Clinical Social Studies Lesson Plan

Lesson strategy: Creative Dramatics Lesson title: North Carolina mash-up

skits

Grade Level/Subject: 4th grade, Social Studies Big Idea/Central Focus: Nations and
states use symbols to represent their history
and culture.

NC Social Studies Essential Standard: Identify NCSS Theme(s) your lesson

4.H.2.2 Explain the historical significance of North connects with:
Carolina’s State symbols. http://www.ncss.org/standards
People, places, and environments

Daily Lesson Objective: Students will create a mash-up skit using a North Carolina symbol, a North
Carolina place and a North Carolina historical figure.

Identify the 21st Century Skills in the lesson: Academic Language Demand
Learning and Innovation Skills: Language Function: Create
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Innovation Vocabulary: Cultural heritage, natural
treasures, state symbol.
Life and Career Skills: Syntax: Anchor Charts, Script, exit
Productivity and Accountability, Leadership and ticket
Responsibility Discourse: Inquiry questions, whole
class discussion

Prior Knowledge of Students (report the data from the pre-assessment):

Student 1:
What is a symbol?
-A symbol is a sign that you use usually in math or to show something.
How can symbols be important?
-Symbols can be important for the answers to an equation or to help you figure out something.
How do we pick our state symbols?
-I don’t know.
Do you know any North Carolina state symbols?
-The state capital is Raleigh.
Do you know why we have state symbols?
-To show where the state capitals are.

Student 2:
What is a symbol?
-A symbol is like a trait that is left behind by someone and it has a very special meaning to people.
How can symbols be important?
-In case you’re looking for something very valuable, you can find it for example the pyramids in
Egypt can help you find the hidden places all over the world.
How do we pick our state symbols?
-We pick them from what’s most known.
Do you know any North Carolina state symbols?
-American flag, bald eagle, North Carolina seal.
Do you know why we have state symbols?
-The reason we have them is to resemble our country and every country has multiple symbols that
reflect who they are.

Before you describe the lesson sequence, you need include a Social Studies Content Section.

This lesson will make sure that students understand the significance of North Carolina’s State
symbols. This lesson will discuss various North Carolina State symbols and will show students some
photographs of NC State symbols. The activity in this lesson will be a mash-up skit where you take
unrelated things and mash them up to make them interact and relate while using important facts.
Students will work in groups to create a mash-up skit and each student is assigned a specific role:
director, writer, researcher, actor(s). Students will do most of the research on their own using
technology, books, and each other.

Identify and explain how the lesson connects to, at least, 2 of the 5 PASS components
Active- This lesson connects to this PASS component because students are up and moving around,
practicing their skits and also performing the skits. Also students are working collaboratively in
groups using their prior knowledge, internet search engines, and classroom books to find research.
Students will take their research of 3 unrelated things and make them relate to one another which is
minds-on learning.
Meaningful- This lesson connects to this PASS component because students are working and learning
together in groups, they are doing a majority of the research on their own and putting it into a
skit/performance so they are more likely to remember the information because they found it and put it
together in a meaningful way.
Explain how do your topic and your group’s strategy connect to the development of citizenship?
In this lesson, students are working collaboratively with one another to create a mash-up skit. In
schools, in workplaces, etc. we sometimes have to work together as a team to solve a problem or
complete a task and it is important to be able to work well with others and still get the job done.
Another thing this lesson does is allows students to think outside the box to make unrelated things
come together and correlate with each other. Sometimes in life, things are going to arise that don’t go
together or “mash-up”. In a workplace, you could come across an issue or problem that involves
unrelated things/items that you might have to solve. This activity helps students to practice putting
things together that might not seem to relate on the surface.

Activity Description of Activities and Setting

Time
1. Focus and Review Have students turn and talk to the person next to them 3 min
and discuss this question:
-What makes North Carolina special to you?
Ask a few students to share what makes North Carolina
special to them.

2. Statement of Students will create a mash-up skit involving North 30 sec

Objective for Student Carolina symbols, places, and people.

