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The activities outlined in this lesson plan are based on a field
trip to Andalusia, the home of Flannery O’Connor.
OVERVIEW
Flannery O’Connor is one of the great American writers of
the twentieth century. In spite of challenging circumstances,
O’Connor created a body of work that is quite impressive considering that
she only lived to be thirty-nine.
GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten (Concepts may be applicable for some
preschool groups and lower elementary grades as well.)
INTRODUCTION TO FLANNERY O’CONNOR AND
ANDALUSIA
Andalusia
is the home of a very famous person named Flannery O'Connor. One way
of becoming famous is to be able to do something very well. Flannery
O'Connor was able to write stories very well. She was an
excellent writer who created stories for grown-ups. People from all
over the world read her stories, and some of those people travel long
distances to visit Andalusia, the farm where Flannery O'Connor was living
when she wrote those stories. Andalusia is a famous place because a
famous person lived here. Flannery O'Connor lived at Andalusia many
years ago, during the 1950s and 1960s. During those years, Andalusia
was a farm with cows and other animals. Flannery O'Connor's mother,
Regina O'Connor, was in charge of the farm. Flannery O'Connor liked
animals too, especially birds. While she was living at Andalusia, she
raised chickens, ducks, geese, swans, and pheasants. Her favorite
birds were peafowl (the males are called peacocks, and the females are
called peahens). She had over forty peafowl at one time at
Andalusia. There are no cows at Andalusia now, and the birds that
Flannery O'Connor raised are not here anymore. However, there are a
few peafowl in a large cage at Andalusia, and there are many more wild
animals nearby.
(Tour guides at Andalusia can provide a prop-assisted, age-appropriate
version of the above introduction to classes of 15-20 students inside the
main house.)
OBJECTIVES
OF THE ANDALUSIA FIELD TRIP
To view the
home of a famous Southern writer; to learn the beginning stages of writing
viewpoints; to identify signs of seasons; to observe nature, natural
resources, and the environment.
GEORGIA
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR FIELD TRIP
Life Science:
SKL1.
Students will sort living organisms and non-living materials into groups by
observable physical attributes.
-
Recognize the
difference between living organisms and non-living materials.
-
Group animals
according to their observable features such as appearance, size, motion,
where it lives, etc. (Example: A green frog has four legs and hops. A
rabbit also hops.)
-
Group plants
according to their observable features such as appearance, size, etc.
SKL2.
Students will compare the similarities and differences in groups of
organisms.
-
Explain the
similarities and differences in animals. (color, size, appearance, etc.)
-
Explain the
similarities and differences in plants. (color, size, appearance, etc.)
-
Recognize the
similarities and differences between a parent and a baby.
-
Match pictures
of animal parents and their offspring explaining you reasoning. (Example:
dog/puppy; cat/kitten; cow/calf; duck/ducklings, etc.)
Writing:
ELAKW1.
The student begins to understand the principles of writing. The student:
-
Writes or
dictates to describe familiar persons, places, objects, or experiences.
-
Uses drawings,
letters, and phonetically spelled words to create meaning.
-
Accurately
prints name, all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, and
teacher-selected words.
-
Uses
left-to-right pattern of writing.
-
Begins to use
capitalization at the beginning of sentences and punctuation (periods and
question marks) at the end of sentence.
(After the field trip the students will apply what they have learned by
writing about their experience at Andalusia.)
ELAKW2.
The student begins to write in a variety of genres, including narrative,
informational, persuasive, and response to literature.
The student
produces informational writing that:
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Involves one
topic.
-
Uses drawings,
letters, and phonetically spelled words to share information.
-
Begins to use
organizational structures (steps).
-
May include
describing words.
-
May include a
sense of closure.
-
Includes oral
or written pre-writing to generate ideas (graphic organizers and
pictures).
-
May include a
draft developed from pre-writing.
-
May publish a
final copy.
(Teachers can use Andalusia as a place where the students have visited and
allow the students to write an informational story that tells about what
they learned at Andalusia.)
Listening/Speaking/Viewing:
ELAKLSV1.
The student uses oral and visual skills to communicate. The student:
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Listens and
speaks appropriately with peers and adults.
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Follows
two-part oral directions.
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Describes
people, places, things, locations, and actions.
-
Increases
vocabulary to reflect a growing range of interests and knowledge.
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Communicates
effectively when relating experiences and retelling stories heard.
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Uses complete
sentences when speaking.
Measurement:
MKM2. Students
will understand the measurement of calendar time.
(Look for signs of the current season during the field trip to Andalusia.)
Geometry:
MKG1. Students
will correctly name simple two and three-dimensional figures, and recognize
them in the environment.
-
Recognize and
name the following basic two-dimensional figures: triangles,
quadrilaterals (rectangles, squares) and circles.
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Recognize and
name the following three-dimensional figures: spheres and cubes.
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Observe
concrete objects in the environment and represent the objects using basic
shapes.
-
Combine basic
figures to form other basic and complex figures into basic figures;
decompose basic and complex figures into basic figures.
-
Compare
geometric shapes and identify similarities and differences of the
following two and three-dimensional shapes: triangles, rectangles,
squares, circles, spheres, and cubes.
(Teachers could develop a worksheet that would apply to these standards
where the students would have to find shapes in the environment at
Andalusia, such as a scavenger hunt for shapes. Examples could include the
markers on the nature walk, the windows on the house, etc.)
(Teachers could allow the students to sit in front of the house and draw a
picture of the farm house. The teachers could bring clipboards and crayons
for the students to use. Teachers could possibly display the students'
work.)
Historical
Understandings:
SSKH3. The
student will correctly use words and phrases related to chronology and time
to explain how things change.
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Now, long ago
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Past, present,
future
Economic Understandings:
SSKE1. The
student will describe the work that people do (police officer, fire fighter,
soldier, mail carrier, baker, farmer, doctor, and teacher).
SSKE3. The
student will explain how money is used to purchase goods and services.
(A writer is a community helper. A writer provides a good.)
Government/Civic
Understandings:
SSKCG2.
The student will retell stories that illustrate positive character traits
and will explain how the people in the stories show the qualities of
honesty, patriotism, loyalty, courtesy, respect, truth, pride, self-control,
moderation, and accomplishment.
Lesson plan created by Debbie Amason, Kindergarten teacher at Creekside
Elementary School, Baldwin County, Georgia.
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