SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

Name: Laura Martin, Patricia Orta, and Janet Fernandez

Grade Level: 1st

Word Processed by: Laura Martin

Day: Day 1 - Monday

Lesson Title: Introductory Lesson The Voyage

Lesson Length: 90 min.

Unit Title: Pilgrims

Rationale for Instruction
A rationale is an essential part of
thoughtful planning of classroom
instruction. This is a brief written
statement of the purpose for instruction
and the connection of the purpose to
instruction that has come before and will
follow.

The Pilgrims established the first permanent European settlement in America, Plymouth Colony. They
fled England to pursue religious freedom. The Pilgrims drafted the Mayflower Compact, an agreement
that established the rules that would govern life in Plymouth Colony. Additionally, the Pilgrims endured
many hardships through which they persevered, showing bravery and determination. To celebrate their
triumphs, the Pilgrims held a feast with the Native American Indians who had befriended and helped
them. Students should begin to develop an understanding of the contribution the Pilgrims made to life in
America. Students should understand the role the Pilgrims played in our right to religious freedom, the
self-governing body the Mayflower Compact established, and history of Thanksgiving. Additionally,
students should begin to develop an understanding of how courage, bravery, and perseverance were
exhibited by the Pilgrims.

CCSS (LAFS/MAFS)/Next
Generation Sunshine State
Standards

NCSS THEME:

List each standard that will be addressed

during the lesson. Cutting and pasting
from the website is allowed. You must
have a minimum of 3 standards that
represent multiple content areas identified
in this portion of the lesson plan.

the past and its legacy so the learner can demonstrate an understanding of how the past contributed to

These can be downloaded from the

Florida Dept of Education
www.cpalms.org/homepage/index.aspx.

Time, Continuity, and Change Social studies should include experiences that provide for the study of

our way of life and our traditions.

People, Places, and Environments Social studies programs should include experiences that provide
for the study of people, places, and people are dependent on the environments so the learner can relate
their lives to the lives of instrumental people from the past and understand how people are dependent on
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

and affect by the environment.
SS.1.A.1.1 - Develop an understanding of a primary source.
SS.1.A.2.1 - Understand history tells the story of people and events of other times and places.
SS.1.A.2.4 - Identify people from the past who have shown character ideals and principles including
honesty, courage, and responsibility.

LAFS.1.RI.1.1 - Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

LAFS.1.RI.1.3 - Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of
information in a text.
LAFS.1.RI.2.4 - Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and
phrases in a text.
Learning Objectives
What will students know and be able to
do at the end of this lesson? Be sure to set
significant (related to
CCSS/LAFS/MAFS, and NGSSS),
challenging, measurable and appropriate
learning goals!

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the Pilgrims pursuit of religious freedom, knowledge of the
Mayflower Compact, and knowledge of the Mayflower voyage after reading and discussing the anchor
book. Students will demonstrate this understanding through Q&A during whole class and small group
discussions and during individual conferencing. Students will be able to explain:

Who the Pilgrims were and why the left England

The name of the ship they sailed on, where they sailed to and the challenges the Mayflower
encountered

What life was like on the Mayflower and in the New World

Students will demonstrate understanding of a primary document when they create classroom compacts
in small groups. Students will be able to explain what a compact is and why it is important. Students
will demonstrate their understanding of people from the past who have shown character through a
journal entry. Students will provide three examples of ideals and principles the Pilgrims exemplified
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

(bravery, courageousness, perseverance, gratitude, etc.).
Student Activities &
Procedures
Design for Instruction

What best practice strategies will be

implemented?
How will you communicate student
expectation?
What products will be developed and
created by students?
Consider Contextual Factors (learning
differences/learning environment) that
may be in place in your classroom.

This is the heart of the lesson plan. Be specific. Describe lesson in a step-by-step, numbered sequence, including teacher
and student activities. Be sure to include key questions for discussion, collaborative structures, etc. (This section includes
EVERYTHING and should be highly detailed!)

Anticipatory Set:
Before students arrive, I will display artifacts from the Pilgrim Thematic Unit. For this lesson, I will
display the pictures of the man and woman Pilgrims, the voyage maps, the replica of the Mayflower, the
replica of the Mayflower Compact, the journal, and the quill pen. These artifacts will excite the students
and activate prior knowledge. For the closing activity, I will have the video loaded and ready to play.
Instructional Procedures:
1. First, I will explain that we are starting a new thematic unit on the Pilgrims. I will explain that I
want to see what they already know about the Pilgrims. I will pass out the pretest and explain
this will not be graded but used to see what we still need to learn about the Pilgrims.
2. Next, students will take the pre-test to determine prior knowledge about the Pilgrims.
ESOL: Pretest will include pictures and a word box.
3. I Do (Modeling) - After the pretest, I will read the anchor book, 1st Grade America History:
Early Pilgrims of America. While reading, I will check for understanding, asking key questions
from the text. After reading, whole class Q&A discussion will continue. Key questions include:
A. Who were the Pilgrims?
B. Why did they leave England?
C. What was life like aboard the Mayflower?
D. What was the Mayflower Compact? Why was it important?
E. Where did the Pilgrims settle?
F. How did the Pilgrims celebrate their survival?
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

ESOL: I will use repetition, simplify vocabulary, and use the pictures to clarify meaning.
4. After the Q&A discussion, I will give each student a KWL chart to complete.
ESOL: Students can have a buddy help them write or they can draw pictures. I will do a walk
around to assist students as well.
5. We Do (Guided practice) - After KWL charts are finished, student will break into four
heterogeneous groups for activities. Before moving into groups, I will review the Mayflower
Compact and explain that each group will use this primary document to create a compact with
their group. Additionally, I will explain the directions for making their replica of the Mayflower.
I will provide a sample replica and prepare materials before class.
ESOL: Heterogeneous small groups, collaboration, and conferencing will benefit all students.
First, students will use the Mayflower Compact to create a group constitution. Students will antique
paper for their constitution and use the quill pen to sign their names. (Each group will make their own
constitution).
DBQ for Mayflower Compact activity:
A. What type of document is the Mayflower Compact?
B. Why was the Mayflower Compact written?
C. Do you think the Mayflower Compact was important? Why?
D. What rules do we have in the classroom?
E. Why are rules important?
F. What rules will you include in your group constitution?
G. How will you decide on the rules to include?
For the second activity, students will make a replica of the Mayflower. At the end of this activity, I will
give students the Crossing of the Mayflower worksheet. I will explain the directions and tell them this
handout is homework. Students can share their ships and worksheet with family members and explain
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

what they learned about the Pilgrims. During both of these activities, I will be checking for
comprehension by conferencing with groups and individual students.
DBQ for the Mayflower Replica activity:
A. What type of ship was the Mayflower?
B. What were the living conditions like on the Mayflower?
C. What was the route of the Mayflower voyage?
D. What continent did she depart from and which continent did she arrive at?
E. What ocean did the Mayflower cross?
F. Would you like to have been on the Mayflower? Why or why not?
6. You Do (Independent practice) - After group activities, students will return to their seats and
write a journal entry about the bravery and the courage the Pilgrims displayed. If students finish
their writing activity early, additional books will be available to read.
ESOL: Students may draw their journal entries or dictate to a peer or me.
7. Closing activity will be a two-minute song video from History.com that summarizes the
Pilgrims journey.
Assessment

How will student learning be assessed?

Authentic/Alternative assessments?
Does your assessment align with your
objectives, standards and procedures?
Informal assessment (multiple modes):
participation rubrics, journal entries,
collaborative planning/presentation
notes

Unit Pre-Assessment:
Pretest adapted from EnchantedLearning.com
KWL Chart
Unit Post-Assessment:
Pilgrim journal Students will complete a journal entry for each lesson.
At the end of the unit, students will self-assess using the Pilgrims rubric.
Summative: Students will take a posttest (the same test as the pretest) at the end of the unit to assess
learning.
Daily Lesson Plan Assessment:
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

My lesson plan is the first in the unit. Therefore, I will begin with diagnostic assessment. This will
include a pretest, a whole class discussion after reading the anchor book, and a KWL chart. During
class discussion, I will activate students prior knowledge about the Pilgrims. I will make mental notes
and write them down later.
Formative assessment for the initial unit lesson plan will include, questions and answers during whole
class discussion and during small group activities. Additional assessment will include conferencing
during small group activities and journal writing entries. I will use questions from the assessment rubric
for discussions and journal entries.
Based on the learning goals and students prior knowledge, I will alter instruction throughout the initial
lesson and change future lesson plans as needed.
Resources/Materials

Books and Digital Resources:

Cummings, C. (2008). My hero: William Bradford governor and historian of the Plymouth colony.
Edmonds, WA: Teaching, Inc.
Our children need role models, heroic people in whose footsteps they can follow, whose character
qualities they can imitate. The ancient Greeks said it best: tell me who you admire and I'll tell you who
you are. This book tells the story of Governor William Bradford through the eyes of a young boy
visiting Plymouth, MA. The characteristics of a hero are linked to the life of Governor Bradford.
(Amazon)
Mayflower Compact. Retrieved April 15, 2016, from http://www.history.com/topics/mayflowercompact
This video is a catchy tune that provides a brief recap of the history of the pilgrims and the Mayflower.
McGovern, A. (1969). If you sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. New York, NY: Scholastic.
A different time...a different place...What if you were there?
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

