Rationale
Within my classroom every year I have noticed that the students have become consumed with the issues they face in their everyday lives such as gang violence, single parent homes, and living in poverty. Things like the Pledge of Allegiance and the rights of citizens have gone unnoticed. Because of the separation of the Church and State my school no longer requires students to say the Pledge of Allegiance, even though the words “under God” are a very small part of the pledge. Most of the students come from homes where their parents do not see the value in exercising their right to vote and have a sense of hopelessness. Often times when speaking to my students, I have heard them say we do not have any rights and nobody cares about us in Englewood. I want my students to learn they are all citizens and play an important role in the world and their community.
In order to teach students these lessons I plan to use the Pledge of Allegiance as the framework for my unit. The words of the pledge lend themselves to views of what it means to be patriotic. As a class we will dissect the words to determine what those written words mean to us. We will pay close attention to the words pledge, flag, one nation, liberty, and justice. The students will learn to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the meaning behind it. The flag is a very important United States symbol. The students will learn what it represents and why it is important. Based on the population of students I serve, I believe the words “liberty and justice for all” from the Pledge of Allegiance are especially important. I believe these words can help the students to know regardless of their socioeconomic status, they are still Americans and have rights. I want the student to embody the respect that resonates throughout the pledge. I want them to learn to have respect for their country (patriotism), respect for themselves and others (citizenship), and respect for rules (laws).
It is very important that character education is established in the primary years. Self-respect is crucial. When students learn to love and respect themselves they can emulate that same behavior in their relationships with other people. I want my students to know that as citizens, they play an important role in this world. I want them to learn they are responsible for their behavior. I want them to learn how they are supposed to carry themselves on a daily basis to be productive and good citizens. Part of being productive citizens is following rules. At the beginning of the school year, teachers often establish classroom rules. Rules are like laws in the classroom. I want the students to learn to have respect for these rules and laws. We will explore how respect rules/laws keep us safe.
In first grade students grow a lot as writers. Children are often very conversational, but their views are not always effectively demonstrated through their writing. Throughout this unit I want the students to write narrative and informational pieces. I want them to create a class flag and write to explain why certain symbols were placed on the flag. They will write a set of rules to govern our classroom and at the end of the unit I want them to write a classroom pledge.
I have Big Ideas and Essential Questions that are focused on citizenship, character, and patriotism. The two Big Ideas are: We are all citizens and social skills are necessary to be successful citizens. The Essential Questions are: Why do we have rules? How do rules keep us safe? What does it mean to be a citizen? How can we show we are good citizens? As a citizen how can my devotion to my state and country be demonstrated? What symbols are important? We will refer back to these throughout the unit. During the unit, students will have opportunities to both speak and write to show their understanding of these ideas. This unit is taught through the use of literary and informational text on the topic. To analyze their level of understanding students will be required to write both informational and literary pieces in response to the content they are learning.
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