Page |2

Table of Contents
Rationale

Page 3

Content Standards

Page 3

Unit Goals

Page 4

Description of Unit

Page 5

ABCD Objectives

Page 6

Summative Assessment

Page 7

Concept Attainment Lesson Plan

Page 8

Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

Page 14

Presentation with Advanced

Organizer Lesson Plan

Page 17

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan

Page 22

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Rationale:
The basis of our unit is the various aspects of exploration through the ages: both historical and
present day. Our goal was to combine various core areas of study for fifth graders, in fact we have at least
one unit from every major content area: language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science. Based on the
Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Elementary School packet handed out in class, 5th graders need to learn
about colonial life in America, pioneer life in America, space and space explorations, silent and oral reading,
present original plays, and write letters, stories, reports, poems, and plays. All of these aspects were included
throughout our unit.
Content Standards:
Concept Attainment Lesson:
5.MD.A.1: Convert among differentsized standard measurement units within a given measurement
system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multistep, real world problems.
SS.35.H.5: Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on
individual and group decisions.
Understands factors that shaped the economic system in the United States.
Understand that economic activities in the community have changed over time.
Understand that the types of work local community members do have changed over time.
Direct Instruction Lesson:
SS.3-5.H.6: Understand the effects of geographic factors on historical events.
SS.3-5.H.4: Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as promoters of change or
the status quo.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing,
speaking, reading, or listening.
Presentation with Advance Organizer Lesson:

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Social Studies: Understand the influence of cultural, scientific, and technological decisions on
societies
S.3-5.SI.1: Identify and generate questions that can be answered through scientific investigations
Problem-Based / Inquiry Instruction Lesson:
S.3-5.PS.5: Understand and apply knowledge of how forces are related to an objects motion
Cooperative Learning Lesson:
W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences
W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
IA.4 (Speaking and Listening) Perform dramatic readings and presentations
Unit Goals:
The ultimate goal of this unit was to introduce 5th grade students to a variety of explorations that have
happened throughout history as well as to examine the potential for explorations of their own. In order to
achieve this aim, we strived to discuss the explorations from a variety of topics that would also include
student exploration into the topics. Therefore, we used a variety of activities to engage student interest and
also allowed the students to do research on their own so that they could further look into concepts that
interest them. Another goal of this unit was to tackle the concept of exploration from the main content areas
so that the lesson could be integrated into a variety of content areas and show the students how each content
area is important and related to each other.
Description of Unit:
The unit moves historically through some of the main topics in exploration. Beginning with a Social
Studies and Mathematics lesson based on the exploration of the New World, the students have the chance to
learn how to barter and practice it within the classroom. There would also be other lessons at the same time
that would provide students with better understanding of the lives of a Pilgrim (colonist) and a Native

Page |5
American which would help to guide their bartering simulation. The next lesson in our unit plan is a
Language Arts and Social Studies lesson based on the exploration of Lewis and Clark. The students will be
producing a field-journal entry based on a day in the life of Lewis and Clark which helps them to delve
deeper into specific days, or times, of the expedition. Around this time, the students will also be learning
about other aspects of Westward Expansion such as the Conestoga wagon and the motivations that American
citizens had for exploring the West. The next lesson is a Social Studies and Science lesson based around the
topic of exploring space and visiting the moon. The students will be selecting books about space exploration,
or space in general, to learn about more in-depth and then writing a journal entry about their findings. At the
same time, the students will be learning about the space race and America launching the first rocket to the
moon. The next lesson is a Science lesson that will build on the students knowledge of space and involves
them creating their own rocket. This gives the students a chance to understand how scientists, astronauts, and
engineers work to create a rocket. Through this lesson the students will also be exploring the scientific
method and creating a lab report. The culminating lesson in the unit is a Language Arts lesson that is focused
on the students themselves and their personal experiences. The students will be broken up into groups and
create their own plays based on moving or other forms of personal exploration. As this lesson would be set
in the present-day, it provides a final aspect of the unit that spans from the 1700s until today. Since the span
of time discussed throughout the unit is so vast, this unit would certainly take longer than the five days
planned for, but the five lessons provide a good basis for creating the rest of the unit.
ABCD Objectives:
Concept Attainment Lesson:
After the fifth grade students have discovered the concept of the lesson, the students will be able to
identify and take part in a simulated classroom economy using the concept of bartering and will be assessed
based on an exit slip of the classroom and a teacher checklist, at least 80% completed, that was filled out
while observing the classroom economy simulation.
Direct Instruction Lesson:

