Middle Childhood Education

Seminar 2

Middle Childhood Education Lesson Plan Template v. 2

Teacher Candidate Name: Bekah Bline
Lesson Title/#: The Columbian Exchange, Day 2
Grade Level: 7
Essential Question: How do we decide what is right or wrong in history?

Lesson Foundations
Content Standards
*Science and SS should also
include common core for
reading/writing

Standard 7.11
The Columbian Exchange (e.g., the exchange of fauna, flora, and pathogens) between
previously unconnected parts of the world reshaped societies in ways still evident today.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an
accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Learning Objective(s)
Students will

1. Students will be able to explain main points in an article, drawing information from the text
on the Columbian exchange to help identify key terms interchanged in the Columbian
Exchange. (Understand)
2. Students will be able to identify the historical and cultural items from the Columbian
Exchange held and how the item affects life and cultural in modern society. (Analyze)

Prior Academic
Previous days instruction will set the stage for understanding the processes of the Columbian
Knowledge and Skills
Exchange, including key items exchanged and how they have affected society
Students will be familiar with the basic functions of the Columbian Exchange
What have you or your
Students will have been introduced to critical thought about the processes of the Columbian
mentor taught previously that
Exchange and how it affects/affected society and culture of the old and new worlds.
will inform what students are
learning today?

Materials & Resources1. Article on the Columbian Exchange:

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nattrans/ntecoindian/essays/columbian.htm
2. Reading a text for information worksheet https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BjJAx_AMLlVOTVGMTB1NEJUbWM/view?usp=sharing
3. Wrap-Up: Happy Working Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb2si7fClqA

Middle Childhood Education

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Seminar 2

Posters
Art supplies
Various magazines
Books and internet resources about items from the Columbian Exchange
Graphic Organizer on the Columbian Exchange for research

Assessments

Describe the assessments that will be used in this lesson to monitor students mastery of the lesson objective(s). List assessments in order in which they
appear in the lesson.

Name and
number of
Assessment
A1: Re-activating
prior knowledge
of reading a text
for evidence.

A2: Guided
Inquiry Notes

Description of assessment

Evaluation Criteria - What is the evidence (the answers) of student

learning? Specifically list evidence of learning and learning objectives.

Students will read a short

article about the
Columbian Exchange. A
worksheet will guide their
reading as they read the
text. The worksheet will
prompt students to ask
questions while reading,
take note of main points,
and the purpose behind
reading this specific text.

LO1
Main Points:
Paragraph 1: Historically, biological evolution has been very diverse.
Paragraph 2: Humans have reversed the ancient trend of geographical
biodiversification.
Paragraph 3: The most spectacular and the most influential example
of this is in the category of the exchange of organisms between the
Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Paragraph 4: Europeans initiated contacts across the Atlantic which
have never ceased.
Paragraph 5: There is a serious magnitude to these biological
revolutions.
Paragraph 6: There were almost no similarities between the people,
plants, and animals of the old world to the new world.

Students will be given a

sheet to record their
guided inquiry notes.

Example questions might include: I wonder if the two worlds would

have ever made contact without humans?
LO2
1. How would you describe your item and how it functions or affects
humans? (Understand)

Middle Childhood Education

They will be able to use

this worksheet to record
their thoughts, and the
questions will help guide
and kickstart student
inquiry about their item.

A3: Presentation
of Mini-Research
Project

Students will give a brief

presentation of their
projects, as a partnership.
They will be required to
stand, give a brief
1.
definition of their item,
and one way it either had2.
a major effect in history
or is still important today.3.
4.
5.
6.

