THEMATIC UNITS
GRADE 6

TITLE: Communication Is the Key to Civilization

AUTHORS:

Ann Groth Sarah A. Schultz
5435 Maple Road 3456A South 17th Street
West Bend, WI 53095 Milwaukee, WI 53215
of St. Cecilia & St. James of St. Catherine

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: This series of lessons establishes the importance of communication in six curriculum areas: Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, Music, Science and Art. This series can be applied as one unit or two segmented units. Students will revisit ancient Greece, explore space and view masterpieces. They will explore how and why communication is the basic key to human civilization.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics, Music, Science and Art

TIME: 2; 40 minute lessons

Materials, objectives, procedures and suggested evaluations are contained within each lesson.

COMMUNICATION WEB

A. LANGUAGE ARTS
Language Arts heightens communication by sharpening the tools of language: listening, speaking, writing and reading.

B. ART
Art communicates through line, value, texture, color, shape and volume. Explore these objectives in relationship to the communication of art.

C. MUSIC
All music communicates through sound and movement ordered by melody, rhythm, harmony and form.

D. MATHEMATICS
Mathematics communicates across all cultures. It is a common language people have adopted. We use it everyday, everywhere in the universe. Geometry was born in ancient Greece.

E. SCIENCE
Science communicates through time and space. These objectives explore space as a form as communication and frontier.

F. SOCIAL STUDIES
Social Studies communicates through time and history. We use social studies as a means to learn from the past and prepare for the future.

TITLE:
Communication as the Key to Daily Living

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: Communication has a tremendous impact on the daily lives of ancient Greeks. Geography helped or hindered communication among citizens and businessmen. This lesson explores how the city-state evolved into a democratic or aristocratic one, and what role communication played.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Social Studies, Art and Language Arts

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: Social studies textbook; blank transparencies, pens and overhead; students' notebooks and journals; pens/pencils; and a physical map.

OBJECTIVES:

Social Studies: explain the reasons for the development of democracy; discuss why and how communication had an impact on Athenian and Spartan life.

Art: Create a timeline of Ancient Greece. Label historic events, such as the birth of democracy, the Peloponnesian War, the construction of the Parthenon and the demise of the Greek empire.

Language Arts: Compare and contrast daily life in Athens and Sparta using descriptive paragraphs.

 

PROCEDURES: It is assumed that each student has previously read about ancient Greece's city-states. Each student will participate in class and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION: Classroom note taking, Journal writing, Informal questioning, Independent practice

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:

TITLE:
Communication as the Key to Religious Tradition

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: For over a thousand years, ancient Greeks passed on their religion through oration. Greek mythology explained the natural and unnatural occurrences that took place on Earth, such as thunderstorms and spiritual immortality. This lesson is designed to examine how communication strengthened ancient Greek civilization.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Social Studies, Science and Art

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: A social studies textbook; visual aides of Greek gods and goddesses, the Parthenon, sculptures, jewelry or dramatic masks; students' notebooks; pens/pencils; blank transparencies, pens and an overhead.

OBJECTIVES:

Social Studies: Create a fantasy religion and demonstrate how to communicate the rites and rituals. Describe the relationship between Greek gods and goddesses and the ancient Greeks and how they perceived that relationship.

Science: Explain how astrology was at the heart of Greek mythology.

Art: Give examples of how the ancient Greeks practiced their religion.

PROCEDURES: It is assumed that each student has previously read about Greek mythology and its roots. Each student will participate in class and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION: Classroom note taking, Informal questioning, Independent practice

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:

TITLE:
Communication as the Key to Geometric Uniformity

 

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: The ancient Greeks used mathematics as a way to logically and tangibly explain physical science. Geometry began as a higher level of mathematical study. Now we use geometry in architecture, computer programming and communicating with people outside of our country and atmosphere, to name a few. This lesson introduces sixth graders to geometric vocabulary and shapes.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Math, Social Studies and Science

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: A mathematics textbook; students' notebooks; pencils; student protractor; illustration protractor; chalk and chalkboard; push pin; flashlight; clock with minute and second hands and a box or other cubed object.

OBJECTIVES:

Math: Define point, line, line segment, plane, ray, endpoint,angle, vertex, right angle, degree and protractor.Introduce Pythagoras's Pythagorean Theorem.Understand that Euclid, an ancient Greek mathematician,defined geometric terms like point and line.

Social Studies: Explain that Pythagoras, an ancient Greek, pioneered the study of mathematics. Also, Euclid, another ancient Greek, was largely responsible for our present day study of geometry. Demonstrate how mathematics is a common means of communication that crosses all cultures.

Science: Exemplify how we use mathematics as a common means of communication in space.

 

PROCEDURES: Each student will participate in class and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION: Classroom note taking, Informal questioning ,Independent practice

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:

TITLE:
Communication as the Key to Graphing Geometric Figures

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: Just like the ancient Greeks grouped stars into constellations and created myths about them, students can group coordinates into constellations and make up legends about them. This is a fun activity designed to introduce students to another facet of geometry while reinforcing the themes of communication and ancient history. Have fun!

