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EnucAmNAL BULLETIN

UNIT TEACHING
IN THE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Published by

DEPARTMENT n F EDUCATION

BOSWELL B. HODGKIN
Superintendent of Public Instruction

ISSUED MONTHLY

Entered as second-ciass matter March 21, 1933, at the post office at
Frankfort, Kentucky, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

VOL. XIX MAY, I95I No. 3

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FOREWORD

The Department Of Education is pleased to publish and to dis—
tribute this bulletin on Unit Teaching for the use of teachers in the
elementary schools of Kentucky. We are aware that the idea of
teaching by means of units is not a new one, but we do believe that
too few teachers in our state make wide use of this method of teach-
ing. We do advocate, therefore, that teachers, principals, and super—
visors study this bulletin carefully and use it in whatever way it
may be found to be helpful.

The Department is grateful to Dr. Vernon Musselman and to
all the teachers and supervisors who worked with him in developing
the material for this bulletin.i It is through such cooperative efforts
that many excellent instructional materials are developed.

The bulletin is being released through the Bureau of Instruction
as a part of its effort to make available to teachers instructional
materials which may lead to better teaching in Kentucky schools.

It is hoped that this bulletin will be found valuable and will
be Widely used in the elementary'schools throughout the state.

BOSWELL B. HODGKIN
Superintendent Public Instruction

1The names and teaching locations of these persons are given on a
separate page.

INTRODUCTION

During the 1950 summer session at the University of Kentucky
several members of the education course in curriculum principles
and practices saw the need for all the teachers in any school system
to work together in the selection of units of work to be studied by
the pupils enrolled in that school. They expressed a desire for a
workshop to develop a coordinated list of units for the elementary
schools in which they were teaching. Through the cooperation of
Dean Frank Dickey of the College of Education and Professor Louis
Clifton of the Department of University Extension such a workshop
became a reality. The nineteen teachers in this workshop group
spent the entire first semester of 1950—1951 working on this project.

As their work neared completion it was felt that the results
of their efforts would be beneficial to teachers in many other ele—
mentary schools throughout the Commonwealth. Consequently the
material developed during the workshop was assembled and offered
to the Bureau of Instruction of the State Department of Education
for publishing and distributing. After careful consideration by a
committee from the State Department it was decided that it would
be published as a handbook on unit teaching in the elementary
school. It is hoped by the teachers responsible for this material that
this bulletin will be helpful to elementary teachers in Kentucky.

VERNON A. MUSSELMAN
University of Kentucky

CONTENTS

Page
Foreword ................................................ 91
Introduction ............................................. 92
Acknowledgment ......................................... 94
Why Use Unit Teaching? .................................. 95
Suggested Units for Grade I ............................... 98
“Pets”—A Complete Unit for Grade I ....................... 106
Suggested Units for Grade [I .............................. 117
Suggested Units for Grade III ............................. 125
“The Grocery Store”—A Complete Unit for Grade III . . ..... 136
Suggested Units for Grade IV ............................. 146
Suggested Units for Grade V .............................. 152
Suggested Units for Grade VI .............................. 163
“Getting and Utilizing Our Foods”—A Complete Unit for
Grade VI ............................................ 174,

PERSONS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THIS BULLETIN1

Vernon A. Musselman, Coordinator

Beverly, Verdella2
Brown, Hattie (Mrs.)‘
Clarkson, Alma
Cleveland, Joann (Mrs)
Colwell, Paul2
Cunningham, Rebecca
Dalton, A. M. (Mrs)
Didlick, Jennie B. (Mrs)
Elster, Suzie (Mrs.)3
Hardin, J onetta

Ison, Dona

Kidd, Lucie

Lacy, Nan“

Lyons, Anna Jean
McAllister, Mary E.
McGraW, Louise T. (Mrs)
Miller, Lillian Estes (Mrs)
O’Neal, A. B. (Mrs)
O’Neal, Hollis (Mrs)
Pierce, Harriett (Mrs)
Reynolds, Mary K. (Mrs)
Robberts, Bessie (Mrs)
Smith, L. H. (Mrs)

\Vells, Imogene

1White and Negro teachers in Lexington and Fayette County e16-
mentary schools except where marked otherwise.
2Contributed complete unit. Identification and teaching location

given at beginning of unit.

