Short Stories: A Day in the Life of a Knight
By: David Dueck
Lesson Length: 45 minutes
Grade: 8
Subject: Social Science
Rationale: The purpose of this lesson is to address the differences that exist in the daily life of the various cultures present in the classroom through the use of the Knights as an example. Students will get to tell parts of their own story as well as work in groups to compile a story through which the diversity of the classroom will surface and thus raise their awareness to the fact that there is no right way, or better way to live, only different ways.
Prescribed Learning Outcomes:
Grade: 8
Subject: Social Science
Rationale: The purpose of this lesson is to address the differences that exist in the daily life of the various cultures present in the classroom through the use of the Knights as an example. Students will get to tell parts of their own story as well as work in groups to compile a story through which the diversity of the classroom will surface and thus raise their awareness to the fact that there is no right way, or better way to live, only different ways.
Prescribed Learning Outcomes:
1. Express ideas and information in a variety of situations and forms to:
– explore and respond – recall and describe – narrate and explain – persuade and support – engage and entertain |
2. Co-operatively plan and implement a course of action that addresses the problem, issue, or inquiry initially identified
|
3. Compare daily life, family structures, and gender roles in a variety of civilizations
|
4. Identify and clarify a problem, an issue, or an inquiry
|
5.Demonstrate awareness of artistic expression as a reflection of the culture in which it is produced
|
Language Goals: The nature of this lesson and the group activity while require students to utilize their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Most notably they'll will need to be able to convey their opinions and discuss various points of view. This will require the use of conditional statements and interrogative sentences. Students will also be required to write a basic outline of their daily life and read it to their group members. This will require the use of declarative sentences to outline each step.
Materials and Resources:
Teacher: chalk, blackboard, storyboard template cut outs, various coloured construction paper
Students: paper, pen, pencil crayons/markers, glue stick
[Students are encouraged to share their resources]
Materials and Resources:
Teacher: chalk, blackboard, storyboard template cut outs, various coloured construction paper
Students: paper, pen, pencil crayons/markers, glue stick
[Students are encouraged to share their resources]
Lesson Activities:
Introduction: (10 minutes)
Introduction: (10 minutes)
- Briefly talk about the main points that were covered in the previous lessons on the history of Knights and the weaponry.
- Read aloud to the class a mock journal entry from a knight, "Alistair"
- Lead a brief discussion asking the students how the life of a knight is different from theirs:
- Compile the ideas presented by the students on the chalkboard in +/- 5 steps. This will be used to illustrate the group activity.
[One purpose of the diary is for students to entertain while creating a discussion on the differences between knights and the students and then to create a chronological outline on the blackboard to use as an example.]
Group Activity: (30 minutes)
- Hand out the Storyboard cut outs with the partial lined section (no picture box side) on the top.
- Tell each student to write a part(s) of their daily life that is unique to them/ their family. (3 minutes)
- Now have students flip over their sheets to the storyboard side
- Assign students randomly to groups of 5 (30 students / 5 in each group = 6 groups of 5).
- Once students are sitting in their new group, tell them what the activity is:
- The students will decide as a group who/what your story is about
- Each student is draw and describe their part of the story as they would do it themselves. ex. "eat breakfast" can mean a 'praying before eating a bowl of cereal in front of the TV', or 'sitting on the floor and eating rice with kimchi and fried egg with the whole family, gramma too.'
- Articulate to students that for the story to be completed correctly, each frame must reflect the artist accurately
As students students are working in their group hand out four sheet of the coloured construction paper for students to glue there storyboard frames onto once they are finished, all the while observing their progress and assisting the groups through questions wherever necessary.
[While circulating encourage student not to be shy and add their own individual touches, be aware of any students that maybe be overpowering their group to only tell their story. Groups must work together and every student has to contribute.]
Storyboard sample: (each section should be half a page in size, the back side should be the same but with no picture box)
- After 20 minutes or if students finish sooner tell them to glue all the frames on the coloured construction paper in order to complete their storyboard. HOWEVER, only glue the picture portion, leave the written half unglued so it can be flapped over.
- Have the students tell their story to each other, with each student describing their own frame.
- Then, flip over the written flap and have each student share one unique part of their daily routine.
Conclusion: (5 minutes or till end of class)
- Ask students if after their storyboard and sharing a unique part of their daily, they learnt something new about one of their classmates OR a part of their daily life that they now know is unique but didn't think was unique before.
[The take home message is to celebrate the differences that exist in the classroom. Students are encouraged to see all differences as equal and to dispel the notion held in society that some cultures/ backgrounds are superior to others.]
Organizational and Management Strategies: This lesson in particular encourages student participation, and therefore attention should be paid that all students are equally engaged as possible, and that contributions in the class are positive and not disruptive.The mock diary is intended to be humorous and relatable for students so they are tuned into the story and the task for them is to notice all the difference.
Given that the group work is random means that students will most likely be working with students they are unfamiliar with; attention should be paid to which groups require more attention to work effectively as a group. Difficulty in group work is to be expected, if the students had already mastered working in groups, this type of activity would be of little benefit.
The group project highlights individual contributions and creativity, therefore students who are otherwise too shy to contribute should be encourage to do so but creating an environment of acceptance among the students by being an example and respecting all students story equally.
Assessment and Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on how well they:
Universal Design for Learning: This lesson could be made inclusive for all students by talking about the objective nature of history, and by allowing for varied responses in student created short stories that reflect their cultural truths. The resulting short stories should be assessed based on overall comprehension, story cohesion, and how well they worked as a group. A group's storyboard need not pertain to anyone culture, rather a diversity within the story will be encouraged, so that each student in the group has something to contribute. After the storyboards are completed and mounted, they can be posted around the room so that students are reminded of the diversity in the classroom and constantly be reminded of the varing points of view that exist.
Reflections: (to be completed post lesson)
Given that the group work is random means that students will most likely be working with students they are unfamiliar with; attention should be paid to which groups require more attention to work effectively as a group. Difficulty in group work is to be expected, if the students had already mastered working in groups, this type of activity would be of little benefit.
The group project highlights individual contributions and creativity, therefore students who are otherwise too shy to contribute should be encourage to do so but creating an environment of acceptance among the students by being an example and respecting all students story equally.
Assessment and Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on how well they:
- are able to contribute to class discussion. (conditional structure)
- respect and address other classmates varying viewpoints (with correct question structure)
- are able to convey their own viewpoints
- are able to work within the group, participate and contribute to their groups storyboard (writing, reading)
Universal Design for Learning: This lesson could be made inclusive for all students by talking about the objective nature of history, and by allowing for varied responses in student created short stories that reflect their cultural truths. The resulting short stories should be assessed based on overall comprehension, story cohesion, and how well they worked as a group. A group's storyboard need not pertain to anyone culture, rather a diversity within the story will be encouraged, so that each student in the group has something to contribute. After the storyboards are completed and mounted, they can be posted around the room so that students are reminded of the diversity in the classroom and constantly be reminded of the varing points of view that exist.
Reflections: (to be completed post lesson)