A Guide for Teachers of Grades 2–4
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A GUIDE FOR TEACHERS OF GRADES 2–4 © 2015 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Exhibit produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in collaboration with Nickelodeon The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution dedicated to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. It is the largest children’s museum in the world and serves more than 1 million people across Indiana as well as visitors from other states and nations. The museum provides special programs and experiences for students as well as teaching materials and profes- sional development opportunities for teachers. To plan a visit or learn more about educational programs and resources, visit the Teacher section of the museum’s website at childrensmuseum.org. VISIT THE MUSEUM The museum provides special programs and experiences for students as well as teaching materials and professional development opportunities for teachers. To plan a visit or learn more about educational programs and resources, visit the Teacher section of the museum’s website at childrensmuseum.org. © 2016 THE CHILDREN’s MusEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS TaBlE oF CoNtEnTs Introduction ..................4 Experience 1: Communication Is Key ........6 Experience 2: Personal Strengths ........10 Experience 3: Team “Building” ...........13 Culminating experience: Better together .....17 Resources ....................18 Academic standards ...............19 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SECRETS OF THE SEWER • A GUIDE FOR TEACHERS OF GRADES 2–4 3 Introduction The Exhibit In this exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles— Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo—through immersive environments representing their sewer lair and the streets of New York, where they patrol to keep the city safe from evil. Students will have an opportunity through puzzles and challenges to explore their individual and group potential as well as to train together as a team, both physically and mentally. The Teacher Guide Through this Teacher Guide, students can learn more about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the important life lessons they teach. Students will experience what it is to be part of a team working toward a common goal and will learn about the importance of communication in identifying and developing their own personal strengths and working as a team to solve a challenge. Introduction Introduced in 1984, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seemed an unlikely success story. Yet from a single, self-published comic book, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a phenomenon, spawning numerous comic book series, cartoons, movies, and an array of merchandise sold all over the world. Now, 30 years later, our favorite “Heroes in a Half Shell” are still going strong for a new generation of children, teaching important life lessons about teamwork, developing personal strengths, and achieving more by working together than you can by working alone. 4 © 2016 THE CHILDREN’s MusEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS Introduction Objectives focus questions Students will l Explore the importance of l What is communication? You will need communication Why is it important in l Identify the characteristics of good teamwork? l communication l What are the characteristics tangram puzzle pieces or student handout on page 9 l Consider how team members of good communication? bring different individual skills and l How do individuals l scissors strengths that contribute to team contribute to a team? l student handouts on pages success l How can teams accomplish 12 and 15 l Identify their own personal more than individuals l strengths working alone? variety of found objects (paper towel rolls, rubber l Work in teams bands, cardboard, boxes, l Design a device to accomplish a paper clips, etc.) goal VOCABULARY l pretend pizza (could be l Build a prototype of their device to coins, checkers pieces, etc.) test and refine communication l Present their prototype to the class design l Reflect on their experience working strengths as part of a team team TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SECRETS OF THE SEWER • A GUIDE FOR TEACHERS OF GRADES 2–4 5 EXPERIENCE 1 Procedures l Ask students if they have ever heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before. l Have students share some of what they know, either from comic books they have read, cartoons or movies they have seen, or from other sources. Be sure to ask students where their information comes from. l Explain that with all of the different TMNT stories that exist in different media forms (comics, cartoons, and movies), there are several different versions of the Experience 1: Communication Is Key stories that students might know. However, one thing always remains Communication is a key component of teamwork and necessary for people, or the same, and that is the Teenage Turtles, to work together successfully. In this experience, students will learn the Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves. value of good communication. Students will work in teams of two relying on their l See if students can name all communication skills, both speaking and listening, to complete a task together: four turtle characters: Leonardo, successfully constructing a combination of geometric figures sometimes called Raphael, Donatello, and a Chinese puzzle. Students will consider what strategies worked best and what Michelangelo. they can do to improve their communication skills. l Help students to understand that the Turtles use their ninja skills to fight bad guys and protect innocent Academic standards people. l Ask students how these characters Indiana Standards are different from some other English Language Arts – Speaking and Listening: 2.SL.1, 2.SL.2.1, 2.SL.2.3, 2.SL.2.4, 2.SL.3.2, 2.SL.4.3; 3.SL.1, 3.SL.2.1, 3.SL.2.3, superheroes, such as Superman or 3.SL.2.4, 3.SL.3.2; 4.SL.1, 4.SL.2.1, 4.SL.2.3, 4.SL.2.4 Spider-Man. Mathematics – Geometry: 2.G.1 l Explain to students that unlike Superman or Spider-Man, who National/Common Core Standards tend to work alone, the Teenage English Language Arts – Speaking and Listening: SL.2.1.A, SL.2.1.C, SL.2.3; SL.3.1.B, SL.3.1.C, SL.3.3; SL.4.1.B, SL.4.1.C Mutant Ninja Turtles work together Mathematics -- Geometry: 2.G.A.1 as a team. l Ask students to think about what it means to work in a team. Help students brainstorm characteris- tics of working in a team, such as helping each other, compromise, shared responsibilities, and so on. 6 © 2016 THE CHILDREN’s MusEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS EXPERIENCE 1 l Explain that one of the key use geometric and descriptive components of working in a team terms for the pieces to help is communication between team them instruct their partners. For members. example, students can say “use l Ask students what they think this the smallest triangle” or “rotate the means. What is communication triangle to the right.” and why is it important? l Encourage students responsible l Explain to students that they will for moving the geometric pieces Humble Beginnings complete an exercise that will to listen closely to what their demonstrate the importance of partner is telling them and to ask questions to help clarify instruc- communication and help them The Teenage Mutant Ninja tions as needed. understand what characterizes Turtles began as the brainchild good communication. l Remind students to stay on task of Kevin Eastman and Peter l Divide the class into teams of two and focus their discussion on the Laird in 1984. It started as a activity at hand. students each. Explain that each parody of other comic book hutterstock.com S team member has a job to do and l Allow teams time to work together characters that were popular © that neither student in a team can to complete their patterns. While at the time, but soon became successfully complete the task they work, circulate among the something more. Eastman and without the other student. teams and offer suggestions Laird borrowed money from l First, distribute the geometric to improve communication as family to publish the first black- shapes used to complete tangram needed. Suggest, for example, and-white comic chronicling the puzzles. If you have tangrams in that partners try to incorporate adventures of these strange your classroom, you can use those, nonverbal instruction into their heroes under their own Mirage but if not, give each team a copy communication by using hand Studios imprint. There was small of page 9 and instruct them to cut gestures to supplement their but growing interest in the comic out the geometric shapes in prepa- spoken directions. for several years. The Turtles ration for the task. l When time is up, have students hit it big when a deal was made with Playmate Toys in 1987. l Once each team has their pieces stop what they are doing, whether The original cartoon series ready, explain that these pieces they have completed their patterns soon followed, running for 10 are to be used by just one team or not. Have students share the years and spawning three full- member and only that team pattern with their partners now so length, live-action films. There member. that they can assess together how was a short-lived live-action l close they came. Next, explain that the second TV show, followed by another l Ask the students how many teams team member is going to receive animated series, movies, and completed their pattern correctly. a pattern that uses the tangram comic books.