Introduction
The Betsey Ross Arts Magnet (BRAMS) is a middle school that draws its population from two separate pools: first, a lottery system which includes students from the entire city, the second being local community students. BRAMS is considered as the neighborhood middle school. The students attending are not required to be gifted in the arts, but must express an interest in the field. Admittance is not predicated on any specific academic criteria. As a result students who attend BRAMS are from every part of the city, various socioeconomic backgrounds, and have a wide range of academic abilities.
My current assignment is teaching Language Arts and Social Studies to fifth and sixth grade students who are in the academically lower division. Their problems range from low academic performance, specific learning disabilities, emotional problems and language deficits.
As the classroom teacher my task is to motivate these students and to provide constructive learning experiences to meet their needs. In today’s society all educators are in competition with advanced scientific and technological devices that control the rudimentary learning process.
For the purposes of this curriculum unit, I will develop a program specifically for these students in order to develop their reading, language, writing, listening and thinking skills. By utilizing an interdisciplinary approach and providing written, verbal, visual and manipulative materials students will gain an understanding of the learning process via numerous learning modalities. The design would be to correlate the Social Studies and Language Arts classes so that students will have an understanding and appreciation of the history and literature from 1945 to the present. Students will have an understanding of the different racial and ethnic groups in our society, as well as the different family structures and customs. It is anticipated that students will gain an understanding of themselves, their families and the different groups of people that live in America.
The Influences of Scientific and Technological Advancements
With the advancements in science and technology many changes in the life-styles, values and attitudes are exhibited in the American family. These advancements have affected the students in our classrooms and as teachers we observe and experience these changes daily. Although our students are living in an era where scientific and technological discoveries and advancements are prevalent, it does not mean that these advancements should obstruct the learning process. What is observed is that very few students are reading for enrichment or pleasure. Reading in many instances is being replaced or substituted by television, cinema, videos, radio, cassettes, tapes or records. Mathematical computation is no longer a step by step process, within seconds an accurate answer will be displayed in the window of a calculator. Spelling need not be perfect, a simple understanding of phonic sounds is all that it takes and in seconds a response with the correct spelling of the word will appear in the window of a computer; if a synonym is desired, with the push of a button the new word will appear. Whatever happened to the 3R’s—Reading, Writing and Arithmetic? Are we scoring any higher? Is there a decline in the illiteracy rate in America? Is there a decline in the number of high school dropouts? Is there an increase in the aim for higher education? Are we cheating our students of the vital process of learning, the understanding of their heritage, and the history of the making of this highly scientific and technological society we live in today? Do our students really understand the skills, efforts and strategies that go into the making of these sophisticated tools for arriving at answers and solutions to questions they may have? Are we requiring our students to think effectively, strategically and critically? Do our students appreciate and understand these advancements and utilize them properly and effectively—or do they just take it all for granted?
I am a firm believer that with the proper portions of (1) understanding the learning process and (2) utilization of modern scientific and technological instruments, we can provide effective and constructive learning experiences for our students. A balanced diet of understanding the learning process and utilizing advanced scientific and technological devices will develop students’ understanding and appreciation of the era we live in. It will help them endure the challenges and defeats they will experience in life.
By utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, I will assist students through the learning process giving them an appreciation of their heritage as well as an understanding of the scientific and technological advancements in society.
The Family
The learning process begins at home. Some students come to school anxious and motivated to dive into the learning program; they are equipped with the necessary tools for the beginning stages of formal education. Unfortunately some students do not fare as well and learning experiences must be provided so that they can meet each stage of formal education. It is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to diagnose and prescribe the needs of each individual student so that he/she may develop academically, socially, and emotionally. This requires a wellplanned constructive learning program that is teacher initiated and motivated to develop the foundations for learning.
The learning process is highly affected by the family and the home environment that our students come from. Students come from many different family structures, ethnic and racial backgrounds which have a direct influence on the learning process and their performance. If students are given the opportunity to understand themselves and their families, they will appreciate the likenesses and differences between themselves and their peers—then the learning process becomes a socially and emotionally sound program. It is an effective means of educating students to become functional and productive citizens in our society.
This curriculum unit is predicated on the fact that students must be given opportunities to explore, to think and to initiate selfdirected activities, in order for the learning process to become a vital and influential experience in their lives. They should gain an understanding and appreciation of who they are, their heritage, and their place in society. Students will be given opportunities to read, write and think strategically and critically, in addition to opportunities to utilize the scientific and technological advancements that are part of the society they live in.
The Objectives of this Curriculum Unit
The Role of the Family from 1945Present.
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1.
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To develop an understanding of different racial and ethnic groups in our society.
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2.
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To develop an understanding of different family cultures and heritage.
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To develop an appreciation of literature as a vehicle for understanding the period in history from 1945 to the present.
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Skills Objectives
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To gain an understanding of the historical, scientific and technological events from 1945 to the present.
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To provide students with good writing dynamics (grammar, punctuation, capitalization).
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3.
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To develop reading comprehension skills (literal, interpretive and evaluative).
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4.
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To develop research and study skills.
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Literature Selections
For the purposes of this unit, three novels that represent different racial and ethnic groups of today in comparison to the traditional values and attitudes of earlier times in the history of our country have been selected:
Going Home
by Nicholasa Mohr,
The Shimmershine Queens
by Camille Yarbrough, and
Lottery Rose
by Irene Hunt represent the time period from 1945 to present. These novels will be compared to the attitudes, values and time period of the 1640’s in Nathaniel Hawthorn’s
Scarlet Letter.
Through the reading and understanding of these literary materials students will be able to understand and appreciate how the values, attitudes and lifestyles of families have changed over the years, and the effects that advancements in science and technology have had on the attitudes of the family today.
Historical Background—1945 to Present
This period of time has been selected to reflect the cultural, social, historical and economical values of the heritage of my students. By selecting this timeframe will enable students to identify family members in nuclear or extended family structures, and to ascertain what effects certain times in history had on their heritage. They will gain an understanding of the events in history that have directly and indirectly affected their life-styles today. It will give them an appreciation and understanding of where they came from and where they are going. It will assist them in developing and understanding the challenges in life that everyone is confronted with. The learning experience will be systematically structured to give students the opportunity to reflect and understand the advancements society has made over a period of time.
