Lesson Goals
Students will research and collect accurate information about the Jet Stream, Gulf Stream, or La Niña/El Niño and how these phenomena impact weather..
Students will demonstrate understanding of the Jet Stream and Gulf Stream and how these phenomena impact weather by presenting accurate information in the form of visual art, a skit or dance, or a song.
Students will reflect on the accuracy and presentation final products.
Students will choose between creating a visual arts piece, drama and/or dance, or writing a parody or original song to demonstrate understanding of the Jet Stream, Gulf Stream, or La Niña/El Niño and how these phenomena impact weather. Students may work in groups of two, three, or four.
Requirements:
Informances should be between 4-7 minutes long.
Participation of all group members during research, creation process, and informance
Correct Use of Vocabulary & Concepts
Citation of Sources
Materials
Technology
BYOD
iPads or Laptops
Headphones*
Domain-Specific Books
Posters
Construction Paper
Scissors
Glue
Drawing Tools
Activities
Informance: Global Patterns (Visual Art, Drama/Dance, or Song)
Day 1: Group Pairing, Research
Day 2: Creation
Day 3: Creation, Practice
Day 4: Inform and Evaluate
Differentiation Approaches
1. Students can use assistive technology such as Siri to dictate lyrics to songs, scripts for plays, or explanation of visual art.
2. If students compose a drama or dance, they can use various story-writing graphic organizers (i.e. flow map, Venn Diagram for character or concept comparison).
3. Students creating visual art can modify the writing assignment by responding only to Paragraph 2 or by writing a 5-paragraph essay, explaining related concepts, or personal experience of topics covered.
Assessment
Song Writing, Spoken Word, or Rap
Can be an original or parody. If students want to use a karaoke version from YouTube or soundtrack from another song to write a parody, the original song MUST be pre-approved by the teacher.
Drama and/or Dance
A script or explanation of movements must be provided to the teacher. There must be a clear beginning, middle, and end, as well as a major conflict and resolution. Props may be used.
Visual Art
A 3-paragraph essay must be submitted with the piece to explain the symbolism of assigned topics. The format for the paragraphs should be: 1) Introduction, 2) Explanation of Symbolic Elements, 3) Conclusion. It can be typed or written neatly in ink.
Students can be given a rubric to follow for self-evaluation and the instructor can use it to evaluate how understanding of topics has been demonstrated.
Students can also record short videos of their work and post on ClassDojo.
Follow Up and Extension Ideas
Students can create and/or record music in GarageBand on the iPads.
Students who wrote a parody or original song can team up with Drama and/or Dance teams to create a combination informance.
Students working with visual art can create a series of works based on the assignment.
Additional Details
- Grade Level: Fifth
- Arts Content Area: Dance, Music, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts
- Non-Arts Content Area: English Language Arts, Science
