West VirginiaStateMuseum Lesson Plan

Basic Information
Lesson Title: / Honoring West Virginians: Building a Monument
Author(s): / Mike Camden
Content Area(s): / Cross Curricular / Subject(s): / WV History
Synopsis: / This unit is a project based lesson scenario. In this scenario, the class will learn about monuments. Students will be divided into small groups to research famous West Virginians. The small groups will then each design their own monument and present their design to the fictional WV Monument Commission (rest of the class).
This is a unit that will take multiple class periods to complete. / Background & Student Relevance / This unit was designed to teach students about the cultural, societal, and historical importance of monuments. While learning about monuments and their design and construction, students will also learn about some of WV’s historical heroes. The monument designing scenario associated with this lesson is a unique way of capturing the students’ attention. The hands-on elements of this lesson should help to maintain student interest and participation.
Grade Level(s): / 8thGrade / Museum Correlation: / Military
Discovery Room 20
Standards
WVCSO’s: / SS.O.8.1.10: examine and analyze a local community and propose ways in which tourism can be developed
SS.O.8.5.14: point out and locate places of historical importance in West Virginia that can be visited by tourists.
VA.O.VAI.1.2: communicate original and personal ideas in a variety of media, techniques, and processes to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks.
VA.O.VAI.1.3: use materials, tools, and technology in a safe and responsible manner.
RLA.O.8.1.8: recognize connections among ideas in literary and informational text (e.g. text to self, text-to-text, text to world connection) and recognize that global awareness promotes understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of ethnic, cultural, religious and personal differences.
RLA.O.8.1.9: summarize explicit and implied information from literary and informational texts to recognize the relationships among the facts, ideas, events and concepts (e.g., names, dates, events, organizational patterns, graphical representations as found in photographs, captions, maps, tables or timelines, textual features including table of contents, headings or side bars).
RLA.O.8.1.13: use examples and details in practical texts to make inferences and logical predications about outcomes of procedures in such texts.
RLA.O.8.1.15: increase amount of independent reading and select appropriate graphic organizers (e.g., diagrams, flow charts, story maps, outlines, concept maps, tables, reading guides) to analyze relationships among more complex ideas generated while reading.
RLA.O.8.2.7: independently resolve information conflicts and validate information through assessing, researching and comparing data.
RLA.O.8.2.8: conduct research by gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing data from a variety of sources:
  • Internet
  • databases for periodicals/newspapers
  • interviews
  • reference books
  • card catalogue
  • miscellaneous resource materials
RLA.O.8.3.1: model effective oral communication skills (e.g., tone, volume, rate, audience, etiquette, standard English) through the presentation of
  • compositions
  • reports
  • scripts
RLA.O.8.3.2: present an oral report with computer-generated graphic aids (e.g., tables, graphs, diagrams or charts).
RLA.O.8.3.3: critique oral/visual information presented, relate personal experiences and apply the information to global situations.
RLA.O.8.3.5: perform a variety of roles in group discussions:
  • collaboration
  • facilitation
  • persuasion
RLA.O.8.3.7: plan, create, organize, and present an age-appropriate media product that demonstrates format, purpose, and audience.
21st Century Skills: / 21C.O.5-8.3.LS.2Student is flexible in approach to solving problems and completing tasks, considers alternative methods, solutions and perspectives, abandons strategies that do not work, and reallocates time and resources as priorities change.
21C.O.5-8.3.LS.3Student sets challenging goals and strategically plans to reach those goals, monitors performance and adjusts effort and strategies, seeks assistance when needed, and demonstrates focused commitment to reaching the established goals.
21C.O.5-8.1.LS.3Student presents thoughts, ideas, and conceptual understanding efficiently, accurately and in a compelling manner and enhances the oral or written presentation through the use of technology.
