Lesson 8: Signature Assignment Natalie Walraven …8:!Signature!Assignment!SPE!573!!! ! Abstract: This unit will focus on the Civil Rights Era in the 1960’s. Students will learn

Lesson 8: Signature Assignment SPE 573

Lesson 8: Signature Assignment

Natalie Walraven

SPE 573

Differentiated Instruction for Gifted Learners

Arizona State University

April 28, 2014


Abstract: This unit will focus on the Civil Rights Era in the 1960’s. Students will learn what the

Civil Rights Movement was and how it changed the United States. By learning about the

pivotal leaders of the movement, students will build their understanding and ability to

evaluate the contributions of theses leaders in the movement and the social injustices they

worked to bring awareness to and change. In the introductory lesson students will

evaluate the effects of segregation. Through videos and photographs they will examine

firsthand what the social injustices and prejudices looked like in the 1960’s. During week

one the class will analyze and evaluate the contributions of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr.’s contributions during the Civil Rights Movement. In week two students

will understand, analyze, and evaluate how and why President John F. Kennedy and the

United States became involved in supporting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s. In

week 3 the class will be introduced to Cesar Chavez. Students will explain how Cesar

Chavez became a Civil Rights leader and apply that understanding to analyze and

evaluate the impact of his Civil Rights work, while comparing it to the work of Martin

Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. To finish the unit a final project will be assigned, which

will give students the opportunity to choose how they would prefer to present their

learning through a variety of student choice activities, in correlation with the project

students will complete a biography research paper. Each student will present his or her

project to the class. This project is an at home and school project, where students will

create a presentation about one of the most inspiring Civil Rights leaders they learned

about during the unit.


The sensitivity of this content will be adapted to a third grade audience; however,

the truths and realities of the topic will not be glossed over. The gifted students in class,

who have a passion towards research and social science topics, will be given the

opportunity to delve deeper into this topic by working with “teacher approved and

selected” research materials and Internet resources, which may require more maturity in

their understanding to truly be able to grapple with the seriousness of the content.

Unit Plan: Civil Rights Era 1960’s

Week 1: Lesson 1- Introduction to the Civil Rights Movement

Note: This lesson was found on the website:

http://www.usd116.org/profdev/ahtc/lessons/Mann10/Mann10.pdf, is titled “Knocking

Down Fences A Civil Rights Unit for Third Graders”, and was created by Martin L.

Mann. I have changed some aspects to better meet the needs of my students.

Standards:

Arizona State Academic Standards: Social Studies, Writing, and Reading

1. Strand: Reading Standards for Literature, Concept: Craft and Structure

Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using

terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on

earlier sections.

2. Strand: Reading Standards for Literature, Concept: Integration of Knowledge and

Ideas. Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is

conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or

setting).


3. Strand: Writing Standards, Concept: Text Type and Purposes.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

4. Strand: Language Arts Standards, Concept: Key Ideas and Details:

1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly

to the text as the basis for the answers.

5. Strand: Listening and Speaking, Concept: Comprehension and Collaboration

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and

teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas

and expressing their own clearly A. Come to discussions prepared having read or studied

required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about

the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

(E.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a

time about the topics and texts under discussion). c. Ask questions to check

understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the

remarks of others. d. Explain their ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

6. Strand: Social Studies, Concept Research Skills for History.

Use primary source materials (e.g., photos, artifacts, interviews, documents, maps) and

secondary source materials (e.g., encyclopedias, biographies) to study people and events

from the past.


Materials:

1. The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002.

2. Two notecards one for individual responses and one for group responses)

Procedure:

1. Teacher introduces the book The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson, to students by

doing a picture walk, asking students to look carefully at pictures and describe what’s

going on.

2. Students brainstorm their ideas about the story; i.e., setting, characters and plot.

3. Teacher reads the text and revisits the ideas the students had, establishing the time

and place and actions in the story.

4. Teacher asks students the significance of the fence—who put up the fence, why is it

up, and what does the fence “do”?

5. Teacher directs the students to the last page where Annie says, “Someday

somebody’s going to come along and knock this old fence down.” And Clover

responds, “Yeah, someday.” and provides a connection [if the students haven’t already]

to the Civil Rights Movement.

6. Teacher connects back to The Other Side and the fence, using the fence as a metaphor

for the Jim Crow laws, defining the laws as laws in the South that kept African

Americans and Whites separated, explaining that these fences or separations were the

barriers to freedom for African Americans.

7. Teacher provides students with photographs depicting evidence of the separation of the

races through Jim Crow laws.


8. On the board, students analyze the photographs independently and write down their

own observations. Once they have completed this step the class will break up into their

table groups and answer the following questions together, one student acts as the

recorder:

a. Where are the “fences” in the photos; i.e. for what purpose are African

Americans and Whites separated?

b. Who benefited from the separation and who suffered? How?

c. What is worth standing up for? Explain.

