Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

Art Integration Lesson Plan

LTC 4240: Art for Children
Bethy Bregant

Lesson Title & Big Idea*: Celebrating Culture - Families

Lesson Overview/Summary*: (This is like an abstract of the structure and procedures section)
In this lesson, students explore the diversity of families and cultures through stories read aloud in
class, and represent their own families and traditions in the form of a family tree, including origin
of culture, creative representation of family members, and written descriptions of family
traditions.
Key Concepts for each area (1-2 each): What you want the
students to know.*
1. Visual Art: Representing family structure and symbols with
detail and visual support.
2. Literacy: How to describe characteristics of family members
and family traditions like in the book, All Kinds of Families by
Mary Ann Hoberman and Light the Candle Bang the Drum by
Ann Morris.
3. Social Studies: Components of culture such as food,
language, religion, and traditions describe diversity in family
life.

Grade Level*: 1
Class Periods Required:
(please circle)
1

Essential Questions (1-2)*:

What makes up a family?
How are families different or alike across the world and
in different cultures?

Lesson Objectives/Goals: (Excellent resource at http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/new-teacher/48345.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1): What

you want the students to do. *
1. Visual Art: The students will be able to represent their family origin and defining characteristics through constructing a
family tree out of art supplies provided.
2. Literacy: The students will be able to make connections and discuss comparisons to the text and to their self by drawing on
prior knowledge and experience to ideas in the text through oral responses and written lists during class discussions.
3. Social Studies: The students will be able to identify similarities and differences in families across cultures and generations
throughout history that make families diverse.
Grade Level Expectations (GLEs)

(3-4)
(http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/GLE/)

1. Visual Art (May use NAEA National standards): Portrait: Create an

Instructional Strategies (Teachers approach to helping students

achieve learning)
Prior to the lesson, send home a Family Questionnaire

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

original artwork showing family members (Dese).
2. Literacy: Describe people, places, things, and events with
relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly (Dese).
3. Social Studies: Explain how people have common physical,
social, and emotional needs (Dese).

Content Areas Integrated*:

1. Visual Art
2. Literacy
3. Social Studies

to be filled out at home and collect information about

families from parents.
Model for students how to use their information from
family questionnaires to be successful in class
discussion using examples from your own family.
Model how family tree could be assembled with
examples from your own family.
Give students creative freedom to represent their
families on the tree in any way they feel accurately
depicts it.

Lesson Structure & Procedure(s) Sequence of events of the lesson

elements. (The before, during, and after the lesson, e.g.
Engagement/Opening, Procedures, Guided Practice, Conclusion ,please be
very specific, walk me through step by step of the What of what is
happening with a rationale as to WHY you are doing this):

1. Prior to lesson, send home Family Questionnaire for

parents to fill out with students and bring back to class. This
questionnaire asks for favorite family traditions or customs. I
am doing this so that parents are aware of the lesson going
on in class and can be prepared to discuss questions at home
with the student.
2. Begin by telling students that in many ways, families are
different and the same, just like all the students in our class.
This statement could spark wonder in a students mind; they
may think, which classmates have similar family traditions
as me?
3. Read aloud the storybook All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann
Hoberman. This storybook describes families of all sizes and
ethnicities around the world and reminds students they are
everywhere; it introduces a sense of belonging to celebrate
all families, and will establish a safe-space for students
during the lesson.
4. Then as a class, have students brainstorm as list of facts

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

about what they know about their family (where they come
from, how many members, where they live, what language
they speak) and construct a list to display in the classroom.
With this, students get a visual of the many facts behind their
peers families. This chart could be made either on a large
sheet of paper, or displayed on the SMART Board.
5. Next, share with the students your own Family
Questionnaire to model how to respond to the information.
Give students time to pair up and share their own
questionnaires with a partner, and identify similarities and
differences with each other.
6. Transition to the topic of celebrating family tradition, by
reading aloud Light the Candle Bang the Drum by Ann Morris.
This book highlights festivals and holidays of all cultures.
Students will be able to identify with some of the traditions in
the book, and other students will learn about traditions they
may have never heard of. Cultural celebrations are a big part
of family characteristics, so this book can give an unbiased
history on many of the students backgrounds.
7. Give students a chart to fill out their own information on
family celebrations. Students will then move around the
classroom to share their traditions with peers, and make note
of similarities and differences.
8. As a class, make another chart to go alongside the facts
list where students generate a list of similarities and
differences in the traditions they read about and heard from
their peers. This can establish common ground between
students with different backgrounds, but similar
characteristics. This chart could be made either on a large
sheet of paper, or displayed on the SMART Board.
9. Once students have heard facts and traditions about each
others families, explain to students that they will be creating
a family tree representing their own family. Allow them to

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

Opening (Gaining Attention, what will you show, or demonstrate)*:

At the beginning of the lesson, I will explain to students that
families are both different and the same in way. Before going
any further, I will ask students to suggest ways they think
families may be different or the same. I will then spark wonder
in the students by explaining to them that we are going to
explore our own families and our peers, so that we can
discover unique characteristics that might also be an
important characteristic of someone else in the class. I will
then transition to the first activity, reading aloud the storybook
All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman, so that students
begin brainstorming the many ways families are different and
the same.

