Fall 2013
rethink.
Lesson 3: Important People of the Civil War Era
Lesson Overview:
The main idea of this lesson is to encourage students to research prominent figures during the Civil War era. We will discuss as a class what makes someone important from that time period, and come up with ideas on specific people to research. There will be frameworks provided to help them organize their research, such as a worksheet that has a chart on it. The chart will directly relate to the information they will put on each side of their BioCube. The BioCube will be made and shared with the class.
Preparation:
The teacher should create his or her own BioCube prior to teaching this lesson. The link is provided below. Another link is provided so that this PDF of the BioCube Planning Sheet can be printed. Prior knowledge necessary for this assignment is familiarity with the Civil War era and biographies.
Materials:
-
Pencil
-
Paper
-
Laptop/computer
-
Printer
-
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/cube_creator/media/planning_bio.pdf worksheet
-
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/cube_creator/ website to create BioCube
Instruction:
-
Bring together the whole class for discussion. Write characteristics of biographies on the board or a large piece of paper.
-
Also using the board or paper, discuss different important people in the Civil War Era (Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Frederick Douglass, etc.)
-
Introduce activity about researching a particular person. You may want to have a tutorial on specific websites or databases to use.
-
Explain how students will use research to create a BioCube. Show a demonstration of your own, and the worksheet that will be used in aid of research purposes.
-
Have students decide whom they want to study from the list the class came up with. Potentially break them into groups so that only so many students can sign up for a particular person.
-
Hand out the BioCube worksheet.
-
Get students started with their research, go to a computer lap in the school or bring laptops into the classroom.
-
Monitor the students’ progress and if you find a common confusion, address it to the entire class.
-
Have students take the worksheet they filled out, and use it to go onto the website provided to make their BioCube. Show them how to access it.
-
Once the students are completing their BioCube on the website, show a tutorial on how to print them.
-
Once they are printed, assemble the BioCubes. It might be a good idea to print one out at the same time the students do in order to do the steps with them on putting together their cube.
-
Have students share their BioCube with small groups. Afterwards, open up the sharing to the whole class if you so choose.
Standards:
RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
W.4.9(a) Apply grade 4 reading standards to literature (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text- character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
L.4.3(c) Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g. presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g. small-group discussion).
References