Fall 2013
rethink.
Summary:
This lesson’s goal is to act as an overview and reflection to the other three lesson plans in the unit. The students will be creating their own newspaper with different sections that allow them to reflect on each lesson that they previously completed. The newspaper will have 3 different elements that the students will have freedom to design and individualize on their own after seeing a few examples. The first section will be an “Ask Annie” type column where they will voice their opinion on how they felt about the activity that triggered some emotion and whether or not they found the lesson to be realistic and effective in getting the idea of the trail of tears across. The next column will be a brainteaser and it will incorporate the math lesson that the students had by asking them 5-6 math problems that reflect on drawing to scale. The last section will be an art reflection where the students glue down the provided painting to their newspaper and then write three bullet points detailing their observations about the painting. After they complete the three sections, they will come up with their own title for their newspaper and we will reflect on what steps we took to format the newspaper.
Preparation/Materials:
Large white paper, computers and a printer to type the opinion column on, math handout on that can be glued to the bigger page, black ink pens, sharpies, glue, copies of the painting
Lesson 4: Language Arts
This picture, The Trail of Tears, was painted by Robert Lindneux in 1942. It commemorates the suffering of the Cherokee people under forced removal. If any depictions of the "Trail of Tears" were created at the time of the march, they have not survived.
Instruction:
-After all the other lesson plans have been completed, we will begin reflecting on the unit by asking for 3 or 4 questions or comments that the students had about the activities
- The students will gather the materials that they need: white paper, scissors, pens, the painting, and glue
-They can begin to section out the newspaper into the three categories: the painting, the opinion column, and the brainteaser.
-Once they have their layout completed, they will begin writing their opinion column detailing how they felt about the activity when they had to put themselves in the shoes of the people who were forced out of their homes and neighborhoods. The students should be reflecting on the emotions that the felt and how they found this activity to be relatable to their lives.
- After they finish that part, they will glue in the brainteaser section and will complete the questions on the worksheet
-Next they will look at the painting and observe it for 2-3 minutes. They will then write 3 bullet points on what they notice, observe, find interesting, and/or anything else that they feel should be noted.
Standards:
E04.B-K.1.1.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, steps, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
Assessment:
As a class, we will discuss the elements that go into the making of a newspaper. We will discuss how the students came up with all different layouts, the differences in formatting, and how the students came up with a different title and subheadings for each section. After reflecting on the newspapers, the teacher will individually grade the newspapers looking for quality, creativity, and whether or not the students had the necessary sections completed.