Media –Rich Lesson Plan
Teacher Training Institute
Prairie Public
June 2012
Name: Ms. Nancy Jacobson
TITLE: The Story Behind Minnesota’s State Capitol and its Architect
GRADE LEVEL(S): Middle School, grades 6-8
TIME ALLOTMENT: ten 50 min. class periods or two weeks
OVERVIEW: This lesson introduces the Minnesota State Capitol building’s history
and its architect. Students will become acquainted with the architect, Cass Gilbert,
his life and his work. The lesson includes student resources for researching the
capitol and the architect, as well as the process of preparing a class presentation
using the Web 2.0 presentation tool, Prezi. I chose Microsoft PowerPoint as my
presentation tool so that I could incorporate TurningPoint 2008 software and use
clickers to engage my students during my presentation. Requirements and a rubric
for the students’ presentations are included. This lesson proved to be ideal in
introducing students to their state capitol before a field trip and tour in May 2012.
This presentation is available online with SlideRocket.com at
http://portal.sliderocket.com/BTQTM/ConcordiaTI
Another presentation tool that I have used with great success is VoiceThread.com. It
has the options of using slides or videos and using narration as a unique way to
present your project or lesson. Viewers have the opportunity to comment on each
slide either with text or with a microphone.
SUBJECT MATTER: MN History, English Language Arts, Information and
Technology Literacy, Art History
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: The students will:
Understand the important role Cass Gilbert played in designing and building
the American Skyline and the Minnesota State Capitol
Understand and appreciate the artistic thought process behind creating our
built environment and recognize the extent to which daily life is affected by
architectural design.
Locate, select and paraphrase the research text needed to complete the
presentation.
To identify and sort images that will mesh with the text to create a
multimedia presentation.
Apply their knowledge to create a PREZI presentation to share with their
classmates.
Compare their investigations with the “real thing” when they tour the
Minnesota Capitol on their field trip to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
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STANDARDS (National, State – MN, ND and Core):
Connections to MN Academic standards in Social Studies, English & Language
Arts, & Technology Literacy and Art:
MN Standards for Visual Arts, Grade 6-8
Artistic Interpretation
The student will understand and use artistic processes to analyze and
interpret a variety of works.
The student will understand how the following components of visual arts are
used to convey meaning:
- elements, including color, line, shape, form, texture, and space;
- Vocabulary;
- structures, such as two dimensional or three dimensional;
- understand the connection between a visual art work, its purpose, and its
cultural and historical contexts;
- communicate a personal reaction to works in visual art using the
components of visual art.
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies (2011)
Grade Six: Minnesota Studies
1. Citizenship and Government
1. Civic Skills
4. Governmental Institutions and Political Processes
4. History
1. Historical Thinking Skills
2. Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and different
kinds of
historical evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about
what happened
in the past, and how and why it happened.
Minnesota Academic Standards English Language Arts K-12 (2010)
Grade Six: Reading Benchmarks: Informational Text 6 6-12 1212 (Common
Core Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12)
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
6.5.7.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually,
quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent
understanding of a topic or issue.
Writing Benchmarks 6 6-12 2112 (Common Core Standards 6–12)
Text Types and Purposes
6.7.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and
analysis of relevant content.
Writing Process
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Process: Production and Distribution of Writing
6.7.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
6.7.8.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources;
assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and
conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic
bibliographic information for sources.
Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks 6–12
1212 (Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards 6-12)
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
6.9.4.4 Present claims and findings, respect intellectual properties, sequence
ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to
accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
6.9.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, and
sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.
6.9.6.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts, audiences, tasks, and feedback
from self and others, demonstrating command of formal English when
indicated or appropriate.
Media Literacy
6.9.7.7 Understand, analyze, and use different types of print, digital, and
multimodal media. a. Evaluate mass media with regard to quality of
production (e.g., film, television, radio, advertisements). b. Evaluate mass
media with regard to accuracy of information, bias, stereotype, purpose,
message and target audience (e.g., film, television, radio, video games, print
and digital media, advertisements). c. Recognize ethical standards and safe
practices in social and personal media communications.
6.9.8.8 As an individual or in collaboration, create an informative multimedia
work or a piece of digital communication or contribute to an online
collaboration for a specific purpose. a. Demonstrate a developmentally
appropriate understanding of copyright, attribution, principles of Fair Use,
Creative Commons licenses and the effect of genre on conventions of
attribution and citation.
b. Publish the work and share with an audience.
MEMO (MN Educational Media Organization) Information and Technology
Literacy Standards
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) NETS for Students
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
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North Dakota Standards and Benchmarks
Content Standards for Visual Arts 2000
Standard 4: Visual Art History and Culture
Students understand the visual arts* in relation to history and culture.
