Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Lesson I am Henry Finch - Identity Date

Title/Focus LESSON 1

Subject/Grade Grade One- Social Studies and Language Time 50 minutes

Level Arts Duration

ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General Learning Social Studies:

Outcomes: 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how identity and self-
esteem are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their world and how active
members in a community contribute to the well-being, growth and vitality of their groups
and communities.

Language Arts:
1. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas,
feelings and experiences
2. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond
personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.
3. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
4. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and
artistry of communication.

Specific Learning Students will:

Outcomes:
1.1.1 - value self and others as unique individuals in relation to their world:

● appreciate how belonging to groups and communities enriches an individual's identity

● appreciate multiple points of view, languages, cultures and experiences within their
groups and communities
● demonstrate respect for their individual rights and the rights of others
● recognize and respect how the needs of others may be different from their own

1.1.2 - value the groups and communities to which they belong:

● demonstrate a willingness to share and cooperate with others

● appreciate how their actions might affect other people and how the actions of others
might affect them
● demonstrate a willingness to resolve issues and/or problems peacefully
● assume responsibility for their individual choices and actions

1.1 talk with others about something recently learned

 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

1.1 share personal experiences that are clearly related to oral, print and other media texts

2.1 use personal word books, print texts and environmental print to assist with writing

2.2. relate aspects of stories and characters to personal feelings and experiences

3.1 connect information from oral, print and other media texts to topics of study

3.1 spoken directions for gathering ideas and information

4.1 rephrase by adding or deleting words, ideas or information to make better sense

4.2 write simple statements, demonstrating awareness of capital letters and periods

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
1. Students will
● Understand individuality and what makes up a person's identity through discussing their thoughts and
ideas at the carpet
● Comprehend the differences between themselves and their peers through comparing their
questionnaire with a partner.
● Progress in their reading and writing skills as they take the information from their questionnaire and
make a good copy on the Who Am I write up sheet using full sentences.
● Distinguish their own personal thoughts and ideas and be able to understand that their differences
make them unique.

ASSESSMENTS (How I will know students have achieved the objective(s))

● Students can comprehend the questions asked about identity in the questionnaire page and provide written
answers.
● Through the questions asked during the reading of the book (What makes Henry Finch different? How did
Henry Finch get out of the beast’s’ belly? How did identity help Henry Finch get out of the belly of the beast?
How would you get out of the beasts’ belly? What are some thoughts that you have that make you an
individual?
● Students identify the differences between themselves and their peers
● How students decide to describe their individuality in the Who Am I worksheet.

Prior to the Lesson MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● *This lesson is the beginning of the unit. Students ● I Am Henry Finch book by Alexis Deacon
will have reading and writing skills to read the ● Henry Finch workbook
questions and write down their answers. * ● Example Henry Finch’s workbook
● Students will be growing their reading and writing ● Stamp pad(ink)
skills, they will have the ability to write in full ● Baby wipes
sentences and use punctuation. ● Pencils
● Fine Tip Sharpie markers

PROCEDURE

Introduction Time

● Students will sit at the carpet. Together, the class will discuss what makes us different. 15 minutes
● Ask students questions such as:
○ Are all of us on the carpet the same? Why or why not?
○ Are some things about all of us the same? (Such as, we all live in Canada)
■ *stress that all of us are different, but some things about each of us
can be the same.
○ What are some examples of what makes each of us different?
● Introduce the story of I Am Henry Finch. Explain that it is a story that will help us to
better understand ourselves, and why we want to be surrounded by unique people.
● Start reading I Am Henry Finch at the carpet together
● After the first page, pause and ask students what the illustrator made the finches out
of. Why did they choose to use fingerprints?
● Explain how everyone has their own personal fingerprint. It is a part of our own
identity. What is Identity? Ask students what they think identity is.
● Continue reading the story and pause throughout the book. Ask students questions
about their own inner thoughts and feelings; what do they need to tell themselves? Do
they like their thoughts all the time? Do they think differently than others?
● As a group, go over the story. How did Henry Finch get out of the belly of the beast?
Why did he need to realize he was an INDIVIDUAL in order to get out of the belly?
What made Henry Finch different from other finches?
● Send students back to their desks and ask them to think about their own identity. Once
at desks, ask them to share their favourite part of the story with an elbow partner
quietly.

