Classroom Activities
Activity One: Introduction of the WebQuest
The students will familiarize themselves with a technology tool called a WebQuest.
The students will identify wants and needs from a pictorial on our WebQuest task page.
The students will respond in writing to questions that correlate to photos that appear on the WebQuest task page.
Before the Learning: To keep this unit organized and enticing for the students, I have created a WebQuest that will serve as a curriculum map that we will follow to complete this unit. Because students truly look forward to the use of technology, the first activity we will complete will be to introduce what a WebQuest is and how we will use the WebQuest both from school and home. Because students already have access to my WikiSpace site which creates an online e-mail for them, I will use that e-mail on my WebQuest account and then share the WebQuest with each student so they can access the site. Students will watch a YouTube video of other second graders using their classroom WebQuest. We will then use the video and discuss the benefits of using this site. Students will then be directed to go to the first activity which directs them to view a picture that I have uploaded from Peter Menzel's book "Material World" and begin to think of the needs and wants that appear in the picture.
During the Learning: Students will be paired up with a buddy and be provided a worksheet to complete while looking at the picture from the book. Students will be asked to collaborate their findings both orally and in written form.
After the Learning: Each group will share out what their findings were and we will begin to define "wants" and "needs."
Activity Two: "Do You Want or Need It?"
The one activity that I feel will answer and connect the students to the essential questions of this unit will occur during this lesson when students bring in their "chosen" object from home and begin to explain the object and its significance. I feel that through our rich discussions, student will be able to acquire a deeper understanding of consumer choices and the thought that goes into making them. The forum for this conversation will take place within many classroom meetings which is one of the six components of a research based program that has been implemented within our building called The Responsive Classroom.
The students will choose an object or item from home and bring the item into school to share.
Students will sign up to present their object to the class using certain criteria of whether the item falls under the definition of a "want" or "need."
Students will write about their object and describe how they obtained the item, the symbolization of the item, and what the item means to them.
Before the Learning: We will discuss what we learned from the previous lesson on using the WebQuest and looking at the pictures from our pictorial book Material World and compare the results of the assigned worksheet. The forum for this discussion and lesson is done during a morning classroom meeting. We are all seated on our classroom rug and incorporate the predetermined norms and rules when engaging in conversations. Those students that signed up to present their object will be asked to present in random order.
During the Learning: While students are presenting their objects, audience members will be able to ask three questions to the presenter about the object. The questions will focus on who gave them the object, how they obtained it, what the object is, whether they purchased the object or whether it was a gift from someone. The presenter has to decide whether the item is considered a "want" or a "need" following their presentation. Audience members who chose to participate in the discussion can either agree or disagree with the presenters definition of the item. If audience members disagree with the presenter, they must support their stance and explain why they disagree with the presenter. Presenters will ask for any additional questions that pertain to their object or presentation and thank the audience for their attention and participation.
After the learning: Students will gain a better understanding of what a "want" or "need" is based on the different conversations that we have about the items that were presented.
Activity Three: "Do You Have Purchasing Power?"
Students will analyze their object and write on how their item was obtained and whether they feel that they had an influence or not on obtaining the object.
Before the Learning: As a class we will discuss the definition and different types of purchasing power. The two types of purchasing power that we will concentrate on will be marketing tricks that are used to attract young consumers and the "nag factor" that marketers refer to when children beg their parents to obtain an item. Students will write about which criteria they think was used in order for them to obtain their object.
During the Learning: Because students were asked a series of questions for homework before bringing in their object, knowing who and how they obtained the object has already been completed. Students will use that prior knowledge and apply their newly acquired knowledge.
After the Learning: Students will share out using one word to describe and classify their item as a marketing trick or nag factor. Considering students descriptions, classification, and explanation will determine whether they grasped the idea of these two types of purchasing-power.
Activity Four: "What Does Culture Have to Do With It?"
Students will identify the cultural needs and wants of the families depicted in the book "Material World" that I have uploaded onto the class WebQuest.
Students will compare and contrast the objects or possessions in the pictures to their own shared object.
Students will analyze the possessions or objects and decide what continent the family depicted in the picture is from using the object as clues.
Students will make predictions
Before the Learning: We have used a couple of the pictures from the book at the initial part of the unit, now we will look at the various pictures that we have not looked at. These have been uploaded to the WebQuest so that each child can view the pictures instead of my holding the book. I want them to dissect and look very closely at the pictures. As they are looking at the pictures, I will be using GoogleMaps to show which continent the families in the pictures are from based on the captions that accompany the pictures. In order for students to gain an idea of "here" and "there", the "here" will be our school and the "there" will be the location of our search (country in which the family in the picture is from). The visual that this will create for students will be useful in their ability to gain an understanding that "there" is located outside of the United States, and cultural cues from the pictures will allow for them to make important geographic connections.
During the Learning: Once I feel that students have grasped the idea of using the items in the pictures to help with an overall understanding of "here" being within the United States and "there" being outside of North America will allow students an opportunity to differentiate between our culture "here" and other cultures "there."
After the Learning: Students will follow the activity created within the WebQuest that will guide them through a series of questions that compel them to look at objects from different countries;they will have to locate the different countries where the items were derived from using both internet and GooleMap.
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