William Paterson University

College of Education
Day 1:
Name: Mary Hocking
Topic:

New Jersey Facts

School: Marie V. Duffy Elementary School

Grade: 1

Essential Question: What makes New Jersey unique?

Students Prior Knowledge: None

Concept (to be developed and explored by students): Urban & Rural
Learning objective(s) SWBAT:
Standard/s):
6.1.4.B. 10- Identify major cities in New Jersey, as
well as in the United States, and the world, and
explain how geographic and demographic tools (e.g.,
maps, globes, data visualizations) can be used to
understand cultural differences.

Locate NJ on a map.

Assessment(s):
Formative assessment during Stations Activity.
Formative Assessment during Read Aloud & Stations Activity.

Explore key places, people,

and facts about New Jersey.

6.1.4.C.12- Evaluate the impact of ideas, inventions,

and other contributions of prominent figures who
lived New Jersey.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.8-With guidance and
support from adults, recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided
sources to answer a question.
CCSS.ELA.Literacy.SL.1.6- Produce Complete
sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

Planning:

Materials (e.g. Props/ Manipulatives): G is for the Garden State by Eileen Cameron, mini-fact booklets about New Jerseys people/places,
memory game on New Jerseys fun facts of state: animal, insect, flag, seal, fruit, tree, bird, flower, and state
Technology / Visuals: Map of the United States and NJ on a projected screen using smartboard
Groupings: Students are grouped together by their leveled tables where they sit

Evaluate
(5-7 mins)

Teaching and Learning

Teacher
Students
What questions will you ask? What will you do, say, and write? What tools will
What answers/ thinking do you predict? What tools will students use?
you use?
Where will the students sit?
Teacher proctors a short pre-assessment. Explain that this pretest is to see how
Students will put up privacy folders and independently take a 5-10 minute
much the students know about New Jersey before we start learning about it.
quiz that the teacher will read to the students.
1.
2.

3.

4.

5.

Color in NJ on a map of the United States (map given).

Circle the correct answer:
What is New Jerseys Capital?
o Jersey City
o Trenton
o Newark
o Paterson
Who is New Jerseys Governor?
o Barack Obama
o George Washington
o Chris Christie
o May Berry
What county do you live in?
o Morris
o Sussex
o Passaic
o Cape May
What is New Jerseys abbreviated form?
o PA

Engage (5
mins)

Explain (15
mins)

o MD
o GS
o NJ
Teacher pulls up on SmartBoard a map of the United States. Teacher shows
students where New Jersey is located, and then takes the globe and finds New
Jersey to show the class. Teacher then walks around the room to show that New
Jersey is really tiny compared to the rest of the world.

Students watch the SmartBoard, and then look at the globe to see where
New Jersey is located.

Say: Boys and girls, I will call each table to the carpet, and we will read a book to
learn about New Jersey.

Students will listen.

Teacher calls tables to the carpet to get ready to read the book G is for the Garden
State by Eileen Cameron.
Teacher will begin by reading the name and the title aloud. Teacher will show the
cover to the students, and say that we will be learning about New Jerseys history,
culture, and landscape about New Jersey through this alphabet book.

Students will go to the carpet and get ready to read the book.

Teacher begins reading to the class, stopping to briefly explain things that are in
New Jersey.

Students will listen.

Stop after reading B; Say: Boys and girls, raise your hands if you have ever been
to the beach? Okay put your hands down. Now, Id like you to raise your hand
if you have ever been to a boardwalk. Could someone please tell the class what
visiting the boardwalk is like?

Students will raise their hands if they have ever been to the beach. Students
will then raise their hands if they have been to a boardwalk. Of the
students remaining, students will share what it is like when you visit the
boardwalk.

Stop after reading E; Say: Boys and girls, Id like you to look above you. What
lights our classroom so that we can see right now, and that the room is not dark?
(Student may answer lights). Yes. Thomas Edison, who is from our state, had
created those light bulbs. Isnt that interesting?

Students will look above them. Students will answer the question.

Stop after reading T; Say: T is for Trenton, the capital of our state. Wasnt that
a question on the pretest that we just took? A capital is where the Governors
office is located. This is where our laws of New Jersey and decisions are made
for our state. I want you to turn and talk to your partner and tell them the name of
our state capital.

Students will turn and talk to their partner, telling them that our state capital
is Trenton.

Students will listen.

Explore (15
mins)

Say: That was an interesting book about our state! What was your favorite part to
learn about? I want you to think about it, and then turn and talk to your partner
about what your favorite part was.

Students will turn and talk to their partner, telling them what their favorite
part to learn about was.

Ask: Who wants to share what they thought was your favorite part?

Students will raise their hands and share their thoughts.

Say: Boys and girls, lets go to our seats. I am going to set up stations where you
will be able to learn more about the people and the places of New Jersey.
Facilitate 6 stations total, with 3 individual stations. Stations are as following:
Station 1&4: Places within New Jersey. There will be mini-books that describe
the where New Jersey is located in the United States, that there is beaches and that
the ocean is called the Atlantic Ocean, that Wharton is in Morris County, what our
mountains are called, the capital, the Jersey Turnpike, and major rivers within
New Jersey.

Students will go back to their seats.

Students will stay at their assigned desks, and the stations will be set up on
in their desk groups. After 5 minutes, the students will switch and move to
the next group in a clockwise direction, so that each group visits each
station once. Students will read and look at the pictures of
people/places/things from our state, and explore all of the things that make
New Jersey unique.

Stations 2&5: Important people of New Jersey. This section will provide minibooks about Bon Jovi, Grover Cleveland, Thomas Edison, Bruce Springsteen, the
mayor of Wharton, and New Jerseys governor.
Station 3&6: Memory game using pictures and labels of New Jerseys state bird,
animal, insect, state picture, state seal, tree, fruit, flag, and flower.

Evaluate (5
mins)

Assess students by student engagement, and asking each group questions about
information that they are reading about to see if they comprehend what they are
exploring.
Ask students to stop what they are doing and to put the mini-books/memory game
to the center of their tables. Teachers will come and collect them, and then ask
students to return to their desks.

Students will answer questions about the material that they are exploring
and talk amongst their groups the information that they find interesting.

Teacher will ask a series of questions based on the information that was on the
pretest, and the information that was on the cards.
Ask:

Students will answer questions based on what they read and remember. If
they get it wrong, a classmate will help them until they answer correctly. If
no one can remember, I will give the set of books to a student to find out by
reading the mini-book to the class.

Can someone tell me what the state capital of New Jersey is?
Can someone tell me who New Jerseys Governor is?

Students will put their materials away, and go back to their seats.

What is New Jerseys abbreviated form?

What county do you live in?

Say: I want you to think about the thing that you found most interesting in
learning about today. I want you to turn and talk to your partner and to tell them
what you think. Please turn and talk to your partners.

Students will think about what they found most interesting to read about,
and then share that information with their partner.

Say: Who would like to share what you and your partner just talked about?

Students will raise their hands and share what they had just talked about
with their partner.

Students will clean up and get ready to leave for the day.
Say: Nice job boys and girls. Tomorrow we will be going over the information
that we learned today, and you will be picking an interesting fact to write about
and to make a post card of. I will show you how to do this tomorrow. New Jersey
is where we live, and it has mountains, rivers, and an ocean. There are many
things that make New Jersey unique, and we have just begun to explore it. Please
listen for directions; it is time to clean up.
Differentiated Instruction:
For ELLs, students in their group who are better readers can read the mini-booklets for the students to listen. Students can also use visual aids to help with understanding.

Day 2:
William Paterson University
College of Education
Name: Mary Hocking

School: Marie V. Duffy Elementary School

Topic:
New Jersey Facts
Concept (to be developed and explored by students):
Standard/s):

Grade: 1

Essential Question: What makes New Jersey unique?

Difference
Learning objective(s):

6.1.4.B. 10- Identify major cities in New Jersey, as well as in the

United States, and the world, and explain how geographic and
demographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, data visualizations) can be
used to understand cultural differences.

Students will be able to recall important information

from previous resources.

