Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name Heather Brindle

Position ESOL/ Social Studies Teacher

School/District Mountain View High School / Gwinnett County

E-mail Heather.brindle@gcpsk12.org

Phone 678-407-7600

Grade Level(s) 9th-12th

Content Area World Geography

Timeline 4 weeks for 55 minutes a day

Standards
Content Standards: Gwinnett County AKS

World Geography:

1. explain the causes of external and internal conflicts among cultural

groups, including but not limited to ongoing border disputes and separatist
movement (SSWG_D2017-32_32c)

2. examine the impact of cultural beliefs on gender roles and perceptions of

race and ethnicity as they vary from one region to another (SSWG_C2017-
31_31d) ELA:

1.analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience

reflected in a work of literature from outside the United
States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature
(CCGPS) (LA09_A2012-6)

2. conduct short as well as more sustained research projects

to answer questions (including self-generated questions) or
solve problems; narrow or broaden inquiries when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subjects,
demonstrating understanding of the subjects under
investigation (CCGPS) (LA09_C2012-26)
Page 1 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

NETS*S Standards

Empowered Learner:

1b. Students build networks and customize their learning

environments in ways that support the learning process.

Knowledge Constructor:

3a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to

locate information and other resources for their intellectual or
creative pursuits.

3c. Students curate information from digital resources using a

variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts
that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

Creative Communicator:

6a. Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for

meeting the desired objectives of their creation or
communication.

6c. Students communicate complex ideas clearly and

effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such
as visualizations, models, or simulations

Page 2 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

Overview

The overview for this project goes beyond the walls of the classroom and will push the
student to use real world information to answer the essential question. This project will begin
with a teacher–led style lesson on the background knowledge of the Holocaust beginning
with the pre-war Jewish life. While we are progressing through the history of the Holocaust
and Europe during World War II students will move to a more student-centered lesson when
we virtually explore the Breman Holocaust Museum and skype with a historian from Yad
Vashem International Center in Jerusalem. Students will be using a project check-in using a
blog and Flipgrid. These check-ins will be used to assess how the students are progressing
through the project. There will be rubric given at the beginning of the project that will allow
the teacher and peer review to give feedback and assess how the student is progressing
toward answering their essential question. Students will be creating a product that will either
educate other students, faculty, and families about the Holocaust or a product community
event on how to Overcome Adversity by using the project instructions. This product will be
displayed for other students at the high school to see.

Essential Questions

The essential question that is being answered is “How does a population adapt and /or
change in the face of catastrophic adversity?”

Students should be interested in this topic due to how it relates and connects to their
personal life and experiences. Due to the time we currently live in this essential question
should allow my students to have a free and safe avenue to express their concerns and
make connections to the content we are learning about.

Guiding Questions:
What are human rights?
What has been your experience with discrimination?
What other genocides have you heard or learned about?
What role does religion play in politics and culture?
What role does culture play in society?
What do you know about the role of a bystander?
How can being quiet lead to something worse in society?
What leads to bias in a person’s life?
What are some ways a person can be discriminated for?

Page 3 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

What do you know about the role of a perpetrator?

Background/Prior Knowledge:
This lesson will be utilizing the prior knowledge of the Holocaust that the student had learned
about in middle school when they read Night in 8th grade.

Assessment

Product of Learning:
Students will create a technology artifact of their choosing to answer the essential question
that will be on display for other students and teachers to learn from. Students will
demonstrate their mastery of the new knowledge by using the academic language they
learned in the lesson. They will also show this mastery in the Flipgrid check in.

Students will show generation of knowledge by using a variety of research strategies and
primary and secondary sources while completing different activities and direct instruction
from the teacher. Students will determine their focus and how they want to answer and
present and will submit check point submissions through blogs and Flipgrids.

Formal Summative:
Students will be assessed by a rubric for their final artifact on answering the essential
question.

Informal Summative:
Students will be informally assessed by the teacher reading the student’s check-in blogs and
check-in Flipgrids. The teacher will remediate where necessary once the check-ins are
assessed to help the student complete their final project.

Differentiation:
Differentiation will be available for ELL and SWD as they will be allowed to work together in
groups of two on their final product. This will allow students to work together and help each
other while utilizing their strengths. These groups will have to be approved by the teacher.