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After the fifth grade students have helped the teacher formulate a journal entry about the expedition
of Lewis and Clark, students will be able to compose their own journal entry about a specific stop on the
expedition similar to the teacher model with no more than one historical inaccuracy and less than five
punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors.
Presentation with Advance Organizer Lesson:
After the fifth grade students have listened to a part of Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to
Dream read aloud, students will select their own book to read about space and then write a journal entry in
their Writers Notebook, that will be based upon the book they read and chosen from a multitude of options,
with no more than one historical inaccuracy and less than five punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors.
Problem-Based / Inquiry Instruction Lesson:
For students to understand how the shape and fuel of a rocket effect the maximum height.
Cooperative Learning Lesson:
After the fifth grade students have participated in the Oh! The Places Youll Go Readers Theatre,
students will join groups of four to six students and write a play about personal experiences about a given
topic on exploration or moving in their Writers Notebooks, with less than five punctuation, grammar, or
spelling errors.
The social goals that this lesson will be focusing on are coming to consensus and contributing your
ideas.
Summative Assessment:
The students will write a paper about one of the time periods discussed throughout the unit. They will
be writing about why they would want to live in that time period and must use facts learned throughout the
unit to support their answer. They will also write about why they would not select at least two of the other
time periods. As this paper would be coming at the end of a nearly yearlong unit, the students will have lots
of time periods that they could potentially cover as well as be preparing for middle school were longer
papers will be required. Due to the sheer amount of material covered throughout the entire year, it is not

Page |7
physically possible for the students to be adequately assessed cumulatively. There will be tests given at the
end of various time periods in order to assess comprehension of the material on a smaller level, but the paper
would be the closest thing to a cumulative assessment. Some options for the final paper would include the
main lessons outlined above, including traveling back in time to travel with Lewis and Clark, exploring the
New World as it was first settled by those non-native to the region, or even taking part in the first space
exploration. Students also have the option of staying in the modern time, and exploring ideas such as
creation of their own rocket and their life around that, or if they would want to move to a new place during
this time period (including where and why as part of their paper).

Page |8

Direct Instruction

Presentation w/ Adv Organizer

Concept Attnment

Cooperative Learning

Inquiry Teaching

Concept Attainment Lesson Plan (10 pts)

Lesson Background:
Your Name: Abby Anderson and Trisha DeWeerdt Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6
Subject: (circle one)

Language Arts

Social Studies

Mathematics

Science

Lesson Title: Exploration: Bartering in a New World

Content Standards:
5.MD.A.1: Convert among differentsized standard measurement units within a given measurement system
(e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multistep, real world problems.
SS.35.H.5: Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on
individual and group decisions.
Understands factors that shaped the economic system in the United States.
Understand that economic activities in the community have changed over time.
Understand that the types of work local community members do have changed over time.
Materials Needed:
White board
White board markers
Various colors of pony beads
Various trinkets such as notebooks, pencils, books, etc.
Teacher checklists for shopkeepers and shoppers (attached)
List of pony bead values (attached)
Shopkeeper exit slips (attached)
Shopper exit slips (attached)
Pricing sheets up to teacher discretion, not attached
Prerequisite Skills:
Understanding of the concepts of bartering / trading
Beginner knowledge of measurement conversion
Mathematic skills related to addition, subtraction, and multiplication
Lesson Objective: After the fifth grade students have discovered the concept of the lesson, the students will
be able to identify and take part in a simulated classroom economy using the concept of bartering and will be
assessed based on an exit slip of the classroom and a teacher checklist, at least 80% completed, that was
filled out while observing the classroom economy simulation.
Concept Label: Early America

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Critical Attributes: [yes]
the Mayflower
Maize
Animal pelts
Archery
Teepees
Bartering
Butter churn
Plymouth Rock
Squanto
New World
Settlement
Colony
Non-critical Attributes [no]
Money
Running Water
Cars
Television
Telephone
Air conditioner
Grocery store
Suburbs
United States of America
President
Microwave
Refrigerator
Definition of Concept: Early America references the time before the United States of America
when we were still a colony to Great Britain. This concept encompasses early Native American
life, the Pilgrims, and early settlers in the New World.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interaction with Students:

1. Provide examples and non-examples to the class: (Distinguish yes/no attributes) Time:
15 minutes
Today, the main concept of our lesson is going to be a secret, and I want you to try and
figure out what that secret concept is. I have written the words YES and NO on the whiteboard
and I am going to write words that fit the concept under the YES column and words that dont fit
the concept under the NO column. I will start with just a few words per column, so try and figure
out what the concept is with just those few clues. If you think you know, keep it to yourself but
put a thumbs up on your desk so I know you have an idea. Later, you will be trying to figure out
which column some other words fit in.

P a g e | 10
The words the Mayflower, Maize, and Animal pelts will be written under the YES
column. The words Money, Running water, and Cars will be written under the NO
column.
The students will then be called on to try and figure out which category the remaining
words fit into, with the words from the YES and NO columns being brought up randomly /
alternating between the two columns. When each word is written on the board, the class as a
whole will vote to decide if the word is in the correct spot or not and the number of students who
agree that the word is in the correct spot will be written next to the word.
After all of the words have been written on the board, the teacher will make a notation of
how many words are incorrect in the YES column and how many are incorrect in the NO
column. The students will then have to try and figure out which words are in the correct column
and fix them.
2. Test for attainment: (Do the students understand the concept?) Time: 5 minutes
The students will provide ideas for what the concept is. If there is more than one answer,
the class will then vote.
3. Analyze student thinking processes and integration of learning: Time: 15 minutes
(Are they able to provide additional examples and non-examples?)
Now, I want each of you to try and think of one word that fits into the YES column and
one word that fits into the NO column. Then I want you to share these words with your partner
and discuss why they do or do not fit into each column.
Next, each group will come up to the board and write their words under the appropriate
columns. We will then repeat the voting procedure.
4. Clarify lesson objectives: (What are students going to DO with these?) Time: 3 minutes
Now that we have talked about what our concept for the lesson today, we are going to be
using a bartering system similar to what the Pilgrims and Native Americans would have used in
the late 1600s. In order to demonstrate your learning today, you will need to complete an exit
slip and I will also be walking around throughout the simulation making notes and keeping a
checklist. I will post a copy of the checklist on the whiteboard because I will need to see at least
80% of the items demonstrated throughout the simulation.
5. Procedures for Using the Concept in a meaningful way? Time: 30 45 minutes
1. Assign some students, preselected, to be shopkeepers. Have them set-up a store at
one of the tables in the classroom and give them a selection of trinkets to sell. The
students will receive one or two specific kinds of items and will be able to
determine their own pricing within a given range. This will be a flexible price and
can be negotiated.
2. Distribute a random amount of pony beads to each of the remaining students
this is how much they have to barter with. Students will be able to buy items and
can also sell items back to the tables to receive more pony beads. Students will
have the option to trade specific items with other students in the class in exchange
for items or pony beads as well. Different colors of pony beads will be worth
different amounts. This list will be posted on the whiteboard.

P a g e | 11
3. The teacher will walk around and make notes on a checklist.
6. Assessment / Closure (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure for this
lesson?) Include rubric, checklist, assessment documents. Time: 5 10 minutes
The shopkeepers will fill out an exit slip that denotes how many items of each type they
started with, how many pony beads of each color and how many items of each type they received
by the end of class and why they think they were able to get this many. They will also discuss
whether or not it would have been possible to gain more. The shoppers will fill out an exit slip
that says how many pony beads of each they started out with, how many they ended with, what
items (and how many) they were able to purchase, and whether or not it would have been
possible for them to end up with a higher value than what they started with.
Shopkeeper Exit Slip
Name____________________________
Date______________________
Number of Items Started with:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Number of Items and Pony Beads Ended with:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Why do you think you were able to get this many?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Do you think it was possible for you to receive any more?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Shopper Exit Slip
Name ________________________________
Date__________________________
Number of Pony Beads Started with:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

