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Andrea Warren shares to joy of learning through her surprise discovery about composer George Handel while researching her book on Charles Dickens. |
English/Language Arts
Explore lead sentences - personal statements
Author Warren’s starts this Minute with the observation that “One of the joys of research is uncovering the unexpected.” Start your class with this statement. What exactly does this mean? Let your students discuss this statement and offer examples they remember. Then have them dedicate a page in their writing journals to the “unexpected things discovered while researching.”
Explore main ideas
Without the title, students reading only the first paragraph of this Minute might think the main idea will be about Charles Dickens. Students reading further will realize that this is actually a piece about the composer George Frederic Handel, and more specifically, about the beginnings of the famous Messiah composition. Use this Minute to help students understand the importance of a thorough reading for comprehension. Let them read (without the title) the first paragraph and come to consensus with a prediction for main idea. Read the second paragraph and ask again. Then the third, and so on, charting consensus as you go. When finished, ask students what the changes in their thinking teaches them.
Social Studies
Explore child care as an element of culture
Every society has solutions for how to manage the upbringing of their children. What happens if both parents work? What happens when there are no available parents, due to death or other compromising situations that make it better for the child rearing to happen elsewhere? Do all cultures handle this the same? Has this changed over time within a culture? Why or why not? What do the culturally acceptable methods of child rearing say about a society? What factors are significant in the choices that are available?
Music
Explore musical periods - Baroque vs. Classical
Handel composed the Messiah during the transition from the Baroque period to the Classical period of music. Have students compare and contrast the differences of these two styles. What elements make Messiah fit the Baroque style? Are there elements that suggest the coming transition?
Research Skills
Explore online sources for learning about music
Take a look at some of the stellar sites available for teaching your students about music and music history. Check out the NY Phil Kidzone (works better in IE than Chrome) or the orchestra charts for different music periods found on the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s site for kids. For more great music resources, visit Amy Burns’ list of Ten Interactive Websites to Utilize in the Elementary General Music Classroom.
Explore lead sentences - personal statements
Author Warren’s starts this Minute with the observation that “One of the joys of research is uncovering the unexpected.” Start your class with this statement. What exactly does this mean? Let your students discuss this statement and offer examples they remember. Then have them dedicate a page in their writing journals to the “unexpected things discovered while researching.”
Explore main ideas
Without the title, students reading only the first paragraph of this Minute might think the main idea will be about Charles Dickens. Students reading further will realize that this is actually a piece about the composer George Frederic Handel, and more specifically, about the beginnings of the famous Messiah composition. Use this Minute to help students understand the importance of a thorough reading for comprehension. Let them read (without the title) the first paragraph and come to consensus with a prediction for main idea. Read the second paragraph and ask again. Then the third, and so on, charting consensus as you go. When finished, ask students what the changes in their thinking teaches them.
Social Studies
Explore child care as an element of culture
Every society has solutions for how to manage the upbringing of their children. What happens if both parents work? What happens when there are no available parents, due to death or other compromising situations that make it better for the child rearing to happen elsewhere? Do all cultures handle this the same? Has this changed over time within a culture? Why or why not? What do the culturally acceptable methods of child rearing say about a society? What factors are significant in the choices that are available?
Music
Explore musical periods - Baroque vs. Classical
Handel composed the Messiah during the transition from the Baroque period to the Classical period of music. Have students compare and contrast the differences of these two styles. What elements make Messiah fit the Baroque style? Are there elements that suggest the coming transition?
Research Skills
Explore online sources for learning about music
Take a look at some of the stellar sites available for teaching your students about music and music history. Check out the NY Phil Kidzone (works better in IE than Chrome) or the orchestra charts for different music periods found on the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s site for kids. For more great music resources, visit Amy Burns’ list of Ten Interactive Websites to Utilize in the Elementary General Music Classroom.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
