EDU 155/255 Social Studies and the Arts

Opportunity Task #1: Social Studies and Arts Lesson Plans

Goal:
Your task is to create two lesson plans that will be learning experiences in the
instructional unit you have been designing. These lessons should demonstrate your knowledge of
state-adopted content area curriculum in History/Social Science and the Visual and Performing
Arts.

Role:
You are a valued member of an elementary school faculty and the lead teacher for your
grade level.

Audience:
Your target audience is your colleagues that teach at this grade level.
Situation:
You have been asked to develop and demonstrate a model unit for social studies content
integrating the arts. These two lessons will be representative of the type of learning experiences
you have planned for students in this unit of study.

Product:
You will create a lesson that addresses History/Social Science and a second lesson that
addresses Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards of the California Department of
Education for your selected grade level. The lessons must include all elements of the Mount St.
Mary’s College Lesson Plan format.

Standards and Criteria for Success:

Your product must meet the following standards:
1. Two lesson plans that are effective and engaging.
● Students will know where they are going, why, and what is required of them.
(goals, reason for learning, performance requirements and evaluative criteria)
● Students will be hooked – engaged.
● Plan will provide adequate opportunities to explore/experience big ideas and
instruction to equip students with knowledge and skills required.
● Students will have sufficient opportunities to rethink, rehearse, revise and/or
refine their work based upon timely feedback.
● Students will have an opportunity to self-evaluate their work, reflect on their
learning and set future goals.
● Plan is tailored and flexible to address the interests and learning styles of all
students.
● Plan is organized and sequenced to maximize engagement and effectiveness.
2. You will teach one of these lessons in class
 Lesson Plan Format for
Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE)
with SIOP Elements

Grade/Class/Subject: 2nd grade Teacher: Vanesa Herrera

Time/Duration of the lesson: 45 minutes/ twice a week

English Language Proficiency of Students: Emerging

Students will be able to explain what the vocabulary is through explanations of what a hero is
and what makes a hero a hero.

Standards:
2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how
heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives (e.g., from
biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie
Curie, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).

Unit/Theme:
What is a hero?
-African American heroes in the United States

Lesson Topic:
- Who is a Hero

Objectives: You must include content objectives and language objectives as indicated below.
(What will students be able to do at the end of the lesson?)

Content:
- Students will be able to identify different African American heroes that have created change, but are not very
much recognized

Language:
- Students will demonstrate how they are able to identify uncommonly known heroes, and will be able to
introduce them to other students that don’t know about those heroes

Assessment:
I will know that the students learned both the language and content, by having them create a biography and art piece
for an uncommonly known African American hero. They will be able to explain to me what a hero is by describing
the hero they chose, and why they are a hero. By observing the students as they present their chosen hero to the
class, I will be able to observe if the students understood the lesson of how there are many other heroes that aren’t
just the “commonly” known heroes.

Key Vocabulary:
-heroes
-African Americans
 - Americans

Supplementary Materials:
(What resources, “realia”, visuals, documents, or manipulatives will you use?)
-art pieces
- films
-worksheets
- construction paper
- makers, paint, colored pencils
-scissors
- glue

Technology in Support of Learning:

(What type of technology would you and the students use in this lesson? Remember to explain how it will be used
with in your plan.)
- Video Clips (to show students a visual aspect of different heroes presented in class)
- Online pictures (to show students how the hero looked like, and to get possible “I remember him/her)

Anticipated Misunderstandings/Difficulties:
(What areas of confusion or difficulty do you anticipate students might encounter with this material? How will you
address them?)
- A misunderstanding that may be taken from this unit, is the misinterpretation that only African American
are more important than other heroes. I want to help students to acknowledge other heroes that aren’t just
the very commonly known heroes, but that does not make them not important either.

Element Rationale
Describe what will happen. Why did you choose to do it this way?
Introduce the Lesson: I chose to do this unit this way, to make
(Clearly identify the objectives for the lesson. Also, how will it more meaningful to the students. I did
you ensure students are engaged and can access the content? not just want to make a boring lesson to
-How will you link information to student’s lives? What will
you do to teach unknown vocabulary?)
listen to the lesson. I want the students to
This lesson will be about acknowledging and having students in a way run the lesson to teach each
think about what a hero is to them. We will go over the other about different heroes they believe
“commonly known” heroes of the U.S., and then we would are heroes.
discuss about “not so commonly known” heroes, that have
caused change but aren’t as acknowledged (Harriet Tubman,
Robert Smalls, Claudette Colvin, Soledad Brothers).
This information can be linked to the student’s lives by
having them recognize that there are different heroes that are
not all white American heroes. This unit may help students
realize that there are heroes that came from similar
backgrounds as they did, which could motivate them to be
better people to help their community.
Develop Understandings (Instruction): The students will enjoy observing and
(How will you make input comprehensible – scaffold the learning about different heroes because
content-, convey information to be learned, and integrate the their attention will be caught as the
concept and language objectives?)
lesson, with vocabulary is taught.
I will make input comprehensible by using the new
vocabulary, I will have students give examples as
to how to properly use the vocabulary words. By
presenting students a variety of different African
America heroes, both known and unknown, will
keep students engaged in being introduced a
different hero, rather than the same heroes they
have learned or heard about before from the
textbooks that are commonly known.
Practice/Application: By having students share out what they
(What activities will help students grasp and practice think a hero is, they will feel an “open
concepts/skills? How will students be grouped?) atmosphere” to be able to say their
First, I would be introducing the lesson by asking thoughts and opinions. By having the
students what a hero is to them, and then having students search for heroes that they think
them share to the class what a hero is. I will then aren’t very well known in history but are
introduce different heroes from different considered heroes. By having students
ethnicities, to show a point that there are heroes of find heroes they believe are heroes, they
different ethnicities that are American heroes. will be interested and engaged in
With this unit, students then will create an art learning and presenting for their hero of
piece either of the hero they decided to focus on or choice.
a piece that represents that hero. The students will
be grouped by the ethnicity of the heroes they are
focusing on, or they will just be individually
working.

Wrap-up: By comparing and contrasting the

(Review objectives and have students assess progress.
Students will overall assess the different heroes
presented to each other, in which they will be
taking notes on each hero presented to them from
different peers. I will ask students to look at their
notes and compare and contrast the different
heroes.
Extension:
(How might this lesson be extended into future lessons or
other content areas?)
This lesson can be extended by students creating
their own hero to take on a community problem
that is present in their own community. They will
recall the different aspects that different heroes
that were presented had, that helped them be
courageous and brave.
different heroes that are presented to one
another, they will be able to find the
various similarities and differences
different heroes present.
I believe that allowing students to create
their own hero will help them rethink and
demonstrate being able to apply what
makes a hero a hero. They will be
applying the prior knowledge and new
vocabulary terms that were taught in this
unit.
Differentiating Instruction for EL focus student:
(Describe the challenges and ELD goals of this EL student.
What will you do specifically support this student for this
lesson?)
The instructions for EL would be similar, but
when it comes to taking notes, I would have a
format sheet that the EL students could use to help
them write down notes throughout the different
presentations. And if needed, I would write the
different section titles in their primary language to
help them catch on to words that they may know
throughout the lesson.
(How do your choices support this student?)
By giving students a worksheet to guide
them on what to write can help students
not be lost on what to write and what not
to write. By having the different sections
also labeled in their primary language
can also help them listen more attentively
to specific words that they may hear and
relate to the specific section.

Differentiating Instruction for a focus student with
Special Needs:
(Describe student(s) special need and relevant IEP goals.
What will you do specifically to support this student for this
lesson?)
For students with special needs there would be
many visuals available for them, and if they
needed help writing down notes, I would have a
buddy help them.
(How do your choices support this student?)
This lesson is overall a fun one for the
students. They will be able to learn about
different heroes that they may resonate
to, and through a lot of visuals, they will
be able to follow along easily.

For the students that “get it” they could help those
that don’t, which can help them just retain the
information more because they are able to teach or
help another student.

(What will you do for those students who already "get it"
and need to be challenged in different ways?)