Me (Human Body, Caring, Communicator) - Transdisciplinary, Themed Unit/Lessons

Imagine being a kid and learning about body parts, uses, ways to communicate, opinions and beliefs, how to be caring toward oneself and others, and mathematical concepts like sorting, classifying, and graphing by making silly faces at one another, playing Simon Says, singing songs, and doing art projects. It is amazing to watch students acquire and demonstrate knowledge when given multiple ways of learning and showing what they know.

At the core, this transdisciplinary, themed unit with 25 lessons is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and, therefore, is based on student-driven inquiry with learning opportunities that are kinesthetic, auditory, as well as visual. ESL/EFL/ELL, general classroom, advanced, and special needs students will all be engaged and thriving during these lessons, which can be differentiated in content, process, and end product without changing the lesson format. All you have to do is let your students' excitement, previous knowledge, and natural sense of curiosity guide the learning!

This document includes 25 engaging, fun lessons that address science, language arts, social studies, and math objectives about the following essential questions:
- What do I know about myself?
- What do I want to know about myself?
- What body parts do I have? (External and Internal)
- What can I do with these body parts?
- How are my body parts and other students' body parts similar and different?
- What is a communicator?
- How can I use my body and objects around me to communicate?
- How can music impact how I communicate?
- When have I been a communicator?
- When have other students in my class demonstrated being a communicator?
- How can I show what I know?
- What does it mean to be caring?
- What does a caring person do?
- How can I show that I am caring?
- What have I learned about myself?
- What do I like?
- What don't I like?
- How am I similar to and different than others?

In addition, each lesson has literature connections (read alouds, used in independent reading centers). See the sample of uploaded to review the suggested books, but by all means teachers can substitute other books of similar content without impacting the lessons.

Note: Many of these lessons are designed to capture the students' imaginations, which can then be harnessed in independent centers throughout the unit. Also, you can find most of these lessons individually on TpT instead of the bundled lesson document, but I offer a discounted price for buying in bulk. Besides these lessons are best taught in conjunction with one another rather than isolated stand alone lessons.

The following is a synopsis of the elements of the unit:

Transdisciplinary Theme: Who We Are

Central Idea: Learning about ourselves helps us understand and connect to ourselves and others in the world.

Summative Assessment Task(s): Portfolio

Key Concepts: Form, Function, Causation, and Perspective

Lines of Inquiry:
• Parts of our body (some connection to the five senses)
• How we can use our body to communicate
• Likes, dislikes, and opinions (e.g. foods, colors, books, movies, animals)
• How people are similar and different

Essential Questions/Provocations:
• What are the parts of my body?
• What do the parts of my body do?
• How can I use my body to communicate?
• What do I like? What do I dislike?
• Who am I? What makes me similar and different from others?

Transdisciplinary Skills: Communication and Research

Learner Profile Characteristics: Communicator (Attitudes: Empathy and Respect) and Caring (Attitudes: Appreciation)

Possible Learning Experiences and Evidence of Learning:
• Self-portrait (perhaps doing several using a variety of materials over the course of the unit)
• Write/Make a "me" book (pictures, photographs, letters, documents about what the child likes/dislikes)
• Make a photo album of self from birth until now
• Write an autobiography
• Making body sculptures/models
• Family tree
• Singing songs
• Making up own songs
• Venn diagrams (compare and contrast self to others in the family or close friends)
• Reading books
• Observational notes
• Pictures/Photos
• Dramatic play
• Play plans
• Written stories
• Student reflection (written and verbal)