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Mathematics, Social Studies and Art

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: A mathematics textbook, students' notebooks, pencils, graphing paper, ruler, blank and grid-lined transparencies, pens, overhead, grid and coordinate worksheet (included) and examples of Greek constellations.

OBJECTIVES:

Mathematics: graph a figure by plotting points and connecting them.

Social Studies: create a Greek constellation and a legend describing its history.

Art: draw a hero, or object based on your constellation, as the ancient Greeks did.

PROCEDURES: Each student will participate and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION: Classroom note taking ,Informal questioning ,Guided practice, Independent practice

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:

TITLE:
Communication as the Key to the Study of Space

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: As early as 1000 BC, space has fascinated humankind. The ancient Greeks told legends based on clusters of stars and constellations. They passed on these myths from one generation to the next. In fact, they are still very popular stories today. As technology advanced, we studied space using telescopes. Now we study space by viewing it through telescopes on Earth and from space itself using orbiting telescopes and shuttles. This lesson explores the stars and how we study them.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Science, Language Arts and Social Studies

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: A science textbook, students' notebooks, pens/pencils, blank transparencies, pens, overhead, Hubbell telescope, nova and/or supernova pictures and visuals of constellations such as Orion, Pegasus or Andromeda.

OBJECTIVES:

Science: Define the terms constellation, light telescope, radiotelescope and spectroscope.

Language Arts: Explain in descriptive paragraphs; nova, supernova, and black hole. Speculate what is on the other side of a black hole.

Social Studies: Hypothesize why ancient Greeks grouped stars into constellations.

 

PROCEDURES: Each student will participate in class and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION:Classroom note taking, Informal questioning, Descriptive paragraphs

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY

TITLE:
Communication is the Key to Space Exploration

AUTHOR: Sarah Arvelo Schultz

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: For thousands of years, humankind has been fascinated with space. As early as 500 BC, Greek scientists believed Earth was spherical. One such scientist, Pythagoras, also theorized that Earth was the center of the universe and that all the other planets and stars rotated around it (geocentric). During the 1540's AD, the Polish astronomer, Copernicus, challenged Pythagoras's geocentric theory. Not only theorizing that all planets rotated around the star, Sun, Copernicus also believed that the Earth rotated on its own axis once every 24 hours. Long before the ancient Greeks, people attempted to communicate with gods and other "life" forms believed to be in space. Today, we communicate with each other in space by video and radio transmissions,computer and mathematical data and photographic and telescopic imaging.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Science, Art, Mathematics and SocialStudies

TIME: 1; 40 minute lesson

MATERIALS: A science textbook, or Kids Discover: Space magazine, solar system illustration, student's notebooks, pens/pencils, blank transparencies, pens, overhead, scissors, planets traced to scale* on manila folders (or other stencil materials), 12x24" or equivalent posterboard (one for each student) and crayons or coloring pencils/markers.

OBJECTIVES:

Science: List ways in which we communicate with each other space-space, Earth-space and space-Earth.

Art: Draw, label and color an illustration of the solar system.

Mathematics: Convert the Earth's distance from the sun in miles and astronomical units, AU's.

Social Studies: Understand that around 500 BC, Pythagoras, an ancient Greek mathematician, theorized that Earth was a geocentric sphere, which means Earth is at the center of the universe and all other planets and stars rotate around it. Explain that around 1540 AD Nicolaus Copernicus, a revolutionary Polish astronomer, theorized that planets in our solar system rotate around the sun. Copernicus also theorized that the Earth rotates on an axis once every 24 hours.

 

PROCEDURES: Each student will participate in class and take notes.

 

SUGGESTED EVALUATION:Classroom note taking, Informal questioning, Solar system illustration

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY:

COMMUNICATION VIA MUSIC

TITLE: Rhythm and Greek Lyric

AUTHOR: Ann Groth

OVERVIEW: All music communicates through sound and movement ordered by melody, rhythm, harmony and form. In Ancient Greece, musicians played solo wind and string instruments. They enjoyed singing with the music and wrote poems to accompany it. These poems were called lyric.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Music, Language Arts and Art

TIME: 2; 40 minute lessons

MATERIALS: Paper, drawing paper and colored pencils. Rhythm instruments like blocks or drums. Musical examples of solo wind and string instruments. Musical examples of lyric. Ancient Greek or Greek literature about courage, war, justice, birth, marriage or fall harvest.

Suggested Resources: See Poetry, music and Greece

OBJECTIVES: Each student will write a lyric that has a strong rhythmical beat. Notate the lyric on a staff using notes and rests. Draw a picture illustrating their lyric.

PROCEDURES:

EVALUATION: Teacher observation of lyric as it is played by the student. Evaluate the use of a staff and the correct notation of the lyric. Grade illustration of the lyric by evaluating the use of images, color and appropriateness of the illustration in relationship to the lyric it should

Staff = _______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

A staff is a set of 5 lines like the ones above.

