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- Syllabus Title:
The Cows Are Going to Paris
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- Instructor:
Sandy Beck
Semester:
Fall, 2003
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- Content Area:
Interdisciplinary -- Environmental Studies/Biology/Language Arts/Visual
Arts/Math/Social Studies/Geography
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- Instructional Level:
Gifted students, grades 1 - 5
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- Course Overview:
- The Cows Are Going to Paris, a children's book by local poet and
FSU professor David Kirby, follows a herd of cows who grow tired
of their lush pasture at Fontainebleau and hop a train bound
for Paris. On their trip they hoof it to many sights including
the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, where they admire the Mona Lisa.
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- In this class, using the writing
process and Dr. Kirby's book as a model , children work in teams
of three or more students to research, write and illustrate their
own book about an wild creature and world destination of their
choice. The creative process of working in teams helps provide
a natural environment to practice editing, teamwork, and communication
skills necessary for future success. Students will also learn
about Leonardo da Vinci, his way of looking at the world and
his Renaissance techniques for representing the 3D world on 2D
surfaces, then apply these techniques to their own work. And,
all students will participate in a field trip to and tour of
the FSU Museum of Fine Art where they will use artwork as inspiration
for their own writing.
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- Class Objectives (and levels of Bloom's Taxonomy):
- Upon Completion of this Course,
students will be able to:
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- * Create a graphic organizer
and time line of a story. (knowledge, comprehension, application)
- * On a map, identify a route
from "home" to "destination." (application,
synthesis)
- * Learn and apply a Renaissance
technique for creating proper perspective in drawing a scene,
then evaluate other's drawings. (knowledge, application, synthesis,
evaluation)
- * Identify and apply a mathematical
rule ("Apparent Size") for measuring size-distance
relationship. (comprehension, analysis, synthesis)
- * Identify and use taxonomy
to classify a species of wildlife native to a specific geographic
region. Describe its native habitat, including other animals
which would be found in its food web. (knowledge, application)
- * Recognize and analyze adaptations
of the chosen native species which enable it to survive (knowledge,
analysis)
- * Identify a chosen city and
locate it on a map of the world. (knowledge, application)
- * Using various resources, locate
and collect information about several features of sites within
chosen city including, museums, parks, restaurants, monuments,
etc. (knowledge, comprehension, application)
- * During a tour of the FSU Museum of Fine Art, closely
observe artwork on display and choose one or more works as inspiration
for writing poetry. (synthesis, evaluation)
- * Using creative writing skills,
artistic skills and technology, write and illustrate an original
storybook. (application, synthesis)
- * Using a prearranged rubric,
evaluate their own and other students' storybooks. (evaluation)
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- Class Procedures:
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- Part One
The Cows Are Going
to Paris, a children's
book by local poet and FSU professor David Kirby, follows a herd
of cows who grow tired of their lush pasture at Fontainebleau
and hop a train bound for Paris. On their trip they hoof it to
many sights including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, where
they admire the Mona Lisa.
- After listening to and discussing
the story, students will create a graphic organizer and time
line of the story. They will also identify the plot, setting,
characters and theme of the story. And, using a map of Paris
and nearby Fontainebleau, they will map the route the characters
took.
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- Part Two
Students will then focus on the Mona Lisa painting. Students
will learn about Leonardo da Vinci, his way of looking at the
world and his Renaissance techniques for representing the 3D
world on 2D surfaces.
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- Part Three
Working in small groups, students will use books, magazines and
Internet sites to help them select a particular city in the world
and then a wild animal that is native to that geographic region.
Using the Cows Are Going to Paris as a model and the Writing
Process (Brainstorm, Research, Draft, Revise, Publish) students
will research and write the text for their own picture book.
- Students will use these questions
to being thinking about possible ideas for their story.
Who? - Discuss possible characters to include in the story.
Where? In what setting does the story take place? Are there a
variety of settings involved?
When? - What is the time period of your story: present
day, the future, the past or a combination?
What? - What is going to happen in the story? What is the
problem or conflict?
Why? - What is the purpose of the story: to educate and
inform, to entertain, or a combination? What response do you
want from the reader: to make them laugh, cry, understand a different
view point or opinion?
How? - How is the problem or conflict resolved?
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- Part Four
- Illustrating their book, students
will incorporate Leonardo da Vinci's techniques of "linear
perspective" and "apparent size."
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- Part Five
Students will scan their drawings and create PowerPoint presentations
of their books. Each student will take home a CD with his or
her group's "PowerPoint book."
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- Student Products
1. Graphic organizer,
Time Line and Map of The Cows Are Going to Paris
2. Original drawing utilizing "Leonardo's Window" and
Linear Perspective" techniques.
3. Data table measuring the apparent height of a moved object.
- 4. Poetry written at the FSU
Museum of Fine Art
5. Research notes
6. Original, collaborative PowerPoint book
7. A weekly student journal of tasks worked on and completed
8. Self-evaluation, Peer-evaluation
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- Evaluation
- Teacher observation
- Students' weekly journals
- Using a prearranged rubric, students will evaluate their own
and other students' books.
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- Sunshine State Standards
Language Arts:
LA.A.1.2, LA.A.2.2, LA.B.1.2, LA.B.2.2, LA.E.1.2, LA.E.2.2
Mathematics:
MA.B.2.2, MA.B.3.2, MA.B.4.2, MA.D.2.2
Science:
SC.G.1.2, SC.G.2.2
Social Studies
SS.A.1.2
Geography
SS.B.1.2
Visual Arts
VA.A.1.2, VA.B.1.2, VA.C.1.2, VA.D.1.2
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