Teacher:

Content
Area/Topic:
Grade Level:
Lesson Title:

Lesson Plan Template

Rachael Clipson
Social Studies
5th Grade
Primary and Secondary Sources

Write a brief, yet concise, description of what occurs in this lesson (50
words).
What will students learn during the lesson?
In this lesson, the students will learn how to analyze and decipher between primary and
secondary sources. They will use both their speaking and listening skills. The students will
also learn why primary and secondary sources are important and what they are used for.

Lesson
Overview

Common
Core/State
Standard

Go to the state standards website:

http://www.tn.gov/education/standards/index.shtml
Reference State, Common Core, ACT College Readiness Standards
and/or State Competencies. Select the grade content/level appropriate
standards that are being met in this lesson. Copy and paste here:

State Standard-

Content Standard 5.0: Level 2

5.5.tpi.7. analyze primary sources not limited to but including artifacts, diaries,
letters, photographs, art, documents, newspapers, contemporary media, and
computer information systems to make generalizations about events and life in
United States history since 1865.
Common CoreCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.D
Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6
Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide
requested detail or clarification.

National
Education
Technology
Standards for
Students
(NETSS) met
in this lesson

Go to the NEW NETSS standards http://cnets.iste.org/and select grade

level (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) appropriate standards/profiles that are being
met in this lesson. Copy and paste here.

Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014

Technology operations and concepts

Understand and use technology systems
*For students who get done earlyResearch and information fluency
Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the
appropriateness to specific tasks

Instructional
Objectives

Clear, Specific, and Measurable NOT ACTIVITIES. Student-friendly.

The objective for this lesson [learning outcome] should identify

the A, B, C & D.

After being given explicit definitions, the learner will discuss primary and
secondary sources by orally giving his or her own definitions and examples
with a partner for five minutes.
Given a virtual graphic organizer, the learner will complete with confidence a
table that gives ten scenarios of different types of primary and secondary
sources with 100% accuracy.
Prior
Knowledge

What prior knowledge will the students have to have to be able to do

this lesson? You might look at the year before Common Core/State
Standards to see what they were suppose to learn before doing the
state standard you chose.

Students need to be familiar with the Smart board.

Students should be familiar with informational text used for
research.
Need or
Purpose

Why do students need to learn this lesson?

Students need to learn this lesson because they will need to use
primary and secondary sources throughout their school career.
The students also will need to know the difference between
primary and secondary sources to appropriately cite their work
and sources in the future.

Teacher
Preparation

Explain what the teacher has to do to get ready for the lesson including
activities such as gather materials, bookmark websites, create research
guides, schedule labs, gather parent permission for fieldtrips, etc

The teacher will need to:

have made and tested the interactive SMART board activity

get classroom computers ready for students who get done early

have teacher computer open to the Library of Congress website

know what primary source images and audio to use

have words printed out and hidden around the classroom

Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014

have the two versions of exit tickets printed out

Explain what the students do in this lesson that puts them in an active
Active
learning situation.
Participation
Students will take part in class discussion, as well as, an interactive white
board activity.

Formative
Assessment

The criteria should directly align with the instructional objectives and
standards. How will you monitor student progress? Also describe your
plan for providing feedback to your students during the lesson?

The teacher will monitor progress throughout the partner discussions and will
provide feedback during the interactive SMART board activity.

Materials

List all materials and include how each will be used during the lesson.
Must align with the Instructional Objective

Printout of vocabulary words - source, primary, firsthand, secondary,

secondhand (for word hunt), Smart board (for interactive lesson), classroom
computers (for students who get done early to do research), handouts with
scenarios (for special needs students), exit ticket worksheets (two versions,
one for average students and one for students with special needs)
Instructional Procedures
An Essential Question encourages students to put forth more effort
Essential
when faced with complex, open-ended, challenging, meaningful and
Question
authentic questions.

How can I tell the difference between a primary and secondary source? Why
do I need to know this?
Lesson set

Motivator/Hook - How will you open the lesson to motivate the

students? How will you relate this lesson to previous learning & to real
life experiences, to explain the importance of the learning to the
students? (student involvement required)

Let students go on a word hunt in the classroom for the words of the day
(source, primary, firsthand, secondary, and secondhand). Tell students these
are the words that they are going to need to know when they are conducting
research. After students find the words have them hang them on the board.
Then have them go to their seats and write down what they think the words
mean.
List the instructional procedures step-by-step, in sequential order as
Techniques &
they occur in the lesson. What will you do? What will the students do?
Activities
How will you keep learners engaged? Within the procedures a variety
of classroom teaching strategies (methods) are identified.
Student centered activities are included as well as guided
practice of the learning is included.

Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014

1. After students have written their definitions (during lesson set), write
the kid friendly definitions on the board. Then ask students if they were
right.
Source a person, publication, or object that gives information
Primary not made or coming from firsthand; original source
Firsthand coming directly from something else; original
Secondary coming from or created secondhand
Secondhand not original; taken from using an original source from
someone or something else
2. Tell students that primary sources are very important. Primary sources
are reliable and are good to use when doing research. Primary sources
are produced by the people who participated in or witnessed the event
or time in the past. Primary sources are not just documents and
written records, they can be physical artifacts, scientific data that has
been collected, and face-to-face conversations with people that have
specific knowledge. These sources can be audio, images, objects, or
text.
3. Show the Library of Congress website on the SMART board and show
examples of audio and image primary sources (visual).
4. Tell students secondary sources are important too, but are not as
reliable. Secondary sources are produced by people who have just
heard about the event in the past.
5. Use think, pair, share method here to have students come up with
other examples of sources (linguistic).
6. After students share examples with a partner have volunteers to come
and write their examples on the board by the corresponding source.

Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014

7. Then students will complete a class wide interactive white board

activity (bodily kinesthetic). This activity includes a table with one side
being primary sources and the other side being secondary sources.
Scenarios will be outside of the table, and the students will take turns
analyzing the scenarios and coming to the board to drag and drop
them into the corresponding sides of the table.
Scenarios (red ones are secondary sources):
I was watching the news and one of the reporters said he had heard good reviews
about a new sports movie. When he talks about the movie, what is he?
I found a letter to one of my friends in the locker room after school the other day. I
know its private, but I want to read it! What is the letter?
My friends and I found an old wedding dress in our attic. My father said it belonged
to my grandmother. What is the dress?
At school we use textbooks to learn about the history of the United States. When we
use textbooks, what are we using?
I like to read People magazine. I really like the articles written by others about
Hollywood actors. When I read these stories, what am I reading?
My mom has CDs of my grandparents telling stories about when they were kids. We
love to listen to these at family gatherings. What are we listening to?
When I am doing homework for U.S. Government and I read the commentaries by
Supreme Court Justices on landmark cases, what am I reading?
My friend Tim said I should read a book that he really liked. He told me about itit
sounds really good! When Tim talks about the book, what is he?
When I was at summer camp a few years ago, I found an arrowhead; I did research
and found out it has been made by the Cherokee Indians. What is my arrowhead?
I am writing an essay on George Washington for my U.S. History class. I used
articles from Wikipedia and another encyclopedia. What am I using?

Extension

How will I provide modified instructions for gifted students? I call this
Gear-up. Extensions are additional activities to expand the learning
on the lesson. If students finish early what will the supplemental
activity be? - I will have them do.

Let the students who get finished early get on the

classroom computers to look up primary sources from
historical events. Have them write a short paragraph about
what they found.
Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014

Remediation

How will I provide modified instructions for below average? I call this
- gear-down. Remediation activities include methods to re-teach the
learning for students who need more instruction. If a student falls
behind I will ..

These students will be given extra time to complete the

exit ticket and will be placed in a teacher led group for
extra help on the exit ticket.
Adaptions
Modifications

How will I provide modified instruction for special education? How will
you adapt the learning for learners with special needs? Choose one
disability and tell me how you would adapt this lesson for that
disability.

The students with specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, will be given a handout with the
scenarios as well as with pictures. During the exit ticket they will be given the definitions but will need
to give the word that is being described. They will write the importance of primary and secondary sources
to the best of their ability. They will also have extra time to complete this activity.

CLOSURE

Reflection / Wrap-Up. How will you close the lesson, summarize the
lesson content, relate the lesson to future lessons & tie it to previous
lessons? (student-involvement required). How will I review subjectmatter and purpose with students?

When students complete the interactive activity, they will complete an exit
ticket of writing the definition of primary and secondary sources and giving 3
examples of each. The students will also need to write a small paragraph
telling why they need to know about primary and secondary sources.
Summative
Assessment

Describe the assessment process that you will use to measure whether
the students achieved the instructional objectives. How will you assess
the student performance/mastery of skill? What are the criteria for
achievement, and performance level? How will you assess that students
have learned? How will you monitor student progress? The criteria
should directly align to the instructional objectives and standards. Also
describe your plan for providing feedback to your students.

The students will be graded on their exit ticket. They will need to have
mastered the meaning of primary and secondary sources in order for the class
to move on to doing research projects in the future. The teacher will monitor
the student throughout the entire lesson to see if they understand the
information by asking questions and giving feedback during the activities.
NOTES:
There will be another lesson on primary and secondary sources. They will
also have a test at the end of the week to make sure they have mastered
this concept.

Dr. Susan Sutton, 2014