POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
Shannon Donegan
Denise Ford, Stuarts Draft Elementary
2nd grade
April 5th 2015

A. TITLE OF LESSON: The Battle of the Wolves

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
Students are currently in a Science unit having just completed a unit on Egypt. This lesson will serve as an introduction to a unit on China that
the students will be taking part in after the completion of their Science Unit. Study of Chinese History is a component of the Virginia Standards
of Learning Social Studies requirement
C. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand How the culture we live
in is reflected in our lives. That they
are global citizens of the world.
Although different places and
countries have different cultures there
are still many cross cultural
similarities

Know Where China is located in

the world. Know cultural differences
and similarities between China and
the United States taken from the
lesson. That children in China
although they may speak a different
language and live on the other side of
the world are still not very different
from the student at Stuarts Draft

Do: Compare and Contrast the

cultural differences between Little
Red Riding Hood and Lon Po Po

D. ASSESSING LEARNING:

What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? Rememberevery
objective must be assessed for every student!
Task:
Diagnostic
Support:
The students will complete a Venn features:
Because some children may
Diagram comparing Little Red
have difficulty with the

I will look
Riding Hood and Lon Po Po.
Venn Diagram I will have
to see that
the students work in groups
they have
so that they can aid one
identified
another. I will also have a
specific

cultural
differences
between the
two stories
not just plot
differences
e.q clothing or
location
I will
collect their
Venn
diagrams at
the
completion of
the activity to
assess.

list of things to think about

on the doc cam for them to
refer to as they work in
their groups. If they can not
easily write down their
ideas they will be aloud to
draw pictures.

E. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and NATIONAL STANDARDS if required)

F. MATERIALS NEEDED
Little Red Riding Hood book
Lon Po Po
Smart board
Poster board (6)
Sticky Notes (multiple packs split into 19 piece one for each students)
G. PROCEDURE
Activity Element
& Time (in
minutes)

Procedures and management

Students

Introduction
2 minutes

Today we are going to

discuss China.

Raise there hands if they

have heard of china before, if

Academic, physical,
social & linguistic
differentiation,
resources, and
support

Event 1
10 minutes

they have had an experience

with someone from China, or
been to China.

Raise your hand if you

have heard of China before.
Have any of you ever been
to China or met someone
from China?
Today we are going to go
on a field trip today around
the world to China
It is not a real field trip but
we are going to take a virtual
one on the computer using
Google maps
We will then go on the
virtual field trip
The google map tour
starts at Stuarts Draft
elementary.
I will ask the students to
see if they can see the
high school and the
baseball field around the
school. I want them to be
able to identify that we are
actually starting from
Stuarts Draft.
I will pause the video as it
zooms out when it gets to
Virginia. I will ask the
students what state that is
I will let the video zoom
out more and pause it
when it zooms out and one
can view the whole United
States. I will ask the
student what country is on
the smartboard.
I will then continue the

The students will observe

the virtual field trip
The students will respond
to my questions
They will realize were they
are located in the world as
well as see how far away
China is from the United
States.

video pausing on the way

across the ocean to China
and asking the students if
they know what the Island
is (Hawaii) If they do not
know I will tell them I am
going to give them a hint.
That it is a part of the
United States. If they are
still unable to identify it I
will explain to them that it
is the state of Hawaii.
I will pause the video
again as it zooms into
Asia. I will ask the
students if they know
which continent China is
located in. If they do not
know I will tell them that
this is the continent of
Asia and it contains many
different countries, for
example, Japan, North
Korea, South Korea, India,
etc.
The video will then zoom
down to the country of
China.
I will tell the students that
this is the country of China
Then tell the students that
we are going to go on a
trip to The Great Wall of
China.
Ask the students if they
have ever heard of The
Great Wall of China or if
they know anything about
it
As the google trip travels

down and around the

virtual great wall of china I
will tell the students
o The Great Wall is
5,500 miles long
o It use to be 14,000
miles long over
1,000 years ago
o A myth about the
great wall that a lot
of people say is that
you can see The
Great Wall from the
moon. Has anyone
ever heard that? It
is big, but it is not
that big!
o It is built out of
stones and wood
o It was build by
soldiers, peasants,
and war prisoners
o It is kind of like the
pyramid of Egypt
because the
Pharaoh had people
build the pyramids
and they didnt
have a choice. The
Chinese emperor
was similar to the
pharaoh of Egypt.
o It was built to
protect Chinas
boarders from
intruders
o You can go and walk
across it today if
you travel to China.

