James Madison University – College of Education
Social Studies Lesson Plan Format
Name: Kathryn Lutz Date: July 2011
Subject/Class: Virginia Studies Grade Level: 4 Topic: The American Revolution
NCSS Theme #_2_ : Time, Continuity, and Change
Subthemes: # _2_ : Knowledge: Key people,events, and places;
# _2__: Knowledge: Historical events/lasting contributions
(Remember NCSS is focused on Knowledge, Process and Product—be specific)
Essential Questions/Big Ideas: How did the colonists’ ideas about government differ from those of the British Parliament? Why is the Declaration of Independence an important document? What contributions did Virginians make during the Revolutionary War era? What roles did whites, enslaved African Americans, free African Americans and American Indians play during the American Revolution? What was the importance of the Battle of Great Bridge? What was the importance of the American victory at Yorktown?
SOLs/Standards addressed:
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
VS.1 The students will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to
b) determine cause and effect relationships
d) draw conclusions and make generalizations
f) sequence events in Virginia history
g) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives
Learning Outcomes/Objectives:
Understand: The learner will identify events and Virginians’ influence in the Revolutionary War era.
Know: The learner will demonstrate knowledge of varied roles and contributions of individuals and groups of people and of key events, documents, and acts associated with the War.
Does: The learner will determine cause and effect relationships, draw conclusions and make generalizations, sequence events in Virginia history.
Value: The learner will interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives.
Assessment alignment chart: How will you know they know the objectives listed above?
Objective / Assessment (formative and summative)U 1: SWBAT correctly identify particular people, places, events, documents, and acts associated with the Revolutionary War era based upon given clues provided for each. / Formative: teacher observation and informal checklist to monitor for clues and answers given for particular people, places, events, documents, and acts
Summative: upcoming unit test
U2: SWBAT formulate relevant clues for particular people, places, events, documents, and acts associated with the Revolutionary War era correctly. / Formative: teacher observation and informal checklist for key clues generated and shared by students that are relevant to the time period
Background Content Outline:
I. French and Indian War
A. George Washington
1. leadership role
B. Results
1. English land acquisition
2. English debt
a. taxes for colonies
b. actions of British government
DEAN CHART
Concept word / D=define / E=examples / A=attributes / N=non-examplesconflict / a disagreement or difference between people or countries / fight
battle
war / bad feelings
anger
weapons / peace
agreement
stability
contribution / something that a person gives or provides to an end result / input
addition
offering
gift / helpfulness
assistance
generosity
gifts / loss
waste
penalty
Parliament / the lawmaking and decision- making body of England / legislature
assembly
delegation of
representatives / House of Lords
House of
Commons / King
U.S. Congress
Instructional Plan:
What the Teacher Will Do / What the Students Will DoHook / The teacher will ask the students if they have ever wanted to say a particular word or express a particular idea and were not permitted to do so. The teacher will lead a discussion based on student responses. Following the class discussion, the teacher will introduce and define the word, taboo, and how it will relate to the review game that the students will be playing in class today as preparation for the upcoming unit test. / The students will share instances of having to withhold personal thoughts and ideas as based on the teacher’s questions.
Introduction / The teacher and a selected group of students will
model a sample game prior to the teacher dividing the
class into four groups with 5-7 students per group,
and having each group form a circle. Students in
each group will begin play as the “giver” (who will
be giving clues to team mates), as a “censor” (who
will monitor to be sure “taboo” words are not used by
the “giver” as clues are being given), as the “time-
keeper” (who will monitor the time allotted to each
round of play with given stopwatches), and as the
“score-keeper” (who will tally one point for each
correct keyword answer and one penalty point for
each “taboo” word spoken). The remaining students
in the groups will be the “guessers” (who will attempt
to determine the keywords being sought to earn
points). / As each time-allotted round is completed, the students will change roles within their groups and begin a new round of play with different “taboo” cards from those that were used in previous rounds.
The teacher will visit each group during play to assess keyword answers and given student-generated clues for keyword, marking the informal checklist for observed participation and verbal responses.
The teacher will bring closure to the lesson by having the students share clues generated by team members that were helpful and note-worthy for particular key-words, as well as clarify any student questions.
