Moneque Gacke
Social Studies
Lesson Plan—Cooperative Learning-Think-Pair-Share
The Courage of Sarah Noble Grade 2-3
Concept/ Essential Questions:In 1707,a young eight year old girl and her father had totravel to a new area to build a house fortheir family. Sarah, the young girl was chosen to help her father on his adventure. Sarah was afraid of many things on their journey but mostly just being away from the rest of her family. I would like to have the students identify:
1)What is the meaning of courage?
2)Why was having Sarah with on the journey such an important part of building a home for their family?
3)How they can still make the right choices in life even if they are afraid sometimes.
4)That people have their own beliefs and do not have to always agree on what others think.
Instructional Objectives: Students will demonstrate the understanding of the book. They will learn the historical treatment of the tensions between settlers and Native Americans, with some Native people friendly to the settlers and others hostile. There are also parts in the book that talk about religion. This will not be addressed in the classroom rather the students will talk about how it is ok to believe what you want but everyone needs to respect other people’s beliefs even if they do not agree with them. The students will do this through a think-pair-share activity.
Standards Addressed:
US HISTORY GRADES K-3
A. Family Life Today and in the past: The student will understand how families live today and in earlier times, recognizing that some aspects change over time while others stay the same.
B. Famous People and Events in U.S. History: The student will recognize people and events that made significant contributions to U.S. History.
C. Many Peoples and Cultures Meet in the Making of North America: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the people who settled in North America.
Estimating Students Prior Knowledge:
Teacher will assess student’s prior knowledge before beginning the assignment. This will be done through discussion, probing questions, and closely watching and listening to measure student’s understanding.
Differentiation/Modification:
Exceptionalities:
Low level: Provide assistance to groups as needed, instruct group members what to expect when working with a student with disabilities
High level: Be aware that groups that are doing well may view my assistance as interference, instruct the higher level students to assist other students within the group
Culture/ethnicity/race: be aware of cultural differences pertaining to social interactions and behaviors
Language Diversity: check frequently with these students to assess their understanding of the directions, provide visual cues and materials to help them understand the material
Gender Differences: be aware of my personal biases to gender, assign roles within the group equally, help the group focus on individual strengths
Social Class Differences: be aware of my personal biases, assign roles within the group equally, help the group focus on individual strengths
Multiple Intelligences: assign roles to students that focus on their individual intelligences, lesson plan incorporates the following intelligences:
Linguistic: using printed texts for information on topic
Interpersonal: cooperative grouping, developing communication skills,
Intrapersonal: students are using their imagination and using their strengths
Learning Styles: assign roles to students that focus on their individual learning styles, present information orally as a group and to the teacher when giving the answer.
Instructional Materials Needed:
Questions
Notebooks to write down questions and answers
Pencils
Groups of students
Procedures:
Establish Set:
Welcome students into class. Have a discussion about the book, The Courage of Sarah Noble. Talk with the students about different things they learned from reading the book. Ask probing questions. Who was Sarah? Why did they go on the trip? Why was Sarah so afraid?
Introduce Assignment:
Each student will get two questions they must answer. They will take quiet time to answer the questions. Then the student will get together with a partner and discuss the questions they answered. The teacher will then pick a group of two students to give their response to the class. The teacher will continue to do this throughout the class period giving the students new questions, having the students sit quietly answering the questions, having the students pair up and discuss the question, and then having a set of partners give their response to the class.
End Assignment:
Have students gather back in their desks and explain to students their essay questions they will be bringing home for homework.
Closure:
Gather students together to find out student understanding. Ask questions about the lesson for feedback.
Informal Assessment of Student Learning:
Teacher will assess students with their partners making sure they both participate in the discussion of the questions and the presentation to the class.
Formal Assessment of Student Learning:
Students will write a 1-2 page essay responding to the question.
What do you feel was the most important discussion topic that we learned about in class? Why did you feel this was the most important topic discussed?
Evaluation:
Reflect on activity for the lesson. Evaluate what were the good points and what needs to be changed in the lesson.
Questions For Students:
1.Do you think it was a good idea for Sarah to accompany her father on such a trip? Why or why not?
2. How might Sarah’s life have been different if she hadn’t gone into the wilderness with her father?
3. What was the most courageous think Sarah did?
4. What do you think would have happened to Sarah if something had happened to her father when he left her with the Indians and went back to get the rest of the family.
5.What did Sarah’s father mean when he said, “To be afraid and to be brave is the best courage of all?”
6.Why did Sarah become scared?
7.Do you think the family could have been more welcoming? How?
8.How did Mrs. Robinson feel about Sarah traveling with her father?
9.Where do Sarah and her father plan to live while they build a house?
10.Why do you think Sarah asks her father not to shoot the deer?
11.What does Sarah think when she first sees the valley where their house will be built?
12.What possessions would you want to have with you in the cave if you were Sarah?
13.What happened when Sarah was talking to the children?
14.How did Sarah try to teach the Native American children English? Was she successful?
15.What did the Native American children do for Sarah?
16.What did Sarah and her father get when the traded with the Native Americans?
17.Who helped Sarah’s father with the house?
18.When Sarah asked to go to with the Native American children to their houses, why did her father put his head down? What was he feeling and why?
19.What time of the year was the house finished?
20.Why is her father leaving?
21.How does Sarah feel about her father leaving?
22.Where was she to stay while her father was gone?
23.Do you think there will be an attack from the northern Native American tribes? Why or why not?
24.Why is it important that Sarah’s courage always be with her
Rubric for Activity and Formal Assessment
CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1Contributions / Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort. / Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard! / Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required. / Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.
Quality of Work / Provides work of the highest quality. / Provides high quality work. / Provides work that occasionally needs to be checked/redone by other group members to ensure quality. / Provides work that usually needs to be checked/redone by others to ensure quality.
Focus on the task / Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed. / Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person. / Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task. / Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.
Working with Others / Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Tries to keep people working well together. / Usually listens to, shares, with, and supports the efforts of others. Does not cause "waves" in the group. / Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but sometimes is not a good team member. / Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Often is not a good team player.
Essay Completion / Student must complete a 1-2 page essay using complete sentences and proper grammer. / Student completes 1-2 page essay with several errors. / Student completes an essay but fails to use the 1 page minimum standard / Student does not complete the essay