9. Once all groups have completed their questions the teacher will utilize the “Name Card

Method” for the class to share their answers in a whole class discussion.

Assessment:

The teacher will review the students’ individual and group notecards as well as evaluate

student understanding during the class discussion. The teacher will take notes of student

responses and participation during the class discussion. Students will receive

participatory credit for this activity and be graded based upon their group cooperation.

Week 1: Lesson 2- Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Name Card Method:

Content:

This instructional plan will have 3rd grade students understand, apply, analyze,

and evaluate the contributions of Civil Rights Leaders Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. This lesson appeals to all

levels of students in the learning environment. It fosters cooperation, collaboration, high

level thinking skills, and listening and speaking skills. This instructional strategy teaches


students the value of listening to their peers, while evaluating everyone’s responses. It is

the goal of the teacher to deepen students’ own understandings of the discussed issues

that relate so relevantly to this historical time period and connect it to students’ everyday

experiences in the present time.

Students will be covering required standards in Language Arts, Writing, Listening

and Speaking, and Social Studies. Students in 3rd grade have been introduced to these

Civil Rights leaders in prior grades (1st grade), based upon Arizona State Standards.

Materials:

1. Note Card

2. Book: Rosa by: Nikki Giovanni

3. Book: My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior by: Martin Luther King, III

Standards:

Arizona State Academic Standards: Social Studies, Writing, and Reading

1. Strand: Social Studies, Concept: Postwar U.S.

Recognize that individuals (e.g. Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Martin

Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez) worked for and supported the rights and freedoms of

others.

2. Strand: Writing Standards, Concept: Text Type and Purposes.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

3. Strand: Language Arts Standards, Concept: Key Ideas and Details.

1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly

to the text as the basis for the answers.


4. Strand: Listening and Speaking Standards, Concept.

Comprehension and Collaboration. Engage effectively in a range of

collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners

on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly A.

Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw

on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under

discussion. B. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g. gaining the floor in

respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and

texts under discussion). c. Ask questions to check understanding of information

presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. d. Explain

their ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Process:

This lesson is modeled after the video titled: “Video 6: Name Card Method”:

Student Discussion Questions:

1. Rosa: The struggle for civil and human rights continues in this country and

around the world today. What examples can you think of? What are the issues

involved? Are there any recent examples of a person, like Rosa Parks, whose

“no becomes a YES for change”?

(http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/discussionguides/9780805071061DG.pdf)

2. My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior: What are some ways people are

different? What are some ways they are the same? What does it mean to treat


people equally? (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/my-daddy-

dr-martin-luther-king-jr)

Students will participate in a “Think, Pair, Share” activity by answering two different

discussion questions on their personal notecard. The discussion questions will relate to

two different books read to the class over the past two days and will be written on the

board. Students will respond to both questions and put their pencil down when they have

finished. Once the teacher notices that most students are finished with both of the

discussion questions, partners (person sitting next to them) will be asked to share the

responses they put on their notecard, they will have 3 minutes to do this. The teachers

will then “pull a stick” which has the students’ names on it. The student who is chosen

will share either their response or their partner’s response it is their choice. There can be

no repeats in answers. The teacher will pull as many sticks as possible in the amount of

time allotted for the lesson. Before the teacher shares her remarks based upon the

students’ responses, she will ask for any volunteers who would like to share their

response or add anything to the previous responses. There may be no repeats for these

responses as well. If there are any repeated responses throughout the discussion, the

teacher will tell the student, and that student will forfeit their chance to contribute to this

discussion. Students, who are stuck on sharing their response, may have their partner be

called on to help them, but no one else may contribute. “The goal is total participation.”

(Winebrenner, 2012, pg. 15)

To address the needs and curriculum goals for the gifted students in the class, the

lesson utilizes different levels of Anderson and Krathwaohl’s revised Blooms Taxonomy

(2000). Much emphasis is placed upon the “Evaluating” level for these students, which is


very beneficial. These types of questions enhance higher level thinking skills and allow

gifted students to ascertain the social injustices of the era, while making

recommendations and critiques of how and why equality for all is a moral necessity in

our society. The discussion questions deal with implicit social injustices, which can

evoke a passion in some gifted students towards the learning material, “ (Gifted Students)

have an advanced sense of justice, morality, empathy, and fairness, especially about

global issues that many of their age peers aren’t interested in.” (Winebrenner, 2012, pg.

13) This activity gives the gifted students in the class the opportunity to work

independently, in a small group, and with the whole class in a more matured style of

discussion. It addresses the needs of how all students may prefer to interact in chunks.

Assessment:

The teacher will assess students’ understanding of the lesson’s content by

reviewing the student notecards, and listening to student responses during the “pair and

share” portion of the lesson. It would be beneficial for the teacher to make notes of any

student comments that would nicely close the discussion, and students learning.

