I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Self Esteem

Essential Question:

If someone is my friend, they will…

Bridge:

How Friendships Grow

Content:

Growth and Changes in Friendships: Charlotte's Web

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To connect the students with the concept through past personal experience and literature.

Activity: 1) Read the class the story, A Special Trade, by S. Wittman. Analyze in 1L or any short story about a special friendship. 2) Teacher models a personal friendship and discusses how it has grown stronger through growth and changes through the years. 3) Students reflect on a strong personal friendship and illustrate how it has grown since the friendship began.

Assessment: Student involvement and listening attention.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To share and express thoughts and experiences.

Activity: 1) Analyze A Special Trade and discuss how the friendship grew stronger between the characters through the years. Discuss how the needs of the two friends changed. 2) Students show the class their personal friendship illustrations and discuss growth and changes. 3) Small groups: list qualities that help friendship grow. Make a class master list from group responses.

Assessment: Quality of student responses and group lists.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To bridge from direct experience to abstract concept.

Activity: Students listen to songs about friendship and create group visuals expressing actions and qualities that help friendships grow. 2) Each group displays their visual and role plays the illustration for the class. 3) Teacher introduces the special friendship between characters in the story Charlotte's Web and reads the story to the class. (One or two chapters daily) until story is completed.

Assessment: Quality of group visuals and role playing demonstration. Interaction, enthusiasm and attention to all activities.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To teach students how to structure and organize key ideas and meanings in the story Charlotte's Web or any story.

Activity: 1) Teacher lecture using board demonstration (story Web) about how the animals in the story depended on each other for survival. 2) Teacher lecture and demonstrate on chart paper or board a story mapping timeline of character's growth in friendships in the story. 3) Using the story A Special Trade, teach how to write a book report.

Assessment: Student interest, attention and comments.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To review and practice skills.

Activity: 1) Small groups ñ teacher gives each group the name of a main character from the story Charlotte's Web. The group makes a character timeline of important events in the life of that character. 2) Teacher made comprehension worksheets. 3) Each student writes a book report for story Charlotte's Web. 4) Based on story Charlotte's Web, in groups, students make question cards and others answer the questions.

Assessment: Sharing of completed activities with the class. Quality and ability using taught skills and comprehension check.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: Students are giving activities that begin the link from the concept to personal application.

Activity: 1) Draw a cover page that illustrates your favorite part of story (Charlotte's Web). 2) Small groups - make posters that show the deep friendship that developed between Charlotte and Wilbur and how they helped each other. 3) Using white yarn, cut out letters and a dark colored piece of construction paper. Each student creates a web and glues an adjective on the web that describes an important quality for building stronger friendships. 4) Creative writing letters. 5) 3R using a character from Charlotte's Web story, write a letter to another character thanking him/her for their friendship.

Assessment: Quality of completed assignments. Student responses and interaction.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: Student assessment of their own work. Students will edit, refine and where needed, rework their written book reports and analyze the thank you letters for relevance, originality and effectiveness.

Activity: 1) Students will work with a partner helping each other to analyze the accuracy and effectiveness of their work. 2) In small groups, students write four questions about growth and changes in friendship. Game style - - - Answers - - - Question and answer session.

Assessment: Student involvement and quality/accuracy in assessment.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To build strong emotional involvement with the concept by sharing and refocusing.

Activity: 1) Display all completed work. 2) Display book reports with cover page illustrations. 3) Read creative writing character friendship letters to the class. (Each student will read his letter.) 4) Invite another class to join in Celebrating Growth in Friendship by viewing the movie, Charlotte's Web with your class and answering student-made questions on story and friendship. 5) Each student brings in pictures from magazines to make a class collage showing living creatures displaying growth and changes in friendship.

Assessment: Student enthusiasm, responses and demonstration of what they have learned. Sharing with others and celebrating their new learnings with others.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: