Inquiry (5E) Lesson Plan Template

Teachers: Subject:
Chris Kasnot 8th Grade Social Studies
Common Core State Standards:
 8:SP1:1, 8:SP1:3, 8:SP3:5, 8:SP3:8, 8:H3:4
 ITSE 1a-d, 2b-c, 3a, 3c, 4d, 6a-d, 7b, 7c
 Workplace 1.A, 1.B, 1.D, 2.0, 3.B, 3.D, 4.0, 5.A, 5.B, 5.E, 6.B, 7.C, 8.0
Objective (Explicit):
 By the end of the day, students will have selected or designed their PBL project assignments.
Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):
 Include a copy of the lesson assessment.
 Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
 Assign value to each portion of the response.

See attached project example sheets on page 4.

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

 How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
 What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
 How is this objective relevant to students, their lives, and/or the real world?

 Lesson will take place after “Forming the Nation” unit. Students have prior knowledge of the American
Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution (and how our government operates under it).
 Students will connect this prior knowledge about the formation of the United States. Students will have three
mini-projects to complete, one individual, one as part of a collaborative team, and a final one of their own
design. As such, students will be expected to utilize PowerPoint, video, or other multimedia formats to present
their project. Students will need to become familiar with research and interview techniques if their selected
project requires it. If student projects contain artwork, maps, models, etc., they will need to have the requisite
skills to build and present their projects.
 The State of Arizona passed a law in 2015 that requires public school students to take and pass a citizenship
test, the same test that immigrants must take, before they graduate. Cave Creek Unified has set a directive for
this test to be passed by students before they reach high school. As such, this student led project will connect
the “Forming a Nation” lesson to the citizenship test that they need to graduation.

Key vocabulary: Citizen, government, civics Materials: Project sheet, 1700s costume, hand bell
Engage
 How will you activate student interest?
 How will you hook student attention?
 What questions will you pose, based on your objective, that students will seek to answer in Explore?
Teacher Will: Student Will:
 Student interest will be captured during the  Students will be paying attention to the
introduction event. Teacher will dress up in the presentation and answering questions when
manner of a town crier in 1789, and charge the called upon to the best of their ability.
students with understanding the guiding
question: “What does it mean to be a citizen of
the United States?” Teacher will also illustrate
the importance of citizenship, what it meant to
the citizens of the 18th century, and how
students view citizenship today.
 Attention will be gained by the absurdity of the
costume and loud ringing of the town crier’s
hand bell.
 The town crier will pick out students and ask
them leading questions, such as “What would it
1
 take if you wanted to be president, Jay?”, “Why
would the Constitution need to be amended
Tracy? The first ten amendments are all the
rights you need!”, “Why should Becky, the
delegate from great state of Virginia, care about
the needs of New York?”

Explain
 How will all students have an opportunity to share what they discovered?
 How will you connect student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations?
 How will all students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the sub-objectives by answering the
question from Engage before moving on?
Teacher Will: Student Will:
[WRITER’S NOTE]: I have swapped the Explain and  Students will collect research worksheet from
Explore sections from the standard template. I feel like teacher according to classroom procedures.
the lesson flows better this way. If this is in error, please  Students will group up as part of their
let me know. collaborative teams and pick their mock debate
 Here, Teacher will drop character and discuss topic. Presentation dates and group team
the details of the projects. names will be written on the board, and one
 The first, individual, project will be a worksheet student from each team will write the topic they
that will provide guiding civics questions. Major chose on the board under their team name. If
themes will be things covered in class, but the they weren’t fast enough, another topic needs
answers will only be found through independent to be picked at teacher’s discretion.
research. This will help students gain a
foundation of research, helping them
understand how to look on their own for
answers to questions.
 The second, collaborative, project will be a
staged, group debate. Prior to the debate,
teacher will provide the debate topics for pre-
assigned student groups (of four members
each) to choose from. No topic can be chosen
twice, so first come first served. Students will
have time to research and prepare with their
groups in order to present their findings as a
mock debate in front of the class. Each topic will
be a key part of what it means to be a citizen.
 The third, student designed, project will be the
real meat and potatoes assignment and require
students to come up with their own PBL project.
This will give students control over their own
learning and find a subtopic they find interesting
and engaging.
Explore
 How will model your performance expectations? Remember, you are not modeling what you want students to discover but
need to model expected behavior or required procedures.
 How will students take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them answer the question
posed in Engage?
 What questions or prompts will you be prepared to use with students while they are “exploring”?
Teacher Will: Student Will:
 Teacher will have examples of good and bad  Students will pay attention to instructions and
past projects to show the class. This will help be given a rubric for guidance on teacher
give them an understanding of what quality of expectations for their personal project.
work is to be expected.  Students will answer questions when prompted
 Teacher will ask the class questions to prompt to the best of their ability and demonstrate
meaningful discourse and focus on expectation. understanding on what these projects will
For example, “If you decide to write a letter to entrail.
your representative as if you are from the
1700s, what kind of language will you use?