Week 2: Lesson 3- President John F. Kennedy and the Civil Rights Era Content:

This instructional plan will continue our unit about the Civil Rights Movement of

the 1960’s. In our previous lesson students became familiar with two pivotal Civil Rights

Leaders of the era (Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kind Jr.) In this lesson students will be

introduced to President John F. Kennedy’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.

In particular, the focus will be on President Kennedy’s work with Civil Rights activist

James Meredith.


In January of 1961, James Meredith requested to apply for a doctoral program at

the University of Mississippi (Ole’ Miss) and was rejected based upon his race. After a

yearlong court battle it was concluded by the U.S. Supreme court that the university and

state of Mississippi acted unfairly, and that Mr. Meredith indeed had the right to register

at the school and be considered as any other student would be considered for admittance.

President Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, had numerous

telephone calls with Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi, to discuss the safety of the

students, James Meredith, and the armed service guards who would patrol the campus

and its perimeters on the day Meredith would be admitted. Due to the high tension

against the Civil Rights movement in the South at that time, Kennedy feared the safety of

people attending the school and those that came to view James Meredith’s arrival.

Prior to this activity students will have viewed three historical footage videos

(listed in the references) to hear different perspectives of this historical event from the

media, Governor Barnett, President Kennedy, and Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Students will read an article online about JFK’s administration and his contributions to

the Civil Rights Movement, they will listen to recorded conversations between Governor

Barnett, JFK, and RFK during the planning of the integration of the University of

Mississippi, and view information online from the JFK library site about the event and

learn more about President Kennedy’s stance towards the need of protecting the civil

liberties of all African American citizens.

Using The ThinkTrix by Dr. Frank Lyman, students will deepen their

understanding of this historical event and connect their previous understandings about the

Civil Rights Movement to a bigger picture of how this moment in history changed a


nation. The ThinkTrix format will not only reach the gifted and high achieving students

in the classroom, but it will give the other students in the class the opportunity to utilize

higher level critical thinking skills. Winebrenner discusses in the text how utilizing the

ThinkTrix grid is beneficial to gifted and high performing students in the classroom,

“Gifted and high performing students appreciate the independence of ownership, the

“enfranchising of their minds,” that working with the ThinkTrix grid allows. With such an

inspiring topic as the Civil Rights Movement, it is sure to provoke great student

discussions in class and the ThinkTrix will help facilitate a “high level of thinking” for all

students in the classroom.

Objective:

Students will understand, analyze, and evaluate how and why President John F. Kennedy

and the United States became involved in supporting the Civil Rights Movement of the

1960’s.

Standards:

Arizona State Academic Standards: Social Studies

Strand: Social Studies Concept: Research Skills for History

a. Recognize that individuals worked and supported the rights and freedoms of

others.

b. Retell stories to describe past events, people, and places.

c. Formulate questions that can be answered by historical study and research.

d. Analyze the cause and effect relationships between and among individuals and/or

historical events.

e. Describe two points of view on the same historical event.


Materials:

1. Copy for students of Dr. Frank Lyman ThinkTrix Grid.

2. Activities and notes from previous lessons about historical event.

3. Student Social Studies notebooks to record their responses to the different leveled

questions.

Procedure:

Following the format utilized in Video 7 “Critical Thinking” the teacher will have

students record their own responses to the ThinkTrix grid examples in their Social

Studies journals, when time is up (about 2 minutes), the teacher will give the class time to

share their responses with their assigned partner (about 3 minutes), once everyone has

spoken with their partner the teacher will pull sticks to hear individual student responses.

Students may share their response or their partner’s response. No repeats are allowed and

those that are not called upon will have the opportunity to share any important points at

the end of the discussion. Students can have their stick pulled more than once, at any

time, to ensure active listening by all students in the class.

ThinkTrix Example Grid:

Cause and Effect: Name some causes that lead to the integration of the University of

Mississippi followed by their effects. How have the happenings of this event in history

affected you in your present day life?

Recall: Why did President John F. Kennedy feel it was important to become involved

with the integration of University of Mississippi? Do you think he should have become

involved in the Civil Rights movement sooner?


Similarity: Based upon the recorded conversations we listened to between President

Kennedy, Attorney General RFK, and Governor Barnett, in what ways were their goals of

what would happen the day James Meredith arrived similar?

Difference: How was President Kennedy’s viewpoint and goals of the Civil Rights

movement different from Governor Barnett’s viewpoint?

Idea to Example: Think about a time when you or someone close to you was challenged

by narrow-minded ways of thinking. Give several examples of how James Meredith’s

experience could help you or your friend overcome their challenges and persuade others

to think differently.

Example to Idea: In James Meredith’s letter to the U.S. Department of Justice he wrote,

“Why do I feel that you will or should be concerned about me? I have no great desire to

protect my hyde, but I do hope to see the day when the million Negroes that live in the

state of Mississippi will have cause not to fear as they fear today.” What do you feel the

integrating of Mississippi University would do to help alleviate that fear for African

Americans in Mississippi? Do you think it would cause more fear amongst the African

American community during this time or would alleviate their fears?

Evaluation: With the courage of James Meredith and the support of the Kennedy

Administration more and more citizens of the United States began to realize the

importance and needs for the Civil Rights Movement. Those that were more forward

thinking began to support and fight for legislative changes in many states across the

country. Review the online article about President John F. Kennedy’s contributions to the

Civil Rights Movement, and your Circle Map about his address to the nation on

September 30, 1962 regarding the integration of Ole’ Miss. Overall how would you


describe President Kennedy’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement? Do you feel he

did enough or could he have done more? Did he do a good job of supporting the goals

and words of Dr. Martin Luther King?

Assessment:

Students will be assessed based upon their responses to the ThinkTrix Grid and their

participation with their partners, groups, and whole group discussion. (See rubric below)

Lesson Rubric 4 3 2 1

ThinkTrix Grid Responses

Responses are detailed well

thought out and show a great

deal of evaluation and analysis of the

content.

Responses are detailed and

show some use of evaluation

and analysis of the content.

Responses lack important details and do not show

much use of evaluation and analysis of the

content.

Responses do not have any detail

and do not show any evaluation or

analysis of the content.

Supporting examples for

responses

There are numerous

examples given to support responses.

There are some examples given

that support responses.

Supporting examples are not sufficient and do

not support responses.

There are no supporting

examples that support

responses. Partner

Participation Partner stayed in

engaged with their peer

throughout each one on one discussion.

Partner stayed mostly engaged with their peer

throughout each one on one discussion.

Partner had a difficult time

staying on task during peer

sharing, but still showed some participation

with their partner.

Partner was not on task with their peer and didn’t

share their responses

effectively with their partner.

Whole Group Discussion Participation

Student was active in class discussion and respectful of

their classmates.

Student was mostly active in

the class discussion and was respectful

of their classmates.

Student had a difficult time following the

class discussion and showed

little participation in listening to their

peers.

Student did not get involved in

the class discussion when

asked and showed no

respect for their peers.


Week 3: Lesson 4- Cesar Chavez

Content:

This instructional plan will study the life and social contributions of Cesar

Chavez. The goal of this instructional plan is for students to analyze Cesar Chavez’s

activism in comparison to the Civil Rights leaders they have previously studied,

understand how Civil Rights leaders before Chavez impacted his work, and evaluate the

effects of Cesar Chavez’ activist efforts that worked to create equality for Mexican

Americans, while bettering the lives of migrant workers in the U.S.

Students will be placed in ability-based groups that were formed based upon pre-

test results, which evaluated students understanding and importance of the Civil Rights

Movement thus far. Students reading ability was also factored into the formation of

groups, due to the amount of independent reading and research that would need to be

conducted for some of the advanced and most challenging activities. Students who would

perform entry-level activities would mostly be using the books and resources that have

already been reviewed as a class. Students may choose to complete the activity at the next

level, once they have satisfactorily completed their assigned activity. Students will

present their work to their assigned groups once all assigned activities are complete. This

process is required so that students can reflect and share what they have learned.

Winebrenner states, “The Curriculum Differentiation Chart and the Tiered Lesson

Planning Chart both follow steps to ensure that all students learn the required standards.

The difference is that the TLC focuses on differentiating levels of thinking”.

(Winebrenner, 2012, pg. 157)


Objective:

Students will explain how Cesar Chavez became a Civil Rights leader and apply that

understanding to analyze and evaluate the impact of Cesar Chavez’s Civil Rights work,

while comparing it to the work of Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks.

Required Standards:

Arizona State Academic Standards: Social Studies and Writing

1. Strand: Social Studies, Concept: Research Skills for History.

Use primary source materials (e.g., photos, artifacts, interviews, documents, maps)

and secondary source materials (e.g., encyclopedias, biographies) to study people and

events from the past.


Recognize that individuals (e.g., Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks,

Martin Luther King Jr., César Chavez) worked and supported the rights and freedoms

of others.

3. Strand: Writing, Concept: Text Type and Purposes

a. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

b. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations

when useful to aiding comprehension.

c. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Materials:

1. Copy of the Tiered Lesson Planning Chart created by Winebrenner & Brulles.

2. Art supplies for some activities.


3. Social Study notebooks for note while conducting their computer and class

resource research.

Procedure:

After reviewing the activities the teacher will call groups to meet with her to discuss their

assigned activity and will give each student a copy of the rubric that will be used to grade

each completed activity. This will be done while the rest of the class is reading a printed

article about Cesar Chavez (see link in lesson resources for a copy of the article). Once

students have finished the assigned reading and have met with the teacher, they can begin

working on their activities.

Required Standard

Entry-Level Activities Advanced Activities Most Challenging Activities

Day 1-2 Strand: Social Studies Concept: Research Skills for History Use primary source materials and secondary source materials to study people and events from the past

Visit the website http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdchavez.htm Read the biography about Cesar Chavez. Once you have read his biography, review the three photographs from the 1960’s showing Cesar Chavez’s protests and read the quote, “The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.” Explain what Cesar Chavez meant in this quote and explain how the pictures of his protests show that it is “about people”. Lastly, draw and color a picture, write a paragraph, or make a list of several ideas that recall what you learned from the reading about Cesar Chavez and his non-violent protests.

Read the article about Cesar Chavez. After reading the article about Chavez watch the following video: http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=26812 After you have completed the reading and watched the video apply your learning by creating a timeline that chronologically presents the major events of Cesar Chavez’s life. Include printed pictures of Chavez and/or draw your own pictures about Chavez to decorate your time line. Decide how you would like to present your timeline to your group. You can act out a major event from your timeline, create a collage that symbolizes an event from your timeline, or write a poem or song that describes an event from your timeline.

After reading the article about Cesar Chavez and watching the video about Chavez on Biography.com, analyze and evaluate the living and working conditions of migrant workers that lead Cesar Chavez to create a union. Create a diary that details your life as a migrant worker before Cesar Chavez created the NFW, as you write your diary incorporate the activism of Cesar Chavez and explain how it has impacted your life as a migrant worker.


Day 3-4 Strand: Social Studies

Concept: Postwar U.S. Recognize that individuals (e.g.,

Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., César Chavez) worked and supported the rights and freedoms of others.

Using the books, articles, and online resources we have read about Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. Create a Double Bubble chart that compares Cesar Chavez with either Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King Jr. and recall how they each worked for the rights and freedoms of others. 5 contrast bubbles for each person and 5 compare bubbles need to be included.

Using the books, articles, and online resources we have read about Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. analyze how all three civil rights leaders bettered the lives of others. Explain three ways how their (one for each person) activism has impacted current events and why that is.

Watch the clip from Martin Luther King Jr.’s last speech. Once you have completed that video read the speech Chavez gave about Martin Luther King Jr. Create a Multi-Flow Map evaluating the two Civil Rights leaders. Pick several of Martin Luther King Jr.’s pivotal statements about social equality from his speech and show how his work helped influence Cesar Chavez’s work and ability to create an activist platform for migrant workers.

C. Strand: Writing Concept: Text Type and Purposes

1. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

2. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.

3. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Create a PowerPoint that will educate the class about Cesar Chavez. Research information from sources other than the ones we have used in class. Find information that may not be commonly known about Chavez or that we haven’t discussed about him in class. Make your PowerPoint eye catching by including relevant photos of Chavez. At the end of your PowerPoint include a five-question quiz about the information you shared from your PowerPoint.

Write an essay analyzing Cesar Chavez’s contributions to the Civil Rights Era. How did he better the lives of others and how does that compare with the activism of other Civil Rights Leaders we have studied? Create an informational brochure about Cesar Chavez’s contributions to the Civil Rights Era.

Pretend you are interviewing Cesar Chavez. Create a minimum of 10 interview questions and answer them as you think Cesar Chavez would answer them. Answer questions in a complete sentence and create high level thinking questions for the interview. After you have completed the interview portion of the assignment demonstrate what you learned by making a magazine cover that summarizes your interview information and showcases Cesar Chavez’s contributions to Civil Rights. Include an article about your interview with Chavez. Use Kids Time Magazine for help with formatting your article.

(All activity materials and videos can be found in the lesson resources section below.)

Assessment: Students will be assessed based upon the content in their projects. The content will be

comprised of how the student followed the activities directions, its neatness, detail,

grammar, and the accuracy of the information presented within their assignment. See the

rubric below for scoring.


Lesson Rubric 4 3 2 1

Followed Directions

The student followed the directions of the activity at an exemplary level.

The student followed the directions of the activity at an above average level.

The student followed the directions of the activity at an average level, they left out some aspects of the activity or forgot some steps in completing the work.

The student failed to follow the directions of the activity.

Neatness and Grammar

Activity is completed neatly and free of grammatical errors.

Activity is completed neatly and has little grammatical errors.

Activity is completed fairly neat and contains some grammatical errors.

The activity is not neat and includes numerous grammatical errors.

Activity Detail The activity provides a great deal of detail to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the lesson objectives.

The activity provides an above average amount of detail to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the lesson objectives.

The activity provides an average amount of detail to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the lesson objectives.

The activity provides little no detail to demonstrate the student’s mastery of the lesson objectives.

Information Accuracy

The information provided in the activity contains complete accuracy based upon the class reading material and research resources.

The information provided contains mostly accurate information based upon the class reading material and research resources.

The information provided contains some accurate information based upon the class reading material and research resources.

The information provided contains little to no accurate information based upon the class reading material and research resources.


Week 4: Lesson 5 Unit Final Project Civil Rights Leader Biography

Objective:

To demonstrate their learning, students will select a final project of their choice. Students

will create a biography report and visual presentation about a Civil Rights leader from the

era they found inspiring. Students will research their subject’s life from birth to death.