Body Time

25 minutes
● As students discuss, hand out workbooks
● Explain the first worksheet in the workbook, the first being a questionnaire with
questions pertaining to their own identity. Show them the example workbook
questionnaire which is filled out from Henry Finches point of view to give students an
idea of how they can answer questions.
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● Explain the second Who Am I sheet, where students make a small write up (1-2
sentences) about what they think are some of the most important facts about their
individual identity.
○ students fill in their first name in the blank in the “I am ____ finch” section,
then proceed to write one to two sentences about themselves following the
“and I am…” prompt.
○ Show Henry Finches Who Am I sheet in the example workbook.
● Students must finish their questionnaire, then bring it up to be checked over before
they can begin.
● Have prompts on board for students to look at regarding spelling.
● Only once students have checked in they can begin their good copy on the next Who
Am I worksheet. This is their good copy, so they must use their best and neatest
printing as they make their full sentences.
● Once students are all working on their good copy, call them up one by one to stamp
their fingerprint (thumb) into the box on the worksheet. Wipe off their finger using a
baby wipe to ensure that you don't make a mess! Allow them to individualize their
“finch” by drawing wings, a face, a beak, and legs onto the thumbprint using a fine
sharpie.
● Ensure that students continue working on their write up- don't get distracted by the
thumbprint finch!

Closure Time

● As students finish up their worksheets, open the topic of how each individual's 10 minutes
thoughts are different than one another.
● Ask students to share their Who Am I? questionnaire sheets with an elbow partner.
Ask them to notice the differences. This opens up for the later discussion of
community in later lessons!
● As a group, engage students in a class discussion about the book now.
○ How has their idea of identity changed?
○ Do they understand the importance of being your own unique person?
○ How does this benefit the world that we are all different?
● Ask students to continue thinking about this and notice some of their differences as
they go on with the rest of their day.
● Collect worksheet pages from students and store in a safe place, ensuring that the ink
is dry on each page.

Reflections
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Lesson I am Henry Finch - Community Date

Title/Focus LESSON 2

Subject/Grade Grade One- Social Studies Time 45 minutes

Level Duration

ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General Learning Social Studies:

Outcomes: Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how identity and self-esteem
are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their world and how active members in a
community contribute to the well-being, growth and vitality of their groups and communities.
Language Arts:
1. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas,
feelings and experiences
2. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond
personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.
3. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
4. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and
artistry of communication.

Specific Learning Students will:

Outcomes:
1.1.1 - value self and others as unique individuals in relation to their world:

● appreciate how belonging to groups and communities enriches an individual's identity

● appreciate multiple points of view, languages, cultures and experiences within their
groups and communities
● demonstrate respect for their individual rights and the rights of others
● recognize and respect how the needs of others may be different from their own

1.1.2 - value the groups and communities to which they belong:

● demonstrate a willingness to share and cooperate with others

● appreciate how their actions might affect other people and how the actions of others
might affect them
● demonstrate a willingness to resolve issues and/or problems peacefully
● assume responsibility for their individual choices and actions

1.1.3 examine how they belong and are connected to their world by exploring and reflecting
upon the following questions for inquiry:

● What different types of communities or groups do you belong to?

● What helps us to recognize different groups or communities (e.g., landmarks, symbols,
colours, logos, clothing)?
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● In what ways do we belong to more than one group or community at the same time?
● In what ways do we benefit from belonging to groups and communities?
● What are our responsibilities and rights at home, at school, in groups and in
communities?

1.1.4 determine what makes their communities thrive by exploring and reflecting upon the
following questions for inquiry:

● In what ways do people cooperate in order to live together peacefully?

● How do groups make decisions?
● In what ways do people help one another at home, at school and in groups to ensure
the vitality of their community?

1.1.5 distinguish geographic features in their own community from other communities by
exploring and reflecting upon the following questions for inquiry:

● What are some familiar landmarks and places in my community?

● Why are these landmarks and places significant features of the community?
● What are some differences between rural and urban communities?
● Where is my community on a map or on a globe?

