Teaching Literature in the Content Area
Sheila
Content Areas
- Science
- Social Studies
- Meets State Standards
Benefits of Incorporating Literature in the Content Area
•Accesses and builds prior knowledge
•Connects to schemata
•Builds content specific vocabulary to increase understanding
•Activities become meaningful
•Assists students to connect and apply their learning to the community
•Authentic learning and assessment
•Higher order thinking and processes
•Compare and contrast concepts
Things to Consider During Planning
•Objectives to be taught
•Student’s prior knowledge
•Connecting concepts throughout the subject areas
•Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, PE, Music, and Reading
•Using multiple intelligences
Science / Habitats /Ponds
•Introduction
•Life Cycles
•Food Chains
•Math ~ Frog Multiplication
•Writing ~ Write words to the book Tuesday
•Science ~ Design a food chain
•Art ~ Using an origami book, make animals
•PE ~ Pond Olympics
•Music ~ Listen and record sounds of a pond
Social Studies / Underground Railroad
•Content Area: Social Studies
•Theme: Underground Railroad
•Grade: 3 to 5
•Objective ~ To retell the facts of the Underground Railroad through different viewpoints
•Objective ~ Use prediction to tell what will happen next in the story
Materials
•Follow the Drinking Gourdby Jeanette Winter
•Chart Paper
•US Map
Modifications
•Use of dictionary for writing
•Key vocabulary written on board color coded for visual learners
•Use of visuals: map and book
•Peer grouping
•Extra time for writing assignment
Building Background Knowledge
•Have students close eyes and visualize the following:
•Getting up before the sun
•No breakfast, working in the fields picking cotton, hot temperatures, no food or water, to get students to empathize with the plight of slaves.
•Review on a U.S. map the Ohio River, Canada, the track of the Underground Railroad.
•Take a picture walk through the book Follow the Drinking Gourd, pointing out key vocabulary and writing them on a chart.
Procedure
•The teacher will read the story Follow the Drinking Gourd, stopping every couple of pages to predict what will happen next.
•The teacher will lead the students in singing of the folksong Follow the Drinking Gourd, students reading while singing.
•Have students pair up and discuss what it would be like to be: Peg Leg Joe, one of the slaves, one of the safe house owners, the slave owners.
•Whip and share.
Evaluation
• Students will write a retelling of the book Follow the Drinking Gourd, from a different point of view. Students would then present their story to the class.