What Do You Think Is Beautiful?
An Introduction to Our Individual Concepts of Beauty
Teacher: Ms. Erin
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject Area: Social Studies – Beauty – and Writing Workshop
Time Needed: 45 minutes – 1 hour
Materials:
· A couple weeks prior to beginning this unit, I interviewed each student asking them “What makes a person beautiful?”. Although I will not be teaching this unit in my practicum site, I asked this question to 10 of my Kindergarten students so that I could develop a sense of what children at this age understand about beauty. The responses that I received from the students have guided the development of this unit on beauty.
MMSD Elementary Social Studies Standards Connections for Kindergarten:
· SWBAT identify one person/place/thing that is beautiful and draw it on a paper.
· SWBAT explain their reasoning for why the person/place/thing that they chose is beautiful to them.
· SWBAT understand that each person is unique and therefore each of us has different ideas about the world, including what we believe is beautiful, and these differences should be celebrated.
Lesson Context:
· This unit on beauty is part of a larger unit that would encompass the entire year-long Kindergarten social studies curriculum. The “Behavioral” strand of Kindergarten social studies involves identifying and accepting differences among each other, so I would create a year-long study about individual differences. Lessons from this unit would not happen each day, but it will be spread out throughout the year. The different sections of this unit will be based upon our individual differences, including that of celebrations, food, dress, concepts of beauty, activities, etc.
· This lesson will be the introductory lesson to this section of the study on beauty. In this lesson, we will explore what we each think beauty is in general. This lesson will expose students to thinking more in depth about what they think is beautiful.
Lesson Procedure: (approximately 45 minutes)
· This introductory lesson will be a relatively short lesson. We will begin by sitting on the carpet together, and I will explain that we are going to begin to explore the word “beautiful.”
· I will ask the students what the word “beautiful” means to them. I will encourage all students to share their ideas, but I will not force anyone to share. I will not comment on any of the students’ ideas. Instead, I want this to just be a quick sharing activity in which no one’s ideas are questioned or judged. I want everyone to feel comfortable sharing what they each feel is beautiful in the world. They may comment on beauty in regard to physical appearances of people, or they may comment on beautiful things that are found in nature. Each of their answers will be celebrated during this discussion.
· After engaging in this introductory discussion, the students will then go back to their desks and they will each draw a picture of what they think “beautiful” is. They can use the blank piece of white paper and any of the crayons, colored pencils, and markers that are available. I will stress to them that this is an individual activity. This means that they will each have their own picture. No one’s picture will be the same. They can talk to each other about their pictures, but everyone can draw what they want to draw.
· After the students draw their pictures, they will then do a writing activity. During this writing activity, they will have the opportunity to explain their picture. I will encourage them to write a few sentences about why they think that what they drew is beautiful.
Lesson Closure: (as much time as needed)
· When everyone has completed their drawings and their written descriptions of their drawings, we will all gather back on the carpet. I will encourage anyone to share their pictures and read to us what they wrote about in regard to what each person thinks is beautiful.
· After everyone has had a chance to share, I will close this lesson by asking everyone if each of us drew the same thing. The students will answer that “No, no one’s picture is the same.” I will then ask everyone if that means that we all think the same things are beautiful. The students will realize that each of us have different ideas and beliefs about what is beautiful in the world, and each of our ideas should be celebrated.
Assessment Strategies:
· Assessment during this lesson will be entirely informal. I will observe the students’ responses during the group discussion both at the beginning of the lesson and at the end to see if students are beginning to understand that each one of us are individuals and therefore have unique perceptions of what is beautiful. I will observe to make sure that the students’ are accepting everyone’s individual beliefs and ideas.
Differentiation:
· This entire lesson allows for differentiation because it is based on everyone’s unique ideas about beauty. Therefore, the students are allowed to draw anything that they think is beautiful, which will most likely be different for everyone.
· I will also differentiate during the writing workshop portion of this lesson. Some students may be ready to write sentences, whereas some students will need a great deal of support when explaining their pictures through words. I will encourage all students to try their best, but I will work closely with the students that I know need the extra support.
Cultural Relevance:
· This lesson on beauty allows for individual expression. Therefore, students’ unique cultures, backgrounds, and interests come into play when they are allowed to draw what they believe is beautiful.
An Introduction to Our Individual Concepts of Beauty
Teacher: Ms. Erin
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Subject Area: Social Studies – Beauty – and Writing Workshop
Time Needed: 45 minutes – 1 hour
Materials:
- Blank, white piece of paper for each student put on the tables
- White, lined paper on each of the tables
- Crayons, colored pencils, and markers on the tables
· A couple weeks prior to beginning this unit, I interviewed each student asking them “What makes a person beautiful?”. Although I will not be teaching this unit in my practicum site, I asked this question to 10 of my Kindergarten students so that I could develop a sense of what children at this age understand about beauty. The responses that I received from the students have guided the development of this unit on beauty.