1.1 talk with others about something recently learned

1.1 share personal experiences that are clearly related to oral, print and other media texts

2.1 use personal word books, print texts and environmental print to assist with writing

2.2. relate aspects of stories and characters to personal feelings and experiences

3.1 connect information from oral, print and other media texts to topics of study

3.1 spoken directions for gathering ideas and information

4.1 rephrase by adding or deleting words, ideas or information to make better sense

4.2 write simple statements, demonstrating awareness of capital letters and periods

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
● Identify differences between themselves and their peers
● Understand collaboration and how this works to create community
● Distinguish the people around them who make up their community
● Understand the importance of a community of unique individuals
● Understand what community is and what makes up a community

ASSESSMENTS (How I will know students have achieved the objective(s))

 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● Students can comprehend the questions asked about their community in the questionnaire page and provide
written answers.
● Through the questions asked during the reading of the book (What makes Henry Finch part of a community?
Why did Henry Finch discovering how to get out of the beast’s’ belly help his community? How did his unique
identity help within the community? How would you get out of the beasts’ belly? Or would someone else from
your community be the one to get out? What are some thoughts that you have that contribute to your
community?
● Students identify the differences between themselves and their peers through discussion and find
connections that unify them together as a community through both similarities and differences.
● How students decide to describe their individual role within their community in the Who Are We worksheet.

Prior to the Lesson MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

● Students will have a solid understanding of their ● I Am Henry Finch book

unique identities. ● Henry Finch workbook
● Students will be able to recognize that their own ● Example Henry Finch’s workbook
thoughts make them different, and that everyone ● Stamp pad(ink)
has a different background and point of view. ● Baby wipes
● Students will be able to write in complete ● Pencils
sentences and use proper punctuation. ● Fine Tip Sharpie markers

PROCEDURE

Introduction Time

● Gather students at carpet and bring I Am Henry Finch 15 minutes

● Ask students questions pertaining to the book
○ What was this book about?
○ What is identity as previously discussed?
○ How did Henry Finch come to find his own Identity?
● Read I Am Henry Finch again, this time with questions focusing on the idea of
community
○ Why does Henry stay with all of the other finches?
○ Is there a purpose to staying in a big group? How does this help the finches
survive?
○ What is Community? (find out what their ideas of community are)
○ What does Henry Finch have in common with the other finches? Does this
mean the finches are an example of a community?
● Once you finish reading, engage students in a discussion from the community
perspective of the book.
○ How do we act as a community in this school? In this class?
■ Tie this to their exploration of identity from last class through touching
on the similarities presented in their questionnaires
○ What does a community look like outside of this school? Do we all help each
other? What are some examples? How do services like the police, firefighters,
and doctors help our community? How about the garbage man and street
cleaners?
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● Why is it important that everyone within their community is still different, unique, and
has their own identity? How did this help Henry Finch’s community? (through him
figuring out how to make the beast stop eating them)
● Send students back to their desks

Body Time

25 minutes
● Introduce the next two pages of the I Am Henry Finch Workbook. First students will fill
out a questionnaire about community.
○ Ask students to refresh ideas on community. Who is a part of our community?
What is important about having a community?
● Tell students that only once they are finished their questionnaire can they begin on the
Who Are We worksheet good copy. In the same fashion as the last lesson, they are to
use their best printing and writing to make full sentences explaining the importance of
community.
● Once students are all working on the Who Are We worksheet, call students up one by
one to stamp their fingerprint (thumb) into the box on the worksheet. Wipe off their
finger using a baby wipe to ensure that you don't make a mess! Allow them to
individualize their “finch” by drawing wings, a face, a beak, and legs onto the
thumbprint using a fine sharpie.
● Allow students time to continue working

Closure Time

● As students finish up their good copies, ask about their identity. 5 minutes
○ How does their identity make them an important part of the community?
○ Who thinks community is important?
● Collect students work and store in a safe location to dry
● Ask students to look around and notice their community when they go home
○ Who is doing what jobs?
○ What jobs do they do that make them a part of the community?

Reflections:
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Lesson I am Henry Finch -Belly of the Beast Date

Title/Focus LESSON 3

Subject/Grade Grade One- Social Studies Time 45 minutes

Level Duration

ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES

General Learning Social Studies:

Outcomes: Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how identity and self-esteem
are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their world and how active members in a
community contribute to the well-being, growth and vitality of their groups and communities.
Language Arts:
1. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas,
feelings and experiences
2. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and respond
personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts.
3. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
4. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and
artistry of communication.

