Ben Franklin Unit
Produced by the TAH Making History Project
5th Grade Standards, Skills, & CMT Strands
This integrated 5th grade unit on Ben Franklin uses leveled books (3-5 and 5-7 grades) to help students learn about the significance of Ben Franklin in American history. The unit contains literacy, science, math, and history components centered on Ben Franklin that meet grade 5 curriculum and expectations for those subject areas. In addition, a modified version is included to meet the needs of ESL/ELL students.
Essential Question: Who was Ben Franklin and how did he make history?
5th Grade Skills Addressed:
Language Arts: Use prior knowledge, context clues and graphic features to predict, clarify, and/or expand word meanings and concepts; Determine the importance of ideas (main ideas, details and themes) in text; Use cueing system and context clues to determine meanings of words; Make inferences based on implicit and explicit information in the text; provide justification for those inferences; Use knowledge of the situation, characters’ actions, motivations, feelings, and physical attributes to determine characters’ traits; Discuss and analyze how characters in text deal with conflicts of human experience, relating to real life situations; Identify the narrator and explain which point of view is used in the text; Explain how specific text features help you understand a selection, e.g., how a chapter heading helps you think about the chapter, how boldface or italics signals a new term that can be found in the glossary; Explain similarities and differences within and among multiple cultures or historical periods, e.g., marriage customs or family vs. community responsibilities; Explain how personal beliefs and values influence the interpretation of text; Find similarities and differences within and between texts using text-based evidence, e.g., character’s point of view in poetry and narrative; Take a position regarding a topic/issue; Connect current issues, information from other texts, and personal experiences to characters, events and information; Examine and determine the validity of sources of information; Explain how information in a text could be used to solve a problem and cite text-based examples, e.g., use information from an article about when fruits and vegetables are in season to save money at the grocery store. Pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute own information and ideas in group discussions.
Math: 2.2 Use numbers and their properties to compute flexibly and fluently and to reasonably estimate measures and quantities; 3.3 Develop and apply units, systems, formulas and appropriate tools to estimate and measure.
Science: B INQ.1 Make observations and ask questions about objects, organisms and the environment; B INQ.5 Use data to construct reasonable explanations.
History: Gathering information and ideas (History Habit of Mind: Recognize the importance of individuals who have made a difference in history.)
5th Grade Content Standards Addressed:
Language Arts: 1.3 Students select and apply strategies to facilitate word recognition and develop vocabulary in order to comprehend text; 1.1 Students use appropriate strategies before, during and after reading in order to construct meaning; 1.2 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation; 3.1 Students use descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive and poetic modes; 3.2 Students prepare, publish and/or present work appropriate to audience, purpose and task; 4.1 Students use knowledge of their language and culture to improve competency in English; 4.2 Students speak and write using standard language structures and diction appropriate to audience and task.
Math: 7 Use calendars and clocks to plan and sequence events and to solve problems involving the conversion of measures of time and elapsed time using days, hours, minutes and seconds; 8 Estimate and measure to solve a variety of problems that involve angles, length, area, weight, mass, temperature, capacity and volume in either metric or customary units explain the reasoning used orally and in writing; 12 Develop and use strategies involving place value relationships, inverse operations and algebraic properties (commutative, associative and distributive) to simplify addition, subtraction and multiplication problems with three-, four- and five-digit numbers and money amounts and division by one-digit factors; 18 Use ratios and proportions to solve practical problems, e.g., interpreting scale drawings, and maps and determining the probability of an event.
Science: 5.1.a. Sound is a form of energy that is produced by the vibration of objects and is transmitted by the vibration of air and objects.
History: 1.1 – Demonstrate an understanding of significant events and themes in United States history; 1.3 – Demonstrate an understanding of significant events and themes in world history; 2.1 – Access and gather information from a variety of primary and secondary sources (maps, charts, graphs, images and print materials); 2.2 – Interpret information from a variety of primary and secondary sources (maps, charts, graphs, images and print materials).
CMT Strands:
Language Arts: A1 Determine the main idea (nonfiction) theme (fiction) the text; A2 Identify or infer important characters, problems, settings, events, relationships and details; A3 Select and use relevant information from the text in order to summarize events and/or ideas in the text; A4 Use information from the text to make predictions based on what is read; A5 Use context clues to determine meanings of unknown or multiple-meaning words or figurative language; B2 Draw conclusions about the author’s purpose for choosing genres or including or omitting specific details in the text; B3 Use stated or implied evidence from the text to draw and/or support a conclusion. C1 Make connections between the text and outside experiences and knowledge; C2 Select,
synthesize and/or use relevant information within the text to write a personal response to the text; D2 Select, synthesize and/or use relevant information within the texts to extend or evaluate the texts; D3 Demonstrate an awareness of an author’s or character’s values, customs and beliefs included in the text.
Math: 5A Identify the appropriate operation or number sentence to solve a story problem; 6A Multiple and divide facts; 14A Solve problems involving elapsed time (a.m. and p.m.); 14B Solve problems involving conversions of measures of time (minutes, hours and days); 16A Measure lengths to the nearest quarter-inch or half-centimeter; 16D Solve problems involving conversions of measures of length; 19A Identify correct information from tables, bar graphs, pictographs and charts; 20A Draw reasonable conclusions from data in tables, bar graphs, pictographs, circle graphs and charts.
Science: B17. Describe the factors that affect the pitch and loudness of sound produced by vibrating objects.
Ben Franklin Unit
Produced by the TAH Making History Project
Outline
PART 1
The first part of the unit acquaints students with Ben Franklin’s early life and his inventions. The culmination of this section is to have students write an expository essay on his 3 most important inventions.
Activities:
· Using PowerPoint or SmartBoard show students pictures of some of Franklin’s inventions (e.g. bifocals, fire department, street lights, library, etc) to see if they recognize them
· Show students picture of Ben Franklin
· Students complete a Circle Map to show what they know about Ben Franklin
· Introduce students to book they are reading – have students preview cover and make predictions on what book is about
· Assign reading sections (each book selection has an attachment)
o At the appropriate section in each book, stop and do the following activities
· Science lesson on sound/pitch which relates to the glass armonica invention
· lesson on Ben Franklin adages/maxims from Poor Richard’s Almanack
· Students do a Gallery Walk where they learn how and why Ben Franklin invented the items (read placards, take notes)
· Students write expository essay
PART 2
This part switches the focus from Ben Franklin’s early life and inventions to his role in helping create the United States of America. The culminating activity in this part is to have students answer the essential question.
Activities:
· Students read appropriate sections of book
o At the appropriate section of each book (before the Stamp Act is covered), stop and complete the following activities
§ Students do Political Cartoon & Looking at Sources lessons
§ Students do One Day Play Dr. Franklin Goes to Parliament
· Students sequence pictures of events from Ben Franklin’s life (after completing book)
· Complete math lesson on estimating distance, miles travelled by Ben Franklin
· Students write essay answering the essential question
SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES:
· Ben Franklin Picture Analysis
· Ben Franklin Adages Lesson (alternate)
· Taxonomy lesson The ABC’s of Ben Franklin
· Teacher Background Notes – Ben Franklin’s Magical Musical Invention
· http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/musician/virtualarmonica.html