Title of Unit: The Political Process Title of Lesson: Political Parties Submitted By: Breanna Cape

A. Summary of the Lesson Plan: This Civics lesson plan is designed for 5th grade students to learn about the major political parties in the United States. This lesson uses resources from the Internet and the book Friendly Foes: A look at Political Parties. By Elaine Landau. B. Target Population: Grade Level: 5th Grade Skill Level: Students at all learning levels. Grouping: Whole class discussion, C. Materials: Pencils Paper http://blog.flocabulary.com/compare-political-parties-a-worksheet-and-lesson-plan/ Pictures of famous leaders (Martin Luther King, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln) Friendly Foes: A Look at Political Parties. By Elaine Landau Poster board Markers, crayons and colored pencils D. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards o C.15.5.2 Name the two major political parties. Student-Friendly Standards Students will be able to identify the two major political parties.

E. Procedure: 1. Engage- First I will show the students the political parties video. We will then have a guided discussion and discuss the different terms used in the video. We will then do KWL chart after we watch the video. 2. Next as a class we will read the book Friendly Foes: A Look at Political Parties. By Elaine Landau. After reading this book we will discuss the information in it and add to our KWL chart. We can add to the learn column, and possibly add to the what we want to know column. 3. After reading the class will be dividing into groups of four. They will have to make a poster for a particular party. They will then create a poster outlining that particular parties platform. 4. After the students create their poster they will present it to the class. We will have a group discussion about the different parties. We will then finish up our KWL chart. 5. CLOSURE: In closing I will explain to students that neither party is right nor wrong. They are just different. Everyone has their own opinions and they all okay to have. Then I will have the students clean up their supplies.
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2013 Karen Powell- Instructor page 1

Title of Unit: The Political Process Title of Lesson: Political Parties Submitted By: Breanna Cape

F. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding? I will use class discussion and poster boards to measure understanding. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson. I will know whether the students understand the concepts of this lesson by paying close attention to their answers during group work and whole class discussion. I will also assess their understanding by grading their posters and presentations. G. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? I think the easiest part to teach will be to read the book and play the video. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? I think the most challenging part will teaching the students the differences between the parties. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? I will extend this lesson by creating class political parties in our classroom. The students will create different parties and platforms and then choose the party they identify with. Once they have chosen a party they will choose a party candidate and have a class vote. 4. What will you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? If students do not grasp the concepts I will ask them to talk to their parents about the different parties and which one they are a member of. Then they will have to write a 3-5 paragraph essay on the party they identify with. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I may need to break the lesson into two parts. 6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part of writing this lesson was figuring out how to be sensitive about the topic. Resources: http://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Foes-Political-PartiesGovernment/dp/0822513498/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244659011&sr=12#reader_0822513498 http://blog.flocabulary.com/compare-political-parties-a-worksheet-and-lesson-plan/
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2013 Karen Powell- Instructor page 2

Title of Unit: The Political Process Title of Lesson: Political Parties Submitted By: Breanna Cape

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2013

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 3