UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan Template

Name: Caitlyn Hall Program: Secondary Education Course: EDU460

Social Studies Student Teaching
Lesson Topic / Title: Senior Seminar; Flag Day 1 Free Choice Small Group Large Group
(circle one)
Lesson Date: October 12, 2023 Lesson Length: 75 Minutes Grade/Age: Grade 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
(Write 2 objectives that are clear, attainable, measurable, (Connect developmental goal with
and age/content appropriate. Start with “Children will”) learning objectives)

Children will be clear and effective communicators
I chose this objective because it is
important for student to communicate
in clear and effective ways to get their
points across to those whom they are
talking to. Being clear, and straight to
the point, with effective
communication skills such as
effectively supporting one’s opinion by
knowing all sides to a topic. Students
will have to communicate their needs,
beliefs, and issues in an effective and
clear way to many counterparts of jobs.

Children will be integrative and informed thinkers
Content Standard(s)
(Identify MELDS domain, element, and indicators aligned
with objectives)
I chose this objective because it is
important for students to be informed
of political issues (current events), that
are happening around the world, and in
the United States. Students should be
able to build the ability to face and
discuss controversial topics, amidst
tension, and opposing ideas, as well as
understand and integrate opposing
sides into the student’s debate. This
will allow students to strengthen
debates, as well as be able to face
controversial intense conversations
they will face outside of school.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
(Clearly explain the relationship
between MELDS and learning
objectives)

This standard was selected because it

aligns with both the learning sequence
Students draw on concepts and processes using primary and learning objectives. Students need
and secondary sources from history to develop a historical to be able to identify and understand
perspective and understand issues of continuity and major historical eras and understand
change in the community, Maine, the United States, and themes in U.S history. Students also
the world. need to be able to analyze and critique
varying interpretations of historical
History 1: Students understand major eras, major issues. Students are expected to be able
enduring themes, and historical influences in the United to use sources to support their opinion
States and world history, including the roots of democratic on several different topics and
philosophy, ideals, and institutions in the world by controversial aspects in history such as
political leaders, their public opinions
(F2) Analyzing and critiquing major historical eras: major on laws and amendments, regulations
enduring themes, turning points, events, consequences, and degranulation of businesses, and
and people in the history of the United States and the foreign policies. These aspects of being
implications for the present and future. a clear, effective communicator will
also benefit future conversations that
may not highlight historical topics but
help students build strong
communication skills when addressing
bosses or hiring committees. An
integrative and informed thinker seeks
information and builds their opinion
with evidence, this will be beneficial in
many aspects of these students’
futures, not only in their educational
career, but as a parent, leader, or boss.
Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance
and determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
(How will you assess the children’s progress on your (Indicate formative/summative
learning objectives? How will the assessment results be assessment. How will analysis of this
used?) data inform instruction)

Quick Write Formative

This assessment is given at the
beginning of the unit, to determine
what students preconceived opinions
are on said topic. Students are asked, if
the U.S. flag holds meaning to them,
does the flag symbolize anything, or if
there is no meaning behind it would it
be considered just material? This will
help the teacher determine students’
thoughts on the flag, and typically what
connections some students have to the
military. This assessment is written,
but students are encouraged to share
what they wrote. This will also help
students see different opinions from
their own. This helps the class
transition into a class conversation
over topics surrounding the U.S. flag.
 Data
This assessment will be reviewed after
the unit, as a way to show how or if
students’ opinions changed, or formed
a stronger opinion with supporting
evidence. This will allow us to
determine what students thought with
the information presented to them
revolving around the topic, such as flag
desecration, different forms of flag
burning, and Americans’ First
Amendment right to free speech.

Formative
Classwide Conversation The conversation aspect of this class is
a critical aspect to assess, as they are
required to participate in a Socratic
Seminar. This Student-led discussion
highlights all aspects presented within
the unit.
This classwide conversation is
monitored and structured with
questions and prompts to get the
students thinking of how they feel
about a topic, and events related to the
topic. Monitoring how students engage
with one another, and the content
provided is assessed and graded
through their works of habit grades.
The classwide conversations also help
the teacher gauge where students are
in understanding these large
controversial topics. This also allows
the students to ask the teacher and
other students questions, and students
will go back and forth conversing about
the topic, trying to understand an
opposing opinion.

Data
This assessment will be used as a way
to determine student engagement, and
ability to converse with other students
about these topics in a respectful
manner and determine students’
understanding of the topic.
Monitoring students through these
conversations allows the teacher to
determine if any topics need to be
 expanded, based on misunderstanding
or students’ eagerness to learn more
about the topic at hand. This
assessment also allows the teacher to
determine what aspects of a respectful
discussion need to be taught, such as
waiting turns, using respectful
vocabulary, etc.

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
(Include a list of all materials, resources, handouts, and (Include sources of information such as
technology needed to implement activity) websites and books)

Laptop Laptop;
● Attendance
● Needed for the teacher to play
video/show photos
● Help to have all
students on the same
information builds
more understanding
through embedded
imagery and videos
Projector
Projector;
● Used for students to see
video/photos
○ This will provide
imagery to show
students what we are
talking about
○ History of the U.S. Flag
○ Flag burning
○ What does the
confederate flag look
like

Linned piece of paper Linned Piece of paper

● Students will use this when
answering their first reflection
question which will set the
class up for discussion

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 Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
(Show the plan and sequence of your lesson that is (Include questions you will ask and
connected to the objectives including; introduction, steps of vocabulary you will introduce)
activity, description of what the children are doing, and
closure

Attendance
Attendance (5 min.)
● Greeting all students
● Taking attendance after final bell
● Checking in on how they are
● Talk with students briefly about day
feeling to see if I need to make
any modifications to activities
during the class
● Taking attendance and noting
who is not in class
● Passing out work that students
have submitted
● Reminding students of work that
is late

Intro
Intro (Agenda) (7 min.)
● Going over the agenda will
● Go over what we are doing for the day
allow students to prepare for
● Remind students of what we did previous class
what's to come in class that day
● Transition students into work time
○ Warning; Controversal
● Phone's away
topics
● Something to write with
○ Please be respectful of
● Remind them of expectations
other students
● Explain to students
opppionions
○ If you believe
someones opinion is
based around
uneducated points,
please ask questions
and defer to try and
understand opposing
views/comments
● Students will know what they
expected to complete that day
○ have a respectful,
meaningful
conversation with
classmates
○ They should all be
engaging in
conversation
● Phones away
○ to be active respectful
listeners

Reflection
Reflection/ Quick Write
● Prompt students to get lined
paper out
 ● What is the meaning behind
the flag? Is it a symbol or just
material?
Remind students, that this is just their
opinion
There is no right or wrong answer
- Does the flag mean something
to you?
- Does the flag stand for
something, to you?
- Or do you believe it is just
material, with no significant
meaning?

Have students share what they wrote

Classwide Conversation (40 min.) Classwide conversation

- What does Desecration mean?
- Allow students to
answer
- It means to treat a
place/thing with
violent disrespect;
violate
- Is it legal to burn the flag?
- Have students share
what they think
- Inform them that it is
legal
- What is the difference between
burning the flag out of protest
and retiring the flag?
- Protest; Making a
Stand against the
American Government
- Against
unequal
rights/
treatment
- Retiring the flag; out
of respect
- Does it bother you that people
have the right to do this? why?
- Burning the flag in
Protest
- Burning the flag
- Walking on the flag
- Relate this to how the
student views the U.S.
 flag (material or
meaning)
- Johnson vs. Texas
- 1984 court case
- Read out the
information on the
court case
- Ask students if the
court made the right
decision
- Siding with
Johnson and
his First
Amendment
right
- 2020 Trump Current Event
- After 2020, George
Floyd Death
- BLM
- Do we know what
these protests were
about?
- Protests, Burning the
U.S. Flag
- Trump stated that the
U.S. Courts should
re-evaluate their
stance on flag burning
- Those who burn the
American flag are a
“disgrace”, should be
in jail, or lose
citizenship
- Do you think we
should evaluate our
stance in the
government on this
issue?
- Bring up
- How the
outlook on
these issues
changes
- Due to who’s
in office
- other political
issues that
are
happening at
the time
- UMF student demonstration
- Flags on the floor of
the student center
 2008
- Lasted only 10 hours,
not the 24 hours they
expected
- Two sides of the
debate
- 1
- This was a
disgrace
- Veterans
believed that
this wasn’t ok
- 2
- It’s our first
amendment
right to be
able to walk
on the flags
- Professor was
standing on the flag
while talking to public
- 95% of
people did
not step on
the flag
- Was it okay that this
student had
permission to do this
experiment?
- Would you have
walked on the flag?
- Do you think it’s okay
that people can walk
on the flag?
- Confederate flag
- Made because of the
Civil War
- 1861-1865
- North v. South
- Different in a
president elected
- Slavery
- Economic reasons
- Tariffs
- Pros/Cons of the flag
- Allow students to
discuss
- Has the meaning of the flag
changed over time?
- Allow students to
answer with their
opinion
- Confederate flag on Georgia
state building
- 1997
- Georgia
- City hall flying the
confederate flag
- Alleged this flag went
against his 14th and
1st amendment rights
- Court rules against
him
- Do you think the court
made the right
decision?
- Can we understand
this man’s discomfort?
- Johnson vs. Mayo Yarns
- Private institution
- Work
- Confederate flag decal
- Employee refused to
remove it
- Was then fired
- The court decided, it
did not go against his
First Amendment
right
- Do we think this was
ok?
- How does speech look
differently in different
environments?
- Different
regulations
on speech
depending on
where you are
- School
- Work
- In the Pubic
- West v. Derby Unified School
district
- Student drew a
Confederate flag on
math paper
- Was suspended
- Parents did not agree
- Court sided with
school
- As they have a policy
against racial
discrimination/
harassment
 - Limited speech
- Do you think that is
okay?
- Should the student
have been suspended?
- Should Confederate flags be
banned
- Allow students to
answer
- Reflect on
what the
different
viewpoints
are on the
Confederate
flag
- What would this do
for other flags?
- If we banned
the
confederate
flag, this
could mean
we could ban
other
controversial
flags in the
U.S.
- LGBTQ+
- BLM
- Other
countries
flags
- Other flags and restrictions
- California
- Red flag
- New York
- Confederate
flag on state
buildings
- Meaning behind
things/objects/actions/
clothing
- Think about how
people have gotten in
trouble for what
they’ve said, worn or
done in different
settings
- Related to Flags and
the Pledge or National
Anthem
 Conversation summary/reasoning
- Learn about your rights as
American Citizens
- Understand what is protected
under the constitution

