Rationale

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Why important:  I assessed the need for this unit after observing my internship classroom and saw the need for a cross-curriculum integrated unit.  MY students in my internship have not been receiving many integrated lessons, so I designed a lesson that integrates reading, writing, social studies and music. 

Why appropriate for age group:  The book I have chosen contains mostly first and second tier words, but also contains some third tier vocabulary.  I have accounted for these third tier words by providing meaningful vocabulary instruction and various vocabulary activities.  This lesson is also developed on what child psychologist and educational reformer Jean Piaget, refers to as the “Concrete” stage of cognitive ability:

Concrete: (about first grade to early adolescence)

“During this stage, accommodation increases. The child develops an ability to think abstractly and to make rational judgments about concrete or observable phenomena, which in the past he needed to manipulate physically to understand. In teaching this child, giving him the opportunity to ask questions and to explain things back to you allows him to mentally manipulate information.”2