Lesson Plan #4

Grade: 4th Grade Social Studies Strand: Civics

Submitted By: Rebecca Waltz

EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2014 Instructor: Karen Powell

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

B. Summary of the Lesson Plan:

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

This social studies lesson is designed for a 4th grade students to debate about Nevada day and its celebration after shaping their opinion through reference sources. This lesson uses the Do A Debate, Strategy 15, from the Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies: 25 Strategies for K-8 Inquiry-Based Learning textbook (p.104-110) and vocabulary from the Houghton Mifflin Social Studies textbook States and Regions (p. 254). C. Basic Information: Grade Level: 4th grade Time to Complete this Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes Groupings: Whole Class, Partner, and Individual

D. Materials: 1 copy of Figure 13.3 worksheet from the Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies: 25 Strategies for K-8 Inquiry-Based Learning textbook (pg. 109-110). o Copy of figure is included after the Reflection section. Examples include: Books about Nevada statehood, encyclopedias, printed articles about Nevada Day, Nevada tourism brochures, computers with internet access (if possible), and other reference materials that could allow students to find facts about Nevada Day. Make sure include at least one source that documents that Nevadans voted to celebrate Nevada Day on the last Friday of October in 1999. Source Materials for research: o

E. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards o F. Vocabulary Opinion An idea or a belief. Fact A statement that can be proven true. Sesquicentennial 150th anniversary of an event.
EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 2

C15.4.3 Identify sources of information people use to form an opinion. (Focus Standard) C13.4.5 Explain why we celebrate Nevada Day. (Secondary) C15.4.3 - I can research a topic to help form my opinion. C13.4.5 - I can share the importance of celebrating Nevada Day.

Student-Friendly Standards

Nevada State College

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

G. Procedure: 1. As a class, read aloud student friendly standards. 2. Introduce vocabulary (Opinion, Fact, Sesquicentennial)

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

3. Introduce topic of Nevada Day and discuss topic of when it should be celebrated. o o Explain that Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, but since the year 2000 it has celebrated on the last Friday in October. The sesquicentennial (150 years) will actually happen on the last Friday of October this year, but this doesnt always happen. Some people still celebrate it on October 31st even if it isnt the last Friday of October, but some celebrate it the last Friday of October even if it isnt October 31st. Ask students to form an opinion about when they think Nevada Day should be celebrated. When should we celebrate Nevada Day (October 31st or Last Friday of October) and why? Take a quick class poll and visually display the results of the class prior to researching.

4. Students should individually fill in My Opinion on the worksheet. o

5. Using Stand-up Pair-up, have students share their opinion with a partner. o

6. Explain that opinions are more valid when supported by facts and that doing research sometimes changes our original opinion or supports our original opinion. o o o Describe each of the research resources available for researching. Identify and describe each source available for students to use for research. (If using technology, reminds students of the rules and regulations regarding its use.) Students must find two facts that support their opinions from two different sources available. Students should take notes and record their findings on the worksheet for each resource consulted. Allow students to complete the rest of the questions on the worksheet after their research is completed. There are three remaining questions: o o What my sources said that were the same: What my sources said that were different: Has my opinion changed? Why or why not?

7. Allow students to research the topic either individually or with a partner. o o o

8. Engage in a classroom debate: Divide the class into two parts representing the two views on the topic. Alternating between the two sides, have student share their opinion, supporting it with one fact they learned, and where they learned that fact from.
EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 3

Nevada State College

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

H. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding?

