I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Inspiration and Courage

Essential Question:

How would you explain courage?

Bridge:

The Colors of Courage and Perseverance

Content:

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To have the students share stories of being inspired.

Activity: Teach the meaning of the word “inspire” (to breathe into).
Have the students tell one another about something they were once inspired to do. Was it hard work? Was it worth doing?

Assessment:Quality of the stories: reality, honesty, catching interest.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To examine what it takes to be really good at something.

Activity: Have the students list what kind of things it takes to be really good at something.

Assessment: Quality and span of the list.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To create images of courage and perseverance.

Activity: Have the students draw what courage looks like. What color(s) show courage? What color is perseverance? Can these colors be mixed together? Ask the students to try doing an image of courage and perseverance together.

Assessment: Understanding of the qualities of courage and perseverance

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To understand and enjoy the book.

Activity: Read Mirette on the High Wire

Assessment: Attentiveness and understanding on the part of the students

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To elicit the details of the story from the children.

Activity: Have the children find the answers to the following:
Name three places Bellini had crossed on the high wire.
What could have happened to make Bellini so afraid?
What did Bellini give Mirette?
What did Mirette give Bellini?
Do fear and courage always go together? A little? A lot?

Assessment: Accuracy of the answers. Let the students look up the answers in the book if they need to

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To reexamine each student’s own acts of perseverance and courage.

Activity: Have students draw a picture of themselves doing something inspiring.
Write three sentences about it.

Assessment: Accuracy and relevance of the drawings and the statement

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To further examine the idea of perseverance.

Activity: Have students interview an adult you know about something they did that took a long time and a lot of effort. Ask the questions, what was the hardest part about it? Why did you keep going?
Report your findings back to your group.

Assessment:Quality of the interview and the learning gained. Ask the students what they learned that they did not really understand before they read the story

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To gather the results of the unit together to share with other children.

Activity: Have the children gather pictures of themselves doing inspiring things with their statements into a book. Name the book “The Inspiration Book” and post it in the school library.
Home School: Draw pictures of three other people doing inspiring things (one could be an adult they interviewed and two others of their choice). Gather them together into a book. Call it “The Inspiration Book”.

Assessment: The quality of the book as measured by: deeds of inspiration, visuals that depict the details and statements that capture the core of courage

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