Resources

Technology will support student learning in this unit of learning in multiple and different ways.
Teachers and students can use technology in different ways throughout this unit. One way
technology will be implemented is that students will be using academic databases and
educational websites such as Yad Vashem and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
to complete research. The databases will be used to research, watch videos, and view
artifacts from the viewpoint of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. All lessons and project
references, videos, instructions will be housed on the teacher’s D2L course page (eClass).
The student’s blog will be housed and viewed through EduBlogs along with check-ins being
Page 4 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

documented through Flipgrid. Students will be able to receive teacher and peer review of
their project and topic through Flipgrid. To show mastery of standards, students will conduct
research and produce a project that is technology based.

Students have had access to the tools we will be using in this lesson due to being online
since March due to the Pandemic. Students receive their lessons and instruction through our
local county D2L (eClass) teacher page. Students have been attending class through Zoom
meetings and joining breakout rooms. Students are familiar with Flipgrid and Edublog as
they have used them in past lessons to facilitate discussion and show mastery of a skill.

Digital tools:
D2L (eClass)- This platform is used in Gwinnett County for a platform to facilitate concurrent
and blended learning.
Edublogs- Students will use this platform to create their check-in blogs on their project
development and peer reviews. This platform will be used by the teacher to assess
informally the students progress and understanding of project and information.
Flipgrid- This application will be used by students as a check-in on their project
development and peer reviews. This application also allows for differentiation as students
who may not have strong writing skills are able to show their project development and
complete their check-in. This platform will be used by the teacher to assess informally the
students progress and understanding of project and information.
Skype/ Zoom- These platforms will be used in the lesson to facilitate our virtual field trip and
conversation with a historian from Yad Vashem.
Adobe Spark- This application will be modeled during teacher-led instruction as an option
to be used for the final project answering the essential question. This application allows
students to use visuals and record their voices.
Canva- this application will be modeled during teacher-led instruction as an option to be
used for the final project answering the essential question. The Canva application allows
students to use visuals and different media mediums to complete their final project.

Instructional Plan:
Preparation

Needs- Prior lessons and units have allowed me to know the technology skills that my
students have. Due to the skills they have and teaching concurrently during this time I have
started doing short “tech time” videos on different technology applications that I leave on my
D2L page. This allows me to model how to use the tool being presented and allows the
student to see a snapshot of what the tool can be used for.
Interests- Due to the current political and modern day problems facing America in 2020 I
have seen a stronger interest from my students than in past years when learning about the
Holocaust and other catastrophic events. This has been reflected in our classroom
discussions and students making connections between history and their personal cultural
experiences.
Background Knowledge- Students have completed projects and assignments using the
tech tools to demonstrate their mastery of academic vocabulary, content, and critical thinking
Page 5 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

skills. Students have also used the tools to showcase their technology skills and abilities
throughout the semester.
Student Difficulties- The teacher will offer one-on-one assistance before or after school (or
by zoom for online students) for students who need help with technology applications.
Assistance will also be offered for students who need help with guidance on how to start the
project or research. For the ELL students in the class the teacher will have translated copies
of all instructional paperwork including rubric and checklist. All videos shown during this unit
will be closed captioned in the students home language to help with understanding. To help
students in the beginning of the unit and throughout the unit I will provide guided questions
that will help lead students to asking questions pertaining to their topic and quest to answer
the essential question.

Management

The classroom management that is used in my classroom has been in place since the
beginning of the year. Teaching concurrently has changed how this looks. Students create a
class set of rules that are displayed through the year. This was created this year with both in-
person and online students and incorporates issues that may arise with both settings since
concurrent teaching is taking place. Students were taught and learned how to express
themselves appropriately when discussing sensitive and controversial issues that may arise
with our discussion of other countries and their cultures and history. Students also engage
once a month in different digital citizenship activities. With our diverse school population it is
understood that all people and cultures are to be respected in our classroom and school.
Due to the concurrent learning environment we are currently in students will work
individually. An exception will be given for my ELL and SWD students who may decide to
work in groups of two. All instructions and activities will be housed on the D2L and Google
Classroom for our class which will allow for internet equability as online students may not
have the correct systems on their home computers to open certain documents. Google will
allow for students to open documents on any type of technology. Our students have the
option to check out a Chromebook and hot spot to use at home digitally so all students have
access to the internet and technology. There could be some potential issues with loss of
internet and downtime of D2L(eClass), Flipgrid, Edublogs, Canva, etc. I will have discussion
areas set up and assignments in Google Classroom for the blogs and Flipgrids if students
have difficulties accessing these programs. I will also have hard copies of all instructional
material for in person students should a problem arise.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities

The research-based instructional used in my classroom is based off of the Quality Plus
Teaching Strategies used in Gwinnett Public Schools. These qualities are expected to be
used for all GCPS teachers. The technology tools that are used in this lesson and in my
classroom can be found on the link above. Some of the strategies that are used in this unit
are summarizing, literacy, questioning, comparison and contrast, and technology. My
learning environment is composed of a technology lab that has 35 computers in it. This
guarantees that all of my in person students have access to the internet and technology.
Through the computers both in-person and online students have the opportunity to compare
and contrast, summarize and read different texts that will help with their mastery of the
Page 6 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

academic content. Students can practice their speaking and writing skills through peer
reviews of the check-ins.