Specific Learning Students will:

Outcomes:
1.1.1 - value self and others as unique individuals in relation to their world:

● appreciate how belonging to groups and communities enriches an individual's identity

● appreciate multiple points of view, languages, cultures and experiences within their
groups and communities
● demonstrate respect for their individual rights and the rights of others
● recognize and respect how the needs of others may be different from their own

1.1.2 - value the groups and communities to which they belong:

● demonstrate a willingness to share and cooperate with others

● appreciate how their actions might affect other people and how the actions of others
might affect them
● demonstrate a willingness to resolve issues and/or problems peacefully
● assume responsibility for their individual choices and actions

1.1.3 examine how they belong and are connected to their world by exploring and reflecting
upon the following questions for inquiry:

● What different types of communities or groups do you belong to?

● What helps us to recognize different groups or communities (e.g., landmarks, symbols,
colours, logos, clothing)?
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

● In what ways do we belong to more than one group or community at the same time?
● In what ways do we benefit from belonging to groups and communities?
● What are our responsibilities and rights at home, at school, in groups and in
communities?

1.1.4 determine what makes their communities thrive by exploring and reflecting upon the
following questions for inquiry:

● In what ways do people cooperate in order to live together peacefully?

● How do groups make decisions?
● In what ways do people help one another at home, at school and in groups to ensure
the vitality of their community?

1.1 talk with others about something recently learned

1.1 share personal experiences that are clearly related to oral, print and other media texts

2.1 use personal word books, print texts and environmental print to assist with writing

2.2. relate aspects of stories and characters to personal feelings and experiences

3.1 connect information from oral, print and other media texts to topics of study

3.1 spoken directions for gathering ideas and information

4.1 rephrase by adding or deleting words, ideas or information to make better sense

4.2 write simple statements, demonstrating awareness of capital letters and periods

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:
● Display an understanding of their communities and how they are a part of said community.
● Discern their own unique thoughts and ideas from those of others, and understand why that makes
them unique
● Identify skills within themselves that can help them in different scenarios
● Distinguish different methods of how they could solve the problem
● Understand how positive thoughts are helpful

ASSESSMENTS (How I will know students have achieved the objective(s))

● Students have developed thoughtful ideas about community and identity and applied them to their worksheet.
● Students engage with the assignment as they come up with, they brainstorm ideas and collaborate with their
peers during the discussion portion of the lesson.
● Students display their understanding of positive thought process through their ideas that they display on their
worksheet.
● Students can complete the task assigned fully and show through their work full comprehension.
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Prior to the Lesson MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

● Students will have a solid understanding of their ● I Am Henry Finch book

unique identities. ● Henry Finch workbook
● Students will be able to recognize that their own ● Example Henry Finch’s workbook
thoughts make them different, and that everyone ● Stamp pad(ink)
has a different background and point of view. ● Baby wipes
● Students will have developed the skills to write in ● Pencils
full sentences using correct punctuation. ● Fine Tip Sharpie markers
● Glue sticks
● Precut out thought bubbles (approx. 2 in.)
● Sticky notes
● Pencil crayons
● Premade worksheet for Beasts Belly

PROCEDURE

Introduction Time

● Students gather at carpet, pose questions 15 minutes

○ What are some things that are unique to you that you could use to be able to
get out of the beasts’ belly? Prompt the student replies, as well as give
examples (they are good at debate, they are very strong, etc.), use henry
finch's workbook example to remind them what he did to get out of the belly
(by turning the beast into a vegetarian and spitting him out.)
● Explain assignment to students. Now that we have learned what makes us all unique,
and what makes us all a community, how would you get out of the belly of the beast?
● Allow some discussion, remind students about the importance of community
● Hold up the blank template for the assignment (sheet with squiggly lines on it) and
explain to them that this is the belly of the beast. Each student is going to make
another thumbprint wherever they like within the squiggles and come up with five
thoughts that would help them get out of the beast’s belly pertaining to identity,
community, and collaboration.
● What would you say to help yourself feel confident that you can get out of the belly of
the beast?
● Brainstorm more ideas together until students have a solid understanding of the task
● Send back to desks and hand out 5 sticky notes to each student to brainstorm. As you
hand them out, repeat question prompts from earlier and propose ideas.