P a g e | 12
Number of Pony Beads Ended with:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Number and Type of Items Ended with:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Would it have been possible for you to end up with a higher value than what you started with?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Teacher Checklist for Shoppers

Discussion about item and its worth

Discussion about pony beads and pricing
Price negotiation
Checking to see what other shops have
Comparing with other students on prices
Bargaining not just pony beads and item, but in a combination of both or item to item
Teacher Checklist for Shopkeepers

Discussion about item and its worth

Discussion about pony beads and pricing
Price negotiation
Bargaining not just pony beads and item, but in a combination of both or item to item
Awareness of other shop pricings

7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product:

a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention?
For students that may need extra help in determining good bartering prices, a sheet will
be provided to them with the exact number that each item is available for, and what the bartering
ranges are. Additionally available will be a visual chart that explains how many of each bead are
needed to create the next color of bead (i.e. 5 white beads to form a yellow, 5 yellow to form a
red, etc).

P a g e | 13
b. Extension for students of high ability? (Remember, assigning gifted students to be the tutor
for others is not sufficient academic challenging for students who have mastered the lesson).
High ability students will be assigned as shop keepers for the classroom economy
simulation, and given the chance to practice their own bartering skills and determine the prices
for the items in their own personal shop. As a shop keeper, they will be given the approximate
amount of money their shop is worth at the beginning of the simulation, and their goal will be to
end up with an equal value or more by the end of the simulation.
TOTAL LESSON TIME: 73 93 minutes
8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as
resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc):
Prior experiences in co-teachers classroom

Pony Bead Values

White 1
Red 5 White
Blue 25 White OR 5 Red
Black 125 White OR 25 Red OR 5 Blue

P a g e | 14
Direct Instruction

Presentation w/ Adv Organizer

Concept Attnment

Cooperative Learning

Inquiry Teaching

Direct Instruction Lesson Plan (10 pts)

Lesson Background:
Your Name: Abby Anderson & Trisha DeWeerdt Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5 6
Subject: (circle one)

Language Arts

Social Studies

Mathematics

Science

Lesson Title: Exploration: A day in the life of...Lewis and Clark

Content Standards:
Understand the effects of geographic factors on historical events. (SS.3-5.H.6)
Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as promoters of change or the
status quo. (SS.3-5.H.4)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.5.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Materials Needed:
Wall Poster outlining the path of Lewis and Clark
Specific stops outlined, enough for one per student
Example journal entries
Teachers journal
Student Journals
Pencils
Journal Entry Prompts/Guidelines per stop (on notecards)
Prerequisite Skills:
Conventional writing standards such as sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
Background information about the United States at the time of Lewis and Clarks expedition.
General knowledge about expeditions and their necessities.
Background information about Sacagawea and the Native Americans.
A B C D Lesson Objective: After the fifth grade students have helped the teacher formulate a
journal entry about the expedition of Lewis and Clark, students will be able to compose their
own journal entry about a specific stop on the expedition similar to the teacher model with no
more than one historical inaccuracy and less than five punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interaction with Students:

1. Provide objectives: (What are students going to learn?) Time: 2 minutes
Today, we are going to have Ms. Anderson and Ms. DeWeerdt write and present a sample
journal entry about the Lewis and Clark expedition and analyze it as a class, and then we will
break off on our own and write your own journal entry about the Lewis and Clark expedition in
your writing notebook.

P a g e | 15
2. Demonstrate knowledge or skill: (Input/Modeling by the teacher)
Time: 5 minutes
The teacher will pick a day on the expedition and use a pre-written notecard with ideas on it.
Using this notecard and student input, the teacher will demonstrate correct journal entry style a
header saying dear journal or dear diary (a salutation explain the word to the students), the
date in the right hand corner, and the entire entry written in 3-5 sentence paragraph form.
3. Provide guided practice: (Guided practice with the teacher)
Time: 10 minutes
Together, students and teachers will come up with ideas that fit with the notecard. Students will
be allowed to volunteer ideas of what Lewis and Clark would be doing on a typical day on the
expedition. The teacher will record the ideas and form a cohesive journal entry, presenting the
journal to the class to show the format of the journal, as well as the style and tone that is wanted.
4. Check for understanding and provide student feedback: (How will you know students
understand the skill or concept? How will they know they get it?) Time: 10 minutes
Does everyone seem to be getting the hang of journal entry format and what theyre supposed to
be writing about? (Thumbs up/Thumbs down)
Thumbs down: If you still dont think that you fully understand how to write a journal entry, you
can come up and look at the teachers journal and see sample entries that have been written.
5: Provide extended practice and transfer: (Independent practice of the skill) Time: 20
minutes
Students will each grab a notecard that represents a different day on the trail/expedition. Using
this note card, students will be given time to brainstorm and map out a plan for their journal
entry. After mapping out an idea, students will then be given time to work on the journal entries.
Journal writing time will be quiet, but students will be allowed to quietly ask neighbors for help
if they are stuck or need help. Teachers will be walking around to watch the progress and to help
whenever necessary. Journals will need to be finished in class.
6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this
lesson?) You MUST include rubric, checklist or assessment document.
Time: 5 minutes
Students will turn in their writers notebook/journal to be assessed by a rubric. Rubric is attached.
Students will then be given time to talk quietly to one another about what was on their notecards
and how each day had different things able to happen while on the expedition.
7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product:
a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention? The teacher will be
walking around to help out with students that are struggling, and will be able to help students
come up with ideas if they are stuck or struggling. Because there is no required length, students
will need to write as much as they can to get their ideas across and to incorporate ideas of what
would happen on the trail/expedition.
b. Extension for students of high ability? Students that have higher abilities will be given the
option to write an additional journal entry, either with more information from the notecard or that
is a free write on what they believe would happen on the expedition.

P a g e | 16
TOTAL LESSON TIME: 52 minutes
8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as
resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc):
Past experiences: Abby did a similar project except more journal entries in 7th grade
Own initiative: Trisha really enjoys exploration and the study of Lewis and Clark
Previous teachers: The idea to combine history and fun journaling and such activities comes
from the Art Integration class Trisha and Abby took together in the spring of 2014

P a g e | 17
Direct Instruction

Presentation w/ Adv Organizer

Concept Attnment

Cooperative Learning

Inquiry Teaching

Presentation with Advance Organizer Lesson Plan (10 pts)

Your Name: Abby Anderson and Trisha DeWeerdt Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5
6
Subject: (circle one)

Language Arts

Social Studies

Mathematics

Science

Lesson Title: Exploration: The Final Frontier

Content Standards: Social Studies: Understand the influence of cultural, scientific, and
technological decisions on societies
Science: Identify and generate questions that can be answered through scientific investigations
(S.3-5.SI.1)
Materials Needed:
Various books related to space topics in multiple reading levels (list attached at the end of the
lesson)
Writers notebooks
Posters about space around the room
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Timeline of all of the space launches displayed
Prerequisite Skills:
Reading comprehension for short non-fiction books
Writing abilities related to grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
Good listening skills pay attention to the teachers voice and comprehend what is being read
Silent reading ability
Knowledge of how to write a journal entry
Knowledge of how to write a persuasive essay
Knowledge of how to create a timeline
Lesson Objective: After the fifth grade students have listened to a part of Almost Astronauts: 13
Women Who Dared to Dream read aloud, students will select their own book to read about space
and then write a journal entry in their Writers Notebook, that will be based upon the book they
read and chosen from a multitude of options, with no more than one historical inaccuracy and
less than five punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors.

1. Present objectives: (What are students going to learn?) Time: 2 minutes

Today we are going to learn about space exploration and other aspects of space, including
topics such as planets, solar systems, and astronauts. After listening to a portion of the book
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream read aloud, you each will select a book
about space that seems most interesting to you. After reading the book, you will write a

P a g e | 18
journal entry in your Writers Notebook about the book you have selected following one of
the options on the board (timeline of important events, journal entry from the perspective of
an astronaut or other space entity, a short play, persuasive entry about whether or not to go
to the moon, a song or poem, etc. must be okayed by teacher if not on list). While writing
your journal entries, please remember to use no more than one historical inaccuracy and less
than five punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors. Your goal will be to finish this journal
entry in class, however, the books will be available to check out and take home to finish this
evening.
2. Present advance organizer: (A metaphor or logical connection?) Time: 2 minutes
In a minute, Im going to begin reading Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream,
but before I do that I want to talk about what we learned in our previous lesson. When Lewis
and Clark traveled across America, it started with planning ahead and taking the first steps on
the journey into the unknown. This is just like what we are learning about today space
travel, the final frontier for humans, and the first steps taken to discover and understand this
mysterious place known as space.
3. Demonstrate knowledge or skill: (Input/Modeling by the teacher)
Time: 15 20
minutes
Teacher reads aloud a predetermined section of Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to
Dream to the students, asking questions along the way to engage the students and their
thinking.
4. Check for understanding and provide student feedback: (How will you know students
understand the skill or concept? How will they know they get it?)
Time: 30 45 minutes
The students will select their own books and begin silent reading. After they have finished
reading, they will create a journal entry based off of the options listed on the board. The
teacher will walk around the room answering any questions the students may have and
checking with individual students to make sure they are understanding what they are reading.
5. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or provide closure to this
lesson?)
Time: 5 minutes
The students who have finished their journal entries will place their Writers Notebooks into
the assignment turn-in basket. If the students finish early, they will be allowed to read any of
the other space related books that interested them but they did not select. Those students who
have not yet finished their journal entries will place their Writers Notebooks into their
backpacks and return them the following day. The teacher will read each journal entry and
assess it based upon the rubric.
6. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention?
and
Extension for students of high ability?
The students will be able to select a book at their own reading level and select a journal
option that best fits with their learning style. This enables the students who need extra help,

P a g e | 19
time, or attention to work at a pace that best works for them as well as the students with high
ability to do the same.
TOTAL LESSON TIME:_54 74 minutes_____
7. References Consulted: (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, teacher resources,
websites, etc):
http://vaughanrockets.typepad.com/christy_garvin/2011/11/space-exploration-book-project4th-and-5th-grade.html
This website provided a long list of books that would be useful for the class project. It
also provided a basis for the idea for the lesson that we came up with.
Personal Thoughts
We were able to create the majority of this lesson on our own as well as the input of
several friends.

P a g e | 20

Books on Space:
Eight Days Gone by Lydia McReynolds
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Bryon Barton
If You Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty
Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
Reaching for the Moon by Buzz Aldrin
Space (Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #6) by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Space Explorers (The Magic School Bus Chapter Books #4) by Eva Moore
Footprints on the Moon by Mark Haddon
Space Exploration by Michael George
Space Travel: Spinning Through Space by Mike Goldsmith
The Story of Flight by Judith Rinard (only the section on space travel)
Space Exploration by Carole Stott
Astronomy: The Solar System by April Chloe Terrazas
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Pocket Genius: Space by DK Publishing
The Mercury Thirteen- Martha Ackmann
Failure is Not an Option-Gene Kranz
Comm Check, The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia-Michael Cabbage
High Calling- Evelyn Hubbard
John Glenn A Memoir-John Glenn
Promised the Moon-Stephanie Nolan
Apollo Thirteen- Jim Lovell
Riding Rockets-Mike Mulane
Sixteen Minutes from Home- Mark Cantrell
Moonshot-Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton
Live from Cape Canaveral-Jay Barbree
Sky Walking-Tom Jones
For Spacious Skies- Scott Carpenter
Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War- Alexi Leonov and David Scott
In the Spirit of Ronald E McNair-Carl McNair
Space Exploration and Disasters-Richard Lawrence
Carrying the Fire, An Astronauts Journey-Michael Collins
The Last man on the Moon-Gene Cernan
Deke, An Autobiography-Deke Slayton
We Seven, By the Astronauts Themselves-Scott Carpenter
Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home- Buzz Aldrin
Falling to Earth: Al Worden
Starman: The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin- Jamie Doran
Light This Candle- Neal Thompson
First on the Moon-Neal Armstrong
Moonwalker-Charlie Duke
Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon- James
Harford

