Geneva College

Beaver Falls, PA

Lesson Plan Template

Name: ______Owen Clendaniel_______________________Date: ___4/4/22__________

Subject: _____American History_________________ Grade Level: _________8__________

I. Topic
Voting Process and the Election of 1860
II. PA or Common Core Standards
Standard - 8.3.8.A : Examine the role groups and individuals played in the social,
political, cultural, and economic development of the United States

Standard - 5.2.8.D : Describe the citizen’s role in the political process.

Standard - 5.1.8.B : Outline how different systems of government function.

III. Learning Objectives: Objectives must be written using observable verbs

TSWBAT list the three main branches of government
TSWBAT define what each branch’s role in government is
TSWBAT list the three main political parties in the year 1860.
TSWBAT define some of the political stances taken by each party in the 1860’s
TSWBAT define the term “Majority”
TSWBAT define the term “Plurality”

IV. Materials
The materials that I will need for this lesson are the “How to become president” PowerPoint, the
“Election of 1860” PowerPoint, the guided note sheets that go with each presentation, and my I-pad.
The students will only need their I-pads.
V. Lesson Development
A. Introduction
To introduce the lesson, I will ask if there are requirements to become president? Then I will ask if so,
could a particular student in the class become president? Then, why not? After we have this short
discussion, I will start to go through the first PowerPoint with the class while they fill in the notes.

B. Lesson development (activities, procedures)

After the introduction to the lesson, I will go over the answers to the first guided note sheet. Then I will
begin the second Presentation that relates the material we just talked about specifically to the election
of 1860. We will then work our way through that presentation while the students fill in their notes
again.

C. Evidence of differentiated instruction (content, process, product, or learning

environment)
Product: The student’s will be producing a guided note sheet to help them follow along and write down
key parts of what we are discussing. This well help them a lot when it comes time to study for their next
test.

Learning Environment: The lesson will involve partially sitting, listening, and taking notes. Then it will
also partially be discussing hypothetical questions and debating as a whole class.

D. Closure (summary)
To close the lesson, I will begin to discuss how this election began to divide the north from the south and
lead us closer and closer to the Civil War.

VI. Assessment/evaluation
I WILL BE ABLE TO INFORMALLY EVALUATE THE STUDENTS BASED OFF OF THEIR ANSWERS AND THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE AT
THE BEGINNING AND END OF CLASS. I WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE COMPLETENESS OF THE NOTES THAT THEY TURN
INTO ME AT THE END OF CLASS.

VII. Modifications or accommodations

The modifications and accommodations for this lesson are that the non-honors students will receive
guided notes to help them stay engaged in the class. While the honors students will not get those notes
and more time will be spent on the in-class discussions instead. The lesson will also include verbal,
visual, and interactive components to best accommodate for all the different learning styles in the room.

VIII. Self-evaluation
This lesson had some good and some bad. I had the student’s attention for a little over half the class and
then by the time we got to the second PowerPoint I think I lost a lot of them. Some of them stayed
engaged or participated while others fell asleep or were causing issues in the room. I am not exactly sure
how to make an election sound like a thrilling topic to 13-year-olds, but I will need to come up with
some type of activity or some type of discussion to break up the long periods where they are just sitting
and listening to me talk.

Cooperating Teacher Approval ____________________________________ Date

_________________