Robyn FerrazzaniReading, MA
Helen Sellers
American HistoryGrade 5
February 28, 200712-14 lessons (class periods)
What Makes a Good Leader?
Brief Summary of Lesson Goal(s):
Students will first identify the character traits that they believe make a good leader. The next goal is for students to gather facts about the colonial leaders to learn about their leadership skills in order to better understand why they are considered important leaders in history. After further study, students will choose a leader and then will give their opinion whether this person was a good leader.
Essential Questions:
What makes a good leader?
Why does history consider this person to have been a leader?
What character traits were necessary of colonial leaders?
Standards:
PRE-COLUMBIAN CIVILIZATIONS OF THE NEW WORLD AND THE EUROPEAN EXPLORATION, COLONIZATION, AND SETTLEMENT TO 1700
5.7 Identify some of the major leaders and groups responsible for the founding of the
original colonies in North America. (History, Civics)
A. Lord Baltimore in Maryland D. Roger Williams in Rhode Island
B. William Penn in Pennsylvania E. John Winthrop in Massachusetts
C. John Smith in Virginia
Learning Objectives:
-With teacher assistance, students will be able to read a primary source document and glean character traits from it.
-Students will be able to independently use print and electronic resources to gather facts about their chosen historical figures.
-Students will be able to write a Persuasive Essay and include 3+ character traits with evidence and give their opinion of this person as to their leadership ability.
-Students will be able to complete a bibliography for the resources used in this project.
-Students will be able to reflect on this assignment and determine what skills they will use again in subsequent assignments.
Big6 Skills:
#1. Task Definition
#4. Use of Information
#5. Synthesis
#6. Evaluation
Materials/Resources
a. Primary Source Documents:
Mayflower Compact
William Penn’s Letter to the Indians
The Examination of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson at the Court at Newton. 1637
A Model of Christian Charity by Governor John Winthrop, 1630
Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, in A Key into the Language of America, 1643
Building a New Society: Life in Colonial Massachusetts
John Smith’s Letter to Queen Anne Regarding Pocahontas
Instructions by Way of Advice, for the Intended Voyage to Virginia
b. Worksheets
Leader Idea template
Characteristic template
c. Print and Electronic Resources
Colonial America. Danbury, Conn.: Grolier Educational, 1998.
Family Encyclopedia of American History. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader’s Digest Association,1975.
Electronic resources from NMRLS (Northern Massachusetts Regional Library System)
Encyclopedia: Grolier Multimedia Online
Periodical Databases: Infotrac: Kid’s Infobits
Other selected resources applicable to this project.
d. PowerPoint Slide Show
Procedure (Lesson Activities):
#1 Task Definition
I. What makes a good leader? (45 minutes)
For homework, students will be given the leader idea template with the questions:
What makes a good student?
What makes a good teacher?
What makes a good leader?
Create small groups for students to record carousel around the room. Share the results with the group. Below are suggestions to guide the group discussion:
Does a person need to make a significant contribution in order to be a leader?
By today’s standards, would this person be considered a good leader?
Does a good leader always do what people want them to do?
Does being “nice” make you a good leader?
Student responses can be condensed to the main idea, Character Traits.
#4 Use of Information
II. Meet the Leaders (30 minutes)
Prepare a brief slideshow to introduce students to 5 leaders from the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks.
William Penn, John Winthrop, Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams and John Smith are some examples.
III. Primary Source Documents (40 minutes - 6 lessons)
Introduce students to the idea that Primary Source Documents (PSD) provide the learner with the perspective of one who lived through and observed an historic event. Use PSDs in these lessons to help reveal character traits of the colonial leaders.
1. Mayflower Compact
Introduce Primary Source Documents using the Mayflower Compact, a PSD that the students should already be familiar with.
2. William Penn’s Letter to the Indians
With the whole class, model this PSD to reveal character traits about this leader. Read the letter together once to get the gist. Read again and have students try to cull information about character traits and promises of William Penn though this document.
In order to facilitate better discussions with students, the following lessons should be done with half the group . Using sections or entire texts, teachers should lead these lessons by reading and taking notes pertaining to Character Traits and citing evidence from the text.
3. The Examination of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson at the Court at Newton. 1637
4. A Model of Christian Charity by Governor John Winthrop, 1630
5. Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, in A Key into the Language of America, 1643
6. Building a New Society: Life in Colonial Massachusetts
7. John Smith’s Letter to Queen Anne Regarding Pocahontas
8. Instructions by Way of Advice, for the Intended Voyage to Virginia
#1 Task Definition
IV. Selection of Colonial Leader
Students select a leader to further research. Their goal is to gather facts in order to understand more about the leadership skills of the colonial leader. The historical contribution and character traits revealed in the PSD will help students to decide if they thought their leader was a good one.
#2 Information Seeking Strategies #3 Location and Access
#4 Use of Information V. Library Skills/Research (40 minutes – 2 sessions)
Review how to write a bibliography. Students are provided with print and electronic resources should be used for this project. Students are given time to research and collect information for their bibliography.
See materials.
#5 Synthesis IV. What is a Persuasive Essay? (40 minutes – 2 sessions)
Teachers guide students through the process of writing a persuasive essay. A completed project may be modeled to demonstrate the FCAs that willbe used in this project. Students will write an essay that follows the John Collins writing process and use the following FCAs:
1. FCA 3+ character traits with evidence 2. FCA Opinion backed with evidence 3. FCA Bibliography
#6 Evaluation VI. How did I do? (20 minutes)
After completing the essay, students complete an evaluation that judges the information problem-solving process. The following questions may be used:
What skills did you learn that you could use again? What did you do well this time? What would you do differently next time?
Evaluation/Assessment: Students will complete a Persuasive Essay. A rubric will be used based on the FCAs. The #6 Evaluation of the Big6 is a reflection piece and will be used to fine tune the assignment for the next time.