UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan

Name: Bradley Howes Program: Secondary Course: EDU 460 Student

Education Teaching Field Experience
Lesson Topic / Title: Forms of Government

Lesson Date: 2/3/20 Lesson Length: 50 minutes Grade/Age: 12

Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment ​- Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on
content standards.
Learning Objective(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• Students will define seven of the most prominent forms of • Students must understand what
government. forms of government are used
• Students will analyze the different forms of democracy. throughout the world so they can
• Students will understand how governments vary around the better understand current global
world. issues.
• Understanding the types of
government a nation uses allows
students to better understand that
nation’s beliefs and values.
• No two governments are the same,
even if they use the same form of
government. Understanding the
characteristics allows students to
compare and contrast different
countries around the world.

Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Civics & Government 1: • Students will be actively studying,
(F1) Explaining that the study of government includes the comparing, contrasting, and defining
structures, functions, institutions, and forms of government. forms of government used in the
(D1) Evaluating and comparing the relationship of citizens with United States and the World.
government in the United States and other regions of the world. • Each station provides examples of a
(D3) Comparing the American political system with examples specific form of government that
of political systems from other parts of the world students can compare to the United
States.

Assessment -​ Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.

 
 Graphic Organizer Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
The graphic organizer provides specific instructions each • This will serve as a formative
student must complete at each station in order to prove assessment to gauge student
understanding. By having students define each form of comprehension. The data gained
government in their own words, it forces students to word it in a will be used to determine whether
way that makes sense to them without borrowing heavily from students understood the content. If I
the station sheet. Students can use the resources provided, recognize a pattern of
outside resources, and their peers to complete the graphic misunderstanding, I will address it
organizer. either the following day or when it
is relevant. An example of
re-teaching will occur during
today’s lesson. A majority of
students misunderstood Hobbe’s
philosophy on humans in the state of
nature. With this information, I have
specifically mentioned Hobbes in
the station regarding absolute
monarchies.
Instructional Materials and Resources ​- Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner
needs.
Materials, Resources, and/or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
Station information • Each station provides a one-page
Graphic Organizer summary of each form of
Translation List government in a hard-copied form.
Alarm From observation and discussions, I
have had with my student, most
students favor hard-copied paper
over online versions given the
unreliability of the Chromebook and
the Mountain Valley High School
internet.
• For my ELL learners, I have
compiled a brief definition list to
assist them.
• I have designed the lesson so
students may work either
independently or with peers, which
is very beneficial for my ELL
learners who frequently work
together to assist each other.
Instructional Methods: ​ Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by
using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to
all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.

 
 Teaching and Learning Sequence
Set-up: 5 minutes
During the set-up, I will explain that different forms of
government exist throughout history and the world. From
qualitative data I received last week, the majority of students
know very little about dictatorships, democracy, and other
forms of government. I will explain that a station activity will
have students spend a short amount of time at each station to
review the information given at each. Students will be able to
determine their own groups. Finally, I will explain that the
handout requires a definition in their own words on each type of students remain on task throughout
government. I will collect the handout at the end of class.
Stations: 35 minutes
There will be seven stations positioned around the classroom.
Each station will be assigned one of the seven forms of
government. Dictatorship, Theocracy, Absolute Monarchy,
Oligarchy, Constitutional Monarchy, Indirect Democracy, and
Direct Democracy. Each student will spend 5 minutes per
station. Students can decide if they want to work alone or in a
group.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• A station format allows me to cover
a wide range of information in a
condensed timeframe. Each of these
stations alone could fill a 50-minute
class. By providing the information
in this format, students can move
around the room, work with peers,
and develop their own
understanding of the topic.
• A graphic organizer ensures that
the lesson and provides useful
information that will guide my
future lessons.

Wrap-up: 10 minutes
The wrap-up will function to clear up any misunderstandings
the students have. I will briefly summarize each form of
government to make sure there is no misunderstanding. I will
specifically address the parliamentary vs presidential type of
indirect government. I will explain that on Wednesday we will
be exploring those topics in greater depth. I will use the
remainder of the time to address any other questions and
explain the end of the week homework.