 

Note length =

A whole note is 4 counts and looks like this

A half note is 2 counts and looks like this

A quarter note is 1 count and looks like this

A rest is a slight beat that is counted but no sound is made and it looks like this for 1 count

Clap this rhythm

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notate a rhythm your teacher claps or plays using whole, half and quarter notes

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMMUNICATION VIA COMPUTER

TITLE: Picasso and Warhol the Easy Way

AUTHOR: Ann Groth

GRADE LEVEL: 6

OVERVIEW: The computer, its speed and unnumbered abilities, is hard for some to accept. Yet ,unwillingly, it is becoming an everyday part of our lives. Computers help the average man to buy groceries and gas as well as program his computer. It is reminiscent of the effect Cubism had on the art world or the effect mass production had on the entire world. Two simple computer art lessons will allow your students to experience both.

TIME: 2-4 40 minute periods

MATERIALS: Macintosh Computer, KidPix* program or graphics program ,printer, glue, paper, colored tagboard, construction paper, crayons and markers.

Suggested resources:

OBJECTIVES: Each student will create two works of art via the computer. The students will understand the terms: analytical cubism, synthetic cubism, mass production and repetition. The students will create a picture on the Macintosh program Kid Pix * and a collage to better understand cubism. The students will make a label on the computer to imitate Andy Warhol

CONNECTION TO CURRICULUM: Computer Art and Art

PROCEDURES:

COMPUTER ART LESSON PART 1

PROCEDURES:

LESSON PLAN PART 2: Andy Warhol

EVALUATION: Students should be evaluated on the outcome of both artworks. The artwork should satisfy good placement, color choice and presentation. Each teacher should evaluate the computer expectations they establish with the students such as: Knowledge of specific program, use of time and access to printer.

COMMUNICATION VIA LANGUAGE ARTS

TITLE: Art Gallery of Words

AUTHOR: Ann Groth

OVERVIEW: Language Arts enhances communication by sharpening the tools of writing, speaking, and listening. Each student will write a descriptive paragraph about a selected artwork. The teacher will videotape the students as they read their paragraph about a selected artwork. The teacher will videotape the students as they read their paragraph and include footage of their corresponding artwork. The collection of several student readings and artwork will create a video art gallery narrated by the students.

TIME: One, 40 minute period and taping time

MATERIALS: Writing paper, pen, three examples of descriptive paragraphs about artworks, artwork prints, VHS tape and a video camera.

RESOURCES: Newspapers, magazines, calendars, and art history books.

Suggested Resources if GREEK ART is selected as a unit topic:

Suggested Resources if EXPRESSIONISM AND IMPRESSIONISM are selected as a unit topic:

OBJECTIVES: Write and orate a descriptive paragraph. Define color, texture, and mood.

CONNECTION TO CURRICULUM: Language Arts, Art, and Social Studies

PROCEDURES:

Each student will write a descriptive paragraph on Greek, Expressionist, or Impressionist Art.

EVALUATION: Teacher observation of narration and the use of the elements of a descriptive paragraph and the elements of good sentence structure.

ART GALLERY OF WORDS WORKSHEET

Descriptive Paragraph

This Greek wedding vase contains a story, as well as, the ceremonial wine. The story is told by the tall figures painstakingly painted around the form of the vase. Each figure is dressed in richly colored ceremonial garb. The bride and groom are sitting on a wagon which will eventually carry them to the husband's home. The couple is proud, yet noble. The wagon, the central focus of the vase, is surrounded by the wedding attendants and handsome horses. The loyal attendants walk next to the wagon as if they are ornaments accenting the celebrated couple. The elegant pattern gently encircling its narrow neck. The form and detail of this vessel were created specifically to enhance and record the wedding celebration. The vase evokes the feeling of participation in a wedding that took place thousands of years before our time.

"Wedding Vase" from Loverance and Wood in Ancient Greece. Viking Press, 1993, page 15.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH

List the words found in the paragraph above that are:

COMMUNICATION VIA ART

TITLE: Celestial Expressions

AUTHOR: Ann Groth

OVERVIEW: Artists and scientists have wondered about the skies above them since the beginning of time. Artists portray celestial images and events through painting while scientists record the same using data. To be successful, both require keen observational skills. After observing artwork and scientific data, each student will paint the sky or distant space.

CONNECTION TO THE CURRICULUM: Art and Science

TIME: 2; 40 minute lessons

MATERIALS: Examples of the solar system: stars, comets, asteroids and other objects found in space. Examples of artwork depicting the sky or space. 9" by 12" to 24" by 24" heavy tagboard or cardboard, acrylic or tempera paint, brushes, plastic knives, water containers, old newspapers, white glue and colored construction paper. Suggested Resources: Science textbooks, science magazines and local observatories or planetariums. Art history books, art prints and local art galleries. Field trips would be appropriate.

PROCEDURES: Each student will participate and take notes.

SUGGESTED EVALUATION: Classroom note taking, Informal questioning, Solar system illustration

SUGGESTED RESOURCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY: