POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES

LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program
Created: Maci Dyer
Cooperating Teacher: Maddie Holt
School: Wenonah Elementary School
Grade: 3rd
Date presented to Cooperating teacher: March 21, 2014
Date presented to the class: March 31, 2014

TITLE OF LESSON: Influence on Others: Rome and Greeces influence on the United States.
CONTEXT OF LESSON:
The students have already completed social studies for the year, but I will integrate a previous social studies
concept into letter writing. The teacher informed me that the students were having a hard time remembering the
information on Greece and Rome, but she said they really liked it when she introduced it. Therefore, I have
decided to get the students to write a letter to someone in Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome on how they have
influenced the Modern world. (For example, architecture, government, and sports.) My students are
transitioning from preoperational stage to concrete operational stage according to Piaget. According to Vygotsky
I will have to use the Zone of Proximal development when teaching my lesson, meaning there will be times I
will have to be modeling, working side by side with students, and also students will need to work
independently. Therefore, I will begin with and organizer to help them organize their thoughts; as well as a
template of a letter so the students can see the proper usage of writing a letter.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand
Students should be able to write
sentences to form a letter that shows
understanding of the influence of
Ancient Greece and Rome have on
the Modern day United States. It is
important to know how the United
States came to be. The students need

to understand that the United States

is made up of many societies and
influences like Ancient Rome and
Ancient Greece.

Know

Do

Students will learn the

influences of Ancient Rome

and Greece and how we use
them today. They will be able
to recognize them in their dayto-day lives.

Students will know another way

to communicate important
messages through friendly
letters.

Students will be able to create

a friendly letter composing
information of how the
influence helped the United
States arrive where they are.
Students will be able to tell
others about the influences
from Ancient Greece and
Rome.

ASSESSING LEARNING:
What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives?
Rememberevery objective must be assessed for every student!
Tasks:
Diagnostic features:
Support:
1. They will then do
1. During the think, pair, share I will be 1. My cooperating teacher and I will be
think, pair, and share. able to assess and see what they know
walking around, so we can talk with the
and what they dont by their
students and help facilitate the
conversations. Then I can cover any
conversations in the right direction.
misconceptions or information the
2. The students will begin
students need.
using the information 2. I will be able to see how they classify2. I will provide them with a worksheet with
that I give them to
the two groups by giving them a Venn a Venn diagram on both sides. This allows
compare and contrast
diagram that I will collect.
time for the students to look over the
Ancient Greece and
information and fill in what they know on
Ancient Rome.
one side. Then we will go over it as a
class and fill in the other side.
3. The student will be
given an organizer to
help them with
3. I will be able to see the students
3. I will give them time to think about
organizing their ideas to
ideas being organized on paper. It
what they are going to be writing as I
improve their letter
will be collected to be assess, to see
walk around I will be able to answer
writing.
the information they choose and how
any questions they might need.
4. Then the students will
they used it.
be given a template of a
letter.
4. On their own they will have to
4. I will be available for questions. We will
identify who they are writing to,
go over the letter writing process as a
which would be the intended
class as we read Sincerely Yours: Writing
audience. They will have to draft,
Your Own Letter. As as well as having a
edit, and hand in a Final Draft.
class discussion on the subject. Editing
Which I will be able to assess all
and creating sentences I will be able to
objectives and tasks through the final see in their final drafts, but I would have
draft. I will see if they are able to
to work with certain individuals on their
communicate their thoughts through
sentence structures and grammar.
a letter, if they understood the
influences Ancient Rome and Greece
have on the United States; I will also
be able to see how they related it
back to their lives.

RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

History and Social Science Standards

3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome have influenced
the present world in terms of architecture, government (direct and representative democracy), and
sports.
Writing
3.9 (a-g) The student will write for a variety of purposes.
a. Identify the intended audience.
b. Use a variety of prewriting strategies.
c. Write a clear topic sentence focusing on the main idea.
d. Write a paragraph on the same topic.
e. Use strategies for organization of information and elaboration according to the type of writing.
f. Include details that elaborate the main idea.
g. Revise writing for clarity of content using specific vocabulary and information.
MATERIALS NEEDED
I will provide:
-

Organizer
Venn Diagram sheet
Letter Template
Book

Loewen, Nancy, and Christopher Lyles. Sincerely yours: writing your own letter. Minneapolis, Minn.:
Picture Window Books, 2009. Print.
The teacher will provide:
PROCEDURE

Paper

Activity
Procedures and management
Element
& Time
(in minutes)

Students

Academic, physical, social

& linguistic
differentiation, resources,
and support

Introduction
(5-10min)

I will ask the students meet me at

the carpet. We will start out by
reading Sincerely Yours: Writing
Your Own Letter. Then I will ask the
students if anyone has written a
letter themselves or received a
letter?
We will then go over the parts of a
letter again.

