Kayla NapierCI 350Harold BlancoOctober 10, 2013

Lesson Four

I. Analyze the Learners: I will be teaching a class of twenty-five fifth grade students

who are between ten and eleven years old. There are twelve girls and thirteen boys,

four of whom are African Americans. Overall, there are numerous ways that my

students learn. Thus, I will be incorporating a variety of teaching strategies in order

to ensure that all of my students can easily comprehend the material.

II. State Objectives: My fifth grade students will identify and describe major Civil War

battles and their outcomes by utilizing a WebQuest, cooperative learning groups,

online research, newspaper templates, pictures, and the creation of digital stories by

the end of the day with 95% accuracy.

III. Selecting Methods, Material, and Media: To spark student excitement, I will

incorporate the following materials throughout the lesson:

Second life: The students will explore one battle through an interactive tour

on Second Life entitled Virtual Gettysburg: 1863.

WebQuest: The WebQuest will provide the students with assignment instructions,

kid-friendly websites, videos, blogs, and podcasts that they can utilize for research

regarding their chosen battles. This WebQuest also provides sample graphic

organizers and newspaper templates.

Smart board: I will display the WebQuest and its instructions on the

classroom smart board.

Computer Lab: The computer lab will be reserved for online research

regarding each battle.

IPads/video cameras: These resources will be used for the students to create

a digital story.

Windows Live Movie Maker: The students will use this software to edit their

digital stories.

Graphic Organizers/ Newspaper Templates: The students can use the graphic

organizers to write down ideas and facts while completing their online

research. They will then use this information to create a newspaper article

using a template that has been provided.

Group Project: Each group of students will work together to create a digital

story based on the information within their articles.

Pinterest: I will display pictures of Civil War battles that I have retrieved from

my Pinterest account.

IV. Utilize Media and Material: Prior to class, I will preview all materials and electronic

devices that will be used throughout the lesson. Thus, I will make sure that I can

easily access our Second life virtual tour. Then I will display the class WebQuest

(entitled “Journey to the Civil War”) on the smart board to make sure all of my

digital materials and websites are working properly. Furthermore, I will place the

iPads and video cameras in two separate baskets located in front of my desk, so that

my students can use these devices to complete their group projects. Also I will write

a checklist on the dry-erase board to explain each step to the overall assignment.

V. Require Learner Participation: At the beginning of class, I will explain that there

were many important battles that helped to influence the outcome of the Civil War,

and I will display a few battle pictures that I have collected from my Pinterest

account. Then I will allow the students to take a virtual tour of Gettysburg on Second

Life. After completing this activity, the students will be divided into groups of three

so that they can research about other battles. Each group will research at least two

battles that are listed on the WebQuest using the websites provided. While

researching, the students will fill out graphic organizers to record facts about each

battle. Then they will use this information to create a newspaper article after

choosing from the templates that have been provided. As a group, the students will

work together to write and edit their articles. Each report must be written from a

historic perspective and answer the required questions from the WebQuest. After

competing this newspaper article, each group will then publish their information “on

air” by creating a digital story to depict the “breaking news” of each battle. To

complete this assignment, the students will then use a video camera to record their

stories, and can edit their movie clip using Windows Live Movie Maker. Students will

have until the end of the week to complete this project. Overall, this activity will

help to make history more relevant to the children by incorporating 21st Century

technology and skills into the classroom.

VI. Evaluate and Revise: To evaluate my students and check for comprehension, I will:

Circulate throughout the room asking questions,

Check for student participation in group projects,

Collect each group’s graphic organizers,

Collect each newspaper article (which will be graded based on the rubric in

the class WebQuest),

Grade each group’s digital story at the end of the week. This must include:

o Location and name of battle

o Number of casualties

o Major players in this battle (important generals, colonels, etc.)

o Winning Side

o 2-4 minutes in length