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Teacher's Guide for COBBLESTONE ® Arts and Crafts of the Middle Atlantic ColoniesNovember 2001
Teacher Guide prepared by: Mary Shea, Ph.D. Dr. Shea teaches undergraduate and graduate reading courses at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
The following guide is designed as an extension to the reading and discussion of "Chairman of the Board," an article on furniture making in this issue of COBBLESTONE ®. Students will make connections with the text information and their own lives as they notice how colonial furniture and furniture styles are still popular today. Listening skills will be used as students gather and expand their knowledge on the topic during interviews and peer presentations.
Objective:
As an extension to the reading and discussion of this magazine article, students will: - reread the article to organize facts on a feature matrix.
- examine current reproductions of colonial furniture styles for authenticity.
- consider reasons / rationale for furniture styles - pragmatic aspect.
- interview an antique dealer with a focus on discovering how authenticity of a piece is established.
- interview a furniture maker.
- compare methods of furniture production, then and now.
- compare materials used for furniture production, then and now.
Bloom's Taxonomy (level of skills):
Knowledge, Comprehension, Analysis, Synthesis
Materials:
November 2001 issue of COBBLESTONE ®, pictures of colonial furniture pieces, transparency of the feature matrix or chart paper, note taking sheet, books and other resources on colonial furniture
Anticipatory Set (Motivation): - Show students pictures of furniture pieces from a Pennsylvania Amish furniture catalog and similar styles from other sources.
- Ask students to examine what they see with regards to its similarity to the furniture described in the article "Chairman of the Board."
- Tell students that they will be exploring where furniture pieces (antiques) from the Middle Colonies and reproductions are found today.
Teacher Input: - Collaboratively complete the description and use column of the accompanying feature matrix with the students. It can be reproduced on chart paper or made into a transparency.
- Students reread the article searching for information that fits feature matrix column headings. The teacher scribes as students share and discuss the information they find.
- Introduce the note taking sheets that students will use as they listen to the speakers - an antique dealer and a furniture maker. If speakers cannot come to school, it may be possible to audio tape phone conversations with them. Pictorial text resources on antiques (book or internet articles) and furniture making (i.e. - Yankee craftsman) could also be used as sources.
Guided Practice: - Before speakers come, students will prepare questions that will help them gather information for their note taking sheets. If students are using text resources, they will examine the index of a book, subtopic headings in an article, and / or visuals to organize informational sources.
- Students will interact with the speakers, listen to the audio tapes, or use text resources to complete the note taking sheets. They may work individually or with a partner.
- The teacher will guide the interview, stop the tape at significant places to discuss what has been heard and set further expectations, and / or guide the reading of text sources.
- Students will share the information on their note taking sheets. As students share, others can write down new information they've learned from listening to a classmate.
Independent Practice:
At a later time and over several days, students will complete an essay. Using their notes and the feature matrix, students will write a response to the following questions: Why do furniture makers today replicate the designs of colonial craftsmen? Is the quality of craftsmanship the same? Explain. Closure: - Students will suggest possibilities for the last column of the feature matrix based on the information gathered today.
- The teacher will scribe students' comments on the feature matrix.
Evaluation:
The teacher will assess students' ability to: - write a quality essay following an order that includes an opening statement, evidence from the reading to support ideas, and an effective closing.
- use primary and secondary sources to locate and apply information relevant to the task.
- take effective notes.
- effectively share their work in a way that makes the information and ideas clear to their audience.
Access the note taking sheets for: |
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