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Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries that Ignited the Space Age-Matthew
Brezinski
Space Race-Deborah Cadbury
The Right Stuff-Tom Wolfe
Rocket Men-Craig Nelson
First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong- James Hansen

Rubric

Historical
Accuracies

Exceptional
Had less than
one historical
inaccuracy

Notable
Had two
historical
inaccuracies

Vocabulary There are five There are

/ Grammar
or fewer
between six
/ Spelling
errors of the
and eight
following:
errors of the
o Sentence
following:
structure
o Sentence
o Grammar
structure
o Punctuation
o Grammar
o Spelling
o Punctuation
o Spelling

Adequate
Had three or
four historical
inaccuracies
There are
between nine
and eleven
errors of the
following:
o Sentence
structure
o Grammar
o Punctuation
o Spelling

Developing
Had five or
more
historical
inaccuracies
There are
more than
eleven errors
of the
following:
o Sentence
structure
o Grammar
o Punctuation
o Spelling

P a g e | 22
Direct Instruction

Presentation w/ Adv Organizer

Concept Attnment

Cooperative Learning

Inquiry Teaching

Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan (10 pts)

Lesson Background:
Your Name: Abby Anderson and Trisha DeWeerdt Grade Level: (circle one) K 1 2 3 4 5
6
Subject: (circle one)

Language Arts

Social Studies

Mathematics

Science

Lesson Title: Exploration: Yourself

Content Standards: W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences
W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
IA.4 (Speaking and Listening) Perform dramatic readings and presentations
Materials Needed:
Oh! The Places Youll Go! Readers Theatre Script (attached)
Writers Notebooks
Pencils or pens
Computers for research if desired
Prerequisite Skills:
An ability to read a play script
An ability to write a play script
Writing abilities related to grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
Lesson Objective(s):
a. Academic in A B C D format: After the fifth grade students have participated in the Oh!
The Places Youll Go Readers Theatre, students will join groups of four to six students and
write a play about personal experiences about a given topic on exploration or moving in their
Writers Notebooks, with less than five punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors.
b. Social Goals for your lesson: The social goals that this lesson will be focusing on are coming
to consensus and contributing your ideas.
Cooperative Learning Grouping Structure: Corners In each corner of the room, there will be a
different topic related to personal exploration or moving. The students will head to the corner of
the room with the topic that most interests them. Once the students are in their groups, they will
discuss the reason that they selected this topic as a basis for writing their play. The students will
then write a play based upon their given topic and perform it for the class.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Interaction with Students:

1. Present objectives: (Tell students what they are going to learn?)

Time: 1 minutes

P a g e | 23
Today we are going to review our play-writing skills and practice presenting dramatic pieces to
the class as well as work on coming to a group consensus and contributing ideas within the
group.
2. Present information for the academic goal: (What are procedures for the academic goal?)
Time: 20 - 25 minutes
We will be using a Readers Theatre entitled Oh! The Places Youll Go! to practice
presentation skills. Afterwards, we will split up into groups and each group will write a Readers
Theatre piece about exploration. Each member of the group should have a copy of the play
within their own Writers Notebook and each play should be written with less than five
punctuation, grammar, or spelling mistakes. Each group will then present their Readers Theatre
piece to the class.
[Hand out Readers Theatre of Oh! The Places Youll Go! to the class and assign parts. Read
through the script aloud while focusing on proper presentation techniques]
3. Organize students into learning teams: Time: 3 minutes
a. Explain how theyll practice the social goal?
Within each group, it is very important to remember to work on coming to a consensus
within the group regarding the play being written. Therefore, each group members ideas
must be heard and taken into consideration, before deciding what the best action to take
will be. To help with this concept, we will also be focusing on contributing ideas to the
group. It is not possible to reach a group consensus if each voice within the group is not
heard. Thus, each of you must remember to speak up and share your own ideas whether
those ideas are brand new or simply agreeing with another member of the group, to help
the group reach a consensus.
b. How will you organize the groups?
The groups will be organized based on a selection of topics by the students. In each
corner of the room, there will be a poster hanging up with a topic written upon it. The
four topics will be: moving to a new town, staying in contact with people left behind,
leaving behind friends/families, and making new friends. Each student will then be able
to select the topic that they most want to work with.
c. What group roles will you have?
The only assigned group role will be for students that the teacher feels are natural leaders
in the classroom. These students will, privately, be asked to be a group facilitator without
being overly obvious. The group facilitator will help to ensure that all group members are
contributing in the discussion as well as reaching a general consensus.
4. Assist team work and study:
Time: 30 minutes
a. How will you monitor academic progress?
Academic progress will be assessed at the end of the lesson. However, throughout the
lesson, the teacher will be wondering around, checking to make sure that the students are
continually working on their plays as well as answering any questions regarding proper
spelling, grammar, etc.

