Shayne LeDuc

shayneleduc@u.boisestate.edu

Lesson:

American Civil War Timeline

Quick Overview of Lesson
In 100 words or less, give a description of the lesson.
Students will use BrainPop to learn the causes and effects of the Civil War.

Why Do Students Care About This Lesson?

Why are they excited about the lesson, and how will you engage students who are not as interested in the
lesson?
This is an interesting lesson because it will use interactive learning opportunities to engage all students.

Part 1
Essential Question:
List the question students should be considering as they complete the project. This is a driving question that
hooks the students into lesson or unit and is what they can answer at the end of the lesson. You should
have ONE.
How did the Civil War drastically change the dynamic of the United States?

Learning Objectives:
Write your learning objectives (see (LO) & identify the
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level (DOK is listed
later in this document).

LOs start with a verb (NOT students will). Do not use the words
understand or learn
One objective per (dont use and).
Do NOT mention the task.
What are students able to do or know at the END of the lesson?
DOK is how much critical thinking the STUDENT is doing.

Learning Objectives

DOK level

Explain the events that led to the start of the Civil War

Memorize/follow steps

Describe one achievement of Reconstruction

Think

Compare and contrast the opportunities of of slaves once slavery

was abolished

Think

Content Area Standard:

What content area standard will you be addressing?
Social Studies

Context:
Think about who your students are, you need to know the needs and levels of your students along with their
personal interests when you design your lessons. Create a fictional class in detail. Consider the diversity
your class WILL have.

Who are your learners?

5th grade classroom
Grade Level:
5th Grade

Part 2
Materials:
List materials required

This lesson plan is required to integrate technology

Computers to use BrainPop and to do research
Paper to create timeline

Anticipatory Set:
How will you introduce the lesson with a student-centered activity that captures their attention?
How will you activate prior knowledge? Can you build on a topic or skill they have already mastered?
Separate the students into groups of 4, have them create a list or diagram of everything they know about
the Civil War to get a base of knowledge before learning about it in depth.

Teaching Steps:
1. Describe the scope and sequence of the activity; listing step by step what will be occurring both by
the teacher and by the students.
2. Do NOT mention the teacher. Your lesson should come from the student perspective.
3. For each task, list the DOK level. How much critical thinking is the student involved in?

Task/Step

DOK level

Split students into groups of 4. Have them discuss what they already know
about the Civil War. Once the groups have finished, write down what each
group said on the Smartboard.

Original
thought

Show the Civil War movie from Brainpops website. Students jot down
important pieces of information such as leaders, causes, laws, dates etc.

Memorize

Have children use the Student Research website to collect research to fill in
their timeline.

Critically
think

Check each groups research as they are gathering the information to make
sure it is credible.

Think

Have each group create a Mind Map using Kidspiration on the computers of
how they want to create the timeline of events.

Original
thinking

Groups then create the timeline using their research and information they
gathered from the video.

Critical
thinking

Help students as they create their timelines, ensuring that each group cites
correctly and uses accurate information.

Think

Each group then presents their timeline to the class, explaining how they got

Original

the information and what they did to create it.

thinking

Closure:
How will the lesson end?
Each group presents their timelines to the class

Modern Lesson Design: 4 Cs

Student connections to the 4cs:

Describe how your lesson

addresses each of the 4 Cs

Critically think:
Students are asked to...

Use information they already know and research they have

done to create a well informed timeline of events leading up
to and during the Civil War.

Critical thinking is coming up with their own ideas and defending them or creating something new or applying to a new
situation.

Collaborate:
Students are...

Split into groups of four where each person has a specific

task to do and many tasks that they need to work on together.

Collaboration is not just working together, but to be reliant on each other. There should be some level of task switching.

Communicate:
Students will...

Gather information and then work together as a group to put it

into a cohesive timeline.

Communicate is not talking; it is clearly communicating ideas.

Create:
Students will develop...

Their thoughts onto a timeline. They will use multiple

databases, websites, and pictures to create a well researched
timeline.

Create is how students are being CREATIVE. This is NOT creating art. This is NOT creating a PowerPoint.

DOK Levels
What DOK levels are addressed in this activity?
Remember it is NOT how HARD the task is, but the complexity of thinking.
You may only address ONE DOK level in this
lesson or up to all 4. Describe how your
lesson addresses the DOK level.
DOK 1: Memorize/Follow steps

DOK 2: Think
DOK 3: Critically think
DOK 4: Original thinking

The students will use original thinking by

researching information on the Civil War and
then using their teammates to organize a
timeline on events of the Civil War.

Research:
What will your students be researching? What search/research techniques will your students need to know?
Researching

Advanced Search/Research Technique

Who were some important leaders on both

side of the war?

Picking the right search terms in the

database.

What are some goals of Reconstruction?

Narrowing a search to get better results.

How were the lives of slaves changed after the

Civil War?

Establishing a credible source.

Assessment:
How will you know students have learned?

Formative assessment (see related info at the bottom of this document)

Once the groups have completed their timelines have each student write a few sentences of what they
learned by watching the movie and by researching.

Summative assessment (see related info at the bottom of this document)

Create a review of the subject learned in this lesson to be used on exam the next week.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

(They need to be considered while creating the lesson plan, but do not need to be recorded
here.)
How do you offer your students choice and a piece
of control?
What decisions do the students get to make?

How does your lesson show that the student is the

most important?
How do you differentiate for student needs? Why is
this lesson appropriate for your lowest student and
your highest student?
How do you differentiate for student needs? Why is
this lesson appropriate for your lowest student and
your highest student?
How do you accommodate students with learning
disabilities or language issues?
What digital citizenship do you address in this
lesson?

RESOURCES:
What is the difference between formative and summative
assessment?
Formative assessment
The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that
can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning.
More specifically, formative assessments:
help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately
Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means that they have low or no point
value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:
draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
turn in a research proposal for early feedback

Summative assessment
The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional
unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.
Summative assessments are often high stakes, which means that they have a high point value.
Examples of summative assessments include:
a midterm exam
a final project
a paper
a senior recital
Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it

to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

Retrieved 10/2/16 from: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html
Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation Copyright 2008, 2015, Eberly Center for Teaching
Excellence & Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University.
Lesson Plan Template retrieved 10/2/16 and adapted from:
http://alicekeeler.com/2016/02/21/my-lesson-plan-template
Teacher Tech blog by Alice Keeler