Graphic Organizer
Fun Fact paper

Students will be able to create a postcard with a unique

fact about New Jersey.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.8-With guidance and support from

adults, recall information from experiences or gather information
from provided sources to answer a question.
Resources/Materials:
Graphic organizer and Fun Fact Paper
Epson Smart Touch projector
Books to explore:

Assessment(s):

Other assessments will be student

participation and student discussion.

G is for the Garden State by Eileen Cameron

New Jersey by Julie Murray
Welcome to the U.S.A. New Jersey by Ann Heinrichs
New Jersey by Ann Heinrichs
Glogster: http://maryhocking.edu.glogster.com/nj-handout/ - handout of New Jersey
Teaching and Learning

Process Steps:

Teacher
What questions will you ask? What will you do, say, and
write? What tools will you use?

Students
What answers/ thinking do you predict? What tools will students use? Where will
the students sit?

Engage (5 mins)

Say: Boys and girls, yesterday we explored people, places,

and things from New Jersey. We learned where New Jersey
is located on a map, what our capital is, who our Governor is,
and other information about New Jersey. Today, we will be
using a graphic organizer to fill in information that we had
learned about New Jersey. We will do this together, and then
we will do a fun activity about something you find interesting
about New Jersey!

Students will listen.

Pull up Glogster of graphic organizer and pass out New Jersey

Graphic Organizer. Also pass out select mini-books to each
group that include:

Explain (20 mins)

Where in the United States is New Jersey?

Where in New Jersey Is Wharton?
What is New Jerseys capital?
Who is Whartons Mayor?
Who is New Jerseys Governor?

Say: Boys and girls, when you get your handout, please put
your name on the top of the page where it says name (point to
it using pointer on the visual projector). Once you have done
that, put your pencils down and give me a thumbs-up so that I
will know you are ready. Please keep the books in the center
of your desks until asked to use them.
Say: Boys and girls, I want you to look at the map of the
United States of America. (Click on picture on projector to
enlarge). Does anyone remember where in the United States
New Jersey is? Please raise your hand if you know, and I will
call you to the board to show to the class.
Student will either be right or wrong. Say:
Great job! Boys and girls _____ is correct or nice try, but not
quite. Does any one else think that they know where New
Jersey is located? Feel free to look in the mini-booklets that I

Students will put their names at the top of the page, put their pencils down, and
then give a thumbs-up when they are ready to begin.

Students will raise their hand to answer, and then show the class where New
Jersey is on the map.

Students will listen, and explore, and discuss the mini-book that says Where in
the United States is New Jersey?

placed on your desks to help you remember.

Say: Now, I want you to take a crayon and color in New
Jersey on your map. The United States is divided into
different parts, and New Jersey is located in the North Eastern
part of the United States. Does anyone remember the ocean
that lays to the right of New Jersey? (point to ocean on visual
projector) Yes, it is the Atlantic Ocean. So when you visit
the shore or the beach in the summer, you are visiting the
Atlantic Ocean.

Students will color in New Jersey on a map.

Students will raise their hand to say which ocean New Jersey has.

Students will put their finger on New Jersey on the handout.

Say: Now, I would like you to put a finger on the bigger

picture of New Jersey on your handout (click on picture to
enlarge on visual projector).
Ask: Does anyone remember the name of the capital of New
Jersey?

Students will raise their hand to tell what the capital of New Jersey is.

Say: Correct or nice try. (Have students, if they have trouble,

look in the mini-books for the answer).

Students will look in mini-books if they do not know, and discuss amongst their
groups.

Say: Trenton is the capital of New Jersey. I want you to draw

a star where Trenton is located on this map and write Trenton
here (draw a star where it is located on the visual projector
and write Trenton in the space). A capital is where our state
government is, kind of like Washington D.C. and the
Whitehouse is where the President lives. However, in
Trenton, decisions are only made for our state like laws to
keep where we live a great place to live.

Students will draw a star to where Trenton is on the map and write in the name
Trenton.

Say: I now want you to look right above that, and to look in
the mini-books to see where Wharton is on the map. Can
someone tell me what county Wharton is in?
Say: Yes. Wharton is in Morris County (color in Morris
County on the map on the projector). Boys and girls, please
color in Morris County. Wharton may seem like a big place

Students will listen.