Body Time
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

25 minutes
● Inform students that only once they have come up with five different thoughts on their
sticky notes can they come up to you to help them make their thumbprint in their
“belly” sheet.
● Repeat the same steps from previous lesson to have every student make a
thumbprint, this time they can place it wherever they would like to on the worksheet.
(call students up one by one to stamp their fingerprint (thumb) onto the worksheet.
Wipe off their finger using a baby wipe to ensure that you don't make a mess! Allow
them to individualize their “finch” by drawing wings, a face, a beak, and legs onto the
thumbprint using a fine sharpie)
● Once students have their finch stamped and their five ideas brainstormed, they can
begin to colour the background of the beasts’ belly.
● As all of the students finish stamping their fingerprint and colouring, hand out five of
the cut out thought bubbles to each student.
● Instruct students to use their best printing to write out their brainstormed ideas on the
the thought bubbles.
● Only when all five thoughts are neatly printed can students use their glue sticks to glue
the thought bubbles all around their finch thumbprint, careful not to cover it.

Closure Time

● As students finish their thoughts in the beast’s belly page, ask them to bring them to 5 minutes
the carpet for a discussion.
● Once students have gathered, ask them to each share one key thought to the group.
○ What are some of the similarities in thoughts?
○ What are some of the differences?
○ What were the challenges of coming up with these thoughts?
● After discussion, remind students why community is important through explaining
everyone's different roles. Also remind them of the importance of being individuals.
● Ask students to think about the role they play or would like to play within their
community as they continue on with their day.

Reflections:
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Performance Task:

● Begin by gathering the students onto the carpet to explain the final assessment
● Students are to work on the final assessment worksheet which is the last 2 pages
in their I Am Henry Finch workbook
● Students begin by writing out their “I am…” phrases that were posted on their
belly of the beast artwork in the section of the worksheet which prompts the
statements in order to demonstrate their understanding of their own identity
● Since this is the student’s final assessment to showcases their knowledge and
progress, encourage them to write as neat as possible
● After, students are to complete the second stage of the worksheet which
showcases several images of different community helpers that were discussed in
lesson 2
● Students are to select which community helper they would choose to help them
get out of the belly of the beast to demonstrate their knowledge of the various
community helpers and who would be the most helpful in the given situation
● Lastly, students are to describe why they love their community in one brief
sentence.

*Worksheet handed out with clear instructions- briefly go over with class before they
work*
Oral Explanation: Today we will be working on the last three pages in our “I Am Henry
Finch” Workbook. After we go over each of the questions together as a class, we will
turn to the first page that has “I Am” statement prompts. You will use your ideas
brainstormed from their belly of the beast assignment to fill out the statements. Write
your answers on the lines. After you complete the “I Am” statements, choose which
community member you would choose to help you get out of the belly of the beast.
Describe why you chose this community member by saying how they would assist you.
Finally, think back to the story I Am Henry Finch and explain what Henry Finch taught
you about your own unique identity and how you rely on your community.

Once students have completed all of the pages of their workbook, the books will be
bound together, and small rings will be attached. This will make it possible for the
workbooks to be hung up on pegs on the bulletin board so that our class community can
be displayed to the rest of the school.
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Assessment Components:

For each lesson, students must show their filled-out questionnaire pages to the
teacher before they can stamp their thumbprint finch, ensuring that they have a good
understanding of the concepts before they start on their good copy write up. Through
this, students who may not have a full understanding get the required assistance as the
teacher looks over their questionnaire and corrects any misunderstandings that they
might have had. This formative assessment makes certain that the students are fully
engaging with the lesson and understand the concepts before moving on to the next
step. The teacher will collect workbooks and reviewed, helping any further
misunderstandings to be found, and then assistance to the student can occur. Through
this, students can be assessed in a manner that gives them feedback and helps them to
learn. Teachers can get an idea of who is ready to move on to the next lesson and who
needs further review and assistance.

The link between assessments and the curricular outcomes is directly related
through the accumulation of comprehensive knowledge that students provide in their
workbooks through their questionnaires and write-ups. Literacy components are
displayed as students complete the write-ups using full sentences and proper
punctuation, demonstrating to the teacher their level and progression in reading and
writing.

