Plan Author: Mathew Needleman Open Court Resources.com
Jack and the Beanstalk
School: Saturn Street
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Math (Graphing)
Goal(s): Students will develop higher level thinking by analyzing the actions of Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk.
Concept(s): Students will develop ideas of responsible citizenship by seeing there is often more than one side to a moral dilemma and sympathizing with the "villain" of Jack in the Beanstalk.
Standards: CA- CCTC: Aligned CSTP's and TPE's • Standard : CSTP: Standard for Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for all Students TPE: D. Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students CSTP Description: Teachers plan instruction that draws on and values students? backgrounds, prior knowledge, and interests. Teachers establish challenging learning goals for all students based on student experience, language, development, and home and school expectations. Teachers sequence curriculum and design long-term and short-range plans that incorporate subject matter knowledge, reflect grade-level curriculum expectations, and include a repertoire of instructional strategies. Teachers use instructional activities that promote learning goals and connect with student experiences and interests. Teachers modify and adjust instructional plans according to student engagement and achievement. • CSTP Key Element : Designing short-term and long-term plans to foster student learning.  Question : think ahead toward long-term goals for student learning? CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards • Subject : History & Social Science • Grade : Grade One • Area : A Child?s Place in Time and Space Students in grade one continue a more detailed treatment of the broad concepts of rights and responsibilities in the contemporary world. The classroom serves as a microcosm of society in which decisions are made with respect for individual responsibility, for other people, and for the rules by which we all must live: fair play, good sportsman-ship, and respect for the rights and opinions of others. Students examine the geographic and economic aspects of life in their own neighborhoods and compare them to those of people long ago. Students explore the varied backgrounds of American citizens and learn about the symbols, icons, and songs that reflect our common heritage. • Sub-Strand 1.1: Students describe the rights and individual responsibilities of citizenship.  Standard 2: Understand the elements of fair play and good sportsmanship, respect for the rights and opinions of others, and respect for rules by which we live, including the meaning of the ?Golden Rule.?
Objective(s): After reading and discussing the fairy tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk" students will demonstrate their sympathy for both Jack and the giant by stating one reason why each has cause to be upset with the other.
Prerequisite Background Skills/Knowledge: Students have just completed a unit on folktales and so they understand the genre conventions and stock characters well. Now that students understand the notions of heroes and villains, this lesson will challenge and complicate those ideas.
Vocabulary / Language Skills: Ideas of morals and right and wrong may be new students. Students will be asked to put themselves in place of the characters (How would you feel if someone did such and such to you?) in order to empathize.
Materials: Book: Jack and the Beanstalk
Classroom Management: Directions must use consistent language and be very clear in order for all students to achieve the objective. The level of discussion here may be higher than students have been engaged in before. Often students arrive at the "right" answer and then stop thinking. Students will need to be encouraged and challenged to keep thinking by being asked to justify their answers. Students will also take greater risks in class discussion if allowed to share their ideas first in small groups.
Procedure: Open Remind students of some of the conventions of folktales which they have already learned such as heroes and villains, morals, and fantasy. Tell them today they will be hearing a new folktales they may have heard before called "Jack and the Beanstalk." Ask students to pay particular attention to who the heroes and villains are in the story. Read the story to students, stopping for predictions and to clarify language. Body Ask students who the heroes and villains are in the story. Students will likely arrive at Jack as the hero and the giant as the villain. Ask students why they think that, allowing them to discuss this in small groups. (If students believe the giant is the hero or cannot identify either as the hero, the discussion can proceed from there.) Chart students ideas without much comment. Then review their list with them and challenge an idea or two. Ask such questions like was Jack stealing? Did the giant deserve to die? Questions will vary based on what students have said. Ask students to discuss how the giant has been wronged in the story in small groups. Let them come up with reasons and chart those. Then challenge their ideas again by asking if Jack deserved to be eaten by the giant. Close Allow students to come to their own conclusions about the story. They should come to understand that each character has good and bad points and neither is clearly in the right. This may take more than one day for students. As a follow up, have the students act out a version of the folktale where the giant gets revenge.
Assessment: Students will be able to state one reason why both Jack and the giant deserve our sympathy.
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