UNIT TITLE: Dreams Do Come True!
Author: Heidi Shavin
E-Mail Address: mailto:hshavin@ msd143.s-cook.k12.il.us
School: Springfield Elementary Midlothian, Illinois
THEME: Dreams
BROAD CONCEPT: Goals and Aspirations
GRADES: 5th Grade
INTEGRATED SUBJECTS:
Language Arts, Reading, Science & Social Studies
UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE:
Students will learn about the possibilities
and realities of dreams. They will
learn about setting goals, and having high aspirations. Students will study and learn about famous
people in history whose dreams affected our world today. There will be many activities that will
accompany this unit that are on going.
There will be a formal research paper due at the end of the unit. Presentations will also be made to include
performance-based evaluation.
TIME FRAME: 12-14 days
OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
- Be introduced to the concept of goals and the
importance of having goals.
- Describe and explain contributions of selected individuals
throughout history.
- Learn to research a topic and create a report for a written
presentation.
- Create a deliver an oral presentation.
- Learn to work in cooperative learning groups.
- Use the computer as a researching, publishing, and word processing
tool.
- Be a good audience during class presentations.
Martin
Luther King, Jr. (1929-68)
MATERIALS:
- Library Resources - Encyclopedias, biographies, autobiographies,
and fictional genre.
- Historical Maps
- Text Books – Social Studies, Science, Language Arts,
and Reading
- Construction paper, pens, markers,
- Cube and web worksheets
Technology Tools 
- Classroom Computers
- Internet
- Digital Camera
- Printer
- Disks
Software
Used in this Unit
__Desktop Publishing- Microsoft
Publisher,
__Brainstorming - Kidspiration or Inspiration
__Word
Processing – Microsoft Word
__CD-ROM
Encyclopedia - Encarta
__ Multimedia – KidPix or PowerPoint
STATE
STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
Reading/Language Arts/Literature –
1.B.2a Establish purposes for reading; survey materials; ask questions; make predictions; connect, clarify and extend ideas.
1.B.2b Identify structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, cause and effect, sequence) of nonfiction texts to improve comprehension.
1.B.2c Continuously check and clarify for understanding (e.g., in addition to previous skills, clarify terminology, seek additional information).
1.B.2d Read age-appropriate material aloud with fluency and accuracy.
2.A.2c Identify definitive features of literary forms (e.g., realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, narrative, nonfiction, biography, plays, electronic literary forms)..
2.B.2c Relate literary works and their characters, settings and plots to current and historical events, people and perspectives.
3.A.2 Write paragraphs that include a variety of sentence types; appropriate
use of the eight parts of speech; and accurate spelling, capitalization and
punctuation.
3.B.2b Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unity in relation to purpose and audience.
3.B.2c Expand ideas by using modifiers, subordination and standard paragraph organization.
3.B.2d Edit documents for clarity, subjectivity, pronoun-antecedent agreement, adverb and adjective agreement and verb tense; proofread for spelling, capitalization and punctuation; and ensure that documents are formatted in final form for submission and/or publication.
3.C.2a Write for a variety of purposes and for specified audiences in a variety of forms including narrative (e.g., fiction, autobiography), expository (e.g., reports, essays) and persuasive writings (e.g., editorials, advertisements).
3.C.2b Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology.
4.A.2a Demonstrate understanding of the listening process (e.g., sender, receiver, message) by summarizing and paraphrasing spoken messages orally and in writing in formal and informal situations.
4.A.2b Ask and respond to questions related to oral presentations and
messages in small and large group settings.
4.B.2a Present oral reports to an audience using correct language and nonverbal expressions for the intended purpose and message within a suggested organizational format.
4.B.2b Use speaking skills and procedures to participate in group discussions.
5.A.2b Organize and integrate information from a variety of sources (e.g., books, interviews, library reference materials, web- sites, CD/ROMs).
5.C.2b Prepare and deliver oral presentations based on inquiry or research.
Science –
13.B.2b Describe the effects on society of scientific and technological innovations (e.g., antibiotics, steam engine, digital computer).
13.B.2c Identify and explain ways that science and technology influence the lives and careers of people.
Social Studies –
16.A.2a Read historical stories and determine events, which influenced their writing.
16.A.2b Compare different stories about a historical figure or event and analyze differences in the portrayals and perspectives they present.
