Investigating Our Surroundings

Communication Learning Activities Across the Curriculum
Relationship to Illinois Learning Standards

Arts and Aesthetics

constructing (LS26A1e)
- 3-dimensional objects
- build with craft supplies, wire, pipe cleaner, modeling clay, cardboard
- build with food
- construct telecommunications and computers made with boxes and junk
- construct with commercial made materials:
  - Legos
  - pattern blocks
  - Cuisinaire rods
  - place value blocks
  - wooden blocks
- costumes for the culminating plays
- problem solve
  - representation of the computer parts
  - representation of people communicating mural
dramatizing (LS25A1b and LS26A1b)
- dramatize Old King Cole and Old Woman who lived in a Shoe after discussing the communication that was involved
- pantomime nursery rhymes and songs for charades
- plan practice, and present “Communication in the Future” plays written by children for parents at culminating event
- practice play lines for story innovation of books, Itchie, Itchie Chicken Pox and The More We get Together, etc.
- role-play firemen
- use creative dramatics to explore communicating on the playground
memory drawing (LS26B1d)
- draw communicating and communication devices
- draw communicating and communication devices
  draw pictures of what their question is about to help them remember their project questions (e.g., questions for site manager, expert visitors, etc.)
  draw predictions of what expert will say about communication
observational drawing
- draw cell phones expert brought into classroom
- draw communication devices (mailbox, telephones, computers (outside and inside), audiometer, emergency signals and sound experiment results) (Time 1 drawings)
- draw communication field trip sites (Time 1 drawings)
- draw people communicating (face-to-face, sign language, talking on telephones and sending e-mail on computers)
- revisit observational drawings and elaborate, edit, and revise to make Time 2 observational drawings of communication devices, and communication field trip sites
painting (LS26A1e)
- paint communication pictures
- paint computer made with boxes & junk
- paint mural for culminating display
- paint scenery for the play
- revisit observational drawings to add detail or information and color with water colors
relating art to literature
- draw pictures and write responses to Chicken Little, Emperor’s New Clothes and Hooway for Wodney Wat, etc.
representations (LS26A1e)
- create communication pictures on the computer with Kid-Pix
- create "people communicating" mural
- draw pictures to imitate artistic style of known artist
- make two-dimensional drawings of telephones, computers, cell phones, televisions, fire trucks and a variety of pictures that they drew throughout the investigation
- make scenery for the play
- represent top view, side view, back view and inside view of computers and tape recorders
responding to music (LS25A1c, LS26A1c, and LS26B1c)
- listen for fast/slow, high/low, soft/loud and musical patterns
- listen to sounds at communication site and reproduce sounds with instruments
- move creating a simple creative dance and draw after listening to classical music write a poem with words to describe sounds
singing, movement and dance (LS25A1a and LS26A1a)
- practice and sing the child composed Communication Song for culminating event to the tune of Sing, Sing, Sing a Song
- sing If your happy and you know it ,Clap your Hands, Too-da-la
- tap rhythm sticks to the beat
viewing visual art exemplars (LS25A1d)
- discuss art prints that feature communication and analyze elements of art - line, shape, color and texture

