Mackenzie Melnar

Edu 280

Spring 2019

Assignment 2

Second Grade Ethnic Groups

I think a great way to introduce second graders to the variety of ethnic groups would be

to let them study the art of different ethnic groups. For my lesson I would print and laminate

different art from around the world. There would be one card for each student in my class and I

would laminate it so that each student can use a dry-erase marker on the card and it can be reused

for years. The back of the card would have some vital information on it such as the artist’s name,

the year it was made, and some of the artist’s cultural background.

For the first part of my lesson I would pass the cards out to each student and give them a

few minutes to look at the art on one side before turning it over. Once they turn it over I would

give them time to read the information and write down their thoughts and some descriptive

words about the art in dry-erase marker. After this each student would come up one by one and

talk about their piece to the class and show the class. Once they’re done showing off their art

they would sort their cards into the correct ethnic grouping and as a class we could discuss

similarities and differences between the different ethnic groups and their works of art. For

assessment I could make a worksheet where they describe the similarities and differences of the

art and where it’s from.

 Second Grade Social Values

Second grade is a good age to be discussing social values. There are a few social values

that are consistent across cultures and over time. These include family, honesty, integrity,

gratitude, and generosity. A lot of children’s books discuss these values and I could use a

children’s book as a precursor to this lesson. One way I could further teach these values to a

class of second graders would be to group the students and label each group with one of these

values. Group 1- Family, Group 2- Honesty, Group 3- Integrity, Group 4- Gratitude, and Group

5- Generosity. This would be a research activity where each group will present their value to the

class.

After being sorted into groups, each would get a piece of poster paper where on the front

side they will write the name of their group and the definition found in the dictionary. But before

they research, they will use the back side of the poster to write down what the word means to

them. It is important for students to discuss ideas amongst each other and while some may not

like to talk out loud, writing down their ideas and thoughts is just as important so this will give

my students a better platform for success in this activity. When they are done researching, I

would have each group come up with the perfect example of their value and write that down on

the poster as well. Each group would take turns presenting their value to the class and giving

their example of the value. Assessment could be in the form of a worksheet filled out during

presentations.

Part 2: My weebly link: http://mackenziemelnar.weebly.com