Carolyn Valada

EDU 5170
Lesson Plan

Technology

11th Grade U.S. History Course

Content Standard(s)
Standard 1: History of the United States and New York
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major
ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New
York.
3. Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in
New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and
contributions of individuals and groups.
4. The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical
evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of
multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of
different historical developments.
ISTE NETS for Students standards
ISTE.1.c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and
to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
ISTE.6.d Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their
intended audiences.
ISTE.7.c Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and
responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
Lesson Objective(s): Students will
1. Summarize The Gettysburg Address
2. Use the website
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/lincoln/shell.swf to look at
different types of sources to find out more information on the subject.
3. Design a newspaper based on the Battle of Gettysburg and The Gettysburg Address
4. Analyze The Gettysburg Address
Introduce the Learning Activity:
A.

At the beginning of class I will have the students sit at the computers and log on. While the

computers are loading I will explain to the students that today we will visit a website that gives
us information on the Battle of Gettysburg. We will have been discussing the Civil War earlier in
the week. After reading about the battle the students are to listen to the speech given by Abraham
Lincoln The Gettysburg Address. After listening to the speech the students will get into groups
and create a newspaper with an article, in Microsoft Word, written about Lincoln speech.
Instructions for exactly what to do will be written on the board as well as on my website. This
link will also on my website:
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/static/neh/interactives/lincoln/shell.swf
In the instructions students will be told to pay particular attention to Lees campaign and
Meades campaign, and to be sure to look at the photos of the Gettysburg battlefield
(some of these photos are a bit graphic, so if the students feel uncomfortable they do not
have to look at the photos. The students are then to listen to The Gettysburg Address.
The students will be told that they will be expected to write about The Gettysburg
Address, using the information they have gathered from this website. In the newspaper
article they will be expected to analyze the speech the Abraham Lincoln gave and
summarize what this speech was about and why it is important.
B.

Students will have been learning about the civil war in the days prior to this lesson. This class
gives them a chance to hear a piece of history. Students will also get the chance to be creative
creating a newspaper about the event. The can include photos and other pieces of information
about the battle. They could also include quotes for people who witnessed Lincolns speech or
from those who lost a love one in the battle. The only thing they must include is an article
discussing Lincolns speech, mentioning what is was about, and analyzing why Lincoln gave that
speech and said what he said.
Provide Information:
A. Instructions for the assignment will be put up on the board and there will also be a copy of the
instructions on my website. I will walk the student through these instructions, asking if there are
any questions, and will show the students, what website they need to be on by displaying it on
the board. There will be separate instructions for the students for creating the newspaper. I will
give the students a 5 minute warning before it is time to switch from the website to working in
groups and creating the newspaper. When it is time for the students to get into groups and create
a newspaper, I will show them an example newspaper and different tools they can use when
creating their newspaper.

Provide Practice:
A.

Students will be given time to explore the website provided to find out more information on the
Battle of Gettysburg, and listen to The Gettysburg Address. They will then be given time to
think about the address and to think about what the address was about and why it was important.
They will look at all of the sources given for The Gettysburg Address and take note of what
they find important. They will then be given an opportunity to design a newspaper based on the
Battle of Gettysburg and The Gettysburg Address. In this newspaper they are to have at least
one article on The Gettysburg Address summarizing it and stating why the address was
important.

B.

Students will explore the website provided individually. They will also listen to The Gettysburg
Address individually and begin to summarize and analyze to on their own. Once the students
have finished listening to the speech and exploring the website they will break up into groups of
three and design a newspaper in Microsoft Word based on the information they have just
gathered. They will further summarize and analyze The Gettysburg Address in their groups for
their newspaper article(s).
Provide Knowledge of Results:
A. I will provide verbal feedback by walking around the rooms as the students work in their
groups and telling the students that they are on the right tract or if they need to change something
about what they are working on.
B. The students will print out and hand-in their newspapers to me and I will give written
feedback on each of these and hand them back to the students in the next class.
Review the Activity:
A. At the end of class students will be given a Ticket Out the Door in which they will answer
questions about the Battle of Gettysburg and about The Gettysburg Address. I will give the
student this back in the next class and this will provided written feed back. Describe how you
will provide written feedback to the students on their practice efforts. Describe how you will, or
how you will have students, summarize the important points in this lesson.
Method of Assessment:
A. I will have a rubric for the newspapers to ensure that they are done correctly, though these

will not be graded. I will also use the Ticket Out the Door as a way of assessing whether or not
the students have learned the skills outlined in the learning objectives.