If you sailed on the Mayflower
--What could you take with you?
--How would you keep clean?
--What would you do when you first got to shore?
Get ready to go back in time to 1620 to discover what it was like to sail the Mayflower! (Amazon)
(2015). 1st grade American History early pilgrims of America. Newark, DE: Speedy Publishing, LLC.
This nonfiction picture book provides a brief overview of the American Pilgrims. This book is a quick
read and is full of beautiful pictures and drawings. The book begins with the Pilgrims leaving England
and ends with the first Thanksgiving. It is the perfect anchor book to introduce a new thematic unit.

Peacock, C. A. (2004). Pilgrim cat. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company.
When young Pilgrim Faith Barrett discovers a stray cat on the Mayflower, she names her new friend
Pounce. Together they face the long, cramped voyage and the perils of the first winter at the Plymouth
colony. (Amazon)
Plimoth Plantation with: Arensta, P., Kemp, J., & ONeil, G. (2007). Mayflower 1620 a new look at a
pilgrims voyage. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
Plimoth Plantation and the National Geographic Society come together to tell the true story behind the
legendary voyage of the Mayflower. A meticulously researched work, Mayflower 1620 offers children a
compelling, fresh account of this much-told story.
Vibrant photography of a rare reenactment using the Mayflower II leads readers imaginatively into
the narrative. The vivid and informative text explores the story behind the exhibits at the living-history
museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Primary sources record what the voyagers wore, what they ate,
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

and telling details of their journey. First-person accounts reveal the hopes and dreams they carried.
Readers share in the long hours at sea, and in the dangers faced after landfall. Extensive endnotes, a
map, a detailed chronology, and a bibliography round out the full story of the Mayflower.
Readers experience a new look at this seminal historical event through the eyes of those who now
regularly inhabit the world of the pilgrimsthe actors who interpret the Pilgrim Voyage. This eyeopening book teaches children the value of closely reexamining everything we think we know.
(Amazon)

The Story of the Mayflower and the First Thanksgiving for Children: History for Kids - FreeSchool.
Retrieved April 15, 2016, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brqIER2KHbE
This narrated video tells the story of the voyage of the Mayflower though beautiful photos, drawing, and
pictures. It provides a brief but excellent account of the struggles the pilgrims faced.
The additional books and resources not used in this lesson plan are available for students to use
throughout the Thematic Unit duration. Gifted/Talented students may use these for more in-depth study
and individual projects. ESOL students may benefit from additional exposure to picture books and
reading with a buddy.
Materials:
Pictures of man and woman Pilgrims
Voyage maps
Replica of the Mayflower
Replica of the Mayflower Compact
Antique paper for group constitutions
Quill pen and ink
Journal (sample journal and individual journals for each student)
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

KWL charts
Pretest (adapted from EnchantedLearning.com Thanksgiving Find It! Quiz www.
enchantedlearning.com)
Mayflower Ship by Art Projects for Kids available at www.artprojectsforkids.org
Directions sheets for making replicas of the Mayflower
Scissors
Woodsies sticks
Stapler
White cardstock
Cardboard
Red tape
Exacto knife (I will precut slits in the cardboard)
Corrugated coffee sleeves (available at Starbucks or Panera)
Crossing of the Mayflower handout available at Enchantedlearning.com
Exceptionalities
What accommodations or modifications
do you make for ESOL, Gifted/Talented
students, Learning/Reading disabilities,
etc.
These accommodations and/or
modifications should be listed within the
procedures section of the lesson plan as
well as in this section of the document.

ESOL and Students with Learning Differences: SLIDE (Show, Look, Investigate, Demonstrate,
Experience) and TREAD (Tell, Read, Explain, Ask/Answer, Discuss)
Repetition
Cooperative learning
Heterogeneous small group activities
Pictures
Multiple forms of output for assessment (drawings for journal entries, pointing and gesturing to show
answers.)
Including pictures and word box on pretest
Clarifying vocabulary
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SSE 3312 Thematic Unit Lesson Plan 1 Pilgrims

Gifted/Talented: Students will be given the access to additional materials and be given the opportunity
for independent projects.
Lesson Extensions
Students will take home the Crossing of the Mayflower handout to color at home. They can share the
handout and their Mayflower replica with their families to reinforce learning and make a home to school
connection.

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