I will be teaching my students about The Oregon Trail by having them create a personal journal of "their" experience traveling. This will allow students to learn about westward expansion, how to recall facts in their writing, and lastly, how to tell a story with detail and coherent sentences.
2. Overview
Grade Level: 2nd grade
Subject: Writing, Social Studies
Topic of Study: The Oregon Trail
Time Allotment: 60 minutes
Standards:
- Strand 1 Concept 5 PO 4. Describe how new forms of transportation and communication impacted the westward expansion of the United States:
- a. transportation (e.g., trails, turnpikes, canals, wagon trains, steamboats, railroads)
- Write narratives in which they recount a well‐elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. (2.W.3)
- Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. (2.SL.4)
Objective: Students will recreate a story about The Oregon Trail using the different facts they learn in the video, book, and discussion.
Reflection:
- What do the students need to know prior to the lesson?
- Before this lesson students need to have the knowledge of how to write a story that includes fact, and a beginning, middle, and end.
- How will prior knowledge and experience be assessed?
- Before this lesson, I would have my students sequence a story and retell it by using a beginning, middle, and end, as well as do a research paper where they use an article to find facts and then write about it.
- How will you use this information in the planning process?
- I will use this information in my planning process to adjust the requirements by their skill levels. If one student finds it easier to write a story I will expect more from them and if a student struggles writing, I will guide them a little more and help them with their writing.
- Why should the content of this lesson be taught at this grade level?
- This should be taught in second grade because it is the introduction to writing stories and research papers as they move on in their schooling. It also helps them structure sentences to make comprehensible paragraphs.
- How do the objectives that you have for the lesson align with the standards?
- The objective that I have for this lesson align with the standards because...
- It requires students to use facts about transportation during the westward expansion
- Students need to recount a story (the video, book, or discussion) when writing a narrative
- Tell a story
- When will the lesson be taught in the course of the school year? Why?
- This lesson will be taught in the second half of the year when students have a better understanding of writing comprehensible texts.
3. Implementation
Procedure:
- Teacher procedures
- Introduce the lesson with a video on The Oregon Trail.
- Have students make a KWL chart on pixie about The Oregon Trail.
- Read students a book about The Oregon Trail.
- Brainstorm and make a web with all of the challenges people faced when traveling on The Oregon Trail.
- Have students create a journal with pictures of "their" trip on The Oregon Trail.
- The journals should contain a story about traveling the trail and includes a beginning, middle, and end, as well as the facts they learn from the discussion, video, and story.
- Have students share their journals with the class.
- Have students finish their KWL charts.
- Student procedures
- Watch the video.
- Make a KWL chart on pixie.
- Listen to book.
- Brainstorm challenges people faced.
- Create a journal.
- Share journals with the class.
- Fill out the rest of the KWL chart.
Technology Integration:
- Smartboard
- Pixie
- educreation
Differentiated Instruction:
- If students do not feel comfortable using the technology, students will be able to write on paper instead. Also, if I have a student with visual or hearing problems, I will move them closer to the board and myself.
Reflection:
- Why are you using the instructional methods you have described?
- I am using the different instructional methods I picked so that students may receive information in multiple different ways. This will be beneficial because it allows students to see, hear, and talk about the information.
- How do the instructional methods align with what you know about best practices?
- I am connecting the content to students' lives by having them place themselves in the situation of the travelers.
- How are you engaging students in creative and higher order thinking?
- I am having them create a journal where they place themselves in the shoes of the travelers which will make them look at the content in a different way.
4. Assessment
Procedure: I will be collecting students' KWL charts, as well as their journals so that I may see what they learned and how they were able to connect the content to their own lives.
Reflection:
- How does the assessment align with the standards and objectives of this lesson?
- This aligns with the standards and objectives because it has them exploring one of the ways of transportation during the westward expansion, as well as writing a story and a narrative.
- How does the assessment demonstrate that the students have been successful in learning the content?
- This will demonstrate students' learning because they will be required to use facts they learned about The Oregon Trail, in order to write their journal. The KWL chart will also allow me to see what students feel they got out of the lesson.
- How does the assessment demonstrate student engagement in higher order thinking?
- This demonstrates higher order thinking because I will see how students would visualize themselves in the situation of the travelers.
- How does the assessment demonstrate that individual student needs were met?
- This will show that individual needs were met because for the higher students, they should have more detail and expression, but for the lower students I should see well thought out short sentences to write.
5. Materials and Resources
Resources:
Reflection:
- Smartboard
- ipads
- Computers
Materials:
- Video
- Book
Reflection:
- How does your lesson meet Standard 1: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity ?
- This lesson will facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity because I am having them put themselves into the lives of the people who traveled The Oregon Trail. This is different then just teaching and telling them about the experiences of the people because this way they have to visualize themselves in their place which generally excites students.
- How does your lesson meet Standard 2: Provide Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments?
- This lesson provides digital-age learning experiences and assessments because we are using the smartboard instead of paper to show a video and make a web of facts they learned. We will also be using pixie on the computer to make a KWL chart, and lastly, we will be using mystory to create journals that they will share with the class.
- How does your lesson meet Standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work & Learning?
- I model to my students how to properly use the technology and they will learn what is acceptable and what is not when using it.
- How does your lesson Meet all four elements of Standard 4: Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility by:
- advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.
- Students will be using a kid friendly app called pixie where I know things are monitored as well as mystory which is not connected to the internet and is for children.
- addressing the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
- I will address the diverse needs of all my learners by allowing for adjustments when needed. If there is a student that is unfamiliar with using the computer I will have them get with a partner to help them learn.
- promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
- I will be expecting my students to show digital etiquette and responsible social interactions otherwise they lose the access and have to do their collage on paper.
- developing and modeling cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital-age communication and collaboration tools.
-This will model cultural understanding and global awareness because when the students show their journals, everyone will have come up with a different expression of "their" experience which will allow students to see how one another thinks about something.