Transition
2 minutes

Event 2
10 minutes

We are now going to read

a book that takes place in
China. Everyone head over to
the rug
We have been talking
about Folktales lately who can
tell me what a folktale is?
Remember how last week
in reading centers I read you
Little Red Riding Hood?
Today we are going to be
reading a version of Little Red
Riding Hood BUT it takes
place in China
This is a story that Chinese
children may have heard
growing up. Children in China
enjoy hearing stories just like
you all enjoy hearing stories.
Make sure you are paying
very close attention to the
story because after we are
going to talk about how it is
similar to Little Red Riding
Hood and different.
I will read the story out
loud to the children
I will stop throughout to
discuss some of the culturally
significant parts of the story (I
will have printed out pictures
of some of the terms used in
the book)
o Lon Po Po is the
name of this story in
Chinese Lon means
wolf and Po Po
means Grannie. The
story in Chinese is

Students go and sit down

on the rug

The students will

participate in open discussion
about the cultural differences
in the book.
The students will respond
to the questions that I pose to
them
They will begin to notice
and think about the
similarities and difference as I
read.

Because it is a
picture book it
will appeal to
both auditory
and visual
learners. I will
also have
picture
reinforcements
when I discuss
the various
terms in the
book

called Grannie Wolf.

On page 7 the wolf
mentions hemp
string I will have a
picture of hemp
string printed out as
well as a hemp
basket
Hemp is a
plant but it
can be made
into rope or
string to
make many
different
thinks such a
basket
Page 7 also
mentions an awl. I
will show the
students a picture
and explain to them
that it is a tool used
to make shoes.
Page 8 discussed
gingko nuts. I will
show the students a
picture of gingko
nuts. I will tell them
that they are Native
to China. What does
Native mean? They
are served on
special occasions
such as Chinese
New Year. I will tell
them how I lived in
Japan, where they
have gingko nuts as
well. I will tell them

Transition
2 minutes

Event 3
20 minutes

what I remember
about gingko nuts is
that when they
fall on the ground
and start to rot they
smell really stinky.
At the end of the
story I will ask the
students what they
noticed about the
childrens clothing. I
will show them an
image of traditional
Chinese clothing. I
will explain to them
that this is
traditional Chinese
Clothing but most
children in China
dress similar to
children in the
United States.

Now we are going to talk

about the similarities and
differences between Lon Po
Po and Little Red Ridding
Hood.
Now we are going to
compare the cultural
differences between Chinas
Lon Po Po and the United
States Little Red Riding Hood.
Who can tell me what
culture is?
I will then describe to
them what culture is
I will give examples of
American Culture
I will give them some

Students will begin to

think about what is different
and similar between the two
stories

Students will participate in

a discussion about culture
They will work in groups
around the room to complete
the Venn diagram
They will refer to the list of
things to think about if need
be while completing their
Venn Diagram

The students
will be working
in groups with
students at
various levels so
that they can
assist one
another
There will be a
list of things to
think about

Transition
2 minutes

examples of Chinese Culture

presented in the books as
well as information not
presented in the book.
Now we are going to
compete a Venn diagram in
groups of 3 (the students are
familiar with these but I will
do a quick review on what
Venn Diagrams are)
o I will show the
students the Venn
Diagrams that I
have pre-made on
poster board.
o I will have them
give an example
from each category
before they go and
work on their own in
groups.
I will had out poster
boards to each of them to
work on and they can work on
the floor or around the room
where ever they are
comfortable
o I will also give the
students each a
section of sticky
notes so that in
their groups they
can all be working
at once and not one
person is writing
Now that you have all
completed your Venn
diagrams we are all going to
come back to the carpet so all
of the groups can share what

when making
their Venn
diagrams incase
they get stuck

Students will move back to

the carpet and give me their
posters

Event 4
6 minutes

Conclusion:
4 minutes

they did.
Each groups will come up
to the front and they will each
have a chance to share their
favorite 2 from each section
of the Venn Diagram.
I will ask the students
what facts they learned about
China today. What can they
remember?

Students will participate in

a discussion about what they
have created. They will share
what they have come up with
as a group
Students will share what
facts they remember about
China from the lesson.

