Lesson Plan Format for Unit Plan

Name: Helena McKendrick Unit Topic: The Great Depression Grade Level: 8
Day# 7 Duration 45 minutes Lesson Title: Fireside Chats and Introduction to Unit Assessment
Vocabulary: Fireside Chats, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, bank holiday, mass media
Skills: Analyzing primary sources, determining author’s purpose
Concepts: The Significance of Fireside Chats

Objective(s)
Taking into consideration the learning goal of this unit plan, what is the objective(s) of this
lesson that will support the progress toward the learning goal? The statement should be directly
observable (use verbs that can be measured)
1. Students will be able to describe FDR’s fireside chats, and their effect on American
morale during the Great Depression.
2. Students will apply lessons from FDR’s fireside chat as they are introduced to the
culminating assessment for the unit.

Standard(s)
For the lesson plans in this social studies unit, each lesson must have at least one PA social
studies standard and at least one NCSS sub-standard. Most likely, your lesson will meet two
different NCSS sub-standards. Copy and paste each directly from the PASAS website and the
NCSS sub-themes handout on D2L

Standard - 5.2.8.C
Describe the role of political leadership and public service.

Standard - 5.3.8.H
Describe the influence of mass media on government.

NCSS.1.1.a ...enable learners to analyze and explain the ways groups, societies, and cultures
address human needs and concerns

NCSS.1.2.e ...provide learners with opportunities to investigate, interpret, and analyze multiple
historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across cultures related to important events,
recurring dilemmas, and persistent issues, while employing empathy, skepticism, and critical
judgment;

Technology Materials/ Resources

What texts, digital resources, & materials will be used in this lesson? How do the materials align
with the learning objective/outcomes? If appropriate, what educational technology will be used
to support the learning outcomes of this lesson? How do the resources support the learning
objectives?
Cite publications and any web resources.
● Projector
● Laptop
● YouTube
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt9f-MZX-58&t=1s
● Google slides
○ https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1FJ0Y2THyiRf9P3v5BOAnBuHVXUSPe
KY0txgPEWDWnDw/edit?usp=sharing
● Fireside Chat Video Project Guideline Sheet
○ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IRrJ56Rcz3X-YLfb_Ldb_KBns-
xvqhLhxYMMAmptK3Q/edit?usp=sharing
● Blank notebook paper and writing utensils
● Whiteboard and dry-erase markers
● Resources:
○ https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/fireside-chats
○ https://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/fireside_chats.php

Anticipatory Set
5 minutes
How will you set the purpose and help students learn why today’s lesson is important to them as
learners? How will you pique the interest or curiosity regarding the lesson topic? How will you
build on students’ prior knowledge? How will you introduce and explain the strategy/concept or
skill? Provide very detailed steps.

1. The teacher will project an image showing a photo from the Great Depression with a
thought bubble.
2. The teacher will begin the lesson by prompting students to review various themes
discussed about the Great Depression in previous classes
a. The teacher will ask, “if you were an American living during the Great
Depression, what are some concerns you might have?”
b. The teacher will call on students one at a time to share one “concern” to the class
i. The teacher will instruct all other students in the class to show a “thumbs
up” if they agree with the students’ answer, or a “thumbs down” if they
disagree
ii. If the student receives mostly “thumbs up” the teacher will ask them to
write the “concern” inside the thought bubble on the board.
iii. The teacher will continue calling on students until all major themes are
addressed.
 iv. Possible correct answers include:
1. Unemployment
2. Lack of food/resources/money/housing
3. Dust bowl
4. Lack of trust in banking/government
3. The teacher will then ask the students to place themselves in the mindset of the leader or
president of the time
a. The teacher will ask the question, “if you were the president during the time, how
would you ease the concerns of American citizens?”

