CROSS CURRICULAR DIRECT INSTRUCTION LESSON PLAN

Teachers: Annaliese Gilsinger, Jahaziel Felix, Kylie Subject: English, history, math, music
Eldridge, Carter Jennings
Common Core State Standards:

-Music: MU:Cr1.1.C.Ia Describe how sounds and short musical ideas can be used to represent personal
experiences, moods, visual images, and/or storylines.

-History: HS.H1.3 Evaluate the consequences that resulted from civilizational and cultural interactions.

-Mathematics: A2.N-Q.A Reason numerically, abstractly, and quantitatively and use units to solve
problems.

-English: 9-10.RL.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone.
9-10.RL.10 By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature, including
stories, drama, and poetry, in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and quantitative measures
appropriate to grade 10.
9-10.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9-10.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing

Objective (Explicit):

Students will be able to apply music, math, history, and English to their understanding of the Black Death by
creating an 8 bar song about Covid-19 and reason quantitatively about the survival rates based on a given
role during the time of the Black Death.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):

- Students will demonstrate their understanding of how musical ideas represent moods and storylines,
as well as evaluate the consequences of the Black Plague’s influence on civilization by conducting
an 8 bar song related this historical event with today’s pandemic.
- Students will demonstrate their understanding of the factors that led to the Black Death by passing a
multiple-choice formative assessment quiz.

Sub-Objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from Formative Assessments:

basic to complex) How will you review past
learning and make connections to previous
-There will be a check for understanding at the end
of the historical presentation to gauge student
lessons? understanding on the Black Death. This check for
What skills and content are needed to ultimately understanding will contain a few multiple choice
master this lesson objective? questions, and a free-response question.
How is this objective relative to students, their lives,
and/or the real world?
---SWBAT understand the major factors that led to the spread of the Plague and identify major consequences
of the Black Death.
-SWBAT analyze the music from the Black Death and relate it to the mood and context of the time.
-SWBAT relate personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic to create a short musical idea
 -SWBAT determine the tone and mood of music from the Black Death.
-SWBAT create a reflection on their learning by writing using proper spelling and grammar.
Key vocabulary: Black Death, feudalism, Materials:
Renaissance, composition, musical ideas, Worksheets, each different color representing class
mortality/death rates, plague, pandemic, iPad with GarageBand and Nearpod
socioeconomic classes Recording of “Ring Around the Rosie”
Paper
Pencils
Opening (state objectives, connect to previous learning, and make relevant to real life)
-How will you activate student interest
-How will you connect to past learning to your session?
How will you present the objective in an engaging and student-friendly way?
How will you communicate its importance and make the content relevant to your students?
- Students will grab a copy of the lyrics to “ring around the rosie” and colored worksheets from the front
of the room and read the lyrics to the song. Students will then respond to the reading with a reflection
on their first impressions (Has the student read it before? Do they know what it’s about? What do
they think it’s about?) which will activate prior knowledge. Mr. Jennings will then play the recording of
the song and ask students if their initial thoughts have changed. They will have a brief (2-3 minute)
discussion on the song and their impressions.
How will you model/explain/demonstrate all What will students be doing to actively capture and
In knowledge/skills required of the objective in an process the new material?
s online environment? How will students be engaged?
t What types of visuals will you use? (slide deck, ppt,
r video clip)
*connect to your own online experience/tools used*
u How will you address misunderstandings or
c common student errors during your synchronous
t session?
i How will you check for understanding ?
How will you explain and model behavioral
o expectations?
n Is there enough detail in this section so that another
a person could teach it?
l Teacher Will: Student Will:
I
History: Mr. Felix will introduce an interactive History: Students will analyze the various factors
n Nearpod history lesson on the Black Death. that led to the spread of the Black Plague. They will
p Throughout the history lesson, Mr. Felix will invite share their thoughts, questions, and epiphanies
u students to post on collaborative boards their they have in regards to the events that they learn
thoughts and predictions on historical events, and of. Students will then take a small formative
t answers to formative assessment questions. Mr. assessment multiple choice quiz. ThIs will then lead
Felix will conclude the lesson with students to the students transitioning over and learning about
answering a multiple-choice formative the statistics behind the Black Death.
assessment quiz.
Student Tools: Google Interactive Handouts (see
example)

-Interactive Nearpod presentation with collaborative

boards

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

Team Teaching, also called Tag Team Teaching, which involves multiple teachers teaching in the same
lesson, but taking turns and covering their area. We will be using this strategy by having Mr. Jennings
begin with a music opening,
which will then transition into Mr. Felix instructing on the Black Death from a historical standpoint. Mr. Felix
will end his section with general statistics, which will signify Ms. Eldridge’s beginning of lesson. She will
teach from a math standpoint, including the mortality of different socioeconomic classes. The closing
activity, led by Ms. Gilsinger, is an English-based summative assessment.

