POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
Danielle Dolecki
Mrs. Lam, Plains Elementary School
5th Grade
March 28th, 2017; 9:15-10:00 am
Submitted to CT: March 14th, 2017

(Include ONLY the title of each of the following sections in your written plan.)

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Be creative! What is the American Revolution? (Lets play Jeopardy!)

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
What pre-assessment did you do that tells you the students readiness, interests, and/or learning preferences? Why is this an
appropriate activity for these students at this time? How does this lesson fit in the curriculum sequence? How does this lesson fit
with what you know about child development? Cite theorists whose work supports your understanding of these aspects of the
lesson where appropriate. Use data collected during your seeing student thinking assignment to support your decisions.

My CT asked me to do a review lesson on the American Revolution during the remediation portion of their daily schedule.
To have a better understanding of what students have already learned about the American Revolution, I am going to look over the
notes the students have already completed on the topic. I will us this information to formulate the questions the students will
answer during the game. Because this is a review lesson, I only wanted to include what they had previously learned and provide a
refresher of this material, instead of introducing new information. In addition, as an introduction, I am going to have students
brainstorm in groups about what they remember about the American Revolution (causes, people, events, etc). After brainstorming
in groups, we will share to the class. I am hoping that this activity will help students get warmed up and recall information from
earlier in the year. Based on what students remember easily, I will have a better idea of what the students are familiar with and
what they may have forgotten over the weeks while learning new information. This lesson is appropriate at this time because the
American Revolution is a significant portion of Virginia Studies and therefore important to review before the SOL in order for
students to be most successful. I am a strong supporter of Progressive Education by John Dewey and believe students learn
through doing, engaging with content, and interacting with their peers. This game-based activity is appropriate for these students
because they are very active, competitive, and respond well to interactive activities. They are not given many opportunities to play
games, converse with their peers, or move around the classroom on a daily basis so I think the students will enjoy these aspects
of the lesson.

C. RATIONALE:
1-Double-spaced page that justifies what you are teaching and why it is important for students to develop a deep understanding
of what is being taught. Be sure to emphasize how it contributes to students development as citizens and to their lives beyond
 school. Explain why it matters in terms of its meaning to students, the value of the subject content, opportunities for inquiry and its
importance to the community and to society. The rationale should not be that the lesson fits within the state or school curriculum.

For this lesson, I am focusing on the American Revolution. This topic is essential for students to develop a deep understanding
because this time in history is the foundation of our nation. In order for students to appreciate the independence, liberties, and
rights we enjoy today in the United States, students must understand the struggles and challenges that people in the past had to
endure. The basis of this time in history is independence. Students must understand the concept of independence and what it
means to have independence or not have independence in society. This would be an appropriate and meaningful concept to do
inquiry investigations. Students could explore what independence means in the United States today and how independence may
or may not be present in other places around the world. Students could apply their understandings of the American Revolution to
investigating other wars or conflicts over independence in a variety of countries and how these conflicts are similar or different. In
addition, students must develop an understanding of conflict and war. Through the context of the American Revolution, students
understand the motivations for war, influential events and people, and the outcomes of war on society. These components of
conflict and war can be beneficial in analyzing other events throughout history and today. Lastly, through learning about the
American Revolution, students can foster a deeper sense of appreciation and patriotism for our country and the freedoms we
enjoy every day.

D. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and related NATIONAL STANDARDS)

SOLs
A. VS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by

a) identifying the reasons why the colonies went to war with Great Britain, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence;
b) identifying the various roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans, and American Indians in the
Revolutionary War era, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James Lafayette;
c) identifying the importance of the Battle of Great Bridge, the ride of Jack Jouett, and the American victory at Yorktown.

C3 Framework
o D2.His.4.3-5. Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.
o D2.His.14.3-5. Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.

B. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand what are the broad Know what are the facts, rules, specific data Do what are the specific thinking behaviors
generalizations the students should the students will gain through this lesson? students will be able to do or practice as a result of
begin to develop? (These can be (These knows must be assessed in your this lesson? (These will also be assessed in your
difficult to assess in one lesson.) lesson.) lesson.)
Does the goal connect to bigger Are the goals measurable? Are they relevant Are the goals measurable? Are they using social
goals for social understanding? to developing a greater understanding of studies skills? Do they go beyond the activity of
content? the class?
Students will understand that
struggles for independence occur Students will know the causes of the Students will identify past understandings of
throughout history and around the American Revolution: disagreements with the American Revolution with a small group.
world. Parliament and taxation without
representation Students will explain their understandings of
the causes, key events, influential individuals,
Students will know the key events of the and roles of Virginians of the American
American Revolution: Continental Revolution.
Congress, Declaration of Independence,
Battle of Great Bridge, American Victory at Students will describe their learning of a
Yorktown specific cause, event, or individual through
writing.
Students will know the influential
individuals of the American Revolution:
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
Patrick Henry and James Lafayette, Jack
Jouett

C. ASSESSING LEARNING:
What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? Remember
every objective must be assessed for every student!
Task: Diagnostic features: Support:
What learning tasks have you What features will you look What resources can you draw upon (or
organized that can be used for for in student responses or adaptations can you make) to be certain you
assessment? products from the task(s)? are actually assessing the objectives youve
What criteria will you use for set for this lesson? Some children may still be
1. During the review Jeopardy assessment? developing the basic skills needed to complete
game, I will be observing the your assessment, but it does not mean they
questions that students struggle 1. I am looking for students to be have not learned the objectives for your
with and what questions are easier able to correctly identify or explain lesson. How will you support these students?
to answer. I will be making notes the answers during the review
about which topics will need game. For example, one of the 1. Students will be working in teams to
further review. questions is Why did colonists complete the Jeopardy review game. Students
believe they should not be taxed? can use their groups for support. I will also be
2. After the lesson, I will ask and a correct answer would be purposefully structuring groups with both
students to write down one aspect related to the fact that Colonists higher and lower students to allow for this.
of the American Revolution that were not given representation in
they didnt write down before the Parliament. 2. Similarly to the introduction, I am going to
game as an exit ticket. make the exit ticket very open ended so every
2. I am looking for students to be student is able to be successful. I am confident
able to correctly identify and that every student would be able to list one
 explain in one sentence one aspect new aspect that was reviewed during the game.
of the American Revolution that
was not included in the previous
brainstorm.

D. MATERIALS NEEDED
List all books, materials, and other resources that will be needed to teach this lesson.
Smart board Jeopardy game
Paper & pencils
White boards

Jeopardy Questions & Answers

1. Causes
The colonies and _________ disagreed about how the colonies should be governed.
o Parliament
Why did colonists believe they should not be taxed?
o Colonists were not given representation in Parliament.
The colonies wanted their _____ _________ to have authority.
o Local assemblies
In the French and Indian War, what did the British and French empires fight over?
o Control of Ohio River Valley (territory west of the Appalachian Mountains)
How did the French and Indian War impact the colonies?
o The high cost of the war led the British government to increase taxes on the colonies.

2. Key Events
In September 1774, leaders from the local governments of the 13 colonies held a meeting called the ________ _________.
o Continental Congress
What event led to the formation of a Continental Army that was commanded by George Washington?
o British attack on Lexington and Concord
What was the last major battle of the American Revolution? The British Army was soon defeated and forced to surrender at this battle.
o Battle of Yorktown
The Declaration of Independence incorporated two important ideas. Tell us one.
o Idea #1: The right to govern belongs to the people and not kings.
o Idea #2: People are created equal and they have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
There are three reasons that the capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond in 1780. Tell us one.
 o The population was moving westward.
o The new city was more central in location.
o This city is farther away from the Chesapeake Bay and would make it more difficult to be attacked by the British.