Instructional Activities
35 minutes
Exploration (Model): How will students explore the new concepts? How will you model or
provide explicit instruction? Guided Practice: How will you provide support to students as they
apply the new concept? How will you allow them to practice (with teacher support)?
Independent practice: How will students review and solidify these concepts to be able to use this
new knowledge? How will you monitor and provide feedback? Provide very detailed steps.
Exploration:
1. The teacher will advance the PowerPoint to slide 2, the title slide, and introduce the
FDR’s strategy for easing the concerns of American citizens: the fireside chats.
2. The teacher will advance the PowerPoint to the next slide (3), which provides a quick
overview of the chats (the 5 W’s). (5 minutes)
a. Students will be instructed to only listen, and not worry about taking notes.
b. The teacher will discuss the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why), and
elaborate beyond what is on the slide for each
i. Who
1. Slide states: “Franklin Delano Roosevelt”
2. Teacher adds:
a. The president who won the landslide election after
President Hoover’s administration failed
ii. What
1. Slide states: “Informal, personal radio addresses given to the
public”
2. Teacher adds:
a. FDR utilized simple language and concrete examples, so a
majority of Americans could understand his messages
b. Addressed listeners as his “friends”
iii. When
1. Slide states: “30 addresses March 1933 to June 1944”
 2. Teacher adds:
a. Often occurred before or during large changes in policy
b. First one occurred the night before a banking reform
iv. Where
1. Slide states: “From a microphone covered desk in the White House
(no actual fireplace)
2. Teacher adds:
a. A reporter named Harry Butcher coined the term “fireside
chat” due to the informal, comforting tone of FDR’s
addresses
v. Why
1. Slide states: “Let’s find out!”
3. The teacher will advance to the next slide, which includes a link to the audio of FDR’s
first fireplace chat. (3 min)
a. The teacher will provide a brief background to this first chat, including the
following details:
i. March 12th, 1933 (the night before banks reopened after the “bank
holiday”)
1. FDR closed banks in an effort to stabilize the collapsing bank
system
2. Utilized this time to pass the Emergency Banking Act through
Congress
ii. Described new reforms to banking and asked public to place their trust and
savings in banks again
Guided Practice:
4. Before playing the video, the teacher will ask students to take out a piece of paper and
create a t chart with “What do you notice?” on the left column and “What do you
wonder?” on the right. (2 min)
a. Students will be instructed to fill out this chart while watching the video.
i. For example:
1. “I notice FDR speaks to the audience in an informal way.”
2. “I wonder if he purposely spoke like this to help listeners feel like
they are talking to a friend.”
ii. Students should have at least 2 items in each column after watching the
video.
5. The teacher will play the first five minutes of the video (stopping at 5:07)
Independent Practice:
6. After watching the video, the teacher will lead a think-pair-share to help students
investigate the purpose of the fireside chats (10 min)
 a. Think- Students will have one minute to review their t-chart and think about how
their observations relate to the purpose of the fireside chats.
b. Pair- Students will have two minutes to turn to a neighbor and discuss thoughts on
the purpose of fireside chats.
c. Share-The teacher will call on pairs to share their thoughts aloud with the whole
class.
i. While students are sharing thoughts, the teacher will write key points on
the board, developing a list of responses to “why” fireside chats
happened/were significant.
1. Anticipated responses to why FDR created fireside chats
a. To explain the details of his New Deal legislation
b. To increase confidence and trust in the government’s
actions
c. To mobilize the people’s support and boost morale
d. To spread messages to the masses in a time before mass
media
i. Teacher may explain:
1. During the 1930s, 90% of American
households owned a radio
2. FDR utilized simple language and concrete
examples, so a majority of Americans could
understand his messages
3. Addressed listeners as his “friends”
4. The Star Spangled Banner was played after
each address to emphasize the patriotic
message
7. The teacher will pass out the guideline sheet and rubric for the Great Depression Unit
Assessment. (10 min)
a. The teacher will read through the guidelines and rubric out loud with the class.
i. The documents will also be displayed on the projector.
b. The teacher will project a list onto the board showing which team each student is
on.
c. The teacher will answer any questions.
Closure
5 minutes
How will students share or show what they have learned in this lesson? How will you restate the
teaching point and clarify key concepts? How will you provide opportunities to extend ideas and
check for understanding? How will this lesson lead to the next lesson?
1. The teachers will instruct students to move so they are sitting with their teammates for
the project.
 2. Students will have until the end of the class period to accomplish three things:
a. Create a shared google document for the team with every teammate’s email
address added
b. On the google document, students should work together to fill out the 5 W’s of
Fireside Chats (who, what, when, where, why).
i. Before the students leave, they must show their finished response to the
teacher.
ii. The teacher will check for completion and relative accuracy.
c. On the same google document, students should write down which three subtopics
they would like to research and include in their own Fireside Chat.
Differentiation
What differentiated support will you provide for students whose academic development is below
or above the current grade level? What specific differentiation of content, process, products,
and/or learning environment do you plan to employ to meet the needs of all of your students?
How do your lesson support student differences with regard to linguistic, academic, and cultural
diversity? How will your lesson actively build upon the resources that linguistically and
culturally diverse students bring to the experience? How will your lesson will be supportive for
all students, including English Language Learners, and build upon the linguistic, cultural, and
experiential resources that they bring to their learning? How will your lesson is designed to
promote creative and critical thinking and inventiveness?
In order to support all types of learners in this classroom, I planned many opportunities
for group and partner collaboration, which allows students to learn from each other. During the
think-pair-share activity, every student has the opportunity to think through their response on
their own, and discuss with a peer, before speaking out to the whole class. This allows students
whose academic development is below the current grade level sufficient time to develop their
own thoughts on the question, as opposed to simply waiting for another student to raise their
hand with the answer before them. This activity is also beneficial for English Language Learners,
who may require extra time to formulate their response to questions, as well as practice
articulating it to their peers to feel confidence sharing out to the class. Students with cultural and
experiential diversity, may offer unique outlooks in their independent “What I notice, What I
wonder” activity, which may lead them to make connections to their own background.
To aid our student with the IEP for a learning disability affecting their reading and
writing abilities, I made sure the lesson did not include an abundance of reading that would
prevent the student from meeting the objectives. Instead of reading an excerpt from a Fireside
Chat, I chose to include the audio file. Instead of having the students take notes on the 5 W’s I
chose to have the students devote their full attention to my short lecture.
The unit assessment introduced in this lesson grants the students freedom of choice in
their subtopics, script, and video-editing. Additionally, although all students should work on each
part of the project, students can take the lead on the parts of the project they feel they excel in.
For example, a student with strengths in technology and video editing may choose to lead their
teammates through that part of the project. The element of choice in this project allows students
to choose topics they are interested in, and use their creativity to produce a unique product they
are proud of.

