Table of Contents

Rational for Unit....2 Content Standards.2 Specific Unit Goals3 Description of Unit4 Bulletin Board.See inside flap of binder Bulletin Board Explanation..5 Navigating Nonfiction..6 (Concept Attainment ) Navigating a Map..11 (Advanced Organizer) Surviving as a Westerner..15 (Cooperative Learning) Solving Westward Story Problems..20 (Direct Instruction) Dispute at Skunk Territory.25 (Problem Based/Inquiry Instruction) Assessment..30 Resources.32

Begin your journey west now!

Rational for Unit

This unit is focused on westward expansion in the United States. This unit is designed to help students not only learn the content of the west but to learn social skills, gain empathy for a variety of situations and practice discussion and writing skills. Throughout the lessons students will learn different aspects of heading west such as relations between Native Americans, travel routes and conditions for the pioneers, how to read a map and engage in story problems. The unit is designed for 5th grade students who according to the Iowa Common Core social studies concepts are learning about the struggle for freedom. The journey west was a way for people to get a new type of freedom. The country was giving land away to the first who arrived on the spot and regular citizens could get lucky and strike gold. Though our overarching theme for 5 th grade social studies is the struggle for freedom the content standards below adhere specifically to our unit on the west and helped us shape further goals for our students.

Content Standards
Taken from the Iowa Common Core, we have selected the following standards to shape our unit and ensure that our goals and lessons are consistent with standards-based teaching: 1. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent. 2. Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the development of society and the movement of populations. 3. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. (Concept Attainment Lesson) 4. Understand the concepts of title, legend, cardinal directions, distance, grids. (Advanced

Organizer Lesson) 5. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. (Cooperative Learning Lesson) 6. Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions. (Direct Instruction) 7. Understand how geographic and human characteristics create culture and define regions. (Problem-Based)

Goals of the Unit

The following goals that we have developed for our unit plan are based on our previously listed content standards from the Iowa Common Core. Although the goals are derived from a series of standards, these goals have been adapted to fit our students needs and have been written in student-friendly language. These goals are the foundation for our lessons and can be seen throughout the unit with different lessons targeting each of the following goals: 1. Students learn to come to a consensus with their classmates to take on new challenges that students can solve successfully, by themselves, without teacher interference. 2. Be able to take on perspectives of other people in history and use those perspectives to understand others points of view in differing situations. 3. Students will be able to effectively read a map, specifically they will be able to use the tools of a compass, key and scale. 4. Students will be able to navigate non-fiction texts and find relevant information from these texts. They will use tools such as an index or a glossary.

5. Students will be able to solve story problems by identifying and labeling key information within the problem, followed by working through a series of steps to solve the problem. 6. Students will be more knowledgeable about the west specifically, they will better understand: Native American-Settler relations, travel conditions for the settlers, trails settlers took, reasons for heading west, challenges that both groups (Native American/Settlers) faced, and how moving west shaped America.

Unit Description
These goals will be accomplished throughout each of the lessons provided later in the unit plan. All of the lessons target goal number 6 because that is the content of our unit. In Navigating Nonfiction our concept attainment lesson plan, goal 4 will be met by teaching students some of the key tools in non-fiction texts then allowing them to practice the methods they learned on their own. In Navigating a Map our advanced organizer lesson plan goal 3 will be met by giving students a metaphor to connect reading a map to things they already know. After instruction students will then be given the opportunity to practice their new skill on a map. In Surviving as a Westerner our cooperative learning lesson plan students will work on goals 1 and 2. The social skill will be taught and students will be given a cheat sheet to continue practice on their ability to talk with each other. In Solving Westward Story Problems our direct instruction lesson plan goal 5 will be met through explicit teaching and finally in Dispute at Skunk Territory our Problem Based lesson plan will meet goal 1 and 2 as well. The reason these goals were selected is because they challenged the students to master the necessary content to be knowledgeable on the west and gain social skills.

Bulletin Board: Our Classs Journey West

Our bulletin board is called Our Classs Journey West. We selected this title because we really want the board to be the students place to get more involved in the unit. Since our unit focused on the west we talk a lot about caravan wagons and how people got to the west. This was the inspiration for having a caravan wagon that our students could hop on throughout the unit and travel towards the west. This is a great metaphor for student learning because if they get on the wagon it will take their learning where it needs to go. We have a lot of subheadings on the board that really allow students to see a variety of resources. We have Artifacts from our Journey which is on the cover of the wagon. This section is designed for students to put up work they really like related to the unit or artifacts from their learning journey about the west. There is also a Historical Person of the Day section. The purple person represents the historical person and as it shows on the board the head will have a picture of the historical person and the body will contain some relevant facts on that person. This will change every day so students learn a lot of information and to keep students looking at the board every day. Finally we have the Resources that got us there section. This section is the wheels because the wheels are what keep the wagon running smoothly similar to how resources keep a lesson running smoothly. Here there will be books that give great information for students to consider when learning more about the west. The entire bulletin board is set up so that students will be able to share their own work, learn about people that influenced the westward movement and pick out great resources to help them gain even more information. This interactive bulletin board will be a great resource for the students and us as the teachers.

