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This lesson was completed on December 3rd. The lesson was all about mapping. The First Graders had recently learned about maps, created maps, and learned how to use them, why they are important, and how to read different legends. In my own music class at the University, I learned about and made my own music map. I had to share this concept with the students and it fit so perfectly with what they were learning I just could not resist!!
I began this class by asking the students to teach me what they had learned about maps. We talked about directions, legends, why we need maps, and the purpose that maps serve in society. The students then gave me directions to their library and realized how specific they had to be to get me to the library. They needed to include duration, and specific details such as the instruction to leave their classroom. I think this was a fun concept to get students thinking about directions and mapping in more abstract and creative ways. For our Hello Dance, the students followed directions that I gave them such as go right, it's up high, two paces to the left, turn around, etc. This was so fun as I was their own personal GPS system!
I then told the students that we could map music! I told them about how I had made a map to the song entitled, "Elephants" which is performed by the Carnival of the Animals. I pulled out my map and loved hearing them ooh and ah over the map, although unconvinced that this was really a map of the music because, "it didn't look like a map" to them! I moved through the map following the piece and heard the students start to express comments like, "Wow!", "That's so cool!!", "Ms. Sarah let's do that again!" So we did!! This time the students used their fingers and followed the maps along with me. After doing this a few times, we discussed how the map repeated, to represent the repetitiveness in the song, and what the different symbols found on the map represented or told us about in the music.
As a class we then sang "Touch Your Nose" and I drew a simple map on the board using ideographs. The students then took turns coming up and changing the map that I had. Some to fit different actions, some changing the order, and some creating totally new maps all while their peers performed the actions they suggested! I loved seeing what they came up with and the fulfillment that came from this activity. I felt that this lesson allowed the students to solidify their understanding of maps as they thought about maps in a new and creative way. I hope that Ms. Smith can use this lesson in future years to help solidify knowledge and as a key this year to teach further abstract ideas concerning maps. I hope that the students allow this lesson to help them continue to think about maps and all subjects in new and innovative ways!!
Until Next Time!!
Class Videos:
Official Lesson Plan: