LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Your name:

School: Schroeder

Date/Time:

Damon Brown

Grade: 3rd

9-22-15/9-24-15

Cooperating Teacher:

Subject: Soc. Studies

Mrs. Bush

Unit Plan Driving

question/Theme/Title:
What are the Social
Sciences?

Lesson title/Topic:
Thinking Like a Social
Scientist
Lesson number: 1

STANDARDS/BENCHMARKS/GLCE addressed in this lesson:

3 H3.0.1 Identify questions historians ask in examining the past in Michigan (e.g., What happened?
When did it happen? Who was involved? How and why did it happen?)
3 E1.0.2 Identify incentives (e.g., sales, tax breaks) that influence economic decisions people make
in Michigan.
3 G1.0.2 Use thematic maps to identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of
Michigan.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES Through these learning
activities, the learner will demonstrate the ability to:
Know the type of questions each of the 4 different kinds of social scientists
would ask when presented with an artifact.
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Time:

Introduction

Engagement: Now that you know more about social scientists, can you start
thinking like one?

Anticipatory set
Exploration: Tell students to turn to page 8 in their Social Studies alive textbook
and read the section thinking like a scientist. This section explains to my third

grade students that a group of fourth grade students were given an experiment in
which they were given a pair of shoes as an artifact. They then had to come up with
questions that each of the 4 kinds of social scientists would ask about each that
artifact. Page 8, in the textbook shows the results of that experiment.
Instructional activities (including checking for understanding activities, modeling,
guided practice, independent practice)
Divide the class into 6 groups (by table). Each group will be given one everyday
object (artifact) and assigned an social scientist that they will be portraying.
Artifacts used will be an iPad(economist), pencil(geographer), class rules
list(political scientist), and a pencil(historian)
Each group will have an iPad and use the application Book Creator to create a story
about questions that each social scientist might ask about each artifact.
Each story must have at least 3-5 different questions that each social scientist might
ask.
When students are done they will upload their stories to the application SeeSaw to
post and give their parents the ability to view their stories.
Each group member will be given a certain role within their group. This will
include a recorder, organizer, task reminder, and a presenter.
I will have a Book Creator project already completed before hand to give students a
visual example of what their final project should look like.
Explanation: Emphasize to students that the future chapters in the book constantly
refer back to social scientist so it is important that students have a solid
understanding of the roles of each social scientists.
Interdisciplinary approaches:

Elaboration
Accommodations for differentiated instruction for:
Resource students: Strategically assign resource students with group members that
will be supportive, helpful, and patient.
ESL students: Strategically assign resource students with group members that will
be supportive, helpful, and patient. Keep a visual representation of the final product
of this project on the smart board to show ESL students.
Gifted students: Purposely assign gifted students the role of being the presenter in
the group to give them ability to elaborate upon their group work.

Assessment

Evaluation: I will informally evaluate my student(s) based on their participation

during their research and the successfulness of fulfilling their role within their
group.

Conclusion/closure

Students will present their findings to the class.

Assignment/follow up

Extension: Have students find an artifact at home and choose to think like a social
scientist and come up with questions that they mask ask about the artifact.
Students have to choose a different social scientist than what their group was
assigned.

LIST of MATERIALS and CLASSROOM SET UP needs:

Social Studies Alive textbook

iPads

pencils

backpack

class rules list

SAFETY/CAUTIONS:
Make sure that students are using the iPads safely and effectively.

LIST of RESOURCES:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/3rdgradeSSGLCE_229667_7.pdf