Your name and your partner’s name: Becca Wilson and Cayia Leffel

Intended grade level for this plan: 4

Book title: Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman
Author: Louise Borden & Mary Kay Kroeger
Publisher & year: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2001

INTEGRATION PLANNING TEMPLATE

CONTENT
AREAS BEING Social Studies ELA
INTEGRATED

TEKS (1 TEKS 113.15.b.5.C - identify the 113.15.b.18.B - write letters whose

FROM EACH accomplishments of notable language is tailored to the audience
CONTENT individuals such as John Tower, Scott and purpose (e.g., a thank you note
AREA) TO BE Joplin, Audie Murphy, Cleto to a friend) and that use appropriate
ADDRESSED Rodríguez, Stanley Marcus, Bessie conventions (e.g., date, salutation,
Do not use the writing Coleman, Raul A. Gonzalez Jr., and closing).
process for ELA. Write
out the words to the other local notable individuals.
TEKS.

LEARNING Students accurately incorporate The students will describe Bessie

OBJECTIVES significant facts and Coleman’s life, accomplishments,
(1 for each of accomplishments from Bessie and contributions to society in a
the TEKS) Coleman’s life into a letter that formal letter addressed to her,
What do you describes and thanks her for her using appropriate language and
want students to contributions to society. making sure it flows effectively.
learn?

LESSON PLAN List lesson materials first: Photograph of Bessie Coleman, projector,
STEPS. butcher paper for KWL chart, marker, Fly High! The Story of Bessie
What are the Coleman book, blank letter templates for each student, photocopies or extra
procedures to copies of the book for student use while writing letters (optional)
help students to
meet the 1. Show this picture (below) of Bessie Coleman to class on a projector, not
learning revealing her identity. (Source: http://theracecardproject.com/sky-limit/)
objectives set for 2. Post a blank KWL Chart at the front of the room and encourage students
each content to make observations about the photo. (Remember that students should be
area? making observations, not inferences here).
● Prompting questions: Do you recognize this
picture? What is she wearing? What type of
job does she have? How old does she look?
When do you think this picture was taken?
Describe her appearance.
3. Record students’ observations in the “K”
column.
4. After students have given observations, encourage students to share
inferences and wonderings about the photo.
● Prompting questions: What do you wonder about this photo? What
do you think she is doing?
5. Record students’ inferences and wonderings in the “W” column.
● Most likely, students will not recognize Bessie Coleman and thus
will not be able to identify the picture as her.
6. Introduce the text: Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman.
7. Show students the cover, and establish the connection between the
photograph from earlier and the illustration on the cover (they look very
similar).
8. Read the entire book aloud starting on page 9.
● Alternative: With students of higher reading levels, students can
“popcorn” read the story aloud. Each student can read a page.
9. After the book ends, ask students what they can fill in the “L” column of
the KWL chart.
● Prompting questions: What did Bessie Coleman accomplish? Who
was she? When did she live? What were some major events in her
life? How did she impact the world? What made her unique?
10. Once the KWL Chart is filled in, introduce the letter-writing activity.
11. Hand out pieces of paper to each student.
● The paper will be a letter template, with blank spaces allotted for
the date, salutation, and closing.
12. Explain that students will need to write a formal letter to Bessie
Coleman, thanking her for her contributions to society.
● Important considerations:
○ Students should include FACTS about Bessie’s life in their
letter.
○ Students need to include the salutation, closing, date, and
“address” in their letter.
○ Students need to make sure their writing is TO Bessie
 Coleman, actively thanking her and affirming her
accomplishments, not just a narrative about her life.
13. Students can begin working on their letters, using the KWL chart as
well as copies of the Fly High! book.
● Students should each write their own letter, but students may work
cooperatively in groups of 3-4 as they write their letters.
● The classroom should not be silent!
14. Students turn in their letters to the teacher, and after being assessed, the
letters will be posted on a bulletin board in the classroom with the title,
“Thank you, Bessie Coleman”.

ASSESSMENT
How will you determine if the students met the learning objectives in each content area?

Social Studies ELA

Student acknowledges at least 3 of the Students use proper greeting, salutations, format,
following facts and/or accomplishments of and address the letter to Bessie properly.
Bessie Coleman that helped to make her
somebody:
African American, woman, pilot, student,
dreamer, manicurist, reader, listener, hard-
worker, aunt, motivator, speaker, advocate for
African Americans.

The student is able to describe in detail the The intentions of this letter are made clear (thank
impact that Bessie’s traits had on society and you letter) and speak of specific instances and
the Civil Rights movement, and how it has examples to support accomplishments.
affected today’s society.

Student can articulate their knowledge of Students use proper grammar and spelling
Bessie’s accomplishments by stating them throughout the letter.
specifically and completely, making their
understanding clear to the reader.

Each attribute is supported by The writer is able to make their point clear to the
details/examples from the story. reader and sentence structure flows. The letter is
written as if students were actually sending it to
 Bessie Coleman and she was going to read it.

Students identify Bessie Coleman’s Students effectively incorporate the bigger

contribution to society through her work to picture of Bessie Coleman’s life into their letter.
inspire others. Students can answer the
question: Why did Bessie Coleman inspire so
many people?
 EVALUATION SHEET

Be sure to address every question below (in bold type as well as in italics). The more detailed
your responses, the better I can assess your understanding.

1. Quality of the book on which the plans are based?

Is this an engaging, memorable story and if so, what makes you think so? Can it support close
consideration, extended discussion, and why do you think so? Is the story developmentally
appropriate for the chosen grade level, and what makes you think so? What core value(s) does
the book address that match those you want emphasize in your future classroom?
This book is engaging because it brings the timeline of Bessie Coleman’s life into a story,
which makes it entertaining for students. For fourth graders, we think reading this book aloud
would make the information more retainable, because there are a lot of words on each page and
students could get bogged down in decoding words instead of reading for the bigger meaning. In
addition, because this book includes historical facts embedded in a story, the fact that it is a
picture book will not make students of older grades less interested or “too old” for the book. All
of the information students need to know to fill in the “learned” column of their KWL chart is
present in the book. That being said, this book contains a lot of information and a lot of
discussion points. For example, students could stop and discuss as early in the story as Bessie not
being able to afford school and needing to return home. This could be a point of discussion
centered on the inequality of education between blacks and whites in the time Bessie was a
young girl. Throughout the story, there are many more examples of discrimination or inequality,
but they are never presented in a way that takes a side or puts others down. Instead, this text
approaches segregation from a truly factual standpoint, encouraging students to look at the text
through a historical lens. Another great discussion point in this text could revolve around the
passage on page 17 where the author says, “Bessie was a woman, a woman with dark skin. And
she didn’t have much money. The only pilots in Chicago were men, white men,” (Borden &
Kroeger, p.17). This page explicitly states that Bessie was not afforded the same opportunities as
a white man because of her gender and the color of her skin, which can make for great extension
and discussion for students in upper grades. In terms of the developmental appropriateness, as
stated before, using this book as a read-aloud for fourth graders, or dividing the reading orally
amongst students through popcorn reading is the best way to approach this difficult text. This
text, although lengthy, presents enough new information so that students will not be bored,
without overwhelming them or boring them. One core value that this book addresses is that
anyone can be somebody if they persevere and work hard. This statement “be somebody” is
repeated throughout the book to emphasize that Bessie chased opportunities to go to school,
work, and go to flight school so that she could be somebody that people would remember for a
long time. Because of her hard work and determination, Bessie did become somebody, and left a
lasting legacy for African Americans and females. This can be translated to students in the fact
that if students work hard and are motivated, they too can be somebody that makes a difference
when they grow older. Another core value we want to bring into our future classrooms is that all
people are created equal. This is a value Bessie Coleman preached herself; she often said it to
fans at her air shows or to kids at schools she visited. She wanted all people to know that even
though at times they may feel inferior because they are not afforded equal opportunities, they are
equal people, and they can achieve great things. This is a value we want students to resonate
with, because our classrooms should be places where all students feel they are treated with equal
respect and consideration.

2. Connection between the book and the TEKS specified in the plan?
Is it easy to see how the book could be used to teach the knowledge/skills in the TEKS listed for
both content areas? Explain.
Because the Social Studies TEKS we listed specifically mentions Bessie Coleman as a
key figure, this text clearly fulfills that requirement for knowledge, since it is centered on Bessie
Coleman’s life and accomplishments. Students will gain knowledge directly from the text in the
form of facts, dates, and events in Bessie Coleman’s life, and will be able to use this knowledge
for the skills listed in the ELA TEKS. In terms of the skill students need for the Social Studies
TEKS, the TEKS states that students should “identify the accomplishments” of the notable
individual (Bessie Coleman). This book explicitly states Bessie Coleman’s accomplishments in
the form of a story, so by hearing this book or reading it directly, students will gain an
understanding of Bessie Coleman’s accomplishments and later be able to identify them for the
activity. The ELA TEKS aligns more closely with the activity of the lesson rather than the book.
The book mostly provides the facts and knowledge necessary to complete the activity, letter-
writing, but it does give students an understanding of who Bessie Coleman was, which will make
the task of writing a letter TO Bessie Coleman more feasible and interesting to students. In all,
the book provides the core knowledge students will need to carry out the skills mentioned in both
the ELA and Social Studies TEKS, which is to identify accomplishments and write about them in
the form of a letter to Bessie Coleman.

