Fall 2015: E325 Social Studies K-3

Unit:
Lesson Plan Topic:
Aim Question:

Erica Mayberry

History
From Mt. McKinley to Mt. Denali- Past Present Future
Why is it important to look at our culture to determine who we
are?

Primary Subject Area and Grade Level: List the primary content area for this lesson.
Social Studies
1st Grade

Interdisciplinary Connections: Provide a listing of the subject area(s), in addition to the primary subject area that is incorporated in this
lesson.
Language Arts- Writing about our names
Lesson Duration: State the approximate time frame for this lesson.
45 minutes
Relevance/Rationale: Consider how your outcomes and plan will engage students cognitively and build understanding. Why are the lesson
outcomes important in the real world? How is this lesson relevant to students in this class (interests, cultural heritages, needs)?
Students should know that the past, present and future all affect one another.
Outcomes/Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson? Outcomes should be written in the form of
student learning and suggest viable methods of assessment. For teachers of English language learners: What language objectives will be
addressed?
By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
Know that Mt. McKinley was renamed without the majority input of its people and was changed back to Denali by President Obama.

Understand that the past can have consequences that can affect the present and future.
Interview a parent or guardian pertaining to the origin of their name and write about it.
Know the value of their name or nickname.

Content Standard(s) and/or Common Core Learning Standard(s):

1.1.1

Compare the way individuals in the community lived in the past with the way they live in the present. Example: Clothing, the use of
technology, methods of transportation, entertainment and customs.

NCSS- Historical events occurred in times that differed from our own, but often have lasting consequences for the present and the future.
NCSS- The study of the past is the story of communities, nations, and the world.
NCSS- Key concepts such as: past, present, future, similarity, difference, and change.
NCSS- That we can learn our personal past and the past of communities, nations, and the world by means of stories, biographies, interviews, and
original sources such as documents, letters, photographs, and artifacts
Language Arts- 1.W.3.2 Develop a topic sentence or main idea, provide some facts or details about the topic, and provide a concluding statement.
Use of Formative Assessment to Inform Planning: Describe your students current levels of understanding of the content related to
the outcome for this lesson. What are some of the indicators that let you know that these outcomes and the lesson activities represent the
appropriate amount of cognitive challenge for all students?
As a class, we have been learning about names. We read the book My Name Is Leona (by Carol Gahara Harris)
which is about a young girl that doesnt like her name. She goes through many feelings about her name but
eventually she accepts it as her own because of the importance behind it. The students have weighed in on ideas
from the book including:
Why does Leona not like her name?
What kinds of things can help you name your pets?
If you dont like your name, what can you do about it?
By reading this book, the students have thought about ways they either like or dislike their names and can relate to
the topic at hand with Mt. Denali.

Class Information:
There are about 3-5 special needs students in the classroom. All students speak English as a first language. Some are visual, kinetic and auditory

Fall 2015: E325 Social Studies K-3

Erica Mayberry

learners. I do not have a paraprofessional in the classroom with me.

Overview: Provide a brief overview of the lesson. The overview should provide the observer with a description of the lessons content and how
it relates to the larger unit. Include prerequisite knowledge required to meet lesson outcomes and relationship to future learning.
As the students are learning about History, we will take the time to incorporate a bit of Geography and learn about Mt. Denali (Mt. McKinley). The
students have learned about the past, present, and future but they do not necessary connect in their minds yet. They will soon learn that the past
can have consequences for the future and sometimes it can be changed. Recently, President Obama changed the name of the highest mountain
in North America, Mt. McKinley back to Mt. Denali. This is a very important change because it directly affected the people of the state of Alaska. In
their language, Denali means the high one which takes on a direct meaning for the mountain. In 1896 the mountains name was changed by
W.A. Dickey to signify solidarity with the presidential candidate William McKinley who was for the gold standard. This caused problems because
McKinley had no ties to Alaska whatsoever. The students will relate this concept to their selves. They will discover the history of their own name
and decide if it should be changed for any reason. They will realize that the past (parents naming them) affects their present (the name they
currently have) and their future (nick name or legal name change).

Technologies and Other Materials /Resources: List all materials, handouts, resources, and technology tools that are needed by the
student or the teacher to execute the lesson. Technologies may include hardware, software, and websites, etc. Materials and resources may
include physical resources (e.g. books, manipulatives, supplies, equipment, etc.) and/or people resources (e.g. guest speakers, librarian, etc.).

Pictures of Mt. Denali, Alaska, Pres. Obama, Pres. McKinley

Computer, Projector, name tags, coloring/writing utensils, summative assessment worksheet
Grouping Strategy: Describe how you will group students to facilitate learning of the outcomes of this lesson. What is the rationale for the
grouping strategy?
Because the students will be learning this material for the first time, there will be no groups during the lesson. There will however be small groups
to discuss the activity due to time restrictions. Each group will have 4-5 members and they will share the story of how their name came to be and
whether they think it is a good name and they keep it or why they chose to change it. Small group shares take less time than whole group shares.

