Lesson Title: ____Lets Explore the USA!

_________________________________________
Grade: ___4-6____
Content Area: ____Social Studies/Geography/History___________
Central Focus: This lesson will be part of a unit on ___United States History_______________
I created this lesson as more of an end of the week review for a blended classroom. It is meant to
be a recap of what students have been learning about the states and U.S. History.
Objectives:

By the end of this review, students should be able to more easily recall at least fifteen of
the states and their capitals.
Students should also show a clearer understanding of major dates and events in United
States History.
This lesson will show me where the students are at in terms of their comprehension and
understanding of this lesson and if it is safe to move on.

Content Standards:
Common Core State Standards
www.corestandards.org

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to
history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts,
graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with
other information in print and digital texts.

ISTE NETS-S Standards

2. Communication and collaboration:
http://www.iste.org/standards/standards- Students use digital media and environments
for-students
to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual
learning and contribute to the learning of
others.
a) Interact, collaborate, and publish with
peers, experts, or others employing a variety
of digital environments and media.
Assessment:
Two quizzes will help me to assess students understanding of the material and will show
me if there is anything I may need to cover in more detail in future lessons.
As homework I asked them to interview parents, friends, or family and see what states
they have visited, would like to visit, or have lived in and then to write about those states.
This allows them to collaborate with others outside the classroom.
I added a Think, Pair, Share, where the students can research information on a
particular state as a group and then present what they have learned. By doing this, I hope
to encourage more student-to-student interaction. Their presentations will allow them to
explain what they have learned.

I also included an activity that they can write on a sheet of paper and this can go into a
portfolio as a record of their understanding.

Type of assessment (formal or informal; formative of summative):

Formal
Informal
Formative
Description of assessment (What will students do to show what they have learned?): Students
will review the information they have been learning and then will take two quizzes to concretely
demonstrate their grasp of the material. A group project will allow them to delve more into the
states and to demonstrate their understanding and ability to communicate their knowledge.
Interviewing others will also allow them to communicate in a hands-on way what they have been
learning.
Modifications to the assessment so that all students may demonstrate learning: Paper
quizzes and options can be used for those who do not have access to a computer or who for some
reason cannot use one. The lesson can be given on one main screen so everyone can see it, and
those that have computers can access the individual activities. All the quizzes and questions can
be completed just as well on paper as on a computer. Also, in reverse, if a student does not have
the fine motor-skills needed to write on paper can either be placed in a group or can use a
computer.
Evaluation Criteria (How good is good enough to meet standards? Related to the learning
objectives; include scoring guide, rubric or other criteria): See rubric and checklist below
Materials: Student Needs and Teacher Needs
Teacher Needs:
A presentation of some sort. I used a Prezi. This can be shown to the whole class but if
they all have access to it on a laptop or computer, the quizzes and activities can be done
individually and/or together.
Two videos one on U.S. History and another about the states. For the states I used a
YouTube video that went through the states in the order in which they were founded. I
chose one that had music and illustrations to make it more engaging. The Fifty States in
Order of Statehood Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSWr1-kQNtM For
History, I used another YouTube video American History Rap Song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8rzs4Ls9Gc
To make the online quizzes I used Quiz Maker: http://www.poll-maker.com/QuizMaker.
The website was very helpful and user friendly. I used a mixture of true or false, multiple
choice, and fill in the blanks for the quiz questions.
I had wanted to create a wiki page to allow for more collaboration but when that failed, I
used Survey Monkey instead. This allows for student feedback but it seems more user
friendly than Wiki Pages. The only disappointing thing is that students cannot see their
peers opinionswhich would be ideal. So, either a wiki page or Survey Monkey can be
used. While students are working in groups I could take the results from the survey and
compile the answers into an anonymous chart to display the data to the class.

