Kayleigh Potokar

Lesson Title: Who are they now?

Date: Fall 2015

Unit Title: Native People of Wisconsin

Subject/Grade Level: 4 th Grade Social Studies

Section A. Lesson Preparation

Rationale It is important for students to learn about the native people of Wisconsin because it is
not only a part of our states history, but the Native Americans are a part of our community today
as well. Most students see Native Americans as a part of our past and dont recognize the
influence that they have on our society today. Even more tragic is that they dont always
understand that Native Americans still live in our communities and are a part of our contemporary
life.
Description of Learners There is a total of 29 students in my class, 15 of which are male and
14 of which are female. 50% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, which shows that
poverty is a relevant issue in this community. The racial makeup of my classroom is 17 Caucasian
students, 1 Asian student, 6 Hispanic students, and 5 African American students. There are 9
students who are either placed in the special education group or have exceptional needs including
ADD, ADHD, Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, and learning disorders.
1. What are your students developmental assets? (Cognitive? Physical? Social?
Emotional? Motivational?) All of my students are very bright. Five of my students test
above grade level in academic performance, ten of them test below grade level and
qualify as special needs, and the rest of them test either at or slightly below grade level.
Many of the students show interests in sports, music, and art. These students tend to learn
best through visual, spatial, and auditory activities. I also am very lucky to have a
classroom in which group work is valued and respected by my students. Several high
achieving students regularly work with and assist students that are below grade level or
special needs. One particular pair that this works exceptionally with is Ivy and Seth.
2. How can the personal/cultural/community assets of your students can be utilized in
this lesson? A lot of my students are from low-income households or are minorities.
Because of this, I think that they will be able to relate with the struggles of the Native
Americans who were involuntarily segregated, and also those who face financial issues.
My students are generally empathetic and will be respectful and supportive of the lesser
known side of the story that we learn in this unit. Throughout this unit, we will also be
utilizing the Milwaukee Public Museum exhibit on Native Americans, as it is specific to
Wisconsin and the Midwest.
3. What prior knowledge, skills, and understanding must students have in order to
successfully engage in this lesson? Students must know that Native Americans existed
here before it was the United States or Wisconsin. This unit is primarily and introduction
to the tribes of Wisconsin and how they lived, so I dont expect students to come in with
extensive knowledge.
4. What preconceptions/misconceptions/misunderstandings/errors might students have
about the concepts in this lesson? Students may not understand that Native Americans

are still a part of our community today. My goal is to help them understand that Natives
influenced our community to make it the way it is today, but also that they are a part of
our contemporary community and are a large part of our past, present, and future.
5. What are individual learning needs in this class? What
supports/modifications/accommodations to instruction or assessment may need to be
made? (Content? Process? Product?)
The following is a list my students with exceptional needs and how I will accommodate
for them:
Austin Austin is an exceptional needs student who is diagnosed with ADHD
and ADD. He has a lot of trouble staying on task and is often in trouble with his
teachers. Austin has a habit of leaving the classroom when he becomes upset. He
is a smart child, but has trouble applying himself. He does much better when he
is sitting in the front of the classroom and has a lot of attention from his teachers.
I dont think that I have to modify the product for him at all, but he needs to be
partnered with students that are able to stay on task, and sit in the front of the
classroom during direct instruction.
Esmy Esmy is very eager to please and tries her best in everything she does.
She is very social and talkative. She has a learning disability and is placed in the
special education group, but she is the most studious of that group. Esmy would
benefit greatly from group work, as she likes to talk through the problems she
comes across. She is able to handle the content; she just needs a little extra
attention to ensure that she has a solid grasp on the material.
Marissa - Marissa is a quiet girl. She is very careful in her work and pays very
close attention to accuracy, but she struggles to grasp some concepts. Marissa is
placed in the special education group because she is quite far below grade level.
As a result, I will be offering outlines for her to fill in when we take notes and do
in class activities so she is able to focus more on the content than deciding how to
organize the information.
Cody Cody is autistic, and as a result is placed in the special education group.
He loves sports and is always talking about basketball in particular. He has a very
positive attitude toward everything. In order to help him through difficult
situations, I will pick his groups carefully and make sure that he is with
classmates that are particularly encouraging. He will also benefit from the
outlines for class notes and activities.
Seth Seth is very sweet, but he is easily discouraged. He is often distracted and
unfortunately ignored in his special education math group. If he doesnt
understand something he shuts down. However, Ivy works very well with Seth
and seems to bring out the best in him. When he understands a concept he gets
very excited about it and is extremely eager to demonstrate his understanding.
Seth loves to do well, and the outlines would be beneficial to him as well. He
benefits greatly from peer tutoring. Seth is autistic.
Ari Ari is autistic, and is placed in the special education class. He is reluctant to
interact with me and his other teachers, but seems to open up a bit more when he
understands the concepts he is learning. He will require a little extra one-on-one
attention, but after he has had a chance to use outlines to get a solid grasp on the
concept so that he will be willing to talk about the subject. I might consider an
art-based assessment to him, since he is a visual learner and likes to work with
his hands.

