George Mason University

Graduate School of Education

Mandatory

Form D

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAM

LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Intern: Kyle Hunt

Grade Level: 4th

Title: Designing the project

Date:

I.

Objectives
K Students will know who the primary figures of the Revolutionary War are, to
include; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James Lafayette
U - Students will understand why the primary figures were important to the war as well
as some significant acts that they accomplished.
D - Students will be able to draft a short written piece as well as an art representation of
one of four historical figures
VS. 5
The students will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American
Revolution by
(b) Identifying the various roles played by whites, enslaved African Americans,
free African Americans, and American Indians in the Revolutionary War era,
including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James
Lafayette

II.

Materials for Learning Activities

List the texts, equipment, and other materials to be used by the students.
Texts provided by Librarian in lesson 3 (hypothetical texts at this point)
Paper / Pencil
Opinion paper Graphic Organizer
Computer art program
Smart Board

III.

Procedures for Learning Activities

Introduction outline procedures for activating prior knowledge and student interest.
(In this section you should also tell students what they will learn. Define it for them.
- Activation of prior knowledge; Remember the other day in the library when we
learned how to research famous figures? Today we are going to work on getting
some of those ideas down on paper so you can present them to the King. We are also
going to start sketching/designing the art that will accompany your presentation.

Model / Guided Practice: We are going to start this writing by organizing our
thoughts. Please pull out the graphic organizer we did the other day that has the
important historical figures on it. We will be using that and this new storyboard
graphic organizer to begin our drafts. Hand out multiple copies of new opinion
paper graphic organizer
Instructional Strategies - We are going to complete the organizer using Mr. Hunt as
an example again. Lets talk about why we would want Mr. Hunt to talk to the
King. Using both GOs fill out the opinion paper sheet. I will use popsicle sticks to
call on children to keep the answers random. There are no wrong answers with this
as its an opinion piece so no answer will be rejected. If there is an answer given that
is very off base I will ask for justification of the response. If its defensible it will
stand. If its not I will guide it to an acceptable answer.
Upon completion of the first opinion graphic organizer the class will be broken up
into their groups so that they can work on their pre-selected historical figure (selected
during lesson at the library).
While the children are in their groups and filling out their organizers I will be
circulating the room, taking notes on any gaps or issues with knowledge, making sure
that the children stay on task as well as keep everyone moving forward. At this point
I will also make sure that there is no off topic or frivolous information being shared in
the organizer.
Once each graphic organizer is complete I will have each group stand and briefly
present their organizer so that everyone in the class is re-familiarized with each
historical figure. This is also a point of assessment that I can make sure all needed
information is being shared with the class.
Now that each group has shared I will have the groups work together to draft their
artwork. In this time they will be asked to use pencil and paper to put together the
initial thoughts of what their group would like to create. This is just a planning
session so nothing to serious needs to be constructed at this phase. I will again
circulate, taking notes, keeping children on task, and making sure that the art is
relatively accurate and appropriate.
After the children complete their art study I will have them go back to the opinion
graphic organizer and have them turn this into a paragraph. Again, this will be an
early edit but it will provide them a first draft and me with a point of assessment.
This will be guided practice again and then release. We will work as a class to turn
the Mr. Hunt organizer into a paragraph. I will start with modeling the first sentence
or two. This person is Mr. Hunt. Mr. Hunt was a teacher before the war. He is
known for Children will be randomly selected to provide what they think the next
sentence in the paragraph will be. We will continue with this until the Mr. Hunt
paragraph is complete. I will be typing as they talk so that the paragraph appears on
the Smart Board as they create it.
Upon completion of the Mr. Hunt paragraph the groups will be asked to turn their
opinion graphic organizer into a paragraph. They will be allowed to work as a group
to decide on the facts that are needed and the order to present them. Each group will
turn in one paragraph that the group completed. They will be made aware that this is
a rough draft and there will be time for revision in the following days. They will also
be aware that I will be assessing this draft to make sure that it is accurate and

