Xavier Perry: Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan 1

STANDARD LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Cooperative Learning Strategies

I. Describe the Class

A. Grade
1. 3
B. Student/Class Composition
1. 28 students
a. 24 regulatory
b. 2 second language learners
c. 1 gifted student
d. 1 learning disabled student
e.

II. Subject/Skill
A. Subject
1. Social Studies
B. Skill
1. Christopher Columbus
a. His voyage
b. Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria

III. Objectives
A. The students will identify Christopher Columbus and where his voyage started
and ended. The students will become very knowledgeable about the three vessels
that Columbus used on his travels. Additionally, providing that students apply
learned material with 80% accuracy on activities, worksheets and quizzes.
B. The students will be able to illustrate and explain the material with 80% accuracy
on activities, worksheets and quizzes.
C. The students will demonstrate and show understanding of the learned material
with little assistance leading to 80% accuracy on activities, worksheets and
quizzes.
D. The students will categorize the three ships, Columbus used on his voyage and
compare, contrast their differences with 80% accuracy on activities, worksheets
and quizzes.
E. The students will create replica ships in groups to summarize their understanding
of the learned instruction with 80% accuracy on activities, worksheets and
quizzes.
F. The student will evaluate their peers productivity and determine changes as a
group working toward achieving 80% accuracy.

IV. Procedures
1. The students will end this lesson with an understanding of Christopher
Columbus’s voyage and how important the ships were in making the trip with
80% accuracy on activities, worksheets and quizzes.
2. Review Prerequisites: The students will need previously taught vocabulary.
 Xavier Perry: Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan 2

3. Modeling:
Activity 1: All students are assigned to a group of four. The students are
placed in groups based on varying academic abilities to complete a project
together while reviewing learned material (group investigation and student
team’s achievement divisions, heterogenous groups). Each student will be
assigned a different task, but the group will earn reward based on the
improvement of all group members.

Instruction: Please be seated and listen to my instructions before beginning.

Christopher Columbus planned the construction of three ships, the Nina, Pinta
and Santa Maria. On the desks in front of your groups, you will find, popsicle
stick size random shapes of wood, cloth material, markers, wood glue, a blank
lined sheet of paper, paint, string, foam pieces, markers and a photo of the
ships. Your groups are to work together to rebuild Columbus’s ships. It is
your choice in how you choose to construct them, although you may only
construct one ship at a time. Make sure one team member keeps record on the
blank lined sheet of paper about what materials your group chose to use and
why? You don’t have to use all the materials on your desks. Your group has
thirty-five minutes to complete the task with as much accuracy as possible
using the information that you have learned and the photo. Size isn’t
important and remember, Have Fun.
4. Guiding Practice
Activity 2: After completing activity one, the students will be seated and I will
hand out one worksheet to each group. The students will use previously
learned information to work together in their heterogenous groups (learning
together) to fill in the missing information in a Christopher Columbus
storyline.
5. Independent Practice
Following activities one and two, I will pass out a multiple-choice quiz
consisting of fifteen questions which all students are to complete
independently. I will quietly walk around the room, assisting those students
whom may have questions. Additionally, reminding the students to use
process of elimination, eliminating the answers they no aren’t relevant,
narrowing it down to only the absolute possibilities to a question. Regardless
of completion, I have requested that they turn the quiz in to me at my desk
when the bell rings for dismissal. There will be no homework. It’s Friday.
Everyone Have a Wonderful Weekend.

V. Materials
Materials for this lesson include; wood pieces, wood glue, cloth material,
markers, blank lined sheet of paper, pencils, pens, photo of ships, foam pieces,
paint, string, worksheets, quizzes.

VI. Grouping Structures

The students are placed into groups of four in the classroom using
heterogenous grouping. They are provided activities that allow me to utilize
 Xavier Perry: Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan 3

the cooperative strategies; group investigations, student team’s achievement

divisions and learning together.

VII. Modifications
This lesson plan uses kinesthetic (more hands-on learning) and visual learning
to accommodate those students whom are secondary language learners and
special needs. Additionally, because of the dynamic of the groups, gifted
students are provided with an opportunity to mentor lower level students.

VIII. Assessment
I will determine the students understanding of the material by viewing their
group progress during the activities in addition to their individual scores the
assigned in class quiz. I will combine class participation scores, group project
scores, assigned group worksheets and independent quiz scores to determine
their overall percentage in the classroom. I will then assess each student
individually. Part of being a teacher is not only being aware of how children
learn, but also how they display this learning best. Some students may grasp
the material 100%, but be poor test takers, while others may be very good at
regurgitating printed material during a test, but have difficulty engaging in
group activities. Through the collection of that data, I will determine whether
each student has achieved the 80% standard I set at the beginning of the lesson
for the class.