The students will listen to

directions.
The students will then be
able to make connections
by relating it to their own
lives.
Participate in the
discussion of parts of a
letter.

The conversation can spark

ideas and productive
discussion. By me reading
it allowed all students will
be able to benefit from it,
because many of my
students struggle in
reading. They can then
become familiar with the
vocabulary as well in how
it is used.

Event 1
(15 min)

Then I will tell them that we are

going to write a letter a letter to
someone in Ancient Greece or
Ancient Rome. Then send them
back to their seats.
Lets pretend you have a friend
from Ancient Rome or Greece. You
are going to write a letter to them,
telling them how much Ancient
Rome and Ancient Greece helped
the United States where they are
today. But before we do that lets
see what we remember about
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
I am handing out a Venn Diagram
that I want you to fill in with what
you know about Ancient Greece
and Ancient Rome. You will
compare how they are similar and
different. I am going to write some
categories on the board that might
help you focus you ideas on:
Architecture, Art, Government,
Adaptation to the environment,
human characteristics, physical
characteristics, and sports.

The students will start to

generate ideas of what
they have already learned
about Ancient Greece and
Rome.

All students will be able to

participate in the discussion
and if anyone has a
question I will answer it.

Transition I will play music from Ancient

Students will take their
(3-4min)
Rome and Ancient Greece as they
time to write in their
start to shift into the writing their
Venn Diagrams.
ideas down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?
v=xotPWR5I8RY&list=RDlzy5
DYhkUAI

Event 2

After giving the students time to They will begin to fill in I will be going over the

DIFFERENTIATION:
My classroom consists of students at all different levels. Some can read when others cannot. It is hard to
teach a student that cannot read. When planning for the whole class I have to make special plans for those who
have a hard time reading. Many of them will fly through this process with no trouble at all, which I will then
have to have something for them to do.
I have planned to pull a group of three, the lowest level group to the table to work with me while the
other students work independently. I will read the instructions and I will help them transcribe their thoughts
onto paper. Some need help more than others. One student in the group will have an assistant with her, so I
wont have to spend all of my time helping her with her writing. She knows the social studies, but not being
able to read is holding her back. So if you read it to her she can answer and write some stuff down. The other
two need help editing and staying on task, so if they are at a separate table this could prevent the of task and I
could help them more one on one.
For the students that fly through it I will have a game prepared where I have where I have sentences cut apart
and they have to put them together properly. This will help them recognize the proper sentence structure. Then
they will look at their paper once again to see if they can make any more corrections, so their paper is close to
flawless. Then they will be able to do their final. Then they will be able to play more games with editing
sentences.
RATIONALE:
Integrating social studies and writing is a good way to kill two birds with one stone. Ancient Rome and
Greece are two of their third grade Social Studies SOLs they have to know the influences that the United States
uses. They also have to know how to write a letter.
The students have already learned the social studies material prior to my lesson, but they have trouble
retaining information. So this lesson provides review and introduction to writing. It prepares them for the SOLs
as well as life. The students will write letters later in life; if not letters emails, which are set up the same way.
The students need to develop a deep understanding of what is being taught because they will use it and need it
later in life.
Knowing the influence of Ancient Greece and Rome are important because it has affected our
government structure, buildings, and entertainment/ competition. These are important aspects they will need to
know about, as they become adults. They might not make the connection on their own at such a young age, but
if we make it about them and how it does affect them. They will most likely pay attention and relate their
experiences with what is being taught. It will become meaningful for them; they will better understand this
information and it will help them develop as citizens. Knowing how the government works is part of being an
educated citizen and then you can participate in government and create change. Many of the students like the

