Week 1 Unit overview

Overall goal of lesson

Focal language
domain

(listening, speaking,
reading, writing)

Day 1
Describe significant events that lead to the
American Revolution. Students will
describe reasons for growing tensions
between colonists and England, and
evaluate causes for the colonists movement
to the Revolutionary War. A short
Discovery Channel video will be shown to
supplement the textbook reading which the
students have done for homework.

Listening and
matching responses
to answer
Writing

Language focus
(vocab, pragmatics,
grammar, etc.)

Vocabulary

Receptive
language
development

Speaking - Guided
discussion

Grammar

Reading

Schema

Distributed
practice and recall

Day 2
Students will chronologically organize
major events that lead to the American
Revolution. Students will draw a picture
about an event, label and note the date it
occurred. The students, as a collaborative
effort, will sequence the events by posting
them in a wall timeline. They will write a
short description of the events using
sentence frames where necessary. They will
present their pictures in class the next day).
Visuals will be posted in the class as a
reminder of what students have already
learned and as prompts for the subsequent
lessons.

Listen to Vocab
words and select
correct answer

Day 3
Students will take a museum walk along the
timeline and use sticky notes to consider
questions they may have about the events of
the American Revolution. Working in
groups the students answer questions about
the event they have depicted. Students will
present their individual timeline visual to
the class and then answer their group
questions.

Speaking - Initiate
conversation with
peers in small
groups;

Illustrate, label and

write sentences
about an event
Speaking to
collaborate the
timeline

Vocabulary
practice

Varied sentence
structures with
summarized
information on the
illustrations

Speaking Ask

(specify title,
web address,
technology,
genre, etc.)

Vocabulary
Bingo

Discovery
Channel
video
Cause and
effect
graphic
organizer

Present
information to
class employing
varied sentence
structures and new
vocab

Assessment

(specify what type of

formative/summative
assessment will use)

Formative
informative
vocabulary word
Formative
class discussion

Summative
differentiated
worksheets

Notebook

Interactive
board for
displaying
quizlet,
Student
whiteboards
for
displaying
answers
Timeline for
event
sequencing

Writing notebook

Reading
researching
questions

Resources

Paper,
computer,
library

Formative
class discussion
Vocabulary
whiteboard
answers

Summative
illustrations and
sentence
descriptions

Formative
presentations
and in class
discussions

Notebook
responses
Use of daily

questions and think

metacognitively
about current and
desired knowledge
on the topic

Day 4
Students will explain the various acts of
parliament that were protested by American
colonists. They will form two opposing
sides, giving students the opportunity to
demonstrate what they have learned about
British and the colonists (both Loyalists and
Patriots). They will need to represent the
viewpoint of the group and justify their
position based on historical facts and
emotions. They will speak from the point of
view of the party they represent.
Day 5
Students will draw upon the previous days
debate and craft an editorial letter to a
fictional newspaper documenting their
views and advocating a position they have
debated.

Writing notebook
Speaking - debate
of viewpoint

notebook
for EQ

Critical discussion
using increasingly
complex grammar
and vocab relating
to the subject

Writing notebook

Writing

Students will
review vocabulary
Writing to express
a position using
increasingly
complex grammar
and vocab relating
to the subject
Knowledge
assimilation
(cognition)
Students will
analyze their work
against a
requirement rubric

Computer, Formative
debate
class
library, text discussions

Use of daily
notebook
for EQ

Notebook
responses

Organizer
for
discussion

Summative
letter to the
editors

Use of daily
notebook
for EQ

Notebook
responses