The final performance task is graded by the rubric below and works with the
curricular outcomes of both social studies and language arts as it combines the ideas of
identity and community with reading and writing techniques. As students review their
ideas from previous tasks, they can display their comprehension of identity and
community in how they apply their own personal thoughts on the matter to the I Am
statements. Discussions of the questions as a group before students begin to work
individually will help to clarify any questions that they may have. Since this task is a final
performance task for a more extensive overall assignment, the knowledge has been
scaffolded so that students have had full comprehension of each idea before this task.
This task is summative of the previous assignments that students have learned and is
personal to each individual student, making the ideas based on their comprehension of
the previously learned topics of identity and community.
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Performance Task Rubric:

Areas to Work on Criteria Areas of Strength

“I Am” Statements

● Demonstrates an
understanding of different
aspects of identity
● Identifies helpful, positive
thinking mindset as it
pertains to the book.
● Recognizes themselves
as a unique individuals
___/3

Community Helpers

● Demonstrates an
understanding of
individuals that make up
a community
● Understands different
community helpers’ roles
in the community
___/3

Comprehension

● Showcases an
interpretation of the
meaning behind the
book, “I Am Henry Finch”
___/3

Quality of Work

● Writing is legible and

makes sense
● Answers are formulated
in proper sentence
structure
● Uses correct spelling
___/3

Total: ___/12
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Inquiry Question

How do a variety of individuals with unique identities work together to be a strong

community?

Unit Overview

This unit plan is designed to solidify within students the ideas of identity and

community as it affects each individual student. Students are given a chance through

the lessons to distinguish their own unique identities from their peers and to see how

they come together as a community of individuals. This unit pertains to the Grade One

Social Studies curriculum through the ideas of identity and community and the

Language Arts curriculum as it develops the students reading, writing, and

comprehension. The chosen book, "I Am Henry Finch," covers the desired topics in a

friendly, positive manner, assisting students in growing their own positive thoughts and

ideas when it comes to their unique identities. The knowledge addressed through this

unit is scaffolded as each lesson expands on the previous to ensure a full, well-rounded

understanding of the concepts of community and identity. Engaging with their own

personal lives, students develop their comprehension as it relates directly to themselves

and gives them a chance to share about themselves.

The question of "Who Am I?" is recurring throughout the unit. The question

applies to the two main concepts of identity and individuality within a community. This

question allows students to display their own strengths, voice, and ideas as they

respond to the given prompts. Some key questions include: How did Henry Finch come

to find his own identity? What are some examples of what makes each of us different?

Why did he need to realize he was an individual in order to get out of the belly? What is
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

important about having a community? The overarching question of the unit is How do a

variety of individuals work together to be a strong community? Through these questions,

students can develop ideas on personal identity as well as collective identity and

understand the strengths that come from being a community, which are required in the

program of studies.

This unit would occur later into the school year, once students have further

developed their writing and comprehension, as well as become a community with their

classmates. Incorporating the unit later in the year ensures the students can fully

immerse themselves in the lesson alongside their classmates whom they are familiar

with, and whom they have developed strong relationships. The unit is compiled of many

different steps and activities that require strong foundational knowledge from the

students to ensure they benefit as strongly as possible from the information and are

able to complete the necessary work with sufficient capabilities. Students will be able to

answer the questions given to them on the questionnaire by themselves, with minor

assistance from the teacher. This autonomy is critical as students develop the ideas of

identity and community.

This collection of lessons utilizes the social studies general outcome, wherein

students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how identity and self-

esteem are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their world and how active

members in a community contribute to the well-being, growth and vitality of their groups

and communities. It also relates to Language arts as students: will listen, speak, read,

write, view and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences. Students

explore their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences throughout the unit through the
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

examination of their unique identities, the identities of others, and the identity of Henry

Finch. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to comprehend and

respond personally and critically to oral, print and other media texts, as well as listen,

speak, read, write, view and represent to manage ideas and information, which is

showcased in their workbooks and throughout the engagement with the story. Students

will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to enhance the clarity and artistry of

communication which is incorporated in the group discussions. Through these general

outcomes, students approach the lessons with a positive attitude towards both the

social studies and language arts curriculum, enabling themselves to engage with the

lessons and solidify the specific learner outcomes. The specific learner outcomes go in-

depth on the general learner outcomes to get an exact idea of what students need to be

learning through the program of studies.

