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Transcript

Why Explore the Theme of Value?

Understanding, questioning, and searching for value is an interesting and substantial theme that connects both our academic and social curriculum. Monetary worth is often attached to value, but human beings also value people, places, beliefs, traditions, culture, heritage, and the artifacts related to these things.

A unit on the questions of value can spark lively discussion and self-exploration.

We'll Explore

4 Essential Questions:

Now let's take a closer look at each of our four questions:

1) What do I value?

We'll try to answer this question in interesting ways that look at the question from different angles:

One way we'll explore this question is by creating a

Heart Map.

(which will also be used for ideas to inspire our writing)

Another way is by answering the question, "If our life was a music CD, what would be the song titles?"

To think about the tangibles that we value, we'll role-play a scenerio where if we had to move today, and only could bring 5 things with us, what would they be?

And to further explore the intangibles that we value, we'll be examining the characteristics we value in our friends and in ourselves.

Another big piece to answering this question is dicussing rights, and what rights do we value?

Rights in our classroom:

We'll think about and create a list of classroom rights. These will the rights that guide our learning all year long.

Human Rights:

We'll examine and attempt to prioritize the rights found in The Universal Declaraction of Human Rights.

2) What do I aspire to be?

How will we answer this question?

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

-Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Another way we'll study this question is by learning the 6 Levels of Good Choices. This will give us a common vocabulary to talk about our choices throughout the school year.

We all aspire to be a better person, but what’s the moral compass that guides us through those decisions? There are six levels of moral development outlined by the philosopher Lawrence Kohlberg. If we look at the levels as a small flight of stairs, our goal would be to reach the top level (Level 6) in each of the decisions we make in life.

We'll be studying all three (Stargirl, Groundhog's Day, and To Kill A Mockingbird) in class as they relate to Level 6.

So what is Level 6?

Essentially, you put others ahead of yourself, and you seek absolutely no recognition in doing so. You do it because your own personal code of behavior dictates it and you follow that code. Level 6 is pure integrity. It is hard to model and demonstrate, because Level 6 also includes a healthy dose of humility. As soon as you say, “Look at me! My behavior is Level 6!” You are no longer at Level 6. It’s a catch-22.

Remember values.com? They have a good Public Service Announcement that shows an example of Level 6. Here is the URL:

http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/78-Reach

To understand all of these levels, the children will be writing, filming, and editing roleplays that demonstrate each level. We'll also do a lot of reflection about where we see ourselves now and in the future with regards to these levels.

3) Where do my values come from?

How will we answer this question?

By looking at the possiblity of three sources:

1) Family and culture

2) Friends

This is an ongoing investigation in which our class takes time each morning, especially in the first six weeks, to get to know our classmates in ways we probably didn't know before. We celebrate both the similarities and the differences.

3) Media

The investigation into how media influences us in what we want, desire, and need is done mostly through a study in advertising that overlaps both our economics unit and a persuasive writing unit. We'll decompose advertising genres to help us identify the "tricks" that are used to try and influence the way we think.

This investigation has cross-curricular ties with our economics unit. In that unit, each child will start out with "government" jobs in the classroom, get paid classroom money, and have to pay rent. Eventually most will open their own businesses. After studying the genres of commercials, the children will write, direct, film, act, and edit their own commercial using an advertising genre they've identified.

Below is an example of a student-made commercial using the "Action-Adventure" genre that the class identified that year. Ishan wrote the script and directed the commercial for "Origami Organisms," his classroom business that sold origami. He decided that he would make his commercial exciting, so that his product would seem exciting and action-packed!

4) Why are some things more

valuable than others?

How will we answer this question?

This is our question where we can compare our values not only against themselves, but where we can compare ourselves and our value set with others. Therefore this is the perfect question to examine with literature.

There are two ways we'll answer this question:

The bulk of this unit is during the first two months of school. But the unit extends beyond that- it gives us a vocabulary to explore our choices both in and out of the classroom. It helps us define what we aspire to be, and gives us insight that will last at least throughout the year and hopefully beyond.

That's it! Thanks for taking the time to explore this unit with me.

Sincerely,

Ryan

Questions of Value

A self-portrait unit of study in 4th grade

Social Studies and Language Arts

Books!

We can also take a step towards empathy, by asking the question, "Why are these possessions valuable to this particular family, in this culture and climate?" This is a family from Mali.

A great deal of literature examines the different meanings of value. Students can tap into this body of literature throughout the year and examine the theme from many different angles.

In the books we read we'll look at the main characters, list their values, rate their integrity, and compare their values with our own.

We can learn a lot about what others value by looking at the things they possess and cherish. This is the family chosen from Kuwait.

The photographer asked families from several different countries to take every single possession out of their homes. This is the family he chose from The United States of America.

A Material World

Finally, we can appreciate the uniqueness of other cultures not necessarily represented in our classroom and hopefully expand our horizons just a little bit more. This is a family from Cuba.

"Material World" is a set of posters by photographer Peter Menzel. This one is of a family in South Africa.

We can also expand the definition of our own values by comparing what we value to the families depicted in these posters. This is a family from Japan.

Each family was asked to bring their most

valued items to the foreground of the picture.

This is the family chosen from Bhutan.

Here is a list of some of the possible values we could focus on to explore this question:

• Achievement

• Ambition

• Appreciation

• Believe

• Believe In Yourself

• Caring

• Character

• Charity

• Class And Grace

• Commitment

• Common Ground

• Compassion

• Compliments

• Confidence

• Courage

• Courtesy

• Rising Above

• Sacrifice

• Sharing

• Smile

• Soul

• Sportsmanship

• Spread Your Wings

• Stewardship

• Strength

• Teaching By Example

• Team Work

• True Beauty

• Trust

• Unity

• Vision

• Volunteering

• Dedication

• Determination

• Devotion

• Do Your Part

• Drive

• Empathy

• Encouragement

• Excellence

• Foresight

• Forgiveness

• Friendship

• Generosity

• Giving Back

• Good Manners

• Gratitude

• Hard Work

• Helping Others

• Loyalty

• Making A Difference

• Mentoring

• Motivation

• Opportunity

• Optimism

• Overcoming

• Passion

• Patience

• Peace

• Perseverance

• Persistence

• Practice

• Preparation

• Respect

• Responsibility

• Right Choices

• Honesty

• Hope

• Humility

• Including Others

• Ingenuity

• Innovation

• Inspiration

• Integrity

• Kindness

• Laughter

• Leadership

• Learning

• Listening

• Live Life

• Live Your Dreams

• Love

Level 6:

The Stargirl Level

Also called the

"Groundhog Day" Level

Also called the

"Atticus Finch" Level

Level 5:

I Think of Other People before I Think of Myself

The foundation creates billboards (some of which are featured right here) and Public Service Announcements in which the only goal is to promote these positive values.

The list of values is extensive. We will be exposed to a lot, but we'll only do an in depth study of the ones we connect with the most.

Values.com is a site dedicated to

positive values. It is the web face of "The Foundation For A Better Life," a non-denominational foundation that promotes some fantastic values.

Level 4:

I Follow The Rules

Examining

Positive

Values

We'll watch the Public Service Announcements and make personal connections with them.

Then we'll look at the values that we most connect with and then write, film, and edit our own Public Service Announcements that showcase those values.

Level 3:

I want to please someone I care about

Level 2:

I want a reward

Level 1:

I don't want to be punished

During this investigation into family and culture, the children will be conducting a series of interviews with a parent or close relative, and mapping family migratory history on Google Earth.

A closer look at each of the five questions:

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