Technology Integrated

Lesson Plan
Money in the Mines
By Tracy J. Quinlan

Third Grade Social Studies
ITIP Lesson Plan Format
Standards
3-E1.02 Identify incentives that influence economic
decisions people made in Michigan.
3-G4.02 Describe diverse groups that have come into
a region of Michigan and the reasons why they came.
3-5.CC.1 Use digital communication tools (e.g. e-mail,
wikis, blogs, IM, chat rooms, videoconferencing) and
online resources for group learning projects.
3-5.C1.2 Use a variety of technology tools and
applications to demonstrate his/her creativity by
creating or modifying works of art, music, movies, or
presentations.

Objectives
Given examples of economic incentives and the
opportunity to work in a team, the student will be able to
accurately describe three physical characteristics of scrip.
The student will be able to compare scrip with legal tender
by listing three similarities and three differences through
the use of a Venn Diagram.
Given specific descriptions of the diversity of miners in
Michigan and the opportunity to work in a team, the
student will be able to describe one diverse group that
came to Michigan to work in the mines and one reason why
miners came to Michigan as measured by an entry in the
classroom blog.

Given specific descriptions of the diversity
of miners in Michigan and the opportunity
to work in groups, the student will identify
incentives that influence economic
decision people made in mining
communities as evidenced by the creation
of a blog entry in the classroom blog.






Objectives Continued
Day One - Anticipatory Set
(45 minutes)
When students come in to class, they will be given an envelope
containing names of mining families, where the families came from
to settle in Michigan, and why they came. Have the students open
their envelopes, find, and group together with other members of
their family. Each family should have a miner, wife and children.
After students have found their families, ask them to then find
other families that came to Michigan for the same reason. This
activity encourages students to make connections.

Next, assess prior learning, by asking students what they know
about miners, how they lived, where they came from, and the
reasons why they came to Michigan. Students probably wont have
a lot of background knowledge about miners. However, they may
have visited a mine with their family or on a field trip and will have
valuable information to share with the class on what a miners life
was like.

Anticipatory Set..continued

Discuss the various cultures miners came from and why they left
their homes to come to Michigan to work in the mines. Integrate
literacy by reading an excerpt from Hollowed Ground: Copper
Mining and Community Building on Lake Superior, 1840s-1990s by
Larry D. Lankton, or another text related to Michigan miners.

Next, lead a discussion on the population and ethnic mix of miners
and their families and how the different ethnicities changed the
areas in which they worked and lived. Also lead a discussion on
why miners came to Michigan.
Day Two (20 minutes)
Vocabulary Component


Discuss the specific vocabulary used in this
lesson and create a specific word wall for this unit. Word
walls are especially effective visuals for ELLs.
Begin to create the word wall with the following words:
1. Company store: a store owned and operated by the
mining company. The only way miners could pay for
purchases at the store was with scrip.
2. Scrip: paper or coin money made by the mining
company. The mining company paid the miners with this
type of legal tender. Generally, scrip could only be used
to purchase items at the company store.
3. Wages: That which is paid for work or services.
Day Three (20 minutes)
Explanation of Wages
Begin with an explanation of wages. Explain that during the
1890s a miner made about $1.43 per day. So, if a miner
worked for six days he would receive $8.58.
Pay each miner a weeks worth of wages with scrip. If you
would like, you can adjust pay based on a miner being sick
and unable to work, or the mine was shut down for a day so
miners couldnt work. Giving each family a different wage
could lead to good conversations about fairness and to show
that being a miner meant having to budget carefully to cover
all eventualities.

Day Four (55 minutes)
Wages
Deliver a presentation on the pay structure of miners in Michigan. Explain how most miners worked for mining
companies and were paid cash for the work they did. Sometimes, however, the company was short on real
cash, or legal tender, and paid their workers in money printed by the company called scrip. Describe how the
physical characteristics of scrip differ from legal tender. Also discuss how scrip could only be used at stores
owned by the company. In some towns, the miners could exchange scrip at a bank for legal money, but there was
a fee to do so. Kind of like a fee at an ATM. For a more in-depth discussion on scrip and how it was used, use the
IWB to access the following website http://www.nps.gov/biso/historyculture/scrip.htm

Pass out examples of scrip and encourage students to ask questions about scrip, how it was used, the advantages
and disadvantages of being paid in scrip, and how scrip is different from legal tender. Ask open-ended questions
such as: If you were a miner, would you like to be paid in scrip? Why or why not? What do you think is a
disadvantage of being paid in scrip? Can you think of any advantages to being paid in scrip? Write the main
discussion points on the white board or bulletin board.

