Lesson Plans

Standards-Based Outcomes (MDE):

Social Studies:

I. Historical Perspective

Content Standard I, 1: All students will sequence chronologically eras of American history and key events within these eras in order to examine relationships and to explain cause and effect.

1. Measure chronological time by decades and centuries.

English Language Arts:

I. Meaning and Communication

Content Standard I, 2: All students will demonstrate the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and compositions.

1. Write fluently for multiple purposes to produce compositions, such as stories, reports, letters, plays, and explanations of processes.

Content Standard I, 3: All students will focus on meaning and communication as they listen, speak, view, read, and write in personal, social, occupational, and civic contexts.

1. Integrate listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing skills for multiple purposes and in varied contexts. An example is using all the language arts to prepare and present a unit project on a selected state or country.

Prior Knowledge:

Students know how to insert, launch, and run a CD-ROM program.
Students know how to look up information in a printed encyclopedia.
Students can work cooperatively with others in small groups.
Students know how to use graphic organizers as prewriting tools.

Cue Set:

Posters of the colonial era are displayed and discussed.

The teacher leads a discussion about different periods of U.S. history from 1600 to the present day. He/she lists key events from history on the board or with an overhead projector to provide students with necessary background knowledge (e.g., Mayflower, U.S. Independence, Civil War, WWI, WWII, etc.).
Then the teacher creates a time line or time frame linking key events with historical periods (e.g., 1600’s- Mayflower, etc.).

Best Shot Instruction:

Using a large-screen projection system, the teacher launches the CD-ROM program Imagination Express: Destination Time Trip USA. After opening the program's “Fact Book”, the teacher goes to the first time period and shows the students how to extract important information to put on a concept map which is used during the research portion of the project.
The teacher assigns time periods from the “Fact Book” and gives the students concept maps with main ideas such as “Entertainment”, “Family”, “Work”, “News”, and “Tools” already identified. (The teacher can use the software program Inspiration to create the concept map, or use Inspiration with the class to create a concept map through group discussion.)
Students work independently, using the “Fact Book” to collect information and complete their concept maps.
The teacher demonstrates to students how to create a picture to illustrate their assigned periods. He/she launches the program and chooses “New” from the menu. He/she demonstrates how to pick backgrounds and time periods, and shows the students how to select and place stickers from their assigned time periods. All students are to use the same background. (It is recommended that the teacher selects the first street corner in the top row as a background.)
Students then create pictures using background and up to six stickers from their assigned time periods. (Using more than six stickers may cause print problems.) Students save and print their work by the end of the class period.
Students use their pictures and concept maps to write expository paragraphs about their assigned time periods.
The teacher demonstrates how to select the text page for the appropriate time period (first boxing in the background choices), create a text block to fit the page, and select a font size and style. He/she directs the students to create stories which incorporate factual information from their research. The teacher suggests that students begin by saying, “Hi, my name is _________.” Students save and print their work.
Next the teacher demonstrates how to record sound for the narrative pages. He/she clicks on the “Movie/Sound” button in the control strip for the program. Students must choose musical backgrounds which correspond with their assigned time periods to introduce their narrative pages. The teacher shows students how to record their voices reading these pages. (Students should use their printed pages to practice reading aloud prior to making the recordings.) Students must save their work when the projects are completed.

Reteaching and Enrichment:

The teacher corrects the concept maps. The students return to the “Fact Book”, to re-read/listen to the pages in order to correct errors.
Individually or in groups, students use other sources such as the Internet, CD-ROM encyclopedias, trade books, etc. to research additional information about their time periods and expand their e-books.

Review and Closure:

In a class discussion, students report their findings and compare and contrast the various time periods. They explore any relationships their time periods have to one another.

Assessment:

Formative Assessment:

The teacher observes student interaction with the Imagination Express: Time Trip USA CD-ROM program.
a. The teacher observes that students can extract information from the “Fact Book” portion and place information appropriately in graphic organizers.
b. The teacher observes students using higher levels of thinking while making comparisons and decisions.
The teacher observes the students during classroom discussions.

Summative Assessment:

The teacher evaluates each student's concept map, summary paragraph, and picture created with Imagination Express, according to a predetermined rubric.
The teacher evaluates each student's e-book created with Imagination Express according to the rubric.

East Detroit Public Schools Lesson Design

East Detroit Public Schools
Lesson Design