Formative Assessment strategy: (how will you assess while the

learning is happening?)

At the end of each story activity or discussion, students

design the family tree using symbols that represent their

tradition, culture, and ethnicity, as well as drawings or
pictures for family members.
10. Next, pass out art supplies for students to construct a
family tree with (construction paper, markers, glue, paint,
etc.) Students may also bring in pictures from home to use on
their family trees.
11. Give students the final 30 minutes of class to work on
their family trees; I will let them know that they can finish
their work at home if it is not completed. Students will share
their family trees one by one at the start of next class.
12. Once they are all completed, I will display all of their work
on the walls of my classroom so that they know I am proud of
their work.
Closure (Reflecting Anticipatory Set, how will student share what they
learned):

The lesson will conclude with students presenting their family

trees one by one in front of the class. This will give them each
a chance to share their personal histories and family
characteristics so that the entire class can now be aware of
the diversity present in our classroom. This could be a good
activity to invite parents to attend so that families are also
involved in learning about our classroom diversity. When we
finish presentations, I will display the students work on a wall
in the classroom so that they can refer to them throughout
the year, and parents can view at the time of pickup. We
could also create and display the cultural symbols like flags
or images we read about throughout the lesson to decorate
the classroom around our family tree display.

Summative Assessment strategy*:

I will grade the family tree students construct based on effort

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

will fill out a chart or compile a list of what they learned.

I will review after each entry so that I can make sure
students are participating and making note of valuable
information.
The Family Questionnaire could also act as a formative
assessment prior to the lesson so that I can tailor the
lesson to fit all students needs.

put into the project, as well as the amount of thoughtful

contribution students make when participating in discussion
and activity throughout the entire unit.

What student prior knowledge will this lesson require/draw upon? (what do they need to already know)
This lesson will draw upon students prior knowledge of their own familial background. Students will need to know who make
up the structure of their own family, as well as other facts that characterize their family. If students do not have much prior
knowledge, the activities in this lesson will support students in exploring this information if they do not know beforehand.
Filling out the Family Questionnaire may introduce students to new information about their family, but when we refer to these
sheets in class, we will be drawing on students prior knowledge from the conversations they have with parents when filling
out the questionnaires.
Technology Instructional and/or assistive technology incorporated into the lesson to enhance instruction and student learning
I will use the SMART board to show students several examples of previous students family trees, or ones that I have made to
give them an idea of how to begin representing their families.
I could also present the storybooks via books-on-tape so that students can listen to the audio of the story while following along
to the pictures.
How will this lesson allow for/encourage students to solve problems in divergent ways?
This lesson presents students with the responsibility of going home and discussing family characteristics with parents for the
Family Questionnaire. If students understand that this is an important part of the unit, they will be held accountable to sitting
down with their guardians to gather information, and responsibly bring the information back to class. Students will draw on
divergent thinking during read aloud time of the stories they will reflect on the facts about cultures found in our stories, and
make connections back to their classmates. Students will represent their families and traditions in creative ways when
constructing the family tree.
How will you engage students in routinely reflecting on their learning? (How will the students know they have learned something?)
When students begin with a family discussion at home for the questionnaire, they will come to class prepared and full of
knowledge about their own familial origin. Students can then focus on identifying similarities within themselves and the texts,
as well as in their peers when they pair up and share information. Throughout the unit as we have class discussions, read new

Art Integration Lesson Plan Template

stories, and generate class wide lists, students will reflect on how this new knowledge compares or contrasts from the list of
facts they generated about their own families. Students will then be expected to solve problems or disagreements with peers
by remembering the differences in their classmates, and why each and every classmate is important at the end of this unit.
Differentiated/Accommodations/Modifications/Increase in Rigor To help meet the needs of all learners, learning differences,
cultural and language differences, etc.

For ELL students, allow them to complete questionnaires, lists, or family summaries in their own language.
You may also provide ELL students with a text written or recorded in audio of their own language that they could listen
to independently, or at home with their families.
If students encounter challenges when interacting in smaller groups of peers, I will walk around the classroom during
think/pair/share time to mediate conversations and ensure that students feel comfortable participating.
For advanced students, I can offer additional texts about the subject of the unit, which they can read at home, or after
they complete their individual work.
For my students who need extra support with constructing their family tree, I will have then work with me during the
independent work time.
The family questionnaire sent out is considered an accommodation so that families who are sensitive to the subject of
the unit are aware of the subject before the beginning of the lesson, which I can then make adjustments to the plans for.

Lesson Resources/References (please be very specific by providing links, authors, titles, etc.):
Light the Candle Bang the Drum by Ann Morris
All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman
Family Questionnaire:
http://pnwboces.org/ssela/Sample_Lessons/FirstGrade/Unit2/Unit2_Lesson4_Family_Questionnaire.pdf
* Include this information during the Padlet/prezi/ppt presentation.
References
Silverstein, L. B. & Layne, S. (n.d.). Defining arts integration. Retrieved from
http://www.americansforthearts.org/networks/arts_education/publications/special_publications/Defining%20Arts
%20Integration.pdf