Lesson Plan #2

Grade: 5th Social Studies Strand: History

EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2014 Instructor: Karen Powell

Lesson Plan #2
B. Summary of the Lesson Plan:

submitted by: Brian Trenholm & Aaron Clay

This social studies lesson is designed for 5th grade students to learn about the attributes that are associated with the cultures in North Americas civilizations prior to European contact. The pages 38-45 will be used from both the teachers and students edition of Social Studies: United States History published by Houghton Mifflin. C. Basic Information: Grade Level: 5th grade Time to Complete this Lesson: 50 minutes Groupings: Whole Group, small group, and independent

D. Materials: A copy of the migration map from page 39 of the teachers edition Houghton Mifflin 5th Grade Social Studies Book: United States History (p. 38-45)- for each student paper and pencils Play Dough IPad US map

E. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards H1.5.1 Identify and describe Native North American life and cultural regions prior to European contact.

Student-Friendly Standards I can name and talk about Native North American civilizations and the regions that they lived in.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 2

Lesson Plan #2
F. Vocabulary Glacier-a huge sheet of moving ice.

submitted by: Brian Trenholm & Aaron Clay

Migration- movement from one place to another Agriculture- another word for farming. Civilization- An organized system of religion, government and culture. Pueblo Spanish word for town.

G. Procedure: 1. Ask the students to look at the images on pages 38-39. Ask the students what the pictures might indicate about the chapter they will read. Draw attention to the map on page 39 of the student edition. Explain about the land bridge theory and how hunter-gather tribes most likely followed game across the land bridge from Asia to North America. Discuss with the class how the arrows on the map are indicators of migration and that the Native Americans spread out through North and South America by initially following the animals they hunted. Have the student read pages 38 through 45 independently.

2. As a class, discuss the vocabulary words and how they help explain the chapter. Ask the students how migration patterns might have resulted in the development of different civilizations with different traits. Question the students about what knowledge is necessary for a people to settle an area and develop a civilization. (Page 40 main idea: Farming led to villages, more people, and civilizations.)

3. Have a class discussion about the mound builders which include the tribes consisting of the Hopewell, Adena, and Mississippians. (page 41 of the student text) Ask the students to place each tribe in the right location by pointing to the appropriate spot on the classrooms US map. Allow the students to use the Play Dough to replicate miniature mounds that were known to be made by these tribes. Let the students use an IPad to look up detailed images of the mounds built by these tribes.

4. Initiate a class discussion about the Pueblo civilization. (page 42 student text)
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 3

Lesson Plan #2

submitted by: Brian Trenholm & Aaron Clay

Ask the children to explain what is unique about the Pueblo in comparison to the other civilizations. ( You want them to bring up the topic of structures such as the Mesa Verde Cliff Palace on page 42) Ask several students to point out areas that the Pueblo lived in or migrated to on a US map.

5. Begin a discussion of the Aztec civilization. (page 43 of the student text) Point out that the Aztecs invented their own calendar. Aztec religion revolved around large temples that they built. The capitol of the Aztec empire was Tenochtitlan which is where modern day Mexico City was built.

6. Have the students group up into four person teams. Each student will pick a civilization to explain to the other members of his or her group. The textbook may be used to help the students review the material. Every member of the group must select a different civilization to explain to the other members. The Mound Builders may count as two different choices by either choosing the Mississippians or the Adena and Hopewell. Each student must state the location of each civilization as well as a minimum of two traits found within the chapter.

H. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding? The students will be asked to take out a pencil and paper for a quick quiz. The students will copy down their version of the standard: I can name and talk about Native North American civilizations and the regions that they lived in. Next the students will list two civilizations, name the regions they lived in, and describe two aspects of those respective civilizations. Finally the students will be asked to draw from memory The Great Serpent Mound which is pictured at the top of this lesson plan, an image of this mound will be shown on the IPads through the use of preloaded pictures. Once the students have finished drawing they will then be asked which civilization was responsible for the Great Serpent Mound. Either the Mound Builders or the Adena would be acceptable answers. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 4

Lesson Plan #2

submitted by: Brian Trenholm & Aaron Clay

As I observe the small group discussions by the students I will be able to gauge relative comprehension of the standard being taught. Each student will explain aspects of one civilization to his peers which will reinforce the lesson. A formative quiz will be given to the students as individuals so that I will know which students have achieved understanding of the standard. Correct answers will indicate understanding while incomplete or wrong answers would indicate that the lesson needs to be adapted. I. Closure: Class today we have reviewed Native American life prior to European contact as well as the cultural regions each civilization is associated with. Lets do a quick review; I need four volunteers to describe these civilizations based upon their cultural location first.

J. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? The part of the lesson about the Mound Builders would be the easiest part for me to teach. I grew up in Ohio and we studied the Hopewell, Adena, and Mississippian civilizations as part of Ohio History. Ive actually seen the Great Serpent Mound in persona as a young child. My prior knowledge coupled with my personal experience with this subject would enable me to teach this information with great confidence. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? Teaching about the Aztecs would be the most challenging for me. Essentially I have an aversion to their culture. Specifically I dislike the fact that they were the most aggressive practitioners of human sacrifice in the Americas. I was taught in Catholic School that although the Spaniards ruthlessly conquered the Aztecs, they brought civilized religion with them. To this day I still believe that the Spaniards were morally right to wipe out the Aztec priestly caste due to the barbaric nature as well as the massive scale of ritualistic murders committed. I think it might be hard to hide my disdain for the Aztecs even though they were technologically and culturally advanced in many ways. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? On pages 44 and 45 I would elaborate more on Aztec culture. Specifically I would teach the students that the Aztecs used cacao beans as money while precious metals were used for religious artifacts instead of coins. I would further elaborate on why an island city would be a good place to settle; one example would be that an enemys army couldnt march across the lake and that boats would have to be used to attack it. I would also explain that the floating gardens were a way for the Aztecs to maximize

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

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Lesson Plan #2

submitted by: Brian Trenholm & Aaron Clay

space in their capitol by reserving land for stone structures which could not float on the lake. 4. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? For struggling students I would pair them with a peer mentor to help explain some of the concepts within the small groups. If this approach doesnt work I would utilize multimedia or manipulatives more to better match the students learning styles. I could also adapt the assessment based on the needs of an IEP or 504 plan. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change?

I think that I might have to make this lesson more student centered. Rather than having myself lead this lesson I could have students assigned to predetermined leadership roles. I could also have activities for every type of learning style in which each student gets to present their knowledge before the group and class. Perhaps increasing student engagement to the maximum possible extent would be serve their learning needs.

6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? Well for me the most difficult part of writing this lesson plan was coordinating with another person without the benefit of actually getting to meet each other. Im used to performing collaborative projects with people I meet in class. Usually by the second class I know which people I could partner up with and do a good job on the project. Initially I didnt have luck finding a partner, but I got lucky to end up with Brian since he shares a similar interest in history. Usually I end up wasting an hour or two thinking up what my general approach will be. Brian had a few ideas and a specific chapter, so it was easy filling in the details and writing several drafts of this lesson plan. Once we were able to coordinate between our work and school schedules this was actually very easy to do. We sent ideas back and forth and finished this much sooner than if it would have been a solo job for each of us.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 6