Concept Attainment Lesson Plan Lesson Background:

Your Name: Grace Manz & Collaborator Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subject: (circle one) Language Arts Social Studies Mathematics Science Lesson Title: Navigating Nonfiction Materials Needed: Each student needs a copy of Westward Expansion by Teresa Domnauer Worksheets with questions about informational texts and a topic Elmo Light bulb cards (1 for each student) Graphic organizer Prerequisite Skills: Students are at grade level in reading and writing; students have also worked on writing reports briefly so they have some background in that. Students have also worked with nonfiction texts in class in previous lessons. Lesson Objective: After 5th grade students have been taught how to use nonfiction texts to find information, they will be able to identify the title and authors of a text, find facts that are relevant and important to the students topic, and create two well-developed questions on the material. Concept Label: Nonfiction Texts Critical Attributes: Yes (they are critical headings picture captions summary bolded words index

No (they arent critical) characters plot narrator poetry imaginary

Definition of Concept: Nonfiction Texts: Books or textbooks that are factual with the main purpose of informing the reader about a topic. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6

Interaction with Students:

1. Provide examples and non-examples to the class: (Distinguish yes/no attributes) Time 10 minutes Today we are going to try something new. As you can see on the ELMO I have a paper with yes and no written on the top. As I place words in either the yes or no column, try to figure out what all of the yess have in common but dont blurt it out! Instead, when you think you know what the concept is, or what the yess have in common, hold up your light bulb card (See test for attainment below). After I have placed a few words in the yes and no columns and some of your light bulbs are turned on, I will hold a word in the middle and ask the class to respond with whether they think it fits in the yes column or the no column. (Place the words headings, picture

captions, and index in the YES column and the words characters, narrator, and poetry in the NO column)
2. Test for attainment: (Do the students understand the concept?) Time: 5 minutes

Prior to this lesson, students have created their own individual light bulbs on a notecard. These light bulbs are used for temperature checks throughout various lessons. I am starting to see
a lot of light bulbs turning on so now I would like the class to help me decide whether a word fits the concept or not. I will place a word between the YES and NO columns and I would like the class to say yes if it fits with concept or no if it does not. Dont worry about having the right answer right away, instead, give your best guess and as we continue with examples the concept will become more clear. (We will sort the following words as a class: summary and bolded words in

the YES column and plot and imaginary in the NO column)

3. Analyze student thinking processes and integration of learning: Time: 5 minutes (Are they able to provide additional examples and non-examples?) Now that we have sorted our words, talk with your tables about what you think the concept is and why. Make sure to support your idea for what the concept is. ( Allow for time for students

to discuss at their tables and walk around to check to make sure tables are on task and on the right track). Then we will call on one table to have a student share the concept. Now that we know
what the concept is, in your group, come up with a few examples of words that would fit in the concept. (As students share their words we will write them down on the ELMO)

Time: 2 minutes The words that we sorted into our YES category earlier are all important components of nonfiction texts that we use to find information in the book we are reading. Although we may have used some of these in class before, I am going to show you how to use these different features together to find important information in the text to completely fill out a nonfiction notes graphic organizer. In the future, we will use this graphic organizer to create a written report.
4. Clarify lesson objectives: (What are students going to DO with these?)

5. Procedures for Using the Concept in a meaningful way? Time: 10 minutes 7

When it comes time for you each to use the nonfiction text we are focusing on, Westward Expansion, to write your own report you will draw a topic on Westward Expansion out of a hat. Let me demonstrate what the entire process will look like, starting with drawing a topic. I would reach into the hat and draw out the topic Native American Struggles, for example. Now that I have my topic, the first thing that I will do is check the table of contents, the glossary, and the index for any insight for where I can find information on my topic. When I flipped to the Table of Contents in our book I notice that Native American Struggles information can be found on page 25. So lets turn to page 25 together. (Then I would show the pages of the
book on the ELMO and point to specific facts that I find interesting and important for my topic. I would record these interesting facts down on the graphic organizer under the first section) Then I would tell students that I would spend more time reading through the information on my topic and develop two questions I have for the author. An example of one

question that I have for the author at this point in my research is, How did you find out about these Native American struggles and where did you get your information from? At the end of the time that we spend in class researching, fill out the last part of the graphic organizer. After
all of my research (modeling), I would share the most interesting fact I found. After completing the think-aloud I would have students draw their topic out of the hat and work individually on using the nonfiction text and filling out the graphic organizer. 6. Assessment / Closure (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure for this lesson?) Include rubric, checklist, assessment documents. Time: 3 minutes To evaluate student progress I would use both formal and informal assessments. For informal assessments I would walk around the room while students are working and check to make sure students are on task, utilizing the resources of the nonfiction text, and making progress through their nonfiction graphic organizer. For formal assessment I would use the following rubric: Nonfiction Graphic Organizer Rubric ___ (1pt) Title of the text and authors are listed ___ (6pts) Facts given are relevant to the students topic and are important concepts from the text ___ (2 pts) There are two complete and well-developed questions filled in ___ (1 pt) The entire graphic organizer is completed ___/10 Total Score

7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product: 8

a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? Because this lesson is very individualized, it provides a great opportunity to differentiate for individual students needs. For students that are reading below the level of the text provided, we will provide them with an alternative text at their reading level. Also, when students are working individually, I would work directly with a group of students at a separate table that need extra help by providing more modeling of how to use the resources available in the nonfiction text. b. Extension for students of high ability? (Remember, assigning gifted students to be the tutor for others is not sufficient academic challenging for students who have mastered the lesson). For students of high ability, I would provide them with an alternate, higher-level nonfiction text. Students of high-ability could also be challenged by creating their own graphic organizer instead of following the organizer provided. Or, instead of limiting the students of high ability to creating a graphic organizer, I would allow them the freedom to organize their notes and ideas in any form of their choosing as long as they meet the same requirements of the original graphic organizer. TOTAL LESSON TIME: 35 minutes 8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc): Iowa Common Core Westward Expansion by Teresa Domnauer (viewed online through amazon books) Professor Cox (Reading in the Content Areas professor who taught our class the importance of integrating nonfiction reading and writing) A teachers blogspot for her nonfiction graphic organizer found at: http://lutton519.blogspot.com/2012/03/little-nonfiction.html

10

Presentation with Advance Organizer Lesson Plan

Your Name: Grace Manz & Collaborator Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subject: (circle one) Language Arts Social Studies Mathematics Science

