PIMP MY UNIT PLAN

UPGRADED UNIT ON COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT

1. GRADE LEVEL: 5th grade
2. LESSON DURATION: 1 week
3. NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 24
4. INTRODUCTION (Write two or three sentences explaining how the lesson fits
into the students larger social studies / class program): In this lesson
students will learn why the Europeans went exploring for new land. They will
learn the specific reasons as to why they left Europe to come and settle in
America.
5. CONCEPT: (What is the overarching big idea, e.g. change, communication,
etc.?)
a. Exploration
6. NCSS PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION/S, GLCEs or COMMON CORE STANDARDS
(no more than three and they should be SOCIAL STUDIES, not ELA or SCI)
a. 5 U1.2.2: Use case studies of individual explorers and stories of life in
Europe to compare goals, obstacles, motivations, and consequences
for European exploration and colonization of the Americas (e.g.,
economic, political, cultural, and religious).
7. GUIDING QUESTION/S (What big question will the students be able to think
about more deeply by the end of the lesson?): Why did the Europeans come
to America?
8. TEACHER ASSUMES THAT STUDENTS ALREADY KNOW/ CAN ( This involves
interviewing students, looking at their previous work, and examining
curriculum documents):
a. Students should already know that Europeans came to America and it
resulted in the first colonies. They should be able to name at least one
of the colonies formed by the Europeans and know the other countries
that also settled in America to start other colonies.
9. OBJECTIVES (What will students do, or have an opportunity to learn, in this
lesson?):
a. Students will be able to recognize and identify the reasons Europeans
left Europe to explore.

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b. Students will be able to discuss the three main reasons for their
exploration.
10.RESOURCES:
a. Bower, Burt, et al. Americas Past, Social Studies Alive Program. Palo
Alto, CA: Teachers Curriculum Institute, 2010 Pages 61-71 or similar
fifth grade social studies textbook.
b. AP European History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2016, from
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=984353
11.TEACHER PREPARATION FOR LESSON (What materials will you need to
collect/make?):
a. Paper (lined and construction)
b. Pencil
c. Crayons, colored pencils, markers
12.TEACHER ACTIONS DURING LESSON (step by step):
a. First we would have a discussion on how they think the colonies were
formed. We would discuss the Europeans exploring.
b. We would then cover the pages in the textbook on the Europeans
exploring and why they went off to explore new regions.
c. Next we would watch the video that goes into detail as to the three
main reasons that the Europeans left their homes in search of new
ones.
d. Next I will explain to the class that they are to complete a tree map.
Splitting it up into the three reasons that Europeans left which were
glory, god, and gold. Have them categorize the information in their
own words that they gathered from the text and the video
e. Then I would give them the instructions for their project to make their
explorer ships.
f.

When they are done I would collect them and display them in the
classroom so that they can refer back to it before we move to the next
lesson in the unit.

13.STUDENT ACTIONS DURING LESSON (step by step):

a. First the student would have to participate in the class discussion as to
how the colonies were formed and why they thought Europeans left to
go exploring.

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b. Students will follow along in the text book as the teacher reads the
section on European explorers and their motives.
c. Students will listen to the video naming the three main reasons
Europeans went exploring which were glory, god, and gold.
d. Next students will do the tree map labeling the headings with glory,
god and gold. They will, in their own words, categorize the information
they gather for each section.
e. Next they will make three sails and the body for their boat. On one sail
they will but the heading glory, the next one god, and the final one
gold and write all the information the collected on their tree map.
f.

Finally the students will glue the sails to the masts. They will color their
boat and glue the sails and masts to the boat to make their explorer
ships.

14.ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING (How will you know what students have
learned?):
a. The assessment of this part of the unit will be the boats that I collect
when they are through. Since they gathered the information
themselves it will let me gauge what they comprehend and what may
need to be revisited.
15.ACCOMMODATION OF DIVERSE LEARNERS:
a. For diverse learners instead of completing the tree or the boat they
could maybe act out the information. Assign parts like a play giving
one glory, another god, and the final one gold and have them orally tell
the characteristics of each. This can also be used as a form of
assessment.
16.ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
a. Anticipated Problems
One problem that might rise is that the students might not get all the
information or the correct information needed for their trees leaving
their explorer boats sparse.
Another problem might be the students might not know where to
categorize what. They might have a reason that can fit into both
categories and not know where to put it.
b. Possible Solutions

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A possible solution would be to pair up with a group to make the tree

map so that all the information makes it onto the tree map and their
ships.
Another solution would be to let the students put the information
where they think it fits best and be available for guiding but not give
the answers.

OMahony 2016