Rules  for  Life,  Rules  for  Living  Fifth  Grade    Big  Idea  –  Ethics  /  Humans  and  their  relationship  to  others  ~  Man  creates  the  rules  that  he  lives  by,  and  he  has  a  role  in  creating  the  rules  which  govern  society.    Key  Concepts:  -­‐  In  a  democratic  society  all  eligible  citizens  have  an  equal  say  in  the  decisions  that  affect  their  lives.”  (wikipedia.org)  Social,  economic  and  cultural  conditions  are  governed  by  laws  that  are  proposed  and  created  by  the  democracy.      Essential  Investigative  Questions:  

• What  areas  of  life  do  rules  and  laws  govern?  • Who  makes  laws?  • Are  laws  important?  Why  or  why  not?  • What’s  the  difference  between  a  warning  and  a  law  or  rule?  • Why  would  a  warning  become  a  law?  How  do  you  feel  about  that?  • Is  it  ever  okay  to  break  laws?  • Are  any  laws  absolute?  • What  types  of  personal  laws  do  you  create  for  yourself?  

 Thinking  like  an  artist:  Paying  close  attention  to  the  world  facilitates  empathy  with  others.  New  possibilities  are  imagined;  one  makes  meaning  of  his  place  and  responsibilities  in  the  world.  Looking  at  the  big  picture  of  laws  and  rules  leads  to  a  Some/One  perspective.      

                                 

Images  and  Artist    I  have  selected  these  images  because  I  want  students  to  think  about  laws,  the  individual,  and  the  concept  of  a  collective.      

   http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7567700560_ef755bd569_z.jpg    

 Do-­‐Ho  Suh:  Some/One    

                     Do-­‐Ho  Suh:  Floor,  1997    I  will  conduct  VTS  using  these  images  dispersed  throughout  my  unit.  Asking  students  to  respond  to:  What’s  happening  in  this  picture?  What  do  you  see  that  makes  you  say  that?  and  What  more  can  we  find?  teaches  them  to  look  deeply  and  builds  critical  thinking  skills.  Through  VTS  Students  will  learn  to  work  collaboratively.  They  will  learn  to  respectfully  consider  the  viewpoint  of  others  and  to  be  flexible  in  their  thinking.  They  will  learn  that  it  is  okay  for  conversations  to  be  open-­‐ended,  that  there  does  not  have  to  be  a  right  or  wrong  answer.  They  will  learn  that  images  convey  meaning.  They  will  learn  to  construct  work  which  conveys  meaning.  

     Students  will  be  introduced  to  the  art  of  Banksy  http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/sto.html    Banksy  breaks  laws  by  creating  graffiti  art.  I  want  them  to  WONDER  –  Can  graffiti  be  art?  Is  it  okay  to  break  the  law  in  order  to  create  art?  Would  Banksy’s  work  be  as  interesting  if  it  were  created  on  canvas  and  hung  in  a  gallery?        

 1. Activities      

 Students  will  watch  two  short  videos  –    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-­‐9pDZMRCpQ(  3  min)  Schoolhouse  Rock,  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  This  short  video  discusses  the  American  Revolution.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSsnYzkKYd4  Don’t  Drown  Your  Food  (30  sec.)  A  Retro  public  service  announcement  warning  against  the  use  of  too  much  condiment.    Students  will  take  an  online  personality  quiz  that  determines  whether  they  are  rule  followers,  rule  breakers,  or  rule  makers.  I  want  them  to  think  about  what  these  labels  might  mean.   http://quiz.mmm-mag.com/quizzes/321459  

 As  a  play  activity  students  will  work  in  table  groups  to  establish  silly  rules  that  their  table  will  follow  for  the  duration  of  the  next  two  class  periods.  At  the  end  of  the  second  class  period  the  class  will  discuss  how  they  felt  during  this  activity.        

   

Art  making  -­‐      Group  work  -­‐  Graffiti  Chalk  Art  on  the  Playground  and  School  Sidewalk  –  What  kinds  of  messages  and  images  would  be  appropriate  to  share?  Maybe  something  to  do  with  school  rules?    Create  a  personal  code  of  ethics  and  use  it  to  illustrate  pages  in  an  altered  book.    Create  a  comic  strip  that  explores  rules  or  laws.    Create  a  poster  illustrating  a  personal  feeling  about  a  rule  or  law.                      

Assessment  VTS  discussion  and  class  discussion  will  be  clues  to  the  depth  of  knowledge  students  are  gaining.  Projects  will  present  visual  evidence  of  understanding.  

 Assessment  in  my  room  is  direct  and  ongoing.  I  walk  around  the  room  as  students  are  working,  checking  for  understanding.  Before  beginning  the  specific  projects  I  will  review  a  rubric  /  grading  criteria.  

 Presentation Students will share projects with their classmates. Classmates will respond with “I notice” and “I wonder” statements. Work will be showcased throughout school. Skills for the Conceptual Age Hopefully the design of this unit will enable students to view their position in the world as flexible, active, and interactive. I hope they question rules and view imaginative potential for change, both internal and external. I hope they learn to critically examine visual culture.      Project  Exemplars  –  Mixed  media  book  dioramas  that  humorously  illustrate  the  rules  of  the  art  room.