Citizenship Class Lesson Plan Format

James Madison University & Skyline Literacy

Names: Brett Johnson, Kelly Callahan

Date: 10/1/15

Subject/Class: Citizenship Class through Skyline Literacy

Topic: Colonies

Chapter in text: 3

Grade Level: adult

Day/Date to be taught: October

19th
Essential Questions:

Overarching: (linked to student lives)

1. How does the treatment of people in the colonies relate to your life/what life looks like in your
country?
2. Was America truly a land of opportunity? Is it now?

Lesson-focused:

1. How does the discovery and development of the colonies relate to the greater history of the
United States?

SOLswrite the number of US I or II or Civics which relate:

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;
b) describing cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and
American Indians that led to cooperation and conflict, with emphasis on the
American Indian concept of land;
CE.1 The student will develop the social studies skills responsible citizenship
requires, including the ability to b) create and explain maps, diagrams, tables,
charts, graphs, and spreadsheets; c) analyze political cartoons, political
advertisements, pictures, and other graphic media;

Your own written objectives (U/K, D, Values)

Your assessment: formative and

summative

U/K: Students will understand that people

came to America for freedom.
U/K: Students will see the similarities between
societies, both Britain and America, and
American and their own countries.

We will ask students during the

lesson to share their experiences
that are similar to the ones in the
lesson, and if they share examples
that are relevant, we know they are
on the same page, if not, we can
stay on the subject and ask for
deeper thinking through different
questions.

Skill: Be able to vocalize their learning in

English and communicate confidently

Because this is a highly interactive

lecture, we will be able to see their
communication skills through their
voice and through their writing. We
will be able to tell who might need
some extra help and those are the
students we could spend more time
with just talking to and asking
about their day, etc.

Value: Students will value the way foundations

of America, that is was founded in hopes of
freedom and opportunity, likely the very
reasons they came here

Teacher observation

(you can add boxes if needed)

Content Outline (1 pg.) (with embedded questions):

I.

Europeans
1.
Christopher Columbus came to America in 1492. Many Europeans arrived in America in
the 1600s.
3.
Why did the Europeans leave their homes in Europe?
a)
They wanted to be free and live in a free country
b)
They wanted freedom of religion/freedom to worship however they please
c)
They wanted to make money.
d)
How do these reasons relate to you? What brought you to America? Has is been what
you expected? Quick write one way that America has been the land of opportunity that you
expected, and one way that it hasnt been.

II.

Indians
b)
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
1.
American Indians. Sometimes they lived in peace with the Europeans, other times there
was trouble. What kinds of issues do you think there were? Have you seen issues like this in
your home countries? If so, what does that look like? Is it similar to what you know about
American Indians?
2.
III.
Colonial Life
d) Europeans lived in a place called colonies before there were 50 states, there were 13
colonies
f)
Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
To represent the 13 original colonies show them an unlabeled map of the 13 Colonies and
ask them to label as many as they can. Do you know the meaning behind your countrys flag?
What does it represent to you? What does the American flag represent to you personally?
3.
What are two American holidays?
a)
Thanksgiving and Columbus Day, which are celebrated every year in November and
October 12, respectively.
b)
What is Thanksgiving celebrating? Why do we still celebrate it? Do you have a holiday
similar to this in your country?
c)
How do you feel about Columbus Day? Show them a quick video about the cities in
America that have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day and then ask them how
they feel about it. Do you think its breaking tradition? Or do you think its a good idea because it
is less offensive?
4.
Were all of the people in the colonies free?
a)
No! Slave traders took people from their homes in Africa and they were taken to America
and sold as slaves
5.
Who was the leader of the 13 colonies?
a)
The king of England. What similarities do you see today between America and Britain?
The British King made the rules for the 13 colonies. How do you think the colonists felt about
being given rules by someone so far away? What problems do you see with that?

Instructional Plan: (suggested to write in bullet form in order to glance at it while teaching) 6
8 pm

Type of activity;
timing

What the Teacher Will Do

What the students will

be doing

Homework/textbo
ok
Review- 10 min.

Go over the homework

with the students and discuss
any issues they had with the
smaller groups

Reviewing material
from last class and getting
any help if needed

Welcome &
Hook/overview 57 min.

Welcome! Tell them about

ourselves and a funny story
about ourselves

Students will be
interested and involved in
the story. They will have
more of a connection to
the story, and when they
learn about it, it will be
more relevant.

Have students close their eyes,

and to get ready to go on an
adventure, but right in their
seats. Describe in deep detail
what it might be like to come into
a new land, just as Christopher
Columbus may have seen it.
Play ocean sounds in the
background, use great inflection
in voice. Do not tell the students
what we are explaining, but get
as many senses and emotions
involved as possible. Describe
what it would feel like to have
been on the boat for such a long
time, what people on the boat
are expecting, what it would be
like to see land for the first time,
etc.
Play a video clip of Columbus
reaching land, showing state of
ship, etc.

Discussion/Quest
ions about
Columbus and
the New World

-Where was he from, why did

he came here. Ask students to
tell us what they already know
about Columbus and his
discovery
- Recap what they said or fill in

- Students will access

previous knowledge and
apply it to what they will be
learning in this lesson.
They will also take the
new information and relate

the blanks with the information

presented in textbook, then
elaborate on why the many
Europeans followed him
- Ask them questions relating
Columbus and the later
migrations back to their own
lives
Pronunciation,
Geography and
Spelling activity
20-25 minutes

-Students will be asked to label

a blank map of the original 13
Colonies along the East Coast.
After giving them a few minutes
to work on it individually, we will
ask them to find a partner or
small group and see if they can
fill out more of the map. We will
then have a larger image of the
map on a powerpoint and will fill
in the blanks as they corporately
name the colony as we point to it
up front. (if a powerpoint is not
available, we will just start at
Maine and explain that we will
move down the coast). We will
ask the students to spell the
names of the colonies, taking
time to pronounce them as they
go.

it to what they have

experienced or know to be
true in reality.

Students will be learning

the colonies and also
practicing practical skills
such as pronouncing,
looking at a map of the US
and being able to label
most of the Eastern states,
and spelling.

We will also use this time to talk

about the flag and the meanings
of it.
We will also use this time to
have the students work on
spelling some of the vocabulary
words from this chapter, such as
American Indians, colonies,
Thanksgiving, slavery, etc.
Card Sort
group work

Have a matching activity of

vocab words and

Students will be
challenged to read the

10-15 minutes

definitions/relevance to the
lesson. The cards will be colorcoded, blue representing the
vocab, and white representing
the definitions or relevance. The
cards will have pictures in
addition to the words in order for
further comprehension.

English words and

comprehend their meaning
using the pictures, and
then match them
according to the new
information. If they need
help, tutors and teachers
will be available to explain
connections.

Writing and
reading activity

We will have students practice

their verbal and writing skills by
reading them sentences from
the test and asking them to write
them. Tutors will help us check
as they go. Then we will have
them get in small groups and
read some sentences from the
test also.

Students will
practice the skills they
need for the test, working
on their English skills

Questions from
the actual
test/wrap-up- 1520 min

We will have a form of

Wheel of fortune in which the
students will get to turn the
wheel in order to get to answer a
question from the test for a
certain amount of points. They
will do this in groups of 3-5. The
winner of the individual games
will get a prize (!!!!)

Students will both

vocalize the answers to
the questions, work on
reading the questions, and
practice the questions
from the test.

Materials Needed for the Lesson: copies of map for labeling, matching cards, and paper and
pencils to work on sentences. Power point

Bibliography/Resources Used: (in APA format)

Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 2, 2015.

Adaption/Differentiation:
Limited English

Students with limited English capabilities will have more one-on-one

time with the tutors. When they are working on their own, we will
instruct the tutors to pay special attention to them to help if needed.

Advanced English

The advanced English students will held at a higher standard. They

will be expected to grasp the material much better than the limited
English students and will therefore complete the work more
independently.

REFLECTION:
1. Brief explanation of how this lesson supports larger goals of citizenship: This lesson
will contribute to the larger goal of citizenship because the 13 colonies are essentially
where America was born. Columbus came over and discovered America and then two
centuries later, the colonies were formed. In order to be a citizen, you need to know basic
knowledge about the country and how our country was started and founded is extremely
important.

2. How/where does this lesson connect to their lives/authentic learning? The students in
the class who immigrated to this country will really connect to our lesson. Like I
mentioned above, Columbus came to America and really didnt know what he was going
to find or how it was going to be. This is similar to the experience that an immigrant
might have. Sure they have learned things about America but you arent 100% sure what
it is going to be like until you are actually living here. If students can connect our lesson
to their lives they are going to be more likely to remember the information when the test
time comes.

Points
/5 ea.

Rubric for Lesson Plans See full rubric for detailed description of expectations. See
Dr. Cude for further explanation.

Goals & alignment: EQ which is essential; objectives well written and significant;
assessment aligned with objectives--formative & summative; lesson logically flows;
scaffolded appropriately

Structure: HOOK, closure, timing, detailed/accurate content, diverse strategies,

differentiation, includes ancillary materials [such as PPT, notesheet], on time, use of
primary sources & visuals

Quality: [PASS criteria] uses higher-order thinking, links to students lives, includes
ethics/democratic values, employs historical/critical thinking & rigor, includes significant
portion of active/student-directed learning, and makes meaningful connections.

TOTAL

13.5 15 = exemplary (A)

12- 13.25 = meets target (B)
10.25 11.75 = meets target (C)
10 and below = needs improvement/redo & resubmit