Brad Coleman October 2013 ELD 376 Dr.

Messersmith Lesson: Historical Explorers Lesson Grade Fourth Grade Standards Rl.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text Rl.4.3 Explain events, procedure, ideas or concepts in a historical, scientific or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text Rl.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears Resources Fourth grade history textbook Materials Textbook Explorers Booklet for six different explorers John Cabot Christopher Columbus Juan Ponce de Leon Hernando de Soto Ferdinand Magellan Jacques Cartier Pencils Poster Board Markers Classroom Computer (to print pictures) Homework Handout Learning Difficulties Students may have difficulty locating some of the needed facts in the textbook Group work needs to be supervised because the delegation of assigned work may be uneven Big Ideas/Objectives Students will become experts on one famous historical explorer, and then learn about the rest through their peers teaching one another

Students will be able to find key details and summarize their text in order to obtain information on their assigned explorer Students will be able to comprehend and explain historical text Students will be able to interpret and convey obtained information to their fellow classmates

Potential Student Misconceptions Students may mistake facts about another explorer to be on their explorer. Students should be reminded to read the text carefully and discuss the information with their group members Potential Things Teacher May Have To Explain Teacher will have to walk the students through the booklet they are to complete Questions Teacher will use Related to the Topic to Help Students What is an explorer? (Creating) What kind of things are explorers known to do? (Evaluating) How do/did explorers help our world? (Analyzing) What are some good techniques for finding information in a text? What are some ways to be a valuable and productive group member? Potential Responses of Students What is an explorer? (Creating) o An explorer is someone who takes adventures to find things like new land. Teacher: Can you think of anything else besides new land that explorers find? What kind of things are explorers known to do? (Evaluating) o Discover new land o Discover new plants/animals o Start new countries o Meet people of different ethnicities How do/did explorers help our world? (Analyzing) o They discovered new land, which led to the creation of new countries and new places for people to live and thrive. Teacher: How have explorers harmed our world? Explorers often mistreated the people who had already been living on the land they just discovered What are some good techniques for finding information in a text? o Find key words o Highlight only the important text NOT the whole page What are some ways to be a valuable and productive group member? o Make eye contact and respectfully respond to classmates o Ask questions o Participate evenly and actively

Knowledge of Social Studies Content is indicated through attachments or activities Students will receive handout Illustrated Facts About European Explorers Social Studies content in handout includes geography, dates, historical figures and their impacts

Integration of Major Social Studies Themes Culture Time/People Places and Environment Power, authority and governance Other Subject Matter Integration Language Arts o Reading to obtain information o Writing information Math o Years of explorations o How long expeditions took o How far explorers traveled Science o New discoveries explorers made (plants, animals, diseases, etc.) Differentiation If a student has trouble with this kind of activity, they will be placed in a group with students who are gifted in social studies or social skills, as well as frequently visited by the teacher to help guide and motivate the student Differentiation Lessons For Specific Students You Chose Students should all be doing this lesson as it is a class activity and they will all be learning from one another Relate Activity to Students Lives Students should find out what discoveries their explorer made that affects their lives present day Learning Styles Used Auditory Visual Group work Text/Information Creative/Hands on Engagement Students will each be given an explorer

There are six different explorers, so there should be about three or four students to one explorer Individually, students will be asked to write down any information they might already know about their explorer Students will then be grouped with other students who share the same explorer

Exploration In their small groups, students will take turns reading aloud their respective explorers chapter from the textbook Students are to take notes on what they think the important facts are o Teacher needs to remind students of good note taking skills o Only take the important information, not the whole page When students finish reading their chapter, which shouldnt take longer than 1015 minutes, they are to complete their packet in their small groups Covers standard Rl.4.2 Explanation When groups have finished their packets, their next step is to create a presentation on their explorer that will teach the rest of the class everything they need to know o This activity continues to reinforce the need to only include the most important information. Too much unnecessary information will cause a cluttered presentation, and the meaningful knowledge will not get across to the audience Groups are to decide together on what facts they feel are the most important, and to either highlight them in their notes or write them on a new piece of paper Students will then get poster board and markers and begin to create a presentation on their respective explorer o This activity make take more than one class period o Students may use the classroom computer to print out one or two pictures of their explorer for the presentation o Teacher should watch the groups to make sure each student is contributing If a student is seen not contributing, ask that student what he can do to get involved Resolve the issue by making sure the student is doing something before leaving. This can include writing facts, reading facts to the writer, printing out pictures or decorating the poster board Covers standards Rl.4.3, Rl.4.7 Elaboration This can either take place during the same class or during social studies the next day o Students may want to spend time at home working on their presentation, either the content or the visuals Groups will act as teachers and present their poster board to the rest of the class o The idea is that while students have become an expert on their assigned explorer, they will still learn about the other five through their peers

o This lesson also teaches accountability, as students are relying on their classmates for information o Teacher should be very present during these presentations to help raise questions and clear up any misconceptions Covers standards Rl.4.3, Rl.4.7

Assessment/Evaluation After all group presentations, teacher will lead a discussion in class to go over all six of the explorers Discussion will include whats important to know about each explorer, what each explorer meant to history, and relationships and differences between explorers and their expeditions Teacher should write key information that students should know on the board For homework, students will be given a handout. The handout contains facts about the six different explorers, and the student is to match the explorer to the correct fact o Teacher should evaluate the students knowledge of the content based on both the discussion and the homework o If students understanding is sub-par, another day should be spent on the explorers, this time a more straight-forward lesson led by the teacher o If individual students are struggling, teacher should look at their notes If student has poor note-taking skills, teacher must have a private meeting to fix this issue, or student will continue to struggle in future lessons Covers standards Rl.4.3, Rl.4.7 Criteria for Assessment Students participation in the class discussion o If particular students arent participating, teacher should get them involved by asking them questions related to their researched explorer Homework worksheet

Name: ____________________________ Explorers Homework Directions: Match each fact with its corresponding explorer from the word bank. Each explorer will be used once. Word Bank John Cabot Hernando de Soto Christopher Columbus Ferdinand Magellan Juan Ponce de Leon Jacques Cartier

1. Took the first voyage around the world ____________________________________ 2. Was the first European to set foot in Florida ____________________________________ 3. Led three expeditions to Canada ____________________________________ 4. Explored the coast of Canada, which led to the colonization of Canada ____________________________________ 5. The first man to discover the New World ____________________________________ 6. Was the first to explore South East America ____________________________________

Homework Answers: 1. Ferdinand Magellan 2. Juan Ponce de Leon 3. Jacques Cartier 4. John Cabot 5. Christopher Columbus 6. Hernando de Soto