Melissa McGraw

ELED 3223
November 2, 2017

INDIRECT INSTRUCTION (STRUCTURED DISCOVERY) LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Who discovered the Americas?

Elementary Social Studies

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Big Idea: Who discovered the Americas?

Grade Level: 5th grade.

Rationale: Im teaching this content because the students were starting to learn about explorers.
Students are learning this material because its important to know how places were discovered.

NC Essential Standard(s): 5.H.1.1: Evaluate the relationships between European explorers and
American Indian groups, based on accuracy of historical information (beliefs, fears, leadership).

Instructional Objective: Students will use evidence to support an explorers claims and make
final judgments regarding who discovered the Americas. Students can work in a group, partner,
or independently. Students are expected to earn 8 out of 10 points.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills: Students should know that explorers are people who
discover places.

Materials/Resources: Teachers will need a worksheet that has background information on

Christopher Colombus, The Vikings, and The Chinese. Students will need a piece of notebook
paper and a writing utensil.

Source of your lesson: My clinical teacher.

Estimated Time: 1 hour.

Accommodation for Special Needs/different learning styles: I will have copies of the passage
made for students that are ELL, in their language. Students that need help reading and
understanding can work with a partner or groups they can benefit from.
Melissa McGraw
ELED 3223
November 2, 2017
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Content and Strategies (Procedure)

Engage: Teacher will write Who discovered the Americas? on the board to capture students
attention. The teacher will call on students to say their answer and teacher will write students
answer on the board. At this time, the teacher should just put the person or peoples names on the
board and not ask any follow up questions.
5min

Explore: Teacher will tell students we are going to find out who discovered the Americas! Every
student will get a worksheet that has information on Christopher Colombus, The Vikings, and
The Chinese. The teacher will tell the students they can work with a partner or a group of
students as long as work is getting done. The students job is to read the worksheet and take notes
on each explorer(s). After about 30 minutes the students and teacher will come back together and
discuss who discovered the Americas and why they think so. The students are responsible for
collecting evidence on why they think that specific person or group of people were the ones to
discover the Americas.
30 min

Explanation: After all the students have finished reading about all the explorers, the teacher will
have all the students rejoin together, on the carpet or in their desks. Make a tally on the board for
who thinks Christopher Colombus discovered the Americas? Who thinks it was the Vikings?
Who thinks it was the Chinese? The teacher will break the students into groups based on how
they voted. For exampl, all the students who think Christopher Colombus was the one, sit in a
group. The teacher will go around to each group and ask that group why their explorer(s) is the
one that discovered the Americas.
15 min.

Elaborate: The teacher will tell the students to talk amongst your groups of why you think your
explorer discovered the Americas, why it cant be the other explorers, by using the passage for
evidence. The teacher must emphasize that using the passage will help make your justification
that must stronger.
10 min.

Evaluate: Students will get 3 points for having notes on their paper on each explorer. Students
will get 3 points for choosing one explorer for the discovery of the Americas with reasoning.
Students will get 4 points for relating their reasoning to the passage.