877: Collaborative Lesson Plan Alison Wilkins Emporia State University

Lesson Plan Title: Gilded Age College Faculty Project Class and Grade Level: Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History; 11th grade Overview: For this lesson, I will be collaborating with Mr. Leochner, the AP U.S. History teacher. He has been lecturing his 3 AP U.S. History classes on the Gilded Age, and this project is the final project for this unit. Since this is an AP class, the students are expected to work independently and quickly. They will have one day to research in the library and then a couple days to write up their final project. Since these students are advanced, Mr. Leochner wants them to work pretty much independently. He doesnt want me to do too much extra help for them as they research. For this project, they will work in groups. They will pretend that they are creating a university at the beginning of the 20th century and they must hire faculty to head all departments. They must research the backgrounds of multiple historical figures from the Gilded Age to staff to hire. They must find a real figure from the Gilded Age to be deans over the following departments: business, economics, law, journalism, social welfare, political science, education, engineering, and liberal arts. They must write a justification for each hire then create a recruitment brochure advertising their university (especially their faculty). Finally, they will present their project to the class. Projected Time Frame: 1 day for research in the library computer lab (this is the part I will be available for), 3 days to type paper, create brochure, and present to class. Content Area Standards: History (United States) Standard: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of significant individuals, groups, ideas, events, eras and developments in the history of Kansas, the United States, and the world, utilizing essential analytical and research skills. Benchmark 1: The student uses a working knowledge and understanding of individuals, groups, ideas, developments, and turning points in the era of the emergence of the modern United States (1890 -1930). High School Knowledge (K) and/or Application (A) Indicators: Indicator 1 (A): The student examines topics in the transformation of American society in the rise of big business, heavy industry, and mechanized farming in the late 19th century (e.g., Social Darwinism, Gospel of Wealth, Robber Barons or Captains of Industry, Sherman Antitrust Act, and muckrakers). Indicator 5 (K): The student explains the spread of Progressive ideas (e.g., political influence on elections, desire to have government regulation of private business and industries, child labor laws, muckrakers, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson). Information Literacy Standards: From Skill Benchmarks to Achieve by Grade 12: Standard 1: Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge Indicator 1.1.1: Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life

Indicator 1.1.4: Find, evaluate, and select appropriate sources to answer questions Indicator 1.1.6: Read, view and listen for information presented in any format (textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning Indicator 1.1.8: Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing information and pursuing inquiry Indicator 1.1.9: Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding Standard 4: Pursue personal and aesthetic growth Indicator 1.1.8: Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning Cooperative Teaching Plan: Mr. Leochner will introduce the Gilded Age, create the assignment, present the assignment, help students find information as they research, and provide the formal assessment for the assignment. I will pull books for the students to provide additional resources, add good websites to the list of databases on the library homepage for students to use, help students find information as they research, and answer questions about the research process (as needed). Required Resources: In addition to paper and pencil, students will need nonfiction books and reference materials, computers, database access, links to other useful sites. The sites I chose to link to are very basic, easy to read sites. Since this is a speedy assignment and students are simply doing quick research on individuals, I chose 2 websites that have timelines, lists of important people from the period, and lists of events from the period. This way, the students will be provided with lists of names and events to use as search key words in the databases or the book indexes in case they get stuck. End Product: The students will write up a rationale for each hire they made in their imaginary university. It will explain why that historical figure is the best choice to head the department they selected him/her for. They must also create a brochure to advertise their university to prospective students (focusing heavily on the faculty), and present their findings to the class. Assessment Overview: For my part, I will not perform any of the formal assessments. Mr. Leochner will be giving the final letter grade to all of the students. My part is performing informal assessments to make sure they are having success in their whirlwind research process. I will circulate around the library lab and offer suggestions or tips if I notice they seem stuck. Assessment Results: These students had no problem performing this research. I was barely needed. This is what I was expecting from AP classes. They showed that they already had research skills and this project was a chance for them to hone these skills. I assessed that they were able to do many things already without me having to re-teach them. 1. They were able to refer to their notes from their class lectures for search terms to be able to find historical figures. 2. I noticed they were good at trying different key words or phrases and werent afraid to try again if the first failed. They would search for things like lawyers in Gilded Age or businessmen in Gilded Age. If they had trouble with that, they would also search for the decades instead of Gilded Age.

3. They made good use of the links that I provided. They even used the links to greater effectiveness than I had thought they would. One of the sites provided a cultural map that showed historical events and figures and what they accomplished. They were able to use this map to find names and events to search in order to see whom they should hire. 4. They also knew how to use the print resources (although only a couple in each class chose to go this route). They used the table of contents as well as the index to find historical figures for their university. 5. They were great independent researchers. One of the only times I had to step in was when I overheard a group saying they must find a person to head the journalism department. I suggested they search muckrakers since that was a name for a type of journalist at the time. They did that and were able to find a good journalism department dean. 6. The library media program was just right for this assignment. It provided a computer lab for the students to do research, databases, books, reference materials, and additional links to help the students be successful in their research in this short time frame. 7. I could tell that these students were taught about researching long ago. This is also a positive reflection of the districts library program. If the program was weak and didnt help the students, I believe these classes would have needed more help than I had to provide. 8. The primary area for improvement that I was able to see is the library media program needs to be sure that students are confident in searching databases. I noticed whenever students started running low on time or if they just really wanted to finish a selection, they would turn to Google or another search engine. For this assignment, that was okay, but for a bigger, more involved research project, that wouldnt work. The library media program should find ways to collaborate with teachers in order provide more opportunities for students to receive training in using the databases as well as opportunities to independently search on the databases and learn how to confidently use them. Practical Action Based on Individual Information Needs: Since this was a group project, it was important to be sure that all students took part in the project. Mr. Leochner did his part by providing a long list of departments that they had to find deans for (completing this list will require all students in the group to work). For my part, I had to make sure there was enough information and resources that every students needs are met. I did several things to do this: 1. The library provided databases that would be great resources for students who are more advanced in searches. 2. I provided links to websites that are incredibly easy to navigate and provided quick information and gave lists of terms and names the students can use in key word searches. 3. I made sure the websites I provided links to had a mixture of text and images. There were lists of names, cultural maps, and timelines as well as narrative writing. 4. I also provided books for students who wanted to be more hands-on and physically move through the information. 5. I provided several books at different levels. Some were more advanced and required more skimming and reading to find the information on the page while others were targeted at a young adult level and were very easy to use and find information in indexes and on the page. As a result, students with very advanced research skills and students with more basic research skills were able to find information.

6. I made myself available for questions so that I could help anyone who was struggling. This ensured that everyone was able to find what he or she needed. **Technology was used widely in the students search for information. They used the librarys list of databases, the links I provided, and their own Internet searches. This project was set up for them to work independently. As a result, the students were able to find what worked best for them.