Lesson Title: Navigating a Map Materials Needed: Map of the U.S. for each student and teacher, Map of the class with a seating chart prepared, map of the west for student assessment, worksheet of questions for student assessment, Elmo, rulers, white boards, markers and erasers for each student, calculators for each student. Prerequisite Skills: Students are at grade level reading, and have some background knowledge in regards to the movement of the Western settlers. For example, students would be familiar that settlers took certain paths or trails to the West. Students are familiar with the concepts of units of measurement such as centimeters, inches, miles, etc. Students also understand multiplication and basic math functions such as addition and subtraction and are able to use calculator. Lesson Objective: After receiving instruction on reading maps, 5th grade students will be able to effectively use map toolscompass, key, and scaleto identify important information on a map and answer comprehension-based questions with 90% accuracy. 1. Present objectives: (What are students going to learn?) Time:1 minute Today in class we are going to learn how to read maps by learning how to identify and use the tools of a map including a compass, key and scale. Then we will use these tools to interpret a map of the Westward movement. 2. Present advance organizer: (A metaphor or logical connection?) Time:5 minutes Today we are going to learn how to read maps, which is a skill you may all be familiar with and not even know it! Before we do that we would like you to look at the map of the classroom thats projected on the Elmo and find your seat. (Each student would have an assigned seat shown on the map and there would be clear orientation of the classroom by noting the front and the back of the room.) After students are seated, we would ask, How did you use the map to find your seat? We would then have a brief discussion about what was helpful or unclear about the picture. 3. Demonstrate knowledge or skill: (Input/Modeling by the teacher) Time:25 minutes There are all kinds of maps and throughout your life you will probably see quite a variety. There are some tools that we are going to learn that will help you read most of these maps. We use maps to get information. All of you used the classroom map to find your seats. Now each of you has a map of the United States which we are going to look at to learn these tools. There are three tools we are going to learn today. The first is the compass. In our classroom map I labeled the front and the back instead of having a compass but most maps have a compass with the directions, North, East, South, West on them. A simple way to remember the 4 directions are Never Eat Soggy Waffles (Write this on the board next to the map on a compass drawing). Can you help me find where the compass is on our map of the U.S.? (call on one student to point to the compass on the 11

map) We use the compass to explain where things are compared to other things on the map. For example, if we look at Iowa, we see there are a lot of states bordering it. I want to know what state is to the south of Iowa. To do this I look at my compass and see that south points downward. I now know that I am looking for the state below Iowa. Looking at the map I see that the state south of Iowa is Missouri. Now using your white boards I want you to write down the answer to my next question, then on the count of three I want you to put your white boards in the air and show me your answer. On your white boards please write down the state that is north of Iowa. (allow some time for students to identify and write the state north of Iowa). 1,2,3 everyone raise up your board! * (based on the success of the students we would model more examples as necessary about orientation). The next important tool is the scale. We all know that the entire U.S. doesnt fit on a piece of paper so to make it fit we use a scale. A scale is normally done in a unit of measurement you know that is small such as inches or centimeter. The map we are looking at uses inches. For every small unit there is a bigger unit that it represents. By looking at the scale we see that for this map an inch represents X miles. (based on the map used the mileage would be different). Scale is important when you are measuring the distance between two points on a map because what may seem like a small distance can actually be much longer. On my map I am going to show you an example of how scale works. I am trying to figure out the distance between Des Moines, Iowa and Cheyenne, Wyoming. To do this I place the beginning of the ruler at Cheyenne and then line it up with Des Moines. Now based on how many inches are used I take the number of inches times the amount of miles each inch represents and that is the total distance. This can be done on a calculator. I know you are all great mathematicians so this should be fun! On your own maps with your ruler I want you to try and find the distance between Cheyenne, Wyoming and Salem, Oregon. Please write this down on your white board and when I count to three show me your answers. (Give students time to work through the problem) 1,2,3 show me your answers!* (Based on the success of the students we would model more examples as necessary) For explaining how to use the key, we would follow the same modeling procedure and once again have students write their answer on the white boards after our first example. 4. Check for understanding and provide student feedback: (How will you know students understand the skill or concept? How will they know they get it?) Time: 5 minutes All of the places with stars (*) in the lesson are located are where our check for understanding is being used. Throughout the modeling we asked students to write down answers to questions on white boards and show their answers. We would have a list with all of the students names on it with three categories, Compass, Scale and Key. If the majority of the class struggled nobody would get a check and we would do another example problem. However, if only a few students struggled we would put a check by their name under the concept they struggled with. During work time the students with checks would be called back for small group instruction on the particular area they struggled on.

12

5. Assessment/Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this lesson?

Time:10 minutes To evaluate student progress and ensure that students understand how to effectively use map tools (compass, key and scale) to identify important information on a map, they will answer the following comprehension questions on a worksheet using the map provided:

Navigating Maps Worksheet Name_____________________ 1. Which of the tools that we learned about is not on this map? 2. What is the scale given? (draw below) 3. Based on the scale what is the distance from Salt Lake City to Ft. Kearny? 4. What does it mean if a state is yellow? 5. What shape and color are forts?

13

6. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? A modified map that has less cities and only relevant information (that will be assessed) will be available to students who may be overwhelmed with all of the information on the maps. Also, a separate map could be given to assess each different tool so questions could be directed at a specific tool for each map. For example, a map may just have a compass to help a student grasp that skill before overwhelming them with the scale and key as well. We would also provide instruction in a small group or individually on the specific tool they needed more practice with. Extension for students of high ability? We would have students of high ability create a map instead of answering comprehension questions about the map. More specifically, we would give these students a set of directions in a sequential order that they would follow to draw one of the westward expansion trails on a map of the United States. For example, the first set of directions could state, Place your starting point on St. Louis, Missouri and mark it with a red circle. TOTAL LESSON TIME:_46 minutes 7. References Consulted: (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, teacher resources, websites, etc): Iowa Common Core www.teachingamericanhistory.us/standards/pdf/Grade_5.pdf Oregon Trail website

14

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan Lesson Background:

Your Name: Grace Manz & Collaborator Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subject: (circle one) Language Arts Social Studies Mathematics Science

