Teacher: Lianne L. White
Grade: 5
School: Bethel Elementary
Date of Lesson: January 15, 2014
Time Needed (Approximate): 10 Class Periods
Lesson Subject/Topic: Creating a Historical Narrative of a Major City
Student Learning Goal(s): How to Create a Historical Narrative
Standards: WG.1 The student will use maps, globes, satellite images, photographs, or diagrams to a) obtain geographical information about the world’s countries, cities, and environment; b) apply the concepts of location, scale, map projections, or orientation; and c) develop and refine mental maps of world regions.
WG.11 The student will analyze the patterns of urban development by b) explaining how the functions of towns and cities have changed over time.
Essential Questions: Can students present a historical narrative of a major city, incorporating all required information?
Assessment(s): Presentation at the completion of the unit incorporating all requirements as assigned to the students on the rubric.
Resources: Internet, various books that represent historical narratives, rubric, past student historical narratives, and media center/library
Materials: Computer, document camera, books, past examples, rubric, and social studies journals
Notes: This lesson will occur over ten class periods, allowing students ample time to research their city and prepare their presentations.
The students will be attentive to the video.
The teacher will show the students a time-lapse video of a fictitious city developing (SimCity 5).
The teacher will define the term “historical narrative” and give a clear explanation of what a historical narrative is and how it can be created (historical fiction, biography, or folk literature).
The teacher will show the students a sample of each type of historical narrative
The students will have a clear understanding of what a historical narrative is and the different ways it can be created. The students will write the definition of
“historical narrative” in their social studies journals.
The students will look at the examples of each type of historical narrative.

(various books), and will explain why these books are historical narratives.
Although there are three types of historical narratives, the teacher will assign the students a historical narrative to be done in biography form.
The historical narrative is to be done in either power point form or poster board form.
The teacher will instruct the students to work individually on this project and to choose a major city anywhere in the world that they would like to create a historical narrative of.
The teacher will give explicit instructions on creating the historical narrative, highlighting all pertinent information to be included in the narrative. A rubric will be provided to the students.
The teacher will then show the students several examples of properly done historical narratives presented by past students, in both power point form and poster board form.
The teacher will not require the students to use APA,
MLA, or any other formal citation methods. However,
Students with the knowledge, desire, and ability to create a power point presentation may choose to do so, while students who are not so familiar with power point presentation or who are more artistically creative may choose to do a poster board presentation.
The students will choose a city of their interest to create their historical narrative.
The students will use the rubric to assure they include all of the required information in their historical narrative.
The students will have access to previously created historical narratives, both in power point presentation and poster board presentation form.
The students will write the definition of plagiarism in their social studies journals.
The students will write the

the teacher will give explicit instructions on the requirements for citing references for the purpose of this project. The teacher will provide the students with a list of what is required to cite the students’ sources. The teacher will give the students the definition of plagiarism.
The teacher will provide the students with definitions and examples of primary and secondary sources. The teacher will also hand out directions for creating a bibliography for the purposes of this project.
The teacher will instruct the students on where to post their bibliographies (this will be included on the handout).
The teacher will allow the students to go to the media center/library for five class periods to research their cities. The teacher will provide extra time in the media center to students who may not have the resources to conduct their research outside of the classroom. This extra time will be provided during the study hall period. If the student is creating a poster board presentation, the teacher will allow students access to the school’s printers in the event that they do not have outside resources to print the needed material. definitions and examples of primary and secondary sources in their social studies journals.
Utilizing the school’s media center/library, the students will work during five class periods to research their cities. Students who do not have outside resources to complete this project will be given extra time, during study hall, to go to the media center to conduct their research. Students who do not have outside resources will have access to the school’s printers to print materials needed for this project.
The students will complete

The teacher will set a time period of two weeks for this project to be completed.
This assignment will be due at the end of the unit, following lesson four, and before the unit exam, as part of the student assessment.
Assessment will be based on the rubric. this project within the twoweek time period.
The students will be allowed to present their historical narrative at the end of the unit, following lesson four, and before the unit exam. The students will be assessed based on the rubric presented to them at the beginning of the assignment.