Title: Effects of the Creek War

Grade: 4th
Topic: The Creek War
Materials:
- Week 6 Alabama Studies Weekly
- Important Things to Know Graphic Organizer
- Cause & Effect Graphic Organizer
- Highlighters
ALCOS:
3.) Explain the social, political, and economic impact of the War of 1812,
including battles and significant leaders of the Creek War, on Alabama.
Objective:
- Students will understand the events, causes, and effects of the war with
the Creek Nation.
References:
- Scott Foresman 4th Grade Alabama History textbook pages 94-97
- Alabama Studies Weekly Week 6 The Creek War
Set Induction:
- Have the students answer the following question in a quick write.
- Imagine you have been sitting in a desk at school for weeks. A new
student joins the class and comes in and tells you to give them your seat.
How would this make you feel? What would you do?
Transition:
- Tell the students that they will learn about the Settlers coming in to take
over Native American lands in Alabama.
Information Knowledge:
- Alliance: an agreement made between people, groups, or countries
- Militia: emergency armies made up of citizens
- Treaty: a written agreement
- Settlers: people who go to live in a new place where usually there arent
many people
- Massacre: the violent killing of many people
- Tribe: a group of people that includes many families and relatives who
have the same language, customs, and beliefs
Procedural Knowledge:
- As a group, read through the article The Creek War and highlight
important events and people.
- Have students fill out the Important Things to Know graphic organizer
as they read through the article.
Assessment:
- Students will complete the cause and effect graphic organizer with a
partner.
Closing Statement:
- Tell the students that tomorrow they will work in groups to create a
storyboard of the events of the Creek War.

Title: How the Creek War Went Down

Grade: 4th
Topic: The Creek War
Materials:
- 5 half poster boards
- markers, pencils, etc.
- Important Things to Know graphic organizer
ALCOS:
3.) Explain the social, political, and economic impact of the War of 1812,
including battles and significant leaders of the Creek War, on Alabama.
Objective:
- Students will understand the events, causes, and effects of the war with
the Creek Nation.
References:
- Scott Foresman 4th Grade Alabama History textbook pages 94-97
- Alabama Studies Weekly Week 6 The Creek War
Set Induction:
- Tell the students that many events happened during the Creek War. A
famous movie director is going to make a movie about what happened
during the Creek War. He needs to know what happened. Can you make
him a storyboard?
Transition:
- Show the students a model of a storyboard and explain what a storyboard
is.
Information Knowledge:
- Alliance: an agreement made between people, groups, or countries
- Militia: emergency armies made up of citizens
- Treaty: a written agreement
- Settlers: people who go to live in a new place where usually there arent
many people
- Massacre: the violent killing of many people
- Tribe: a group of people that includes many families and relatives who
have the same language, customs, and beliefs
Procedural Knowledge:
- The students will be broken up into 5 groups.
- Each group is to make a storyboard following the events of the Creek
War.
- They should make sure to include the following on their board:
Tecumseh, Red Sticks, Pushmataha, Burnt Corn Creek, William
Weatherford, Andrew Jackson, Fort Mims, Treaty of Fort Jackson.
Assessment:
- The students will be assessed on their Important Things to Know
graphic organizer and the storyboard creation.
Closing Statement:
- Tell the students that after the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed, the
Native Americans continued to lose their land to the white settlers. They

will learn about what happened to the Natives when the white settlers
started moving in.