Accommodations
What classroom accommodations do you plan to employ to increase curriculum access for
students identified with special education needs or 504? Describe how these accommodations
align with the current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each student as applicable (avoid
using actual names of students).
We have one student with an IEP that identifies them has having a Learning Disability,
specifically struggling with reading and writing. In order for this student to have the same access
to the curriculum as every other student, they will be accompanied in the general education
classroom by an aide. Their aide will sit with them during this lesson, mainly helping them with
the independent written tasks, like creating and completing the t-chart.

Modifications
What curricular modifications and/or changes in performance standards, if any, do you plan to
employ to facilitate the participation of students identified with special education needs?
Our student with the IEP for a Learning Disability will be assessed less on writing conventions
than the students without a Learning Disability on their Fireside Chat project. The goal of the
unit assessment is to allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the content of the
Great Depression rather than their quality of writing of their script. Since the script will be a
collaborative effort from the team of 3, I will only assess the student with the IEP on the parts of
the script they performed in the final video.
Assessment (Formal or Informal)
How will you and the students assess where the learning objectives, listed above, were met?
Each formal or informal assessment should describe how it is aligned to the above objective(s).
1. Informal assessment: During the anticipatory set, students share responses to the
question, “if you were an American living during the Great Depression, what are some
concerns you might have?” Students who did not share aloud check their understanding
by showing a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” if they agree with their peer’s answer. This
assesses their understanding of concerns Americans faced every day during the Great
Depression, and therefore the Great Depression’s effect on American morale.(Objective
1)
2. Informal assessment: While watching the Fireside Chat video, students will fill out the
“What do you Notice, What do you Wonder” T-chart to demonstrate their engagement
and understanding of the video. The teacher will collect these charts and review them to
gauge the students’ understanding of Fireside Chats. In doing so, students will be
developing their own description of Fireside Chats. (Objective 1).
 3. Informal assessment: After watching the video, and filling out the chart, the students
complete a “Think-Pair-Share” activity, engaging all students in the question, “What was
the purpose of FDR’s fireside chats?” By assessing their understanding of this question,
students will have a better understanding of the impact of Fireside Chats, specifically on
American morale.(Objective 1).
4. Informal assessment: As an exit ticket, the students must work in their project teams to
recall the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why) of the Fireside Chats, as well as state the
three subtopics they plan to work with for their own Fireside Chats. This exit ticket
activity helps students to recall the major details of Fireside Chats, while also introducing
the unit assessment (Objectives 1 & 2).

Reflection on Planning
How easy or difficult was it to plan this lesson? How will students find the lesson? What was the
most challenging part? What concerns do you have for implementation of this lesson?
While I found the content and activity portion of this lesson to be easy to plan, I had
trouble planning the logistics of the unit assessment, and the best way to introduce the project
within my lesson. I have never created a project guideline sheet before, or had to strategize how
to best introduce a project. When developing the guidelines, I struggled to recall exactly what
information should be included/excluded, and how to best phrase instructions to be easily
understood by middle level students. Through the process, I found myself thinking about
questions the hypothetical students may ask about the project guidelines, and include those
answers in either the guideline itself, or in the notes of the lesson plan.
If I were to implement this lesson, I would be concerned about the timing. Since the
project pertains to the content of the first half of the lesson, it is important to thoroughly explain
Fireside Chats, while also leaving time to properly introduce the project. While I planned for the
project explanation to take about half of the lesson day, I cannot anticipate how long it will take
the students to grasp the details of the project. If I were to implement this lesson and run low on
time, I would prioritize the students recalling the 5 W’s as an exit ticket, and give the students
more time to discuss their projects with their teams the next class period.