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Sierra Kelly
ED 344- Teaching and Learning Social Studies and Arts in Elementary School
Social Studies Unit Plan
Subject: Social Studies and Literacy
Lesson Title: Back to the Future: Exploring American History from 1950-1990s
Grade: 5th
Learning Goals:
Compose an informational text on a decade during mid to late 1900s
Identify and synthesize key details from informational texts
Restate, in own words, they key details of a specific decade
Use illustrations to support their text
Differentiate important aspects of different decades from the 1950s-1990s
Identify reliable sources on the internet
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 Write informative/ explanatory text to examine a topic and convey
ideas and information clearly
CCSS.ELA.Literacy.W.5.2b Develop a topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples related to the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more
individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on
specific information in the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting
important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources,
demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem
efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to
write or speak about the subject knowledgeably
Introduction:
This is a student centered unit that focuses on creating independent learners. It is used to
introduce the second half of the 20th century before students dive in and learn about each decade
separately. Students will have the opportunity to explore different time periods in American
DAY 5
Students will use the final day of the unit to complete their expository texts. Half of the class
period will be used to finish their books and the last half of class will be used for the students to
present their projects to the class. The main reasons for students sharing their work are the
opportunity to practice their presentation and speak skills, but also so that classmates can learn
about the decades they did not research. This allows students the chance to learn from one
another. It is encouraged that throughout the presentations students raise questions that will be
answered by the presenter and/or other classmates.
Materials
Formative Assessment
This will take place as the students are researching and writing their books. As I walk around the
room, I will check to see if the students are on topic and they are collecting information that is
relevant to the time period they have chosen. I will check to see if students are using reliable
sources as they conduct research. If students are struggling with any of these aspects, I will help
guide them. If the students are struggling and not using their graphic organizers, I will
encourage them to use the organizer for more assistance. We may review what is required from
them in this assignment or work together to figure out what historical content they should
include from their time period.
Summative Assessment
Summative assessment will include the students cumulative projects and their presentations. The
rubrics students were given at the start of the unit will be used to evaluate the students work. As
the students present their projects to the class I will be assessing whether they included all of the
required features of an expository text and the required historical information. I will also be
looking for whether they used originality in their projects and expressed creativity.