Lesson Title: Surviving as a Westerner Materials Needed: List of all of the options that the students have to pack on the trails, some pictures or actual objects that may be on the trail, packets of scenarios for each table (wagon train), notecards with pioneer identity, notecards with roles within the groups, Coming to a Consensus Questions reference for all students, Prerequisite Skills: Students are at reading level, have some background information about the westward movement; students also are at a 5th grade writing level. Lesson Objective(s): a. Academic in A B C D format: After being presented with the scenario that they are pioneers on the westward trail, 5th grade students will solve the problem of what to bring along on their trip and support their decisions with at least two reasons from the perspective of their pioneer identity. Relate to b. Social Goals for your lesson: Students will be able to share their ideas and problem-solve within their groups and come to a consensus on the solution. Cooperative Learning Grouping Structure: (see course pack.Jigsaw? Think Pair Share? etc) Students will be working in small groups of four that form their wagon train to discuss the problems they face on their trail west and come to a consensus with what decision they should make. At the end of the simulation, small groups will share their experiences from the simulation with the rest of the class.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interaction with Students:

Time: 2 minutes Today we are going to do a simulation where you will have to make tough decisions and be able to write two reasons for your decisions. Each of you will be given an identity as a pioneer on the trail and you will make your decisions based on the perspective of that character. In groups you will face decisions about what to pack in your wagons and practice coming to a consensus on solutions to the many problems you will face on your journey westward.
1. Present objectives: (Tell students what they are going to learn?)

15

2. Present information for the academic goal: (Time: 20 min) When we are ready to begin our simulation, each of you will be given a pioneer identity and will be put in groups that will be your wagon train. But first, we need to go over some basic directions and the sheet that each of you has been given. This sheet that you each have includes 30 common items that pioneers brought with them on the trail west. When you are in your groups you will first have to choose 25 items that you will start your journey with and 5 that you will leave behind. Now we are going to spend some time going over the list to make sure that everybody knows what these objects are. In fact, I brought a few artifacts from the west to show you some of them in real life. I strongly encourage you to take notes on items that you are unfamiliar with. (Go over the list of 30 objects that students may bring with them on the trail ex: dried bacon, water, spare wagon cover and let students see and pass around the realia) At this time, each of you will be given your new western identity. Some of you will be farmers, children, carpenters, or a housewife. It is important to take on your new identity for this simulation, which means thinking and acting like the character. For example, if Im a farmer, bringing seeds on my wagon may be more important to me than they would a carpenter. When I sort you into groups each of you will be given your identity, so be sure to read over your identity carefully so that you can make informed decisions. Your identity cards will tell you some of the objects you value the most and why. Please use that reasoning when making your decisions about which items your group should bring along the trail. Once you are in your wagon train, (groups) each group will be given a packet with four different scenarios. These scenarios will tell you what situation or obstacle your wagon train encounters each day of your journey and then explain how many items you must remove from your wagon and leave behind. For example, on one day you might have to cross a river and your wagon is too heavy to float across so you will need to leave four things behind. As a group you will need to come to a consensus about which four things you will leave behind. To help you come to a consensus, I have created a sheet of questions that the mediator may ask to help your group come to a consensus and move along on the trail. Coming to a Consensus Questions
Use these questions or statements to help your group make decisions

How does this item help the group? What do each members opinions have in common? What will benefit the group the most, not just myself? How can we make a compromise between the ideas that have been suggested? Consider an idea from another persons perspective. Check your tone of voice and body language. Am I communicating in a way that is helpful to the group?

16

But before I put you into your groups, I am going to explain what the different responsibility roles are within your groups (See 3c for complete team role descriptions). For each scenario you will switch responsibility roles so everybody has a chance to be each role. However, you will have the same identity for all the scenarios. (Sort students into groups based on 3b) Now that you understand the objects, and how this simulation will work, introduce yourself using your pioneer identity to your group and then get packing and start your wagons! 3. Organize students into learning teams: a. Explain how theyll practice the social goal?

Time:5 minutes

Students will be in groups with the list of items that they bring with them on their journey. The way that they will practice the social goal is at every obstacle they will have to come to a consensus about what stays on the wagon and what leaves the wagon. All group members have to come to a consensus before they can continue on in their journey west. To scaffold students in learning how to do this, the Coming to a Consensus Questions reference will be provided. b. How will you organize the groups? With something such as a simulation the groups have to be carefully considered especially because some students may struggle with the concept of having the mindset of another individual (See differentiation below). Also since the social goal is about coming to a consensus, we would not want the same group of friends together because it would benefit students to have a variety of opinions in their group. Keeping all of these considerations in mind, the groups would be preestablished by the teacher. For smooth transitions students would be given one card that contains their table number and their new identity (name, age, job, family, skills). c. What group roles will you have? At each table group there will be four notecards with one of the following four group responsibilities on each. Students will draw a role and at the beginning of the first pioneer scenario and for the other three scenarios they will give their responsibility role card to the person on their right. The Responsibility Roles: 1. The Checker-they are the only person that can check out the items or ask the teacher what an item is and bring them back to the group. 2. The Recorder-the recorder will write down the journal entry at the end of every obstacle (just because they write the information down does not mean they have to come up with it by themselves). 3. The Mediator-they make sure that the conversation stays on task and that everyones opinions are heard. They are the one that is primarily responsible for asking the questions on the Coming to a Consensus Questions resource. 4. The Reader-They read the scenario to the rest of the group.

17

4. Assist team work and study: Time: 5 minutes a. How will you monitor academic progress? Go around to each group and read their journals to see if they understand the perils that they have been put in as pioneers. Also we would listen to their conversations to hear if they are using reasoning based off their characters identity. For students that are not using their identities prompt them with questions that would get them to use their identities to answer the question. For example: As a farmer what is the most important thing you need when you get to your final destination? b. How will you monitor the social goals? To monitor the social goals we would focus our efforts in two ways. First, we would walk around the classroom during the simulation and listen in on student groups conversations and consider their decision-making process. We would be listening for things such as a student asking for one of their group members thoughts on an item or for the mediator to ask the group to compromise on their ideas and find one that they can all agree on. Second, we would look at the journal entries that students completed from previous scenarios and evaluate the students ability to come to a consensus and for the support and reasoning behind their decision. If students seem to be struggling to come to a consensus, refer them to the Coming to a Consensus Questions resource and encourage them to ask these questions more frequently. We would also sit in on the next scenario with that group and when necessary, intervene to redirect the group or offer suggestions. When we hear positive contributions and see these academic and social goals being met we would utilize token economy (see below). 5. Provide recognition: Time: 1 minute (happen throughout lesson) (How will students know they have met both academic and social goals?) When students are working well in their group and coming to a consensus effectively we will use token economy and put a marble in the jar. If students are using their identities and statements such as I am a farmer so I think we should keep the seeds to explain their choices they will also get marbles in the jar. Besides marbles we will encourage and praise individual groups to keep up the good work. 6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or end this lesson?)