Students will look to see where Wharton is on the map, and raise their hands
when they know what county Wharton is in.

Students will write Wharton in their graphic organizers.

to live, but in reality, Wharton is a little dot on our map. See,

if we were to point out Wharton on the map of the United
States, it would be really tiny, and even tinier if we pointed it
out on our world map.
Say: Boys and girls, who remembers what the abbreviated
form of New Jersey is? Exactly. Please put NJ here. You
can see this on letters, postcards, and anywhere where you put
an address.
Say: Now I would like you to see if anyone remembers the
name of the book that we read yesterday. (If students do not
remember, show the book to the class and say G is for the
Garden state.) The garden state is our nickname, and we get
this nickname because New Jersey has really great land for us
to grow food and vegetables on. Please write the Garden
State on your handouts (model on projector).
Ask: Does anyone have a garden at home? Do you grow any
fruits or vegetables? Please raise your hand to share with us.
Ask: Who is New Jerseys Governor? If you are unsure,
please look in your groups and discuss who the Governor is.
Who would like to share? Please put Chris Christie where it
says Governor. A governor is someone who makes decisions
and laws of our state, so he is in charge of New Jersey, while
Barack Obama, our president, is in charge of the entire United
States.
Say: Boys and girls, we are doing great! Lastly, we are going
to review some facts about the town that you live in. Hmm.. I
forget What is the name of the town that you live in?
Say: Yes! Wharton is the town where you live in. Please put
that in where it says Name (write in on the board).

Students will raise their hands and say NJ.

Students will think about the book, and then look at the name when presented to
the class.

Students will write in The Garden State on their handout.

Students will raise their hands if they have a garden at home and share what
kinds of things that they grow.
Students will raise their hand to say who the governor is, and if they do not
know, they will discuss amongst their tables while looking in the mini-book that
tells who the governor is. Students will then write Chris Christie in the space
provided on the handout.

Students will answer the question with Wharton.

Students will write Wharton on their handout.

Say: Yes. You live in Wharton, but who is in charge? Who

makes sure that your police and fire departments are working
good? Who makes sure that your town is safe? Who makes
sure that you town is a great place to live? This is what a
mayor does. Who is Whartons Mayor? If you dont know
the answer, please look in the mini-books on your desks and
discuss with your group who he isYes. Bill Cheggwidden
is your mayor. Please put that where it says mayor.
Say: Lastly, boys and girls, what school do you all go to, that
you are first graders in? (boys and girls will say Duffy
Elementary School). Great job! Please put that where it says
your school name.
Say: Nice work boys and girls. We had just learned the basic
facts about our state, but now we are going to move on to
write about something that you think is interesting. I will tell
you what we are going to do.
Explore (20 mins)

Students will write Bill Cheggwidden in their handouts.

Students will say and write Duffy Elementary school.

Students will listen.

Say: Boys and girls. In the last space provided that we did
not fill out on your graphic organizer, it says Fun Fact. A
fun fact is a bit of information that you find interesting, and
that you think other people will too. I am going to pass out
the rest of the mini-booklets, as well as regular books for you
to explore and find something interesting to you

Students will listen.

Say: Once you find something interesting. Write down the

topic of what you are going to write about in that box. Once
you do that, please raise your hand and I will see you and give
you this fun fact paper for you to fill out. . (Model using a
beach book and putting beaches in the fun fact box).

Students will watch.

Model: I put beaches in my fun fact box. I now have

received the fun fact paper. First, I am going to put my name
where it says name. Next, I see state name. What is our state
name boys and girls?... Yes. New Jersey. That is what I am
going to put here (show). Next you see capital what is our

Students will look in the mini-books on their desks to find out who the mayor of
Wharton is. When they find out, they will raise their hand and say Bill or
William Cheggwidden.

Students will watch, and aid in what to write.

10

capital again?...Yes. Trenton. You put our capital name here.