informational with the needed knowledge. They will have a rubric to work with. As
the children work on the paragraph I will be circulating the room to ensure on task
behavior and to answer any questions. I will also be taking anecdotal notes for
informal assessment in regards to participation and individual contributions.
I will give the children a 5-minute warning to put any final thoughts together and
remind them that this is a draft.
To close the activity I will have the children reflect on their writing in their language
arts journal. They will be given the following prompts to use for their reflections if
they want to use them; Im happy about my writing because Im excited about
my writing because I want to change this about my writing and I want my group
to include this in the writing The students will not be required to use the sentence
frames. I will also ask the students to think about what they want their art to look like
for this piece. They will be told to think about it at home and envision what their art
piece will look like.
Give estimated time for each phase of the experience (introduction, instruction,
summary).
Introduction 5 minutes
Guided Practice graphic organizer 10 minutes
Graphic Organizer and presentation 20 minutes
Art work draft 20 minutes
Guided Practice paragraph 10 minutes
Paragraph writing 20 minutes
Closing 5 minutes

IV.

Assessment
- Informal and Formative: I will be circulating the room and observing the students
working through the information. I will be taking notes on how they are gathering
information (notes, conversations, copying) and what information they are gathering,
making sure that they are acquiring the key pieces of information for each figure.
- Informal and Formative: Graphic Organizer. The graphic organizer will allow me to
make sure that all students are creating their draft properly.
- Formal and Formative: I will be using a rubric to assess the draft of the group writing.
The rubric will not be scored but will be used to give students feedback.

V.

Differentiation
Content Differentiation
- The content is differentiated with this lesson in ability to use graphic
organizers to put thoughts together and build sentences / paragraphs that work
towards the end goal of an opinion paper.
Process Differentiation
- The process is differentiated in multiple ways. To begin with the groupings
allow students to work with peers so that they may utilize similar content and
share ideas. I will also differentiate the process by working one on one with
groups to ensure that no individual is dominating a group or not participating.

By using strategic questions on each group I can ensure that all members are
participating and learning from the exercise.
Product Differentiation
- The unit final product is differentiated in that students are to create both a
written product and an art product. The flexibility allows for students to show
their knowledge in a form that is more comfortable for them as well as
assisting ELL students who might struggle with written language. This lesson
is differentiated in that I will have specific graphic organizers and exit tickets
for students who might be behind in language arts.
Accommodations
- Group 1. The organizer and the journal entry will have sentence frames on
them to allow for student BH to better understand what is expected.
- For student BH I will engage him one on one. I want to make history
interesting for him so I will find someone from his native country that has
played a similar role to the historical figure he is writing about.
- For student PT I will provide fidget sticks.
- For student MH I will challenge her to find 2 things that were not in the
information that I provided to add more to her groups paragraph.
- For student ST I will request a short sharing session with the class where he
can share some information on the role of Whites and African Americans on
the revolution. I will provide a center specific to him that he can research and
share information from.

VI.

Technology Integration
The Smart Board will be used to share information with the class

VI.

Reflection

Anecdotal Notes Record

Date:
Student

Summary:
Additional Plans/Instruction Needs

Lesson:
Observation

Name___________________

My Purpose:
Convince your reader: Provide reasons and examples to make your opinion clear.
Sentence starters for stating
your opinion:
In my opinion
I think
I strongly believe
I feel
My favorite

Transitions to use in the body of

your writing:
For example/instance
Another reason
In addition/Additionally
First, second, next,
finally
Most importantly

Transitions to use in your

conclusion:
In conclusion
For all the reasons Ive
given
To sum it up
To summarize
As you can see

State your opinion clearly in a single, complete sentence.

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Convince your reader: Provide reasons and examples to make your opinion clear.

Reason:____________________________________________
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Example:___________________________________________
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Reason:____________________________________________
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Example:___________________________________________
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Conclusion: ____________________________________________________
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