Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Name of Teacher Candidate: Julia Shaw Date: March 21, 2022

Grade Level:
Kindergarten
Lesson Title:
American Symbols
Curriculum Areas Addressed: Social Studies and English Language Arts

Time Required: 30-45 Minutes Instructional Groupings: Whole Group

Heterogeneous small groups
Standards:
SSKH2 Identify the following American symbols: a. The national and state flags (United States and Georgia flags) b. Pledge of Allegiance c. Star
Spangled Banner (identify as the national anthem) d. The bald eagle e. The Statue of Liberty f. Lincoln Memorial (identify image and associate
with Abraham Lincoln and Presidents Day) g. Washington Monument (identify image and associate with George Washington and Presidents
Day) h. White House (identify image and associate with Presidents Day and the current president.)

ELAGSEKW1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of
the book they are “writing” about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is…).
As a result of this lesson students will…
Essential Question: What is the meaning/significance of our national symbols?
Learning Objectives: (Objectives are stated in measurable/observable terms. These should reflect the thinking skills, skills of the discipline.
These represent the skills that will be assessed.)
 Students will Identify the important American Symbols.
 The students will understand that an opinion is the way you think or feel about something.
 The students will develop an understanding of what an opinion-writing piece is supposed to look like.
Support for Academic Language
Vocabulary: (What Academic Language will be taught or developed? Identify the key vocabulary and/or symbols specific to the content area.
These may be derived from the standards.)
 Emblem: an object or animal that represents a country, organization, or family
 Dignity: a sense of self-respect, nobility, or pride
 Endangered: at risk of becoming extinct.
 Anthem: a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.
Language Demands: (Language demands is defined as the specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse, syntax)
is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary
understanding. Identify the following way/ways that students will participate in learning tasks to demonstrate disciplinary understanding:
reading, writing, listening, or oral language.)
 Students will hear the vocabular works listed above through oral language.
Syntax: (Syntax is defined as the set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures, such as sentences,
tables, or graphs. Identify the supports that will be provided for students to organize the information – charts, graphs, diagrams. These must
relate to the Language Function.)
 N/A
Assessment (Each learning objective must be assessed. How will students demonstrate their understanding or the lesson’s objectives? How
will you provide feedback for the students? What type of assessment will be used? What evidence will be collected to demonstrate students’
understanding/mastery of the lesson’s objective? What constitutes success for the students?)
Assessment Strategy: (Identify the assessment strategy/strategies to be used for assessment of the learning objectives listed above. Each
learning objective should be assessed. DO NOT restate the learning objective.)

 One on one, the students will be asked to identify the symbols by viewing the pictures of the symbols individually. They are welcome
to use a word bank that I will read to them.
 The students will have a writing prompt that I will view and determine if they understand opinionated writing.

Evaluation Criteria: (Indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the
learner’s degree of success on an assessment.)

 The children will be evaluated on a point system. They will not know they are given points; it just helps me know whether they have
met the standards or not. Each symbol is worth 12.50 points. The goal is to have a 100% by the end of the week after all the lessons.
There will be a chart w/ the names of the symbols and the students’ name. Each student will receive a check mark under whichever
symbols they know by sight. They will be checked after each lesson. I expect them to identify two of the American Symbols by the end
of the lesson.
Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

 The students will be evaluated on whether the students’ work contains an opinion writing statement or not, when completing the
writing prompt.

Steps in the Lesson (Include the attention getter or the hook for the lesson; the introduction; the lesson procedures including
strategies/planned supports for whole‐class, small group, and individual instructions; and differentiated activities.)
Attention Getter or Hook: (State how the attention of the students will be piqued at the start of the lesson.)

The students will view collage of all the American symbols included in the standard. I will ask them “what do all of these symbols have in
common?” The goal of the hook is to have the students create a discussion about the similarities that are noticeable in all the symbols. This may
mean that the students discuss things like color, types of symbols, America, people, etc. There are many topics that can arise from all the
pictures. I will do my best to aid them in their discussion and lead them towards the idea that these all represent America.

Introduction: (State how the lesson will be introduced. This should communicate the purpose of the lesson, be directly related to the goals
and objectives of the lesson, tap into prior knowledge/experiences, and develop student interest.)

