Name Mobile

Standards: Content Standard Social Studies Standard C (Political Science and Citizenship)

          NCSS:

·         Enable learners to assess the importance of cultural unity and diversity within and across groups.

·         Create opportunities for learner participation in activities to strengthen the “common good.”

            MMSD:

·         Examine similarities and differences between family, community, and national traditions, customs and celebrations.

·         Recognize and respect that individual differences are important to self and others.

            UW Madison Teacher Education:

·         Standard 5: Explains and Justifies Educational Choices – This activity allows for students to learn the similarities and differences they have and they can connect with similar interests and accept and embrace differences.  Acknowledging these concepts helps to build a strong and safe community in the classroom.

·         Standard 9: Manages Learning Environment – This activity requires a lot of free time and individual work.  I will encourage students to socialize and work independently in the beginning and then listen to one another and respect differences while sharing their work. 

Materials Needed:

Self written book about who you are as a person.
Cardstock strips: 15” by 6” (rectangular shaped) as many as there are students in the class and one for each teacher involved in the room regularly
Cardstock squares: approximately 4” by 5” Five of these for each cardstock strip that is needed
String
Markers
Hole punch
Yarn ball
 
Objectives:

Students will be able to spell and write their name correctly when writing it on the mobile.
Students will be able to express their personal interests through writing or drawing.
Students will be able to identify similarities and differences among themselves when sharing their interests.
 
Lesson Context:

During the previous lesson, the students decorated puzzle pieces using pictures that describe who they are and what they like to do.  Following that, they put the puzzle together and learned that together we make a bigger picture and that each one of us is unique.  This lesson is going to reinforce that concept in that we are all individuals and we have similarities and differences that make us special.

Lesson Opening:

Have students gather on the rug to begin the lesson.  Ask students if they know what a community is.  Take any answers and explanations as you go.  Explain to students that we live in a large community but that we also have a community within our classroom.  Is everyone in our community exactly the same?  Students should answer no.  We are all different but we have some things in common that we can enjoy together.  Today we are going to learn about each member in our community so we can share interests and learn from one another if we have differences.  For example, if two of us like soccer, we can play soccer at recess.  If someone doesn’t know how to play soccer but they know how to play baseball, maybe we can take turns teaching each other and learning new games.
 
Procedures:

Explain to the students that you are very excited to get to know each and everyone of them and ask them if they want to get to know you.  Tell them that you wrote a book about yourself that you would like to share with them so they can learn who you are and that you have things that are the same as them. 

Read the story and let them ask any questions they have or share if they have any similar interests.  Tell the students that today we are going to do a similar activity to let everyone get to know us but we are not going to write a book.  We are going to make mobiles with our names on them and our interests to hang up around the room. 
 
Show the students one of the large rectangular pieces in which you already created an example.  Your name is going to be a big part of this mobile and that it should be written loud and proud along the length of the paper.  Suggest that the students use pencil first because sometimes we make mistakes and these are going to be beautiful projects that we want to hang up and show off.  They should write their name on both sides because it is going to be hanging like a mobile.  They can do one side with their first name and last name on the other side or first name on both.
 
After the students are done writing their name in a very creative and decorative way they can decorate and color their name piece.  When they are finished they can raise their hand and the teacher will come around and give them five of the smaller cardstock papers.  On each square they will write or draw something about themselves.  It can be a hobby or an interest or a favorite something.  It just has to be something about them.
 
As the teacher take their name card and hole punch five holes in the bottom, evenly spread across, and two holes on the top, to hang it from the ceiling.
 
Be sure to have other activities for the students who have finished early.  Games or puzzles that are low key.
 
When all of the students are finished, have them come back to the rug and sit in a circle around the edge with their five cards in front of them.  Randomly select a student that is going to begin.  Explain that the student who starts will hold the ball of yarn and share one thing they wrote on their card.  If someone has the same thing they raise their hand and the student rolls the yarn ball to one of the students with their hand up.  The new student with the yarn ball them shares another thing they wrote down on their card and waits for students to raise their hand if they also share that interest, have them roll the yarn ball again.  Preferably students would work off of their five cards but if a student shares something that no one else wrote down but is interested in they can roll the ball to them and then start again with the cards.  If no one shares an interest then point out the difference and express the sentiment that that particular child will have to teach us something new about their interest throughout the year.
 
Have the students give you their five cards to be attached to their mobile.  Hole punch a hole into each card and tie them to the five holes on the name mobile using string.  Then tie a string through the two holes on top and hang them from the ceiling using paper clips (picture provided).

Closure:

When each student has had a chance to roll the ball and if time permits try to get through all the cards, stop and have a discussion about how many connections we make.  Look at how the yarn goes through each and every one of us and we are all connected in some way or another.  If there were differences discuss how we can appreciate those differences and learn from one another.
 
Assessment:

Informal: Observe students as they are working independently but chatting to get to know one another.
Formal: Check for spelling of their name and ask them if they need any assistance.
Informal: Listen as students share interests and if they raise their hand at the right time when they share interests.