Sample lesson plan:

Lesson one Day one

Daily topic: Louisiana Purchase; History
Estimated time: Two hours separated between two days.
Prerequisite skills: Students should know how to access and work Microsoft word
and email.
Standards: Identify cultural elements that have contributed to our state heritage
and Identify people and their influence in the early development of Louisiana.
Objectives: - This lesson will teach students about the Louisiana Purchase and its
significance. Students will write a letter to President Jefferson saying why they think
he should or should not buy the Louisiana territory. You will grade on based on the
rubric that is included, but students should know who is involved, when this
occurred, the cost, and the actual outcome. They will also be graded on proper letter
format and length (10 sentences).
Procedures:
List the order of you activities be specific (I should be able to teach straight
from your plans)
1.) Present information about the Louisiana Purchase to children using
Prezi. The Prezi will include what time period this occurred in, who was
involved, how much it cost, and the outcome. (I have included an example
one that you should add images and more information to.)
http://prezi.com/yz8q_m88jdgj/?
utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
2.) Provide students with a copy of the Louisiana Purchase document.
http://www.umsl.edu/library/merc/exhibits/lewis_and_clark_maps/MAPS
_online_images/LP%20intro%20label.jpg
3.) After teaching the students, have them access Microsoft word and write a
letter to President Jefferson stating why they think he should or should
not purchase the Louisiana territory. Provide them with this graphic
organizer on the computer to get help them understand what should be
included in their letter.

LETTER WRITING: BE PERSUASIVE!

On December 20, 1803, the United States officially took possession of the
Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Purchase cost the United States 15 million
dollars and nearly doubled the size of our country. Today, almost everyone
agrees that the Louisiana Purchase was a good deal for the United States.
There were, however, many men in Congress who disagreed with President
Jeffersons desire to purchase the Louisiana Territory.
In this activity, you will write a persuasive letter to President Jefferson. In a
persuasive letter, the writer tries to convince another person to do something
his or her way.

DIRECTIONS:
Write a persuasive letter to President Jefferson. Make sure your letter
includes:

HEADING: Write your school name on the first line, your school
address on the second line, and todays date on the third line

GREETING: This is where you write the name of the person to whom
you are writing. The Greeting usually starts with
Dear _____________ and always ends with a comma.

BODY: This is where you write your letter. The first sentence of the Body is
always indented a few spaces.

CLOSING: This is where you end your letter. The Closing should match the
type of letter you are writing. If the letter is to someone you dont know very
well, you might use Sincerely or Best Regards. If the letter is to a friend, you
might use Your Friend or Love. The Closing always ends with a comma.

SIGNATURE: This is the official end to your letter when you sign your name.
The Signature is always in cursive.

4.) Pair students who think the president should buy the territory with
students who think he should not for discussion.
5.) Then, have the students write in letter format and email it to President
Jefferson. (Here is an example, but the students letters should be 10
sentences.)

President Jefferson
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Jefferson,
I am Abbie Malin and I am writing this letter because I do not think that
you should purchase the Louisiana territory. I believe you should not buy the
land because I prefer that we stay a small country. I think if we stayed a small
nation we would be easier to govern and have more close knit communities. I
also think that we could spend 15 million dollars on something else, like our
school system. I know that the end result could be very positive and allow our
country to be larger and more powerful but I feel that we should remain small.
Thank you for your time,
Abbie Malin

6.) Grade based on the following rubric.

Materials: You will need a computer for yourself and a way to should your Prezi to
your class. You will also need enough printed copies of the Louisiana Purchase and

enough computers or enough time for each student to type their letter, and you also
need each child to have an email account.
How do you accommodate students: Pairing the students will help students who
may have learning disabilities to understand the assignment and what is being asked
of them.

Rubric: