Traditional Desert Homes - Teacher's Page
Standards | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion | Student Page |
Introduction
The purpose of this activity is to study the cultures of people native to New Mexico. It covers how homes can be a window into the past, with a special focus on how the environment shaped the types of homes people lived in. This lesson involves the students planning a trip to a traditional home in their own community then designing and building a scale model.
Student Outcomes
- Students will be able to work in groups to investigate home construction.
- Students will be able to plan, organize and implement a field trip to a community home.
- Students will understand how to record their findings.
- Students will discuss their findings in a large group.
- Students will develop a 3 dimensional display using the information gathered from their field trip and group work.
Content Area and Grade Levels
The cultural aspects of the area are very important to the study of the environment. Students will learn about the history and culture of the area. Content areas involved include Social Studies, Geography, Language Arts, Creative Arts and Mathematics. This activity is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills the students will use while completing this unit include:
- Analyzing historical and contemporary information
- Recognizing various building materials
- Evaluating types of materials for beneficial aspects (e.g. warmth, water barrier, durability)
Cooperative Learning
Cooperation skills students will develop within their groups:
- Become members of an interdependent team
- Learn how to work with people of varying abilities
- Enhance their ability to communicate with others
Content Standards and Benchmarks
http://www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/standards/index.htm
New Mexico Math Standards
#1 Students will understand and use Mathematics in Problem Solving.
#4 Students will understand and use Mathematical Connections.
#5 Students will understand and use numbers and number relationships.
#7 Students will understand and use computation and estimation.
#8 Students will have a foundation in geometric concepts.
#9 Students will understand and use measurement.
New Mexico Modern, Classical and Native Languages Standards
#2 By listening, observing, reading and discussing, students will comprehend
and interpret oral, written, and visual messages on a variety of topics.
#4 Students will develop an understanding of other cultures, including such
elements as: value systems, languages, traditions, and individual perspectives
New Mexico Social Studies Standards
#1 Students will use knowledge and cultural understanding to explain
how the world's people cope with ever-changing conditions, examine issues
from multiple perspectives, and respond to individual and cultural diversity.
#4 Students will know and understand the ways in which human beings view
themselves and others over time.
#5 Students will know and understand relationships and patterns in history
in order to understand the past and present and to prepare for the future.
#11 Students will know and understand the diverse, dynamic, and ever-changing
nature of culture.
New Mexico Language Arts Standards
#9 Students will use language and literature to gain insight into their
own and others' lives, and to build understanding of the moral and aesthetic
dimensions of human experience.
#10 Students will use state-of-the-art computer and other technology to
gather, use and synthesize information, and to create and communicate knowledge.
The Process
ENTRY LEVEL AND SKILLS:
The teacher would need to understand and implement cooperative learning and an inquiry approach. Basic skills include: measurement, graphing, basic computational skills for scaling, language skills, and communication skills.
Students should have read various books about traditional homes in the New Mexico. "My Grandmother's Adobe Dollhouse" is good book to give them a background of what could be found in a typical Spanish home. They should have an understanding of the area in relationship to the rest of the state and to the United States. They need to have experience with drawing maps or using graph paper to draw to scale. Activities could be designed to give them experience such as drawing their classroom or a room at home. Practice using graph paper by transferring large objects in the classroom to scale.
PREPARATION:
This activity could be done in conjunction with the video tape "A Traditional Spanish Home".
IMPLEMENTATION:
1. Divide your class into small groups and introduce them to the project.
2. Discuss and brainstorm the various group jobs and responsibilities:
- Art Historians
- Language Specialists-Vocabulary
- Interior Designers-Building materials\Furniture
- Architects-House Layout
- Ethnographers-Gather Interesting Stories
- Activity Directors-Organize field trip
3. Students choose roles and begin planning their specific tasks.
4. Conduct research and develop presentation. [ Presentation Methods and Ideas ]
5. Students present their pre-field trip findings for critique.
6. Go on field trip.
7. Each group will gather data during the field trip.
9. After trip, analyze data and formulate plan for 3-D construction.
10. Build model.
Resources Needed
- Video (Traditional Spanish Home and Traditional Spanish Community), books (My Grandmother's Adobe Dollhouse), Community Home
- paper, pencil, graph paper, rulers, drawing paper;
- TV and VCR
- Computer
- Magazines
- Poster paper
- Books
For information on the cultural aspects relating to this topic:
Evaluation
Group evaluation, observation, peer evaluation using a class evaluation rubric, student presentations, student journals, class discussion. Presentations from each group. Create class display. [Sample Rubric]
Conclusion
Completion of this lesson will provide students with hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge of diverse home styles. They will recognize various types of home structures and building materials. They will understand the reasons for using specific materials when building in the desert biome.