Author

Exploring the Historical Figures of Colorado

Example of Lesson Bitstrip: http://bitstrips.com/r/H48CZ
Erin Finnell

Grade
Level

Fourth

Integrated
disciplines

History and Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Content
Standards

Content Area: Social Studies

Standard 1: History
2. The historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas and themes
in Colorado history and their relationships to key events in
the United States

Writing
Standards

Describe interactions among people and cultures that

have lived in Colorado (DOK 1-2)

Content Area: Reading, Writing, and Communicating

Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening
1. A clear communication plan is necessary to effectively
deliver and receive information

b. Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or

information presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an

experience in an organized manner, using appropriate
facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main
ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable
pace.

Standard: 3. Writing and Composition

1. The recursive writing process is used to create a variety of
literary genres for an intended audience

b. Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences

2. Informational and persuasive texts use the recursive

writing process

a. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a

topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

3. Correct sentence formation, grammar, punctuation,

capitalization, and spelling are applied to make the meaning
clear to the reader

NETS-S

a.Produce clear and coherent writing in which the

development and organization are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

c.With some guidance and support from adults, use

technology, including the Internet, to produce and
publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate
with others; demonstrate sufficient command of
keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a
single sitting.

1. Creativity and innovation

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas,

products, or processes

b. Create original works as a means of personal or

group expression

2. Communication and collaboration

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers,

experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media

b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to

multiple audiences using a variety of media and
formats

3. Research and information fluency

a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry

b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and

ethically use information from a variety of sources and
media

c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital

tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks

5. Digital citizenship

a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible

use of information and technology

b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology

that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity

6. Technology operations and concepts

a. Understand and use technology systems

d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new

technologies

Objectives
:

Students will be able to report on a selected figure from

Colorado history and understand their importance and
impact on their era, when and why they came to Colorado,
and more basic information about the figure. They will do this
by researching their figure in small groups using reliable
online sources, educational YouTube videos, and primary
documents. Then they will be able to show their knowledge
by compiling a Bitstrip containing information about the
figure's life.

Assessme
nt:

Students will take a pretest to assess their knowledge of

historical Colorado figures, and information gathered from
this can help decide who is in what group. We want the
students to learn something new so they will be assigned to
a figure that the pretest showed they did not know
information about.

When they complete their Bitstrip, they will be assessed

based on their effort and accuracy with the assignment. Then
they present the Bitstrip to the class to teach about their
figure.
Materials:
-Computer and internet access
-Books about Colorado History
-Access to digital primary resources
Anticipato
ry Set:

I will ask my students how they came to live in Colorado.

Were they born here? Did they move here from somewhere
else? Why are they in Colorado? Then I will ask them about
their history in Colorado and their own experiences in
Colorado. Then I can ask the class what they know about
important historical figures.

Technolog
y
Integratio
n

Technology will be integrated in the research process, the

actual activity, and the final closure. During the research
process, students will use computers to find reliable
information and primary sources about their historical figure.
Then students will use Bitstrip to compile all of the
information. Last, the students will all come together to make
one big timeline depicting important dates from their
historical figures.

Procedure
s and
Learning
Activities

Students:

Teacher:

1. Students will discuss their

experiences in Colorado with
each other.

1. Ask students about their

history in Colorado and if
they know any famous
Coloradans.

2. Students will work in

groups on computers to
compile information about
their figure in history.
3. Students will then use that
information to create a
Bitstrip introducing the
figure.

2. Introduce the students to

valuable educational websites
where they can find timelines
and information about
important historical figures.
3. Introduce them to Bitstrip
and allow the class to make a
fun comic together to get

4. Students will present their

Bitstrip and information
about their figure.
5. Make a timeline with the
figures from other groups
using an online timeline
maker to get a picture of
various people in Colorado
history.

them familiar with the

technology.
4. Strategically group the
children, then assign them an
important figure.
5. Monitor the groups as they
research and make their
Bitstrip.

Differentia
tion
Higher ability learners: Higher ability learners could be
assigned a figure that did a lot more than others during their
life so that the students would have to make more decisions
about what they will include. They could also create a digital
timeline along with their Bitstrip.
Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities can be
provided more resources to use to research their character.
There will also be a lot of reading of information that they
find, so they can also use text to speech technology when
researching.
Closure

Reference
s:

Students will present their important figure to the class using

their Bitstrip. Then the class will make a giant class timeline
and all the students pick an important moment for their
figure. Then they compile it onto the timeline.
http://www.softschools.com/teacher_resources/timeline
_maker/
https://www.bitstrips.com
http://www.datesandevents.org/american-timelines/06colorado-history-timeline.htm
http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/statefamous-people/colorado.html