Dimitri Syros
Social Studies Teacher
LESSON PLANNING
After long-term planning and unit planning is complete, lesson planning is the final focus that zooms in on standards and activities and spells out what is to occur in the classroom on a daily basis. Planning around standard alignment has been completed mostly during prior stages, so lesson planning is a more interactive phase in which I design specific learning activities and decide how I am going to present information to my students.
In the template below, I follow the same backwards-planning approach described during previous planning phases. Backwards-planning refers to planning with student end goals in mind. Typically with this approach to planning, assignments are created first around framing goals, and then lessons are built out to ensure that students reach the designated end goals by the end of the lesson. Checks for understanding is present throughout the lesson before moving forward with new information to make sure that students are keeping up and retaining knowledge along the way. Through lesson planning I am able to determine critical junctures in the lesson that I feel may be most challenging for students. When determining which junctures of the lesson that I feel might be most difficult for my students to internalize, I recall teaching the topic on previous occasions and reflect on past shortcomings. For example, typically when I teach Social Contract, students enter the class with the justified misconception that the Social Contract is a physical document as opposed to an abstract concept. I address this misunderstanding explicitly in my instruction to ensure that students can appropriately engage with the topic. During these periods it is important that I clarify misunderstandings that students have and plan my instruction to allow for the most simplified presentation of key ideas as possible. Based on the climate of the class, I can make adjustments on the spot to my lesson and restructure/add/subtract activities that I feel will be the most meaningful for that particular group of students. This particular lesson plan focuses on the Enlightenment Thinkers John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu.
LESSON PLAN
LESSON PLAN POWERPOINT
Typically lesson plans are always accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation that allows me to pace out the course of the class and ensure that I have adequate time to reach all of the key points for the day. The PowerPoint is always displayed on my Promethean board to allow all students a clear view to follow along. Commonly the slides contain graphics, visuals, videos and simplified charts that guide the flow of the lesson. Since the information on the slides is saved digitally, it can be edited in real-time to make adjustments and modifications and can even be shared directly with students.
LESSON PLAN VIDEO STIMULI
The primary assessment for this lesson plan involves students completing a CER writing sample regarding a case study on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. After introducing the material on social contract, I introduce my students to the mysterious figure Idi Amin through a Hollywood movie trailer. From this point, student interest is heightened and I take them on a story through Idi Amin's rise to power by presenting them with key facts, photographs, video interviews, statistics and quotes as well as a series of scaffolding questions to build out their writing.
At the end of some lessons I challenge students to reflect on their work and decide what aspects they were most proud and least proud of. From this point we discuss these aspects when small conferencing about grades and progress towards student growth goals and path to mastery.
Unit Planning Instructional Strategies
LESSON PLAN CER WRITING SAMPLES
After viewing the video clip above, students were guided through a series of scaffolding questions related to applying Social Contract to Idi Amin's Uganda. The questions included:
1. What was the Social Contract in Uganda in 1971?
2. Did Idi Amin apply the Rule of Law or did he act arbitrarily in maintaining his power?
3. Do you believe that Idi Amin was justified in murdering his own people?
4. Explain how this example demonstrates an application of Social Contract.
The goal of this assignment is for students to recognize that Idi Amin violated the Social Contract by mistreating his people, and thus was overthrown through revolution. The expectation is that students would draw parallels between Idi Amin and King George III and recognize the American reasoning behind invoking revolution as it pertains to Social Contract. In designing this lesson I was explicit to utilize content vocabulary such as Rule of Law and arbitrary power that gives my students an opportunity to apply what they have practiced at the unit level through Frayer models and other vocabulary activities. The two samples below feature solid work that reflects students reflecting on Idi Amin's mistreatment of his people, and thus a justified social revolution. Based on the evidence provided in the PowerPoint presentation, the students picked up on the necessary cues and drew on their sources to demonstrate comprehension on the topic.
LESSON PLAN REFLECTION