Time:5

minutes Include documents for assessing both the academic and social goals.
Social assessment: Each student would be assessed on the following components that are important in coming to a consensus. They would be assessed through a checklist by the teacher while groups are working. If a student did the following things they would get a yes check and if there was no evidence to the teacher that the student was listening to others or explaining their own opinions there would be a no check.

18

Yes Explained Opinion Clearly Listened to others opinions Willing to compromise Positive tone in conversation

No

Academic Assessment: To assess the content objective, each group will fill out the following questions in their journal for each scenario: 1) What items are you going to leave behind? Give two reasons for why you made that decision. At least one reason must be connected to a group members identity card. 2) How did the problem effect what items you decided to leave behind? Since students have been asked to make their decisions based on the perspective that their identity has they will be evaluated on if their reasons are supported by their identity. To ensure this, students will be required to include at least one fact about who they are and how that impacted their decision. If they provide two reasons supported by their identity it will be clear content has been mastered. However, if their decisions arent based on the perspective of their new identity further instruction is needed. 7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product: a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? For students who may not relate as well to the material they could be given a role more similar to their personal characteristics. For example they could be given the role of a female child on the trail instead of a blacksmith to help them relate better to their character. Also students who struggle with understanding the hardships and problems that pioneers faced, we would provide a more modern-day equivalent. For example, if an axle breaks in the scenario, we could make the connection with these students to the common day equivalent of a car breaking down. b. Extension for students of high ability? (Remember, gifted students need challenge). For students that already have a strong understanding of the material they may be given more difficult challenges. For example instead of simply having to discard items they may be told that if they see a solution to getting those items across the water by using the items they packed then they can explain the solution and keep the items that they may have otherwise lost. Also students who are gifted may be given roles that are more abstract such as a tax collector that would challenge their perception and give them a new perspective on the west. TOTAL LESSON TIME: 40 minutes 8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc): Iowa Common Core Professor Hanson- the 112 art integration instructor did a similar exercise with her class which we gained some ideas and insight on to make our lesson plan.

19

Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Lesson Background:

Your Name: Grace Manz & Collaborator Subject: (circle one) Language Arts Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Social Studies Mathematics Science

Lesson Title: Solving Westward Story Problems Materials Needed: Each student needs a highlighter and a pencil, the teacher needs an Elmo, a highlighter and a pencil. Each student also needs the assessment worksheet with the problems for independent practice (given out at the teachers discretion). Prerequisite Skills: The students have an understanding of the operations and fundamental knowledge of subtraction, addition, multiplication and division. They have had some experience with addition and subtraction story problems but the idea is fairly new to them. The students can read at or above grade level. Students have learned a little bit about Westward expansion which is why the problems have a western theme. A B C D Lesson Objective: After reading a story problem, 5th grade students will be able to identify and label key information and successfully write 6/8 of the steps on the procedural checklist for solving story problems. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interaction with Students:

1. Provide objectives: (What are students going to learn?) Time: 30 seconds As settlers, you will be given story problems in which you must read the situation and determine which numbers and math operations to use to reach your solution. You will work through a stepby-step procedure which will guide your decisions! Good luck! 2. Demonstrate knowledge or skill: (Input/Modeling by the teacher) Time:10 minutes In class weve been exploring the topic of Westward expansion. Can someone share with me one interesting thing theyve learned so far about life as a settler or the westward movement? Now today, you are all settlers starting your own movement west! Get ready to work through some of the problems that the settlers faced along their path to new opportunities! I will explain my thinking out loud as I work through the first story problem: Mama and Papa Pioneer stole money and left Virginia on March 5 th 1809 to head west. It took the pioneers 15 days to get to Utah. They went 2100 miles. How many miles did they go each day? Alright now that I read this problem I notice that there are a lot of numbers so since Im trying to figure out the important information I am going to highlight all of the numbers.

20

Mama and Papa Pioneer stole money and left Virginia on March 5th 1809 to head west. It took the pioneers 15 days to get to Utah. They went 2100 miles. How many miles did they go per day? Okay So I have highlighted all 3 of the numbers in the problem, but what am I trying to figure out? To help me figure out what I am looking for I need to underline the question. Mama and Papa Pioneer stole money and left Virginia on March 5th 1809 to head west. It took the pioneers 15 days to get to Utah. They went 2100 miles. How many miles did they go per day? Alright now I have all of my numbers highlighted and my question underline, so Im going to re read the question. How many miles did they go each day. Based on the question I now know what information is important to solve the case. The question asks about miles, so I am going to find the number that has the unit miles. 2100 is the number next to miles. I am going to write this off to the side. The next part of the question is about days, so I see that 15 has the unit days after it. I am going to write 15 days off to the side. I noticed that there is a number I didnt use, the date. I didnt use this number because it wasnt part of the question. This makes the information irrelevant, not every number will be used to answer every problem. Its important to sift through information to make sure we are making informed decisions. So now under my problem I have 2100 miles written and 15 days written. Lets look at the question again. How many miles did they go per day? I now need to figure out which one of my tools I need to solve the case. I either need to add, subtract, multiple or divide. There are certain words that help me know which tool to use. I am going to put on the board each of my story problem tools and key words that would help me know when to use them. I know that you guys know most of the key word for addition, subtraction and multiplication but we are all going to write these down anyway for our reference. (On the board) Story Problem Tool Kit Addition + More than Combined Sum Total of Multiplication X Of times

