Mining

This has been quite a fun social studies unit because we get to rotate to a new 4th grade class every week.  This gives me a great opportunity to teach the same lesson multiple times and really perfect it. After a little trial and error last week, I made some significant tweaks to my lesson plan, that worked like a charm this week.

Mrs. Tenney and I have been collaborating on a lesson about early miners in Utah.  She read a little from the textbook with the class and did some practice reading maps, and looking at pictures of children miners.  Then, I hopped in and taught a mining song that taught about some of the dangers of  working in the mines.

This was a great segway into activity geared toward helping the children internalize the beat, and discuss the differences between beat and rhythm.

This was a very cohesive lesson, and the integration of the arts with social studies was wrapped up nicely.

INTEGRATED LESSON PLAN

SUBJECT

Content Covered: Miners in Utah

Standard: compare the development of industry and business in Utah as it relates to its physical geography. (e.g. mining, oil, agriculture, tourism)

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to understand the living conditions of early miners.

Art

Content Covered: Beat vs. rhythm

Standard: Use body movements to internalize sound.

Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to demonstrate the difference between beat and rhythm.

LESSON PLAN

Objective: Students will be able to understand the living conditions of early miners while accurately demonstrating the beat.

Assessment: watch movements of rocks, listen to clapping, and ask students identify whether a clapped pattern is a beat or a rhythm by raise of hand.

Sequence:

1.     (words on doc. Cam.) While I sing this song, look for 2 things that the song tells us is really hard for a miners life. (sing)

2.     What did you learn is hard for miners?

3.     Now sing together as best as you can. (sing)

4.     Stand in a circle.  Practice passing the rocks to the beat before you add music.  We are going to pass a rock as we sing.  See if you can keep it going the same speed the whole time. (sing)

5.     We hear sounds all around us.  Can you think of an appliance that makes steady noises?

6.     Can you name an organ in your body that makes a steady noise?

7.     The heart keeps a steady pulse called a heartbeat.  The beat is the steady pulse in music too.  We just passed the rock to the beat.  You can clap along to the beat.  Let’s clap while we sing the first verse.

8.     There is another important word in music called rhythm.  Rhythm is how the words go.  Can we clap how the words go while singing the first verse?

9.     Mrs. Tenney will clap either the beat or the rhythm while we sing. After, we will guess which it is.

Materials:

Rocks, music, words