3. Connection between the specified TEKS and the learning objectives?

Will meeting the learning objectives give students opportunities for meaningful engagement with
the TEKS in both content areas? Explain.
The TEKS are directly connected to the learning objectives to the extent that if students
are able to effectively meet the learning objectives, they in turn engage with the TEKS in both
content areas. For example, for the Social Studies learning objective, students are expected to
actively incorporate facts from Bessie Coleman’s life into a letter, which shows their
understanding and identification of Bessie Coleman’s accomplishments, as stated in the TEKS.
In order for students to incorporate facts into their letters, they must have knowledge and
understanding of Bessie Coleman, which they receive through the book. The book contains many
examples of Bessie Coleman’s accomplishments, such as becoming the first African American
pilot. These accomplishments are to be used throughout the students’ letters to Bessie Coleman,
embedded as part of their “thank you” to her for her contributions to society and inspiration to
others. Students that meet the learning objective of incorporating facts from Bessie Coleman’s
life into their letters with therefore succeed in identifying her accomplishments, aligning the
learning objective and TEKS for social studies. For ELA, the TEKS state that students should be
able to write a formal letter using correct letter-writing technique, and the learning objective just
extends on this standard by stating that students will be able to write a letter to Bessie Coleman
thanking her for her many accomplishments. In order to succeed in writing a letter properly,
students must incorporate both formal letter-writing standards and correct writing conventions.
This means students are engaging both the ELA TEKS and learning objective at the same time.
Additionally, the TEKS and learning objectives for ELA and Social studies are intertwined
throughout the process of this lesson activity because students need to have a strong
understanding of Bessie Coleman’s life, accomplishments, and contribution to society in order to
have information to include in their letter. Otherwise, students would not have anything to thank
her for, which would result in them not meeting the ELA learning objective.

4. Alignment of learning objectives and the lesson plan steps?

Is there an obvious link between the lesson plan steps and the learning objectives in both content
areas? Is it clear that the lesson was designed with the learning objectives in mind? Explain.
The lesson was designed with the learning objectives as the guide. Initially, students are
given exposure to primary sources, through the photograph. Students use observation techniques
to establish facts about Bessie Coleman before they even know who she is. This initial
knowledge helps them as they start to read the book, because they already have some prior
knowledge to use as they continue to learn more about her life. This basis of knowledge is also a
source to pull from when students begin to write their letters, and need facts to include in order
to meet the learning objective. The lesson includes a KWL chart, which helps students establish
firm facts about Bessie Coleman that they can use to create their letter. The use of the picture
book creates the foundation of knowledge about Bessie Coleman, which students directly apply
to the activity through the facts and accomplishments presented in their letter. Students need to
write the letter as if they are talking to Bessie Coleman, which encourages them to take the
perspective of someone who knows Bessie personally. Students are also expected to include
Bessie’s contributions to society in their letter, as part of the things they are thanking her for.
This perspective allows students the opportunity to dig deeper than just the facts in the book, and
encourages students to look at the overall lessons she taught and mottos she lived by. These
procedures allow students to meet the learning goals, with support from the KWL chart and the
book. In addition, students are given a blank letter template so that they are encouraged further to
use correct letter-writing technique. All of this leads students to meet learning objectives in both
content areas.
5. Alignment of the lesson plan steps and the assessment?
Will the activities described in the lesson plan steps provide evidence of students’ engagement
with the learning objectives in both content areas? Explain.
Yes, the activities described in the lesson plan will provide us with evidence that the
students are engaging with the learning objectives in both content areas. In regards to the Social
Studies content of this lesson, the TEKS state that the students will be able to identify various
accomplishments of historical figures such as Bessie Coleman. Before beginning the read aloud
we will ask students what they know based off of the picture in order to collect what the students
already know. From here, we will read the read aloud book to the students in hopes that the
material from the book will help to expand the student’s prior knowledge. The read aloud will
provide students with a number of facts and anecdotes about Bessie Coleman and many of her
accomplishments. Through the class discussions, pictures, and read aloud, students will be
collecting a plethora of information regarding Bessie Coleman that will help them to learn about
Bessie and her many contributions. Students will use the knowledge that they gain from the
KWL chart and the reading to help them write a letter thanking Bessie Coleman for her specific
contributions and influence. It will be important for the students to have a strong understanding
of Bessie’s contributions in order for them to be able to execute the letters properly. This
knowledge that students will acquire about Bessie will directly align with what is stated in the
Social Studies TEKS that we provided. When looking at the English/Language Arts TEKS in
relation to our lesson, we can see that our lesson activities help to facilitate the achievement of
completing the tasks stated in the TEKS. Our TEKS states that the student will be able to address
and write a letter that is formatted correctly for the intended audience. Our activity asks the
students to write a letter to Bessie Coleman thanking her for specific contributions while using
proper grammar, headings, salutations, and letter format. This letter will address our TEKS
because it will require students to use their knowledge of letter writing to create a properly
formatted letter to a specific audience (Bessie Coleman).