They will evaluate what event in their leader’s life made them an essential activist of the

era. They will write a 4-6-paragraph research paper and create one of the student choice

activities for their class presentations.

Required Standards:

Arizona State Academic Standards: Social Studies, Reading, and Writing


Use primary source materials (e.g., photos, artifacts, interviews, documents, maps)

and secondary source materials (e.g., encyclopedias, biographies) to study people and

events from the past.


Recognize that individuals (e.g., Susan B. Anthony, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks,

Martin Luther King Jr., César Chavez) worked and supported the rights and freedoms

of others.


Use timelines to identify the time sequence of historical data.


4. Strand: Writing, Concept: Text Type and Purposes

a. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and

information clearly.

b. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations

when useful to aiding comprehension.

c. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

5. Strand: Language Arts Standards, Concept: Key Ideas and Details:

1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring

explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

6. Strand: Listening and Speaking, Concept: Comprehension and Collaboration

2. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,

and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on

others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly A. Come to discussions prepared

having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and

other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. B.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions

3. (E.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking

one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). c. Ask questions to

check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their

comments to the remarks of others. d. Explain their ideas and understanding in

light of the discussion.


Biography Research Paper Requirements:

1. Include information about your Civil Rights leader’s

childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Are they still

alive? Have they passed away? Explain what they are

doing now if they are still alive or how they passed

away if they are no longer alive.

2. Discuss how they impacted the Civil Rights Era and

analyze who or what events inspired them to get

involved in the movement.

3. Tell why you chose this person as your subject and

explain how their story inspired you.

Student Choice Activities:

(These activities will compliment student’s biography reports)

Choice 1: Make a puppet of your Civil Rights leader. Be creative and detailed in your

work. Make sure your puppet is dressed as your leader would have dressed and looks like

your leader. With your puppet create a trifold poster. On the poster include information

about their childhood, how they became involved as an activist or how they became a

pivotal person during Civil Rights era. Include a timeline of their life, real historic

pictures of your leader during various phases of their life, and a short summary of your

biography research paper. Be sure to site all your sources using APA format.

Choice 2: Create a PowerPoint presentation that includes information about your Civil

Rights leader’s life. Include information about their childhood, how they became


involved as an activist or how they became a pivotal person during the Civil Rights era,

and a timeline of their life. Your PowerPoint should include relevant historical photos

and video clips of your leader during various phases of their life. Presentation needs to be

at least 3 minutes in length, but not greater than 5 minutes.

Choice 3: Make an informational video about your Civil Rights leader. This may include

a reenactment of one of their famous speeches or moments in history. It may also include

you dressing up like your leader and telling the class about yourself as that person. Your

video must be at least 3 minutes in length, but not greater than 5 minutes. Please include

a poster trifold to present after your video. This will summarize the important information

from your biography research paper. Your trifold should include information about their

childhood, how they became involved as an activist or how they became a pivotal person

during Civil Rights era, and a timeline of their life. It should also include real

photographs of your leader during various phases of their life. This will be presented

after the class views your video.

Assessment:

Students will be given a copy of the research paper rubric and presentation rubric when

they are first given the assignment. This is to ensure that students know what is expected

of them to receive a satisfactory grade on the final project. (See the rubrics below)


Lesson Rubric For

Biography Research

Paper

4 3 2 1

Paper Details

The research paper contains all required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader.

The research paper contains most of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader

The research paper contains some of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader

The research paper contains none of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader.


The paper is completed neatly and free of grammatical errors. Sources are cited using APA format.

The paper is completed neatly and has little grammatical errors. Sources are cited using APA format.

The paper is completed fairly neat and contains some grammatical errors. Some sources are cited using APA format.

The paper is not neat and includes numerous grammatical errors. No sources are sited.


The information provided in the paper contains complete accuracy based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains mostly accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains some accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains little to no accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.


Lesson Rubric For

Biography Project

4 3 2 1

Project Details

The project contains all required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader.

The project contains most of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader

The project contains some of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader

The project contains none of the required information listed in the biography research paper requirements section about their chosen Civil Rights Leader.


The project is completed neatly and free of grammatical errors.

The project is completed neatly and has little grammatical errors.

The project is completed fairly neat and contains some grammatical errors.

The project is not neat and includes numerous grammatical errors.


The information provided in the project contains complete accuracy based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains mostly accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains some accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

The information provided contains little to no accurate information based upon the class reading material and student research resources.

Followed Directions

The student followed the directions of the project at an exemplary level.

The student followed the directions of the project at an above average level.

The student followed the directions of the project at an average level; they left out some

The student failed to follow the directions of the project.


aspects of the activity or forgot some steps in completing the work.

