Lesson Plan #4

Grade: 4th Social Studies Strand: Civics

Submitted By: Michele Stering

EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2014 Instructor: Karen Powell

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Michele Stering

B. Summary of the Lesson Plan: During this civics lesson, students will take part in a debate to learn the importance of a democracy and letting their voice be heard through voting. This lesson uses the book Integrating Language Arts and Social studies (p. 106-110) which incorporates the strategy called: Do A Debate. C. Basic Information: Grade Level: 4th Time to Complete this Lesson: approximately 50 minutes Groupings: Whole group discussions, small group reading & writing during activity, and independent work for assessment.

D. Materials: Paper and pencils Shoe box for voting (wrap with white paper with a slot made to fit the ballots) Ballot for each student (see attached) Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies (p. 106-110). Variety of text from the school library on nutrition and obesity Computers for research Student Writing Journals Large sheet of butcher paper (one for each table group) E. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards o C13. 4 2 Explain that democracy involves voting, majority rule, and setting rules. C13. 4 2 I can explain what a democracy is and why voting, majority rule, and setting rules are important.

Student-Friendly Standards

F. Vocabulary: Majority rule: The greater number of votes wins Vote: Piece of paper showing a persons choice (making their voice heard) Democracy: Government where people get to vote and make rules which the greatest number of people voted for. Debate: having a discussion between two sides to explain their way of thought.
EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 2

Nevada State College

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Michele Stering

G. Procedure: 1. Warm up: Ask students to think of things they get to have a choice in at school. Ask students to think of rules at school they must follow. Call on students to share and write their responses on the board. 2. Journal Entry & discussion: Why are making rules important? Write down a time when you did not think your opinion was heard, how did that make you feel? Call on students to share their thoughts. 3. Introduce vocabulary: Majority rule, vote, democracy, debate 4. Introduce activity: Today you are going to take part in a debate and defend your ideas about the topic. Once everyone has heard both sides, all of you will have an opportunity to vote and the greatest number of votes wins. This activity will teach you the how a democracy works. 5. Topic: Should school cafeterias offer fast food lunches to students instead of cafeteria food? Why or why not? 6. Small group research: Students will work in table groups based on their stance. They will use the provided text materials and computers to defend their position. We will discuss and list possible key search words for the topic. For example: ways for schools to raise money, food waste in cafeterias, nutrition, and obesity in elementary schools. Students must write their ideas on the butcher paper and list their sources. 7. Class debate: The groups will take turns debating based on the list of facts they found. (Teacher will model how a debate works before students begin) 8. Vote: Students will each be given a voter ballot and will place their vote in the ballot box. 9. Reflection: The students will finish their journal response entry by answering the following questions provided on the board: Why is a democracy important? How are rules made in a democracy? Why is it important for a person to vote?

H. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding? Debate: The students will research facts which support their position on the topic and take part in a debate/vote. Journal Entry: Students will complete a journal entry in the beginning of the lesson. At the end of the lesson students will make a second entry which asks students three reflective question as stated above. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 3

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Michele Stering

The students must Explain that a democracy involves voting, majority rule, and setting rules. Taking part in a debate/vote will show if students understand the steps which take place in a democratic society when creating rules. The journal entries will show if students can explain what a democracy is, how rules are made, and the importance of voting. I. Closure: Results & discussion: The rule with the most votes will be announced. Why was a debate and vote so important for us to have today?

J. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? I think getting the students started on research will be easiest since they will have had prior knowledge. Additionally, they will be working in small groups which will provide peer sharing of strategies. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? The most challenging will be modeling and teaching students how a debate works. I will need to provide more scaffolding at first, but my intention is to let the students guide the debate with reduced support by the end. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? This lesson could be extended by taking a look at other forms of government. The students could complete a compare and contrast graphic organizer. 4. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? For students who are having a difficult time, I would use the book, I Want an Iguana suggested in the strategy for younger students. We would do a book walk and then read the book using guided comprehension questions. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I might have to create assigned groups in order to have a good distribution of students and ability levels on each side of the debate. 6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? For me, the most difficult part was finding a relevant and age appropriate topic which students can find factual information to support their stance. 7. Explain the strategy from Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies that you included in this lesson plan. I used the strategy, Do A Debate to provide students with in interactive way to learn about the important concepts of a democracy. Students are able to choose a
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 4

Lesson Plan #4 - Civics

submitted by: Michele Stering

position on a topic, take part in a classroom debate, and vote with a ballot slip. This activity directly connects the students learning to a real world democratic process.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 5