Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)

Template with guiding questions

Teacher(s)
Name Tracy Dufford

Position Social Studies Teacher

School/District Scoggins Middle/Paulding County

E-mail tracydufford@gmail.com

Phone

Grade Level(s) 8th

Content Area Social Studies

Time line One week

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please
put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that indicate which
standards were addressed.
Students will know and be able to:
Demonstrate understanding of the impact of the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and the
Reconstruction period on Georgia
Conduct research
Summarize important information
Create a childrens book or presentation

Content Standards:

SS8H5 Analyze the impact of the Civil War on Georgia.

a. Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War; include slavery,
states rights, nullification, Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia Platform, the Dred Scott
case, Abraham Lincolns election in 1860, and the debate over secession in Georgia.

b. Explain Georgias role in the Civil War; include the Union blockade of Georgias coast, the

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Emancipation Proclamation, Chickamauga, Shermans Atlanta Campaign, Shermans
March to the Sea, and Andersonville.

SS8H6 Analyze the impact of Reconstruction on Georgia.

a. Explain the roles of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments in Reconstruction.
b. Explain the key features of the Lincoln, the Johnson, and the Congressional Reconstruction plans.

c. Compare and contrast the goals and outcomes of the Freedmens Bureau and the Ku Klux Klan.

d. Examine reasons for and effects of the removal of African American or Black legislators from the
Georgia General Assembly during Reconstruction.

e. Give examples of goods and services produced during the Reconstruction Era, including the use of
sharecropping and tenant farming.

ELAGSE8W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

ELAGSE8W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

ELAGSE8W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

ELAGSE8W6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the
relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

ELAGSE8W8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and
conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

ELAGSE8SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and

teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics and texts, building on others ideas and expressing
their own clearly.

ELAGSE8SL5: Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information,
strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

Applications for all standards: PowerPoint, PowToon, Bubbl.us, Prezi, search engines, Flickr,
Screencast-o-matic, StoryJumper, Wikispaces

ISTE Standards for Students

2. Communication and collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and
work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others.

3. Research and information fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use
information.
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4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate
digital tools and resources.

Applications for all standards: PowerPoint, PowToon, Bubbl.us, Prezi, search engines, Flickr,
Screencast-o-matic, StoryJumper, Wikispaces

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

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 After completing the unit test for Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction, students will be grouped into
groups of 2 or 3 to complete a Civil War project. Students will have two options to choose from:
1. You will be taking on the role of an author. You are to create a fictional childrens book telling the
story of a character(s) in Georgia through the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and
Reconstruction. Students must include:
At least 3 events from each time period (Antebellum, Civil War, & Reconstruction).
At least one person from each period of study.
Include at least two reasons why it is important for people to learn about this time period.
Each page must be illustrated, including the front and back covers.
Front cover (Title, picture, author); Back cover (Summary, picture)
Book must be at least 10 pages
Story must be narrated
Students may choose what program they would like to use to create their book. However, they
will be provided with suggestions, such as PowToon, PowerPoint, StoryJumper, Screencast-o-
matic to narrate, and Flickr to obtain pictures.
2. You will be taking on the role of a historian. You have been asked by the local historical society to
put together a presentation covering all three time periods: Antebellum, Civil War, and
Reconstruction. Students must include:
A total of 13 slides: Title, Table of Contents, Antebellum (2), Civil War (2), Reconstruction
(2), People (2; representing two different time periods), Facts slide, Why do we learn this
slide (at least two reasons), Works Cited slide.
Each slide must have at least one picture appropriate to the content on that slide.
Each slide must be narrated.
Students may use a presentation tool of their choice. However, I will suggest that they use Power
Point or Prezi. Students may use Flickr to obtain pictures and Office Mix or Screencast-o-matic to
narrate the presentation.
Students will share their presentations on a class wiki on Wikispaces.

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple yes or no and should have many acceptable answers.

How did the Civil War impact Georgia?

How did Reconstruction impact Georgia?
How are the impacts of the Civil War and Reconstruction still felt to this day?
What was Paulding Countys role in the Antebellum period, Civil War, and Reconstruction?
Why is it important for us to study this time period?

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess

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what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or
rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.