Students who do not

wish to stand up and
present can remain in
their seat

Differentiation
Students will be working in diverse groups in order to aid one another in the Venn Diagram Activity. I will also during the Venn Diagram portion of the
lesson plan have a list of Things to think about on the doc cam incase the students get stuck. If writing the similarities and difference is difficult for them then
they may draw pictures. This story is a read aloud lesson plan and will therefore appeal to both visual and auditory learners. The students will have a chance to
be up out of their seats writing on a large poster board. This will help the students who are kinesthetic learners.
H. RATIONALE: 1-Double-spaced page that justifies what you are teaching and why it is important for students to develop a deep understanding of what is
being taught. Be sure to emphasize how it contributes to students development as citizens and to their lives beyond school. Explain why it matters in terms
of its meaning to students, the value of the subject content, opportunities for inquiry and its importance to the community and to society. The rationale
should not be that the lesson fits within the state or school curriculum.

This lesson uses a Read-Aloud book to help teach the students about Chinese Culture. The aim in using this story is to promote multiple
perspectives. This historical fiction story introduces the students to two different stories told in two different countries but with the same lesson.
The lesson starts out with a where are we in the world activity where we go on a virtual field trip. This is important with this group of students
because most of the students in my classroom have never been out their county or even their state. In speaking with my teacher before she told me
that she always starts with this because most of the students do not have this background knowledge. This allows the students to see that they are
just one small town in Virginia that is just one tiny part of the whole world. The goal is to help them see where they are in the world. The objective
is to also make them aware that there is much more of the world then just the town or state that they live in. In comparing a Chinese fairy tale to
one that they are very familiar with, the purpose was for them to make global comparisons. If the students realize that they are a part of a global

community not just their local community they will be productive global citizens. In learning about other cultures they will become well-rounded
and knowledgeable citizens of the world. The hope was with the Venn diagram the students would begin to think critically about their own culture
as well as the culture of China. The students because they are working in groups will be able to share ideas as well as their own unique
experiences. The students will also be able to realize that there are many cross-cultural similarities between the United States and China. The
students will realize that although China is far away and has a culture different from the United States there are many similarities. Children in
China are not that different from Children in the United States. Historical fiction, while enhancing understanding of the past, helps to integrate
social studies across the curriculum.

I.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Think about this! It may help you avoid an embarrassing situation. Look over the choices youve made for teaching this lesson. What extenuating
circumstances (based on what you know if your students, their schedules, and the context in which you teach) could potentially derail your otherwise
excellent plan? Identify at least 4 potential problems and thoughtfully describe your plan for addressing them when they arise? IN other words, what are
your contingency plans?
1) The students may have difficulty coming up with multiple similarities and differences
a) I will tell the students to make sure they have answered all of the questions on the things to think about sheet. I will also tell them they can go
look through the books which I will have available to see if they can come up with ideas in that way
2) If we run out of time to share their Venn diagrams
a) Because social studies is right after recess and right before lunch it is often a time crunch. I have spoken with my teacher and if it does run over
she said I can briefly complete my lesson when the students return from specials after lunch
3) If the students are not working productively in groups
a) I will be walking around the classroom with my cooperating teacher as the students work in order to prevent this from happening. I also have
split them up into groups of students with my teacher and we have put students who will work together well together. If for some reason there
is still a problem I will change up the groups.
4) If the students do not want to share their Venn diagram in front of the class
a) I want the students to feel comfortable so I will allow them to read them from their seat or have one of their other group members read their
responses.

Lesson Implementation Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide your thinking. Be thorough in your
reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.
I. While teaching I did end up running out of time the students came in from recess about 10 minutes late so it was hard to give them enough time to
work but also share. I ended up finishing up the activity when we came back from specials in the afternoon.
II. The students did an amazing job. They came up with not only similarities and differences between the stories but also the cultures. The students
were very into the activity they were all engaged and it was actually hard to get them to stop writing so that they could go to lunch. When I asked
them what they learned they recalled much more detailed facts then I anticipates. One of the students even gave me the actual distance of the great
wall.
III. The students had a lot of trouble spelling new words when they were working. I would if I did this activity again put a list of the words that we
talked about on the board so that the students could reference these when working on their Venn diagrams
IV. Next I would delve more into the topic of Ancient China. This was an introduction to their China unit. I would in my next lesson talk about Chinese
inventions.
V. Children are much more capable then most people give them credit for. The students surprised me in their ability to critical think and work together.
Children do best in freethinking and hands on environments and this lesson reiterated that for me.
VI. As a teacher you have to take what the kids give you and be sure to be flexible. You never really know what the students will say as much as you
try and predict it. As a teacher you have to be ready to stop and take those teachable moments when they come.
VII. This lesson reinforced for me how much I love teaching and the satisfaction I get from seeing things click with students. It also helped me to see
how teaching is coming much more natural to me. I naturally think of questions to ask that I had not preplanned and respond with ease to students
questions and statements.