Molloy College

Division of Education

Heading for Coursework

Student
Jacqueline Garay-Cruz
Course EDU 509
Grade 4 Topic: George Washington

Professor K. Sheehan
Date 3/25/14
Content Area Social Studies

Instructional Objective(s)
The students will learn about George Washington and how he displayed grit and hope in the
American colonies through his leadership by reading a short biography and placing important
events of his life in chronological order. The students will also reflect on their own lives when
answering opinion questions about George Washington.
STANDARDS AND INDICATORS
New York State Social Studies Standards
Key Idea: 4.8 The American Revolution resulted from growing conflicts between Great Britain
and the 13 colonies over the issues of political and economic selfrule and the intellectual beliefs
about natural rights and the purpose of government.
Key Concepts: 4.8.g During the American Revolution, some New Yorkers remained loyal to the
British, while others fully supported the war for independence
Indicator: This will be evident when students read the short biography on George Washington
and learn of his hope and grit in the American Revolution.
National Social Studies Standards and Themes:
6. Power, Authority, and Governance
Indicator: This will be evident when students learn about George Washington becoming the first
president of the United States.

English Language Arts Standards -Reading: Informational Text : Grade 4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5
Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of
events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs,
diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the
information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
Indicator: This will be relevant when students read and highlight information from the text and
put events in chronological order.
Social Studies Practices: Habits of Mind
Recognize the importance of individuals who have made a difference in
history, and the significance of personal character for both good and ill
(Power, Authority, and Governance).
MOTIVATION
The teacher will begin by posing questions about leadership. Have you ever been in a position of
leadership? What were some of your responsibilities? The teacher will then share a personal
story where she needed to take an important leadership role and define hope and grit as it applies
to her story.
MATERIALS
Smart Board
Grit and Hope power point slide
George Washington Handout
Exit ticket
STRATEGIES

Group discussion- Students will answer thought provoking questions about leadership
direct instruction- The teacher will post aim on smart board and tell a personal story
Group work- Students will form two groups and work collaboratively on the
informational text.
Read and retell- Students will read a short biography on George Washington and answer
chronological and opinion based questions.
ADAPTATIONS
The student with a visual impairment disability will be provided with the worksheet and
power point on their Ipad during class to allow him to zoom in on text as he works.

The student who is an English language learner will be provided with a vocabulary list of
words pertinent to the lesson in advance and sit with a proficient speaker to support them
during the lesson.
The student with ADHD will receive a list sequencing the steps of the lesson as well as a
scribe.
DIFFERENTIATION OF INSTRUCTION

The teacher realizes that not all students learn the same way. The teacher will differentiate by
Tiered differentiation.
Tier One Learners will work with the teacher in guided reading and be prompted
to highlight at least 4 events in chronological about George Washington.
Tier Two Learners will be asked to find at least 6 events in chronological order
and highlight them.
Tier Three Learners will work with tier one and two learners as supporters and
collaborators in finding 10 events in chronological order on the life of George
Washington.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROCEDURES
1. The students will be asked to give examples of hope and grit in their lives after the
teachers personal story about hope and grit.( What is hope to you? What in your life gave
you hope? What is grit to you? Do you have grit? In what situation have you showed
grit?).
2. The students will listen to a brief introduction of George Washington, and then form two
groups to read an informational text about him. (What do you know about George
Washington? What is he famous for? Was he a good leader? Why or why not? ).
3. The students will work collaboratively to identify examples of how Washington showed
hope and grit citing evidence in the text. (What is a good way to find evidence from the
text? Does looking back in the story help you locate answers easier? Do you like group
work? Why or why not?)
4. The students will collaboratively locate and highlight events of George Washingtons life
in chronological order in the text. (Why is it important to learn about things in order?
Can you understand information better when they are in order? Why or why not?).
5. The students will work individually on answering opinion questions in the informational
text; they will finish questions for homework and work on an exit ticket that the teacher
will collect at the end of class.( How can our opinion help us understand a text better?
Are opinions facts? Are opinions wrong? How do you feel about stating your opinion?).

ASSESSMENT
The teacher will observe the students working in their groups.

The teacher will collect and grade the George Washington informational text.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

The students will finish the opinion section of the handout for homework and hand it in on the
next school day.
FOLLOW-UP: DIRECT TEACHER INTERVENTION AND ACADEMIC
ENRICHMENT
Direct Teacher Intervention: Students who did not easily meet the lesson objective will be
asked to attend extra help and redo the handout with the teachers assistance.
Academic Enrichment: Students who easily met the lesson objective will have the option to
write their own story in which they needed to show hope and grit and compare it to George
Washingtons hope and Grit.

REFERENCES
C&I. (n.d.). NYS Learning Standards:CI&IT:NYSED. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/standards.html
Deverell, W. F., & White, D. G. (2012). United States history. Orlando, Fla.: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.
Google Images. (n.d.). Google Images. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from
http://images.google.com/
Welcome to abcteach. Explore teaching materials, free printable worksheets, reading
comprehension, SMART Board lessons, and more.. (n.d.). abcteach: Printable
Worksheets for Teachers, Common Core, Smart Board. Retrieved March 22, 2014, from
http://www.abcteach.com/