P a g e | 24

b. How will you monitor the social goals?

The social goals will be monitored by the teacher walking around and checking on each
group. On a clipboard, the teacher will make notes of any times that they notice the group
not reaching a consensus as a whole (just being dominated by one or two people) as well
as if they notice that some of the students are not really participating in the discussion.
5. Provide recognition:
Time: 20 40 minutes
(How will students know they have met both academic and social goals?)
The teacher will stop and talk with each of the groups to provide feedback throughout the lesson.
The teacher will make sure to encourage each of the students to contribute to their groups as well
as making sure that none of the students are dominating the conversation.
[Each group will present their play to the class]
The class will provide feedback to the students after they have presented their plays. The main
feedback will be regarding whether or not the play made sense and if the students could tell that
the group collaborated.
6. Assessment / Closure: (How do you evaluate student progress or end this lesson?)
5 minutes
Include documents for assessing both the academic and social goals.

Time:

The students will turn in their Writers Notebooks and they will then be evaluated based on the
rubric below. The teacher will fill out a rubric regarding the social goals (below) based on the
notes that were taken during the group work.
Academic Goals Rubric
Exceptional
Notable
Vocabulary There are five There are
/ Grammar
or fewer
between six
/ Spelling
errors of the
and eight
following:
errors of the
o Sentence
following:
structure
o Sentence
o Grammar
structure
o Punctuation
o Grammar
o Spelling
o Punctuation
o Spelling

Adequate
There are
between nine
and eleven
errors of the
following:
o Sentence
structure
o Grammar
o Punctuation
o Spelling

Developing
There are
more than
eleven errors
of the
following:
o Sentence
structure
o Grammar
o Punctuation
o Spelling

P a g e | 25
Social Goals Rubric

Coming to a
Group
Consensus

Contributing
Ideas to the
Group

Exceptional
Teacher did
not intervene
to help the
group work
and solve
problems

Notable
Teacher had
one minor
intervention to
help the group
work or solve
problems

No notes
regarding
lack of
participation

There was one

note regarding
lack of
participation

Adequate
Teacher had
two to three
interventions
to help the
group work or
solve problems

Developing
Teacher
intervened on
more than
three
occasions to
help the
group work
or solve
problems
There were
There were
two or three
more than
notes regarding
three notes
lack of
regarding
participation
lack of
participation

7. DIFFERENTIATION of Content, Process or Product:

a. Adaptation for students who need extra help, time, or attention?
The teacher will provide prompts or questions to help the students scaffold or organize
their contributions for the group to the play.
b. Extension for students of high ability? (Remember, gifted students need challenge).
The teacher will allow the students to act as group facilitators by making sure that each
student in the group is contributing.
TOTAL LESSON TIME: 79 104 minutes
8. References Consulted (Curriculum books in Drake SOE curriculum lab, previous teachers as
resources, online websites, your past experiences, or your own initiatives, etc):
Young, Chase. "Readers Theatre Scripts." Dr. Young's Reading Room. N.p., 2013. Web. 06 Oct.
2014.
This website provided the script for the Oh! The Places Youll Go! Readers Theatre.
The Speech in the Classroom and Literacy Methods in the Intermediate Grades classes
provided the concept for using Readers Theatre.