Title: The Trail of Tears

Grade: 4th Grade
Topic: The Trail of Tears
Materials:
- Observation sheet
- Bubble maps
- Chart paper
- Chart markers
- 5Ws chart
ALCOS:
3c.) Explain the impact of the Trail of Tears on Alabama American Indians
lives, rights, and territories. [Social Studies]
Objective:
- Students will explain the events of the American Indian removal known
as the Trail of Tears.
References:
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567b.html
- The Trail of Tears by Joseph Bruchac
Set Induction:
- Show the students the following painting and have them complete the
observation sheet.
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567b.html .
Transition:
- Remind the students that in Andrew Jacksons Treaty of Fort Jackson,
many of the American Indian chiefs gave up much of their land to the
Americans. Over many years after that, the American Indians lost more
and more land to the Americans.
Information Knowledge:
- Treaty: a written agreement
- Indian reservation: an area of land in the U.S. that is kept separate as a
place for Native Americans to live
- Stockades: a line of tall posts that are set in the ground and used as a
barrier to protect or defend a place
Procedural Knowledge:
- Read The Trail of Tears by Joseph Bruchac to the students.
- As the students read, have them write down different information they
learn.
- As a class, create a bubble map anchor chart describing what they learned
about the Trail of Tears.
Assessment:
- The students will complete the 5W chart using their bubble map. They
may use their Studies Weekly Week 7 if they would like.
Closing Statement:
- Tell the students that the next day they will read personal accounts from
people affected by the Trail of Tears and learn about the impact it had on
individuals.

Title: Personal Accounts of the Trail of Tears

Grade: 4th
Topic: The Trail of Tears
Materials:
- Smartboard
- Native American written accounts of the Trail of Tears (11)
- Letter writing paper
ALCOS:
3c.) Explain the impact of the Trail of Tears on Alabama American Indians
lives, rights, and territories.
Objective:
- Students will identify the impact that the Trail of Tears had on the Native
Americans.
References:
- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/akh10.socst.ush.exp.trail/tr
ail-of-tears/
- http://www.ualr.edu/sequoyah/uploads/2011/11/Family%20Stories%
20from%20the%20Trail%20of%20Tears.htm#AgnewMaryCobb
- http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4039
Set Induction:
- The students will watch the following video about the Trail of Tears.
- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/akh10.socst.ush.exp.trail/tr
ail-of-tears/
Transition:
- Tell the students that the Trail of Tears was a sad event that negatively
impacted the Native Americans as a group but that it also affected
families and individuals.
Information Knowledge:
- Treaty: a written agreement
- Indian reservation: an area of land in the U.S. that is kept separate as a
place for Native Americans to live
- Stockades: a line of tall posts that are set in the ground and used as a
barrier to protect or defend a place
Procedural Knowledge:
- Show the students the Indian Removal Map attached to the video link.
- The students will work in partners and read an account of someone
affected by the Trail of Tears.
- There will be 11 different accounts. Students will rotate through reading
three accounts.
Assessment:
- Students will write a letter imagining that he or she is a Cherokee child
whose family has been on the Trail of Tears. They are to write a
persuasive letter to President Andrew Jackson asking him to let their
family go back home.
- Students should use specific examples of why the Trail is so dangerous.
Closing Statement:

Tell the students that while they cannot change the past, they can help
prevent things like this from happening in the future. The first thing they
can do is to treat others they would want to be treated themselves.

Title: The Road to Becoming a State

Grade: 4th
Topic: Early Leaders of Alabama
Materials:
- Skit materials
- Studies Weekly Week 9 Early leaders
- Coloring materials
- Instagram frame posters
ALCOS:
- 5.) Describe Alabamas entry into statehood and establishment of its
three branches of government and the constitutions.
- 5.b) Recognize roles of prominent political leaders during early statehood
in Alabama, including William Wyatt Bibb, Thomas Bibb, Israel Pickens,
William Rufus King, and John W. Walker.
Objective: Students will describe the process Alabama went through to become a
state and the importance of specific early leaders.
Set Induction:
- Have the students brainstorm about what makes an area a good place to
live.
- Create a whole class bubble chart recording the ideas.
Transition:
- Remind the students that in order to get the land for what we now call
Alabama, Americans had to go through a lot and put the Native Americans
through a lot.
- Tell the students that even after all of the trouble, Alabama still had to go
through some more to become a state.
Information Knowledge:
- Legislature: the group of people who make laws
- Petition: request
- Constitution: a plan of government
- Constitutional Convention: an event where the delegates write the
constitution
- Delegate: someone chosen to represent others
Procedural Knowledge:
- Five students will act out the short skit. As the students speak about key
points in the road to becoming a state, the teacher should add the event to
a timeline on the board.
- As the Mississippi Territory becomes a state, have the Northwest
Ordinance separate the two pieces on the board. As Alabama becomes a
state, President Monroe should put the Youre official! on the state of
Alabama.
- The Students will then be broken into four groups. Each group will create
an Instagram Selfie poster about one of the following: William Bibb,
Thomas Bib, Israel Pickens, and William Rufus King. Students should
delegate two as the artists, two as the researchers, and one as the writer.
Whichever artist is not working at the time needs to make sure the group