6. Alignment of assessment and learning objectives?

Do the assessment plans provide clear, detailed information about the degree to which students
met the learning objectives and engaged with the specified standards in both content areas?
Explain.
Yes, we believe that the assessment plans provide clear detailed information about
whether or not students met the learning objectives and engaged with the specific standards in
both content areas. Our first social studies assessment criteria states that students will need to be
able to address and explain at least two of Bessie’s accomplishment in order to be deemed
satisfactory. The assessment standard explicitly states how many contributions students will need
to address in their letters and that their explanations must be clear and detailed so that the reader
has full understanding. This explanation also aligns with the TEKS because it demonstrates the
student’s knowledge of Bessie’s accomplishments. The next social studies assessment standard
that we described clearly states that students must be able to describe in detail the impact that
Bessie’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement as well as today’s society. This standard
specifically states what impacts we are looking to assess, and aligns with the TEKS because this
description will help to enhance the student’s overall understanding of contributions through the
discussion of the impact that these contributions has had over the years. Our next social studies
standard also aligns with our learning objective because this standard asks the students to
articulate knowledge fully and specifically in a manner that will be comprehensible for the
reader. The learning objective is that students can describe contributions of Bessie in letter form,
which would be essential to a reader’s understanding of the material. In regards to the language
arts assessment standards that we created, we believe that they provide clear instruction of how
the students should demonstrate if they met the learning objectives and engaged with both sets of
standards. However, some of our assessment standards, such as using correct grammar and
spelling, are not directly stated in our learning objectives or the TEKS that we selected because
we believe that these would be normal expectations for a fourth grade classroom set prior to this
lesson/activity. We believed that students would know what is expected, but wanted to include
this requirement in our assessment rubric in order to reinforce the importance of proper grammar
and spelling for our letters to Bessie. Our next standard expresses that students will need to show
the correct formatting for their letter and lists the details that we would be looking for such as:
greeting, format, and salutations depending on the intended audience. In order for this standard
to be met, it would be important for students to have an understanding of the various types of
letters and who the intended audience would be. We list specific elements that we are looking for
so that students are completely aware of the specific elements that we will be looking for. This
directly aligns with our learning objective for language arts because it will demonstrate to us
what the student understands about letter writing and whether or not they are able to properly
execute a formal letter. We believe that our assessment standards are clear and direct in regards
to what we expect to see throughout the activity for both content areas, and that these activities
and expectations align with and enhance both the learning objectives and TEKS we have selected
for this lesson.

7. Balance and Meaning?

Will these ideas lead to integrated instruction in which both content areas are served equally
well? Is this a meaningful social studies lesson? What makes you think so?
Yes, we believe that the lesson we have created is a meaningful social studies lesson. We
believe that this lesson is meaningful because it encourages students to consider the impact that
Bessie Coleman has made not only on our world, but in our lives specifically. Through writing a
thank you letter that states specific contributions Bessie has made and the impact that they have
had on our world and lives, our hope is that students will be challenged to think about what life
may have been like without the influence of Bessie Coleman and how it would have changed
what our world looks like today. In order for students to complete this activity it is essential that
they have understanding of Bessie’s contributions and the impact that they have had. This letter
is meant to encourage students to not only utilize their language arts learning and abilities, but to
also make these contributions tangible for students and encourage them examine why they
should be thankful/grateful for the impact that Bessie Coleman has made. We could have asked
the students to write a paper or answer questions that detailed Bessie’s life, but this would not
have challenged students to think critically or to place themselves in a scenario that allowed
them to make direct connections to Bessie Coleman and her contributions.

8. Feasibility?
Are these activities realistic? Can they be implemented by a typical teacher, in a typically
diverse class, with readily available instructional materials, in a reasonable amount of time?
We believe that we constructed this lesson so that it would be easy for another teacher to
implement into their classroom. The KWL chart is commonly used in classrooms and would be
easy for the teacher to implement via a large piece of chart paper or a whiteboard. The only
material that the teacher might need to purchase or find for this lesson would be the story Fly
High by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger for the read aloud. The rest of the activities can
be completed with materials that would most likely already be in the classroom such as pencil,
paper, and chart paper. We believe that our lesson is not only easy to implement because of the
small amount of materials required, but also because our lesson is explicit in detail and would be
easily modified to fit another historical figure if needed. Our lesson could be easily modified to
accommodate other historical figures or time periods and could also be completed in a
reasonable amount of time. This lesson could be stretched out to fill a longer time period, or
condensed to fill a smaller time frame of about an hour. There is flexibility in how our lesson
could be implemented which would be beneficial for teachers as they make in the moment
teaching decisions.