Subtraction Less Fewer than Difference between Division #/# Per Out of Percent

21

Now that we know all of our key words I am going to see if the question used any of our key words, or similar words. It looks as if our question has the word per in it. Per falls into the division tool category. Now I know that I know which tool to use its time to solve the problem. The question says miles per day. So I take my miles number divided by my day number. 2100/15= 140 We got our answer of 140! But we need to make sure that our client knows what is 140, so lets add the unit, which would be miles. Our answer is 140 miles. 3. Provide guided practice: (Guided practice with the teacher) Time:15 minutes Now that I have modeled my thinking process through solving a story problem case we are going to work on another problem together. Each of you has a folder on your desks; please reach in and grab a copy of the story problem. Mr. Settler has struck gold in his backyard! For 6 days Mr. Settler has been mining 5 bags of gold each day. On the 7th day Mr. Settler takes a day off. On his day off his pesky neighbor Billy steals some of his gold. Mr. Settler counts his gold and finds that he has 26 bags of gold. How much gold did Billy steal? I need your help class! Talk at your tables about what the first step should be. Once your table has an answer I need all eyes on me. (once all eyes are on me I will draw a popsicle stick and ask that student what the first step is). Thats right student A, Our first step is to highlight all the numbers. Lets do that now! A)Mr. Settler has struck gold in his backyard! For 6 days Mr. Settler has been mining 5 bags of gold each day. On the 7th day Mr. Settler takes a day off. How much gold did Mr. Settler mine during the week?

B) On his day off his pesky neighbor Billy steals some of his gold. Mr. Settler counts his gold and finds that he has 26 bags of gold. How much gold did Billy steal? Now I would like you guys to try and do the second step on your own copy of the case. Once you are done talk to your tablemates about your answer. (I will again select a popsicle stick and ask a student what the second step is) Good work on the second step, All of your papers should look like this: A) Mr. Settler has struck gold in his backyard! For 6 days Mr. Settler has been mining 5 bags of gold each day. On the 7th day Mr. Settler takes a day off. How much gold did Mr. Settler mine during the week? B) On his day off his pesky neighbor Billy steals some of his gold. Mr. Settler counts his gold and finds that he has 26 bags of gold. How much gold did Billy steal? 22

Lets focus more on question A now. We have highlighted all the numbers and underlined the question. As a class now we are going to reread the question. How much gold did Mr. Settler mine during the week? Looking at our story problem tool-kit its time to pick a tool to use to solve this problem. Talk with a partner about which tool you should use and why. (students talk amongst themselves about tools to use. They come up with the answer of multiplication) Now write the important numbers below the problem. I know that one number isnt relevant so you should have two numbers written on the bottom. What numbers did you think were relevant? (class answers that 6 days and 5 bags are relevant). So now since we are looking for the total number of bags of gold that Mr. Settler mined after 6 days we multiply 6 times 5 and get 30. Make sure to add your units of bags so that we know what Mr. Settler has 30 of. Now lets finish part B using the answer from part A. First we will re -read the question for part B together How much gold did Billy steal? This question is a bit more difficult because we need to look at the answer we got in the question before. We know that before Billy stole the gold there were 30 bags of gold. We also can see from part B that after Billy stole the gold there were only 26 bags. So we need to find the difference between 30 and 26. What tool is best used to find the difference? (class answers subtraction). Subtraction is correct. 30-26=our answer. Our answer is 4! What did Billy steal 4 of? (class says bags of gold). 4. Check for understanding and provide student feedback: (How will you know students understand the skill or concept? How will they know they get it?) Time:2 minutes To check for student understanding I would have a class list that I would mark with either a check, plus, or a minus sign to indicate my perceived level of the students understanding based on their contributions to group discussion or answers given out loud. Minuses would be given to students who either provided incorrect answers or did not follow the steps in sequential order. Pluses would be given to students who demonstrate clear understanding of the process and can verbalize their understanding. Checks would be given to students who adequately followed the process and were able to reach a solution to the problem. I would then refer to this chart and provide more instruction to students as needed. 5: Provide extended practice and transfer: (Independent practice of the skill)Time:10 minutes Now each of you settlers has the opportunity to work through some problems on your own. Take the worksheet out of your folder and work through the story problems using the five step process we did together. Work through the worksheet on your own for the remainder of our math time and see me if you have any questions. When you finish, turn your worksheet into the assignment bin. If you finish early, take out your journal and write about the challenges you faced and the problems you solved as a settler on their journey west.

For independent practice students will be given 3 story problems where they have to show all of their work and solve the problems. The goal will be for students to turn in as much as they can complete in the time. If they do not finish they would still turn it so that as a teacher I could assess what skills we still needed to work on.
6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this lesson?) You MUST include rubric, checklist or assessment document. Time:2 minutes

23

Skill Highlighted all numbers Underlined question Picked correct tool (operation) Wrote key numbers separately Solved the problem Included units Correct answer

Yes

No

This checklist would be used to evaluate the worksheet that students completed during independent practice. As a teacher, I believe that in learning to solve story problems, the process is important in order for students to reach the correct solution so a checklist will provide a way to evaluate whether students are following the process correctly. I would personally complete this outside of class time and use it to make decisions about our next math lesson with story problems and use differentiation as needed. 7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product: a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? During guided practice, I would make observations about what students were struggling with and during the class independent practice time, extend guided practice to small groups of students who are struggling with similar steps in the process. Additionally, I would provide differentiation through creating multiple worksheets with different degrees of math skills and provide them as necessary. For students that need more help with the content, problems would only consist of relevant information so they wouldnt be confused by the extra numbers. For students struggling with the higher operations, such as division, their worksheet would consist of addition and subtraction story problems until they are more familiar with the procedure. b. Extension for students of high ability? For students of high ability I could provide more challenging story problems that require multiple steps using division and multiplication operations. To further challenge students I could have students create their own story problem and solve the problem as well instead of completing the worksheet during independent practice. TOTAL LESSON TIME: 40 minutes_ 8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc): www.purplemath.com/modules/translat.htm: We used this website for our table of mathematical operations and story problem key words. Story problems were created based on our past knowledge about the westward movement from what we learned from previous K-12 teachers who provided instruction on the unit. A map of the U.S. was also used to gauge mileage in the creation of story problems.