stays on task. The students will draw a picture of their leader in the
provided picture frame and write a quick summary about the leader.
Groups will share their summary with the class.
Assessment:
- Students will complete the cut-and-paste timeline activity detailing the
road to Alabama becoming a state.
Closing Statement:
- Remind the students that when Alabama became a state, it had to write a
constitution, or a plan for their government.
- Tell them that during the next lesson, they will learn how our Alabama
government works.

Title: The Government Tree

Grade: 4th
Topic: The Three Branches of Government
Materials:
- Smartboard with speakers
- Studies Weekly Week 8 Our Three Branches
- Highlighters
- Brown paper bags
- Green construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Chart paper
- Chart markers
ALCOS:
- 5.) Describe Alabamas entry into statehood and establishment of its
three branches of government and the constitutions.
Objective: Students will identify and describe the three branches of the Alabama
government.
Set Induction:
- Remind the students that in the previous lesson, the delegates of Alabama
had to write a plan for the new states government.
Transition:
- The students will watch the following video.
- http://www.teachertube.com/video/three-branches-rap-smart-songs325853
Information Knowledge:
- Veto:
- Bill:
- Bicameral:
- Interpret:
- Checks and balances:
Procedural Knowledge:
- Read the article, Our Three Government Branches, out loud to the
students.
- As you read, the students should highlight things that they think are
important.
- As a class, create an anchor chart about the main points for each branch.
Assessment:
- Students will create a government tree with three branches. On each
branch, they will identify key points about the branch.
Closing Statement: Tomorrow you will learn about the process a bill goes through
to become a law.

Title: THATS a Law???

Grade: 4th
Topic: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Materials:
- Studies Weekly Week 8
- Smartboard with sound
- Coloring pencils
- 8.5x11 paper for quilt pieces
- My Rights writing assignment
ALCOS:
- 5.) Describe Alabamas entry into statehood and establishment of its
three branches of government and the constitutions.
Objective: Students will describe the process a bill goes through to become a law.
References:
- http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/alabama
Set Induction:
- The students will watch the School House Rock video Im Just a Bill.
Transition:
- Tell the students that today they are learning about how a bill becomes a
law.
Information Knowledge:
- Bill:
- Checks and Balances:
- Veto:
Procedural Knowledge:
- Go over Our State Bill of Rights and discuss the meaning of the first five
rights.
- As a class, read How does a bill become a law?
- Students will break up into 9 groups. Each group will get a silly law and
create a quilt square depicting the law. The quilt square should have the
law written on it.
Assessment:
- Students will complete the My Rights writing assignment.
Closing Statement: Now that weve learned about the important jobs of our
government, we will learn about the different places where our state government
has called home.

Title: The Many Capitals of Early Alabama

Grade: 4th
Topic: Alabamas Capitals
ALCOS:
5.a.) Explain political and geographic reasons for changes in location of
Alabamas state capital.
Objective:
- Students will explain the reasons for the various changes of Alabamas
capital.
Set Induction:
- Have the students brainstorm why our capital is in Montgomery. Show
them a map of Alabama for reference.
Procedural Knowledge:
- Read Moving the Capital... Again and Again! with the students. Have
them highlight each new location they come across.
- Have them fill out the Alabama state capital chart.
- Have the students label the map of Alabama with the cut-and-paste flags.
Assessment:
- The students will choose one of the capitals and write about why this
location was chosen for a capital.