3Teacher in Mt. Sterling schools.
4E1ementary supervisor, Lexington schools; served as consultant.

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WHY USE. UNIT TEACHING?

The underlying philosophy of the group of teachers who de-
veloped the material contained in this bulletin emphasizes that the
primary purposes of our public schools are concerned with meeting
the needs and objectives of the pupils and society. Curriculum plan-
ning should be done democratically and cooperatively with the
pupils, as well as adults, participating in it. We believe that the
physical, social, intellectual, and emotional aspects of behavior
are inseparable and operate as a unit in behavior.

Other things being equal, school work is more interesting when
lessons are planned to provide for pupil purposing, problem solving,
laboratory procedures, adjustments to individual differences, a
variety of experiences, wide participation on the part of the pupils,
sense experiencing, and an awareness of success.1 The purposes of an
individual provide the driving power for his accomplishments. There-
fore, the learning of an individual is most effective when his goals
are clearly seen and accepted by him as being worthy of achievement.

The method'of unit teaching appears to be an excellent way to
make school work interesting to pupils and lead them toward higher
goals. It provides for individual differences, wide pupil participation,
problem solving procedures, and pupil evaluation of the results. It
affords opportunities for correlating the various subject matter areas
and for centering the learning of knowledge around the solution of
practical problems of interest to boys and girls.

WHAT IS UNIT TEACHING?

“A unit consists of purposeful (to the learner), related activities
so developed as to give insight into, and increased control of, some
significant aspects of living; and to provide opportunities for the
socialization of pupils.” Ideally, units begin in the intention of the
learner to achieve some purpose, or to satisfy a felt need. They
utilize cooperatively planned procedures suited to the problem at
hand. They employ a variety of learning experiences and sources of
information.

1Ra1eigh Schorling, Student Teaching, Second Edition. New York:
MnGraw-Hin Book Company, 1949. PP. 158—190.

2J. Murray Lee and Dorris M. Lee, The Child and His Curriculum,
New York: Appleton-Century-C-rofts, Inc., 2nd. edition, 1950, p. 222.

”When properly planned and organized provision is made for
(1) orientation—an approach to the problem, (2) a planning period
for formulating problems and suggesting possible means of solu-
tions, (3) a working period during which the plans formulated are
executed, (4) culminating activities, and (5) evaluation of outcomes.

Characteristics of Desirable Units

There are several factors that characterize good teaching units:3

1. They should be based upon purposes that are real and meaning-

ful to Children.

2. They should contribute to the total development of the child.

3. They should deal with material that is within the comprehension

of the child.

4. They should deal with phases of living sufficiently significant

to merit careful study.

5. They should provide for a variety of activities or experiences

for the class and for individual children.

6. They should be cooperatively controlled by the group of learners

and the teachers, with participation by pupils in all aspects.

The teachers who prepared this material worked together as
small committees and as a committee of the whole group. The teachers
for each grade level brought recommendations to the whole group:
the suggestions for each grade level were considered in the light of
proposals from the other groups. Compromises were effected to give
a continuous study program that avoids undesirable duplications.

The suggestions given in this bulletin have, for the most part.
been tried out in the classroom, and have proved practical for those
grade levels for which they are recommended.

This list of teaching units is intended as suggestions only. It is
not intended that they would be followed verbatim in any school
district. In fact, we have tried to include more materials that could
be covered adequately in any one grade in any given year.

It should be understood by the readers of this bulletin that the
assignment of units to particular grade levels is not a hard-and—fast
classification. Some strong second-grade groups could study with
ease and success selected units included in the third grade list. Like-
wise a weak group might profitably follow suggestions given for a
lower grade. Within each group of pupils there will be weak, average,
and superior individuals; the teacher in each local situation must
exercise his judgment, and working together with his pupils select
those units of study that can most profitably be undertaken.