MMSD Elementary Social Studies Standards Connections for Kindergarten:
- Behavioral:
- Identify similarities, differences in the people around them.
- Identify actions or feelings of others that are similar to or different from one’s own and show confidence in expressing one’s own beliefs and feelings
- Culture
- Students’ individuality in regard to what they believe is beautiful allows for cultural individuality as well.
- Individual Development and Identity
- Students will be encouraged to express their individuality through drawing and describing what they believe is beautiful.
-
Standard 14: Relates Well with Families and Communities
-
This lesson introduces students to the topic of beauty and the activities that the students do during this lesson immediately recognize and show appreciation for each student's culture, interests, backgrounds, beliefs, etc.
-
This lesson introduces students to the topic of beauty and the activities that the students do during this lesson immediately recognize and show appreciation for each student's culture, interests, backgrounds, beliefs, etc.
· SWBAT identify one person/place/thing that is beautiful and draw it on a paper.
· SWBAT explain their reasoning for why the person/place/thing that they chose is beautiful to them.
· SWBAT understand that each person is unique and therefore each of us has different ideas about the world, including what we believe is beautiful, and these differences should be celebrated.
Lesson Context:
· This unit on beauty is part of a larger unit that would encompass the entire year-long Kindergarten social studies curriculum. The “Behavioral” strand of Kindergarten social studies involves identifying and accepting differences among each other, so I would create a year-long study about individual differences. Lessons from this unit would not happen each day, but it will be spread out throughout the year. The different sections of this unit will be based upon our individual differences, including that of celebrations, food, dress, concepts of beauty, activities, etc.
· This lesson will be the introductory lesson to this section of the study on beauty. In this lesson, we will explore what we each think beauty is in general. This lesson will expose students to thinking more in depth about what they think is beautiful.
Lesson Procedure: (approximately 45 minutes)
· This introductory lesson will be a relatively short lesson. We will begin by sitting on the carpet together, and I will explain that we are going to begin to explore the word “beautiful.”
· I will ask the students what the word “beautiful” means to them. I will encourage all students to share their ideas, but I will not force anyone to share. I will not comment on any of the students’ ideas. Instead, I want this to just be a quick sharing activity in which no one’s ideas are questioned or judged. I want everyone to feel comfortable sharing what they each feel is beautiful in the world. They may comment on beauty in regard to physical appearances of people, or they may comment on beautiful things that are found in nature. Each of their answers will be celebrated during this discussion.
· After engaging in this introductory discussion, the students will then go back to their desks and they will each draw a picture of what they think “beautiful” is. They can use the blank piece of white paper and any of the crayons, colored pencils, and markers that are available. I will stress to them that this is an individual activity. This means that they will each have their own picture. No one’s picture will be the same. They can talk to each other about their pictures, but everyone can draw what they want to draw.
· After the students draw their pictures, they will then do a writing activity. During this writing activity, they will have the opportunity to explain their picture. I will encourage them to write a few sentences about why they think that what they drew is beautiful.
Lesson Closure: (as much time as needed)
· When everyone has completed their drawings and their written descriptions of their drawings, we will all gather back on the carpet. I will encourage anyone to share their pictures and read to us what they wrote about in regard to what each person thinks is beautiful.
· After everyone has had a chance to share, I will close this lesson by asking everyone if each of us drew the same thing. The students will answer that “No, no one’s picture is the same.” I will then ask everyone if that means that we all think the same things are beautiful. The students will realize that each of us have different ideas and beliefs about what is beautiful in the world, and each of our ideas should be celebrated.
Assessment Strategies:
· Assessment during this lesson will be entirely informal. I will observe the students’ responses during the group discussion both at the beginning of the lesson and at the end to see if students are beginning to understand that each one of us are individuals and therefore have unique perceptions of what is beautiful. I will observe to make sure that the students’ are accepting everyone’s individual beliefs and ideas.
Differentiation:
· This entire lesson allows for differentiation because it is based on everyone’s unique ideas about beauty. Therefore, the students are allowed to draw anything that they think is beautiful, which will most likely be different for everyone.
· I will also differentiate during the writing workshop portion of this lesson. Some students may be ready to write sentences, whereas some students will need a great deal of support when explaining their pictures through words. I will encourage all students to try their best, but I will work closely with the students that I know need the extra support.
Cultural Relevance:
· This lesson on beauty allows for individual expression. Therefore, students’ unique cultures, backgrounds, and interests come into play when they are allowed to draw what they believe is beautiful.