Summary of the Unit:

For my instructional unit I chose a Social Studies topic, which also combined

Language Arts standards. The Civil Rights unit I taught each year has grew each year into

something more complex and multi-faceted. This unit will be the most multi-faceted plan

I have created for this topic, and I feel it provides students with choice, technology,

engagement, the ability to take accountability and responsibility in their learning, and the

motivation to want to learn more, due to the emotional investment that is formed while

learning about the topic. Cash discusses in his text the importance of challenging students

personally and emotionally, “The more emotionally charged a topic is, or the more the

student feels personally connected to it, the more rigorous and engaging the topic

becomes for the student.” (Cash, 2011, pg. 29) Regardless, of a student’s background, I

wanted my class to walk away with an awareness of the empowerment that comes with

standing up for what you believe in. I also wanted them to realize how much the Civil

Rights Movement contributed to our country’s growth of acceptance of others and

changed the views of equality. It was the start of the “social movement” that has fought

for the equality of all and still is fighting for people in parts of our country to this day.

By asking challenging questions, giving students access to relevant resources,

providing reflective opportunities for students, and moving beyond the need to memorize

facts and dates; Social Studies can take higher order reasoning to great heights.


VanTassel-Baska and Little state, “Questions of these types (what is studied in the social

sciences) have no answer that students can look up in a book and memorize; instead,

students must have opportunities to learn how to find and examine sources of information

and draw conclusions.” (VanTassel-Baska & Little, 2011, pg. 245) The history classes

that I always loved in school infused relevant materials and learning resources in their

units. Instead of having to picture what it was like during WWII, my teacher utilized

multi-media, real person interviews, photographs, and artifacts from the era. It sparked

an interest in the subject right away and reached students in a way that helped them

develop a connection with the material in a way that engaged them most. By having

students participate in what VanTassel-Baska and Little call “the habits of mind used by

social science disciplines” students begin to think critically through inquiry and active

learning. VanTassel-Baska and Little share a quote from (Bragaw, 1996), “The

overarching goal of social studies curricula and instruction in general is to “help young

people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good

as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.”

Each lesson within the unit requires student inquiry. For the high ability learners

in the class this provides them more opportunities to enrich their learning. There are not

limits as to what they learn about the era and use in their activities, discussions, and

projects. It not only benefits their learning, but the class’s learning, and even my

teaching, because I can infuse what they find into next year’s plans for the unit. Most of

the lessons utilize activities that are authentic tasks. This creates rigor and engagement in

the classroom, which motivates high ability students and all other students in the class as

well. Cash states, “There is a greater chance that learning developed through authentic


tasks will transfer outside of the content area, as well as beyond the classroom walls.

Authentic tasks employ the use of expert sources, from materials to individuals.” (Cash,

2011, pg. 31) The lessons within the unit each build upon Bloom’s taxonomy and allow

the high ability students in the class to access the top tiers of the taxonomy in their

learning. The activities are adapted for third graders; however, the high ability learners,

who may be more mature than most of the third grade class, are able to view this topic as

provocative and ambiguous. This adds to their engagement levels by, as Cash shares,

“understanding the richness and intricacy of the world around us.” (Cash, 2011, pg.30)

The format utilized in the lessons to execute the activities varied from The Name

Card Method, ThinkTrix Strategy, Tiered Learning Experiences, and a Student Choice

Menu for their final project. Each of these activities followed Bloom, Anderson and

Krathwohl’s Taxonomies of Thinking. It is through these methods and strategies that I

was able to access all the student-learning needs in the classroom, while helping the high

ability students in my classroom receive the rigor they needed from the curriculum.

Winebrenner shares in Chapter 5 of her text with contributing author Dina Brulles the

following for teachers who are planning instruction for the multi-leveled class, “At the

same time that you’re creating instructional activities for the entire class, you can also

develop deep and complex activities for gifted students that provide more challenge.”

(Winebrenner, 2012, pg. 143) All of the methods and strategies I used in the lessons

within this unit helped me provide that challenge and complexity for my high ability

students.

One way I made sure to foster an environment that created an inquiry based

setting for students was through the use of technology in the classroom. Students had


access to the Internet throughout each activity. This allowed them to check their work,

and find more information about each lesson topic. They were able to use the books,

articles, photographs, and videos I provided as a springboard in their research processes. I

guided the class in finding relevant resources online and in the library, and pushed the

importance of using and finding accurate information. This gave students the opportunity

to be accountable for their learning and in control of accessing the needed information.

