Language Arts: Themes and Ideas

1.) I would like to create a first grade unit which would explore the importance of French culture in Maine. Currently, the students are studying the language of French and I would like to design a unit which branches out to describe why French is so important here in Maine. For instance, Canada is our neighboring country and many citizens of Maine have lived in Canada or they have relatives or ancestors from that area. Thus, through this unit, I hope to intertwine the learning of French with the study of the culture. Throughout this unit, I would have the students communicating with French-speaking first grade students in Canada in order to find out about the culture. At the end, the students would write an informational paper which would include all the facts that they learned about the language and culture of French in Maine.

2.) My second idea for designing a first grade unit would be based on Dr. Seuss’ birthday. I would design a unit that has the students focus on the style of writing that Dr. Seuss creates. The students would be learning the importance of rhyming words and by the end, I would have students creating their own poems which would be typed up and assembled into a book of poems which honors Dr. Seuss birthday. Not only would the students be practicing their reading skills with the fun variety of Dr. Seuss books, but they would also be learning the importance of words which can be put together in different ways to create a certain style such as rhyming.

3.) Since fairy tales are very common to young children, I want to design a unit which focuses on the retelling of tales by using technology. I would have the students create a podcast by recording their voices as they retold fairy tales stories. Since the students would also be acting out the play and performing it in front of the class, pictures would be taken to go along with their recorded voices. Thus, the end result would be a slide show which would teach the students how to use technology while practicing reading aloud and retelling of stories.

4.) Since it is important for students to know the different types of jobs that people have, I would like to design a unit which allows students to research the different aspects of a job. Thus, I would have the students interview their parents or a person of their choice to find out what their job entails. Throughout the unit, adults would be asked to speak in the classroom about their job. The end product would be a published dictionary of the different jobs that people have. In addition, students will present the jobs that they researched in front of the class and they will be graded on the presentation.

5.) Another unit idea that I have would focus on comparing narrative and persuasion texts. I would have students choose their favorite hobby and write all the ideas of why they like that hobby. Next, the students would have to use a variety of tactics to either persuade students to try this particular hobby or create a narrative which involves this hobby. In the end, the students would have to make a claymation video of the hobby with a recording to go along with the video. An essay would be turned in as well. The students would present their claymation videos to the class and the rest of the students would have to determine if the videos are persuasive or narrative.