Language and Literacy

analyzing (LS5B1a)
- analyze information gathered through field studies (video on field trip, expert interviews, photographs, etc.)
classifying
- classify drawings about what they know have learned
- classify questions that children asked to pursue study groups
- sort and classify ideas for Student Topic Web 1 and Student Topic Web 2.
comparing
- compare and articulate differences in definitions
  - mail, e-mail, junk mail, snail mail
  - satellites, speed of light, speed of sound
  - sending messages, receiving messages
  - sign language, flag language, Morse code, Braille, Semiphore
  - signs, letters, name tags
  - sound waves, electricity waves, airwaves, water waves
  - telephone, cell phone, car phone, walkie-talkie, answering machines
  - wires, electric wires, telephone wires, communicating with no wires
- compare different kinds of cell phones
- compare different kinds of computers
- compare different kinds of telephones
critical thinking (LS5A1a)
- decide on what to present for culminating event
- decide what to include in group song for culminating event
- predict, hypothesize, or theorize the answers to their questions
- support own opinions when responding to questions such as the following:
  - How do messages travel?
  - What is communication?
  - Which form of communication is the best?
  - Why is it important to communicate?
developing oral language (LS4A1a and LS4B1b)
- brainstorm what they remember about communication
- categorize and label to form a topic web or graph
- design survey questions and ways to show results of surveys - example - When you were young, did you have all the communication devices that we have now?
- discuss in group meetings (whole class, small group, or one-to-one )
  - discuss communication project "opening event"
  - discuss question of the day
  - discuss responses to different versions of "The Emperor's New Clothes" and art exemplars
- interview experts
- listen in large group discussions, small group, one to one, and to experts
- report progress on representations, experiments, research, etc.
formulating questions (LS4A1b and LS5A1a)
- develop researchable questions
- ponder questions at the end of the project
integrating new vocabulary
- brainstorm words they know about the topic before and after studying (Topic Web I and Topic Web II)
- use new vocabulary words in conversation
making lists
- make lists of questions to be asked on parent questionnaire
- make lists of what they might do
- make lists of what they would need (for their representations, models, etc.)
- make lists of what they might see
- make lists of what they would like to research
  - kinds of communication devices in our school
  - jobs related to the maintenance of communication equipment
- make lists of what they had learned
- make lists of questions, predictions, and findings
- make a vocabulary list
planning
- draw a design for face-to-face 3-dimensional display
- develop costume plans for the play
- follow phases of writing, and pre-write and discuss ideas for "Chicken Licken innovation" stories
- write plays for parents
presenting (LS4B1a)
- explain communication posters, models, experiments, representations and stories to the neighboring classroom and parents at the culminating event
- share personal communication story to the class
- share progress on representations to the class
- share stories, poems, plays written about communication to the class
reading (LS5A1b)
- choose communication, sound, or code books for Independent Reading time
- dictate a project experience story (going on a field trip, talking with an expert)
- make a book out of experience story
- read about fire safety from an Internet search
- read child authored stories
  - adapted stories and plays
  - "Chicken Licken" innovation
  - "What Am I"
- read nursery rhymes booklets - Are you Sleeping, Wee Willie Winkie, etc.
- use experience story for reading
reflecting
- brainstorm "What I Now Know"
- edit stories for publication
- respond to the literature through writing or discussion
- self - evaluate
  - what I have learned about the project
  - edit writings for publication
  - progress to complete any part of the project
- think about and write or tell "what I learned" after field visits
using references and resources (LS5A1b)
writing (LS5C1a )
- book log entries of the title, author, date and comments about books read
- describe the sound of a tuning fork
- label parts of a computer and telephone
- plan representations and presentations for culminating event
- record field trip and expert findings
- write communication questions
- write invitations for culminating event
- write memory stories about communication
- write number stories about the project
- write or dictate a self-evaluation of communication project
- write plays that integrate new knowledge about communication
- write poetry about communication
- write predict ions of what they will find out on field trip or from experts
- write reports on what they have learned
- write stories about various aspects of the topic
  - "Chicken Licken" stories
  - Riddles – What Am I?
- write survey questions
- write thank you letters to the experts