3. Teacher Input I will show this short video that shows pictures of 5 min
various North Carolina State Symbols.
https://youtu.be/e90snzJUudQ
I will make an anchor chart that has the definition of
what a state symbol is. Read the definition of a state
symbol and tell the students that cultural heritage is the
culture of a state and natural treasures are produced by
nature and provide the example that the Dogwood
flower is an example of a natural treasure because it
grows in nature. I will also put some North Carolina
state symbols on the anchor chart and go over each
one. Ask students to think about if they have ever seen
a North Carolina State symbol in person.
4. Guided Practice Say to the class “a mash-up is when you take unrelated 10-15 min
things and put them together to create something new.”
We are going to brainstorm a mash-up skit using a
North Carolina symbol, a vacation spot, and an
important person from history. Tell the class that we
will be using the Venus Fly Trap, Concord, NC, and
Michael Jordan as our 3 items in our mash-up skit.
Students will brainstorm some mash-up skit ideas
using these 3 things with a partner or small group.
Walk around the room and listen in on what the groups
are saying to see if they need any help or need to
elaborate more. Ask students what a Venus Fly Trap
is/does and how might that interact with Michael
Jordan or Concord. Give students 4 to 5 minutes to
brainstorm ideas and then bring the class back together
and call on a couple students to share their ideas. When
a student gives a good example, tell the class that it
was a great example and explain why it was good and
how they relate to each other.

5. Independent Students will work in groups of 4 to create a mash-up 30-40 min

Practice skit using a North Carolina symbol, a North Carolina
place and a North Carolina historical figure. Students
will use these items to figure out how they might
interact and to show why these things are important to
North Carolina. Pass out the NC mash-up skits
worksheet and explain the directions. Students will
choose the symbol, place, and person they want to use
then assign group roles to each group member (back of
worksheet). Students will have 20 minutes to do
research, come up with a mash-up skit idea, and get the
script written. Give a warning at the 10 minute mark,
and the 5 minute mark to let students know to keep on
track. Walk around the room and listen in on what the
groups are saying to see if they need any guidance or
support. Ask students how might the historical person
interact with the place? Are they traveling there or do
they live there? Also, ask about the importance of the
North Carolina symbol that the group chose. After the
20 minutes is up, students will have 5 more minutes to
get their skits together and finalized. After students
create their skit, they will perform the skit to the class.
6. Assessment Methods Formative: Questions asked throughout lesson:
of all objectives/skills: -What makes North Carolina special to you?
-I want you to think about a time where you might have seen a
North Carolina symbol.
-What is a Venus Fly Trap/ What does a Venus Fly Trap do? And
how is that important?
-How might a Venus Fly Trap interact with Concord or Michael
Jordan?
- (Based on what the groups chose): How might the historical person
interact with the place? Are they traveling there or maybe they live
there?
- (Based on which symbol the group chose): What is the importance
of your North Carolina State symbol?
Summative: Skit presentations and scripts
Exit ticket: Define the word “state symbol” in your own words. Also
write down one North Carolina State Symbol.

7. Closure After each group has a chance to perform, bring the 5 mins
class back together to talk about the skits and sum up
that our state symbols represent North Carolina’s
cultural heritage and natural treasures.

Exit ticket: Students will define in their own words the

definition for state symbol and give an example of a
state symbol.

Targeted Students Student/Small Group

Modifications/Accommodations:
English language learners: Print the
worksheet in primary language or have a
worksheet that shows the pictures of North
Carolina Symbols (video will help).
Autism Spectrum: Pair these students with
responsible students they work well with.
Assigning roles should help also and make
sure that students are working together even
though they have different roles.
Modifications/Accommodations: Ask
prompting questions, give them a storyline for
their mash-up skit but still have them do the
research and put the lines together.
Struggling readers: Use kid friendly search
engines, maybe give them lower reading level
articles/websites to research, pair them with a
strong reader to help out.
Academically/Intellectually Gifted: Have them
choose another North Carolina State symbol and
think about how it might “mash-up” in their own
life.

Materials/Technology: Anchor chart, NC symbols video on Youtube

(https://youtu.be/e90snzJUudQ), mash-up skit worksheet, students’ chromebooks, students’ social
studies workbook.
References: Worksheet given to me by my Clinical Teacher (see below).
Reflection: (Write several paragraphs about what you learned from this lesson. What were the
strengths? What were the weaknesses? What did you learn about teaching and student learning?
How would you teach this lesson differently in the future?