The next part of the lesson uses a IWB. Model the differences between scrip and legal tender by showing the
students pictures of a $5 bill and also a $5 scrip, using the IWB. Discuss how scrip differs from legal money in its
appearance, validity, and use. Ask the class how payment of scrip is different than the way people get paid today.
Is scrip any different then when tokens are given to employees for a job well done, but the token can only be
spent at a store owned by the employer?
Day Four.continued
When the discussion on scrip and legal tender is complete, refer
students back to the main points and go to the following website to
create a Venn Diagram. Show the students how to get started on the
site to create a Venn Diagram. Next, ask students for an appropriate
project title and name the project. Ask students what two items we
are comparing and contrasting scrip and legal tender. Based on the
answer, ask what should we label circle 1 scrip; and what should we
label circle 2 legal tender. Label the circles by clicking on them and
typing in the space provided. Next, have students identify
characteristics of legal tender and characteristics of scrip. Place the
characteristics in the appropriate circle. In the overlapping space, have
students identify similar characteristics of both scrip and legal tender.
Print the diagram for reference.
Teaching Note: Venn Diagrams allow students to organize information
logically.

Day Five(45 minutes) -
Visit to the Company Store
Lead a discussion about Company Stores. Discuss the fact that almost all mining
companies had their own stores located near each mine. The Company Store was owned
and operated by the coal mining companies. Typically, the company store was the ONLY
store in the coal mining town. Discuss the implications of this. Ask open ended questions
such as: Do you think having to shop at the company store limited the items miners and
their families could purchase? Do you think prices at the company store were higher or
lower than other stores? Why or why not? How does pricing impact the purchasing
decisions of miners? Have any of you heard of the saying I owe my soul to the company
store? Based on our discussions, what do you think that saying means?

Next, give each family a list of items available for purchase at the company store and the
price for each item. The list and pricing sheet can be found at:
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-54463_18670_18793-68299--,00.html

Based on what students know about their mining family, instruct each family to create a
shopping list and plan a visit to the company store to purchase items on their list. Make
sure to instruct the families to only spend the amount of scrip they have been given do
not go over (math component). Encourage students to consider what items their family
would purchase based on their cultural background. The families will report to the class
on what they decided to purcahse and how they came to make the decision about what to
buy through an entry on the classroom blog.


Day Six (55 minutes) Set up
for Blogging

This lesson will take place in the computer lab and will take approximately one hour.
Ask students if they have heard of a blog. Explain what a blog is by saying: a blog is a Web site that allows groups or individuals to
contribute their ideas, comments or opinions in a journal format. Blog entries are generally short. A blog entry can be created about
any topic.
Next, discuss the following rules for blogging:
1. First name only NEVER your last name
2. Do NOT share personal information about you or your school.
3. Do NOT add your email address.
4. Do NOT add your home address or telephone number.
5. Do NOT link to other media sources that reveal information you dont want to share. For example, Facebook.
6. Think about what you are writing. Be polite.
7. Make sure your blog entry is on point.
8. Check for grammar usage spelling, punctuation, capitalization.
9. Be respectful of others ideas.
Then, show examples of educational blogs, such as those on Scholastic News Online or Studio Four News.
Using the Blog Rubic found at Scholastic.com, have students evaluate some blog entries.
Instead of having each student set up their own blog, as a class, set up a class blog that all students can contribute to. Use a blogging
site such as Blogmeister, ePals, or Blogger to set up the class blog. This should be done prior to class.
Using the IWB, the teacher will model how to set up a username and password so each blogger can create individual posts on the
classroom blog. After the teacher models the steps, the students will attempt to follow the steps to create their own username and
password as the teacher circulates around the lab to assist where needed. Encourage students who have mastered this to assist
others.



(Scholastic Rubric found at the document link)
Day Seven (40 minutes)
Preliminary Blog Entry
Begin by asking students to imagine that they are going to write a blog entry
for their trip to the company store. What would they include? Write
appropriate ideas the teacher computer and project. Tell students that what
you have written could be written as a blog entry, except that the blog entry is
not going be written from their own perspective but from the perspective of a
miner or a member of the miners family. Invite students to get their
imaginations going by suggesting they look back at the ideas on the screen and
imagine how the miner would have written the blog entry. For example, if the
miner didnt have enough scrip to purchase everything his family needed, he
might write, Last week I was sick for two days. I didnt earn enough wages to
even buy a loaf of bread for my wife and young son.
Check for understanding about the concept of blogging, by having the students
write todays entry in their journals. Collect each students journal to make
sure they understand the assignment: write about the trip to the Company
Store from the perspective of a miner or his family member. The requirement
for the length of the journal entry should be a paragraph or two.
Day Eight (55 minutes) -
Blogging
This lesson will be taught in the computer lab.
Before class begins, go to the blog site you have chosen to create the classroom blog.
Complete all of the required information to name the blog, title for the blog, etc.
Pass back the students journals and remind them of the journal entry they made from
the perspective of a miner. Tell students that you have made comments on their journal
entries and are satisfied that they understand blogging concepts. Check for
understanding by asking students if they have questions or need clarification about the
journal entry.

