Lesson Overview:
In this lesson, students will be able to view and reflect upon their class peace video. They will also learn how to say “peace” in multiple languages. They will create a Peace Word Wall display and will be able to view and reflect upon their class peace video.
Lesson Plan:
Suggested Grades:
2-4
Objective:
Each child will learn how to say “peace” in two languages that are not her mother tongue. Each child will also create one item to display on the Peace Word Wall. Finally, the class will also enjoy viewing their peace video.
Suggested Time:
40-50 minutes
Success Criteria:
By the end of this lesson, children should know how to say “peace” in multiple languages. This new learning will be displayed on a Word Wall. Also, the finished video will be shown to the children. They should be able to celebrate their learning by seeing it on the big screen.
Lesson Outline:
1. Introduction:
Remind the children that they have been inquiring into peace, what peace is and how it looks and sounds in action. They have sung a song, read books, brainstormed, created poses, taken pictures, and written short narration for a class video about peace. The video is now ready to watch! To help prepare for the debut, they will learn how to say “peace” in many languages and will prepare a Word Wall with the new vocabulary.
2. Main:
The main purpose of today’s lesson is to show the kids their video! But, that will probably only take two or three minutes. So, the rest of the time will be filled with another great literature link to the unit and making a Word Wall.
Share Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz. Have the children say the word “peace” in each of the languages. Pay special attention to children who know the featured languages or can say “peace” in their own mother tongue language.
Have the children make a Word Wall using Peace Words. Ask each child to make one word and one symbol. A symbol could be a smile, a dove, a handshake, a peace sign, etc. Each child will use two quarter sheets of paper for this project. The word could be any word related to the concept of peace in any language. The symbol could be anything they think helps bring peace or represents peace.
Once all the words and symbols have been posted on the Word Wall, show the kids their video! Many may have seen it already, but this can be the official debut. If you can make popcorn, give the kids a little treat for all their hard work.
3. Conclusion:
Congratulate the children on their work. Share their work on the class Weebly, the school newsletter, or on the school’s big screens! This video and the work that went into it will leave a lasting impression on the children.
Resources:
- Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz
- Quarter sheets of white paper for the Word Wall words.
- Video projection capability
- Finished Peace Video
- A small display area prepped for the Word Wall work
Notes:
It will take quite a bit of preparation to get ready for today’s lesson. You will need to put the pictures with narration together, choose a theme, add music, and finalize the video. This doesn’t have to take very long, but if you have never done it before please allow up to two hours. You will struggle if your broadband capability is not strong. So, be sure that you have good connectivity before you attempt the video editing.
There is a wealth of resources on peace, promoting peace, and creating a peaceful school. Instead of this video approach, you could take an “anti-bullying” approach. Or, you could take a conflict resolution approach. My preference is to have one unit a year with a very strong technology tie-in. The technology needs to be one in which the children create a piece of work, and I have found that this peace unit works very well.
Recommended books for this lesson:
1. Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz
Key Terms:
Peace, Hug, Smile, Wave, Friendship, Community, Caring, Security, Home, Happiness