Nowadays technology is an important tool in the engagement of our students. It is how

people learn about things that interest them. In my experience of working with gifted

children when they were able to exhibit their learning through technology they were

motivated and engaged to perform. The material also became more relevant to them,

because they were in charge of their findings. Winebrenner states, “Gifted children thirst

for more and more information about topics in which they are interested. Instantly,

technology provides students with an abundance of resources from different perspectives,

which gives them opportunities to consider all viewpoints and learn to evaluate

resources.” (Winebrenner, 2012, pg. 209) I also like to use technology in my lesson

presentations, especially with this unit, because I can show them videos of Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, or the news footage from admittance of

James Meredith at Ole’ Miss, or Cesar Chavez’s protests against farmers. It’s amazing to

have these resources now. Teachers are no longer held hostage to filmstrips and hunting

down videos from the school library. Everything is available through the computer and it

brings the later day history of the social sciences to life for these students. These

historical figures are no longer paragraphs read about in a textbook or a lecture of facts

regurgitated from the teacher. They become real and the events they participated in can


be viewed firsthand. Of course the material needs to be previewed before it is presented

to students and different types of artifacts for material before the use of camera and video

can be just as effective in engaging students in a topic.

The last major portion of my unit plan was in developing the assessments. I

utilized rubrics and each rubric graded specific parts of the activities. Many of my

assessments were project based; therefore, many of my rubrics seem similar. I think I

should have reviewed this with more detail to better align the grading with the standards

being taught. If I were really teaching this to a class that is a portion of the unit I would

take more time to develop comprehensively. I do feel that rubrics are the best way for

students to monitor their work while completing project based learning activities. I also

like that by presenting the rubric prior to students beginning their work, they are able to

understand the teacher’s expectations right away and work towards earning the grade

they want to earn. Winebrenner states, “Rubrics can be used for students to edit their

products during the production process in order to satisfy more challenging criteria.”

(Winebrenner, 2012, pg. 208) I have found in the past when I utilized rubrics and

introduced them prior to students starting their projects and activities, the class produced

better products.

Overall, the development of this unit was challenging, it taught me more about the

topic and helped me expand the activities into more engaging, rigorous, and differentiated

learning opportunities for my students. The big undertaking of differentiating became

more manageable and realistic, due to the support of useful strategies and teaching

methods in the course’s texts. I do think if a grade level supported this type of planning it

would be less overwhelming to start up, because each teacher could help develop


different parts, but it is not impossible for a teacher to try it alone. It may be challenging

at first, but once the foundation of a differentiated plan is formulated, it can be easily

facilitated in the classroom. If a school supported a school wide planning model that

enlisted some of the strategies that were reviewed in this course, differentiation would be

even easier to implement across grade levels; benefiting the learning of students from all

learning styles, abilities, and backgrounds. After creating this unit, I feel it is the only

way to teach comprehensively and with quality.

Unit Resources: Lesson 1: Lesson Idea and format 1. http://www.usd116.org/profdev/ahtc/lessons/Mann10/Mann10.pdf Lesson 2: Discussion Questions 1. http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/discussionguides/9780805071061DG.pdf 2. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/my-daddy-dr-martin-luther-king-jr Lesson 3:

1. Online Article about President Kennedy’s involvement in the Civil Rights era: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/john_kennedy_and_civil_rights.htm

2. Website about JFK as President and the Integration of Ole’ Miss. This site provided letters communicated from all parties involved in the integration and recorded phone calls between the President and Governor. http://microsites.jfklibrary.org/olemiss/controversy/doc1.html

3. This site provided information about Governor Ross Barnett and his impact in the state of Mississippi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Barnett

4. Videos showing the President’s address to the nation and the Governors speech at University Mississippi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVf3FxKxJU

5. Documentary that provides information about the riots at Ole’ Miss. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVqvCuOwpZU

Lesson 4:

1. Website on Biography.com about Cesar Chavez for Challenging Level 1 activity. http://www.biography.com/people/cesar-chavez-9245781#awesm=~oCtZKlf6vbxI81

2. Entry level article about Cesar Chavez that all students will read before beginning

activities. http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Chavez.html


3. Article about Cesar Chavez for the first Entry Level Activity:

http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdchavez.html

4. Video about Cesar Chavez for first Advanced Level Activity: http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=26812

5. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech for most challenging second activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL4FOvIf7G8

6. Cesar Chavez speech for most challenging second activity: https://www.chavezfoundation.org/_cms.php?mode=view&b_code=001008000000000&b_no=11&page=1&field=&key=&n=3

7. Cesar Chavez quote website: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/cesar_chavez.html

8. Resources website for students to learn more about Cesar Chavez: https://www.chavezfoundation.org/_cms.php?mode=view&b_code=001008000000000&b_no=11&page=1&field=&key=&n=3

References:

1. Cash, R. M. (2011). Advancing differentiation thinking and learning for the 21st century. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing.

2. VanTassel-Baska, J., & Little, C. A. (2011). Content-based curriculum for high-ability learners. Waco: Prufrock Press, Inc.

3. Winebrenner, S. (2012). Teaching gifted kids in today’s classroom strategies and

techniques every teacher can use. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing.

Documents

Lesson 8: Signature Assignment Natalie Walraven …8:!Signature!Assignment!SPE!573!!! ! Abstract: This unit will focus on the Civil Rights Era in the 1960’s. Students will learn