Now, it is time to show the students how to use a blog. Do not let the students type
directly into the blog site. Instead, have each student type the entry from their journal,
making any noted corrections, into a word processing program. Model this for students
and then assist where necessary. Then, have students copy and paste their entry into the
blog site. Doing this ensures that the teacher can see the posts before they are entered.
After each student has posted their entry, the teacher will use the rubric found at
Scholastic.com to evaluate and grade the posting as a part of the assessment process for
this unit. This is the same rubric students used to assess blog responses and entries.
Day Nine (55 minutes) Blog
Post No. 2
This lesson takes place in the classroom and then in the computer lab.
Students will meet with their miner families to discuss their journal
entries and to discuss the cultural background their mining family
came from.
Students will jot down their ideas about the culture their miners came
from. After students have jotted down their ideas, have them type the
entry as if the miner were speaking, into a word processing program.
Then, have the groups show the teacher their entries and have the
teacher sign-off on the entry.
Instruct students to post their entry into the class blog. The blog entry
will be assessed according the Scholastic grading rubric.
Show the class blog either on an IWB or a computer monitor so the
students can see what their classmates have written. If appropriate, a
URL can also be sent home so parents can visit the blog.
Classroom Considerations in an age
of Technology
The jury is still out, but using technology effectively may lead to greater academic
success by students. In order to cash in on this potential, teachers should model the
use of technology, provide guidance in the selection of technology tools, and
enhance the traditional learning environment through the use of various technology.

However, not all districts are created equal when it comes to technology. Further,
not all IT departments are created equal if at all. Teachers need to communicate
with IT about the technology needs for their class. Successful integration of
technology in the classroom depends on the availability of resources and effective
training of teachers. Remember, pedagogy before technology.

In this unit, the students have to have access to computers and the teacher has to
have access to a projector to display his/her computer screen or an IWB. Both the
student and the teacher need these items to complete the interactive Venn Diagrams
and the blog postings.

Technology Needs at Home
and at School
Home Technology:
This unit does not require technology at home. If the students and
their families have internet access at home, they could access the
classroom blog and discuss the entries together.

School Technology:
For this unit to be taught at its maximum potential, the teacher will
have an IWB and internet access. Also, the students will have
access either to a computer lab or one-on-one access to a laptop
with internet access. The requirements of the lesson require at the
very least a computer and project for the teacher and computers
for groups of students, both with internet access, to access the
interactive tools and to create blog entries.

Accommodations
Special Needs Children:

The key to success in the classroom for all students lies in having appropriate
accommodations, adaptations, and modifications made to the way the lesson is
taught and the activities that enhance the lesson.
Students with learning disabilities often have to have changes made in the class
room routines or class work.

This unit provides for accommodations for special needs children through the
setting of the classroom small group work; through the scheduling giving
extra time to complete assignments when necessary; and breaking up the
material over several days. Also, the reading requirements for this unit are
minimal. Most of the content is learned through visual and hands-on materials.
Student responses also show accommodations because students are
encouraged and required to use a word processor for written work and they
can work in groups.

Accommodations Continued
Marginalized Students:

In an effort to foster a classroom environment of equity, it is important to learn
as much as possible about groups other than the majority group. This unit
shows the differences in the miners who immigrated to Michigan and the value
they added to the communities in which they settled. Likewise, the differences
among the students in the classroom are treated as valuable and different, not
undervalued and deficient.

Working in collaborative groups to complete the assignments in this unit
provides students the opportunity to discuss the diverse cultures from which
they come as they explore the cultures of the various miners.

Also, since there is no requirement for the use of technology outside the
classroom, students will not feel as if they are being singled out for lack of
technology in their homes.
Interactive PowerPoint in the
Classroom
Interactive PowerPoint could be used in the classroom
as a study show to learn vocabulary. Students can
advance the show as each word is read and defined.

PowerPoint can be used to increase visual impact and
improve the focus of students. It can also enrich the
curriculum through interaction.
Assessment
Students are assessed on all objectives, curriculum and
technology, listed in the first slide. Students will be
given the assessment rubric prior to the unit
commencing so they know how and why they are going
to be assessed.
Assessments will be both formative and summative and
will be used to adjust either teaching strategies or
learning strategies. Assessment and learning inform
each other.
If required, the teacher should make changes in
teaching strategies so that learning is maximized for all
students.

Assessment Continued
Formative Assessment:
In this unit, formative assessment takes place during
instruction and is on-going throughout all of the lessons.
The Venn Diagram will not be graded, but the teacher will
give feedback about participation and about the finished
product.

The questions asked during the various components of each
lesson and the feedback from students provides an
opportunity for the teacher to assess comprehension.

Reading student journal entries and blog posts will provide a
unique opportunity to create classroom discussions and
assess comprehension. These items will also inform the
teacher as to whether adjustments have to be made in the
way the material is being presented.


Assessment Continued

Summative Assessment:
Measures student achievement by providing evidence
of student competency, or mastery of the material
presented.
In this unit, summative assessment takes the form of
evaluating students based on a rubric. The rubric
provides guidelines to ascertain whether students need
work on their skills, are developing, are proficient, or
have mastered the skills of blogging mastery and
critiquing. The blog posts as well as the journal entries
will be graded according to the rubric and feedback
provided.

Rubric for Summative
Assessment
The rubric to assess student performance for the blog
portion of the unit is below (adapted from Scholastic
Blog Rubric).

4 3 2 1
Response Highly appropriate Appropriate Attempt
made
Lacking
Originality Highly original Original Somewhat
original
Lacks originality
Respectfulness Very polite Polite Somewhat
polite
Not polite
Grammatical structure All correct Mostly correct Has a few
mistakes
Many mistakes