3William H. Burton, The Guidance of Learning Activities, New York:
Appleton-Century—Crofts, Inc, 1944, pp. 247—248.

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Care must be exercised to work with the other teachers in the,
same school system to avoid duplication of work that was experienced
by the pupils during the previous year, or will definitely be under-
taken by them the following year. One of the main purposes of this
bulletin is that of eliminating undesirable duplication of effort and
give organization to the entire elementary program.

In schools where one teacher is responsible for two grade levels
(such as third and fourth grade) that teacher may find it desirable
to put both grades together as one group and study the same unit.
In such cases the suggested list of units (with modification) for the
third grade may be followed one year and those for the fourth grade
used the second year, on an alternating schedule.

One of the advantages of unit teaching is that of caring for indi-
vidual differences. The use of committees would enable the older and
the superior students to attack phases of the problem comparable to
their abilities; likewise the slower learners could attempt different
assignments more in keeping with their abilities.

In addition to the list of, suggested units for study at the differ—
ent grade levels sample units are included to give the teacher a better
idea of how unit teaching can be accomplished to the satisfaction of
both the teacher and the pupils. Space limitations permitted the in-
clusion of specimen units for first, third, and sixth grades only.

Teachers who are unfamiliar with the unit method of teaching
should read Chapters 6 and 7 of Lee & Lee, The Child and His Cur-
riculum,4 and Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Student Teaching by Raleigh
Schorling, Second Edition.5 An especially helpful bulletin is The
Place of Subjects in the Curriculum.6 All three of these references
should be in every elementary teacher’s professional library.

4NeW York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1950. pp. 197—260.

5New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1949. pp. 134-227.

“Bulletin 1949 No. 12. Order from Supt. of Documents, U. S. Govern-
ment Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Price 15 cents.

SUGGESTED UNITS FOR GRADE I

GRADE I

THEME—THE CHILD AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS AT

HOME AND SCHOOL
SUGGESTED UNITS

Social Studies and Science

I. What

We Can Find Out About Our School Building, Its Surroundings,

and Our School Helpers.
II. How We As a Family Live At Home On the Farm and In the City.

III. What

Animals We Should Have For Pets and How We Should Care

For Them.*
IV. How We Can Safely and Pleasantly Work and Play With Others At
Home and At School.

V What

Things We Can Do To Keep Our Bodies Strong and Well.

VI. How Living and Non—Living Things Around Us Are Useful.

Since

the interest of the first grader is mainly about himself, his

home life, and the school, the above units and the following list of
activities are suggestions and not the only ones which might be developed.

Suggested Activities For Each Unit:

I. What

We Can Find Out About Our School Building, Its Surroundings,

and Our School Helpers
A. Social

6.
7.
8.

Familiarize the children with materials, books and equipment
in the classroom.

Aciquaint them with other classrooms in the building, and
special rooms as the library, auditorium, principal’s office,
music room, cafeteria, art, and supply room, and rest room.

. Explore the playground with the purpose of understanding safe

places and ways of playing carefully with equipment.

. Introduce children to the other teachers, the principal, super—

visor, librarian, janitor, cafeteria helpers, and others connected
with the school.

. Visit the furnace room and have the janitor tell how the school

is heated.

Plan for a reading center or library corner.
Talk over ways to make the room attractive.
Dramatize stories and poems about school.

‘This unit is shown in detail at the end of this list of suggested

activities.

Discuss and list what can be said and done to show courtesy to
visitors who come.

B. Reading and Language

Read stories in books and school news—papers about children
at school, such as “Young America” and “My Weekly Reader”
magazines.

. Make charts of plans and work discussed.
. List committees for special work.
. Write stories about things seen about the school and what the

children do.

. Write letters to ask permission to go places and follow up with

“Thank you” notes.
Make signs and labels for directions in the room.

C. Construction and Art

2.
3.

Make posters, booklets, and scrapbooks of children’s drawings
and cut outs from construction paper, or magazines, to show
school activities.

Make diagrams of the school and room.