Investigative Skills-Science

exploring (LS11B1c)
- explore questions such as the following:
  - Does the music send vibration messages?
  - How can space help communications?
  - How does sound travel?
- take apart and explore inside a computer noting how to build one
- take apart and explore inside a tape recorder
- take apart and explore inside a telephone
- use an electricity board to turn on a light and ring a bell
experimenting (LS11A1c, LS11A1f, LS11B1b, and LS11B1d)
- answer questions such as the following:
  - Can you communicate with fish?
  - Can you hear someone with cups and string?
  - Can you hear through the wall with a stethoscope
  - Can you see sound waves?
  - Does sound bounce off wood and metal?
  - Does sound go through walls, plastic, water?
  - What do sound waves look like?
investigating (LS11A1b)
- How do you communicate with flags?
- How do you do hand motions for sign language?
- How do you talk?
- How does the smoke alarm send a message to the fire department?
- How does the storm signal get turned on?
- What does your throat look like when you talk?
- What happens to lost letters?
observing (LS11A1a and LS11A1e)
- dissect and describe parts of the computer and tape recorder
- observe computers
- observe mailboxes
- observe people communicating
- observe telephones
predicting (LS11B1a)
- predict descriptions of mailboxes around our school
- predict possible answers to questions formulated before talking to an expert
- predict prior to conducting experiments
- predict purpose of parts of communication equipment
- predict materials used in communication devices before dissection
- predict what kinds of communication devices are in our school
reporting (LS11B1e)
- Report the test process and results of their experiments

Numeration and Problem Solving

counting (LS10B1b)
- count the following:
  - number of computers in our school
  - number of emergency signaling devices in our school
  - number of signs in our school
  - number of telephones in our school
  - phones brought to school by expert
  - tally what they see on their field trips
estimating
- estimate the following:
  - length and height of computers
  - length of antennae on cell phones, base phones and televisions
  - length of a cell phone
  - weight of cell phone
measuring
- measure length of antennae of cell phones, base phones and televisions
- measured the following items converting nonstandard measurement to standard measurement by comparing Cuisinaire links, Cuisinaire rods, inches and centimeters
  - cell phone
  - computer
  - telephone
- measure the outside temperature to communicate whether or not students would have an inside or outside recess.
- use measurement to build representations
  - computer, keyboard, and mouse
  - face-to-face stand up
- weight of cell phone
organizing, analyzing, and communicating data (LS10A1a, LS10B1b, and LS10B1c)
- develop bar graphs displaying the results of the survey sent to parents
- develop bar graphs representing data from field trips (e.g., number of signs, computers, telephones in our school; number of post office workers, sorting baskets, and machines at the post office)
- develop pie graph displaying the results of one of the survey questions sent to parents
predicting answers to questions such as the following: (LS10A1b)
- How many computers are in our school?
- How many telephones in our school?
- How many signs are in our school?
- What kinds and how many mailboxes will be seen on a walk around school?
surveying (LS10B1a)
- Do you have a walkie-talkie?
- Have you ever sent a message by email?
- Can a robot receive a message by your wearing a red shirt?
- Have you played a computer game to send a message?
- Has your phone ever broken while you were talking?
- Can you blow into a wire on your TV and send a message?
using geometry
- analyze geometric relationships
  - 2-dimensional shapes to 3-dimensional shapes
  - drawings of cell phones to clay models of cell phones
  - drawings of computers to boxes and junk models of computer

Social, Emotional Growth and Dispositions

communicating
- engage in group discussion
- frame questions skillfully
- listen to others
- negotiate roles, turn-taking, problems to solve
- report progress of investigations at group meetings
- share research
- use new vocabulary
cooperating and collaborating while working with others
- prepare displays
- present final reports
- study collaboratively in teams
empathizing with others and their needs
- appreciate work of peers noting evidence of effort, care and originality
- share friends, materials, space and time
- share praise and appreciation of peers
enjoying
gaining confidence in abilities to do the following:
- investigate
- make presentations to an audience
- observe people communicating more closely
- remember experiences of communications
- represent communication in drawings
- use a variety of mediums to express their ideas
helping peers
- clean up joint project
- discuss for better understanding
- problem solve
- represent
initiating
- choose appropriate materials
- experiment
- predict and manage time
- research to answer questions
persevering
persisting at a task
problem solving
risk taking
- state disagreements in conversations or at group meetings
- support own opinions
- verbalize estimations, predictions, and hypotheses

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STUDYING CONSTRUCTION		EXPLORING COMMUNICATION