4. Influential Virginians
What was Thomas Jeffersons most significant contribution?
o Declaration of Independence
Who said Give me liberty of give me death?
o Patrick Henry
What was George Washingtons role in the American Revolution?
o He provided military leadership by serving as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
Who was an enslaved African American from Virginia who served in the Continental Army as a spy and successfully requested his
freedom after the war?
o James Lafayette
Who was a French nobleman who became a commander in the Continental Army and led troops in many important battles including the
Battle of Yorktown? He also helped the patriots receive ships, troops, and money from France.
o Marquis de Lafayette

Roles of Virginians
What were people who stayed loyal to Great Britain called?
o Loyalists
What were people who fought against Great Britain called?
o Patriots
Did Native Americans fight alongside the Virginia patriots, with the British, or both?
o Both
Why did some enslaved African Americans fight with the British?
o The British promised enslaved African Americans freedom.
How did the role of women change during the war?
o They took on more responsibilities. They took care of their families farms or businesses while many of the men were away
fighting.

E. PROCEDURE
(Use this graphic organizer if it is helpful for you. If you create your own format you must include each aspect listed below, in the
column headings). NOTE: You are not required to include 4 learning events if your lesson will not include this many! The extra
events are only included for the sake of demonstration.

Activity Procedures and management Students Academic, physical, social &

Element Step-by step procedures including questions Describe what the students will be linguistic differentiation,
& Time (in and main points visualize what you are doing as a result of your instructions resources, and support
minutes) going to say to the students. It might be How will you support ALL
helpful to script out what you are going to students by differentiating
45 minutes say, although during the lesson you do not aspects of your lesson based on
total need to use this language verbatim. readiness and interest, and
according to content, process,
and product? It isnt always
necessary to include
differentiation in logistical aspects
of the lesson such as transitions.
Introduction I will provide students with a sheet of Students will brainstorm in tables Students will be working in
5 minutes paper and ask students to write their about what they remember. They teams to brainstorm.
9:18-9:23 names at the top. will make a short list together. (3 I will call on students that may
What do you know about the American minutes) struggle more with recalling
Revolution? Work together with your After, I will ask each student to this information first so they
group to list causes, important people, read one thing they remember. (2 are able to share the more
and events. Please write down at least 4. minutes) common answers and build
(I will provide students with a sheet of their confidence.
paper with these categories listed).
Lets go around the room and each
person will share one thing your group
wrote down.
I will ask a student to collect the papers
(pre-assessment).

Event 1 Get Ready: Directions Students will answer questions.

2 min Today we are going to be playing a Students will repeat directions to a
9:23-9:25 review game about the American partner.
Revolution on the Smart Board. Has Students will organize into teams.
anyone watched or played Jeopardy? I Students will come up with team
will ask a couple students to share what names.
they know about jeopardy. After, I will
clarify any unclear parts and restate the
directions.
1 person from each team will come up to
the board to pick a question, you will
converse as a team to decide on the
answer (1 minute), you will say the
answer, move the purple box to see if
your team is right, and add points to your
 team on the white board
Other groups can answer questions as
well to earn half points. Students will need
to write down the answer on your white
board (students will take turns writing and
holding up the answer).
I will then ask students to tell the
directions to the partner sitting next to
them.
Questions?
I will ask students to come up with team
names together. Students will be working
with the other students sitting in their
rows.
After, I will add the team names to the
white board.

Event 2 Play Jeopardy! Students will be working in teams Students will be working in
30 minutes I will be facilitating the game by keeping to answer jeopardy questions. teams to be able to support
9:25-9:55 track of which teams turn it is and One student from each team will each other. Each student will
keeping track of the scores. come to the board and select a be given an opportunity to
question. Then he or she will go pick and answer a question to
back to the group and work keep each student
together to come to a consensus accountable.
on an answer. The student that
picked the question will say the
answer. (The student picking and
answering the question will
change for each turn so everyone
is given the opportunity).
Other teams will also be thinking
of the answer quietly in case the
team does not get the question
right and another team can
answer.
One student will come up to the
board and write their teams points
after each question.
Transition Thank you all for playing Jeopardy! I Students will move back to their
1 min
9:55-9:56 hope you had fun! original seats.
Now, lets all move back to your seats.
Conclusion: Exit ticket Students will complete the exit Students are able to write any
4 minutes I will ask a student to pass out a half ticket. fact or aspect of the topic.
9:56-10:00 sheet of paper to everyone. I will ask one student to collect all Students should write one
Please write down one thing you the tickets. sentence; however, some
reviewed today about the American students may only write the
Revolution. It cannot be something you term.
and your group wrote down earlier.

