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EDUC 420: ELEMENTARY FIELD EXPERIENCE III

Subject/Topic: History Grade/Class: 5th Grade Time/Period: 10/28/16 Lesson Date: #2


SOL: USI.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North America
and West Africa by a) describing the motivations for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the
Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English explorations
Content Outline:
The purpose of this lesson is to expose students to the motivations, obstacles, and
accomplishments that the Spanish, French, Portuguese, and the English all faced during their
lifetime. Students will have an opportunity to discuss and engage in group activities based on the
motivations, obstacles, and accomplishments. The three specific concepts for this lesson is
focused on the motivations, obstacles, and accomplishments by the explorers. Each of the three
concepts includes details that the student will learn during the lesson. Multiple vocabulary words
that are important to the lesson include, economic, gold, natural resources, trade, religion,
competition, navigational tools, disease/ starvation, supplies, and exchange. Throughout the
lesson students will gain a more concrete understanding of the these words and be able to apply
their knowledge as the lesson introduces more topics.
Rationale:
This content is important for students to learn because they will have a better
understanding of how difficult it was to navigate without have the newest GPS to give specific
directions to a destination. Students need to understand how the explorers overcame their
obstacles in order to achieve their accomplishments. This lesson is crucial because it will give
students a new perspective on a way of life and how people were able to adapt to what they were
given and make the most of out their resources in order to survive. By teaching this information
students will be able to compare the life that they live in and compare the way of life that the
explorers lived.
Objective(s) of the lesson:
1. The student will be able to list the three European countries that pertain to the lesson.
2. The students will be able to identify and categorize a motivation, obstacles, and
accomplishment by the explorers.
3. The students will be able to compare and describe what they have in life compared to
what the explorers had access to.
Lesson Opening:
1. To start my lesson, I will ask students if they have ever heard of the word explore. ( I will
ask students to raise their hands and tell me what it means to explore something and if
they have ever explored something).
2. I will ask students if while they were exploring if they came across any obstacles that
held them back from making progress throughout their exploration.
3. I will ask students if they have ever heard of the word motivate, what it means, and if
they have ever had someone or something motivate them.

4. Once the students have answered the questions, I will tell them that they will be explorers
today and will be using their prior knowledge to understand the lesson.
Connection:
Students will be able to think of all of the supplies that they have access to that the
explorers did not including accurate maps instead of hand drawing maps, lack of supplies that
would be needed for a journey across the sea, disease and starvation, and the fear of the unknown
(if the sailors sailed too far they thought out that they would sail over the edge of the world or be
eaten by sea monsters)
Instructional Strategies/ Processes:
1. I will introduce myself and share with the students that we will be learning about three
important topics that the explorers were faced with on a daily basis: motivations,
obstacles, and accomplishments. (2 minutes)
2. I will give each table a bag of all of the motivations, obstacles, and accomplishments that
took place during the explorations. Each table will work with the students at their table
and try to figure out what category each statement belongs under. I will be walking
around and checking. I will also be ready to explain or assist and table or individual if a
challenged comes up.
3. Once all tables have completed this opening activity, I will give each student a booklet
which they will be using for the lesson on exploration.
4. Once the students have received their booklet, they will be asked to write their name and
the date on the front of the cover. (2 minutes)
5. Next, each student will receive a baggie that has six pieces of paper in it. Three of the
pieces of paper have the motivations and the other three have the accomplishments. I will
ask students to take out all six of the pieces of paper and place the three motivations in
the boxes without gluing them to the paper. I will walk around to make sure that all of the
students have the correct motivations in each box. The students will then glue each of the
three statements in the boxes and draw a corresponding picture for the statement that
makes sense to them. (15 minutes)
6. For the obstacle page, I will ask students if they can remember any of the obstacles from
the opening activity. Once I have heard some answers I will write the obstacles on the
whiteboard for all students to see. The next activity for obstacles includes the students
trying to draw a map to their house or their favorite place starting at the school. This will
help the student use their prior knowledge based on what they know and how to get to a
location. Drawing a map might be a struggle for some students and that is exactly the
point because that is the way explorers felt because they did not have good maps or
navigational tools. (15 minutes)
7. The final page of the booklet focuses on the accomplishments of the exploration.
Students will get the remaining three paper slips from the baggie and glue them onto the
paper. After the students have glued the accomplishments to the paper, they will again
draw a picture that presents the accomplishment. If time allows, I would like for the
students to try and think of three accomplishments that they have experienced and draw
or write them on the accomplishments page. (15 minutes)

8. As a review of everything the students have learned from their booklets, I will give each
student three sticky notes. The student will write motivation, obstacle, and
accomplishment. I will ask the entire class a question to the students and they will
respond by holding up one of the sticky notes with their answer on it. I will ask for a
volunteer to tell me why and how they know that is the correct answer for the question
that I have asked. (10 minutes)
9. If there is time at the end, I would like for the students to watch the video that is in the
PowerPoint.
Products:
1. Students will be given a booklet that they will use a each of the three stations to complete
an activity. The booklet gives the information on the explorers in a visual and written
format to provide the students with a picture that they can look back to if they need to
refresh their memory.
Assessment:
The sticky note activity will be their assessment. I will know if the students have learned
the material, if a majority of the sticky notes with the correct answer is put into the air. If
students are having trouble, I will allow them to use their booklets that they created from the
stations.
Closure:
To bring the lesson to a close, I will ask that each table work together and think of one
new thing that they have learned from the lesson. By having the students work with their peers at
the table, they are able to bounce ideas off of each other and learn or refresh each other's mind
about a specific topic.
Homework:
Students will not be assigned any homework.
Differentiation:
I am incorporating differentiation within this lesson by having the students work together
for the opening lesson, the stations will allow students to either work together or independently
(if a student is in need, I will take the time to explain a concept in a manner that the student is
able to relate to), the sticky note review activity is a way to show what students remember
without having to look at the booklet they have created, the closing activity will bring all of the
concepts together and be shared out loud for the entire class to hear and other students might be
exposed to a new concept or idea that he or she did not know before this activity.
Materials/ Equipment:
1. Booklets
2. Sticky notes
3. Students will need their own colored pencils/ crayons and glue sticks
4. Information printed out and ready to be glued into the booklet.

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