Draw pictures with crayons, paints, and colored chalk of chil—
dren and their activities.

Make a frieze of happy experiences at school.

D. Number Activities

1. Count rooms, teachers, windows, doors, lights, desks, and ma—
terials used.

2. Use ruler and yardstick to measure sizes of materials and
things in room.

3. Make a clock to learn time.

4. Keep a record of the weather on the calendar and count days
of rain, etc.

5. Buy articles for the room and count money.

6. Have a store (grocery, toy,) or a doll show.

E. Science
1. Grow plants and start bulbs to watch them and to beautify

the room.

11. How We as a Family Live at Home on the Farm and in the City.
A. Social '

1.
2.

”#03511th

Discuss vacation experiences in the city and on the farm.
Tell what kinds of work father and mother do on the farm
and in the city.

. Tell how we help.
. Dictate original stories to the teacher.

Talk about things we do in the city and on the farm.

. Take trips to the city and farm.
. Visit a home under construction.
. Talk about friendliness and courtsey to visitors and others

in the home.

mmprH

. Language

1.
2.

3.
4.

C. Reading
1. Read from the blackboard and bulletin board.

E. Construction and Art

. Make a frieze showing how we live on the farm, and in the city.
. Make a diorama showing how we live in the city or on the farm.
. Easel paintings of farm and city lite.

. Draw pictures for booklets of home life.

. Make booklets and design the covers.

. Model clay animals.

List ways to be a helper at home.

Manuscript letters to principal for permission to take trips,
and write “Thank you” notes.

Make interesting experiences into reading material.

Write stories of trips and illustrate them.

a. plans for today

b. original stories

c. labeled pictures

d, seatwork exercises

e. difficult words
Read for pleasure and to find out what we do in the city and
on the farm.

D. Numbers
1.
2.
3.

Count and number pages in the booklets.

Count the number of children going on the trip and cars needed.
Recognize numbers by telling the page of stories wished to
be read to the class.

Count animals and other things seen on trips.

III. What Animals We Should Have for Pets and How We Should Care
for Them.

A suggested list of pets that may be used for the classroom: Baby
chicks, Canary bird, Goldfish, Hamsters, Tadpoles, Frogs, Turtles,
Snails, and Salamanders.

1 A. Social

; 1. Tell about pets at home.
l 2. Discuss ways to care for pets.
‘ 3. Share stories and poems with the group.
4. Dictate original stories to the teacher.
5. Take trips to pet stores and to children’s homes to see pets.
. 6. Dramatize stories.
: 7. Have a pet shop.
‘ B. Language
1. Committees report what they plan to do or have found out

about pets.

2. List names of pets to be studied.

3. Manuscript invitations to visit the classroom pet shop.
4. Observe pets and discuss their habits.

5. Write original stories of pets and the shop.

C. Reading
1. Read from the blackboard and bulletin board:
a. labels on pictures of pets
10. names of .pets to be studied
c. new words we know
d. original stories, poems, riddles.
2. Read supplementary books and text-books to find out about
the care of pets.
3. Give reading seatwork pertaining to the life and care of the
pet being studied.

D. Numbers
1. Count the commit-tees, children on each committee, the pets
brought to school, the pets seen on trips, the blocks from school
to the pet shop, the days of feeding, and cost of the pets.
2. Measure materials needed for construction.
3. Buy and pretend to sell pets.

E. Construction and Art

. Make a frieze of children playing with their pets.
. Make free hand drawings of pets.

. Model clay animals.

. Construct a pet store.

. Construct homes for the pets.

. Make booklets.

. Paint pictures of pets at easel.

damphWNl-A

IV. How We Can Safely and Pleasantly Work and Play With Others
At Home and At School.

A. Social

1. Invite a policeman and fireman to talk to class.

2. Demonstrate safety precautions, as crossing the street at cor—
ners, watching for cars, observing stop signs.

3. Dramatize a safety play.

4. Talk over what to do if clothes get on fire.

B. Language
1. List what one should know and do if lost in the country or city.
2. Write and tell stories of trips family has taken.
3. Write stories and poems about safety.