24

Problem-Based / Inquiry Instruction Lesson Plan (10 pts) Lesson Background:

Your Name: Grace Manz and Collaborator Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subject: (circle one) Language Arts Social Studies Mathematics Science Lesson Title: Dispute at Skunk Territory Materials Needed: ELMO, Map of Skunk River Territory Worksheet, Cards with each role and information about role, Share your Thoughts! Worksheet, Colored pencils, Checklist for assessment Prerequisite Skills: Students are at grade-level reading. This is the end of the unit, so students have a strong background with the West and are familiar with Native American and settler encounters and interactions. Students have compromising skills (taught in a previous lesson) and have used majority rule voting prior to this lesson. Logistics: (Are special arrangements necessary?) The room will be organized with a resource table in the back of the room with books already out and arranged for student use. The desks in the classroom will also be arranged in groups of 4-5 for collaborative group work. Lesson Goal (not ABCD objectives): The goal of this lesson is for students to use a given perspective to inform their thinking when solving the problem of how to divide Skunk River Territory between Native Americans and settlers with differing interests and ideas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interaction with Students:

1. Orient students to the problem or dilemma? (Must first get their attention to SOLVE a problem!)

As we have learned, the territory of the West changed frequently during this time period with the Native Americans and the settlers both fighting for the same land. Today, we are going back in time to one particular dispute over Skunk River. (Show students the Skunk River territory sheet on ELMO). You are now all living within this territory and yet another dispute has just broken out over this Skunk River territory. As the residents of Skunk Territory, it is up to you to work through this dispute and determine what the new boundaries for the territory will be. Here are the major parameters and guidelines: 1. You will draw an identity as either a Native American or a Settler and you must use your identity to fight for the best interest of your side in dividing the territory
25

2. Majority rule will determine the final decision for dividing the land. If there is not a majority, a compromise will have to me made and you should use the compromising skills we learned in one of our previous lessons. 3. At the end of the activity, both Native Americans and Settlers must have at least some land. 4. After you come to one decision, clearly divide the territory on the Skunk River map by using one color for Native Americans land and another color for the Settlers land. Be sure to label which color is which. 5. Keep in mind that both sides will have different perspectives and ideas, so make sure that you are all listening well and being respectful in your conversations and tone of voice.
2. Organize students for study:

a. Size of group?
For this lesson there will be four groups with 4 or 5 students in each group; some students designated as Native Americans and others designated as Settlers within each group.

b. How groups are formed?

Groups will be previously determined by the teacher and will be heterogeneous so all groups have various talents and skill levels (ELLs, gifted students, and others). Within the predetermined groups, students will randomly draw their role (a description will be on their card as to what their role is and some pointers for what to contribute to the group discussion from their perspective) with 2-3 students being settlers and 2-3 students being Native Americans. There are also more specific roles for the students and each group will have a different combination of the roles that are as follows: a. Settler: War General b. Settler: Land Surveyor c. Settler: Diplomat (1 group) d. Native American: Chief e. Native American: Shawman f. Native American: War Leader (1 group)

b. Transition from large group orientation or instruction to small group work?

For all of my transitions throughout the lesson, I will raise my hand in the air and wait for students to notice and quiet down. Once they do, I will give explicit directions for what they are to do next and the amount of time they have to do that. This information will be written on the board for students reference. Also, students will be familiar with this transition because it will be well rehearsed and a common routine in my classroom. To keep things consistent for the entire lesson and to ensure that students always know what to expect, this technique will be used for all transitions. 3. Assist independent and group investigation: (Input/Modeling so kids know what to do)

Once you are in your groupsbut dont move until I tell youyou will draw a role that will determine whether you are a settler or a Native American and it will also give you a specific person within that society. (I will model this by drawing a role (Native American Chief),
reading what it is out loud, and reading the specific information on the card that gives me points to bring up in discussion. After I read the points, I will do a quick think-aloud in 26

which I start brainstorming about an idea or possible solution to the problem based on the perspective I bring from these points). I will then step students through the remainder of the process by referencing the steps written on the board and going through each step briefly. Written on White Board 1. Move into groups and draw roles 2. Look at your role, think of ideas (3 min) 3. Talk with either your fellow Native Americans or fellow settlers in your group. Share ideas and develop one solution about how to divide the land (10 min) 4. With your whole group, share both sides and then develop 1 solution for how the land should be divided (20 min) 5. Presentations: Share your solution with the class (10 min) 6. Reflection

For this activity, we have non-fiction books (some that we have used in class and some new ones) available at our resource table that you may use to look at different historical examples of how settlers and Native Americans have dealt with this problem before. In our previous lesson we learned specific skills to gain information from nonfiction texts, use these skills to help you use the resources. However, dont forget to look at parameters written on the white board for this activity when making your decisions. Not all historical events you will find will have followed these parameters.
To assist during the group investigation while students are developing and sharing ideas, I will walk around the room, listen in on groups conversations, and scaff old them through some of the ideas they are developing if needed. If there is an argument or disrespectful behavior being shown, I will intervene and redirect the responsibility on them to solve the problem. 4. Develop and present artifacts and exhibits Once groups reach one decision, they will draw the new boundaries on the map that was given to them and clearly label which land will be the Native Americans and which land will be the settlers (See map attached). After the boundaries have been drawn, students should briefly discuss how they will present their decision, ensuring that each group member speaks at least once. All groups will have a small sheet of paper that has a list of three things they need to include in their presentation. 1. Which side had the majority (if there was one) and how it affected the decisionmaking process

27

2. Did you use the resources? If so, what ideas did you use? Or how did you come up with your own idea? 3. In the end, which group is happier with the final decision? Why? To present the decisions that each group made, groups will take turns coming to the front of the class, putting their map on the ELMO, presenting their decision, and then posting their map on the wall and returning to their seats. During the presentations, I will ensure that students included the three main points by asking questions if needed. At the end of all of the presentations, all of the groups maps will be posted in a line that students can look at for the reflection process to follow. 5. Analyze and evaluate the problem-solving process: Analysis and Evaluation of Questions

Thank you class, for doing such a great job. It is so interesting to see how you all handled the same problem differently. To help us all understand why and how different groups came up with different solutions, each of you will share your thoughts through this worksheet.
Share Your Thoughts! 1. What was the hardest part about solving the problem?

