Katie NapierCI 350Harold Blanco3 September 2013

Assure Method Lesson Plan

I. Analyze Learners: There are twenty students in my fourth grade class (eleven girls

and nine boys); two of whom are Muslims, three are Jewish, and two are African

Americans. In addition, all of my students are approximately nine years old.

Since each student learns differently; I will need to incorporate a variety of teaching

methods so that all children will be able to comprehend the material covered.

II. State Objectives: My fourth grade students will list and describe the holiday

traditions of specific cultures which they will learn through the use of songs, books,

videos, maps (and other visual aids), research, and hands-on activities (such as the

creation of group posters) by the end of the week with 95% accuracy.

III. Select Methods, Media, and Materials: In order to integrate a variety of learning

styles, I will be utilizing an assortment of media, methods, and materials throughout

this lesson, such as the following:

Storybook: I will begin this lesson by reading the book entitled: Christmas

around the World by Mary D. Lankford (which describes the holiday

traditions of a variety of cultures).

Songs and Pictures: I will play some holiday music from a particular culture

(such as the German Christmas music found at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGVACo06mDI ). In addition, I will utilize

Google images to display various holiday treats from around the world (such

as “fufu,” an African Christmas dish made from goat). Overall, the

incorporation of such media will allow the children to both hear and see the

different ways that the holidays are celebrated around the world.

Smart Board/Overhead Projector: The smart board and overhead projector

will be utilized to display YouTube videos, maps, and pictures to the children.

Computer Lab: The students will be divided into groups to research

information regarding the holiday traditions of a specific culture.

Posters: The students will work within their groups to create a visual display

that will present their researched information. The materials for these

posters include: glue, markers, scissors, and poster board.

IV. Utilize the Media and Materials: I will preview all videos, books, websites, and

electronic devices that will be utilized in class. This will allow me to check that all

materials work correctly and are age/grade appropriate. In addition, I will also

prepare the checklist that will be used to evaluate group projects and presentations.

Furthermore, I will arrange the desks in pods throughout the room (which will allow

for student collaboration). Also, since a portion of this lesson involves group

research, I will need to reserve the computer lab for an adequate amount of time so

that the children can effectively complete their group projects. Finally, I will place all

materials that will be utilized in the creation of group posters on a table in the back

of the room (an area that is readily accessible to all students).

V. Require Learner Participation: To introduce the lesson, I will ask the students how

their families celebrate the holidays (such as Kwanza, Hanukah, and Christmas).

Once the children have had a chance to share some of their family traditions with

the class, I will then remind the children that some cultures celebrate the holiday

season differently than we do. At this point, I will read the book entitled: Christmas

around the World by Mary D. Lankford (which describes many of the holiday

customs and traditions of various cultures throughout the world). Once the story has

been read and discussed, I will then utilize the smart board to display a world map to

the class. This will allow the children to visualize the many regions of the world that

were discussed in the read-aloud. Once the children have “helped me” to locate

these regions on the map, I will utilize YouTube to play a few traditional holiday

songs that are sung in these regions, and I will display pictures of the various foods

and decorations that are used in holiday celebrations around the world (using

Google Images). Finally, I will divide the students into groups, and I will inform the

children that each group will research the holiday traditions of a specific

country/region and create a poster that describes their findings. (Each poster should

include information regarding: the foods, songs, festivals, decorations, and customs

that the people of their assigned region utilize in their holiday celebrations.) In

addition, I will also remind the students that they could choose to research the

holiday traditions for Kwanza or Hanukah. Once the children have finished

conducting their research in the computer lab, we will then return to class so that

the children can begin to work on their group posters (which will display their

information gathered). Finally, I will allow the students to briefly present their

findings to the class.

VI. Evaluate and Revise: Many of my students experience test anxiety (which negatively

affects their performance). Therefore, projects and presentations will be utilized as a

preferred method of assessment. Thus, in order to effectively assess my students, I

will:

Circulate throughout the room and ask the students various questions. (For

example, I will have the students compare and contrast their own holiday

traditions with the holiday customs of the cultures that they are researching.)

Check that their posters contain:

o A brief description of at least 2-3 holiday foods commonly served in

the group’s assigned region

o A list of at least 2-4 holiday songs

o A description of various holiday festivals, decorations, and customs of

their assigned country or region

Make sure that their group presentations are accurate and that all students

are actively participating.

*Once the lesson has been taught, I will allow the children to write a brief

paragraph describing the activities that they found enjoyable as well as the

activities that they found challenging. This information will ultimately help me to

make proper revisions in the future.