Academic Vocabulary: What key terms are essential to this content? What terms are essential to develop and extend students vocabulary?
Past
Present
Future

Change
Similarity
Difference

Culture
History
Heritage

Lesson Procedures: The procedures should clearly describe the sequence of learning activities and should identify where and how all
materials, technology tools and student-created technology products, and reproducible materials/handouts are utilized in the lesson. Describe the
lesson sequence:

How will the lesson launch?

How will the material be presented?

What questions will be posed to the students? What are the expected responses?

How and when will the teacher model?

What opportunities will there be for guided practice, group work and individual practice?

How and when will you monitor student understanding throughout the lesson?

Fall 2015: E325 Social Studies K-3

Erica Mayberry

What opportunities will there be for reflection and closure?

Include approximate time allocations for each portion of the lesson. Be very precise when explaining the teacher and student tasks during the
learning activities.
Launch (10 minutes)
Opening question: If I changed your name to Saulywampwump and told you there was nothing you could do about it, how would that make you
feel? (Laughter and discussion 3 minutes)
Review the book My Name is Leona in a think pair share (think about the book, pair up with a partner, and share thoughts)
Oral story about how Mt. Denali changed to Mt. McKinley back to Mt. Denali with comprehension questions incorporated. (Pictures of
map of Alaska, Mount Denali, President McKinley, and President Obama will be on display during the story on a projector.)
Model how the main activity should go step by step with my name as the example
Main Activity (25 minutes)
Tell students to retrieve their interview from their parents about the origin of their names, a name tag, writing utensils and paper.
Break the students up into groups of 4-5 to share their ideas.
The students will share their name, the origin of their name and if they like it or not and why.
They will write their preferred name on a name tag.
The students will then write about how the past shaped their name and what they are going to do in the present and future to preserve
or change their name.
Encourage students to ask inquiry questions of their classmates and ask them myself of the students.
Conclusion (10 minutes)
Allow 4 minutes for class wide sharing of name origins and reasons for name sameness or changes
Ask the students if they think the mountain name change was necessary or not.
Give the students the follow up 5 question summative assessment worksheet to complete and return the next day.
Differentiation: Describe how you will differentiate instruction for a variety of learners, including students will special needs, English Language
Learners, and high achieving students to ensure that all students have access to and are able to engage appropriately in this lesson. Be specific.
Special Need Students- I will make sure they are aware of the reasons of why names come to be. They will only have to be responsible for telling
why or why they do not like their name in the group share.
High Achieving Students- I will have these students share if they feel the name change for the mountain was fair or not in addition to sharing the
history of their name.

Assessment Criteria for Success:

How and when will you assess student learning throughout the lesson (formative)?
How will you and your students know if they have successfully met the outcomes?
What is the criteria for mastery of the lesson outcome(s)?

Describe any (formative and summative) assessments to be used.

Formative Assessment: Via questions in the launch:
Who was the mountain named after?
What does Denali mean?
Do you think changing someones name is an ok thing to do? Why or why not?
I will also check to make sure they are participating in the small group share activities and listening in on answers.
Summative Assessment: The outcomes will be successfully met when the students are able to summarize the main
points of the lesson on a follow up homework review worksheet.
Where is Mt. Denali?
What was the mountain called in the past?
It is the tallest or shortest mountain in the US?
3

Fall 2015: E325 Social Studies K-3

Erica Mayberry

Why is a name so important?

Draw a picture of a mountain and name it.

Mastery comes from getting at least 4/5 questions correct on the review sheet (summative assessment), participation in
the activity in class as well as making sure the students can relate the situation at hand to a real life example.
Extension of the Lesson: Describe the sequence of learning tasks that should follow this lesson.
We could learn about Presidents.
We could learn about why all the states are not connected.
We could learn the history of a particular culture.
We could learn about protecting our environment.

Anticipated Difficulties: What difficulties or possible misunderstanding do you anticipate that students may encounter? How will you
prevent them from occurring?
The students will continue to think the mountain is called McKinley. I will repeatedly make sure the students are aware of the name change by
repeating Mt. Denali over and over.
The students may not know where Alaska is on a map because it is not a contiguous part of the United States of America. I will show them on a
map where Alaska is and where Mt. Denali is.
Students may not be able to retrieve the story or give an interview to a parent about why their name is their name. I will ask them about why they
decided to name their new pet its name.
Reflections: List at least three questions you will ask yourself after the lesson is taught.
Did I teach the lesson as clearly as it played out in my head? Why?
What were my strengths? How can I get stronger?
What were my weaknesses? How can I build them to be stronger?