21C.O.5-8.1.LS.1Student, when presented with a problem, identifies the information needed, uses text, people, online databases and search engines to filter relevant information efficiently, analyzes information for biases, synthesizes information gathered and creates an effective and efficient response to the problem.
21C.O.5-8.2.LS.1Student engages in a critical thinking process that supports synthesis and conducts evaluations by applying comprehensive criteria.
21C.O.5-8.3.LS.1Student manages emotions and behaviors, engages in collaborative work assignments requiring compromise, and demonstrates flexibility by assuming different roles and responsibilities within various team structures.
Implementation Plan
Essential Question: What choices does an artist make when beginning a work of art?
The teacher will lead the students in learning about the history and cultural significance of monuments, why people or groups are memorialized through monuments, and how monuments typically are designed and built.
This unit should be started with a class discussion to generate interest in the idea of monuments. Teachers could have each student create a graphic organizer for common monument characteristics and then hold a class discussion about monuments. The teacher could lead the discussion to focus on common characteristics that all monuments share and the feelings that the monuments evoke in the students. Questions that can be considered are:
“Have you ever visited any monuments?”
“How did the monument you visited make you feel?”
To set the stage with the meaning behind monuments, a teacher can use the American flag to discuss symbolism. The teacher can show an American flag and ask the students to discuss why the flag is more than just colored pieces of cloth sewn together. The teacher can then do something such as wiping a handkerchief or cloth on her shoe and asking the students why this wouldn’t be something that they would do with the American flag. This should prompt a discussion about symbolism and its meaning to a culture.
Students will be shown resources about Ramses construction of the Great Temples as a monument in Ancient Egypt and the Romans’ use of monuments. Students will then be exposed to other, more modern memorials and monuments. Some suggested teacher resources for this general informational piece are available in the Materials section of this lesson plan. While watching these videos, students should record their reflections to each in a journal to include why these individual monuments were built (what were they meant to memorialize), how they think the public responds to each of these, what challenges they think went into their construction, and why they think each was designed and built in the manner each was (i.e. materials used, layout, size, location, etc).
The teachers should conduct a class discussion encouraging students to share their reflections. Additionally, this discussion should be guided by the teacher to ensure that it addresses the fundamental questions of this unit:
  • Why are monuments constructed?
  • What are some of the considerations, challenges, controversies that sometimes surround their design and construction?
The teacher will then divide the class into small groups (3 – 5 students per group). The students will research more modern American monuments in their small groups. Examples of possible monuments include:
  • The West Virginia Veteran’s Memorial (
  • Mount Rushmore National Memorial (
  • The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (
  • The Booker T. Washington National Monument (
  • The United StatesHolocaustMemorialMuseum (
  • Oklahoma City National Memorial (
  • The WashingtonMonument (
  • The Lincoln Memorial (
  • National September 11 Memorial (
  • Madonna of the TrailMonument (
Depending on the depth of research, teachers could assign each student a single monument to research and present to the class; if doing this, the teacher may want to identify additional monuments and memorials so each student in the class has a unique assignment. The students’ research on these monuments should include more resources than just those listed above. Their research should include three phases for the monuments they research: the monument during planning, the monument when it was unveiled, and the monument now. They should research any controversies surrounding the form and/or construction of the monument and reaction by the public to the monuments. They should also research the manner and materials for the design and building of each. As part of the research, the students should also locate and analyze photos of their monument.