Seminar 2

My item is the horse. The horse is an animal that people can use as a
tool for transportation, work assistance, or recreation.
2. What ways do people use your item today? Or, how does your item
affect people in modern times? What cultural significance does the
item hold? (Apply)
Today, people use the horse as a recreational tool. There is a large
industry that revolves around horses, for example the average horse
owner from the U.S. spends $4,000 a year on their horse and horse
related activities. The horse culture is an active subgroup of the
population in the U.S. with their own media, economy, and literacy.
3. If the CE had not brought this item from one world to the other,
what alternative products might be used instead? (Analyze)
If the CE had not brought horses to the new world, people would
probably be using llamas more, since they were native to the new
world.
4. What significance did your item have in history? Describe one
specific example. (Understand)
Horses were a major player in developing the American west. First,
Plains Indians used them to hunt buffalo. Then western settlers used
them to move cattle and work the land.
LO2
Examples of student evidence of major effect in history or how item is
still important today:
From the old world to the new:
Horse: Plains Indians used the horse to hunt buffalo and live a more
nomadic life.
Cow: Cattle are a staple in American diet. McDonalds, Wendys,
Burger King all center around American consumption of beef.
Influenza: You can still get a flu shot in the US. 30-40,000 people still
die from the flu each year in the US.
Honeybee: Bees are responsible for pollinating trees in the US.
Wheat: Wheat is a staple crop in the US that we use for basic foods
like bread.
Coffee Bean: The average coffee drinker in the USA spends about

Middle Childhood Education

7.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A4: Journal WrapUp

As the lesson concludes,

students will have a
chance to reflect on the
day's lesson
independently. This will
also help set them up for
the larger, more in-depth
discussion tomorrow.

Seminar 2

$200 a year on coffee.

Malaria: Travelers to the areas of Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize are
recommended to take precautions so they do not get infected with
the disease.
From the new world to the old:
Corn: The European Union consumes 73,200 metric tons of corn a
year.
Potato: The Irish Potato famine.
Tobacco (-): People in Europe used cigarette smoking as a social habit
in the early 1900s and it is still a common habit today.
Tomato: Tomatoes are used for all kinds of dishes including Italian
pasta sauces.
Pumpkins: Used still for seasonal dishes and festivities.
Peanuts: Peanut based candies and dishes can be found on European
shelves.
Did anyone have a hard time thinking of an alternative for their item
had it not been introduced through the CE? If so, why do you think
that was? Was it hard to imagine life without that item? Or, would it
be possible to think that life would actually be better without that
item? (Apply)
I had a hard time thinking of what an alternative for corn would be.
First I thought soybeans, but then I realized that was also a part of the
Columbian Exchange. I think its hard to think of an alternative
because corn is such a staple product. But maybe we dont even
know what product we would have come up with without the CE?

Instructional Procedures/Steps

Each portion of this section should be aligned with learning objectives. Note when you are addressing a learning objective and when enacting an assessment.

Opening

Teacher will

Student will

Include instructional practices, questions you will ask, checks

for understanding, differentiation, evidence of culturally
responsive teaching practices.

What will students be doing?

What evidence of learning will students demonstrate?
Student-centered learning/opportunities for practice and
application.

1. Before students enter the room, I will display

Middle Childhood Education

__10________
Minutes
Hook?
Activate prior
knowledge?
Communicate LOs?

directions on a powerpoint slide and display it

on the smartboard. The slide will have
directions on it for students to complete on
their own. I am currently working with
students on reading and following directions
without prompting, so starting the day with
directions and autonomy on the board will
help students practice those skills.
2. Before students enter the room, I will put the
materials needed for the day at the front of
the room. I will have supplies available for
students to use as needed or desired for both
the warm-up activity and the mini-research
project that will followed.
3. I will have soft music playing as students
enter and work on the warm up activity. I
typically use the The Piano Guys station on
Pandora. The kids like it because the music
is relevant, and I like it because it is
instrumental and relaxing. I chose to play
this music because the next part of the
lesson will be louder and more free in
structure. Having this calm structure to the
class at the beginning of the day will 1).
serve the students in my class who struggle
with the overwhelming nature of
collaborative groups and 2). have a start to
the day with a calm and clear mind for my
students!
4. Now, students should be working on the
warm up activity for the day. A1: Reactivating prior knowledge of reading a text
for evidence. Students have already had
experience reading a text for information,

Seminar 2

3. Students will enter the room, and begin to

follow the directions on the board.

4. Students will be working on A1: Re-activating

prior knowledge of reading a text for evidence.

