Potsdam, Then and Now, Author(s): Helen Mace, Grade Level: 4, Subject Area: Social Studies, The students will visit the Potsdam Public Museum to view a life size time line of Potsdam from its settlement to today. They will also hear a presentation describing how Potsdam has developed and who has influenced it's development.

Planning Guide

Creating Learner-Focused
Schools

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LU Title: Potsdam, Then and Now	Author(s): Helen Mace
Grade Level: 4	School Address: Lawrence Avenue Elementary
Subject Area: Social Studies	School Phone/Fax: 315-265-2003

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative	Procedural
Students will gather and organize information about the important accomplishments of individuals and groups living in their community	Students will use the writing process to compile a newspaper with articles comparing Potsdam's past to Potsdam of today
Students will distinguish between near and distant past by interpreting simple timelines	Students will access information through guest speakers, newpapers, interviews and other various resources
Students will publish a class newspaper using Clarisworks	Students will use technology to print out their essays
Students will compose compare and contrast essays

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

When and why was your community settled?
What were some of the important industries and businesses of Potsdam's past?
What are some of the important industries and businesses of Potsdam today?
Who were some of the prominent people of Potsdam and what did they do they do to help the community?
Who are the prominent people of Potsdam today and what do they currently do to help the community?
How does Potsdam compare and contrast from the 1800's to the 1900's?

INITIATING ACTIVITY

The students will visit the Potsdam Public Museum to view a life size time line of Potsdam from its settlement to today. They will also hear a presentation describing how Potsdam has developed and who has influenced it's development.

Connection to State Learning Standards

Content Area:

Level:

Benchmarks:

Standard:

Unit Theme:

Standard:

Benchmarks:

Learning Experiences

Declarative Knowledge

What declarative knowledge should studentsbe in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of the unit, the student will know or understand…

What experiences or activities will be used to help students acquire & integrate this knowledge?

What strategies will be used to help students construct meaning, organize and/or store the knowledge?

Describe what will be done.

Potsdam's Past-students will gather and interpret a variety of sources on Potsdam's past. They will understand why people came to Potsdam, what industries, government offices and businesses influenced them to stay.

Potsdam of Today-students will gather and interpret a variety of sources of Potsdam in today's society. They will research today's industries, government, and business.

Potsdam's Past slide presentation-students will view a slide show explaining how Potsdam has developed

Scavenger Hunt-student's will use two historical documents to research the past via a scavenger hunt

Research-students will choose one aspect of Potsdam's Past to research using newspaper articles

Guest speakers-students will listen to a variety of guest speakers and gather data from them

Students will use research skills-gather, interpret, and analyze data, note taking, and organization graphics to record their data

Potsdam's Past Slide presentation-students will view a slide show explaining how Potsdam has developed

Scavenger Hunt-student's will use two historical documents to research the past via a scavenger hunt

Research-students will choose one aspect of Potsdam's Past to research using newspaper articles

Guest speakers-students will listen to a variety of guest speakers and gather data from them

Learning Experiences

Procedural Knowledge

What procedural knowledge will students be in the process of acquiring & integrating? As a result of this unit, students will be able to:

What will be done to help students construct models, shape & internalize the knowledge?

Describe what will be done.

Students will use the writing process to compile a newspaper with articles that compare Potsdam's Past to Potsdam of Today

Students will complete a 5W's and H graphic organizer on the development of Potsdam

Working in collaborative pairs students will choose one topic on Potsdam and complete a compare/contrast graphic

Using the process writing method students will compile a Potsdam, Then and Now compare/contrast essay

Using Clarisworks the students will create a class newspaper on Potdam's Past Students will present their newspaper articles on Potsdam in an oral presentation to the class.

Learning Experiences

Extending and Refining

What knowledge will students be extending and refining? Specifically, they will be extending and refining their understanding of…

What reasoning process will they be using?

Describe what will be done.

How a community develops and changes over a period of time

Comparing

Classifying
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Error Analysis
Analyzing Perspectives
Constructing Support

Abstracting
Other:

Time lines-students will read and interpret a timeline of Potsdam's Past

Potsdam, Then and Now slide show-students will view a slide show explaining how Potsdam was established and who the prominent people were that influenced the community

Government of yesteryear, government of today-students will hear two guest speakers discuss these topics

Planning Guide

Unit:

Step 1	Step 2	Step 3
*What knowledge* will students be using meaningfully? Specifically, they will be demonstrating their understanding of and ability to...........**	What reasoning process will they be using?	Describe student's products and performances and the criteria for evaluation.
	[ ] Decision Making (selecting from seemingly equal alternatives or examining the decisions of others) [ ] Problem Solving (seeking to achieve a goal by overcomming constraints or lmiting conditions) [ ] Invention (creating something to meet a need or improve on a situation) [ ] Experimental Inquiry (generating an explanation for a phenomenon and testing the explanation) [ ] Investigation (resolving confusions or contradictions related to a historical event, a hypothetical past or future event, or to the defining characteristics of something) [ ] Systems Analysis (analyzing the parts of a system and how they interact) [ ] Other:	Products/Performances
		Criteria for evaluation

Rubric:

Key Questions:

What are the key elements, traits, or dimensions that will be evaluated?

Are the identified elements of equal importance or will they be weighed differently?

	Element #1	Element #2	Element #3	Element #4
Elements Scale	Research notes	Compare/contrast essay	Oral presentation
Weights
4	Has detailed notes well organized the graphics are easy to read	Essay has no grammatical, mechanical errors Uses good vocabulary words	-has good clarity -has eye contact -has good posture
3	Has notes graphic organizers partially filled out	Essay has few grammatical and mechanical errors	-part of the presentation is hard to hear -eye contact is weak -body posture is nervous
2	Has minimal notes has graphic organizers scarcely filled out	Essay is difficult to read due to grammatical an mechanical errors	Is hard to hear no eye contact
1	Has no notes	Essay is illegible	Can't give the oral presentation

NOTE: Rubric or other performance asessment instruments may be used.

Constructing a Holistic
Scoring Tool
(Rubric or Activity Specific Key)

Key Questions:

* How many score points are needed to discriminate among the full range of different degrees of understanding, proficiency, or quality?

This response, product, or performance provides evidence of understanding of concept/principle/generalization or proficiency in skill/process/strategy.

Score Point 4	Score Point 3
[ ]	[ ]
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[ ]	[ ]
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Score Point 2	Score Point 1
[ ]	[ ]
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Have You Considered These Yet?

Learn to Learn Skills:

Assessment Modifications:

Unit Schedule/Time Plan:

3-4 weeks of social studies and language arts

Written Overview:

Potsdam, Past to Present is a unit that integrated social studies and language arts. The students researched their community's past and decided which aspect they enjoyed the most and would like to research to compare/contrast it to Potsdam's present. Finally, they compiled the compare/contrast paragraphs into a classroom newspaper. The unit was great! The students really enjoyed learning about their community. They got really excited when they could pick out the one area they'd like to further pursue and did a marvelous job. The majority of students worked in collaborative pairs, or small cooperative groups, one student opted to work alone. The final product was nice, the students were really proud of their creation.