1.

0 Benjamin Franklin, Day 10, Hannah Dependahl, Grade 4

Expected Duration (60 minutes)
Time Continuity and Change, Individual Identity and Development
Vocab: apprentice, diplomat, politician,
Creating a timeline and using secondary sources as a means of information.

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
The students will have a better understanding of the life of famous American,
from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin.
The students will be able to construct a timeline of important events and
accomplishments of Benjamin Franklins life.
The students will use illustrations to depict information from their research.

1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography, & NCSS Themes I-X
with subthemes
5.2.4.C: Describe the roles of leadership and public service in school, community, state, and
nation.

8.3.4.C: Explain how continuity and change in U.S. history have influenced personal development
and identity.
Belief systems and religions
Commerce and industry
Technology
Politics and government
Physical and human geography
Social organizations

NCSS.1.2.b ...have learners apply key concepts from the study of history such as time,
chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections
among the patterns of historical change and continuity


NCSS.1.4.h ...assist learners as they work independently and cooperatively within groups and
institutions to accomplish goals


1.3 Anticipatory Set
The teacher will begin by asking the students if they can locate
Massachusetts on the map, the state we will be focusing on today.
Next, the teacher will ask the students if theyve ever traveled to
Massachusetts/what they know about the state already.
The teacher will explain that Massachusetts is an interesting state because
many historical, very fascinating things happened there. There are also many
famous Americans that hail from Massachusetts.
The teacher will ask the children if they remember what famous American we
learned about in yesterdays class. (Answer: Roger Williams)
The teacher will then explain that today we will learn about another famous
American.
On the SmartBoard the teacher will show the class a picture of a light bulb, a
TV, a computer, and eyeglasses. The teacher will explain that if it were not for
one man, we would not have any of these things.
Next, the teacher will show the class a picture of Benjamin Franklin. The
class will be asked to raise their hands if they have ever seen this man before
and if they can guess who he is.
The teacher will explain that Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, an author, a
politician, and a public servant. He contributed many important things to the
world and we are going to be learning a lot more about him in todays lesson.
The teacher will have students share with the class what they already know
about Ben Franklin.

1.4 Procedures

1. Explain that today we will be researching the different accomplishments of
Benjamin Franklin through research. After we are finished researching we will create
a class timeline of Benjamin Franklins life.
2. Remind students about their previous lessons on timelines and how they are
used. Expand with a 2-minute mini-lesson on how to put together a timeline.
3. Explain to students that they will work in pairs to gather information. They will
each collect information in the form of a list, describing what they learned as well as
illustrate a picture. Finally they will work together as a class to make a giant timeline
of Ben Franklins life and accomplishments.
4. Split students into pairs and assign each pair an area to focus on. Each will have
a different area of Ben Franklins life such as:
Franklins role as an inventor and scientist
Franklins success as a printer and author
Franklins success as a public servant
Franklins role in politics


5. Explain that students have a few types of resources to consider for their research.
They can choose to read the book Whats the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz
and Margot Tomes. They also have two websites to search,
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/rotten.html and http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/home.htm.
As well as .


6. Allow students time to complete their research. (About 25-30 minutes)


7. When their lists are complete, ask students to create an illustration based off of
the events they just researched. Make sure the students add any quotes/symbols or
dates of the events.
6. When students complete their illustrations, have the class as a whole order the
events from first to last on one large timeline made from butcher paper.


1.5 Differentiation
English Language Learners- For an ELL, I would place them with a student who they
are comfortable with and would be willing to help them. Allowing them to draw
pictures to depict what they learned is also a good way to assess if they understood
the material.
Visual Impairment- For a student with a visual impairment, pair them with a student
who can read the material aloud for them. Have the students orally explain what they
learned instead of drawing or writing.
1.6 Closure

At the end of the timeline activity, have each pair of students share what their
paragraphs are about and what they learned. End this activity by explaining that it is
important to study Benjamin Franklin and other famous Americans because they
were an important part of our history and were great contributors to our nation. We
would not be where are today without them.

Explain that tomorrow we will be learning about the state of Vermont, and like Ben
Franklin, we are going to become inventors.

1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students
Formative: During the lesson, walk around and observe students as they are
researching with their partners and while they create their illustrations. Also observe
the students as they work together to combine all of their information onto the class
timeline. (The students will be able to construct a timeline of important events
and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklins life.)
Summative: After the lesson, assess the students understanding by determining the
accuracy and truth of their research through their oral presentation. Have the
students complete an exit card consisting of five facts they learned about Benjamin
Franklin in todays lesson. (The students will have a better understanding of the
life of famous American, from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin. The students
will use illustrations to depict information from their research.)


