Teacher Candidate: Nicole Todd Lesson # 1

Subject/Grade: Social Studies/ Fourth Grade Date and Time of Lesson: October 8, 2014 at 9:30
Learning Objective: After conducting research, either individually or with a partner, using websites given by
the teacher, the fourth grade students will be able to summarize the accomplishments of Hernando de Soto.

Alignment with Standards:
Standard 4-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of political, economic, and geographic reasons for
the exploration of the New World.
4-1.4 Summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings and the Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French
explorers, including Leif Eriksson, Columbus, Hernando de Soto, Magellan, Henry Hudson, John Cabot, and La
Salle.

Developmental Appropriateness or Cross-curricular connections: The fourth grade students are already
comfortable with conducting research on the iPads. The fourth grade students are also comfortable with filling
in information on charts that they find while researching. The students are comfortable working with others in
the class and sharing the iPads with their partners.

Assessment(s) of the Objectives:

Lesson Objective(s) Assessment(s) of the
Objective(s)
Use of Formative
Assessment
After conducting research,
either individually or with a
partner, using websites
given by the teacher, the
fourth grade students will
be able to summarize the
accomplishments of
Hernando de Soto.
While the students are
researching information
about Hernando de Soto,
they will be responsible for
filling in a K-W-L chart. I
will assess the students based
on the information they put
in the K and W columns of
the chart. I will just look at
this information to make sure
they have things they want to
know about Hernando de
Soto. If the students do not
have anything in the K
column, that will be okay. I
will also assess the students
by evaluating their L column
of the chart. They will be
responsible for finding the
following information: when
he lived and died, where he
was born, areas he explored,
what he was known for, and
extra, interesting
information.
The assessment data
will be used to decide
whether the students
need more review on
Hernando de Soto
before they take their
test. The information in
the chart will be on their
test at the end of the
week.





Accommodations: The students will be allowed to work with partners while researching and recording their
information. If they are not able to work with the partner they are assigned, they will be able to work with a
different partner, or they will do the research alone. If there are behavioral problems, the students will be given
a hard copy of the articles from the websites, and they will complete the chart from the hard copy. If students
finish with their research early, they can read independently at their desks until the rest of the class finishes.

Materials: K-W-L chart, social studies notebook, Chrome books, Smart Board, steps to get to the following
websites: http://www.biography.com/people/hernando-de-soto-38469#synopsis and
http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/353048, pencil, glue

Procedures:
1. You have been learning about the different explorers in social studies recently. Today, we are going to
learn about Hernando de Soto. Before we begin researching information about him, I am going to give
you a K-W-L chart. I want you all to fill out the K and the W columns of the chart. The K column is for
information you already know about Hernando de Soto. If you do not know much or anything about
him, that is okay. The W column is for what you would like to find out about Hernando de Soto while
you are researching. I am going to give you ten minutes to fill in these two columns.
2. I will pass out the K-W-L charts to the students. I will set the timer for ten minutes.
3. While the students are working, I will walk around to make sure they are writing in their chart.
4. Does anyone want to share what you would like to find out about Hernando de Soto today?
5. I will call on a few students to share, if they want to.
6. The last column on the chart is for information you learn about Hernando de Soto while you are
researching. I have listed information that you need to find, along with another area for you to put
information you find that is interesting to you. You will work with a partner on the iPads to conduct this
research.
7. I will pass out the Chrome books to the students and assign them partners to work with during this
activity.
8. You will have fifteen to twenty minutes to research Hernando de Soto with your partner. To get to the
first website to research, you go to www.scdiscus.org. Click on Discus Kids. Click on Britannica
Elementary. From there, search Hernando de Soto. If you have any questions, raise your hand and I will
come to you. Look at this website for about ten minutes.
9. Now, I want you all to go to Google. If we want to find more information about Hernando de Soto, we
can type in his name in the search bar. We need to be careful of the website we use to research.
Biography.com is a good website to use. Everyone should go to this website. You will have ten more
minutes to look at this website.
10. While the students are researching, I will walk around and make sure they are getting the correct
information in their chart. I will also make sure they are on the correct websites.
11. Take out your social studies notebook and glue your chart on the next blank page. You also need to
add this to your table of contents. Use this chart to study for your social studies test that is on Friday.

Activity Analysis: One activity that will be completed is the K and W column of the chart that is given to the
students. This activity will show what the students already know about Hernando de Soto and what they would
like to find out while they are researching. I will use this to make sure the students find what they want to know
during the activity. There will not be any technology during this activity because the students will use their own
personal knowledge to fill in this part of the chart. The second activity that will be completed is the researching
of Hernando de Soto. The students will need to use iPads to complete this activity. The information they find
will be put in the L column of the chart to show what they learned during the activity. After they are finished
with this activity, they will be comfortable with the accomplishments of this explorer.



References:
https://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/61/