We will also be utilizing One Teach, One Assist. Ms. Gilsinger will be assisting students with questions as
 well as aiding in their construction of writing during the reflection activities. In addition, each teacher will
be supporting the lead teacher in each part by assisting with questions or adding relevant information.

Each lesson part uses multiple contents, but has an expert area signified by the lead teacher. In Mr.
Jenning’s part, this is a cross between music and English. In Mr. Felix’s part, there is a cross between
history and math. In Ms. Eldridge’s part, there is a cross between math, history, and English. Ms.
Gilsinger provides support and aids in discussion and written work.
Differentiation Strategy
What accommodations/modifications will you include for specific students? Do you anticipate any students who will
need an additional challenge?

The collaborative boards are intended to inspire students to read each others’ thoughts and build off of
them.The checks for understanding will also allow the teachers to assess where students may lie in order
to provide additional assistance.

Ms.Gilsinger will also be going around the room to help out students who may need more assistance.

Additionally, students will have access to text-to-speech technology as well as auto-generated

transcription should they need it.

Students who need an additional challenge will have the option of extra-credit questions.

Students who do not feel comfortable engaging in an online environment will also be allowed to make their
observations on paper, which will be turned in at the end of the class.
 How will you ensure that all students have multiple
Gu opportunities to practice new content and skills?
id What types of questions can you ask
e students as you are observing them
d How will you elicit student-to-student interaction?
practice?
How/when will you check for understanding?
P
How will you provide guidance to all students as
ra
ct they practice? How will you explain and model
behavioral expectations?
ic
Is there enough detail in this section so that
e another person could facilitate this practice?
Teacher Will:
- Ask students to refer to their assigned
occupation as listed on their worksheets.
- Ask students to make predictions on a
person’s odds of survival based on their
occupations (using percentages) before
disclosing the occupations they are
personally assigned.
- Explicitly say that we are going to
discuss the percentile in which our
population is increasing and/or
decreasing.
Teacher will...
- Divide class into two sections, one
section is the graveyard and one section
is the town village.
- Explain that students will all start on the
village side, and as the pandemic goes
on, some students will survive and some
will not.
- Each student will be worth about 3,000
people, and each ‘day’ more and more
students will be sent to the “graveyard”
side of the room. Initially, the individuals
that are lower on the socioeconomic
spectrum will move and then there will
be few left to survive. This will illustrate
the ⅓ of population that will perish during
the pandemic, starting with those with
lesser means to survive.
Teacher will...
- “It’s day one of the plague, and currently
the population of your town is 30
citizens. A ship just floated into your
town and the spreading began with fleas,
rats, and other sick ship members.”
- Teacher will announce a certain number
of “citizens” that didn’t survive after day
1, 2, etc until 10 total students are sent
to the graveyard. [This will represent the
⅓ of the population that was wiped out.
- Between each “day”, class will determine
How will students practice all knowledge/skills required
of the objective, with your support, such that they
continue to internalize the sub- objectives?
How will students be engaged?
How are students practicing in ways that align to
independent practice?
Student Will:
- After engaging in discussion about the
statistics behind the black plague, students
will begin a hands-on experience to
conceptualize the impact the black plague
had on Eurasia.
- Make predictions based on their occupation
using evidence to support their inferences
based on their historical knowledge of the
black plague on an individual basis.
Students will…
- Refer to their worksheet where they are
deemed one of the following occupations at
random. Assuming 30 students in the class,
we would have:
- A selfless homeless rat-trapper (5
students)
- Honest peasant selling fruits (15
students)
- Humble Barber (5 students)
- Member of royal court (5 students)
Students will…
- All walk to the “village” side of the room,
where everyone is alive during the Black
Plague
- Students will group up according to their
assigned roles, and will listen as the teacher
reads the script regarding how each day
passes, and which students are sent to the
graveyard.
- After each ‘day’ passes, students are asked
to complete a worksheet where we discuss
the percent change that occurs in our
population as the pandemic spread through
 the percent decrease from day 0 to day the “village”.
1. We will also calculate how many
citizens “perished” for every day that - Students will make observations on what
passes. particular members of the community are
being most impacted, as well as the quantity
- Before telling students how many of those being sent to the graveyard.
citizens were wiped out during the
pandemic, they will calculate the - Students will be given opportunities to make
percentage of citizens that survived and inferences on how the population may be
those who did not for each day. This will impacted long term, or perhaps in a different
line up with the earlier lesson where village where the make-up of the community
students are informed that the pandemic would vary.
wiped out roughly ⅓ of the population.
Teachers should make explicit
references to previous sections of the
lesson, emphasizing that while everyone
was affected by the pandemic, that some
communities were more jeopardized
than others for many reasons.

