Ashley Allen

Lesson Plan 1

Unit essential questions:

-Why do people travel and explore new places?
-What may happen on a long journey?
-What can we learn from new people and places?

Lesson question:
Why did Columbus want to travel to a new place? Who provided Columbus with the things he
needed for his trip?

Common core or other appropriate standard(s) addressed:

-STD.RI.K.7 With prompting and support describe illustrations from a nonfiction/informational
read aloud, using the illustrations to check and support comprehension of the read-aloud.

-STD.W.K.2 CKLA Goal: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to present
information from a non-fiction/informational read-aloud, naming the topic and supplying some
details.

-STDSL.K.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns
speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

-CKLA Goal: Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify what they know and have learned that
may be related to the specific story or topic to be read aloud

Lesson objective:
-Students will be able to identify King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and recall what
they gave Christopher Columbus.

Assessment: Quick Draw Activity: Many students will complete a quick draw activity as a way
to respond to a question being asked. Some of the students will complete a quick draw activity
in which they will respond to the question What did Christopher Columbus need from
Ferdinand and Isabella? The students will draw these items and then try to label or write a
sentence about their picture. Other students will be asked to recall what Isabella and Ferdinand
gave Columbus. Then they will be asked to predict what they think may have happened if
Ferdinand and Isabella did not give him these things.
Venn diagram: Other students will be assessed through a discussion in which they will
compare and contrast Ferdinand and Isabella to other Kinds and Queens that Columbus went to
for help. Their responses will be recorded in a Venn diagram by the classroom aide. Before
beginning the Venn diagram, the aide will ask the students to think about what Ferdinand and
Isabella gave to Christopher Columbus. The students will quickly write/ draw their answer on
the whiteboard and the aide will take note of their answers. The students will then work
together with the aide to compare and contrast Ferdinand and Isabella to the other kings and
queens.
Further assessment of the students understanding will be done through discussion
throughout the story. The teacher will ask the students a variety of questions as they read
through and after the story, to assess whether or not the students are grasping the content (ex.
Why did everyone want to go to the Indies? What was different about the way that Columbus
wanted to get there? Why is Columbus different than other explorers? Why would he go to
Kings and Queens for help?).

Opening: Students will meet with the teacher on the carpet in the front of the room. The
teacher will ask the students to raise their hand if they have ever went on an adventure (a fun
trip) and have a few students share their adventures. The teacher will remind students that
yesterday they read about a boy named Giovanni who wished to go on an adventure to the
Indies. The teacher will ask a student to explain why he wanted to go to the Indies.

Procedure:
-Review: The teacher will have a student volunteer to come up to a picture of a map
that is displayed on the Smart board and show the class the route people took to get to
the Indies (discussed in previous lesson). Then the teacher will ask the students to recall
why people could no longer travel that way.

-The teacher will show the students the new route people would need to take to get to
the Indies and discuss with the students whether or not that seemed like it would be a
longer trip.

-To help the students remember the fact that the Indies were far away and it was
difficult for people to travel there for gold and spices, the teacher will sing a song to the
students (the students can join in for the second round).

-Introduce the story Ferdinand and Isabella: The teacher will explain that in todays
story we will learn that many explorers wanted to try to get to the Indies using this new
route and that there was one explorer, Christopher Columbus, who like others wanted
to get to the Indies. However, he wanted to try and get there a different way. The
teacher will explain Columbus had one problem, he needed money and ships for the
trip. Then students will share ideas of who they think would pay for this expensive trip.

-Read Aloud: Throughout the story, Ferdinand and Isabella, the teacher will ask the
students a variety of questions to gauge their understanding of the concepts in the
reading.

- The students will be broken into groups. The teacher will come to each group to
introduce students to their task. Students may finish up their morning work as they wait
for the teacher to explain their tasks.

Tiered by Challenge_:
3 different tiers

Group 1 (Knowledge Level): The students in this group will complete a quick draw activity. They
will be asked the question What did Christopher Columbus need from King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella? The students will express their answers through a drawing. The students will be
encouraged to label or write a sentence about their pictures as well.

Group 2 (Analysis Level): This group of students is going to compare King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella to the other Kings and Queens Columbus asked for help (ex. both Ferdinand and
Isabella and the other Kings and Queens told Columbus no when he first asked for their help.
Ferdinand and Isabella are different because they changed their minds and decided to help.
Other Kings and Queens did not). The students will work together with the aide to complete a
Venn diagram comparing the two.

Group 3 (Evaluation Level): This group of students will recall the things Ferdinand and Isabella
gave Columbus. Then they will predict what would have happened if Ferdinand and Isabella did
not give Columbus what he needed to sail to the Indies. They will express their ideas through a
quick draw activity.
**Again, they will draw the picture first, then they will be encouraged to label or write a
sentence about their predictions.

**The teacher will circulate around the students completing the quick draw activities (group 1
and group 3. During this time the students will also have the opportunity to orally explain their
drawing to the teacher. The aide will assist group 2 with their Venn diagram (she will record
their responses into a large group Venn diagram).

Closure: The class will meet back on the carpet. I will ask a student to remind me of the things
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave Columbus to help him complete his journey. Now that
Columbus has what he needs, I will ask students to share their thoughts on what they think will
happen once Columbus sets out on his trip. The students will learn if their predictions are
correct in the next days lesson.

Materials:
-Quick Draw Sheets
-Venn Diagram (for analysis group)
-Computer
-Smart Board
-Ferdinand and Isabella story
-Images for the story
-pencils and crayons

Ferdinand and Isabella gave Christopher Columbus

Draw It!

Predict: What might have happened if Ferdinand and Isabella did not give
Columbus these things?
Draw It!

Write It!

______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Name _________________________________________________