This unit plan lends itself to differentiation as instructions are verbal, and a

variety of different check-ins are included throughout the lessons. The manner in which

the lessons are scaffolded within the workbook, with the questionnaire working as a pre-

writing activity, allows students an opportunity to clarify their ideas and get help when

required. Similarly, the scaffolding between the lessons ensures that each student has a

solid understanding of the lesson beforehand, and then an additional review is included

within the next lesson. The final performance task allows students to display what

knowledge they have acquired throughout the lessons in a final write up. Student

knowledge will be assessed throughout the lesson according to the work provided in the

workbooks as well as their discussion at the carpet surrounding their ideas on identity

and community. The final performance task will be marked against the provided rubric
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

to ensure that each student has a full comprehension of the concepts. Additional

resources available for this unit would be for clarification on identity, community, and

cooperation, which could be addressed through online sources such as videos, games,

or other books that continue the in-depth conversation on identity and community.

These resources could be used if students need extra assistance in grasping the

concepts.
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Overview Visual Organizer:

 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

Reflection and Rationale:

Our mini-unit takes the time to break down the general and specific learning

outcomes into manageable lessons in which first graders are able to complete

confidently. We have scaffolded the information significantly, and each lesson builds

upon the previous. By utilizing the picture book "I Am Henry Finch," which addresses

the ideas of identities, community, problem-solving, and cooperation, we are able to

reference the book in each lesson since it targets our desired overarching outcomes.

Our first lesson addresses the concept of identity and how each individual is unique,

which is then referenced in the second lesson when we discuss the concept of

community and how communities are composed of many unique individuals who share

something in common. Our last lesson ties together the concepts of identity and

community into problem-solving as the students are expected to think about how their

identity would aid them in escaping the belly of the beast, just like Henry Finch.

In order to engage our students in their learning, we incorporated several

different teaching strategies to enhance students learning. Some of the strategies we

incorporated include inquiry-based instruction, creating inferences, discussions,

formative and summative assessments, and interdisciplinary teaching. We created a

workbook for students to interact with throughout the unit and use it as their primary

medium to display their learning. The workbook aids in engaging students by giving

them a resource in which they document their own ideas on the overarching concepts

addressed in the unit. The workbook also serves as a reflective tool for the students to

look back at their answers from previous lessons to be reminded of what they have

learned. The workbook is filled with several formative assessments which provide not
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

only students with background knowledge of their understanding, but also teachers,

who can then edit the lesson plans to incorporate areas they deem necessary to review.

The workbook is concluded with the summative performance task, which addresses

concepts from the three previous lessons to showcase what they had grasped and

learned throughout the unit.

We utilized inquiry-based instruction during our readings of "I Am Henry Finch."

The lessons include several questions teachers can ask students during their

exploration of the book. The questions frame students thinking to focus on the main

takeaways that are desired in the lesson. For example, during the first lesson, the

instructors pose several questions to the students regarding the concepts of identity,

such as why the illustrator decided to depict the finches are fingerprints, followed by a

brief explanation that all fingerprints are different. The use of inquiry-based instruction

allows students to become involved in the reading of the story and not merely as

listeners with the hopes they will retain more knowledge from this strategy. The inquiry-

based instruction also facilitates discussion amongst the students and encourages them

to create inferences on what will happen in the story.

Literacy is a key concept within this unit plan as students further develop their

reading and writing skills, as well as comprehension of the ideas, addressed

surrounding identity and community. The Language Arts portion of these units ensures

that students are not only using literacy skills but also progressing, as they work on

making complete sentences with appropriate punctuation. The student's ideas and

experiences, which are shared with their classmates throughout the lesson, both written

and orally, also lend itself to the Language Arts curriculum as they develop their own
 Jordan Meyer & Olivia Parent

voice in their writing and demonstrate their comprehension of the topics. Utilizing the

story as the central idea to the lesson, students learn to relate aspects of stories and

characters to personal feelings and experiences, and then use this knowledge to create

their own schema which they can then call upon for a variety of other lessons and

assignments.