Damaure - Damaure is very relaxed and is always eager to learn even if he

encounters difficulty while going over the concept. He is a very good listener and
almost always stays on task. He has a learning disability that places him in the
special education group, but he just needs a little extra attention. He would
benefit from the outlines and some extra one-on-one work.
Josh Josh is diagnosed with ADHD, but his symptoms are not nearly as bad as
a lot of students I have met. Because of his diagnosis and his low scores, Josh is
placed in the special education group. He is very animated and loves to talk to his
friends Monti and Rricco. Josh is involved in sports and enjoys baseball. Since
his friends motivate him, they work well in a group. With the outlines and a little
extra support, he will do fine.
DeOivion DeOivion is a little bit of a class clown. He has a great sense of
humor and loves to make people laugh. He has a learning disability and is placed
in the special education group. He can get a little loud and unfocused, but he
likes to answer questions and volunteer. He might benefit from a verbal
assessment such as a verbal report or a presentation to the class.
Emmanuel He is autistic and a little withdrawn and gets discouraged easily. He
is very good at following directions, but he does not do well when he is
participating in open-ended tasks or without structure. He benefits from note
sheets and work sheets and extra attention.

6. What might be common preconceptions/misconceptions/errors/misunderstandings

relating to the content of this lesson? How will you identify and address them in this
lesson? Students may not understand that Native Americans are still a part of our
community today. My goal is to help them understand that Natives influenced our
community to make it the way it is today, but also that they are a part of our
contemporary community and are a large part of our past, present, and future. In order to
identify and address these, I will first ask students what they know about Native
Americans in general, and then specifically Natives of Wisconsin.
Objectives/Learner Outcomes and Assessments (formal and informal)
1.

List the measurable learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, dispositions) that students are
expected to demonstrate as a result of the lesson?
Be able to explain where the tribes are today and how Native Americans live in
contemporary society
Be able to explain the similarities between their own life and contemporary
Native American life

2.

For each of the above outcomes, what ASSESSMENTS will you use to evaluate each of
your learning outcomes? (Give a brief description).
Students will use a map of Wisconsin to plot the places where tribes used to exist,
and where they live now. They will also be put into small groups to create a
poster for each tribe and talk about how the communities work and present it to
the class.
Students will do some research on Native American communities in the area.
They will draw a map of what their community looks like, and a map of the
Native American community. Students will then write a small excerpt on the
similarities, or create a map key that shows the similar structures or objects in
both communities.

Standards Addressed What Core State Standards or Wisconsin model academic standards are
specifically addressed in the lesson?
A.4.4 Describe and give examples of ways in which people interact with the physical
environment, including use of land, location of communities, methods of construction,
and design of shelters

B.4.3 Examine biographies, stories, narratives, and folk tales to understand the lives of
ordinary and extraordinary people, place them in time and context, and explain their
relationship to important historical events

B.4.4 Compare and contrast changes in contemporary life with life in the past by
looking at social, economic, political, and cultural roles played by individuals and groups

B.4.7 Identify and describe important events and famous people in Wisconsin and
United States history

B.4.9 Describe examples of cooperation and interdependence among individuals,

groups, and nations

B.4.10 Explain the history, culture, tribal sovereignty, and current status of the American
Indian tribes and bands in Wisconsin

E.4.8 Describe and distinguish among the values and beliefs of different groups and
institutions

E.4.9

E.4.11 Give examples and explain how language, stories, folk tales, music, and other
artistic creations are expressions of culture and how they convey knowledge of other
peoples and cultures

E.4.12 Give examples of important contributions made by Wisconsin citizens, United

States citizens, and world citizens

E.4.13 Investigate and explain similarities and differences in ways that cultures meet
human needs

E.4.14 Describe how differences in cultures may lead to understanding or

misunderstanding among people

E.4.15 Describe instances of cooperation and interdependence among individuals,

groups, and nations, such as helping others in famines and disasters

Explain how people learn about others who are different from themselves

Materials/Resources/Technology List all materials/resources/technology needed to support

instructional procedures in this lesson.
Poster boards

PowerPoint
Worksheets
Journals
Computers for research opportunities
Drawing Paper
Map of Wisconsin

Section B: Introduction to Lesson

Purpose Last time we talked about the history of the Native Americans, but today we
are going to discuss how they are still members of our society today.
Prior learning I will ask students to remind us of what we learned last time in order to
review, activate prior knowledge, and make new connections.
Connections to personal/cultural/community assets I will ask students how they would
feel if all of a sudden their homes were taken and they were told to move somewhere
else. This will lead into a discussion about how the Native Americans ended up on
reservations and how they were treated.
Section C: Content/Procedures/Sequence (Include estimated time for each activity)

Content outline

Instructional strategies/learning tasks/sequence of

activities (include what you and the students will be
doing that supports diverse student needs)

Introduction

We will be reading Encounter by Jane Yolen to show

from a Native Americans perspective what the settlers
did to them. This will be a good hook and encourage
empathy from the students.

Main Content

Talk about assimilation and how settlers treated Native

Americans. Touch on the legislature used to exploit
them (Treaty of Prairie du Chien, Dawes Act, IRA, etc.)
We will also discuss where these tribes have come to
live. As we talk, students will plot points on a map of
Wisconsin to show where the tribes lives now.
Students will then break into small groups and do
research on settlements/reservations. They will make
poster boards that describe how people live and how
tribes uphold their traditions and ways of life that may
have been present in the past. They will then present and
students will fill out worksheets to be able to see the
differences.

Assessment
We will talk about the map assignment where students
will draw a map of their own community and one of a
Native American community.
Conclusion
We will close with a review and I will ask if any
students have questions.

Section D: Closure
Summary of lesson I will ask students to have a small discussion about the way Native
Americans were treated and come up with a better solution as a group. They will then tell
me as an exit slip.
Assignment The map assignment is their assignment.