To begin I will read the students the standard that we will be covering in the standards. I will encourage them to be observant when I discuss the
topic because the goal is to have them be able to identify the symbols by their pictures and be able to tell me the name of them. I also will let
them know that we will be doing opinion writing about the topic and I want them to make mental notes of the symbols they like or dislike. I will
also ask them if they recognized any of the symbols that are shown in the collage for the hook. If needed, I will switch back to the photo. I am
doing this hoping the student recognize the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial, from a previous lesson I did with the students.
Instructional Strategies: (Use a bulleted or numbered format to communicate the procedures for the lesson – what the teacher will do as
well as what the student will do. Describe the strategies which will be used to support students’ learning. Knowledge of students’ cognitive,
social, emotional, and physical development along with their cultural backgrounds should be evident.)
 I will begin to go through each symbol one by one on a software called Lumio. Each slide will include a photo of the symbol, its name,
and a fun fact. For each slide I will be using repetition to help the students recall the names when looking at the pictures. I will have
them repeat the name after I do.
 The first slide is of the United States of Americas flag. Here, I will ask the students if they can tell me where they have seen an
American flag. The classroom currently has one as well as there being one in the front parking lot where the buses unload. I will
explain to them that there are thirteen colonies and fifty states and that is what the stars and stripes represent.
 The second slide is of the Georgia Flag. I will explain that the thirteen stars represent the thirteen colonies.
 The third slide contains a photo of the Pledge of Allegiance written on the background of a flag. I will simply read the poem and ask
the students if they know the name before I tell it to them.
 The fourth slide contains a video of the Star Spangled Banner. I will play the video and encourage the students to stand, sing and
dance to the song as we learn. Many of the students know the song because the school plays in most morning, but here I will
encourage them to learn it if they do not know it yet. They will have opportunities the rest of the week to learn it as well. I will inform
them that this song is also known as the National Anthem. I will also explain the meaning of an anthem.
 The fifth slide is of the National Animal, Bald Eagle. Here I will describe the meaning of the words endangered and dignity.
 The sixth slide is of the Statue of Liberty. I want to show them the color it originally was and the color it currently is. I also will explain
that it is a gift from France.
 Lincoln Memorial is on the seventh slide. Here I will mention the relationship to Presidents’ Day and Abraham Lincoln.
 Following this is a picture of the Washington monument. I will mention the relationship to Presidents’ Day and George Washington.
 The Last symbol is of the White house. I will give the child a fun fact about the white house.
 At the end of all of this, I want to show the students an example of opinionated writing, specifically on the topic of American symbols.
I will also explain the meaning of an opinion and some statements they can use in their writing. Before splitting them into small
groups I will explain that we will be working on this in small groups over the course of the next three days I am teaching.
 Later in the day I will assist the children in heterogenous small groups and have them create an opinion writing piece. They can write
about something they do like, do not like, as well as saying why or because. They are also able to draw a picture of one of the
American symbols.
Closure/Wrap up: (Describe how the CONTENT of the lesson will be summarized.)
) I will return to the collage of the American symbols from the hook. I will point to the one at a time and have them repeat the names after me. I
will remind them at all of these represent America. I will ask the students if they want to share one thing, they learned for the day by raising
their hands and sharing.
Instructional Supports
Resources and Materials Used to Engage Students in Learning (Provide citations for all resources that you did not create.
Attach key instructional material needed to understand what you and the students will be doing. Examples: class handouts, assignments, slides,
and interactive white board images.)

A writing paper formatted in the shape of a flag.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Symbols-Opinion-Writing-Flag-template-for-Common-Core-writing-491509

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College
Early Childhood Program Lesson Plan Format Junior Spring

Additional Resources and Materials Used to Increase Teacher’s Background Knowledge of the Content: (List any
websites and sources of materials and background information that you will need or use as the teacher to engage the students.)
https://screven.k12.ga.us/pdf/elementary/teacher_resources/Kindergarten%20Social%20Studies.pdf
This is basically a pacing guide on how to teach the social studies standards included in the Georgia standards. It includes links to resources
related to the American symbols.

Other Relevant Information

Clear Links to Learning Theories, Educational Research, and Principles of Development:

The goal of the is lesson is to allow the children to lead through discussion. This is like Maria Montessori theory. She believed children should be
more independent and choose for themselves. The students will have some independence and choices when choosing which American Symbol
for their writing prompt. They also will be given time to discuss each symbol throughout the presentation.

Connections to Technology and/or the Arts:

 Students will be coloring their favorite or least favorite American symbol in the opinionated writing.
 Students will be interacting with whiteboard for a game I created on Lumio.
Description of Collaboration with Others: (These might include the inclusion teacher, media specialist, counselor, guest speaker,
grade level coordinator, community experts, families, etc.)
N/A

Early Childhood Program – Lesson Plan Format – Junior Spring John H. Lounsbury College of Education, Georgia College