Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

Overview | Content Knowledge | Essential Questions | Connection To Standards | Initiating Activity | Learning Experiences | Culminating Performance | Pre-Requisite Skills | Modifications | Schedule/Time Plan | Technology Use

OVERVIEW

 The focus of this unit is to have children gain an understanding of and explain why we celebrate President’s Day. Through a variety of lessons children will listen, research, and read about the lives and accomplishments of these two great men. The meaningful use task requires students to decide who they feel, between Abe Lincoln and George Washington, was our country’s greatest leader.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 For whom and why do we celebrate President’s Day?

What were the major accomplishments in the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS
List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicator(s) or Benchmark(s)

 Social Studies Standard: #5 Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. constitutional democracy; and the role, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Key Idea: #3 Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and the scope of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

Performance Indicator: #1Students will understand that citizenship includes an awareness of the holidays, celebrations, and symbols of our nation.

English Language Arts Standard: #1 Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

Key Idea: #1 Listening and reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written, and electronic sources.

Performance Indicator: #1 Students will gather and interpret information from children’s reference books, magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.

INITIATING ACTIVITY

 Students will enter the room and will find a sealed envelope on their desks. They will be given an opportunity to guess what is in the envelope. After taking guesses they will be told to use a pencil to shade the top of the envelope. A president’s face will appear. We will then have a discussion about whose faces appear and why. I will then hold up pictures of a log cabin and a cherry. Students will then become familiar with the vocabulary term "symbol." We will then brainstorm and list on the board symbols of our "TWO GREAT MEN." Students will then be asked to design (using symbols of our country or of the two leaders), title, and color a cover page that will be laminated and used to cover their Presidential booklet.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES
In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/refining
experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.

Lesson 1- Launch

Lesson 2- Students will be handed out their presidential booklets. They will be asked to open up to the blue sheet. We will then as a group complete the KNOW part of the K-W-L graphic organizer regarding President’s Days. Students will watch a video entitled President’s Days. After a short discussion we will watch the movie again allowing the students the opportunity to take notes in their presidential booklets.

Lessons 3&4- these lessons were designed to give students a greater appreciation of the life of George Washington. Students will be presented two books; George Washington and President’s Day by Dorthy and Thomas Hoobler, and A Picture Book of George Washington, written by David Adler. At the conclusion of these stories, students will be assigned a partner and together will complete a character map of George Washington. The following day the partners will be asked to pick out the pieces of information that they feel people should know about George Washington. As a group we will compile a list and then transfer the facts to cherries that will cover the cherry tree on our bulletin board.

Lessons 5&6- these lessons were designed to give students a greater appreciation of the life of Abraham Lincoln. Students will listen to two stories about President Lincoln. Students will then be divided into groups of four. At this point they will use a variety of resources to complete a Treasure Hunt of information about his life. As a group we will share our findings and transfer the facts onto stovepipe hats. They will be displayed on the presidential bulletin board.

Lessons 7and 8 are designed to allow students the opportunity to use the information that they have gathered in their presidential booklets and notes. The teacher will assign students to groups of two. First, students will use the circle graph task to compare and contrast the lives of these two men. Next they will use a timeline organizer in order to create a timeline with regard to their lives. When they are complete each group will share their findings with the entire class.

Lesson 9 – Students will be asked to use the information which they have gathered and write a friendly letter, using correct form, to someone explaining why they will have no school and be able to come to visit during the Presidential school holiday.

Lessons 10 & 11- this is the opportunity for students to gather information from an electronic source. With the help of an older student, the students will be given the opportunity to search for and gather more information on the president that they have chosen to write about in their report.

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
Include rubric(s)

  Given the choice of Lincoln or Washington students will use the Decision -making process to select the individual that they felt was the "Greatest Man", based on the criteria that was designed for the task. The criteria were as follows: 1. Tell who your "greatest" person is and list some historical information about this person. Be sure to include the person's birthrate, presidential number, and career etc.2. Give at least two reasons why you feel that this person was our "Greatest " leader. Support your reasons with details about your leader's life. 3. Be sure to include correct spelling and Grammar.

Students will then Refine and extend this information by writing and presenting a speech to their class.

Students will be given a few days in class to work on their task. We will then have a birthday party and students will give their "Greatest Man" oral presentation to the class.

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

 Experience with and knowledge about oral reporting

Familiarity with the form of a friendly letter

Familiarity with graphic organizers

 Experience with using the Internet

MODIFICATIONS

 All lessons will be modified as we go along according to the I.E.P. (s) of individual students.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

 Approximately thirteen class periods will be needed to successfully complete this unit. I recommend starting some time the first week of February.

TECHNOLOGY USE

 . Internet for researching material on the "Greatest Men" using teacher designed web pages with links to appropriate sites and information