Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Samantha Stopher

Grade and Topic: 4th grade Social Studies
Mentor Teacher: Amy Adcock

Date: April 30, 2015

Length of Lesson: 60 minutes for 2 days
School: University of Memphis IDT 3600

Unit Objective
The lesson plan is part of a unit on the history of the Americas and the explorers that settled. This
lesson goes over the routes of Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci,
Robert de La Salle, Hernando de Soto, Henry Hudson, and Jacques Cartier and describes their
early exploration. This topic is discussed in the TN state standard 4.4.

Lesson Objectives

Given a chart with the names and routes of the explorers, students will understand where
the explorers went and where they settled, with scoring three out of four on the rubric.
(Blooms taxonomy: Comprehension)
Given a game by naming the explorers and their routes, students will create a chart of
where each explorer settled and what they did, with a score of four out of four on the
rubric. (Blooms taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, analysis.)
Given text on the exploration of the Americas, students will write a paragraph about the
early exploration of the Americas, with a score of four out of four on the rubric. (Blooms
Taxonomy: Synthesis.)

Student Participation
The goal of this lesson is for students to demonstrate a clear understanding of the exploration of
the Americas and who the explorers were, by creating a chart of the settlers and who they were.

Standards
TN social studies state standard 4.4.
4.4 Trace the routes of early explorers and describe the early explorations of the Americas,
including: (C, E, G, H, P, TN)
Christopher Columbus
Ferdinand Magellan

Amerigo Vespucci
Robert de La Salle
Hernando de Soto
Henry Hudson,
Jacques Cartier

ISTE Standard
1.Creativity and innovation
2.Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products
and processes using technology.
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities

Materials Used
1.
2.
3.
4.

Laptops provided by the schools with Microsoft Word.

A chart already set up for them to type in.
Social Studies textbook
Internet access to research on google.

http://amerigoves.weebly.com/travel-routes.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/m/magellan.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/l/lasalle.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/d/desoto.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/h/hudson.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

Technology Integration
Students will use sources like the video given in class, and have internet access to select images
for their word document chart. Students will create a chart in a word document to show their
knowledge on the exploration of the Americas.

Background and Rationale

The key concepts for this lesson are explorers who settled in the Americas and their
routes, and a description of their early explorations. Students will demonstrate a clear
understanding of these concepts.
Academic language is not addressed in IDT 3600.
This lesson is a continuation of the TN social studies state standard 4.4.

I am aware that the lesson will be differentiated for students who did not master the
objectives and for those ready for enrichment. However, modifications are not
covered in this course and are not part of this particular lesson.

Procedures and Timeline

Introduction: Begin by getting students interested in the exploration of the Americas by
discussing in class the early exploration of the Americas.
Procedure:
Day 1
Students will look at the chart that I handout in class and see the names of the explorers
and their routes for 5 minutes.
Then the teacher will explain the early exploration of the Americas for 10 minutes.
The students will read about the early explorations of the Americas in their social studies
textbook for 25 minutes.
Then the teacher will explain why learning about these explorers applies to us today, and
why they are important.
o For example, What if these explorers had decided not to go on their routes?
o How would history be different?
o Do you think the Americas would be the same today if someone else had
discovered them?
Students will then get in groups of 3 or 4 and have a laptop for each group to start
research for their word document chart for the last 30 minutes.
o Students will familiarize themselves with how to use the laptops, word
documents, and google images.
Day 2

Have the students do a quick review out loud for 15 minutes going over all the learning
concepts, and have them raise their hand to say the answers. Teacher will give positive
feedback.
Students will create their word document chart for the last 45 minutes, showing their
understanding of the exploration of the Americas.
Teacher will walk around classroom and provide help if needed.
Closure: Student groups will present their charts to the class.

Assessment Evidence
Criteria

Text
None of
Only some of Almost all of the All of the text very
show all concepts
the text representsthe text clearly or
Text
clearly represents
of the exploration
the concept of
somewhat clearly
clearly represents
the concept of
of the
the exploration of represents the the concept of the exploration of
Americas
the Americas.
concept of the the exploration ofthe Americas.
exploration of the Americas.
the Americas.

Rationale for The rationale for

using the
The text
graphics and text
demonstrates an
appropriate
representation of
the concept.

Reflections

The rationale forThe rationale for The rationale for

The text
The text
The text
demonstrates a clearly
very
fairly appropriate
demonstrates why
clearly
representation of
the text is an
demonstrates an
the concept.
appropriate
appropriate
representation representation of
of the
the concept.
exploration of
the Americas.

The reflection doesThe reflection The reflection

The reflection
not demonstrate an
demonstrates a demonstrates a demonstrates a
understanding of somewhat vague
somewhat clear clear understanding
the exploration of understanding of
understanding ofof the exploration of
the Americas.
the exploration of
the exploration ofthe Americas.
the Americas. the Americas.

Modifications
I am aware that modifications will be made for students who did not master the objectives
and for those ready for enrichment. However, modifications are not covered in this course
and are not part of this particular lesson.

Student Sample
Exploration of the
Americas

Explorer

Route

Cristopher Columbus

Ferdinand Magellan

Amerigo Vespucci

Robert de la Salle

Set sail on Aug. 3, 1492 from

Palos, Spain, and on October
11, 1492, spotted the
Caribbean islands off
southeastern North America.
He landed on an island he
called Guanahani, but
Columbus later renamed it
San Salvador. He was met by
the local Taino Indians, many
of whom were captured by
Columbus' men and later sold
into slavery. Columbus
thought he had made it to
Asia, and called this area the
Indies, and called its
inhabitants Indians
Ferdinand Magellan (14801521) was a Portuguese
explorer who led the first
expedition that sailed around
the Earth (1519-1522).
Magellan also named the
Pacific Ocean
In a series of four voyages
starting in 1497, Vespucci
traveled to the
islands connected to South
American coast and arrived
on the eastern tip of what is
known today as Brazil. If
accurate, this means Amerigo
set foot on North America
before Christopher Columbus
did.
La Salle traveled from
France to Quebec, New
France (Canada), in late
1667. He was determined to
find a water passage to the
east through North America.
Leaving Montreal in July,

Hernando de Soto

Henry Hudson

Jacques Cartier

1669, La Salle crossed Lake

Ontario, Lake Erie, and other
places which are not
documented (he did not
return to Montreal until late
1670, and may have traveled
down the Ohio or Mississippi
River). La Salle made many
exploring trips during the
years 1671 to 1673.
Was a Spanish explorer who
sailed the Atlantic Ocean and
was the first European to
explore Florida and the
southeastern US.
Henry Hudson (1565-1611)
was an English explorer and
navigator who explored parts
of the Arctic Ocean and
northeastern North America.
The Hudson River, Hudson
Strait, and Hudson Bay are
named for Hudson. Hudson
was hired by the Muscovy
Company in 1607, to find a
waterway from Europe to
Asia. Hudson made two trips
(in 1607 and 1608), but failed
to find a route to China. In
1607, he sailed to Spitzbergen
(an island north of
Scandinavia in the Arctic
Ocean) and discovered Jan
Mayen Island (a tiny island
off eastern Greenland). In
1608, he sailed to Novaya
Zemlya (an island north of
Russia in the Arctic Ocean).
Jacques Cartier (1491-1557)
was a French explorer who
led three expeditions to
Canada, in 1534, 1535, and
1541. He was looking for a
route to the Pacific through

North America (a Northwest

Passage) but did not find one.
Cartier paved the way for
French exploration of North
America.