 
 Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
modifications, accommodations) ● ELL students typically have a
Student 1: This student is a female Brazillian student with better understanding while
limited English proficiency. In data obtained from a survey speaking compared to writing.
along with several conversations with the student, she considers By formatting this lesson to be
her English to be decent but not great. Given this information, I primarily discussion-based, I
have included a translation list of several important terms in the am able to design the lesson
Terms List. towards the student’s
Student 2: This student is a female student from Spain with strengths.
limited English proficiency. In order to meet her needs, I have ● The inclusion of a translation
created a translation list of some important terms. By formatting sheet will assist in their
the lesson to allow groups, this student can work with her peers understanding of written
so she can better understand the material. English.

Field Course Only – Post lesson

Reflection
I believe the lesson went very well. Students responded well to the station format of teaching. Stations are
rarely used in a high school setting as they are considered an elementary teaching strategy. The decision to
allow students to decide whether they work individually or in a group was a good decision because it
allowed my ELL student to verbalize their thoughts with another student. The graphic organizer provided
clear, observable, and measurable objectives students should follow. One major change I would make
would be clearly posting the class objectives using both the chalkboard and the Google classroom. Visibly
displaying the objectives and expectations of the class is an excellent practice to set as an educator.
Another change I would make would be redesigning the graphic organizer to include more comparing and
contrasting of each form of government. This would help address the second learning objective of the
lesson, which I do not think I met. Today’s lesson primarily introduced seven of the most common forms
of government and understand how governments vary around the world. The data from the handout
demonstrates that students could define each form of government in their own words. Throughout the rest
of the week, we will be analyzing the various structures and systems, but Monday did not meet the
requirements to prove that students could analyze different forms of democracy. I learned the importance
of having written speaking notes, given one major lapse in speaking during the wrap-up.
Teaching Standards and Rationale
Standard #4 Content Knowledge: ​The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of
the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners.
4 (b) Engages students in learning experiences in the discipline(s) that encourage learners to understand,
question, and analyze ideas from diverse perspectives so that they master the content.

The educator creates accessible and meaningful learning experiences based on central concepts, tools of
inquiry, and structures of the social sciences that encourage learners to understand, question, and analyze
the content to demonstrate mastery.

 
 This lesson was designed to create a unique learning experience that allowed learners to explore, question,
and analyze concepts unfamiliar to them. Designing the lesson around stations allows students to foster
their own understanding of the content in a way that makes sense to them. All students have a choice on
how they prefer to achieve the lesson’s objectives. Students are allowed to self-select if they want to work
individually or in groups. This allows my lesson to be accessible for my ELL students who prefer to work
collaboratively. A major component of this lesson is the movement between stations. Stations allow
students to engage in a specific piece of information for a short amount of time. The movement between
stations provides a transition, which gives some students the structure they need in order to complete the
objectives. Each station offered a different perspective on how governments are formed and operate
around the world.

Standard #3 Learning Environments​ The teacher works with learners to create environments that
support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement
in learning, and self-motivation.
3 (b) Develops learning experiences that engage learners in collaborative and self-directed learning and
that extend learner interaction with ideas and people locally and globally.

The educator creates a collaborative and self-directed learning environment that encourages positive social
interaction, active engagement, and self-motivation in exploring local and global topics.

This lesson allowed me to deliver content using the learning environment in an interesting and creative
way. Stations allow students to be self-directed and independent in the learning environment. The
responsibility of teaching is diffused to encourage students to take an active role in their learning
independent from the teacher. Each station has enough information for students to understand what each
form of government is and how it operates throughout the world. Furthermore, students are encouraged to
use their phones, textbook or any resources they need in order to complete the graphic organizer. With
seven stations available, students are given the opportunity to work independently, in pairs, or in small
groups. This allows students to actively decide how they wish to complete the graphic organizer
requirements. Meanwhile, the teacher can circulate between stations gauging understanding, clarifying
points, and providing assistance when needed.