integrating language arts and science with social studies

Trout Lily by Esmeralda Gutierrez

We chose from a variety of books with social studies related topics including landmarks, environmental issues, and diversity, so we could come up with some activities to go along with the book. I choose a book called, On Meadowview Street. It is about a girl who moves into a new neighborhood on Meadowview Street. Her dad was mowing the backyard and the girl told him to mow around a flower that she saw. She put out some poles around the flower with ropes to keep it from being cut. The area that she blocked off kept betting bigger and bigger, until pretty soon, her dad had no use for his lawnmower. They made a little pond in the back and it filled with animals. They even let their front yard grow out. The neighbors started preserves on their yards as well.

may apples by Esmeralda Gutierrez

The social studies standard that went well with the activities I planned was, 2.3.7 Identify ways that recreational opportunities influence human activity in the community.

L.A. 

R.L.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

Science
2.3.1   Observe closely over a period of time and then record in pictures and words the changes in plants and animals throughout their life cycles-including details of their body plan, structure and timing of growth, reproduction and death.

2.3.2   Compare and contrast details of body plans and structures within the life cycles of plants and animals.

Engagement Activity:
Students will be asked to draw their own nature preserve. They will also do a wildflower study where they will learn about a wildflower of their choice, including if their flower would be able to thrive in their backyard or where it is most likely to thrive. Students will also learn more about wildflowers through books, video clips, websites, and a trip to a nature preserve. When visiting the nature preserve, students can take pictures of wildflowers and other aspects of it. It resources permit, students can grow their own flower garden and study how the flowers grow and change.

Dutchmen's Britches by Esmeralda Gutierrez

Intregrating drama with science

We read poems and stories by Jon Scieszca and acted them out. Our poem went to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad". While we all sang, Jessica and I hand some movements to go along with the song. I was the predator and she was the pray. In this picture, we are acting out the part in the poem that goes, "Who's for lunch today? Who's for lunch today? ....Predator or pray, predator or pray..." I was the predator so I was scared and then I would turn around and pretend to grab Jessica when we would say pray.

Tolerance in a Picture (The arts and social studies)

We were all assigned to take picture of something that represented the concept of harmony, tolerance, civic responsibility, patriotism, or citizenship. Our pictures could not have any people in them, which would have made the one I was assigned, a bit easier. It helped me think outside the box though. The pictures we usually see about tolerance that include people are people of different color or race holding hands. That is what I would have taken a picture of. I still wanted to take a picture of something that represented the tolerance of diversity and uniqueness in others. I decided to go with different colored streamers, strewn across a box with a hole in it. I taped the ends of the streamers to the box, so they would stay in place, then I put a weight on top of them to see if these fragile, delicate steamers could hold the weight. They did. I wanted to show that together, we can take on the "heaviness" of the world, but it is not just going to take one of us or a "group" of us. It takes all of us, black or white, American, or Asian, introverted and out going, to keep from falling in.

Integrating the arts with geography

After our geography garbles, we were asked to choose a state or country and make a model of it with salt dough. We knew were going to make salt dough maps so the dough was made in advance. I choose to make the state of Texas. The following class we had to think of ways we could use our salt dough model to teach geography in our class. My partner and I decided to label the major cities and rivers in the state of Texas. It is a geography standard for 5th grade to locate the major rivers and cities in the United States. Others in the class made their model to show the physical features of their state or what products and crops the state is known for.

Integrating language arts, the arts, and social studies to learn about neighborhoods

As an introduction to neighborhoods, we were asked to take a picture of what we see when we step out our door. We put the pictures next to each other on the board and talked about the similarities and differences in the pictures. Then we answered a series of questions that made us reflect on where we lived. "I love my neighborhood because...", "If I could change something in my neighborhood...", and "I think it would be great if...". We ended our discussion with a cinquain poem. We put are our poem and our picture together so they could be hung up.


This one is mine...

Merry Lea

I went on a field trip with my daughter to Merry Lea near Wolf Lake. Merry Lea is part of a Goshen College program that not only connects children to history but to earth sciences, biology, and life science. We also learned how people lived in the 1800s.

This machine takes the corn kernels of the cob.

This machine shakes the corn to take off all the dust from when it was taken off the cob.
 Students are grinding the corn and turning it into corn meal.