F. DIFFERENTIATION:
Write a narrative explanation of two to three paragraphs describing how you have planned to meet the needs of all students in
your classroom with varied learning styles and abilities, English language proficiency, health, physical ability, etc. How will you
support the learning of children struggling with your objectives or those who find the content only minimally challenging? Draw
from the examples you described in the final column of the chart in the procedures section of your lesson plan.

The students in my practicum class mostly struggle with behavior issues. I am hoping that students working in teams and
playing an interactive game will keep students engaged. This is not a usual occurrence during Virginia Studies, so I am hoping
that the novelty will keep students interested and keep behavior issues to a minimum. A few of the students struggle with staying
in their seats. I am going to allow students to stand if this would help their concentration and plan to have these groups sitting in
the back or side of the room.
A few students may also find the questions not challenging enough. I am hoping that the stealing rule will help students
stay engaged in answering all the questions in hopes of gaining more points. I am also hoping that the students that have
mastered this topic will help the other students in their teams understand each question if they are struggling.

G. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Think about this! It may help you avoid an embarrassing situation. Look over the choices youve made for teaching this lesson.
What extenuating circumstances (based on what you know if your students, their schedules, and the context in which you teach)
could potentially derail your otherwise excellent plan? Identify at least 4 potential problems and thoughtfully describe your plan for
addressing them when they arise? IN other words, what are your contingency plans?

The number one problem that may occur is a behavior issue between students. If this arises, I will switch students into
different teams and continue the game. If students are refusing to participate, I will have the questions prepared on a paper to fill
out independently. Students may also become too competitive and concerned about winning. I am choosing not to offer any prize
or incentive to minimize this; however, if it is still a problem, I will remind students that this is just a fun game to help everyone
review this topic. In addition, there may be a technology problem with the computer or smart board. I plan on printing out the
questions and answers so I will able to either read them aloud or use the doc cam if the smart board isnt working. Lastly, if any of
the questions are too challenging and no one is able to answer it correctly, I will prepare hints to guide students to the answer. In
addition, I will be prepared to explain why the correct answer is right and why the other ones arent the best choice for each
question.
 Lesson Implementation Reflection
As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide your thinking. Be
thorough in your reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.

I. How did your actual teaching of the lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes and explain why you made them.

First, I decided to start the lesson by putting an intriguing picture on the smart board to immediately engage students with the lesson. This
technique worked well with my science lesson (a giant picture of bees) so I decided to add it to the beginning of this lesson. I put a picture of the
American flag and a quote from the Declaration of Independence to help students start to think about the topic of the American Revolution. I had
students think, pair, share about what the quote might be from and what topic we might be reviewing today. It took a few minutes for students to
all come to the conclusion that it was from the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote it, and it was a part of the American
Revolution. Next, I was surprised that the students struggled with the brainstorm. Only a few students were able to come up with anything more
than the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Jefferson. Some students wrote freedom and Boston Tea Party. Because I noticed the lack
of new ideas when walking around, I decided to only have a few students share what they remember instead asking every student to share.
During the playing of the game, the students also struggled more than I expected when answering the questions. I provided hints as needed and
the students were able to be successful, but we were not able to complete as many of the questions as I had hoped.

II. Based on the assessment you created, what can you conclude about your impact on student learning? Did they learn?
Who learned? What did they learn? What evidence can you offer that your conclusions are valid?

Based on my exit slip collection, all the students were able to write down something new about the American Revolution from playing the
review game. Five of the students wrote that James Madison was the Father of the Constitution. Three of the students wrote about James
Lafayettes contributions. Four of the students wrote about George Washingtons role as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. One
student wrote about the results of the French and Indian War. One of the students who usually struggles simply wrote patriots. Only one student
still wrote about Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence and one student simply wrote that the colonists won the war. If I was
able to evaluate the exit slips right after the lesson I would have asked the two students to complete the assignment again because I am sure
that they could have written a sentence about something else from the game. Overall, I am confident that all the students learned something
from the lesson about the American Revolution based on their exit slips and their engagement in the game.

III. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or more thorough way if
you were to teach this lesson again.

If I could reteach this lesson, I would have created a rule that students must answer all the 100-point questions before moving to the
higher point value questions. I created the questions with the 100-point questions as the most basic and the 500-point questions as the most
complex. In addition, the questions were designed to build off each other as they progressed from 100 to 200 and so on. The students
immediately chose the 500-point questions and really struggled to answer the questions because they didnt have the review of the basic
concepts that the 100 and 200 questions were for. If I created this rule, students would still have the opportunity to choose the topic but the
review might have been more organized and beneficial. In addition, I would use a timer to limit the amount of time students were able to
converse about the questions so we were able to cover more of the questions. We were only able to have each of the six teams answer one
question (and the questions for the other teams). I was trying to wait until almost all of the teams had an answer; however, because each of the
questions were 500 points, they were more challenging and took the students much longer to think about. Lastly, I wish I would have asked
students to label their papers with a 1 for the brainstorm and a 2 for the exit slips because it was more difficult to sort without knowing which was
which.

IV. Based on the assessment data you collected, what would you do/teach next if you were the classroom teacher?
Based on my observation of the game and their discussions, I would want to continue reviewing the American Revolution more over the
next couple days or weeks leading up to the SOLs. It seemed like only a few students had a strong grasp on the material and almost everyone
could benefit from more review. If I were the teacher, I would play a shorter version of the jeopardy game (or pick a few questions) to review
Virginia Studies, or any topic, each day for a few minutes. Students could play in teams or play individually and write down their answers. I think
students could really benefit from short and fun daily review sessions, especially right before the SOLs.

V. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about young children as learners?
This lesson, and other lessons this semester have taught me so much about young children as learners. My particular class has some issues
with behavior and I was so nervous that my lesson was going to be chaos. The students are not used to being able to talk to each other, get out
of their chairs, and move around at all so I was scared that if I gave them in an inch, they might take a mile. However, this was not the case at all.
They were chatty, but they were excited, engaged, and on task so I was pleased with the lesson. Many of the students receive counseling
services during the day and my teacher tends to rely on them to fix all the behavior problems in the class. I was so happy when the counselors
came into the class during the game and didnt need to pull any of the students out. Overall, teaching this lesson has proved to me the
importance of creating interactive, student centered, and engaging lessons that meet the needs of all the students. Over the semester, teaching
other lessons, I have realized more and more that these behavior issues do not need to be a problem and as a teacher I can make that positive
change for my students.

VI. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about teaching?
Teaching this lesson and other lessons in this practicum experience especially has shown me the importance of believing that every
student can learn. I have noticed that many teachers fall into the belief that they are doing their job and it is the students fault that they arent
paying attention and are failing every assignment and test. I have tried to plan my lessons so that all students are able to be successful at a
difficulty and complexity level that is accessible for them. I had different expectations for different students based on my observations of the class
so far and celebrate those small victories. Not every student followed every direction and did everything the way I expected and I was still so
happy with how the lesson turned out. For some students, it was a huge jump in progress to even have them sitting in their chair, talking to their
classmates, and raising their hand to participate and not having to get pulled out of the class. These small victories are more proof that it is
possible to create a productive learning environment and experience where every student can be successful.

VII. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about yourself?
Planning and teaching this lesson, and all the lessons this semester, have constantly reinforced my love for teaching and for working with
students. I was so against working in fifth grade at the beginning of the semester and I still do prefer younger grades, but it has become so
apparent to me that I love teaching and learning with students of all ages and in all content areas. This is the third whole group lesson Ive taught
to my fifth graders and I have realized each time how I become more and more comfortable leading the class. I am so glad to finally feel
comfortable and confident teaching a variety of subjects, even with older students, and I am so excited to start student teaching in the fall!