Some pictures to add to the presentation might make it more engaging for the children.
A computer to present from, a projector, and some sort of sound system will be needed as
well.
Paper options for the quizzes and the activities just in case some students require this
method over that of a computer.
Another helpful resource for students that finish early can be Stack the States app. This
is a fun game that allows for further revision of the states.
For a resource I used: www.50states.com

Student Needs
Students will need paper, pencils, markers, coloring pencils, pens, and/or crayons.
Notebook paper can be used, but colored paper (patriotic colors to go with the theme)
would fit in nicely.
Access to computers (or tablets), internet, and sound.
Room to collaborate and move around.
LESSON PLAN
Opening: I created this whole lesson as a review, ideally a Friday. I titled the lesson, Lets
Explore the USA and I hope to encourage a treasure hunt mentality. We are looking for
knowledge together and applying what we have learned to the current lesson. I will open the
lesson by asking what they have been learning and allow them to give some interesting facts that
they have learned or that interest them about the material. I created the Prezi in order to use it as
a scaffold and a structure but there can be leeway involved.
Presentation and Practice: I will introduce the lesson using the Prezi and give explanations as
necessary to introduce the lesson and to outline what needs to be accomplished. I will
demonstrate the activities and show them how to present their information. No new knowledge
will be presented since the students will be recalling what they already know and applying that to
the activity in order to see how well they know the material. Most of the work will be done
individually, but for the group-work I will assign groups by handing each child a random card
that has a number written on it. Those students with matching cards and numbers will be in the
same group. Instructions are on the Prezi and will also be repeated in class. Student feedback
will be requested to make sure all the students are on the same page. This will take place in the
form of a Question and Answer session and I will also pass out notecards towards the middle of
the lesson so that those who do not want to raise their hands can write down their questions or
comments on the cards. Early finishers may research some of the states and write mini-projects
or presentations using either paper, a poster, Word, PowerPoint, or another medium that is on
hand. These can be added to their portfolios and can serve as classroom decorations to show
what they have been learning. While the students are working I will be walking around and
making sure that they are staying on task and not having problems. I will also compile the
results from the state survey into a graph so that the whole class can see the data.
Closure: Students will not be presenting new knowledge. This lesson is a review to see if what
they have been learning is being retained and learned in a manner capable of sharing and
explaining to others. The questions asked in the quizzes and in the lesson in general are simple
and yet can help me see what level the students are at in terms of understanding. The questions
asked all point towards the main goal of helping students better understand basic U.S. History

and the States. Questions can be simplified if necessary and if some students seem to be
confused. Quiz results can be seen immediately and the quiz can be re-taken, so if I see that the
majority of the students did not do well, I can go through the quiz with them to see why they did
not do well.
Resources:
This is the lesson I created: http://prezi.com/dp4pi5yenj1s/?
utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
The quizzes I created are available, as well as how I set it up, and some of my expectations.

Rubric

Checklist

Lesson as a
Whole

Quiz 1

20 points

15 points

Student is
attentive,
participates in
class discussion
and in the
designated
activities, and
takes the assigned
quizzes
Student
answers all
seventeen
questions correctly

Students
are not attentive
but participate
in the
designated
discussions,
activities, and
assigned
quizzes
Student
answers at least
twelve
questions
correctly
Student
puts down only
two states
Students
answer at least
seven questions
correctly
Students
match at least
four of the
states to their
correct capitals
and
abbreviations
Students
work as a group
but present
their
information in a
less unified
manner

State Survey

Student
completes survey

Quiz 2

Student
answers all ten
questions correctly

Matching

Student
matches all the
states to their
correct capitals
and abbreviations

Think, Pair,
Share

Students
work together as a
group and present
their findings
coherently and
correctly

State Interview
Mission

Student
completes
assignment

10 points

5 points

Students
do not actively
participate in
class discussions
and activities and
are not attentive
but complete the
quizzes

Students
are not actively
participating in
class discussions
and activities and
do not complete
the quizzes

Student
answers at least
nine questions
correctly

Student
answers less than
nine questions
correctly

Student
only puts down
one state
Students
answer at least
five questions
correctly
Students
match only three
of the states to
their correct
capitals and
abbreviations

Student
does not
complete survey
Students
answer less than
five questions
correctly
Students
match less than
three of the states
to their correct
states and
abbreviations

Students
do not work as a
group and some
of the members
are not as
involved;
information is
scattered and
slightly incorrect
Student
Student
interviews three interviews three
people but does people but writes
not write down down less than
the facts to
four states and
accompany the their
states
accompanying
facts

Students
do not display a
grasp of their
state and the
information
presented is
incorrect and
disorganized
Student
interviews less
than three
people, and does
not write down
the appropriate
accompanying
information

Total Grade

/140 possible points total

Checklist

United States History Video

United States History Quiz
State Survey
State Video
State Quiz
Portfolio Activity match the states
Think, Pair, Share
Presentations on the Think, Pair, Share
Homework Assignment
Share findings from State Survey