Name: John Pollard
Class/Subject: Sophomore World History
Date: 02/19/2014
Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: Students will be able to recognize the similarities and
differences between colonial and independent Latin America. Students will be able to select
main ideas from a primary source, as well as analyze that source using critical thinking.
Content Standards:
National Council for the Social Studies 5K: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
National Council for the Social Studies 6K: Power, Authority, and Governance
Materials/Resources/Technology: PowerPoint presentation, SMART Board, projector, Simon
Bolivar document worksheets, loose leaf paper (provided by students).
Accommodations: Read the primary source as a class for struggling students and ask the class
comprehension questions. During the appropriate hours (Period 8) co-teacher will distribute an
accommodated PowerPoint to appropriate students.
Teacher’s Goals:
Time:
2 minutes
Start of Class: Take classroom attendance and pull up the PowerPoint
presentation. Distribute Simon Bolivar speech worksheets to the class.
3 minutes
Introduction of Lesson: Remind the class that tomorrow they will be writing
their in-class essays on Latin American Independence in the computer lab. Advise
them to complete their outline begun in class on Tuesday to aid with their writing.
After this reminder, inform the class today they will receive a short presentation
from me about Latin American after independence until the turn of the twentieth
century. Explain we will then examine a speech given by Simon Bolivar both as a
class and in small groups and answer questions about it.
Lesson Instruction:
Instruct the class to get out their before and after sheets to take notes. Begin the
PowerPoint presentation on Latin America after independence. Touch on the
government, social organization, family patterns, role of women, religion,
economy, science and technology, literature and the arts, education and language
25 minutes
of Latin America in the wake of independence.
Next instruct the students to look at the Simon Bolivar speech. Call on a student
to read the first paragraph. Have a second and third student read the last two
paragraphs aloud. In between each paragraph, check student comprehension with
the following questions:
Paragraph One:
1. What is Bolivar saying here? (The Latin American people do not know
how to govern themselves because they had bad teachers in the form of
the Spanish colonial government.)
2. What does pernicious mean? (Destructive.)
Paragraph Two:
1. What does Bolivar say is more powerful than the rule of tyrants? (The rule
of law.)
2. What is he encouraging the legislators to do? (Create a country where the
law is the ultimate authority, not leaders. He wants them to teach the
Americans how to have a good, just government.)
3. What does austerity mean? (Severity or strict. The laws should be good,
but severe.)
Paragraph Three:
1. What should the legislators not forget? (That they are laying the
foundation for the new country.)
2. What does Bolivar say the legislators’ choice should be based on? (The
experiences of the Venezuelan people.)
3. What does Bolivar worry the reforms will result in? (A return to slavery.)
Once the document has been read, instruct the students to work in pairs to briefly
answer the following questions at the bottom of the sheet:
1. According to Bolivar, the people of Latin America____(have not been
well-prepared for self-government by the Spanish.)
2. Bolivar states that a government will be most effective if it____(is molded
to fit the character of the nation for which it is built.)
8 minutes
Call the class back together to share their answers to the above questions.
Assessments/Checks for Understanding: Tell the students to take out a piece of
paper and write a short response to the following two questions:
1. Would you describe Bolivar as practical or idealistic? Use examples from
the speech to defend your opinion.
2. Did Bolivar’s dream for government come true in most Latin American
countries? Explain your answer using this excerpt and the information
from the PowerPoint.
If time permits, have students share their answers before turning in the
assessment.
3 minutes
Closure/Wrap-Up/Review: Ask the class if they have any questions about the
material. Remind the students the class is meeting in the computer lab tomorrow
to type their essays. If there is time remaining, ask some students to share
answers. Collect the papers from students as they leave.
Self-Assessment: Reflect on the lesson and make appropriate adjustments for
future lessons.