Teacher role- I will be functioning as a guide in the beginning of the unit when we are
discussing new information and going over instructions. I will also be modeling how to
research correctly for the topic and how to blog by showing my personal educational log. I
will transfer more to a facilitator afterwards where I will read and respond to my student’s
blogs and Flipgrid to make sure they are on the right path towards completing their project
and answering the essential question. I will also check on the peer reviews being given to
make sure that there is a safe and educational environment for discussions.

Student Role- Students will be playing the role of explorer, producer, and teacher. Students
will be working with real world applications and pursuing new ideas through critical thinking
activities. Students will also be producing a project that helps answer the question of
overcoming adversity in the face of a catastrophic event. And at the end of these lessons
students will take on the role of teacher as they will describe and explain how their product
answers the essential question when they display and explain their project to fellow
students and teachers in the building.

Higher order of thinking will be achieved in this unit as seen in the final product that the
students will be producing a project that will allow them to synthesize their answer to the
essential question posed. Students will also be connecting their personal experiences to
what they have learned with why genocides and catastrophic adversity happen in the
modern world.

Students will be using Edublogs and Flipgrid to collaborate and peer review check ins and
final projects. They will also be participating in skypes and virtual field trips that will allow
students to collaborate with experts in the community. The teacher will be using D2L as the
platform that will house the lessons and all instructional material. The teacher will also
collaborate and informally assess students through reading the Edublogs and Flipgrids.

Differentiation

Some students will be allowed to work in a group of two (to their choosing) and must be
approved by the teacher. Each student will have to show in these checkpoints their
deliverables to keep authenticity in any group projects. These student groups could contain
ELL and SPED students who may need help completing this assignment on their own. I will
hold specific after school in person and virtual help sessions for these groups multiple times
during the four-week unit to help give guidance on the projects during initial project creation.
Assistance will also be offered for students who need help with guidance on how to start the
project or research. For the ELL students in the class the teacher will have translated copies
of all instructional paperwork including rubric and checklist. All videos shown during this unit
will be closed captioned in the students home language to help with understanding.The
Assistive technology that was used in this unit was Microsoft Translator that allows lectures
Page 7 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020

and conversations to be translated in real time between multiple languages.

Reflection
• Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways was this lesson effective?
• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• How would you teach this lesson differently?)

The closing event for this unit will be a virtual gallery walk that will be open for all students
and staff in the school building. Students will record their presentations and these
presentations will be housed in our virtual gallery walk room. We will debrief after the gallery
walk in a class discussion through Zoom. The following questions will be asked and
discussed. I would be able to answer the questions above after facilitating the group
discussion.
Reflection Questions:
1. What did you learn about the human spirit through completing this project?
2. Has this changed your opinion on human bias and society?
3. What did you like about this lesson? Dislike?
4. Name one project that interests you to learn more about the opinion or topic from the
gallery walk.

Closure
This unit and project really opened my eyes to the quality of work that my students could
produce beyond the “report” style research project. My students found this unit and project
meaningful and authentic as they were able to take some of their emotions from recent
current events and experiences and reflect their feelings beneficially. Through discussions
and blogs I was able to determine this and more about my students. Students used this
project as a way to express themselves of what they have been living through and
experiencing these past 8 months. I also learned through speaking with some parents that
they were able to discuss their culture and family history with their children and have some
real life discussions take place due to this project. I will be implementing this project every
year due to the success seen. My advice to a teacher that might want to use this lesson
would be to make sure you leave time in your lesson for your students to hear from survivors
and allow students to learn about pre-conflict life and post-conflict life and how that affects a
person. I would also advise any teacher who teaches Holocaust studies to make sure to ring
students in safely to the history and then make sure to carefully ring them out by ending with
post-war Jewish life and how they persevered but are still facing antisemitism in modern day
society. Teachers will need to embrace the idea of being a facilitator and allow students to
create and follow a path through research. Technology plays a huge part in this unit and
teachers will have to be comfortable with that.

Page 8 of 8

Heather Brindle, Kennesaw State University, December 2020