Students will create either a childrens book or a presentation to demonstrate their understanding of the
Antebellum period, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Formative assessment will be conducted through
observations. I will conference with each group frequently to determine progress on the product, what
help is needed, and to ensure that students have the help they need to successfully complete the project.
The product will be assessed using a teacher created rubric. This rubric will be used to determine
students understanding of this time period and their ability to create a presentation. Additionally,
students will complete a peer rubric to ensure that all group members participated. Products are
differentiated in a few ways. Students have a choice in creating a book or a presentation. They can
choose what information they include about each time period and they can choose the people they want
to include. Additionally, students can choose which tools they want to use to produce the project. By
allowing students to choose the tools, they can use tools that they are most comfortable using.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resourcesonline student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etchelp elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

Technology supports student learning by providing students with the opportunity to complete meaningful
and authentic tasks by taking on the roles of authors or historians. The technology will allow students to
conduct research and report their findings in a creative way. It will allow students an opportunity to use
productivity tools to share their knowledge with others outside of the classroom.
Digital tools: PowerPoint, PowToons, Screencast-o-matic, Flickr, Prezi, bubbl.us, Wikispaces, search
engine (such as Google), New Georgia Encyclopedia.
Resources: Handout explaining the project, project assessment rubric, group member assessment rubric
Previous technology skills: Students should have a basic understanding of how to use a computer and
how to save their work. Students can either save on the computer using their student ID or using a flash
drive. Students should know how to use a search engine to conduct research. Students should be able to
demonstrate ability to effectively use productivity tools and a head set. If a student does not have the
needed previous knowledge, additional support will be provided as needed. I do not want a student to not
succeed because they lack previous knowledge regarding technology. Needs will be assessed during
observations and conferencing.

Instructional Plan Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this
lesson? How can you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)

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Students will complete this project as a culminative project at the end of the Civil War unit. Students will
spend four weeks learning about the Antebellum period, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. They will
take a unit test to assess understanding of the concepts taught during the unit. The project will allow
students to review/remediate or enrich understanding of this time period. Additionally, this project will
provide students with an opportunity to further explore how this time period impacted Georgia. Several
Civil War battles took place in and around Paulding County. I hope that student interest will be peaked to
learn more about these battles. Some students go by these battle fields frequently and do not know the
history behind them. I hope this project provides students with a chance to understand the historical
importance of their hometown.
When discussing the project, many students were excited about using technology to further their
knowledge and to demonstrate their understanding. They are excited about the freedom to choose what to
do and how to present it. The students in my class have varying experience levels with technology. Some
of our students have taken a business and computer science class so they have background knowledge
regarding using technology for educational purposes. They will be more familiar with using PowerPoint
and other productivity tools and search engines. However, they may need additional support using other
technology tools. Since the computer class is a connection class, many students have not taken the class
yet. These students may need additional support using productivity tools and search engines. Students
should not need much support regarding the Social Studies standards being addressed, but they may need
significant support in using the technology tools.

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Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.

Students will work in the classroom using a mobile laptop cart. Every student will have access to a
device, but the projects will be completed in groups of 2-3 students. Before implementation of the
project, we will review Paulding Countys Acceptable Use Policy and discuss potential disciplinary
actions for inappropriate use of the devices. Students will be required to sign out the laptop before use so
that if something happens to the device or if it is used inappropriately it can be traced back to the student.
The students will have to keep the devices on their desks and visible at all times. I will walk around and
monitor student use throughout the project. An area will be created within the classroom for
conferencing with students. This location will be in a place where I can see computer screens to ensure
that students are on task and visiting appropriate websites.
In addition to receiving a copy of all handouts, handouts and links to websites will be included in our
Learning Management System, Canvas. This will eliminate the possibility of students accessing the
wrong website or typing the web addresses incorrectly. Before beginning the project, I will check to
make sure that all links work properly. Additionally, I will use all of the suggested tools so that I am
familiar with how to use the tools and be able to solve problems as they arise. I do not think you should
have a student using a tool that is new to them if it is new to you. As a teacher, you must be able to teach
students how to use the tools if they need additional assistance. For example, I found PowToons to be
difficult the first time I tried to use it. After practicing with it, I am much more comfortable using it and
feel that I could help a student create an animation. If I had never used it, I would not be able to provide
them with the help they need. Additionally, my students have not used Wikispaces. Before students are
required to post, I will provide a mini-lesson explaining where to post, how to post, and what they need
to post. I hope this will help prevent problems before they occur.
The biggest issue we tend to have with technology is the possibility of the internet going down. In this
case, I will have books checked out from the media center. The students can use the books to continue
their research. If issues with internet access continue, the project may have to be modified to only use
PowerPoint. Students could narrate when access returns. The due date can be extended to make up for
lost time due to an internet outage. During implementation, the biggest issue we have had so far is
regarding saving. Many students do not have a flash drive so they are saving to the network. I did not
realize that many students were saving directly to the computer and not to their individual folder on the
network. If the student received a different laptop, they could not access their work. We had to find their
original laptop and re-save the file under their student ID so that the student could access it from any
computer.
Many of our students do not have access to technology or the internet outside of school. In order to
ensure equitable access, all work will be done at school. Students will have access to technology during
class and during Team Time (a 50-minute needs based instructional time in the morning). Additionally, I
will offer computer lab times before and after school as needed. Students who have difficulty completing
the assignment by the due date because of difficulty accessing technology can speak to me to determine
some possible solutions. As long as students are productive during class time, they will not be penalized
for not having access to technology outside of the school.

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Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Blooms Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge
and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other
and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?

Students will be participating in cooperative learning in order to complete the project. They must work
together to make decisions, research, create the product, and narrate the product. Through this process,
students can learn from each other, develop communication skills, and practice developing skills they
will need in the work force. Students will be summarizing the information they find through their
research to either create a childrens book or presentation. Summarizing helps students determine the
important information in a text and use the information in a meaningful way. If needed, some students
will be using bubbl.us to create a concept map. This will help students organize their thoughts visually
before putting the information into the final product. Additionally, students will receive meaningful
feedback throughout the process.
The desks in my classroom will be set up in groups of 2-3 to promote collaboration. Students will be
encouraged to work together to work through the project and complete the final product. I have always
felt that learning is not really happening in a quiet classroom. Discussion and collaboration will be
encouraged throughout the process. Using digital tools will allow students to work with each other and
others. If students are using PowerPoint, they can share with each other and make edits individually.
Otherwise, students will have to take turns working on each component. However, communication and
collaboration will continue with all students regardless of who has the computer at the time. This will be
monitored by walking around and observing students. I will also conference with students to determine
how the process is going. Students will communicate with others by putting their projects on our class
wiki page. Students will be provided with the resources they need. They will have access to laptops and
books to conduct research and summarize material. Through this research, students will deepen their
understanding of how the Civil War and Reconstruction impacted Georgia. My role will be a facilitator
and guide. I will conference with groups to provide assistance as needed. The students will assume the
authentic role of an author or historian. The students will either create a childrens book or a presentation
for the local historical society. Students will be analyzing the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction
on Georgia. They will be summarizing the information they find for their final product. Students must
evaluate why learning about this time period is important. They must provide a justification for these
reasons. Finally, students will collaboratively create a presentation or story book with narration to
demonstrate learning.

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Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

Students will be grouped based on performance on the unit exam. Students will be grouped as low-
medium and medium-high. Students will be allowed to choose tools that they are comfortable using. I
will provide a list of suggested tools, but they will only be suggestions. I want students to feel that they
are in control of this project which means they are provided with choice. Students learn in different ways
and they may have a preferred tool to demonstrate understanding. I want students to use what will work
best for them. The higher groups will complete the project without much guidance or input from me. I
will conference with those groups and provide assistance as needed. However, I want these groups to be
the main facilitators of the activities. For an extension activity, the students can use the green room in the
media center to create a news story reporting on one of the battles they learned about while completing
the project. I will provide more guidance to the lower groups to make sure they are including all required
components. I will also provide these groups with a list of websites to research in order to limit the
amount of information available. Additionally, I will introduce students to bubbl.us so that students can
organize their thoughts. Bubbl.us will allow students to make visual connections to the different topics. It
will help students keep their information organized and help them create a more organized final product.
Regarding assistive technology, I will provide my students who are low readers with a text-to-speech
tool. This will allow students to hear the material as they are reading it and help increase comprehension.
Students will have access to headphones to listen to the text. I do not have any visually impaired
students, but this tool could be used to assist them as well. Additionally, I could record the instructions
on Audacity to include an audio version on Canvas. Also, I do not have any physically impaired students.
However, I would ensure that the room was arranged in a way to ensure easy access to technology and
resources.

Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
In what ways was this lesson effective?
What went well and why?
What did not go well and why?
How would you teach this lesson differently?)

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Throughout the project, I will be conferencing with students and talking about their thoughts about the
project and the process. At the end of the project, students will post their projects to the class wiki page
so they can share their work with others. Finally, students will be required to write a reflection on the
project. In the reflection, students will be asked to reflect on their work. What did they do well? What did
they need to improve upon? How well did they contribute as a group member? Additionally, students
will be asked to reflect upon the assignment. What did they learn? Was the project beneficial to their
learning? What did they like about the project? What could be improved upon in the future?
Throughout the project, I will be taking notes and reflecting on the process. My reflections and the
students reflections will be used to modify the project in the future. The reflections will help me
determine what went well and what did not go well. They will also help me identify areas of weaknesses
that may need further instruction and guidance in future implementation.

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.

Do to scheduling issues, the students are still completing the project. The intention was to start the
project the week before the break, but due to various changes in the schedule we were not able to start it
until this week. However, the project is going well. So far, the students seem to be enjoying the project
and are enjoying the freedom to make choices and collaborate. Through conferencing, many groups are
on task and have a strong idea of the direction they are taking their project. I have a few groups who are
showing some off-task behavior. I am trying to stay on top of these groups without taking too much
attention away from the other groups. Many groups are using Bubbl.us. Originally, I planned for this
tool to be used with my lower ability groups. However, many groups expressed interest in using it to
help organize their thoughts. One issue that I did not foresee is regarding plagiarism. I know that the
concept of plagiarism is discussed frequently in the students Language Arts class. I briefly spoke about
it when introducing the project. However, students are still struggling with the concept. They believe
that as long as they do not copy and paste the text, it is not plagiarism. Some students also believe that
you can copy large sections of text as long as you provide a citation. This has been a battle the last few
days and I am really focusing on discussing this concept during conferencing. For next year, I will create
a plagiarism lesson for students before we complete this project. I hope that this will help reinforce the
concept and prevent plagiarism from occurring. Additionally, after seeing the progress the students are
making, I believe that students will need a little longer than a week to complete a project of high quality.
I plan on extending the due date by a couple of days. Regarding the wiki page, my original plan was for
students to just post their projects so that they are available to an audience outside of the classroom.
However, I am thinking about creating an activity for Team Time that will allow students to provide
feedback to each other. Before completing this, I will provide students with lessons about how to
provide appropriate and helpful feedback. Overall, I am proud of the progress that my students are
making on the project. I am excited to see their excitement about collaboration and using technology.
Some advice I would give:
Make sure you are familiar with all tools
Make sure that all links are working
Do not be afraid to ask for help regarding ideas for using technology
Include a blog component into the lesson to provide students with a chance for self-reflection
Have a back up plan if technology is not working properly
Allow students to choose tools they would like to use
Provide direct instruction on plagiarism
Have consequences in place for students who misuse technology

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Group Rubric
Rate yourself and your group members using the following scale:
1-Poor 2-Below Average 3-Average 4-Above Average 5-Awesome
Write the name of the group member in the column with their rating. Do not forget to write your name.
Be fair and honest in your ratings.
Yourself 1. 2.
Participation
Completed fair amount
of work
Contributed useful
ideas
Encouraged on-task
behavior
Quality of work
Total
Adapted from Chad Manis (2012) http://www.lapresenter.com/coopevalpacket.pdf

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Project Assessment Rubric
Your Points Category Excellent Average Poor
Accurate All information in Some information Most information
Information assignment is is inaccurate or is inaccurate.
(Total Points well-researched vague. (5 pts)
Possible: 15) and accurate. (10 pts)
(15 pts)
Content Content is Content is covered Content is not
(Total Points completely and is easy to adequately
Possible: 15) covered and is understand. covered or content
easy to (10 pts) is difficult to
understand. understand.
(15 pts) (5 pts)
Readability Project is pleasing Some parts of the Fonts, size, and
(Total Points to the eye and project are colors chosen
Possible: 15) easy to read difficult to read make the project
(appropriate font, due to font, size, extremely difficult
color, and size are or color. to read.
used). (10 pts) (5 pts)
(15 pts)
Narration The narration is The narration is Narration is not
(Total Points easy to hear, has easy to hear but included.
Possible: 10) clearly been contains umms (0 pts)
rehearsed before and uhs.
recording, and is (5 pts)
free from umms
and uhs.
(10 pts)
Pictures All pictures Most pictures No pictures are
(Total Points support content of support content of included in the
Possible: 10) project. project. Project project.
(10 pts) contains some (0 pts)
irrelevant images.
(5 pts)
Mechanics There are no There are 2-3 There are 4 or
(Total Points errors in the text. errors in grammar, more errors in
Possible: 15) All grammar, spelling, or grammar,
spelling, and punctuation. spelling.
punctuation are (10 pts) (5 pts)
correct.
(15 pts)
Directions All directions are Directions were
Followed followed and Some directions ignored or not
(Total Points completed for were followed. followed.
Possible: 10) each assignment. (5 pts) (0 pts)
(10 pts)
Participation Time in class was Some time in Wasted a lot of
Group rubric well used and class was wasted time instead of
will be productive. and not used well. working on
considered Contributed ideas Contributed ideas project. Did not
(Total Points and did a fair and did a fair complete a fair
Possible: 10) amount of work. amount of work. amount of work.
(5 pts) (0 pts)

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 Assumed a
leadership role in
the group.
(10 pts)
TOTAL POINTS

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