Olympics, but without learning this material they dont know why we have the Olympics. The metals of the
Olympics are for the first three winners and this brings pride to your country. Understanding that influence and
purpose can help with respecting and having pride for different nationalities.
Writing letters is a way of communication and that is a necessity of living. As a citizen you must connect
with other citizens to make a difference. Letters are wonderful tools to use as well as email, which is a letter in
the form of technology. Almost everyone this day and time has an email account, which uses the same format as
a proper letter. Students will use this for the rest of their life. It is essential that students understand and know
how to set the letter up.
Making connections will help create a deep understanding by using the letter format to write to someone
in the past on a social studies subject may provide students with other ways they could use letters.
1.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
1. The students may not remember anything about Ancient Rome or Greece.
a. In this case I will have a review sheet with the information they need to know in order to
complete my lesson.
2. The students may not have enough time to finish the process.
a. I will have to leave my lesson with the main teacher and when I dont have class I will need to be
in the class to finish out the process.
3. The students might not know how to edit their paper.
a. I will then have to tell them what to look for, like make sure there is a Capital letter at the
beginning of a new sentence and some kind of punctuation at the end of each sentence. I would
have to work individually, because each student works at a different pace.
4. The students might not want to write to someone in the past.
a. In that case I would ask, Who would you like to write to? If it is appropriate I will allow this as
long as they are writing about the influences of Ancient Rome and Greece on the United States.

Lesson Implementation Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to
guide your thinking. Be thorough in your reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.
I. How did your actual teaching of the lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes and explain why
you made them.
My lesson started as planned; I was able to introduce writing through my book Sincerely Yours: Writing
Your Own Letter. The students were engaged and they were excited because I altered the book to Dear Ms.
Holts class. My teacher originally told me that I would have an hour for writing and she cut it to 30
minutes without communicating with me, but I was able to get to the graphic organizer. Then the teacher
asked them to put the materials in their writing folder. She also told me that they would continue them
throughout the week and that writing is tough with time, because they dont always have time for it. My
teacher did not continue the prompt as she said she would, so this took the meaningful experience away by
not allowing them to complete the task.
II. Based on the assessment you created, what can you conclude about your impact on student learning? Did
they learn? Who learned? What did they learn? What evidence can you offer that your conclusions
are valid?
I gave my students a Venn diagram worksheet with a Venn diagram on both sides, one side was for the
student to write what they knew and the other side was what they came up with as a class after I gave them
the information on Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The students learned similarities and differences of
Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, as well as how to write a friendly letter. According to the assessment of
the graphic organizer the students have been able to identify whom they were writing to and why they were
writing, but they had trouble with what they were writing on. Since my cooperating teacher didnt continue
using my lesson as she said she would they students did not learn what I had intended them to. I was able to
observe this when I was asked to re-teach my lesson last minute. The students had so many questions and
so much confusion on what they were writing on.
III. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or
more thorough way if you were to teach this lesson again.
First I would allow more time, because when you integrate a lesson to lower readiness students they need
time to soak in the information. I want the students to learn the material and make meaningful connections.
I would have someone like the cooperating teacher or an assistant with two of the students at all times,
because they need additional help. I cant stay with those two students the whole time, because it wouldnt
be fair to the other students. I knew the subject matter was going to be hard for them based on the preassessment that I took. Based on my pre-assessment the students remembered nothing about Ancient Rome
or Ancient Greece from where my cooperating teacher lectured them. If I were to do it again I would use
inquiry in stations to reteach, where I could go around, having stations up and a computer at each station.
At each station have an influence that they need to know and get them to look up how it is used today in the
United States and even in Waynesboro. This would engage the students more than a lecture would and it
would be more meaningful to see how it relates to them.
IV.Based on the assessment data you collected, what would you do/teach next if you were the classroom
teacher?
I would use this again if I were the classroom teacher. It allowed good discussion about letters, Ancient
Rome, and Ancient Greece. With more time the students could have finished what I had planned allowing
them to stay engaged rather than cutting off an idea and changing subjects. This would allow them to
continue making meaningful connections helping them retain information as they are working on writing
and social studies. Therefore it should use more time especially with low readiness learners.
V. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about young
children as learners?
Young learners are not blank slates and if the child is not retaining information there is a reason why. No
child learns or thinks the same. In my practicum placement I have students at different developmental

stages, and it makes it hard to differentiate for each student, but being fully prepared helps you meet each
need. Literature in my lesson got the students engaged, which allowed connections to be made. They are
able to make powerful connections and see how it is relevant to them in our discussion at the carpet.
Students need to have time to process information that they are given in order to make connections and
retain the information presented.
VI. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about
teaching?
You have to plan for everything you can think of, because situations occur and you need to be able to
handle them. Also staying calm and being flexible is important in the classroom; as I had to be once my
teacher said that we were not spending any more time on writing. I had to be flexible and stay calm so my
students would.
VII. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about
yourself?
I reinforced the amount of patience, flexibility, and my organization. I like to be over prepared and in most
cases it is a good thing. In the case of my lesson being shortened it was hard to cover the information that I
had planned for, but I was flexible and adjusted to what the teacher wanted.