8.4.1 Understand the characteristics of works of art in various eras
and cultures.
Content Standards for Social Studies Grade 6 2009
Standard 6: Students understand the importance of culture, individual
identity and group identity.
Culture 6.6.1
Compare how culture influences relationships, religion, and social
institutions in various societies.
North Dakota Library and Technology Content Standards Grades 6-8
Strand: Responsible Use of Information and Technology
Cluster: Intellectual Property and Ethics
Strand: Information and Inquiry
Clusters: Inquire, Access, Evaluate & Develop and Share
Strand: Media and Technology Literacy
Clusters: Technology Operations and Concepts, Creative and Innovative
Processes
and Products & Communication and Collaboration
North Dakota English Language Arts & Literacy Content Standards June 2011
Based on the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Reading Standards for Informational Text Grade 6
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.7
MEDIA COMPONENTS – VIDEO AND/OR WEB:
Video: Cass Gilbert: Standing the Test of Time
Entire Show Length: 28:21 min.
URL:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/mpml_player_embed.php?vid_id=18280&select_inde
x=0
Divided into 5 episodes 4-8 minutes in length
1. His Potential (Length: 06:09) *This is the clip I used in my presentation.
2. Architectural Promise Land (04:35)
3. Defining Social Status (04:02)
4. Business (05:15)
5. His Lasting Legacy (08:20)
There is no time shown while the video is running, so you have to decide when you
think the episode ends and another begins.
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Video Clips from MN House of Representatives Public Information Services
URL: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesInfo.asp
Titled: Inside the House Chamber 11 video clips running from 4-9 minutes
(I had students listen to these clips by themselves with headphones and take notes.)
Video: Who Built the Capitol? Minnesota State Capitol Labor History Tour (51:52)
URL: http://vimeo.com/32570584
A special tour created by researchers who assembled historical resources that focus
on the laborers who built the Minnesota State Capitol. Funded by a MN Historical
and Cultural Grant. There is some outstanding and interesting information in this
“homemade” video. I have indicated on either the slide in the presentation or the
note section of the slide where in the video to set the time.
Video: Discover the Capitol (On the Links for Youth page of the Minnesota State
Legislature Web site)
URL: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/youth/index.aspx
This is an excellent video and just the right length. I would have used it in my
presentation but it downloaded in a rm. format that seemed impossible for me to
figure out how to link it to a slide. They claim it uses RealPlayer but it doesn’t. I sent
the Legislative librarian an email explaining my frustrations.
Video: State Capitol Walking Tour
URL: http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/state_capitol_walkingTour.htm
The Quadriga is #3 on the tour. Remember to enlarge the image for viewing, as well
as hide the test and use the audio button. This tour would make an interesting
extension to the lesson.
Video Clip: Almanac – Did You Know? Fun facts about the MN State Capitol
Building 1:45 min. in length MN Video Vault of tpt aired 11/16/2001
URL:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=841&select_index=5&popup=yes
Video Clip: Almanac – Did You Know? Fun facts about the MN State Capitol
Building 1:35 min. in length MN Video Vault of tpt aired 10/05/2001 URL:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=819&select_index=7&popup=yes
Video Clip: Almanac - Saint Paul Capitol Design by Cass Gilbert aired 6/26/2009
MN Video Vault of tpt, Twin Cities Public Television 3:10 min. in length URL:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=17817&select_index=6&popup=yes
Web Sites Used & Useful
Minnesota Historical Society STATE CAPITOL
URL: http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/
History and Preservation http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/history.html
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This site and the one below it proved to have very informative text for the students
to read and take notes on. It was easier for me to run a copy of each text for my
students. This way they could take it with them and work on reading and finding
interesting factual information.
Cass Gilbert Society’s Website Click on Biography, Works and Photos of Gilbert in
the menu bar URL: http://www.cassgilbertsociety.org
Self-guided Tour Brochure Minnesota Historical Society
URL: http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/msc/selfguided.pdf See directly above
for comments. This also served as an example of a brochure. Using Microsoft
Publisher to create a unique brochure is yet another method of the student showing
you they understand.
Minnesota State Legislature LINKS for YOUTH
URL: http://www.leg.state.mn.us/youth/index.aspx
This site has a wealth of information if one needs to teach MN government and/or
how a bill becomes a law. Every site on the page is worth going to for information
about our state and local government. It is well worth it to cover MN government
before focusing on the Capitol, as they go hand in hand.
BibMe Fast and Easy Bibliography Maker-MLA, APA, Chicago, or Turabian
formats that can be downloaded and included in a document and/or presentation. It
makes creating your bibliography very simple. URL: http://www.bibme.org/
There is a free version online that is all you would need.
