves).
  • Roles switch; partner B will sculpt Partner A into various parts of the tree.
  • To make your tree statue more interesting, use different levels, lines, directions, expressions, and use all your body parts.
  • Think about the illustrations of the tree in The Giving Tree. What do you see in the book that can help you create your statue?
  • Explore making several different statues and then choose one. Make a mental picture of that statue. We will be sharing these with the group.
  • Ask yourself, how are you collaborating with your partner to create a shape of the tree from The Giving Tree?

 Criteria-based teacher checklist, self-assessment:Creates a “Giving Tree”tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, or leaves. Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback.

______

4.Lead students into sharing and responding to tree statues.

 Split the class in half to share tree statues.

  • All partner A’s will share their statues. Then, all partner B’s will share their statues.
  • Students in the audience can respectfully comment on what they notice in the Statues.
  • How did the students show the trunk? The branches? The leaves?
  • How did you know the tree statues showed the character from The Giving Tree?
  • What evidence did you see that showed the partners had collaborated?

 Switch performer and audience roles.

 Criteria-based teacher checklist, peer assessment: Creates a “Giving Tree”tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, or leaves. Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback.

______

ARTS IMPACT LESSON PLAN Theaterand Life Science and Literature Infused Lesson

Kindergarten: Designing the Giving Tree

CLASS ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

Disciplines / LIFE SCIENCE / THEATER and
LIFE SCIENCE / THEATER, LIFE SCIENCE, LITERATURE / Total
3
Concept /

Parts of a Tree

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Collaboration

/

Statues

Criteria
Student Name / Names trunk, branches, leaves. / Communicates ideas to others, makes compromises and incorporates input and feedback. / Creates a “Giving Tree”tree shape by manipulating the gestures, stance, and posture of a student to represent the trunk, branches, or leaves.
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What was effective in the lesson? Why?

What do I want to consider for the next time I teach this lesson?

What were the strongest connections between arts discipline and subject area?

Teacher: Date:

ARTS IMPACT FAMILY LETTER

ARTS AND LIFE SCIENCE AND LITERATURE INFUSED LESSON: Designing the Giving Tree

Dear Family:

Today your child participated in a Theater and Life Science and Literature Infused lesson. We talked about the parts of a tree.

  • We read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
  • We discovered how to use our body shapes to show characters.
  • We collaborated with a partner by communicating and compromising.
  • We created statues inspired by the tree in The Giving Tree by using our body shapes to show trunks, branches, or leaves.

At home, you could look at the trees near your home and use your bodies to make their shapes.

Enduring Understanding

Body shapes can be used to show the parts of a tree from literature or nature.

Arts Impact Arts Infusion2016-2017

Christina Perry-Menon; Concord International Elementary; Designing the Giving Tree

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