Lastly, you see Fun Fact. This is where you put your fun fact.
Lets see. I will put: New Jersey has a lot of beaches. You
can swim in the Atlantic Ocean and play in the sand.
Say: Once you have written your sentence, you can draw a
picture of whatever fact you have chosen. Since I drew
beaches, I will draw the New Jersey Shore. Once you are
done, I will help you cut and create a postcard that you will
present to the class tomorrow.
Say: So, for right now, you are looking in the books until you
find an interesting fact that you want to write a sentence or
two about. Does anyone have any questions? Lets begin.

Students will listen.

Students will listen.

Teacher will facilitate the students finding their fun facts.

Once they have a topic, the teacher will give them the Fun
Fact paper, and assist them when needed. Students will then
write their name, state name, capital, and fun fact on the
paper. Once done, they will color in the picture. Teacher will
then make a postcard for each student. If there is extra time,
teacher will pass out coloring sheet for students who are
finished.

Students will look through books and mini-books to find an interesting topic.
Once they find their topic and the name in the fun fact box on the graphic
organizer, the students will receive a Fun Fact paper to fill out and then draw a
picture. Students can discuss their topic and what they are writing in their groups
if they are having trouble on what to write, and can also raise their help for
additional assistance. If a group of students need additional assistance, Teacher
will call the group to the back table to work with the CT while the other teacher
floats around the room to check that the students are on track.

Say: Boys and girls, if you have not yet finished, that is okay.
Tomorrow we will be working on finishing these projects, and
we will present your fun fact to the class. I love how these
are turning out, and the facts that you chose are really great!
Please put your papers in the middle, along with the
booklet/book that you are using. Create a separate pile for the
materials that you are not using, so that I do not give them to
you tomorrow. Once you have done that, please clean your
desks, and we will get ready to leave for the day.

Students will listen to the direction and get ready to clean up.

11

Differentiated Instruction:
For ELLs, I will allow the students to talk with other students who are proficient in Spanish to help discuss what they want to write and what about.

Day 3:
William Paterson University
College of Education
Name: Mary Hocking

School: Marie V. Duffy Elementary School

Grade: 1

Topic:
New Jersey Facts
Essential Question: What makes New Jersey Unique?
Concept (to be developed and explored by students): Difference
Standard/s):
Learning objective(s):
Assessment(s):
6.1.4.B. 10- Identify major cities in New Jersey, as well as
Students will be able to Fun Fact Post Cards and rubric (see below).
in the United States, and the world, and explain how
create a postcard with the
geographic and demographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, data
state name, capital, and a fun
visualizations) can be used to understand cultural
fact about New Jersey.
differences.

Students will be able to draw Fun Fact Post Cards and rubric (see below).
a picture that is related to
6.1.4.C.12- Evaluate the impact of ideas, inventions, and
their fun fact about New
other contributions of prominent figures who lived New
Jersey.
Jersey.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.8-With guidance and support
from adults, recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a question.
CCSS.ELA.Literacy.SL.1.6- Produce Complete sentences
when appropriate to task and situation.
Resources/Materials:
Resources: Fun Fact paper, construction paper, scissors, stapler, books, and mini-books
Post Card Model

12

Please select the processes from the below list and apply them to the left column entitled: Lesson Plan Processes
Motivate, Teach, Practice, Discussion, Centers, Read Aloud, Guided Practice, Create, Share, Engage, Explore, Explain, or Elaborate
Teaching and Learning
Teacher
Students
What questions will you ask? What will you do, say, and
What answers/ thinking do you predict? What tools will students use? Where will
write? What tools will you use?
the students sit?
Engage (5 mins)
Say: Boys and girls, we have been learning a lot about New
Students will listen.
Jersey over the past few days.
Ask:
Would anyone like to share what the capital of New Jersey is? Students will answer the questions by raising their hand.
What is our Governors name?
What county do you live in?

Explain (5 mins)

Say: Great job boys and girls, you are doing great. Today we
are going to continue working on our postcards.

Students will listen.

Present: Model that we created as a class on the visual

projector for students to look at.
Say: Boys and girls, yesterday we began creating our post
cards, and all of us had at least picked our fun fact topic to
write about. Some of you have moved on to the Fun Fact
paper, while others are just beginning. Lets review what we
are going to be putting on our Fun Fact postcard.

