Josephine+Pacheco

Home PLN 8 Main Page Megan Lum Josephine Pacheco Sarah Randall Jamie Palmer Rachel Beck

= **Lesson Plan:** Early American Leaders =

Click [|HERE] to view a lesson plan about Early American Leaders, or view the PDF document below:
 * Summary:** This lesson uses heroes and leaders that the student already knows to help them understand the importance of leaders in early America. The students will learn about the characteristics of a leader in addition to challenges that they have faced in American history. I would recommend starting out the lesson by talking about superheroes. The teacher can do this by asking students questions that may include: What makes a superhero? Why do you look up to superheroes? The teacher can then focus on the question "Is a superhero a leader?" to begin talking about local leaders in the American society such as the mayor, school principle and/or president. This will allow the students to be more engaged in the lesson because they are able to relate more closely with early American leaders. At the end the students can be asked to explain what leadership skills they have and how those skills relate to the leadership characteristics of early American leaders

Rachel's Response This lesson is very easy for students to relate to. I like how the students are first drawn into the lesson by being asked to name individuals who are present day leaders. It seems that in this activity, students are mainly asked to work on their own. Instead, I would encourage group work throughout the whole activity. As an extension to the activity the teacher could ask students about what they would do for the community if they had the opportunity to act as a leader or a hero. This can be done by asking them to write a story or draw a picture of the actions they would take. Sarah's Response I think that this is a very creative lesson. I agree with Rachel in the idea that I like how the lesson starts off with something the students can relate to. By asking them about leaders they know about and like it can really draw them in and get them excited about other leaders that they may not know anything about.

Jamie's Response I would start this lesson out by asking the students to write down their own, individual definition of what they think a hero/leader does, how they act, and who some might be. Then, I would ask them to compare and contrast with their neighbor. Lastly, I think this lesson would be extremely effective if the students worked in groups to create and draw a huge poster that represented leaders throughout American history-consisting of leaders before and after they were born. This lesson would be a fun little project for the students to learn. This project in particular wouldn’t take much time to plan because it seems to be simple, easy, yet very efficient and could be taught in one day.

 Megan's Response Just like the responses above mine, I think it is a great idea to first ask students who do they look up to in their own community as heroes. By making the idea of a 'hero' personal, students will quickly be drawn in. I like this lesson plan, but I feel that step three can be modified to increase student learning. Instead of the teacher simply telling students about Paul Revere, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, students should research the individuals in small groups. Because this lesson is designed for young students, the teacher should have age appropriate books of each American hero for the groups to read and research. After they take notes of their hero, each small group will present what they learned to the whole classroom. I would also suggest adding more heroes to the list so that there can be more groups. Also, for younger students, instead of writing a full paragraph of what they learned at the end of the lesson, they can write just one or two sentences and draw a picture of their hero.

=**Lesson Plan:**  Symbols of America = Click [|HERE] to view a lesson plan about the Symbols of America, or view the PDF document below:
 * Summary:** This lesson covers the details about what a symbol is, why it is important, and what symbols are important to [|America]. It uses the event of 9/11 to highlight why symbols are important. This lesson calls for the students to work in groups to build a monument for the victims of 9/11. I would suggest a extension activity where students can interview an adult about where they were on September 11th 2001. Amongst the interview questions they could ask the adult about the level of importance that they place on the twin towers. Some other questions that the student could ask would include: How were the Twin Towers a symbol? What did they stand for? What did you (the adult) feel when this American symbol was gone? Why?

Rachel's Response Although this lesson seems very well thought out, I feel that it may be a very sensitive topic to introduce to children at such a young age. As an extension for the activity, students can be asked to search for another symbol that represents the values of America and provide an explanation about how the symbol was brought to existence. At the end of the activity, each of the students could be asked to share their symbol in front of the class.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 130%;">Sarah's Response <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is somewhat similar to the lesson plan that I posted. I think that talking about the American Symbols at a young age is a great idea. We grow up hearing about this symbols all the time in class and so by learning about them from the start of your education is really important. I think that this lesson plan may be a little much for young kids, teaching them about 9/11 so early could be a little harsh. I think that this would be a better lesson for older kids who may have heard about 9/11 before.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 130%;">Jamie's Response This lesson plan is so important and valuable because it teaches young students about the event that took place on September 11th. This lesson is significant because it raises awareness and creates discussion about what’s happening now in the world and what may happen in the future. This lesson encourages students to think about events that have occurred during their time, the statue of liberty, the American flag etc. and how they correspond to America and our freedom. By the end of this lesson, students should know the terms: heroism, patriotism, and the meaning of courage. I really liked this lesson and I wouldn’t change anything to it. This lesson plan is designed and organized very well. The students are brainstorming events and memorials, using the internet, and working in groups to complete this lesson.

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 130%;"> Megan's Response <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> I liked this lesson plan, however, I feel it is a bit reaching for third graders. Like Sarah said above, I feel this lesson plan would be great for upper elementary students, especially fifth graders. I liked this lesson because it included full classroom discussion as well as group work, and because it also taught students about primary resources. I really liked Josephine's idea about having the students interview someone they know about where they were the day it happened and what their feelings were at the time. It would be a great hands-on way to teach students about primary sources. I also really liked how students can use their artistic side and creatively sketch a memorial for the events of 9/11.