Grades 3-4 Lesson Plan

Standard: Students will identify historic and ordinary people who helped develop the key values and principles of the American democracy; and the national symbols that celebrate and exemplify the fundamental values and principles of American democracy.

Indicator of Achievement: Students will learn local history through interview and share knowledge with class with an oral report, and dance

Standard: Students effectively listen and speak in situations which serve different purposes and involve a variety of audiences.

Indicator of Achievement: Students will:

• prepare and deliver information by generating topic; identifying the audience; and organizing ideas and directions for a report
• demonstrate appropriate presentation skills -- have adequate volume, speak slowly and distinctly, have eye contact with the audience

Standard: Students will demonstrate folk dances and describe their cultural and historical context

Indicator of Achievement: Students will:

• observe and perform simple folk dances
• explain how dance is part of today's cultures

Materials:

• pamphlets on local towns and communities, books on the Southwest, books about ranching and cowboy life, ARIZONA HIGHWAYS magazines
  
• video tape
  
• music to accompany country dances

Preparation: read, study, and discuss life in rural Arizona ranching communities. Discuss who settled the area, why they came, what they valued, how they entertained themselves, the role of the arts, especially dance.

Activity: Each child will generate a series of questions for an interview of an elderly person (70+) who lives or lived in one of these communities. One question will be what he or she did for entertainment when he or she was 8 or 10--especially did they dance. They will bring their notes to class.

Preparation: Discuss sharing information orally, the need for a beginning and ending, the need to look at the audience and talk so that the audience can hear the presentation.

Activity: Pair the students and have them share their report with one another, discussing if the organization is clear and the presentation understandable.

Next have the children report their findings and illustrate or teach the class a game, dance, etc. that their interviewee enjoyed.

Assessment: Students will discuss what was communicated -- what they remembered or learned from the speeches. A video tape of each student's speech could become a part of their portfolio with a paragraph by the student summarizing what he or she communicated and what else might have been included.

Activity: The teacher will teach or bring in someone to teach basic countrywestern dance steps (twostep, swing, shuffle, etc.) Music from a tape or disc or from a local country radio station can be used.

Assessment: Discuss with the students the importance of the settlers in their community, how their entertainment is still a part of today's life, what new kinds of entertainment their families enjoy.

Extend the lesson by showing the students a classic cowboy film such as Shane. Discuss the film (see Dance Criticism). Discuss what cowboys seem like in the movies (e.g. a quiet manner, endurance, willingness to face danger, etc.).

Summarize with a discussion about the values and principles of the settlers in their community and why cowboys are a symbol for some American values.