Closure (2 min.) Closure

- Remind students what we will
be doing next class
- Confederate
Monuments

Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

modifications, accommodations) (Discuss your reasoning for including
(How will you meet the needs of all the students who need specific activities or strategies; special
more or less challenge?) needs, age differences, cultural diversity,
etc.)
Adaptations/Modifications
- Having the agenda written on
- The agenda will be written out on the board, and I
will read out and explain what I have written the board will allow students to
- All work will be paper, but students will have the prepare for the class for what we
option to use technology will be doing
- Adaptations will be available to
all students (no matter the
circumstance)
- Speech to text
- Reflection piece
- Students have the
option to to do this on
google docs
- remind students
spelling is not as
important as getting
their opinion down on
paper, and for it to be
understandable

Students missing prior knowledge needed for success in

- Information will be integrated
this lesson
into lesson
- Such as vocabulary definitions
- More explanations on topics
students are unaware of/do
not understand completely

- Allowing students more

Extended time processing time
 - two students in particular
needs more time to process
prompts
- Calling on these students last
- Stduents who do not raise
their hands are not called on

Ability to move frequently - One student needs to be able

to get up and move frequently
- Ateention is not brought to this
studnet in these times
- Arranging seating so student
can walk in the back of class
(by my desk), will allow them
to stay concentrated to class
work

Students who are absent - These students are expected to

come to me, for my note
outline
- Students are not expected to
take notes
- The note outline will
allow them to see
what was discussed in
class, and be prepared
for the next discussion
- This allows students
to have the previous
knowledge their
classmates have
- Allows for more
success in future
seminars

Field Course Only – Post lesson

Reflection
(Produce a thoughtful reflection addressing the following: strengths of the lesson and areas for
growth; evidence of student learning and interpretation of assessment results. Consider the
following questions:
● Did the students meet the objective(s)/learning goal(s) of the lesson? How do you know?
● What does your assessment data tell you?
● What went well?
● What would you change?
● What did you learn? How will this impact your next lesson?
How many students met the objective(s)? Partially met? Did not meet? After analyzing the
assessment data what will you do to help ALL students meet the objective(s)?)

All students completed their quick write. Each student wrote what they believed the
U.S. flag stood for, and if they had a connection with the flag or if they believed it was
just material used to symbolize a nation. If a student does not participate in class
discussion, this will hurt their overall Habits of Work Grade, wich is based on
engagement, participation, and completed work.

Student A- The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.

Student B- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
added much to the conversation, through their military background, as a member of
the the school’s ROTC program. The student gave much information about different
U.S flags and their material, and how to properly handle a flag.
Student C - The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.
Student D- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
asked questions on private and public burning of the flag, and how that would apply
to them as Maine residents. The student asked if these laws would look different in
different states.
Student E- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
brought up questions relating to the UMF flag experiment. The student was
interested in if the staff who participated in this had gotten in trouble. This student
also advocated for people who may want to desecrate the flag in protest, even
though this went against their beliefs.
Student F- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
added information on flag desecration, as they are a member of ROTC and the local
fire department. This student explained the different ways one could retire a flag
respectfully and asked many of their classmates clarifying questions during the
discussion.
Student G- The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.
Student H - The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.
Student I- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
stated that they did not have a personal connection with the flag, but they
understood why someone may get offended at presenters burning the U.S. flag, but
that is everyone’s right to do so.
Student J- The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.
Student K- The student did not participate in the classwide discussion.
Student L- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
advocated for individuals’ rights to burn the U.S. flag, the student stated that those
who served served for Americans’ rights to use their 1st Amendment right of free
speech. Especially if that individual feels as though they have been wronged by the
U.S. Government.
Student M- The student did participate in the classwide discussion. This student
asked clarifying questions on the Johnson case, relating to why Johnson was sided,
in the Supreme Court case. This student brought up how if an individual would have
burned another flag, of another country or group in America, they would receive a
lot of backlash. This student transitioned the conversation into how would the
public view flag desecration today, and more specifically, desecration of other
nations’ flags or an LGBTQ+ flag.