Spring Unit Themes

Are you ready for Spring?

Go to this link to hear Tiny Tim singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"

The following list is just a beginning! Please send us your ideas!

	Roaring 20s - this is an excellent theme for a 21st century project-based, interdisciplinary project. See www.21stCenturySchools.com/Roaring_20s.htm
	No Child Left Inside Go to www.21stCenturySchools.com/No_Child_Left_Inside.htm
	Filmmaking - from media literacy to history to economics!
	Diversity and the USA - from the historical foundations of our country to issues related to race, religion and more.
	Gardening - see the Edible Schoolyard and our Green Corner. Also see our Ecoliteracy Page. Scroll down this page for many related links.
	Mythology - spring - new life - how have myths from cultures around the world and through time sought to explain life? Scroll down for many mythology links.
	Sports - a great theme for learning about ancient history, politics, government, economics, media literacy, health, technologies, and much more!
	Global Johnny Appleseed Project - spring apple blossom festivals, mythology, environmental studies, agriculture, marketing, grocery stores, fairy tales, www.21stCenturySchools.com/Johnny_Appleseed.htm
	Weather - scroll down page for more links.

In the Spring we enjoy new growth, new life, and our thoughts turn to nature. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, 2010. NASA also sponsors a Sun-Earth Day.

This is the time of year to conduct engaging investigations into our environment, weather, our ecosystems, plant and animal life, and all the related interdisciplinary topics from Culture, Myths and Legends, to Environmental Laws. There are wonderful opportunities to conduct powerful Service Learning Projects - from gardening to social action on protecting the environment! This is a time to focus on that all-important Ecoliteracy!

Listed below you will find connections to various disciplines, plus some resources on other topics which fit well into a spring curriculum such as Gardening, Solar System, Weather, and more, followed by an extensive list of links on Mythology.

The following ideas are the beginning of a themed interdisciplinary, project-based unit which I began brainstorming this evening. Continuing along these lines, a fabulous unit, or several, will emerge. Within these units can be taught most of the content standards and skills. Get a team together and continue the brainstorm, launching from an idea you see below!

The Green Corner! Visit this page for additional unit themes and resources related to the environment. Send us your suggestions and links to resources for The Green Corner, too!

When designing a unit, I select a theme, and then I brainstorm/concept map all the possibilities for how each of the disciplines can be connected. This list is that brainstorm - ongoing. It is not meant to be the unit itself, only a list of which disciplines you can connect to a spring unit theme. You may also decide to go with one of the ideas below for your unit theme, instead of "Spring". See Resources below. More to come!

o Mapping countries and oceans where legends are from. I once taught a unit where we read legends from all the populated continents – North America, South America, Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe – very interesting. Ask your local librarian for some help, and you will find many great myths, etc.

Ø Civics – from EPA to social action such as Greenpeace, etc. See Service Learning.

Ø Cultural Studies – examines cultural celebrations and rituals from various cultures through time. How have humans responded to Spring? How do some of the ancient celebrations impact our lives today?

Ø Geometry and Architecture– designing environmentally-friendly buildings, energy efficient buildings (connects to art and history)

Students should be able to take a topic of their choice from this theme, then produce a film, television show, radio show, web site and/or DVD.

TV show/How-to DVDs (and you can sell them for fundraiser!) Have the students watch a few samples of one of the following types of shows, identify the format, etc., and then plan and film one of their own.

NASA - Sun-Earth Day is comprised of a series of programs and events that occur throughout the year culminating with a celebration on or near the Spring Equinox. March 20, 2010.

EPA – Environmental Protection Agency – this web site has resources for high school level investigations on Air, Waste and Recycling, Water, Conservation, Ecosystems, Your Neighborhood and Health and Safety.

Global Climate Change – from Exploratorium, the museum of Science, Art and Human Perception

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVppfnXtPZ4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fhahathatsfuney%2Ewordpress%2Ecom%2F2009%2F01%2F06%2Ftornados%2F&feature=player_embedded

“give students a chance to grow and prepare their own foods; connect with chefs, farmers, and cheese makers; share healthful meals; and learn to explore and savor flavors, and they just might develop a new – and lifelong – appreciation for what sustains us.” from the National Gardening Association.

This area would also include Agriculture, Horticulture, Nutrition/Cooking, Botany . . .

National Gardening Association – this site has excellent resources for gardening, global classroom projects, grants, and lessons with connections to all the disciplines! Highly recommended!

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden – project for schools around the world, and many links to Conservation and the Environment, Botanical Gardens, Botany and Horticulture.

Myths, legends, and folklore from cultures around the world and through time explain how the world and man came to be in their present form. How did peoples of other cultures explain the existence of the seasons, the sun, the ocean, the land, plant, animals, the weather, the stars and more?

“A myth is a sacred story from the past. It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its culture's moral values in human terms. Myths concern the powers who control the human world and the relationship between those powers and human beings. Although myths are religious in their origin and function, they may also be the earliest form of history, science, or philosophy...

“A folktale is a story that, in its plot, is pure fiction and that has no particular location in either time or space. However, despite its elements of fantasy, a folktale is actually a symbolic way of presenting the different means by which human beings cope with the world in which they live. Folktales concern people -- either royalty or common folk -- or animals who speak and act like people...

“A legend is a story from the past about a subject that was, or is believed to have been, historical. Legends concern people, places, and events. Usually, the subject is a saint, a king, a hero, a famous person, or a war. A legend is always associated with a particular place and a particular time in history.”

Ostara – Springtime Festival of Renewal of nature, is the Anglo-Saxon name for the lunar holiday of nature's renewal pre-dating Easter – very nice page for kids.

Greek Mythology – links at Harding Middle School (they have lots of great links for many other themes as well!)

eBooks@Adelaide: Free Web Books, Online - fantastic free online resource of full texts from ancient times through modern! Greek dramatists, Russian literature, Crime and Mystery, the Gothic Novel, and more!