Social Studies-LESSON PLAN-Matthew Jason
Title (or focus) of the Lesson: Introduction to the U.S. Declaration of Independence Grade Level(s): 11th grade
Time Required for Lesson Delivery: 40 minutes
Objective(s):
History of the United States and New York- Standard 1.1 The study of New York State and the United States history requires and analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices and traditions. -Students will interpret the ideas, values, and beliefs behind the Declaration of Independence. - The Declaration of Independents is one of the most significant documents in our Nation’s History. With its publication, the rebellion against Great Britain officially began and America as we know was born. Within its content, the document lays out or nation’s foundation of basic principals, of which our government was built upon.
Materials:
-A computer that is installed with Microsoft PowerPoint and is attached to an overhead projector. -Enough handouts of the Declaration of Independence for each student.
Instructional Strategies: Teach to the Objectives (TTO)
Opener: Pre-Assessment: a. As students begin to enter the classroom and take their individual seats, they will be asked by the teacher to complete the day’s “Bell Ringer,” activity: -Take out your notebook and a writing utensil -What does each term, “Declaration and Independence,” mean to you? b. After the teacher completes attendance (roughly 3 minutes), the teacher will have students share their thoughts on the terms. Body: a. The teacher will then queue up the PowerPoint presentation that contains the textbook’s definition and brief history of the Declaration of Independence. -The students will be asked to take notes throughout the PowerPoint/lecture and establish a personal reference for future assessment. b. The teacher will then promptly assign students into groups, no larger than three per a group. c. Each group will be assigned a specific segment of the Declaration of Independence. d. Students will then be asked to read over their segment of the document silently and underline any words that they do not understand. -Once the reading is completed, the students will then use a dictionary to define those words that are underlined.
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-The Teacher will emphasize on the importance of building a strong vocabulary and reading techniques by using various tools, such as a dictionary, in defining unknown words while reading. - Students will translate their assigned segment into their own words within their groups of three. -With the teacher’s guidance, each group will then be given the opportunity to read their segment and group translation by voluntary members from each group (If there no volunteers for particular groups, the teacher will read the segment). -The class as a whole will be asked to take notes on their peers’ work. III. Closing: a. The teacher will facilitate a brief discussion regarding the students’ thoughts upon the Declaration of Independence and the work performed during class. b. Introduction to the Five Paragraph Essay assignment. -With the remaining time in class, students will be asked to begin working on their homework assignment and start writing a Five Paragraph Essay on their individual perspective on the significance of the Declaration of Independence. -Focusing on the big question, “How does the Declaration of Independence impact the way you live your life in the 21st century?” -Other questions: What key values is the document based upon? What events lead up to the drafting of this document? What events followed the publication of this document? Etc.
Assessment:
Pre-Assessment: a. As students begin to enter the classroom and take their individual seats, they will be asked by the teacher to complete the day’s “Bell Ringer,” activity: -Take out your notebook and a writing utensil. - What does each term, “Declaration and Independence,” mean to you? b. After the teacher completes attendance (roughly 3 minutes), the teacher will have students share their thoughts on the terms. Formative Assessment: a. As the students are reading silently and working within their groups, the teacher will assess the student’s general ability in interpreting the document and using a dictionary. b. While students are reading aloud voluntarily, the teacher will make note of each student’s ability to read aloud in front of an audience. Evaluation (if applicable): Objective EvaluationWith the completion of the Five Paragraph Essay, the students will be evaluated on their ability to grasp the actual content within the Declaration of Independence and how it affects their lives in the 21st century. -Students’ work will be graded based off of a rubric. III. Self-assessment/reflection: Each question below will be answered in a journal format.
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-How well did the students perform in the “bell ringer” activity? -How were the transitions between the opening, body, and closing? -Was the PowerPoint presentation effective in delivering the proper definitions and examples? -Were the students able to interpret the document? -What was the general understanding of each student on the Five Paragraph Essay assignment as they left the classroom?
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