C. Construction and Art

1. Keep a scrapbook of pictures showing children observing safe-
ty rules.

101

. Make a floor map to show places of danger between home

and school.

. Make a train, bus, or airplane of large blocks, wheels, and

boxes.

.Draw pictures showing safe ways of playing and of going

to and from school.

D. Music

1.
2.
3.

Sing songs about safety.
Listen to safety son-gs on records.
Dramatize safety songs in a short play or skit.

E. Numbers

1.
2.

Count the stop signs on the way to school.
Make number story problems of children’s experiences.

V. What Things We Can Do to Keep Our Bodies Strong and Well

A. Social

1.
2.

Visit a dairy farm to see how milk is handled to keep it clean.
Demonstrate and practice good sitting, walking, and standing
positions.

Discuss the kinds of clothes which should be worn at the dif-
ferent seasons.

Talk over kinds of foods needed to build strong bodies.

5. Discuss importance of clean hands, clean food, and use of clean
hanky or kleenex.
B. Language
1. Discuss a cafeteria menu before lunch hour and select a

balanced lunch.

. Write poems about health.
. Make invitations for parents to visit school and hear about

the health work undertaken at school.

.Write stories about good food for our bodies, about trips

made to dairy.

C. Construction and Art

1.
2.

Draw and paint pictures to show daily health habits.

Cut attractive pictures of food from magazines and paste them
in scrapbooks or on posters.

Make a fashion parade of dolls wearing suitable clothing for
different seasons.

D. Numbers

museum»-

. Buy and sell groceries at play store.

. Count the vegetables on the posters.

. Count the stores passed on the way to school.

. Plan cost of foods for lunches at cafeteria

. Learn terms as doz., qt., pt., ga1., large, small, more, less, few.

, 102

6. Keep individual records of time spent in sleep.
7. Weigh oneself to watch for gain or loss in weight.

VI. How Living and Non-Living Things Around Us Are Useful

A. Social

1. Talk over what living and non-living things are (as things
with life and things that are not alive.) Name objects that are
in the school room.

2. Make trips around the school grounds to see living and non-
living things.

3. Make collections of some non-living objects as rocks, shells,
chalk, eraser, wire, scissors.

4. Use toys for a center of interest as non-living things useful
to children.

5. Illustrate magnets as useful non—living things.

6. Talk about living things as plants, seeds, bulbs, and their
uses. Grow some in the school room or in a school garden
during the entire school year.

7. Make dish gardens and miniature garden scenes with plants,
moss, rocks, seeds, weeds.

8. Visit florist shops, zoo, pet shops.

B. Construction and Art

1. Collect, cut out, and mount pictures of living and non—living
things to be used to make booklets, posters, and stories.

. Make pictures and drawings about plants and animals.

. Make objects out of clay.

. Arrange on shelves and tables specimens brought in.

. Make a frieze to show some phase of the unit, as “What We
Can Do To Prevent Fires at Home and Outdoors."

6. Make spatter paintings of leaves, animals, or plants.

<1“th

C. Language

1. Read poems and stories about animals and plants.
2. Encourage children to make up stories and poems.

Selected References

l. Andress, Goldburger, Dolch, Spick and Span, Ginn 8: Co ........... 1939
" 2. Beauchamp, Wilbur, Crampton, Gertrude, Gray, W. 8., Look
and Learn, Discovering our World, Scotts, Foresman 8: Com-
‘ pany .............................................................................................................. 1950
3. Baruch, Dorothy, Montgomery, E., and Gray, W. 5., Good Times
With Our Friends (ﬁrst reader), Happy Days With Our Friends
by Montgomery (primer), Scott, Foresman and Company .......... 1941
4. Betts, Emmet and Welch, Carolyn, Up the Street and Down,
American Book Company 1948
5. Bonino, Louise, The Cozy Little Farm, Wonder Books, Grosset
8: Dunlap 1946

