Lesson Plan # 5- Unknown Hero

Subject Area: United States History and Geography

Grade Level: Grade 8

Unit Title: Civil War

Lesson Title: Unknown Hero

Connection to State and National Standards:

From the History-Social Science Content Standards:

·         8.10: Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War.

o   .5: Study the views and lives of leaders (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee) and soldiers on both sides of the war, including those of black soldiers and regiments.

o   .6: Describe critical developments and events in the war, including the major battles, geographical advantages and obstacles, technological advances, and General Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

o   .7: Explain how the war affected combatants, civilians, the physical environment, and future warfare.

From the National Language Arts Standards:

·         Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

·         Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to...

·         Better understanding how it was to be a soldier during the Civil War.

·         Name historical battles during the Civil War.

Materials:

·         Book:

o   Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero. Moss, M. & Hendrix, J. (2011) New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780810997356

Preparation:

·         Instructor will assign students into groups to work on the presentations about Sarah Edmonds.

Presentation:

·         Instructor will read Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero to the class.

o   There will be a brief discussion about Edmonds and her many roles in the Civil War.

Application:

·         Students will work as a group to do a presentation about Sarah Edmonds.

o   Outside research about Edmonds will be done as a group.

o   Presentations can be done on poster board or through Power Point presentations.

Evaluation:

Upon completion of:

·         The poster or Power Point slides, students will be evaluated on the amount of work put into the presentations.

·         The presentation, students will be evaluated how they presented material to the class.

Closure:

·         Posters created for the presentations will be put on display throughout the classroom throughout the Civil War unit.

Lesson Plan # 4- The Dynamics of an Orchestra

Subject Area: Music

Grade Level: Grade 5

Unit Title: Orchestra

Lesson Title: The Dynamics of an Orchestra

Connection to State and National Standards:

From the Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools

·         5.1.4: Analyze the use of music elements in aural examples from various genres and cultures.

·         5.1.6: Identify and describe music forms, including theme and variations and twelve-bar blues.

·         5.3.0: Students analyze the role of music in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting cultural diversity as it relates to music, musicians, and composers.

From the National Language Arts Standards:

·         Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

·         Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to...

·         Tell the different parts that make up an orchestra through visualization of the instruments and listening to music.

Materials:

·         Book

o   The Composer is Dead. Snicket, L. & Ellis, C. (2009). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 9780061236280

·         Classical music CDs

Preparation:

·         Instructor will collect some classic music CDs for students will listen to after the book is read in class.

Presentation:

·         Students will listen to the supplied CD for The Composer is Dead along with the illustrations from the book.

·         Students will then listen to the classical music selected by the instructor

Application:

·         Instructor will ask students to identify the different parts of the orchestra that are playing and what their role is in the song being performed.

·         Students will write a short paper about a certain section of the orchestra they like.

Evaluation:

Upon completion of:

·         Students will be evaluated on the paper written to see how well they understand the different sections of an orchestra.

Closure:

·         Students will give a short presentation on their paper about the dynamics of an orchestra.

Lesson Plan # 3- A Story That Lasts the Ages

Subject Area: English-Language Arts

Grade Level: Grade 9

Unit Title: Romeo and Juliet

Lesson Title: A Story that Lasts the Ages

Connection to State and National Standards:

From the National Language Arts Standards:

·         Standard 1: Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

·         Standard 2: Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

·         Standard 6: Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

·         Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

·         Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to...

·         Read works from William Shakespeare and be able to interpret them.

Materials:

·         Book

o   Romeo and Juliet. Appignanesi, R. & Leong, S. (2007) New York, NY: Amulet Books. ISBN: 9780810993259

·         Video

o   Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann, B. (1996) United States: Bazmark Films.

Preparation:

·         Students will read the original version of Romeo and Juliet and well as the manga version.

·         Instructor will send permission slip home with students to watch Romeo + Juliet.

Presentation:

·         Students will watch Romeo + Juliet in class.

·         Class will conduct a discussion about the three versions of Romeo and Juliet they have been exposed to.

Application:

·         Students will write an opinion essay comparing the three versions of Romeo and Juliet.

o   How are they different?  How are they the same?

o   How is it that this story has endured so long and can be redone in so many ways?

Evaluation:

Upon completion of:

·         The essay, students will be evaluated on the key points they made comparing and contrasting the versions of Romeo and Juliet.

·         The essay, students will be evaluated on the outside research they did; such as using quotes from one of the versions.

Closure:

·         A class discussion will occur to inform students on the common points made through all of the essays.

Lesson Plan # 2- Poetry of the Elements

Subject Area: Physical Science, English-Language Arts

Grade Level: Grade 8

Unit Title: Periodic Table

Lesson Title: Poetry of the Elements

Connection to State and National Standards:

From the Californian Science Content Standards:

·         8.7: The organization of the periodic table is based on the properties of the elements and reflects the structure of atoms. As a basis for understanding this concept:

o   8.7.a: Students know how to identify regions corresponding to metals, nonmetals, and inert gases.

o   8.7.b: Students know each element has a specific number of protons in the nucleus (the atomic number) and each isotope of the element has a different but specific number of neutrons in the nucleus.

o   8.7.c: Students know substances can be classified by their properties, including their melting temperature, density, hardness, and thermal and electrical conductivity.

From the National Language Arts Standards:

·         Standard 3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

·         Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

·         Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, the student will be able to...

·         Be able to identify elements on the Periodic Table.

·         Have an understanding on specific information of the elements.

Materials:

·         Book:

o   Science Verse. Scieszka, J. & Smith, L. (2004) New York, NY: Viking Books. ISBN: 0670910570

·         Construction Paper

·         Markers

References:

Components of this lesson were inspired by Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee2007 Grade 3-5 write up about “Science Verse.” (Retrieved from http://www.state.lib.la.us/empowerlibrary/SCIENCE%20VERSE.pdf).

Preparation:

·         Students will be assigned one or two elements and asked to research about the element in preparation of presenting the information.

·         Instructor will gather a list of popular songs and poems for students to use as a rhyme guide for assignment.

Presentation:

·         Students will be read a selection of poems from Science Verse in class to teach about different topics in science for inspiration.

Application:

·         Students will write a poem about their assigned elements in styles similar to the poetry found in Science Verse.

o   Using the material provided students will draw pictures of the element to accompany the poem they write.

Evaluation:

Upon completion of:

·         The poetry written by the students about their assigned elements, students will be evaluated by the information about each element they put in the poetry

·         The illustration of the elements, students will be evaluated on the accuracy of how they drew the makeup of the elements.

Closure:

·         Students will present poetry to class.  A brief discussion of the information the students researched about the elements will occur with class and instructor.

·         The illustration and poem will be put on display throughout the classroom.