Following the presentation of current monuments to the class, each group will now begin planning and designing their own monument for a West Virginian or group of West Virginians. They will base their selection on the qualities they have learned are typically memorialized through monuments. Examples could include WV military personnel, WV law enforcement personnel, WV or local leaders (education, business, labor, etc). A group may also choose to have their monument focus on a group of West Virginias. Examples of groups could be women in the military, African Americans in the military, participants in the 1958 Charleston sit-ins, child coal-mine workers, people lost in industrial disasters (such as those in the Sago tragedy), etc.
Each small group will research the person or group they will be memorializing and begin planning their monument. Students should consider the following questions as part of their design process:
  • What should viewers think about or feel when they see your monument?
  • Should the monument be realistic (such as the Lincoln Memorial) or abstract (such as the WashingtonMonument)?
  • Out of what material(s) should the monument be made?
  • How big or small should the monument be?
  • Should the monument consist of one structure (or piece) or several structures (or pieces)?
  • Should the monument encourage viewers to touch it or walk through it (such as the National Holocaust Memorial), or should the monument be roped off or made unreachable in some other way?
  • What should a plaque on or near the monument say?
(These questions were adapted from those offered by Discovery Education in their Designing a Monument Like Those of Pharaoh Ramses. 2008. United Streaming.
The groups will design final products as described under the Product Description and present their products to the class.
Product Description
Final Product:
Each small group will design the following items around the questions offered above:
  • A presentation to the WV Monument Commission proposing the commissioning of that group’s monument. Ideas for this presentation could be poster board based, via software such as PowerPoint, a video developed by the group, or a web site.
  • A mock-up of their monument using a computer-aided design tool (such as Google sketch-up) or a 3-D model (using tools such as clay or other molding materials).
  • A mock-up of the plaque to be used. This mock-up should be as accurate as possible with regard to text, style, colors, etc.
  • A marketing piece to attract visitors. Examples could be a travel brochure, a video, or a webpage for the monument.
These final products allow for an assignment of division of labor within the group and make for easier individual assessments if the teacher so desires. If the teacher would like to assign individual roles, possible roles are:
  • Project Lead (responsible for developing and presenting the presentation)
  • Lead Engineer (responsible for developing the mock-up of the monument)
  • Graphic Designer (responsible for developing the plaque)
  • Director of Marketing (responsible for developing the marketing piece)
Other roles such as videographer, lead researcher, team economist, etc could also be assigned.
In addition to the final products, teachers may also want to assign each student to keep a journal to track the student’s reflections on the videos and individual research. This is another way to allow for individual assessment during a group project.
Material’s List
  • Videos for the introduction to monuments and memorials
  • Short video showing that Ramses built the Great Temples as propaganda tools:
  • Short video discussing the historical significance of monuments to the Romans:
  • Short video discussing American monuments: (requires Discovery Streaming subscription or trial subscription to view).
  • Short video about the U.S. Holocaust memorial Museum:
  • National September 11 Memorial Video:
  • Short video about the Taj Mahal:
  • Many additional short videos of monuments such as those in DC that would be appropriate for classroom viewing can be found online (such as these from YouTube:
  • Internet access for research
  • Modeling material (if desired for the mock-up)
  • Access to Google Sketch-up (if desired for the mock-up)
  • Access to video recording and editing hardware and software (if desired for the final product)
  • Access to software for web design, graphics design, and presentation design (if desired for the final product).

Assessment
See the attached rubrics.
Technology Integration
The Internet will be used extensively in this lesson for research. The final products can incorporate technology extensively or to the level that is supportable by the school. Finally, the teacher could also choose to use an online resource for the journaling. Examples of this could be the development and use of a wiki or threaded discussion board.
Additional Notes

Honoring West Virginians: Building a Monument Scenario
Presentation

Teacher Name: ______
Student Name: ______

CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / Total
Uses visuals clearly and effectively / Highly developed, memorable visuals clarify and illustrate main points; presenter integrates and manages visuals skillfully. / Visuals clarify and illustrate main points. / Visuals slightly linked to presentation; sometimes support or clarify main points. / Visuals not tightly linked to presentation; do not support or clarify main points. / ___
4
Communicates and stresses main points (main questions) / Presentation stresses main points persuasively, flows logically, clearly, and leaves a long lasting impression. / Presentation clearly and logically stresses main points. / Presentation is somewhat clear and communicates some points. / Presentation lacks clarity and logic, important points may be omitted. / ___
4
Projects confidence and authority. / Stands up straight, looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. / Stands up straight and establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. / Sometimes stands up straight and establishes eye contact. / Doesn’t stand up straight and avoids eye contact. / ___
4
Enunciate clearly with appropriate volume / Speaks clearly and distinctively, and can be heard by audience. Pacing is appropriate for audience. / Speaks clearly and distinctively, and can be heard by audience. / Speaks clearly, but is somewhat hard to hear by the audience. / Often mumbles or cannot be understood, mispronounces many words, and is difficult to hear. / ___
4
Makes minimal pauses and avoids filler words. / Oral presentation is tightly constructed, and avoids filler words. / Oral presentation makes minimal pauses and avoids filler words. / Oral presentation is somewhat hesitant, often uses filler words. / Oral presentation is stumbling and constantly uses filler words throughout. / ___
4
Comprehension / Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions by classmates about the topic. / Student is able to accurately answer most questions by classmates about the topic. / Student is able to accurately answer a few questions by classmates about the topic. / Student is unable to accurately answer questions by classmates about the topic. / ___
4
Total / ___
24

Honoring West Virginians: Building a MonumentScenario
Monument Mock-up

Teacher Name: ______

Student Name: ______

CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / Total
VisualMonument Display (x 2) / Monument is well-developed and is an excellent representation of the subject. / Monument clearly represents the subject. / Monument gives a basic representation of the subject. / Not a clear representation of the subject. / ___
8
Appeal of display / Very appealing and neat visual display. / Appealing display that captures the audience attention. / Display will catch the audience attention, but will not hold the attention of the audience. / Basic visual display that will not appeal to the audience. / ___
4
Construction -Materials / Appropriate materials were selected and creatively modified / Appropriate materials were selected and there was an attempt at creative modification / Appropriate materials were selected / Inappropriate materials were selected / ___
4
Overall Design / Structure displays a design that reflects the importance of the monument, and fits within the monument as proposed in the presentation. / Structure displays a design that reflects the importance of the monument, but could fit within that proposed in the presentation better. / Structure displays a design that does not clearly reflect the importance of the monument, but fits within what was proposed in the presentation. / Structure does not display a design that reflects the importance of the monument and does not fit with what was proposed in the presentation. / ___
4
Comprehension / Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions by classmates about the mock-up. / Student is able to accurately answer most questions by classmates about the mock-up. / Student is able to accurately answer a few questions by classmates about the mock-up. / Student is unable to accurately answer questions by classmates about the mock-up. / ___
4
Total / ___
24

Honoring West Virginians: Building a Monument Scenario
Plaque

Teacher Name: ______
Student Name: ______

CATEGORY / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 / Total
Originality / Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. / Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. / Uses other people's ideas and/or there is little evidence of original thinking. / No real effort at creating an orignal work. / ___
4
Attractiveness / Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance product. / Makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance product. / Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the product. / Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the product. / ___
4
Craftsmanship (x 2) / No torn or cut edges, excess glue, wrinkles, or unnecessary marks on pages. Border is even. Coloring is consistent. Text is computer generated. / Missing one element of a perfect 4. / Missing two elements of a perfect 4. / Torn or cut edges, excess glue, or unnecessary marks exist. Coloring is not consistent. Text is poorly written. / ___
8
Effort / Student completed assignment, meeting and/or exceeding all criteria. / Student completed assignment in above average manner, yet more could have been done / Assignment completed with adequate interpretation of assignment, but lacked finishing details and could have been improved with more effort. / Work not finished or is inadequate for assignment. / ___
4
Comprehension / Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions by classmates about the plaque. / Student is able to accurately answer most questions by classmates about the plaque. / Student is able to accurately answer a few questions by classmates about the plaque. / Student is unable to accurately answer questions by classmates about the plaque. / ___
4
Total / ___
24

Honoring West Virginians: Building a Monument Scenario
Brochure