"America the Beautiful": Using Music and Art to Develop Vocabulary

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

K, 1

Overview

This lesson uses music and art in a vocabulary study of unfamiliar words from the song "America the Beautiful," increasing students' vocabulary while also increasing their knowledge of U.S. geography. A discussion to activate students' prior knowledge about sights and scenery throughout the United States is followed by a read-aloud and introduction to the song "America the Beautiful," which is then sung in each session of the lesson. Students learn the meanings of the song's words through shared reading and the use of context clues and images. Students then use photographs, illustrations, and descriptive language to create a mural shaped like the United States. Finally, through pictures and words, students reflect on what they have learned. This lesson is appropriate and adaptable for any patriotic event or holiday, and many of the vocabulary strategies are adaptable for other texts or word lists, as well.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.2

Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.

UP:ELA21.K.2

Vocabulary

  • Actively engage
  • Teacher-led reading experiences
  • Collaborative discussions
  • Background knowledge
  • Peers

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How to engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Build background knowledge by actively engaging in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They need to build background knowledge to be successful as they learn to read and read to learn.
  • They need to actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and discussions with peers to build their background knowledge.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.19

Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in discussions and/or text.

UP:ELA21.K.19

Vocabulary

  • Unfamiliar words
  • Text

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Several question stems related to unknown words.
  • Techniques for identifying unknown words.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in discussions and/or text.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to ask questions to learn the meanings of unfamiliar words.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

ELA21.1.R1

Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

UP:ELA21.1.R1

Vocabulary

  • Active Listening
  • Discussion
  • Conversation
  • Rules
  • Participation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Active listening skills.
  • Agreed-upon rules for participation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
  • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
  • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules to help us actively listen and gain understanding.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

ELA21.1.3

Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information to confirm understanding in response to information presented in audible, text, or digital format.

UP:ELA21.1.3

Vocabulary

  • Information
  • Clarify
  • Audible
  • Digital format

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Questions to seek help.
  • Questions to get information.
  • Questions to clarify information.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information to confirm understanding in response to information presented in audible, text, or digital format.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can get help, learn new information, or express information they know or have learned by asking and answering questions, depending on the task at hand.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

ELA21.1.8

Apply previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decodable words with accuracy and automaticity, in and out of context.

UP:ELA21.1.8

Vocabulary

  • Phoneme-grapheme correspondences
  • Decodable words
  • Accuracy
  • Automaticity
  • In context
  • Out of context

Knowledge

  • Phoneme-grapheme correspondences in decodable words.
  • Accuracy is getting something correct, and automaticity is reading the word quickly without having to sound it out.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Accurately and automatically decode words by applying previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences, in and out of context.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Fluent readers use known phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decode words correctly and quickly.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

ELA21.1.12

Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

UP:ELA21.1.12

Vocabulary

  • Unfamiliar words
  • Unfamiliar phrases
  • Discussions
  • Text

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies for identifying unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.
  • Several question stems related to unfamiliar words or phrases in discussions and/or text.
  • Techniques for clarifying unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify unfamiliar words and phrases.
  • Ask questions about unfamiliar words and phrases.
  • Answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases.
  • Clarify meaning of words and phrases through questions.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to ask questions about unfamiliar words and phrases to clarify the meaning of new vocabulary words.

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink

License Type

Custom
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/america-beautiful-us…

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

raulstoncg
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