- As a wrap-up activity, teachers will

provide space on their worksheet for
them to share what they noticed about
how quickly the virus spread, what
particular communities were affected,
and draw connections between the
struggles different communities faced
during the Black Plague and COVID-19
today.

How will you plan to coach and correct during
Ind this practice?
e How will you provide opportunities for
p remediation and extension? How will you
e clearly state and model academic and
n behavioral expectations?
d Did you provide enough detail so that
e another person could facilitate the
nt practice?
P Teacher Will:
ra Music: Mr. Jennings will invite students to
reflect on their experience during the COVID-19
ct pandemic. He will then invite students to write
ic down words on a piece of paper that reflect their
e experience. Mr. Jennings will inform students
that they will be composing their own 8-bar song
that reflects the mood of the lyrics they create.
He will give a brief overview of the application
GarageBand on the iPad. He will hand out iPads
to the students and move around the classroom
to address concerns and assess students'
completion and accuracy of their beats, chord
progressions, and melodies. Mr. Jennings will
invite students to share their composition and
share their process of composing.
How will students independently practice the
knowledge and skills required by the
objective?
How will students be engaged?
How are students practicing in ways that align to
assessment?
How are students using self-assessment to guide
their own learning? How are you supporting
students giving feedback to one another?
Student Will:
Music: Students will individually reflect on their
experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will write down words that reflect the mood
and tone of their experience. Students will learn the
basics of recording, creating a beat, chord
progressions, and melodies on GarageBand.
Students will receive an iPad and start composing
their 8-bar piece. Students will then be invited to
share their work and explain their process of
composition and, if they feel comfortable, sharing
what inspired it.

Co-Teaching Strategy
One teach, one assist. Ms. Gilsinger will be floating around the class supporting students in their
creative endeavors by helping students formulate musical ideas from their word list.
Team Teaching - involves multiple teachers teaching in the same lesson, but taking turns and covering
their area. We will be using this strategy by having Mr. Jennings begin with a music opening,
which will then transition into Mr. Felix instructing on the Black Death from a historical standpoint. Mr.
Felix will end his section with general statistics, which will signify Ms. Eldridge’s beginning of lesson.
She will teach from a math standpoint, including the mortality of different socioeconomic classes.
Differentiation Strategy
 For students that need support: have students compose using apple loops (pre-recorded material) or
compose using fewer tracks (just a beat or chord progression).
For students who need a challenge: have students integrate more instruments into their tracks. Have
students record lyrics to their song.
Closing/Student Reflection/Real-life connections:
How will students summarize and state the significance of
what they learned? Why will students be engaged?

English: Students will write a reflection on what they’ve learned for 7 solid minutes in class, including
connections between history, math, and music. Students will free-write this reflection and it will demonstrate
their mastery of the content. The assessment will be graded on a percentage scale. The students will be
given a list of guiding questions (see below) and must answer at least 3 questions in completion for full
credit.

● What are three facts you know now that you did not know previously?
● Write a 5-7 sentence summary of the Black Death including at least two facts.
● How was music influenced by the Black Death?
● How was music influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic?
● How/why would socioeconomic status influence death probability?
● Why is the Black Death relevant to today?
● How did the Black Death impact the economy?
● Write two similarities and two differences between the Black Death and the Covid-19 pandemic.