The Battle of Flowers

1. The Battle of Flowers First Grade By: Melissa Day

2. TEKS SS • §113.3. Social Studies, Grade 1. • (b) Knowledge and skills. • (2) History. The student understands the origins of customs, holidays, and celebrations. The student is expected to: • (A) describe the origins of selected customs, holidays, and celebrations of the community, state, and nation • (B) compare the observance of holidays and celebrations, past and present • (13) Citizenship. The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity. The student is expected to: • (A) explain selected national and state patriotic symbols such as the U.S. and Texas flags, the Liberty Bell, and the Alamo

3. TEKS LA • § English Language Arts and Reading. Grade 1 • (b) Knowledge and skills. • (12) Reading/comprehension. The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend selections read aloud and selections read independently. The student is expected to: • (A) use prior knowledge to anticipate meaning and make sense of texts • (C) retell or act out the order of important events in stories • (E) draw and discuss visual images based on text descriptions • (G) identify similarities and differences across texts such as in topics, characters, and problems

4. TEKS FA • §117.5. Art, Grade 1. • (b) Knowledge and skills. • (2) Creative expression/performance. The student expresses ideas through original artworks, using a variety of media with appropriate skill. The student is expected to: • (A) invent images that combine a variety of colors, forms, and lines • (B) place forms in orderly arrangement to create designs • §117.7 Theatre, Grade 1. • (b) Knowledge and skills. • (4) Historical/cultural heritage. The student relates theatre to history, society, and culture. The student is expected to: • (A) imitate life experiences from various historical periods in dramatic play

5. Materials Needed • Art supplies for projects • Glue, construction paper, scissors, tissue paper, glitter, pipe cleaners, balloons, shoe boxes, poster board, markers, crayons • Texas Alphabet • Tumbleweed Tom on the Texas Trail • The Story of Texas Part 2: Independence • Texas Jack at the Alamo • Susanna of the Alamo • The Alamo • Internet and Projector

6. Book Covers

7. Time For Lesson • 8 Schooldays long • April 17-20, 23-26 • Friday, April 20th field trip to the Alamo • Friday, April 27th No School for Battle of Flowers

8. Tuesday April 17, 2007 • Go over the state information (capital, bird, motto, etc) • Students would be given an option to make a poster of all of the State Information to be hung on the wall if they wanted to • Review some Texas history and culture • Have students get in their Literature Circles and read one of the two books. • Texas Alphabet • By: James Rice • Tumbleweed Tom on the Texas Trail • By: Jackie Hopkins

9. Differentiation • Special needs would read Texas Alphabet with a prerecorded tape • Gifted and Talented would read • The Story of Texas Part 2: Independence

10. Poster Example "Texas Our Texas" Friendship The Lone Star State

11. Wednesday April 18, 2007 • Have students do a Book Talk over their book about Texas • Finish up talking about Texas history and start focusing on the Battle of the Alamo • Start off by KWL on the Alamo • Read Texas Jack at the Alamo By: James Rice • This would be done out loud to the students with a comprehension strategy Permission Slips Due for Field Trip on Friday

12. Thursday April 19, 2007 • Have students get in their literature circles and discuss • Susanna of the Alamo By: John Jakes • Have students think about the major sites and areas that they want to look for on Friday when they visit the Alamo

13. Differentiation • For Gifted students, instead of reading Susanna, have them read The Alamo By: Leonard Fisher as a group

14. Friday April 20, 2007 • Go on a field trip to the Alamo • Listen to the presentation speaker that is at the Alamo • Have them see where everything took place Fiesta San Antonio Official Opening Ceremony

15. Monday April 23, 2007 • Finish up the KWL on the Alamo • Introduce The Battle of Flowers • History • Events that will be going on throughout the week

16. Differentiation • Gifted and Talented • Research and look up very old newspaper articles starting back in 1836 when Texas had gained independence and see if you can find anything

17. Tuesday April 24, 2007 • Have students compare the Battle of the Alamo to the Battle of Flowers • This can be done in skit, poster board, essay, or however they want to • Must have 3 points as to how they are the same • Must have 3 points as to how they are different • Have students start to brain storm how they want their float to be decorated

18. Differentiation • Special Needs • Has to have 1 way how they are the same and 1 way how they are different (or) • From a list of choices picks how they are the same and different • Gifted and Talented • Has to have more than three points each

19. Wednesday April 25, 2007 • Have the students decorate a shoe box into a float • This is going to be for the mock Battle of Flowers parade • While this is going on have last years Battle of Flowers parade playing so the students can look at it to get ideas

20. Differentiation • Special Needs • For float making have them paired up with someone for extra help • Have float ideas for them to pick from • Have pieces already cut out for them to glue on • Gifted and Talented • Give them the requirement for 3-D decorations

21. Thursday April 26, 2007 • Have our mock Battle of Flowers parade where each kid has their float and they get to throw flowers as they walk past their float • Have floats displayed in the library

23. Assessment • Assess their understanding when doing the lit circles • Extra points for doing a poster of Texas information • Attendance and participation points for going to the Alamo • Grade the Compare and Contrast presentation • The float can be graded too