2
 Would you use words from the modern day, like
‘yeet’ and ‘cool’?”
Elaborate
 How will students take the learning from Explore and Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular
aspect of this learning at a deep level?
 How will students use higher order thinking at this stage? (e.g. A common practice in this section is to pose a “what If
question”)
 How will all students articulate how their understanding has changed or been solidified?
Teacher Will: Student Will:
 Teacher will engage in Q/A session with  Students should ask questions if they are
students to go over any questions they may unsure of any part of the PBL projects. Students
have. Teacher will also ask students to reiterate will be allowed to answer other student
what the projects are, what their purpose is, and questions if they raise their hand and talk in a
what the implications of the project are. This respectful manner. Peer teaching/learning is an
promotes students to explain the projects (and effective tool to ensure lessons are solidified.
purpose of the projects) in their own words to This classroom procedure should have already
ensure understanding. been established by this point.
 Teacher will be available for private  Students will come up with their own “guiding”
conversations after students are dismissed to research question and design a project
begin working on their part three proposals. proposal.
 Students will be open to criticism and
understand that the teacher is acting as a
facilitator by guiding them to effective
understanding of the overall guiding question
and purpose of the assignment as a whole.
Evaluate
 How will all students demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the Elaborate content)?
 How will students have an opportunity to summarize the big concepts they learned (separate from the assessment)?
Teacher Will: Student Will:
 Teacher will go over student led project  Students will present their guiding question and
proposals with students and either approve or project proposal to the teacher for approval or
help edit them to fit the criteria/subject. critique.
 Teacher will allow students to retrieve  Students will use remaining class time to begin
classroom technology for students to work on working on their proposals with classroom
their part one projects, or allow students to talk technology and peers.
and begin organizing their part two mock
debate.

3
Civics Worksheet Example Questions:

The Articles of Confederation failed due to many individual factors. Choose one and elaborate on its flaws and how it
contributed to the desire for a Second Continental Congress.

What importance did the Land Ordinance of 1785 have on the birth of the nation?

Describe the "Great Compromise" in your own words.

Explain the difference between the concepts of “Checks and Balances” and “Separation of Powers”.

What is the purpose of the federal government?

Mock Debate Topic Examples:

Are Americans more divided now than at any other time in their history?

Debate the merits of the Virginia Plan vs. the New Jersey Plan as if you were representatives from those two states.

Are slaves people or property; was the three-fifths compromise justified?

What contributed more to the American colonists’ drive towards independence: capitalism or liberty?

How are the founding fathers’ political debates still being played out today?

Student Led Project Examples:

Create a music video on a civics topic you find interesting.

Build a model of a building in Washington D.C. and describe who it houses and what its purpose is.

Draw a period specific map and highlight something specific, such as which states supported each side of the Great or
Three-fifths compromises, Federalist/Antifederalist leanings, troop movements and battles of the Revolutionary War.

Pick an issue and write a letter as if you were a citizen/representative/soldier.

Investigate and build a family tree if you have relatives that took part in the American Revolution or the forming of the
nation.

Run a mock election campaign.

Interview a state representative during the AZ School Lobby Day (Winter).