16.A.2c Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from
historic documents, images
STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL
PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:
Activity #1 –
Day 1- Show students the KidPix slide show
on Dreams, as an Introduction. Read the
show manually, so a discussion about each slide can be had. Talk to the students about the meaning of a
“dream”. Explain it is not necessarily
the sleep kind of dream, as much as the goal setting kind of dream. Ask each student to think of a goal that they may have, and share out loud.
Activity #2 – Day 2 Using Kidspiration/Inspiration, make a web
together with “People who made dreams come true” in the center. Think about people in history who have made
a difference with their own dreams, goals, and aspirations.
Activity
#3 –Day 3 Watch video “They had Dreams” This video is a scholastic video
that briefly mentions different people throughout history who have been a
trendsetter. Some were historical
figures, athletes, civil rights leaders, famous women, and inventors. Tell the students that they will be working
on a research paper and inventor project.
Explain that they should be concentrating on narrowing their interests
to a specific inventor who had a dream and a specific person in history, who
made a dream come true.
Activity #4 –Day 4 Trip to the Library to be introduced to
resources. Visit your school library
and introduce your kids to reference materials and resources available in the
library. Explain to the students that
they will be picking a person to research, whose dream made a difference in our
world, called “My Dreamer”. Do a
library scavenger hunt where students have to locate certain specifics in the
library. This will help them learn
their way around.
Pick person to research for “My Dreamer”
paper, and find at least 2-3 resources in the library to use..
Activity #5 – Day 5 Watch Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech
*Get together in groups and write 5
important ideas from video.
*Write expository essay about the importance
of Dr. King’s dream.
Activity #6 –Day 6
Computer Lab-
Encarta research and Internet search in the
computer lab. Have the students
research their person for their research paper on their “Dreamer”. Find at least 5 websites with valuable
information. This will be needed for
part of the references for their research project.
Activity #7 –Day 7-8 Inventors project / Computer Lab
*Discuss the importance of Inventors and
their inventions. Tie in the “dream”
aspect by relating the need for a product or invention and the scientist or
inventor who created the invention.
*Powerpoint demonstration in Inventors and
Inventions for the students to be introduced to the lesson.
*Look up
information on computer about inventors and inventions with cooperative
learning group.
*Have students
fill out information sheet about their inventor
Activity #8- Day 9-10 Make Inventor
book using construction paper and 20-25 sheets of blank paper. Students will write summaries of each
inventor that is presented.
As presentations
are being given, students will fill in the presenter’s information about their
inventor in the Inventor Book.
Present information sheet orally with 1
visual aid using Microsoft Publisher (brochure, postcard, newsletter related to
the Inventor). The Rubric is at the end
of this unit
When all the
presentations are over, each student should have a book with all the inventors
and information about them compiled in their “Inventors Book”.
Activity #9 Day 11-Write a Narrative
essay about themselves in the future and how their dreams affected their lives.
Tell their story. Make a cube and web
first. Kidspiration can be used to make
the web. Have students pretend this is 20 years from now and how their dreams
made a difference in their lives. Must be typed on MS Word.
Activity #10 Day 12 Computer Lab for
Word Processing
-Type final
research paper
Activity #11 Day -13 Final Research
Paper due on “My Dreamer”
Turn in written
research paper with at least 2 other sources other than the Internet
(encyclopedias, books, Encarta, magazines, newspapers…)
Paper should be at
least, 3-4 pages typed using MS Word.
The paper should have a personal background of the person, the reason
they made a difference, and important dates.
There should be a title page with 1 graphic on it imported from the
Internet.
Rubric
is at the end of this unit
Miss Keller sits and Polly
Thomson stands while touching a blue print.
Albert Einstein
SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
Students will
learn about important history in time.
They will be exposed to the importance of having a dream and the
possibilities of making them a reality.
Students will write a final research paper about someone they chose to
study. Students need to realize the
importance of having a dream. Students
will then be exposed to many different people of importance. There is a rubric attached at the bottom for
the grading of the research paper. Students
will also research an inventor who made a difference in our world. They will fill out an information sheet and
present it orally to the class. The
class will compile a book of all the inventor information.
STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:
The teacher is the facilitator while the students are the audience. During the oral presentations, the class will be an active audience participating in questions and comments. The students will also be active participants individually and in groups, during the research period. They will be able to take leadership roles during group discussions and presentations. Students will be exposed to many different components in this unit. They will be a observer, hands-on learner, active participant, researcher, group member and audience throughout the unit.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE
PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE:
World Book Encyclopedias
Magazines
Autobiographies and Biographies Charles Darwin
Weekly Reader
Newspaper
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS CONTAIN
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
|
The Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Shot : A Photo History of the Civil Rights Movement |
|
Written by Jim Haskins |
|
Written by Margaret Goff Clark |
|
A young Southern girl finds her loyalties challenged when she returns to her home in the North and discovers her father and brother have been helping runaway slaves. |
|
Written by Toyoma Igus |
|
Written by Kristiana Gregory |
|
Written by Jerry Spinelli |
|
Rosa Parks : My Story |
|
Written by Jim Haskins and Rosa Parks |
|
Written by Jean Fritz |
|
|
|
Written by Carol Matas |
|
|
|
Written by Mildred D. Taylor |
FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:
Title1: Social Studies Resources for Educators
URL1: http://falcon.jmu.edu~ramseyil/social.htm
Purpose of Use1: Research and study biographies
Description1: Multiple resources of references
Title2: Internet Public Library
URL2: www.ipl.org
Purpose of Use2: Large database or research information
Description2: Great to use
for research
Title3: Yahooligans-School Bell- Social Studies
URL3: http://www.yahooligans.com/School_Bell/Social_Studies/History/Women_s_History/Biographies/
Purpose of Use3: Multiple links for information
Description3: Can use for many different links in Yahooligans on
Women in history.
Title4: Yahooligans-School Bell-Science
URL4: http://www.yahooligans.com/Around_the_World/Activism_and_Volunteering/Nobel_Foundation/Laureates/
Purpose of Use4: Nobel Peace Prize recipients list of sites.
Description4: Lists notable Nobel Peace Prize recipients with links.
Title5: Apollo Astronauts
URL5: http://mailbox.univie.ac.at/~prillih3/astronauts/mainpage.html
Purpose of Use5: Space Heroes
Description5: Biographies, photos, and history behind the Apollo.
Title6: United States Presidents
URL6: http://www.americanpresident.org/
Purpose of Use6: View information about all the U.S. presidents.
Description6: Tons of information about all of the presidents.
RELEVANT INFORMATION,
STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:
Title1: National Inventors Hall of Fame
URL1: http://www.invent.org/book/index.html
Description1: A great selection of mini-biographies of inventors for
all time periods and places around the world.
Title2: 
URL2: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
Description2: All of Dr.
King’s speeches and papers. A great
source for researching civil rights
heroes.
Title3: Everyday Heroes
URL3: http://www.easter-seals.org/new/everyday.asp
Description3: Tells
individual stories of local people whose acts and perseverance have made them
everyday heroes.
Title4: Women Who Change History
URL4: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/women/index.htm
Description4: A wonderful site to explore famous women throughout
history. This site describes a
background on the women and how and what they did to make a difference.
Title5: American History 102
URL5: http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/bios/bios.html
Description5: 102 Biographies of Americans
Title6: Industrial Revolution
URL6: http://www.woodberry.org/acad/hist/irwww/index.html
Description6: A description of many influences during
the industrial revolution.
John Lennon
Stevie Wonder
(singer and songwriter; born May 13, 1950, in Saginaw,
Michigan)
J.K. Rowling –
“Harry Potter” Author
Rubric for “My Dreamer” research project -100 points possible
Area Points Poss. Your points
|
Content 1) Dates 2) Information |
50 pts |
|
|
Grammar 1) Punctuation 2) Capitalization 3) Spelling |
15 pts |
|
|
Knowledge Of Subject Matter |
10pts |
|
|
References |
10 pts |
|
|
Neatness |
10 pts |
|
|
Imported Picture |
5 pts |
|
|
Total Score |
100 pts possible |
|
Grade - |
Comments:
Inventors
Project Information Sheet – 20 points possible
Name of
Inventor ____________________________________________
(1 point)
Date of Birth
_____________________________________________
(1 point)
Birthplace
______________________________________________
(1 point)
Nationality
_____________________________________________
(1 point)
Invention(s)
_____________________________________________
(1 point)
Use(s) of
Invention _
_______________________________________________
(1 point)
_________________________________________________
__
_______________________________________________
Importance
Of Invention(s)
(5 points) __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Invention’s
_________________________________________________________
Effects on
Society
__________________________________________________________
(5 points)
__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Additional
___________________________________________________________
Information
____________________________________________________________
(4 points)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Total Points Earned
/ 20 Letter
Grade: