INQUIRY (5E) LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

Teachers: Daniel Lopez Subject: Social Studies Grade: 8th

Common Core State Standards:

8.C3.3 Compare the structures, powers, and limits of government at different levels in the United States.
8.C4.4 Identify, research, analyze, discuss, and defend a position on a national, state, or local public policy
issue including an action plan to address or inform others about the issue
8.H2.2 Investigate how conflict can be both unifying and divisive both domestically and internationally.
H2: Cycles of conflict and cooperation have shaped relations among people, places, and environments.
6a: Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent
and group settings.

Objective (Explicit):
 SWBAT research and develop an understanding of the various positions appointed to the cabinet of a
U.S. President.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):
 Include a copy of the lesson assessment.
 Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
 Assign value to each portion of the response

Identify key elements of White House cabinet members, including their understanding of foreign policy and how they can potentially influence the
ultimate decision made by the executive office.
Sub-Objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex)
 How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
 What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
 How is this objective relative to students, their lives, and/or the real world?

The problem-based lesson has a close relationship with the previous lesson on different types of government from various places around the world.
Teacher and students examined difference scopes of political influence ranging from Federalism, Communism, Fascism, and Socialism. Historically,
the students will be able to make connections to the Cold War era where the United States and European nations were contending for nuclear
dominance. This statements holds relevance today as most developing nations have the capability and know-how when it comes to constructing a
nuclear program.

Key vocabulary: Government, Situation Room, U.S. Materials: Computer, paper, pencil/pen, PowerPoint,
Presidency, U.S. Cabinet, Nuclear Warfare projector, nametags
Engage
 How will you activate prior knowledge?
 How will you hook student attention?
 What question will you pose, based on your objective, that students will seek to answer in Explore?
Teacher Will: Students Will:
Chose the position as the presidents Chief of Staff at the White House. Each student will select a position corresponding to a real
While acting in this role, the Chief of Staff will present a scenario appointment to the presidents’ cabinet. It will he the job of the
placing the students in the situation room in the middle of a highly student to research their role and learn about what functions and
classified brief. During this brief the teacher will inform the cabinet responsibilities they play during a White House brief. Depending
members (students) of an intelligence report concerning a imminent on the selected role, the students will take on the persona and
nuclear threat to the United States. Although the belligerent nation is characteristics of their cabinet position.
currently unknown the Chief of Staff will deliver the critical message For example, the group members that chose the Central
and urge the cabinet to begin formulating a contingency plan. Intelligence Agency will be responsible for gathering reliable
data, assessing the data, and making a decision based on their
findings.
Explore
 How will you model your performance expectations? (Remember you are not modeling what you want students to discover but need to
model expected behavior or required procedures.)
 How will students take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them answer the question posed in the
Engage?
 What questions or prompts will you be prepared to use with students while they are “exploring”?
Teacher Will: Students Will:
Describe the situation, acting as if the Chief of Staff has liminal After the students select the agency or department they will be
information about the imminent threat. Discuss pieces of information representing during the situation room scenario, they will fill out
that have been made available and ensure students follow along with their name tag to let other cabinet members of their role. Students
handwritten or typed notes to begin compiling background information. will be prompted to investigate and compile relevant online
At this point, the Chief of Staff (teacher) will model the expected material and new concepts that will address the underlying
behavior that will be demonstrated for the duration of the activity. For objective.
instance, the formality of debate and speech that will ensure the activity
has a authentic conference environment.
Co-Teaching Strategy
 What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
 What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
 How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
Explain
 How will all students have an opportunity to share what they discovered?
 How will you connect student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations?
 How will all students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the sub-objectives by answering the question from the
Engage before moving on?
Teacher Will: Students Will:
Introduce the term president cabinet and nuclear warfare. Assess the Think-pair-share with their table mates about prior knowledge
student’s prior knowledge by reviewing U.S. foreign policy concerning concerning U.S. policy and current events about nuclear warfare.
nuclear deterrence. Explain that the purpose of the activity will be to Students will be able to openly discuss with the entire class about
challenge the student’s ability to make critical decisions while information they might know or have questions about. This time
presenting with a series of actions and consequences. is critical for students understanding of what is expected of them
and their classmates. Students must know this is a student driven
lesson based on current political dealings.
Co-Teaching Strategy
 What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
 What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
 How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
Elaborate
 How will students take the learning from Explore and Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this
learning at a deep level?
 How will students use higher order thinking at this stage (e.g. A common practice in this section is to pose a What If? Question)?
 How will all students articulate how their understanding has changed or been solidified?

Teacher Will: Students Will:

Review new descriptive terminology as a class: White House official’s Conduct additional investigations to reinforce new skills. This
roles and responsibilities, nuclear weapons. Share observations in a phase allows students to cement their knowledge before they
brief discussion. Compare the different cabinet members that will report their findings.
participate during the activity. Have students make connections to real-
world decisions made by U.S. policymakers. How will the students
respond to questions designed to incite debate and political
discourse?

Co-Teaching Strategy
 What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
 What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
 How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?
Evaluate
 How will all students demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the elaborate content)?
 How will students have an opportunity to summarize the big concepts they learned (separate from the assessment)?

Teacher Will: Students Will:

Assign students to write a few sentences (or paragraph)
demonstrating their understanding of the cabinet position they have
selected. The teacher is looking to assess how prepared the
students will be for the following day when students will be given
additional intelligence reporting about the brief taking place in the
White House.
Have an opportunity to explain how they will contribute to the
activity through their research. This writing activity can be done
individually or in a small group. It is important for the students to
ask questions if they are confused or encounter disputes about the
upcoming activity.