Jesus Basulto, Edu 220: Educational Psychology, Direct Instruction Lesson Plan

STANDARD LESSON PLAN FORMAT

I Describe the Class

The 8th Grade World Geography class contains twenty-five (25) students;
There are three students who have a distinct learning disability (of the 25)
o A student has oral language disability, another has reading-dyslexia,
another student has writing-dysgraphia
Two English-Language Learning (ELL) students (of the 25)
o All speak Spanish
Two gifted students are also in the classroom (of the 25)

II Subject/Skills:

8th Grade World Geography: The Cultural Geography of El Salvador

III Objective(s)

Given a map of El Salvador, the 8th Grade World Geography students will be able
to label three major cities in the country and a body of water.
8th Grade World Geography students will be able to describe El Salvadors major
cultural geographic features (such as the official language, a major holiday, the
national pastime of the country, and system of government) after going over the
chapter material.
After watching a video on contemporary culture in El Salvador, 8th Grade World
Geography students will be able to construct a Venn diagram in order to compare
and contrast their culture to El Salvadors culture (five bullet points per Venn
diagram section).

IV Procedures

Teacher will state the objectives (found above) to the students. Next, the instructor
will explain how knowing about anothers culture is beneficial. Getting to know
others values and customs bring awareness and sometimes students can find out
that even though cultures differ, there are many similarities between different
people.
Students already know about El Salvadors physical geography, including the
capitol and other large cities (San Salvador (capitol), Soyapango, and Santa Ana).
As a warm up, students will be handed out an outline map of El Salvador, where
students will label three major cities and any body of water (includes Lake
Ilopango, Pacific or Atlantic Ocean). They can work in pairs in order to find the
information and refresh what they learned last class. Turn it in once completed.
They have ten minutes to locate the places.
The teacher will instruct the students to take notes on the presentation. A handout
with fill-in spaces will be handed out so students can record notes on the
presentation.
 o Official languages will be introduced, major holidays will be shown and
how they may differ to similar Holidays in the United States (some
examples include: November 2nd, All Souls Day; El Salvadors
Independence Day is September 15), different national pastimes will be
given (different festival customs and sports will be mentioned), different
foods people eat in the region, and explain a little history on El Salvador
has a representative democracy, with some political contemporary
problems. Many visuals will be provided so students can see a glimpse of
Salvadorian culture.
The guided practice will be administered through the slideshow presentation, with
numerous examples of Salvadorian culture. There will be many visuals, like
pictures, so students can form an idea of a foreign nations different values.
Through the PowerPoint, I will be checking for student comprehension. The
instructor will not ask Any questions?, rather (e.g.) Hey, [insert a student
name], what kind of government does El Salvador have?; or [insert a student
name], what is El Salvadors favorite sport?. If the student answers wrongly, then
scaffolding to find a new way to help the student will be done in order to make
sure students grab the key concepts. The following bullets will explain what
contents will be on the PowerPoint:
o Slide 1: Title
What do you students know about El Salvadors customs?
o Slide 2-3: Official language of El Salvador
Why do you think El Salvador speaks indigenous languages
besides Spanish?
o Slide 4-5:Major Holidays in El Salvador
Do you notice any differences between our holidays and theirs?
o Slide 6-7: National Pastime of El Salvador
Soccer is the El Salvadors favorite sport, so any of you play
soccer? This is something we may have in common.
What is El Salvadors favorite sport again?
o Slide 8-9: System of Government
What type of government does El Salvador have?
o Slide 10: Contemporary challenges El Salvador faces
Any other questions or concerns?
o Slide 11: Video

Finally, an independent activity will follow after watching the video. Students will
construct a Venn diagram in order to compare their culture on one side, El
Salvadors on the other, and in the middle, similarities. Each side and middle
should have five points. Instructor should walk around and make sure students are
well oriented with the concepts of Salvadorian culture and answer any last
questions they may have. The diagram will be collected as a ticket out the door.

V Materials
 Outline map of El Salvador
Textbook, computer and projector
PowerPoint (El Salvadors Cultural Geography) with Video
Guided Notes for the PowerPoint
Venn Diagram outline sheet
Laptop with note guide and Venn diagram, printer (only applicable for students
with writing-dysgraphia or reading-dyslexia)

VI Grouping Structures

The beginning, where students label El Salvadors major cities, they have the
ability to perform the task in pairs.
During the lecture, students will take fill-in the guided notes individually. The
discussions during the presentation will be done as a class in order to hear student
ideas and experiences.
After watching the video, students will work on the Venn diagram individually.

VII Modifications

When checking for comprehension, students will oral language disability will be
given an A or B question so they do not have to answer complexly.
o To student with this learning disability: Hey, is El Salvadors national
sport soccer or hockey? (Change output for adaption)
To the students with reading-dyslexia or writing-dysgraphia, there will be laptops
open (with the guided notes) where those students can type their answers in order
to help overcome their disability. They can print the notes to have them for their
records. The Venn diagram will be available on the computer as well; they can fill
the bullet points in and print it. Although, they are only required to do three points
instead of five. (Change input for adaption)
The two ELL students will be helped by Spanish speakers in the classroom. The
instructor is also a Spanish speaker and can help the students comprehend the
work and build their English skills. (change level of support for adaption)
The two gifted students will be encouraged, by the instructor, to list some major
rivers of El Salvador in the beginning task and seven bullet points for culture
comparison. They can also write a little story to express their experiences with
other cultures on the bottom of the Venn diagram page. (Change size for
adaption)

VIII Assessment

Besides checking for comprehension and the independent Venn diagram

assignment, students will be assigned questions from the textbook that correlate
with El Salvadors culture. There are five questions, each response three
sentences, and will need to be turned in at the beginning of next class.