Christopher Columbus and Exploration!

Tonianne Dente 3rd grade- Social Studies/ELA October 3rd , 2013 Type of Setting: This lesson is for a class of 30 third grade students at P.S. 81. This is an inclusion class with ranging skill levels. 1. Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the famous explorer Christopher Columbus and to learn about his journey over 500 years ago, to create our own journey narratives. 2. Vocabulary and Key Terms: 3. Skills: Awareness of historic facts of a famous explorer. Using maps. Writing narratives on exploring. Social studies vocabulary refresher. Explorer: someone that travels to places that are new to them. Discover: to become aware of something. Voyage: a long trip or journey. Compass: a tool used to show direction. Map: a representation of a certain area or place. Route: the direction one takes to travel a journey.

4. Objectives: Students will identify who Christopher Columbus is through an informative video. Students will demonstrate map skills by drawing the route taken. Students will infer the hardships of explorers traveling in 1492 through class discussion. Students will create journey narratives pieces based on presented information. Students will recall social studies vocabulary to enrich their writing and understanding of exploring.

5. New York State Learning Standards

STANDARD I HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES AND NEW YORK

Elementary Key Idea 1.1: The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are unified by many values, practices, and traditions. Key Idea 1.2: Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives. Key Idea 1.3: The study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups. 3rd Grade Language Arts Standards Reading: Informational Text Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Writing Text Types and Purposes W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. o Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension. o Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. o Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration

SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly. SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

6. Pre-Assessment: The teacher will call the students to the meeting area on the rug. Once the students are settled the teacher will explain that they will be learning about a famous explorer today, and a lot of what we will talk, the students will already have prior knowledge on. The teacher will ask if anyone knows who Christopher Columbus is? What did he do? Why is he famous? The teacher should also mention that he has entire holiday dedicated to him and were even off from school for it! This should then spark interest in the topic. 7. Lesson Presentation: Set Induction: After introducing the topic for the lesson, the teacher will use the Smartboard to show a Brain Pop Jr. video on Christopher Columbus. The video is a great summation of who the explorer was and what he did that made him famous. The teacher should pause at different points in the video, to briefly ask questions or point out important moments or vocabulary. Once the video is over, the teacher will ask students to turn to a partner and discuss what they think would be necessary for a journey or long trip just like the one Christopher Columbus has taken. Remind students that they have been learning about different tools and parts of maps in social studies that can be beneficial for this (maps, globes, compasses, longitude, latitude). The teacher will use the white board easel to write a list of what the students have come up with after discussing with a partner. This will come in use later for the writing activity.

Procedure: Next, the teacher will explain the directions to students for when they go back to their seats. Each student will receive a map of the world and will face the Smartboard to trace Columbus journey together. The teacher will have the same map projected on the Smartboard screen. The teacher will ask if anyone remembers where Columbus first set sail from. Altogether, the teacher and class will mark his starting point and then mark his endpoint. The teacher will explain how long a journey it was to find the New World. The teacher will ask what important tools do you think Columbus needed? How does someone go about preparing a journey like this? Would you say yes to follow Columbus to the New World? These essential questions will help the students brainstorm some ideas for their writing prompt. This part of the lesson will be the open discussion section for the class.

Next, the teacher will explain the following writing activity, which asks students if they were to embark on a journey, where would it be, who would come, and what would you bring with you? Students may also write about a New World they discover, just like Columbus did. Before handing out the lined paper for their stories, the teacher will model using her own example. After reading her own story, the teacher will ask someone to repeat the directions. The teacher will pass out the papers and have the students begin immediately.

Closure: During the writing process, the teacher will walk around and help students who need assistance coming up with ideas. The teacher should also have students refer to the whiteboard easel, which includes some of their original ideas and vocabulary that they can use in their stories. The teacher should also hand out the Explorers Vocabulary List to help the students write. Next, the teacher will ask for a few volunteers to share what they wrote with the class. The teacher should conclude the lesson by asking the class to meet back on the rug. The teacher will ask the students what they learned today? How does learning about Christopher Columbus journey help you create yours? Its important to take on the point of view or perspective of someone elses experiences or in this case journeys, to better understand their experiences and for developing your own stories. Learning from past experiences can help you plan better for the future. Were almost done with

personal narratives and this piece of writing was a small introduction into writing just narratives about something that could happen, something that you have created in your mind using the knowledge you have. 8. Materials and Resources Needed: Lined Explorers Paper for Journey Narratives Map of Christopher Columbus Journey Explorers Vocabulary Sheet Whiteboard easel Marker Smartboard

9. Follow-Up Activity: For homework, the teacher will ask students to draw a map of the place they wrote about in class today. Make sure to include important social studies vocabulary words we talked about in class on their maps. For example, if a student chooses their journey to be one around Australia, the student should replicate a map of Australia and mark the starting and ending point of the journey. The student can also include their method of transportation on the map. 10. Evaluation/Assessment: Students will be evaluated on their class participation, peer discussion, and whole class discussion. The teacher should look out for important social studies vocabulary words the students use as well. Students will also be assessed on their Journey Narratives from the writing prompt in class.

11. Differentiated: For students struggling with the lesson, the teacher can come around and help them mark the starting point and ending point of Columbus journey using colored pencils. There will also be a Vocabulary sheet that will be beneficial to all students who may need help with their writing.

For students excelling with the lesson, the teacher may ask them to incorporate the names of continents on the map when they are tracing the journey. The teacher can also ask these students to incorporate at least 5 of the words the class came up with for their Journey Narratives.

12. Resources: Brain Pop Jr. Video: http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/holidays/columbusday/ Social Studies standards: http://schools.nycenet.edu/offices/teachlearn/ss/SocStudScopeSeq.pdf Language Arts Standards: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/pdfdocs/ccssi_ela_standards.pdf Christopher Columbus Voyage Map http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art/print?id=88703&articleTypeId=0