Unit Lesson Plan

November 2014

Artifact Description
The following artifacts are components of a lesson on the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
prompting the statehood of Wisconsin and other states in the Northwest Territory. The two
components work together in explaining the process of the Northwest Territory being claimed by
America and how the area would become several states. The purpose of the presentation was to
take a primary source and analyze the most important components since primary sources can be
difficult material for students to comprehend. The activity was a way for the students to bring
the ordinance into perspective that could be relatable to modern day. I taught this material in
Wisconsin History class to approximately thirty students in the first nine weeks of my student
teaching experience.
Wisconsin Teacher Licensure Standard Alignment
This experience best aligns with standard four of the Wisconsin Teacher Development and
Licensure Standards which states: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional
strategies to encourage students development of critical thinking, problem solving, and
performance standards.
This experience aligns with standard four because I was able use my knowledge of the cognitive
processes associated with various kinds of learning in order to incorporate critical thinking,
problem solving, and some creative thinking into the lesson. I included different instructional
strategies in order to ensure the concept was understood. The presentation involved some direct
instruction that transitioned into whole group discussion. The class discussed the components of
the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and why they were important. The discussion made the
students aware of the reasons for the ordinance and the effect it would have on the people living
there. The activity involves some interdisciplinary instruction. This allowed for some of the
students to focus on a different skill set in order to come to a conclusion that had social
ramifications. Having interdisciplinary instruction helped the students to understand the
concepts of the 18th Century in different terms.
As a result of this experience, I am more competent in this standard because I use a variety of
materials and resources in order to teach the concepts important to Wisconsin History. I have
used primary sources in order to help the students understand these concepts. The lesson was on
the content of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, but also on how to understand primary sources
and find the most important information from them. The activity used another primary source,
the United States Constitution, in order to contrast and compare themes of the two documents. I
am aware that the variety of ways in which I present material will foster engagement,
comprehension, and synthesis of the components.

UW-Platteville Knowledge, Skill, and Disposition Alignment

This experience best aligns with KSD1.e. Designing Coherent Instruction. This KSD states: The
candidate, with appropriate student input, has the ability to develop relevant, goal-directed,
engaging, clear, and varied learning activities that progress coherently and produce a unified
instructional setting that reflects recent professional research.
The material I used for this lesson really focused on alternate explanations of the purpose of the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was. Since this is a primary source, I wanted to use materials that
would engage the students in what the Ordinance was saying. With the presentation, as a class
we were able to grasp the main concepts by putting the document into our own words. Another
way I was able to bring the Ordinance into a framework the students would relate to, was by
using the Constitution to compare and contrast the documents. The Constitution is seemingly
more relevant to the students and partnering them brought context to the Ordinance.
I am more competent after this experience because I can incorporate various kinds of learning in
order to create a comprehensible lesson. I am aware of the different learning activities I can use
in order to engage the students and help them to grasp the concepts of the content they are
learning.
Secondary KSDs
KSD1.d: Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources
KSD3.a: Communicating Clearly and Accurately
KSD3.e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
Reflection What I learned about teaching/learning
As a result of this experience I have learned how important variety is when instructing students.
There is more than one way that students learn, and catering to the needs of the students can help
them to further their understanding of the material. I also learned that including several
instructional strategies into one lesson can engage the students because their focus is being kept
by the different activities we are doing. Ive learned how active teaching can be and that the
students react to that in an extremely positive way.
What I learned about myself as a prospective educator
As an educator, I have learned how to create a lesson that includes critical and creative thinking.
I enjoy using primary sources in teaching and then being able to discuss what the primary source
says and why it is important. I have learned how to scaffold a whole group discussion based on
an activity the students had completed in preparation for the lesson. I enjoy having these
discussions with the class when they have the background and the other tools necessary to talk
about the content. I have found that these discussions, aided by the other activities, help to make
the material more relevant and helps the students to become more engaged.