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

The worksheet will be what students turn in for assessment. It will display that students have used at least two sources to form their final opinion. Alternatively, students may also be assessed during their oral explanations during the debate. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson. Although students will do a great deal of research on Nevada Day and learn some facts about its importance, the primary focus of this lesson is actually to determine that students used reference and source information to form an opinion. The worksheet will display that a student was able to identify two (2) resources and what they discovered from that resource. The worksheet also compares and contrasts those two resources allowing students to identify similarities and differences between the information provided. And finally, the final question on the worksheet will demonstrate that the student has made a connection between the resource information and their opinion either by changing it or stating that the information supported it. I would design a rubric for the worksheet answers with the emphasis of points being on the final question. The rubric would look something like this:
Worksheet Grading Rubric 1. Stated Original Opinion Student did not state opinion. Student stated opinion, but did not support their reasoning. Student used only one resource and stated what was discovered OR Student used two resources but did not state what they discovered from it. 3. Comparing and Contrasting Resources Student did not compare or contrast discoveries from resources. Student did not state whether or not their opinion was changed by the sources. Student only compared OR contrasted resources. Student compared AND contrasted the resources. Student stated opinion with reasoning.

_/15 _/2

2. Citing 2 Sources and what they discovered

Student did not use any resources.

Student used at least two resources and stated what was discovered from both resources.

_/4

_/3

4. Opinion Changed or Supported by Resources

Student only stated that their opinion changed or stayed the same and gave no reasoning or explaination.

Student explained that the resources either supported or changed the resources and why.

_/5

I.

Closure: Discuss those whose opinions were changed or found facts to support their initial opinion. Why or why not? Extend discussion time by asking any of the following questions:
EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 4

Nevada State College

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

o o o

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

Again, take a quick poll about students opinion on the topic and compare it to the original number. (Optional) Ask students how they might use opinions supported by facts in other subject areas or in their daily lives. Ask students to identify other sources that can be used to form opinions.

J. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? I think going over vocabulary will be the easiest to teach, because many of them will have heard these terms before because of ELA standards. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? I think teaching them to extrapolate information from sources will require monitoring and coaching as students start their research. There will be no entry that says, This is the better way to celebrate Nevada Day, so students will need to make independent connections between facts and reason. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? This could easily be turned into an ELA essay assignment where student write a journal entry or essay explaining their views. This essay could be posted next to a Nevada Flag. The students could also build a circle thinking map to identify the important facts they learned about Nevada Day and put those thoughts on a poster or image program like Tagzedo. This would allow students to met the C13.4.5 Explain why we celebrate Nevada Day fully. 4. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? If student clearly struggle with using the resources, then a mini lesson might need to be implemented to teach students to use encyclopedias, internet searches, or article skimming. If students struggle with justifying their reason, then a mini lesson that focuses strictly on opinion vs. fact could be used to extend this lesson. Opinion and fact could be scaffolded for the ELL students by writing I believe or I think statements in their My opinion section. Additionally, translated articles, bilingual dictionaries, and adjusted literature could be provided source material in the ELL students primary language. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I think I would like to find a fun way to engage them before starting the research. Perhaps, finding a fun video about facts vs. opinion to explain that opinions can be supported by facts. Maybe something like BrainPOP http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/factandopinion/ . The video would also help students to struggle vocabulary that identifies an opinion. Or this video from the same site that talks about different types of sources http://www.brainpop.com/english/studyandreadingskills/research/ .
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 5

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part of this lesson was choosing a topic for research and debate. Although this lesson could easily be done by pairing it with a science topic such as Are snakes good or bad?, I had a difficult time trying to find a civics aligned lesson. The strategy from the book suggested a topic that is close to the issues going around school, but I wondered how difficult it would be to research that topic. 7. Explain the strategy from Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies that you included in this lesson plan. Strategy 15 suggests that students should be introduced to the concept of multiple opinions and viewpoints. Although the activity strategy for this less was do a debate, their purpose was really to establish a pluralist approach to content. The strategy asks students to consider a school issue and their own personal feelings about it. Students are then asked to construct an alternative view point on the same issue. This is then followed by teaching students to use print and non-print resources to further develop their opinion and feelings. Then the teacher is to organize a basic debate over the issue so that students can listen to opposing views and reasoning. Although the strategy called for teaching students the importance of multiple viewpoints, I thought the strategy best fit the C15.4.3 Identify sources of information people use to form an opinion standard I was trying to teach, because it incorporated using source information to develop opinions.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 6

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Rebecca Waltz

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 7