103

* 6. Bond, Guy and others, Many Surprises (primer), Happy Times,
(ﬁrst reader), Lyons 8: Carnahan, Chicago ........................................ 1949
* 7. Craig, Gerald S. Burke, Agnes, Science All About Us, Ginn &
Company .................................................................................................... 1946
8. Irwin, L., Tuttle, W. W., DeKelver, C. Growing Day By Day,
Lyons & Carnahan, Chicago .............................................................. 1947
9. Jackson, Kathryn 8: Byron, Animal Babies, Simon and Schuster,
New York .................................................................................................. 1947
10. Jones, E., Morgan, E., Landis, P. My First Health Book, Laid-
law Bros. .................................................................................................. 1950
*11. MacCracken, H. D. and Armstrong, L. G. We See (preprimer),
Through the Year, Sunshine and Rain, The L. W. Singer 8:
Company .................................................................................................... 1947
*12. McKee, Harrison, McCowen, Lehr, Up and Away (ﬁrst reader),
The Big Show (preprimer), Houghton, Mifﬂin Co., Chicago ...... 1949
13. McCrory, Mae, Our School, Charles Merrill Company .............. 1949
14. Mitchell, Lucy S. A Year on the Farm, Simon & Schuster __________ 1948
15. Nemec, Lois G. Let’s Take Turns, MacMillan .................................. 1940
‘16. Parker, Bertha, Blough, Glen 0. Day In and Day Out, Round
About, Fall is Here, Winter is Here, Spring is Here, Summer is
Here, Toys, The Pet Show, Row, Peterson 8: Company, Evans-
ton, Illinois ........................................................................................ 1946—1950
‘17.Willcockson, Mary, Nancy’s World (primer) The John C.
Winston Company .................................................................................. 1949
Music Books
1. Crowninshield, Ethel, New Songs and Games, The Sing and Play
Book, The Boston Music Co., Boston, Mass.
2. Glenn, M., Learitt, H. S., Rebmann, V. L., Sing a Song, Ginn
and Company.
3. McConathy, Osbourne and others, New Music Horizons, Silver,
Burdett Co., Chicago, ............................................................................ 1949
4. Pitts, L. B., Glenn, M., Watters, L. E. Singing On Our Way,

The First Grade Book, Chicago, Ill. ................................................ 1949

The following films and slides are available at the
Bureau of Audio—Visual Materials, Department of University Extension.
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

Films
914 Three Little Kittens P 1 reel $1.50
924 Play In the Snow e 1 reel 1.50
926 Care of Pets e 1 reel 1.50
927 The Food Store P 1 reel 1.50
901 Farm Animals P 1 reel 1.50
911 One, Two Three, Go e 1 reel 1.50

‘Books that are especially helpful.

104

OmCDCD

Slides
Set MC 7 — Farming Series 1 2 x 2 .50
The following filmstrips are available at
D. T. Davis
543 South Fifth Street, Louisville 2, Ky., or
408 Walnut Street, Lexington, Ky.

Filmstrips
Safety in the Home .................................... 3.00
Safety at School and at Play ....3.00
Keeping Clean .............................. 3.00

Pesky, the Cold Bug _.._3.00

32 Visiting the Farm ............. .
103 Little Red Hen ................
105 Little Gray Squirrel ..
102 Shep — Farm Dog ....................................

The following filmstrips are available at

Society for Visual Education, Inc.

100 East Ohio St.

Chicago, Ill.

Filmstrips
Day Begins .......................................................... $2.00
Father Works for the Family ...... .. 2.00
Mother Cares for the Family ...................... 2.00
Children Have a Busy Day .............................. 2.00
Animals to Know ................... .. 2.00
In Case of Fire .................................................. 2.00
I Live in the City .......................................... 2.00
I Live in the Country ...................................... 2.00

105

GRADE I

WHAT ANIMALS WE SHOULD HAVE FOR PETS AND
HOW WE SHOULD CARE FOR THEM
(PETS)

By
Mary E. McAllister
Beechmont School
Louisville

CONTENTS OF THE UNIT

Identification

Purposes

Plans for student participation
Teaching procedure

Outline of subject matter
Correlation

Culminating activities
Evaluation