The teacher will follow-up in small group with those students who had limited or no participation during the activity or who struggled to provide correct responses or to create clues for key words. Remediation activities will be shared with these identified students at this time. / The students will continue to play until the teacher indicates that the final round has come to an end. Students will then tally up their team scores by adding all points earned for correct keyword responses and subtract out any penalty points assessed when “taboo” words were used by the “giver”. The team(s) with the most points at the end of the predetermined set of rounds will be declared the winner(s) and awarded small prizes.
Materials Needed for the Lesson: four sets of American Revolution “Taboo” cards
four score card sheets
four stopwatches
four pencils
four bells
monitoring sheet for teacher informal assessments
prizes
Bibliography/Resources Used (using APA):
“US History Taboo” activity shared by Brian Heintz of West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, VA. This activity was shared at the Content Teacher Academy at James Madison University, June 27- July 1, 2011.
I altered this original lesson to meet the objectives associated with the fourth grade Virginia Studies curriculum on the American Revolution and also to align to the age and development of fourth graders. For instance, I reduced the number of “taboo” (forbidden) words to be avoided for keywords in the game to give students greater opportunities to make connections to the SOL material and to formulate clues directly relating to the SOL’s. Greater attention to procedures through modeling and discussion prior to play would also be needed for this age level, as would be the need for movement and particular jobs, like time-keeper and score-keeper, for many students.
Berson, M., Howard, T., Shoob, S., & Salinas, C. (2011). Virginia social studies: Virginia studies.
Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Frederick County Public Schools. (2011). Grade 4 social studies curriculum timeline overview.
Winchester, VA: Author.
Frederick County Public Schools. (2011). Social studies curriculum for 4th and 5th grade – Virginia
studies. Winchester, VA: Author.
National Council for the Social Studies. (2010). National curriculum standards for social studies: A
framework for teaching, learning, and assessment. Silver Spring, MD: Author.
Virginia Department of Education. (2011) The standards & SOL-based instructional resources:
History and social sciences. In Virginia Department of Education Online. Retrieved July 12,
2011, from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/.
Adaption/Differentiation:
ELL/struggling readers / ELL/struggling readers will have the opportunity to pair with a peer who will assist with difficulties of decoding, reading, and pronunciation.ADHD / Students with ADHD will have the opportunities for preferential seating and movement and the opportunities for differing roles as team members.
Gifted / Gifted students will have the opportunity to create additional “taboo” cards for people, places, events, documents, or acts associated with the American Revolution that can be used in future rounds of play.
Explanation of Instructional Strategies Used:
Explanation – The teacher will explain the purposes, directions, and expectations associated with the review game of American Revolution “Taboo”. Students at this age need specific direction with regard to expected behaviors.
Demonstration /Guided Practice – The teacher will lead practice rounds with the whole class prior to students beginning play in assigned groups so students are aware of how the game will be played and the roles they will assume. This is an excellent time for student questions to be posed and addressed.
Independent Practice – The students will formulate clues for given keywords to share with teammates in the role of “giver” and will use provided clues to identify keywords as in the role of “guesser”. This independent practice will be the opportunity to review previously taught material and to work collaboratively with their peers to learn from one another and help one another toward mastery of the objectives.
Modeling – The teacher will model appropriate behaviors and actions expected during play of the review game called American Revolution “Taboo”. Students at this age need to see and hear specifics relating to the work/activity they will be completing independently.
Small Group – The teacher will meet with students who demonstrated difficulties with the content being reviewed during this lesson, as well as with students who did not demonstrate participation to assess their needs. Small group instruction will provide the opportunity for the teacher to provide remedial instruction and to meet the academic needs of struggling students more efficiently.
Discussion – The teacher will lead a concluding discussion to focus on challenging keyword concepts associated with the American Revolution “Taboo” game, as well as to highlight noteworthy ideas shared during play and to clarify any student questions. This is a wonderful method to engage students in sharing their concerns, questions, and “wow” moments, as well as for the teacher to engage the students in higher level thinking while reflecting on the lesson and to recognize strong and weak points of the lesson.
Monitoring – The teacher will visit each group to listen to and observe student involvement and responses. The teacher will complete an informal checklist, making notes on individual strengths and weaknesses noted during group visits. This monitoring will determine which students the teacher will need to work with either individually or in small group to reinforce challenging concepts needed for mastery of the objectives.
American Revolution “Taboo” Cards
American Revolution “Taboo” Cards
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10