2. What is one thing that worked well for your group in coming to one decision?

3. How did your role impact how you felt during the decision-making process? Overall, were you happy with the final decision?

4. What did you learn from this process?

Students will fill out this worksheet to help them analyze their own thought process and prepare them for the assessment reflection piece. This worksheet will be ungraded because it is intended to primarily serve to prepare students for the assessment reflection, although it will be helpful for me, as the teacher, to understand why groups worked the way they did or came the decision that they chose.

28

6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this lesson?) Again, include documents for assessment. To provide closure to the lesson we will assess the students ability to solve the problem within the parameters by observations during discussion and their final map. We will assess students by groups due to the collaborative nature of the entire activity. The following checklist will ensure that students met the goal of the lesson:
Criteria Both Native Americans and Settlers have land The map is clearly divided with one color for Native Americans land and one color for Settlers land Students were respectful of differing opinions and ideas throughout the decision-making process Students took on their given role and contributed to the conversation based on the information on their card Comments: Met Not Met

7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product: a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? For students who need more help or are at a lower reading level, I will give them texts at their appropriate reading level and mark specific pages to look at historical events and consider for their decision-making process. For ELLs I will provide them with a video clip rather than a text that will help them with visual, oral, and written support with subtitles in their native language. I will also ensure that during discussion time I will walk around the room and prompt these students with questions to help scaffold their contributions to the discussion. b. Extension for students of high ability? (Remember, gifted students need challenge). To appropriately challenge students of high ability, I will give them a more challenging, higher-level reading text from the resource table. I will challenge them to explain a historical event from this text to their group and offer an idea for how they could incorporate this in their decision-making process. For these students I will also encourage them to anticipate possible solutions the other side (Native Americans or settlers) will suggest during the whole group conversation. TOTAL LESSON TIME: 45 minutes 8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc): Iowa Common Core First Days of School by Wong & Wong Teaching Videos Nonfiction books from the curriculum library (The First Native Americans, The Oregon Trail, The West) 29

Summative Assessment
For the end of the unit evaluation, students will create one summative project that assesses the goals and objectives from each of the individual lesson plans together. For this project students will choose an important person from this historical time periodeither a settler or a Native Americanand begin by researching that person using nonfiction texts and other sources. Then, based on that research, students will take on the perspective of their person and in a sense, become that historical figure, as they tackle a complex problem addressed to the entire class. Given a map of the West with existing territories and desired land for both parties, the overarching question is: What is the best way to find balance in establishing new territories and accommodating both the Settlers and the Native Americans in the West? To develop a solution to this question, students will need to use problem-solving skills and their research as well as their understanding of the West gained throughout the unit. Their solution and final project must include; a description of who they are and important facts or points about the person, designated territories or land possessions noted on a map of the West, and a well-developed solution to the problem with three supporting reasons. To share their wellthought out solution with the class, students will then create and give a presentation in the format of their choice (journal, poster, PowerPoint, etc). To grade this project there will be a checklist to check if students met each of the various aspects of the project that addressed the objectives of the individual lessons. Also, because this is a very interdisciplinary project that spans across multiple content areas and requires higher-order thinking skills to synthesize all of the information, we will ensure to give students very clear, well laid out expectations and guidance throughout the project. More importantly, however, we will invite student feedback throughout the project creation, not just at the end. Due to its nature and

30

the amount of work it demands, we would designate class time to work on the project and would ask for student feedback during this time informally, but also more formally at one designated checkpoint during the project and once at the end of the project to reflect on it. During this time we would meet with students individually and we would ask open-ended questions about the project but we would also provide sentence-starters (if/when beneficial to the student) to scaffold them to analyze the project and its effectiveness. The following checklist is what we would use to grade students projects:

Solution for the West Checklist _____ 1. Student used nonfiction texts to find information with at least 2 texts referenced _____ 2. Student included a historically accurate description of their person with at least 3 important facts _____ 3. Student designated territories/land possessions are clearly noted and labeled on the map _____ 4. Student created a well-developed solution to the problem with at least 3 supporting reasons _____ 5. Student incorporated their persons perspective with at least 1 fact relevant to that person. _____ 6. Student communicated solution effectively through their chosen presentation medium.

Comments:

31

Resources
Resources for Teachers Iowa Common Core Teaching American History 5th Grade Standards www.teachingamericanhistory.us/standards/pdf/Grade_5.pdf A teachers BlogSpot for her nonfiction graphic organizer found at: http://lutton519.blogspot.com/2012/03/little-nonfiction.html Translating Word Problems: Keywords www.purplemathcom/modules/translat.htm First Days of School by Wong & Wong Teaching Videos Use your colleagues they have tons of information!!!

Resources for Students Nonfiction books from the curriculum library o The First Native Americans o The Oregon Trail o The West Other great book resources: o Daily Life in a Covered Wagon by Paul Erickson o The Lewis and Clark Expedition by John Perritano Westward Expansion and Reform http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/reform/jb_reform_subj.html New Perspectives on the West http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/index.htm Wagon Trail Games http://www.wartgames.com/themes/american/wagontrains.html Historic Sites on the Oregon Trail http://www.america101.us/trail/Sites.html

Resources for Both Oregon Trail website Westward Expansion by Teresa Domnauer Peers! The students sometimes know a lot more than we give them credit for!

32