Who Speaks to You?

American Women in History

Integrated Curriculum Unit

“Empowerment” by Isabel Peinado

Julia Sayavong

Third Grade

April 2018
 Introduction

This is a three-week unit that focuses on American women in history in honor

of International Women’s Month and all the extraordinary women who have been

overlooked in history books. This unit is designed for third graders – integrating

visual art, physical education, technology, and academic choice. The unit is

introduced with examining elements of art in Isabel’s Peinado’s “Empowerment”

mural. Students then create their own murals of women who have influenced them

in their lives for a Meaning in Murals Gallery Walk. The main focus of this unit is a

research piece in which students pick an American woman in history that “speaks

to them” and present in their choice of mode (poem, paragraph, google slides, etc.).

The concluding activity will be the showcase of their research pieces. However, I

decided to add a twist of my own – creating a “snapshot” of each of their

presentations to create a mural of all the American women in history we learned

about. We would take a picture with the mural and on the back of the photo they

write a life lesson they learned from their historical figure that they can keep as

they please.

The unit incorporates the multiple intelligences, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and 21st

century skills. The unit caters to multiple intelligences by integration of art

(examining and creating murals) and physical education (connects to theme of unit).

Most importantly, students are free to choose the type of research piece they want

to create. The research piece covers all the elements in Bloom’s Taxonomy – create,

evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember. The research piece requires
students to find information, evaluate and analyze it, and then apply what they

know to create their research piece. Lastly, each of the 21st century skills are

included in this unit: creativity (murals and research piece), communication (peer

review and presenting), collaboration (peer review), technology (learning how to find

reliable resources on the internet), and critical thinking (applying history to their

own lives).

Differentiation is the foundation of this unit - allowing students to choose

their own type of research piece. Additionally, the multiple intelligences are catered

to throughout the entire unit. In general, there is a lot explicit modeling since the

research piece has many components. Specific strategies that are helpful for English

language acquisition include the use of graphic organizers and a giant process grid

featuring historical figures that were chosen. Other than the assessment of the

research piece, most of the assessment for this project is informal and formative in

order to drive instruction. As the unit progresses, the students’ areas of need will

become more evident. This unit is written as a foundation that will undoubtedly

change from class to class. Like Danny says, “It is a living, breathing document!”.
American Women in History
Author: Julia Sayavong
Date created: 03/27/2018 1:39 AM EDT ; Date modified: 04/17/2018 7:41 AM EDT

VITAL INFORMATION
Subject(s) Art, Elementary, History, Language Arts (English), Physical Education, Reading, Social Studies
Grade/Level Grade 3

Time Required Approximately 15 days

Objectives Directly Aligned with the Standards

Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an American woman in history that "spoke to them". 
Students will recall information from digital resources, take notes on those sources, and sort the evidence categorically. 
Students will present their research piece that includes appropriate facts in a logical sequence, descriptive details, and speak clearly at an
understandable pace.

Other Objectives 

Objective(s) Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. 
Students will draw upon women in their own lives that have influenced them. 
Students will give each other feedback in a thoughtful and supportive way. 
Students will use peer feedback to guide them in their research piece. 

Big Idea Objectives

Students will reflect upon challenges American women faced in the past. 
Students will think about the lessons that can be learned from American women of the past and how it can be applied to their
own lives. 

In this unit, students will be creating a research piece about an American woman in history that "speaks to them". The underlying theme in the unit
is overcoming challenges. Students will research their person and find out the following information:

Who was this person? (Explain a little bit about their life.)
Summary When were the main events of this person's life happening?
What were the challenges they faced?
How were those challenges overcome?
What are some interesting facts about this person?
What can be learned from this person that is applicable to our own lives?

IMPLEMENTATION

1.  Day 1 ­ The Meaning in Murals Gallery
Content Areas: Art, Social Studies ­­­ Objective(s): Students will identify and describe elements of art in works of art, emphasizing line,
color, shape/form, texture, space, and value. Students will draw from their own life experiences to create a mural with the elements of art
that are covered. This lesson is split into two sessions. ­­­ Activities: Session 1: Students will learn about the elements of art such as line,
color, shape/form, texture, space, and value. They will write the definition and an example for each following a youtube video. They will
reflect upon these elements in Isabel Peinado's inspirational women mural in Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, California. For homework,
students will create a mural about a woman that influences them in their lives ­ utilizing each of the elements of art listed above. Students are
encouraged to draw inspiration from other murals! ­­­ Session 2: Students' murals will be displayed around the classroom. Each student
will fill out the first page of their "Artist Packet". Then, students will be free to roam the gallery with post­its and a pencil. While students
are observing, they will briefly write the elements of art they see and one thing they liked about the mural (shout out). At the end, the artists
will get to read their feedback.
2.  Day 2 ­ Introducing the Theme and Throwing Some Love
Content Areas: Physical Education, Social Emotional Learning ­­­ Objective(s): Students work together to overcome a challenge. Students
will work together in a positive manner. Students will be able to explain the difference between throwing to a stationary partner and
throwing to a moving partner (PE Standard). ­­­ Activities: As a warm up activity, play the Human Knot with students. Reflect on how the
knot (aka the challenge) was overcome as a group. Identify specific elements to discuss and why those characteristics are important when

Page 1 of 4
 working together. Tell students that the theme of this unit will be overcoming challenges and allow students to make personal connections.
Have students write a compliment on a giant piece of paper and crumple it up into a big ball. Assign students partners and they will be
tossing the compliment ball back and forth to each other (throwing some love). They will practice in stationary and in moving positions.
Have students reflect on the differences when throwing in stationary versus a moving position. To conclude the lesson, have each student
pick a ball to keep and read for themselves.
3.  Day 3 ­ Introduce Research Piece Project!
Content Areas: Social Studies ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an American
woman in history that "speaks to them". ­­­ Activities: Introduce the research piece project. Review that the theme of this unit is
overcoming challenges. Explain to students that they will be researching an American woman from the past that "speaks to them". Show
students the chart of racial distribution of women named in social studies standards. Talk about what the information tells us and why it
might look that way. Encourage suggestions for how we can change that. Explain to students that finding somebody that "speaks to them"
is like finding someone they have a connection with. This could be the characteristics of that person or it could even be what they look like.
I would explain to students that I would research about an Asian American women in history. ­­­ Go over the options students have for
their research piece (paragraph, google slides, poem, poster, and etc). Show students the questions they need to answer about who they
choose and the rubric. Let students explore different examples of options they have.
4.  Day 4 ­ How do I research?
Content Areas: Social Studies ­­­ Objective(s): Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. ­­­ Activities:
Explicitly model the step­by­step process of conducting research. Provide note­taking guide that students can refer to during the lesson.
They can use this as a reference when they conduct their research independently.
5.  Day 5 ­ Field Trip to National Women's Museum
Content Areas: Social Studies ­­­ Objective(s): Students will learn about women in American history. ­­­ Activities: Students will share out
highlights about the field trip, who stood out to them, and why. Introduce the giant anchor chart that has a space for each student's
historical figure with columns for when, challenges faced, how challenges were overcome, interesting facts, and applicable life lessons
(same components on the research information sheet). Tell students that as they find out more information, they will write what they know
on the giant anchor chart.
6.  Day 6 ­ Modeling the Research
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history that "speaks to them". Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. ­­­ Activities:
See what students remember from Day 4 about researching online. Have students take out their note­taking guide and model the research
for students. Ask for student guidance through the process as they can refer to their guides. Model how to find information for each
component on the 'Research Piece Information Sheet'. Provide students with tips during the process (ex. would a website that ends in
'.com' be reliable?)
7.  Day 7 ­ Find Who Speaks to You
Content Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies ­­­ Objective(s): Students will recall information from digital resources, take notes on those
sources, and sort the evidence categorically. Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. ­­­ Activities: Students
Learning Activities
will go to the computer lab or receive Chrome Book for their research. Give each student the 'Research Piece ­ Information Sheet'. Give
students time to explore who speaks to them and answer the set of questions.
8.  Day 8 ­ Continue Research
Content Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies ­­­ Objectives(s): Students will recall information from digital resources, take notes on those
sources, and sort the evidence categorically. Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. ­­­ Activities: Students
will continue their research and recording their information. Check in with students as they are working to see where they are at or if they
need some assistance with research. Have students add to the giant anchor chart at the end.
9.  Day 9 ­ Finish Research
Content Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies ­­­ Objectives(s): Students will recall information from digital resources, take notes on those
sources, and sort the evidence categorically. Students will learn how to research reliable information on the internet. ­­­ Activities: Students
will continue their research and recording their information. Have students add to the giant anchor chart at the end. Reflect upon differences
and similarities in the giant anchor chart.
10.  Day 10 ­ Choose Type of Research Piece
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history. ­­­ Activities: Review the research piece options that students have. Bring out the examples for students to see
again. Students will choose their the type of research piece they want to do and begin working on their pieces. Accommodate for students
who may need more guidance. For example, students may have some trouble choosing a specific project. Have the students develop a list
of things they like and dislike about their research piece options to help weigh their options. For students that are struggling with where to
start, have them refer to examples and help generate some ideas through guided questions. If a student is an English language learner,
maybe suggest the poem option and let them include their own language within the poem.
11.  Day 11 ­ Continue Working on Research Piece
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history that "speaks to them". Students will present their research piece that includes appropriate facts in a logical
sequence, descriptive details, and speak clearly at an understandable pace. ­­­ Activities: Students will continue working on their research
pieces with appropriate guidance when needed. Check in to see where students are at and support students with guiding questions.
12.  Day 12 ­ Continue Working on Research Piece
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history that "speaks to them". Students will present their research piece that includes appropriate facts in a logical
sequence, descriptive details, and speak clearly at an understandable pace. ­­­ Activities: Students will continue working on their research

Page 2 of 4
 pieces with appropriate guidance when needed. Remind students that tomorrow will be the peer review.
13.  Day 13 ­ Peer Review
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will give each other feedback in a thoughtful and supportive way.
Students will use peer feedback to guide them in their research pieces. ­­­ Activities: Have students think about why it is important to get
peer feedback and know how to give feedback to somebody. Watch youtube video about Austin's butterfly. Model giving feedback using
the rubric to one of the examples for students. At the end, give a shout out about the artwork. During the modeled peer review, ask
students guiding questions. Split students into small groups and give students enough rubrics to evaluate their peers. Reflect on what they
learned after getting peer feedback.
14.  Day 14 ­ Finishing Touches
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history that "speaks to them". Students will present their research piece that includes appropriate facts in a logical
sequence, descriptive details, and speak clearly at an understandable pace. ­­­ Activities: Students will make the finishing touches on their
research pieces. They will practice presenting it before the big showcase.
15.  Day 15 ­ Showcase Research Pieces!
Content Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts ­­­ Objective(s): Students will cultivate a research piece that builds on knowledge about an
American woman in history that "speaks to them". Students will present their research piece that includes appropriate facts in a logical
sequence, descriptive details, and speak clearly at an understandable pace. ­­­ Activities: Students will present their research pieces at the
showcase.
16.  Closure Activity ­ Mural to Mural
During the showcase, take a "snapshot" of each student's research piece to create a "mural" of their work. Have the whole class take a
picture with the mural and give each student a copy of the picture. On the back, have students write the life lesson they learned from their
historical figure.

Materials and resources:
­projector
­image of Isabel Peinado's mural
­Artist Packet
­post­its
­pencils
­tape
­giant pieces of paper per each student
­something to write with
­open space
­chart (see attachments)
Resources and Unit ­rubric (see attachments)
Handouts ­research piece information sheet (see attachments)
­examples of options
­youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbyCvriScEU
Technology resources:
Chrome
The number of computers required is 1 per student.

Attachments:

1.  Meanings in Murals ­ Artist Packet .docx
2.  Racial Distribution Named in Social Studies Standards.jpeg
3.  Research Piece ­ Information Sheet.docx

ASSESSMENT & STANDARDS
Standards addressed by entire unit
CA­ California Common Core State Standards (2012)
Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Grade: Grade 3 students:
Strand: Writing
Domain:
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Standard:
7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

Standard:
8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories

Strand: Speaking and Listening
Domain:
Comprehension and Collaboration

Page 3 of 4
 Standard:
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one­on­one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Domain:
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Standard:
4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Indicator:
4a. Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory presentation on a topic that: organizes ideas around major points of information, follows a logical sequence, includes
supporting details, uses clear and specifi c vocabulary, and provides a strong conclusion.

CA­ California Curriculum Frameworks
Standards Subject: Physical Education
Grade Range: Grade Three
Standard: Students demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.
Area: Manipulative Skills
Performance Indicator: 2.3 Explain the difference between throwing to a stationary partner and throwing to a moving partner.

CA­ California K­12 Academic Content Standards
Subject: History & Social Science
Grade: Grade Three
Area: Continuity and ChangeStudents in grade three learn more about our connections to the past and the ways in which particularly local, but also regional and national,
government and traditions have developed and left their marks on current society, providing common memories. Emphasis is on the physical and cultural landscape of
California, including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of immigrants, and the impact they have had in forming the character of our contemporary
society.
Sub­Strand 3.4: Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government.
Standard 6: Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham
Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).

CA­ Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools (2013)
Subject: Visual Arts
Grade: Grade Three
Content Standard: 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual
Arts Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their
observations.
Area: Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design
Standard: 1.5 Identify and describe elements of art in works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/ form, texture, space, and value.

Rubrics:
Assessment/Rubrics
1.  American Women Research Piece Rubric

Page 4 of 4
Making Meaning from Murals (2 part lesson)
Author: Julia Sayavong
Date created: 03/29/2018 12:46 PM EDT ; Date modified: 04/17/2018 8:08 AM EDT

VITAL INFORMATION
Total Number of
23 students (14 male and 13 female)
Students
Area(s) Students
Urban
Live In
Free/Reduced
30% eligible for free/reduced lunch
Lunch

Asian: 10

Ethnicity of African American: 1
Students White: 10

Hispanic: 1

English Language Cheryl ­ Intermediate. Cheryl speaks Russian at home with her family. She is very good at listening and speaking. She has a very outgoing
Learners personality. However, Cheryl has a challenging time with writing especially with past perfect tense and expressing her ideas.

Samuel ­ Samuel is below basic in all academic content areas. He is seeing the OT for writing and goes to speech to help with auditory
processing. He hears everything at the same volume and has a hearing piece. The teacher will wear a mic to differentiate the teacher's voice from
Students with all the other sounds. He has a paraprofessional push­in during some class time, but also gets pulled out for resource. He is often in and out of
Special Needs class. 

Luther ­ He is an advanced learner in all content areas especially reading and usually finishes his work faster than all of his peers.

Subject(s) Art, Language Arts (English), Social Studies
Topic or Unit of
This lesson belongs in a social studies unit focused on American women in history. 
Study
Grade/Level Grade 3
Comments

KEY CONCEPTS & STANDARDS

This lesson is an introductory piece that has students reflect on influential women in their own lives. Students will be finding an American woman in
history that "speaks to them" and this activity has students start from their own life experiences to build background knowledge.
Big Idea &
Big Idea Objectives for the Overall Unit: 
Essential Questions
Students will reflect upon challenges American women faced in the past. 
Students will think about the lesson that can be learned from American women of the past and how it can be applied to their own lives. 

1.  Students will understand the elements of art.
Learning
2.  Students will identify the elements within artwork. 
Outcome(s)
3.  Students will create a mural of an influential woman in their life utilizing each of the elements of art.

Summary
CA­ California Common Core State Standards (2012)
Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Grade: Grade 3 students:
Strand: Speaking and Listening
Domain:

Page 1 of 3
 Comprehension and Collaboration
Standard:
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one­on­one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on
others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Standards
CA­ Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools (2013)
Subject: Visual Arts
Grade: Grade Three
Content Standard: 1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION Processing, Analyzing, and Responding to Sensory Information Through the Language and Skills Unique to the Visual
Arts Students perceive and respond to works of art, objects in nature, events, and the environment. They also use the vocabulary of the visual arts to express their
observations.
Area: Analyze Art Elements and Principles of Design
Standard: 1.5 Identify and describe elements of art in works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/ form, texture, space, and value.

Comments

ASSESSMENTS

Learning Goals 

1.  Students will understand the elements of art
2.  Students will identify the elements within artwork.
Assessment/Rubrics
3.  Students will create a mural of an influential woman in their life utilizing each of the elements of art.

Each of these learning goals will be asssessed by the elements of art worksheet, student participation, use of elements in their
murals, and their ability to identify elements in other students' murals. 

Comments

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Giant Anchor Chart of the Graphic Organizier (For Modeling)
Picture of Isabel Peinado's "Empowerment" Mural 
Medium to project the mural 
Post It's
Tape
Pencils 
Color Pencils 
Index Cards 
Instructional Scissors 
Materials Glue sticks 
(Handouts, etc.)
Attachments:

1.  Elements of Art ­ Graphic Organizer .docx
2.  Meanings in Murals ­ Artist Packet .docx

Links:

1.  Elements of Art Video This youtube video accompanies the elements of art organizer. Note: In the video, the speaker talks pretty fast.
To slow it down, click settings, speed, and adjust it to .75 so it's easier for students to follow along.

Comments

IMPLEMENTATION

Session 1: 

1.  Pose question: If you are baking a delicious chocolate cake or making some homemade chicken tenders, what do you need to make it
happen? (Eventually come to the word ingredients). Explain to students: just like that delicious chocolate cake or those homemade
chicken tenders, art also has "ingredients".
2.  Explain to students that today we will be talking about the ingredients or the elements of art. Ask students what they think the elements of
art might be.
3.  Have a student pass out the Elements of Art Graphic Organizer. Get the youtube video projected. 

Page 2 of 3
 4.  Explain to students that we will be following the youtube video to define the elements of art. They can use the giant anchor chart to
reference, but they are free to make it their own! 
Note: The youtube video and the graphic organizer are directly related. The speaker is filling out the graphic organizer
­ defining the terms and drawing examples. Pause and play as needed.
5.  Play the video for students. 
6.  Pause after each element. 
7.  Have students try to define the element in their own words. Write down any student­input that will be helpful for others to understand. 
8.  Draw example of element (model). Have students create their own examples of the element. 
9.  Play for next element. 
10.  Repeat steps 5­9 until finished. 
11.  Have students turn over their graphic organizer. 
12.  Ask students what elements they remember and what that element means. 
13.  Project Isabel Peinado's "Empowerment" mural. 
14.  Ask students to turn over their graphic organizer, or for an extra challenge, students can keep it faced down.
Sequence of 15.  Call on students to identify the "ingredients" of art in the mural. 
Activities 16.  Explain that for their homework, they will be creating a mural using each of the elements of art. They will make a mural of a woman in their
life that influences them. Explain that tomorrow they will have a Meaning in Murals Galllery. It's an art show and they will be showcasing
their murals.
17.  Ask students who are women in their lives that influence them that they could draw for their murals. 
18.  Hand out blank paper for the assignment. 
19.  Ask students if they have any questions about their homework. Clarify as needed. 
20.  Express excitement to see students' original murals! 

Session 2: 

1.  Welcome the artists to the gallery. Thank them for their bringing their art to share. Maybe even have some music playing in
the background.
2.  Tell students to find a "sweet spot" to put up their mural with some tape.
3.  Once students have found a spot, hand out the artist packet. 
4.  Have students fill out the first page which includes their name, who is depicted in the mural, and how they are influenced by that person. 
5.  Explain to students that they will be walking around the gallery with post­its and something to write with. 
6.  They will be looking for art "ingredients" in each the murals and write a brief note for the artist. 
Example of what to write: I noticed the use of line in the way the artist drew their person's hair. 
Sentence Frame: I notice the use of ________ in the way the artist drew/colored __________. 
7.  Explain that they can also give shout­outs which are what they REALLY REALLY liked about the artist's work. 
8.  Ask students if they have any questions. 
9.  Give students sufficient time to explore the gallery and jot down their brief notes. 
10.  Have students go back to their murals and read some of their feedback. 
11.  Ask students how that feedback made them feel and anything new their learned about their own mural. 

Whole ­ Session 1 is entirely whole group as it is an introduction to the elements of art. As a class, we define and create examples of each.
This is to ensure that everybody is on the same page. 
Grouping Strategies Small Group ­ For these two sessions, there is no small group work. However, the rest of the unit does include small group work. 
Independent ­ The homework assignment is independent and so is students' feedback to their peers. This helps me evaluate how they can
apply what they have learned about the elements and their ability to identify it other's work. 

Special Needs: The mode of processing in this lesson mostly caters to visual and auditory senses. I will need to make sure the sound of
the video is being picked up by the mic. Additionally, I would show the video and the worksheet to this student in advance.
English learners: Students will be asked to define the elements in their own words. Other student examples will be helpful. Additionally,
Differentiated
pictorially representing each of the elements will be beneficial. The elements are consistently revisited in different contexts (defining,
Instruction
examples, identifying in other works of art, and applying it in their own work of art). Also, sentence frames will be provided for session 2.
(I noticed the use of ______ in the way the artist drew the _______). 
Advanced learners: They will be pushed to define examples in their own words to help other students. 

Comments

REFLECTIONS
Prior to Lesson
Post­Lesson
Comments

Page 3 of 3
The Research Process (An Intro)
Author: Julia Sayavong
Date created: 03/29/2018 5:53 PM EDT ; Date modified: 04/17/2018 8:26 AM EDT

VITAL INFORMATION
Total Number of
27 students (14 male and 13 female)
Students
Area(s) Students
Urban
Live In
Free/Reduced
30% eligible for free/reduced lunch schoolwide
Lunch
Asian: 11

African American: 1

Ethnicity of White: 12
Students
Hispanic: 2

Other: 1

English Language Cheryl ­ Intermediate. Cheryl speaks Russian at home with her family. She is very good at listening and speaking. She has a
very outgoing personality. However, Cheryl has a challenging time with writing especially with past perfect tense and expressing
Learners
her ideas.

Samuel ­ Samuel is below basic in all academic content areas. He is seeing the OT for writing and goes to speech to help with
auditory processing. He hears everything at the same volume and has a hearing piece. The teacher will wear a mic to
differentiate the teacher's voice from all the other sounds. He has a paraprofessional push­in during some class time, but also
Students with gets pulled out for resource. He is often in and out of class. 
Special Needs
Luther ­ He is an advanced learner in all content areas especially reading and usually finishes his work faster than all of his
peers.

Subject(s) Information Literacy, Social Studies, Technology
Topic or Unit of
This lesson belongs in a social studies unit about American women in history. 
Study
Grade/Level Grade 3

Comments Third grade class TBD.

KEY CONCEPTS & STANDARDS

Big Idea & This lesson introduces the research process to students for their research piece. Later in the unit, the research process will be explicitly modeled
Essential Questions again before students independently research. 

Learning 1.  Students will learn about the research process. 

Outcome(s) 2.  Students will learn how to find reliable information on the internet. 

Summary
CA­ California Common Core State Standards (2012)
Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Grade: Grade 3 students:
Strand: Writing
Standards Domain:
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Standard:
7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

Page 1 of 3
Comments

ASSESSMENTS

Assessment/RubricsThe research process graphic organizer will be the assessment to see if any further instruction or mini­lessons will be needed.

Comments

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Anchor chart paper or white board/expo markers 
Computers/Chrome Book for Each Student
Instructional Copy of Research Process for Each Student OR online access to document for each student
Materials
(Handouts, etc.) Attachments:

1.  Research Process Graphic Organizer .docx

Comments

IMPLEMENTATION

1.  Ask students what they think the word research means. How is it done? What tools or materials do you need?
2.  Create a word map with research at the center. Add student input to the concept map. 
3.  Explain that today we will be learning about how to research on the internet. They will be doing this for their research piece they will be
working on. 
4.  Be sure each student has a copy of the Research Process for the Internet. 
5.  Have students look at the first step. Ask students what they will be researching. Explain that I am interested in researching about Maya
Angleou for my research piece, but some of them may or may not know who they want to research yet and that's okay. The research
process can help guide them. 
6.  Reference that in the example, there is already a bullet point for American women in history. Have students record what they want to know
more about. Model that if I was interested in learning about San Francisco women in history, I would jot that down.
7.  Explain to students that they will use the Research Process for different things, it's not just for the research piece. Learning how to research
is a life skill. School stuff is life stuff! 
8.  Have students look at the next step in the Research Process (Step 2: Asking Good Questions). Give students an example. Let's say I don't
know my topic yet, but I know that I want to research about women specifically from California. What would be a good term to
research? Would I look up American women in history? Why or why not? Ask for student input. 
9.  Tell students that I would research "California women in history" or "history of California women". 
10.  Ask students if they're looking for something specific about their person like when they were born. What would be a good research term
Sequence of to type in? Let's use Maya Angelou as an example. If we want to know about her birth place, what would be something good to research?
Activities 11.  Have students look at the next step (checking sources).Tell students that they have a checklist for them there. Go through each component
and ask students why would we check for these kinds of things?
Why would it be important to check when something was created on the website?
Why would a website that asks for a lot of information be suspicious?
Is there information enough or will you have to look up more?
Who wrote the information? Is it a trusted expert or organization? What makes us "trust" them?
12.  Have students look at the next step (Beyond the Surface). Pose the question: do you have to read every single word of your search
results? Tell students to keep their eyes focused on key terms. For example, if we searched Maya Angelou's birthplace, we would focus
on the word birth followed by a location. Tell students research can be frustrating sometimes, even for adults. Remember to keep changing
it up until you find what you're looking for. 
13.  Lastly, have students look at the last step of the research process (respecting ownership). Tell students that if they are going to use any
information from a website, they need to copy and and paste the URL to cite the source. Show students where they can copy and paste
this (in the doc). 
14.  Tell students that they will need to put the information in their own words. Have students turn the quote on the the doc in their own words.
Have students share their input. 
15.  Have students turn over their paper or close their laptops. 
16.  Try to recall the steps of the research process and support students as needed. 
17.  Tell students they will be putting this into practice next week! They need to keep their research process worksheet to future use. 

Whole ­ The entire lesson is whole group. It is an introduction to the research process for students. 

Page 2 of 3
Grouping Strategies Small ­ No small group in this lesson. 
Independent ­ Students will indepedently jot down their own ideas throughout the lesson. 

Special Needs: For this project, I will pair Samuel with a partner for the research and also offer the partner option for the whole class. I
also will let the Resource Specialist know ahead of time to allow Samuel exposure to the activity before we actually do it in class.
Differentiated English learners: Cheryl is able to communicate well through speaking. For this lesson, she has the option to be paired up with a partner.
Instruction However, I will focus on content rather than the grammar or spelling for this lesson. I will help Cheryl with appropriate grammar and
spelling before she begins the research piece.
Advanced learners: Luther would be a good student to pair with Samuel as he is very socialable and Samuel is a little more reserved.

Comments

REFLECTIONS
Prior to Lesson
Post­Lesson
Comments

Page 3 of 3
 A path of a A two-dimensional
moving point closed area that is
through space. defined by other
elements of art. Describes
the darkness
or lightness
of an object.

An element of art
A three-dimensional that is derived from
object. reflected light.

Refers to how
Refers to the things feel or look
emptiness or area as if they might feel
between, around, if touched.
above, below or
within objects.
 Meaning in Murals Gallery – Artist Packet

Name of Artist:

Who is depicted:

How they influence the artist:

Observers, please place your post it under the appropriate section:

Line Color

Shape/Form Texture
Space Value

Shout Outs!
Name_______________________________________________ Date____________________

The Research Process – The Internet

Step 1: Find a Topic.

What will you be researching? What does the assignment require you to do?
What are you interested in searching about?
• American women in history

Step 2: Ask Good Questions.

What kind of terms would be helpful to search?

• “American women in history”
• “California women in history”
• “Maya Angelou biography”
Step 3: Check Sources.

Helpful things to check for. Put a check for your source.

ü Is it current (up to date)? 1 2 3 4 5

ü Does it have a lot of advertisements and ask for a

lot of information?

ü Is the information in depth? Will you have to find

more?

ü Where is the information come from? Is it from a

trusted expert?
Step 4: Beyond the Surface

• You don’t have to read every word! Look for key words in your search
results.
• Research can be challenging, even for adults! Persevere! J

Key Terms to Look For:

•

Step 5: Respect Ownership.

Try your best using your own words. Turn the following statement into your own
words: “Maya Angelou was a poet and award-winning author known for her
acclaimed memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and her numerous poetry
and essay collections.” Source:
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/angelou/angelou.bio.bib.html

Sentence in Your Own Words:

Copy and paste sources here:

• Source 1:

• Source 2:

• Source 3:

• Source 4:
American Women Research Piece Rubric
1 - No Evidence
Research All of my resources are not
reliable. I directly copied from the
resources for my research piece.
Organization My information is not organized at
all.
Collaboration Throughout the unit, I don't
participate at all with my peers.
Presentation I delivered my presentation with
some appropriate and relevant
facts and descriptive details.
There is information missing that
could confuse my audience.
Style I followed the script of the project
exactly and did not add anything
unique to my research piece.
2 - Little Evidence
Some of my resources are
questionable. I am still learning to
find reliable sources and to use
them in my own words.
My information is kind of
organized and is a little confusing
for my audience to understand. I
am still learning how to organize
information.
Throughout the unit, I participate
very little when I need to work with
my peers. I let others do most of
the work.
I delivered my presentation with
appropriate and relevant facts and
descriptive details. There were
some parts that were not clear.
Sometimes I spoke too fast or
wasn't loud enough.
N/A
3 - Good Evidence
Most of my resources are reliable,
but one of them is questionable
and/or I did not use one of the
sources in my own words.
My information is mostly
organized and easy to understand
for the audience. There is some
clarity needed in certain areas.
Throughout the unit, I am mostly
participating in all of the group
work. I am still learning how to
give constructive feedback and
receive it.
I delivered my presentation with
appropriate and relevant facts and
descriptive details. There were a
few times I spoke too fast or
wasn't loud enough.
N/A
4 - Exemplary Evidence Score/Level
I found information that answered
all of the questions from reliable
sources on the internet. I used the
sources in my project without
plagiarizing the information.
My information is organized in a
logical sequence that makes my
research piece easy to
understand for my audience.
I engage in a range of
collaborative discussions.
Throughout the unit, I am always
participating and working with my
peers positively. I know how to
give constructive feedback and
receive it.
(Common Core)
I delivered my presentation with
appropriate and relevant facts,
descriptive details, and spoke
clearly at an understandable pace.
(Common Core)
I made this research piece "my
own" by adding my own unique
style and ideas. I even integrated
ideas from my peers to enhance
my research piece.
Reflection on Meaning through Murals and the Introduction to Research

Both of these lessons fit really well into the unit, but I did not have the

opportunity to teach the entire unit to a third-grade class. However, I did have the

opportunity to teach both of these lessons in a modified way to seek further

improvement to my unit.

Making Meaning Through Murals

Session 1:

For this lesson, following the Youtube video in an “I Do, You Do” model

seemed to work well for students. The ingredients analogy also seemed to resonate

for students. I found that creating the giant anchor chart as a model took up a good

amount of time since I also had to pause and play the video as well. For the next

time, I might have the giant anchor chart prepped in advance and just uncover each

component to give students an example. During the actual lesson, I did not end up

asking as many questions as I intended, but we did review the elements of art as a

class.

Session 2:

The artwork that students created were amazing! During the gallery walk, I

noticed that some students were getting more feedback than others. Students

naturally gravitated towards their friend’s artwork. For the next time, I would

establish that after an artist has received a certain amount of feedback, their paper

would need to be turned over. This would ensure more feedback for other students
in the class. Lastly, I think I could have pushed this further by having students

explain how their feedback made them feel and also add why it made them feel that

particular way.

Introduction to Research:

For this lesson, I quickly realized that this is too many components to pack

into one lesson. I modified this lesson as a general research lesson, but I felt that

some of the concepts were a little abstract for students. The concept map about

research seemed to work well with the students. It was beginning the actual

research process online that was difficult. Teaching students how to ask good

questions is difficult as students are utilizing critical thinking within the context of

how technology works. Out of all the components, I think checking sources was the

most difficult. This is broken down into four smaller components, but the skills

required to do this are quite complex. Finding out whether a source is credible is

different for each website. I think that this lesson needs to spread out into smaller

chunks. For each smaller unit, students focus on only one component of checking

whether their sources are credible. For example, the first session could be about

checking the currency of the information, where to look on different sites, and

noting any patterns that were found. Overall, I feel that the research process could

be built into the unit more with a variety of in-depth lessons and mini-lessons.
Reflecting on the Overall Unit

Overall, I think the most important take-away from teaching both of the

lessons were seeing students’ enthusiasm when given the opportunity to share

about something more personal in their lives. I learned a lot from students’ artwork

and also from conversations about their artwork. I also feel that integrated art with

a personal touch was a good blend. However, I wonder how this might be applied to

other content areas and visual/performing arts. Writing this unit did not seem

intuitive at first, but I was amazed at how things naturally fell into place with time.

It was insightful as a future educator and I look forward to this backwards design

model and adding a flare of my own for my future classrooms.