TurningTechnologies.com (Clickers) http://www.turningtechnologies.com/
If you are interested in trying out a set of clickers with your students,
TurningTechnologies is an excellent company to work with.
SlideRocket.com A Web 2.0 presentation tool that enables you to collaborate and
to share it with others. More than one person can work on the presentation at one
time across the Internet. This presentation is available to view and edit at the URL:
http://app.sliderocket.com/app/sliderocket.aspx#sharePage
SlideRocket’s Home page is https://login.sliderocket.com/
MATERIALS:
Minnesota's Capitol: A Centennial Story (Hardcover) by Leigh Roethke, Tim
Pawlenty this book is a non-electronic source of information and images for
students. Is available to be checked out in most school and public libraries
and can be purchased on Amazon.com for Used prices.
Turning Technologies software and clickers if you want the students to be
interacting throughout the presentation.
Access to computer and projector to show the initial presentation
Computer lab or laptop cart so that students each have their own work
station
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Method for students to take notes, either using paper & pencil or an
electronic way of keeping their notes
Either a Hot List of potential web sites for the students to use or links in a
document that is filed in a folder accessible to all. Do this for images in the
same fashion. It will save students the time spent searching for images for
their presentation. Most of them will do some searching anyway.
Storyboards for individual students to plan out their presentation. Their
storyboard must be complete before beginning any project on the computer.
Copy of the rubric for each student showing him/her how they will be graded
on their project.
Copy of the basic requirements for the project should be in the hands of each
student.
Headphones available for each student to listen to the videos. They may not
use video in their presentation, but there is much information that can be
paraphrased and taken notes on as they watch and listen to the videos.
Ideal but not absolutely necessary in the computer lab is some form of
simple, reliable Classroom Management software such as LanSchool.
Enhances learning in a computer lab by replicating the teacher's monitor to
all computer monitors as well as allow a teacher to control a student’s
computer or limit which web pages students are able to get on to.
If there is a student that is being reprimanded and cannot access the Internet,
encyclopedias and/or other written text would be useful to them.
PREP FOR TEACHERS:
Teachers will need to find time to preview the videos listed under Media
Components. It would be helpful to read the hard cover book, Minnesota's Capitol: A
Centennial Story to obtain a good understanding of the history behind MN’s Capitol.
Run off copies of requirements for project, rubric & storyboard for each student. If
you think it is worth it and/or have students that have no access to the Internet at
home, run copies of MN Historical Society History of the Capitol and the Tour the
Capitol brochure. If planning on using the PowerPoint presentation included with
the lesson, run through it as many times as you need to in order to feel comfortable.
You may edit it in any way you see fit. If you do not have TurningPoint Technologies
to use clickers, have students write their answers on paper and tally up the results,
figure out the percentages of each answer and make graphs for each of the ten
questions.
If you are in a teaching situation where you can team with a social studies teacher, it
works very well to simultaneously have her/him teaching and engaging the same
students in activities to become familiar with Minnesota government and who
meets where in the Capitol building. The entire experience becomes more real to
them.
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INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY –
SETTING THE STAGE:
Connecting to Students’ Experiences: Architecture in Your World
1. The critical decisions faced by architects in the design process are
easily viewed b students when asked about the construction of the
environments with which they are already familiar.
2. Ask students to look at the room they are sitting in. Give students a
few minutes to play detective by dissecting their environment.
3. Consider: What materials is the building made from?
4. What colors are most noticeable in your surroundings?
5. How do those colors make you feel?
6. How does the arrangement of the room (furniture, carpets, wall
coverings, colors) influence how people use this room?
7. How are the sources of light and temperature controlled?
8. Give students another few minutes to think about the design of
another room in the school, perhaps the art or music room or cafeteria.
9. In what ways are they alike and different?
10. How does the design of the room influence the way it is used and how
people interact within those walls?
LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
Develop a Shared Vocabulary
Key Words may include: architect, architecture, symmetry, keystone,
arch, masonry, spire, dome and column.
1. The words can be typed on a word document and projected up on the
screen.
2. Invite students to come back to your computer and type in the
meanings of the vocabulary words as they are discussed in class.
3. If the class is stumped on a word’s meaning, invite them to discover it
on their own by using the Internet’s Dictionary.com or by using the hard
covered dictionaries on the bookcase.
4. Save the document and it can be copied for anyone that may need it.
View the Presentation, The Story Behind Minnesota’s Capitol and its
Architect.
1. Before beginning ask the students if they have ever experienced
touring a new place. Do you think it makes a difference in the whole
touring experience if you know a little something about the place
beforehand?
2. More than likely they will tell you that it certainly does make a
difference.