This students are grinding the corn to make corn meal.

The students were able to taste corn cob jelly on crackers. Then the students heading to the kitchen. They used their imaginations to make magic muffins. Our guide pointed out that one of our ingredients was one that we had just ground up (corn meal). Once he put the empty pan in the oven, out came out a pot with warm cornbread muffins. We shared the muffins and talked about some of the other uses for the stove, (not pictured here). We learned that water was kept warm in one compartment, for baths. Two of the students were able to get in the small tub and take a "bath" using a ladle. They also saw that the iron was made hot on the stove as well. It had many uses.

The students were also able to play with toys that were used during that time. The kids had so much fun and there was no technology involved.

another use for the corn cob...

                                                 can you get the ball into the can?

                                                                                                                          pick up sticks

Students also made their own apple cider they were able to turn the wheels and cranks to make it possible. They drank their cider back at school. Students were then taken to the garden where they picked berries and tomatoes to eat. Our guide explained how the vegetables and fruits were canned so they could be preserved during the winter.                                                                                           

The theme of the tour was energy. How we need energy to move, what kinds of energy we use, where we get our energy from, and how we use the energy to work and grow/make food. 

Cabin Days

We took a field trip to Leeper Park in South Bend, to take a look at life in the 1820s. This was truly a rich experience. I learned so much. It was set up in stations: the cabin, cooking, medical care, sewing, candle making, and blacksmithing.

Our first stop was the "Navarre" cabin. There, I learned that cabins did not have glass windows back in the 1820s and that there was wooden shutters clothes and animal skin were used to cover the windows.  I also saw that the bed did not have a mattress, like we do today. just a heavy blanket on top of ropes going across the bottom.

tomahawk and container to carry gun powder

                                          kettle


broom

     corn sheller- used to take the kernels of the cob

blacksmith making a tool for heating coffee or water

I learned the process of making thread out of sheep wool. First, the sheep wool has to be washed, then it has to be combed through, finally it can be picked off the comb and turned into thread by twisting it tightly. The wool is twisted and put on a around a spool at the same time. A wheel that is turned by the pedal shown below, turns the spool and twists the wool.

 making thread of wool

This sweater is made out of sheep wool.

Travis shared that everything had to be used because waste equaled death. Corn cobs were even used. They were made into tobacco pipes and they could also be used as toilet paper. They could also be boiled and then made into corn cob jelly.

cow tongue (even this was eaten)

 Travis shared how the hind of a beaver is treated so it will not rot away. Cow brains and urine are used.

Testing out the pails. They pretty easy to carry. I wonder how it would feel once they are filled.

Doctor Visit

According to the "doctor", the leading cause of  death in 1830 was infection. Barbers did a lot of "doctor" work in their town. People had to travel farther for a doctor. Doctors bartered for their service. Back then, to become a doctor, you had to be a doctor's servant for 3 years, while paying him 50,000 a year) and then he gave you a certificate.

                                                     

                                                 


                                                                bone saw
                                                             

I learned a lot from this field trip. If the students are asked to somehow reflect on this field trip by doing an art piece or reading books related to this experience, they can make some really neat connections that they can remember.

Using field trip items to create art and deepening of content (extension to Portage Trail and Riverview Cemetery field trip)

Before we went on the field trip, we were told to bring a bag so we could collect some things found on our the field trip. We were not told what these items were going to be used for. We just knew we needed to collect items that were meaningful to us. I collected acorn shells, sand, twigs, leafs, and an artificial poinsettia leaf. We found out next class, that we were going to use the items we found to make an art piece that represented what we learned or experienced on the trip. We discussed how knowing before hand would have negatively affected our experience, because we would have been too concerned about what to take with us. After making our art piece, we wrote how the our creation represented what we learned or experienced. This is a creative way to integrate art with social studies. Students are learning about history, but they are also using critical thinking and creativity to synthesize what their new knowledge.

My art piece was about the portage trail.  The sand is the trail, ant the acorn shells, poinsettia leaf, and twig represent what I found on the way. The poinsettia leaf would have probably not been there when the trail was used, but it still represents a "thing" encountered on the path. I wonder what sort of things La Salle saw on his way down the trail.

This was from classmate, Jessica Leatherman.

This was from Heather Stutzman.