Middle Childhood Education

but it is a skill that I plan on reactivating as

much as possible. I want to spend a little
time getting them in the right frame of mind
since they have more time to work on their
mini-research project today. That will help
set them up for success on the mini-research
project.
5. After giving students around 6 minutes to
complete the warm-up on their own, I will use
the document camera to go over the main
ideas with the class to make sure we are all
on the same page. I will take student
volunteers to provide sample questions and
main points for the rest of the class. To get
students out of their seats and moving, I will
allow student volunteers to come up and
write their answers under the document
camera if they choose. It is my hope that if
there are ideas or questions that one student
did not have that another student
volunteered, that student might get a new
idea for how to read the information they find
within their mini-research project.
6. After the warm-up, I will introduce the LOs
for the day by having students guess the
learning objective. I will display the LO and
then have students try to fill in the blanks.
Once they have made several guesses, I will
display complete LOs.
Instruction
Transition to instruction: First, I would inform
___40_______
students that we are going to be getting back
Minutes
to our project from yesterday. I would tell
them they are going to be working with the
Procedures and steps
same partners as yesterday as well. Then, I
to the lesson.

Seminar 2

5. Students will take turns coming up to the

document camera to share their answers for A1.
This will give them a chance to get out of their
seats, and have ownership of the answers and
come up with answers that are not just what I
would tell them as a teacher.

Students will transition to collaborative partnership

groups.

Middle Childhood Education

Strategies?
Assessments?
Q & A?
Evidence of learning?
CRP?
Planned supports?
Transitions: Identify
when you are
transitioning and how
you will make that a
smooth transition?

would pull up a timer on the next slide of the

presentation to give them 30 seconds to
move and be sitting with their partner.
1. In pairs, students will now begin the true
1.
research and guided inquiry part of the
lesson. I will first go over the directions for
the project again and display them on the 2.
Smartboard. Students will be creating a
small poster (8.5x11) or an infographic of the
same size about their assigned topic (Topics
to be used: Horse, Cow, Influenza, Honeybee,
Wheat, Coffee Bean, Malaria, Corn, Potato,
Tobacco, Tomato, Pumpkins, and Peanuts.)
They will be told that they are going to have
to give a brief 1-2 minute presentation to the
class of the project. I want them to present
to the class because I want to start building
their presentation and public speaking skills.
I think by doing something really quick,
small, and low-stakes (this portion will not be
graded) I can get them to start getting more
comfortable speaking in front of a group.
2. I will present the following questions to guide
student inquiry and leave them displayed on
the smartboard. I will also give the students
a handout of the questions so that they can
jot down notes and collect their thoughts in
writing. I will have a collection of books from
the library on the topics in boxes at the front
of the room. Each student will get a
research list in the directions that their
partnership is given on day 1. The list of
resources and the provided books will help
students have a starting point to their

Seminar 2

Students will resume research. They will use the

questions provided to prompt their research, and
will answer the questions on their handout.
Students will be creating a small poster or
infographic about their item. Directions for the
project will be gone over in class, and on the
student handout.

Middle Childhood Education

resources and make the most out of class

research time. While students are
researching I will be sitting with students as
they work on the guided inquiry. I will ask
them questions about their topic and try to
prompt deeper thought.
1. How would you describe your item and
how it functions or affects humans?
(Understand)
2. What ways do people use your item today?
Or, how does your item affect people in
modern times? (Apply)
3. If the CE had not brought this item from
one world to the other, what alternative
products might be used instead? (Analyze)
4. What significance did your item have in
history? Describe one specific example.
(Understand)

Seminar 2

1.My item is the horse. The horse is an animal

that people can use as a tool for transportation,
work assistance, or recreation.
2. Today, people use the horse as a recreational
tool. There is a large industry that revolves around
horses, for example the average horse owner from
the U.S. spends $4,000 a year on their horse and
horse related activities.
3. If the CE had not brought horses to the new
world, people would probably be using llamas
more, since they were native to the new world.
4. Horses were a major player in developing the
American west. First, Plains Indians used them to
hunt buffalo. Then western settlers used them to
move cattle and work the land.

Transition to quick presentations:

Once students begin to wind down and
complete their mini research project, I will
play the happy working song to signal
students to clean up and get ready for the
next activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Pb2si7fClqA

3. Now I will begin having students present their

projects. (A3) Each student will be given 1-2
minutes to share a) a brief description of
their item and b) one way it either had a

3. Students will, in collaborative partnerships,

present their mini research projects. While other

Middle Childhood Education

major effect in history or is still important

today.

Seminar 2

students present, students will be responsible for

noting 3 mains points for each presentation.
Examples of student evidence of major effect in
history or how item is still important today:
From the old world to the new:
8. Horse: Plains Indians used the horse to hunt
buffalo and live a more nomadic life.
9. Cow: Cattle are a staple in American diet.
McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King all center around
American consumption of beef.
10.
Influenza: You can still get a flu shot in the
US. 30-40,000 people still die from the flu each
year in the US.
11.
Honeybee: Bees are responsible for
pollinating trees in the US.
12.
Wheat: Wheat is a staple crop in the US that
we use for basic foods like bread.
13.
Coffee Bean: The average coffee drinker in
the USA spends about $200 a year on coffee.
14.
Malaria: Travelers to the areas of Guatemala,
Mexico, and Belize are recommended to take
precautions so they do not get infected with the
disease.
From the new world to the old:
7. Corn: The European Union consumes 73,200
metric tons of corn a year.
8. Potato: The Irish Potato famine.
9. Tobacco (-): People in Europe used cigarette
smoking as a social habit in the early 1900s and it
is still a common habit today.
10.
Tomato: Tomatoes are used for all kinds of
dishes including Italian pasta sauces.
11.
Pumpkins: Used still for seasonal dishes and

Middle Childhood Education

Seminar 2

festivities.
12.
Peanuts: Peanut based candies and dishes
can be found on European shelves.
Closure
____5______

Minutes

Assess?
Wrap up?
Set-up?

Modifications/Acc
ommodations/Enri
chment

To close the activity for the day, I want to

start the discussion about what all of these
items mean for us in the bigger picture. A
more in depth, facilitated discussion will take
place in the final lesson in the sequence,
especially when we dig into the DBQs about
Christopher Columbus, but I want them to be
thinking about the greater significance of the
CE and the world we know today. I will ask
students to journal for a few minutes about
the following prompt. If they have a lot to
say, I will allow them to continue working as
homework and bring it to class the next day.
I want to give them time to process, and I
also dont want to open up a big discussion
when I know I wont have time to really
explore the topics and questions they are
going to have. It is my hope that this way, I
can get them thinking and ready for the
discussion the next day.

I had a hard time thinking of what an alternative

for corn would be. First I thought soybeans, but
then I realized that was also a part of the
(A4) Journal prompt: Did anyone have a hard
Columbian Exchange. I think its hard to think of
time thinking of an alternative for their item
an alternative because corn is such a staple
had it not been introduced through the CE? If product. But maybe we dont even know what
so, why do you think that was? Was it hard to product we would have come up with without the
imagine life without that item? Or, would it be CE?
possible to think that life would actually be
better without that item? (Apply)
IEP Students: Sentence starters on research project. Directions printed on separate sheet, chunked
and bolded. Directions/expectations repeated on an individual level after whole group instruction.
On reading a text for information, fill in the blank sentences to help students get more

Middle Childhood Education

Seminar 2

comfortable with uncovering the main ideas.

Differentiation: How
will you provide
students with specific
learning needs
instructional support?
How will you provide
students access to
learning?

504 Plans: N/A

ELL Students: Bolded terms. Paired ELL students with students who have strong English language
skills to help make sure directions, information read, and project requirements can be consistently
conveyed from a peer level and not just from the teacher. ELL students are advanced, so strong
accommodations are not necessary.
Gifted/Talented: N/A
Struggling Students: Sentence starters on research project also provided for struggling students.
Teacher checkins during research process.

Academic
Language
What language function
do you want students to
develop in this lesson?
What vocabulary do
students need to
support learning of the
learning objective for
this lesson?

Identify
Language Function: Explain

Vocabulary: Biodiversification, Columbian

Exchange, influenza, malaria, pathogens

Planned Supports
Language Function: Class discussion, graphic
organizers

Vocabulary: Powerpoint, Bolded terms,

presentations on some terms

Syntax or Discourse?
What supports do you
have in place to assist
students with AL?

Syntax or Discourse? Graphic organizer to

accompany secondary sources, questions and
prompts to guide presentation planning, and

Middle Childhood Education

Seminar 2

questions and graphic organizer to guide

interpretation of secondary sources and graphic
representations. Sentence starters