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MATERIALS:
No props
needed.
Personally I
like to sit on a
stability ball or
chair and have
the students sit
either on the
floor or on
their balls in a
horseshoe
fashion when
we are having
an “intimate”
discussion.
MATERIALS:
Computer
connected to a
projector with
a white surface
to project
upon.
Word
document with
the vocabulary
words typed on
it leaving room
for the
definitions of
each word
A clicker for
each student.
3. In an excited manner, share with them that that is exactly what their
next project in TECH is all about – their tour of the Minnesota Capitol
building when they go to the Twin Cities on their Class Trip!
4. Alert them to the fact that they won’t just be learning about the
Capitol, but also its architect, Cass Gilbert.
5. Direct their focus to the task of using clickers during the course of the
presentation to determine how well they are paying attention. Let them
know that their points will be totaled at the end.
6. Mention that they need not take notes, as they will have that
opportunity when they begin their research.
7. Turn off just enough of the lights in the room to have a crisp, clear
picture on the screen. Also check to make sure that the volume is just
right.
8. Invite any students whose vision of the screen may be partially
blocked to move to a spot where they can see well.
9. Even though there are 10 questions built into the presentation using
TurningTechnologies clickers, pause to clarify information and/or images
during the presentation.
10. If time allows, mention to the class that before they leave TECH class
they will be asked to share one fact that they learned about their state
capitol building or about Cass Gilbert.
11. Pass out the clickers, making sure the students receive the numbered
clicker that has been assigned to them.
11. Show the presentation stopping momentarily to check for
understanding with the clickers and questions embedded in the
presentation.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY: Creating a Multimedia Presentation
1. The last slide of the presentation introduces the culminating activity,
which is project – based. Each student will research the MN State Capitol
building and find facts and information that they find interesting to share
with others.
2. In conjunction, they will also learn more about Cass Gilbert, the
architect.
3. A folder holding images that will be useful for their creations will be
located in the Student Z Drive under the name, Capitol.
4. There will be a Word document titled MN Capitol HOTLIST that will
have direct links to web sites to visit when doing research. Encourage
them to listen and watch the short video clips to find information.
5. Give students the choice of taking notes while researching
electronically or handwritten. Remind them not to copy, as that is
plagiarism.
6. Remind students to keep a list of the sites they use to take
information from, so they will have the necessary information to create a
bibliography to give credit to the sources from which they found their
facts.
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MATERIALS
Headphones
Method of
taking notes
Personal
folders on the
Student Z drive
and
their own
flashdrive
7. Allow 4-5 class periods for students to accumulate their notes.
8. During this entire process the teacher should be stopping at students’
work stations to monitor their progress.
9. When you have okayed their note taking, they are ready to begin to
search for images or short video clips that will complement their written
information. All media should be put into a new folder titled,
Capitol_Gilbert in their personal folder, which makes it easily accessible.
10. Allow two class periods for completing this step.
Using PREZI, students will create their presentation.
1. Begin the next class period with introducing them to Prezi.com and
creating their own account.
2. For this they will need their Gaggle Email account username and
password.
3. Once everyone is done with completing this task, I will take over their
computers using the management software, LanSchool. During this time I
will have complete control over their computer while they watch the brief
tutorial on creating a Prezi.
4. After watching the tutorial and some demonstration on the white
board, students should be able to begin putting their Prezi together.
5. I have found from past experience that students are quite good at
helping each other out when perplexed.
6. Allow at least 3-4 class periods for this creative task.
7. When the student says, “I’m done,” tell him/her to go through their
Requirements sheet and their rubric to double check that they have
included everything.
8. Again it is important that this Prezi be saved in the folder earmarked
for them if it can be downloaded. It will take some cleverness for the
students to save their Prezi online in their own Prezi account.
9. Students will be encouraged to share their Prezi presentations with
their classmates.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS:
1. I will contact the local newspaper to see if they would do a story on
the students getting to know more about their state capitol and its
architect.
2. Students will be encouraged to share their Prezi with their parents,
grandparents and others.
CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSION:
1.
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As I mentioned in my overview of this lesson, it works out very well
Students will
need their
Gaggle.net
accounts in
order to login
to Prezi.com
for the students to be learning about government and the three branches
of our government while working on this project in TECH. Their Prezi can
be viewed in their social studies class.
STUDENT MATERIALS NEEDED:
1. Flashdrive to save their docs on to.
2. Personal folders set up by the instructor on the Student Hard Drive
3. An organized method of note taking
4. A folder labeled Capitol_Gilbert filled with the images and media the
student plans to use in their Prezi presentation.
5. User name and password for their Gaggle email account
6. An account on Prezi.com and on BibMe.com
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