Arts Integrated Lesson Plan

Lesson title: Learning About the Desert Tableaus

Grade Level: 1st Time required: 45 - 50 minutes

Materials: slideshow of desert

Content objectives: SS1G3 Locate major topographical features of the earth’s

surface.
c. Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts).

Procedure:
Opening: Display a picture of a desert. Allow students to share background
knowledge of the desert. Ask students to share what they observe about the
desert. (ie. Not many plants or animals, it is sunny, etc.)
Display pictures of the various animals that live in the desert and discuss.
Repeat with pictures of various plants that live in the desert.
Activity: Introduce tableaus and practice creating various plants and animals with
our bodies. Have various students come to the front and create tableaus for their
classmates.
Split the class into 2 groups, explain that they may be anything that you might see
in the desert (the sun, cactus, rocks, dirt, snakes, etc.) Explain that we are going to
have a “race.” One at a time, each student will come up, say, and create the
object they are going to be for their group tableau. There can only be ONE of each
object and you must stay frozen until all of your group members have joined your
tableau.
Closing: Come back to the carpet and discuss the objects they included in their
tableaus and why. Introduce Haikus and characteristics of Haikus. Show an
example of a Haiku and have students clap out the syllables in each line. Create a
class Haiku that describes the desert. Have students turn and talk with peers
about possible lines for the poem, being sure it has 5 or 7 syllables.

If time permits, you can add sounds and instruments to the Haiku.

Assessment: Observation of students, their tableaus, what object they chose,

class discussion and an iRespond assessment of all the landforms at the end of the
day.