Lesson Plan #1

Name: JaCobris Jackson

Subject: American Government/Civics
Grade: 11th
Georgia Performance Standard: SSCG10 - The student will describe the legislative process
including the roles played by committees and leadership.
a. Explain the steps in the legislative process.
b. Explain the function of various leadership positions within the legislature.
Resources Used/Materials Needed: In addition to the basics such as pencils, pens, notebook
paper and textbooks, the students will definitely need some type of technology (cell phone,
iPad, Tablet, video recorder) in order to complete the planned lesson, How a Bill Becomes a
Law group project.
Learning Objective: In this standard, the students will learn the functions of the entire
legislative branch, which tells us what laws they make and how they are made, the differences
and similarities between the two houses of Congress (House of Representatives and Senate)
and how bills become laws.
Assessment/ Progress Monitoring: A grading rubric will be applied to the finished skits/videos
of how bills become laws. The students will be graded on five different categories, each on a
scale of 1-4 (1 is poor, 2 is acceptable, 3 is good and 4 is excellent). A unit test will be
administered at a later date along with SSCG9, SSCG12, and SSCG13.
Differentiation: To differentiate instruction using the leveling approach, I can create two
different ability levels of the PowerPoint mini-lesson using the same content. One level should
be enriched and the other should be basic. The basic version should include the basic
information that students are required to know in the simplest form possible. This will allow time
for more repetition and review. If a co-teacher is in the room they can use parallel teaching to
present the social studies differentiated instruction PowerPoint mini-lesson. It is most helpful if
an alternate room is available and the class is able to be split up using both teachers to present
the content. If a co-teacher is not available, there are two choices. I can teach the basic level
first and allow the students who will be enriched to begin on their work sessions. This will only
work if the students were assigned a homework assignment that introduced them to the content
the night before. Another option is to have the students who are to get the enriched level of the
PowerPoint mini-lesson go through the PowerPoint mini-lesson on their own with either a
computer or a tablet. It is important to note that a pretest of some sort must be given in order to
group students correctly.
Special Needs Accommodation: If there is a special needs child in the classroom setting,
(s)he will get all of the help and support (s)he needs, even if it means one-on-one time between
the two of us. Im sure this will go smoothly with the Special Needs educator in the room
assisting me. Another alternative to helping students in this predicament is to give them extra
time to complete the assignment, meaning that his/hers will be due at a later date/time.
Opening the Lesson/Introduction: Before we can have fun, I must teach my students who
and what makes up the legislative branch and how it works. As a way to integrate technology as

much as possible, I will use a PowerPoint, clicker, YouTube videos and a School House Rock
video to teach the lesson and familiarize them with the information.
Conducting the Lesson: With the School House Rock Video in mind, the groups will make its
own version of an informative video on how a bill becomes a law. The goal is to come up with an
idea of your own, and NOT remake the original Im Just a Bill video. All members of the group
must have a part or make an appearance in the video. Groups will need to include a written
script of their video as well as a copy on a jump drive or in their cellular phones. The skits may
be acted out in class and may not be longer than five minutes.
Closing the Lesson: Ill be periodically walking around and monitoring the class to make sure
that everyone is working diligently and on task. The rubric guidelines will be strictly enforced.
After the Lesson: As always, bookwork and/or homework will be used to enhance the students
knowledge. This is one way to ensure that they are reading, listening and learning not only
inside of school, but outside as well!