Students will look at the model.

Show: First, you will put your name, then the state name.
What name will we put for the state name?... Yes. New
Jersey. Next, you will put the capital of New Jersey, which is
what? Yes, Trenton. Last, you will put the fun fact that you
had chosen by writing one or two sentences about it.
Remember, for our example we wrote: New Jersey has a lot
of beaches. You can swim in the Atlantic Ocean and play in
the sand.

Students will listen.

Students will listen.

Students will listen.

Say: Once you do all of this, you are going to create picture
of your fun fact on the top. For example, I drew a beach. I

13

want you to color in your drawing, and make it look nice, not
sloppy or rushed. Once you are finished, come see either CT
NAME or me, and we will check your postcard and we will
tell you what to do next.

Extend/Evaluate (20 mins)

Extend / Share (20 mins)

Evaluate (5 mins)

Ask: Does anyone have any questions on what we are

working on today?
The teacher will walk around the room and help students who
are struggling, and call a small group to the back table for
extra one-on-one help if needed.
The students will be called to the carpet, and the students will
present their postcards, reading the fun fact that they have
chosen while showing the picture to the class. Depending on
the amount of time, the amount of students who present will
vary.
Say: Great job with your postcards, first graders. We will
now return to our seats and put our privacy folders up, and we
will answer the same questions that we did in the beginning of
the lesson before we started learning about New Jersey.
Teacher proctors a short post-assessment. Explain that this is
the same set of questions that they were asked to answer
before we began this lesson. Explain that the students choose
their answers to what they think is correct, and that the
answers are to see how much that they have learned during
the lesson.
Quiz Questions:
1.
2.

Students will ask questions if they are confused.

The students will work on filling in their fun facts and creating their post cards.

The students will have an opportunity to share their post cards and teach the class
about their fun fact of New Jersey.

Students will go back to their seats and get ready to take the post-assessment.

While at their seats, students will put their privacy folders up and take a 5-10
minute quiz independently as the teacher reads the questions and answers to the
students.

Color in NJ on a map of the United States

Circle the correct answer:
What is New Jerseys Capital?
o Jersey City
o Trenton
o Newark
o Paterson

14

3.

4.

5.

Who is New Jerseys Governor?

o Barack Obama
o George Washington
o Chris Christie
o May Berry
What county do you live in?
o Morris
o Sussex
o Passaic
o Cape May
What is New Jerseys abbreviated form?
o PA
o MD
o GS
o NJ

Differentiated Instruction:
For ELLs, I will allow students who are proficient in speaking Spanish to help the students create their postcards.

15

Rubric for Fun Fact Post Card:

Element

1
Emerging

Completion of the Written Part of

the Postcard

Student did not fill in two or more

parts of the postcard including their
name, the state name, the state capital,
or a fun fact.

Fun Fact

Grammar, Punctuation, and

Capitalization

Picture

Student did not write complete

sentences, or failed to write a fact
either related to New Jersey, or not.
Student failed to capitalize at the
beginning of sentences and names,
and failed to use a period at the end of
a sentence. Student also misspelled
key words like New Jersey and
Trenton.
Student did not draw a picture to
illustrate their fun fact.

2
Acceptable
Student had filled out most parts of
the postcard, but is missing one part.
The missing parts can be: their name,
the state name, the state capital, or the
fun fact.
Student had written one or more
sentences with a fact, but the fact is
not related to New Jersey.
Student capitalized the beginning of
sentences and places and used correct
punctuation at the end of a sentence
most of the time. Student also spelled
most of the key words like New
Jersey and Trenton correctly.
Student drew a picture, but it is not
relevant to the fun fact that they had
written about.

3
Target
Student had filled out all parts of the
postcard including their name, state
name, state capital, and a fun fact.
Student had written one or more
complete sentences with a fact related
to New Jersey.
Student capitalized the beginning of
sentences and used correct
punctuation at the end of a sentence.
Student also spelled key words like
New Jersey and Trenton correctly.
Student drew a picture that is relevant
to the fun fact that they had written
about.

16