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4 Essential Questions:
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
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!
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
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.
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.
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.