1.8 Materials/Equipment
A. Student Resources
Computer/Internet Access
Butcher Paper
Scissors
Construction Paper
Pens, Pencils, Crayons, Markers
Book- Whats the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz and Margot Tomes
Benjamin Franklin- Glimpses of the Man
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/rotten.html
Benjamin Franklin- An Enlightened American
http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/home.htm



B. Teacher Materials
Class Map
Pictures of light bulb, computer, Benjamin Franklin, television, and
eyeglasses (Google)
Background content (http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm)


C.
Website Address Significa
nt or
Minor
Influence
Three
Characteristic
s
Accessibilit
y
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/rotten.html Significa
nt
Influence
1. Copyrighte
d
2. Reliable
and
consistent
information
3. Little to no
ads
4. Ends in
.edu
This
source is
easily
accessible
for both
teachers
and
students
through
Google.
http://library.thinkquest.org/22254/home.ht
m
Significa
nt
Influence
1. No ads
2. Ends in
.org
3. Reliable
and
consistent
information
This
source is
easily
accessible
for
students
since it is
organized
in a way
that makes
navigating
throughout
very easy.
Fritz, Jean, and Margot Tomes. What's the
big idea, Ben Franklin?. Norwalk, CT:
Weston Woods :, 2004. Print.
Significa
nt
Influence
1. Age
appropriate
2.
Copyrighted
3. Current
This
source is
easy for
teachers to
access for
their
students. It
is an easy
read for
students.
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.
htm
Significa
nt
Influence
1. Reliable
and
consistent
information
2. A wealth of
information
This
source is
easy for
teachers to
access via
Google. It
3. Ends in
.org


provides a
great deal
of
information
needed for
backgroun
d
knowledge
on this
topic.




1.9 Technology
PowerPoint for anticipatory set
Internet

2.1 Reflection
Creating this lesson plan deemed more challenging than I had originally thought.
This was the first higher level lesson plan I was assigned to create, since most of my
experiences have been writing for pre K-first grade. Since Massachusetts is known
for its famous Americans, I began researching the most interesting Americans that
hail from that State. There were quite a few to choose from, but I ultimately chose
Benjamin Franklin since he has contributed a great deal to our American history. I
believe students would enjoy participating in this lesson, as they are free to choose
where they want to get their information from, as well as work together as a whole
class to create a final product. The students can take pride in their class timeline
throughout the unit as it is displayed in the classroom. If I could change my lesson in
any way, it would be to have the students participate in a web scavenger hunt,
instead of just receiving a list of websites/books they can use. I believe a web
scavenger hunt would be a more organized way for students to research.
Unfortunately, there were already too many web scavenger hunts being
implemented in this unit. One good thing that came from this change, however was
that the students are able to use different types of sources to research, such as a
physical book, instead of only websites. My only concern for this lesson is that the
students would not have enough time to complete their research. Although my plan
changed multiple times over the course of its creation, I am proud of what it has
become.

























Lesson Plan Elements (see WCU lesson plan rubric on
D2L for specifics)
Poin
t
Valu
e
Total
/30
Lesson Plan Details /1
Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives /2
Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & /2
Anticipatory Set /1
Procedures /5
Differentiation /1
Closure /1
Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12) /3
Materials/Equipment , Citation of Sources /2
Evaluation of Sources (Information Literacy) /5
Lesson Plan Teacher Content Notes /7
Technology *
Reflection on Planning *

Total








Content Notes


Background on Benjamin Franklin:
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706
Work as an author
Became his brother James apprentice, working for his newspaper, the New
England Courant, in August of 1721.
Went under the disguise of Silence Dogood in order for his works to be printed in the
New England Courant. His brother never would have published them if he had
known they were written by Benjamin.
Benjamin ran away to Philadelphia in 1723.
In 1729, created, printed, and wrote for the Pennsylvania Gazette.
In 1733 Franklin started publishing Poor Richards Almanack. Almanacs of the era
were printed annually, and contained things like weather reports, recipes, predictions
and homilies
Work as a public servant
From the 1720s-1740s Franklin became a public servant, working for the people.
Franklin organized the Junto, a young working-man's group dedicated to self- and-
civic improvement.
Helped launch the Library Company in 1731.
In 1743, he helped to launch the American Philosophical Society, the first learned
society in America
Franklin brought together a group who formed the Pennsylvania Hospital in 1751.
In 1736, he organized Philadelphia's Union Fire Company, the first in the city. His
famous saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," was actually fire-
fighting advice.
Work as an inventor
In 1743, he had already invented a heat-efficient stove called the Franklin stove
By 1749 he retired from business and started concentrating on science,
experiments, and inventions.
Among Franklin's other inventions are swim fins, the glass armonica (a musical
instrument) and bifocals.
In the early 1750's he turned to the study of electricity.
Ben did not "invent" electricity. He did, however, invent the lightning rod which
protected buildings and ships from lightning damage.
As postmaster, Ben had to figure out routes for delivering the mail. He went out
riding in his carriage to measure the routes and needed a way to keep track of the
distance. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage.
Work as a politician
A politician is someone who works in politics. Such as the Mayor, the Governor or
the Senator.
In 1757, Franklin went to England to represent Pennsylvania in its fight with the
descendants of the Penn family over who should represent the Colony.
An official representing a country abroad is called a diplomat.
In 1765 Franklins testimony before Parliament helped persuade the members to
repeal the Stamp Act.
In 1754, proposed a plan for United Colonies.
Started working actively for independence in America.
Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and worked on a
committee of five that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence.
In 1776 Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence.
In his 70s he became President of the Executive Council of Pennsylvania.
In 1789 he wrote an anti-slavery treatise
Franklin died on April 17, 1790 at the age of 84


Websites and Books


Student Content:
Fritz, Jean, and Margot Tomes. What's the big idea, Ben Franklin?. Norwalk, CT:
Weston Woods :, 2004. Print.


"Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man." The World of Benjamin Franklin. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.


"Benjamin Franklin: An Enlightened American." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d.
Web. 05 Apr. 2014.


Teacher Content:
"Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall
Association, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014.