Dora Cottrol
December 6th 2014
SOL VS.6
Virginia Studies Lesson Plan VS.6
1) Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is for students to use recall information about major Virginia
historical figures including George Washington, James Madison, George Mason and Thomas
Jefferson. Students will also learn incorporate their skills in research, creative writing and art in
this lesson.
SOL VS.6: Students will “Demonstrate Knowledge of the role of Virginia in the Establishment
of the New American Nation by”:
a) “Explaining why George Washington is called the “Father of our Country”
and James Madison is called the “Father of the Constitution.”
b) Identifying the ideas of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson as expressed in
the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the VA Statute for Religious Freedom
c) Explaining the Influence of Geography of the Migration of Virginians Into
Western Territories “ (part of this SOL, not a part of this lesson)
2). Objectives:
The Students will be able to think critically and creatively about the contributions of
these men in United States History as well as the purpose and usage of these famous legal
documents. Students will be able to draw from their knowledge of the topic to create their own
“How to Be” poem on one of these major figures. Students will be able to pull out key
information about the historical figure and make a creative poem that will be placed on a paper
puppet of the figure.
3). Procedure:
A) Introduction: Before this lesson, the teacher will provide a detailed lesson over a
couple of class periods on George Washington, James Madison, Mason and Jefferson as well as
the Constitution, Declaration of Rights and the VA Statute for Religious Freedom.
Students will understand the following information. This lesson will focus on V.6 a & b.
George Washington:
-Commander of Continental Army
-Lead American Colonies to independence over British Rule
-President of the Constitutional Convention in 1787
-Was the Nation’s First President
James Madison:
-Known as the Father of the Constitution.
-Leading author of the Constitution and Bill of Rights
-Co founded the Democratic-Republican Party with Thomas Jefferson
- 4th President of the United States
-President during War of 1812
George Mason and Thomas Jefferson: VA Declaration of Rights
-1775 Mason wrote VA Declaration of Rights into VA Constitution
-VA Declaration of Rights guaranteed Virginians Freedom of Religion and
Freedom on the Press
-VA Declaration of Rights was basis for the U.S. Bill of Rights
4). Development: The teacher will introduce the assignment to the students
-Students will develop a ‘How to Be’ poem about one of the Virginia Leaders mentioned in SOL
VS.6.
-Students will create a paper puppet of one historical figure, which they will then write their
‘How to Be’ biography poem on.
-Activity may take 1.5 class periods
-Students will work independently on this project
-1st Class period will be review of SOL, picking of historical figure to write about and research
of historical figure.
-Students will draft ‘How to Be’ poem for homework
-2nd class period will be creating the paper puppet of historical figure and rewriting ‘How to Be’
poem on that puppet
Arts Included: Drawing, cutting, pasting.
Part A).
1). Teacher will review SOL VS.6 a & b with the students. Students will recall important
information pertaining to the lesson about George Washington, James Madison, George
Mason and Thomas Jefferson (5 minutes)
2). Teacher will provide students with an example of a ‘How to Be’ poem (a minibiography poem). Students will have practiced ‘How to Be’ poems in their Language
Arts class prior to the beginning of this lesson. (2 minutes)
3). Individually, students will choose one of the VA Leaders and incorporate the
information about them as it relates the to SOL.
4). Teacher will also provide students with children’s biography books and Internet links
so that the students can look up additional ‘fun facts’ about these figures. – Multiple
books will be provided and paper copies will be made if many students choose to gather
information from the same source.
5). Students will research fun information and information from the SOL and begin to
brainstorm about what they will include in their ‘How to Be’ poem. Students will pick at
least 3 ‘fun’ facts about their figure in addition to including the SOL information (10
minutes)
6). The students poems will consist of a list of ‘steps to become his/her historical figure
of choice. The list should be both content required from the SOL and fun and interesting
facts
7). The students’ will independently draft their ‘How to Be’ poem, which will later be
printed/written on a paper puppet of the VA historical figure in question (10
minutes/Homework).
Part B).
8). One student from each table will gather art materials for the students at their table. (2
minutes)
9). Students will create a paper puppet of their historical figure. The paper puppet should
be about the size of a standard sheet of paper (large enough so that their poems can be
written on them). (15 minutes)
10). Students will rewrite their ‘How to Be’ on top of their paper puppet. (10 minutes).
11). Students will share with one another their ‘Poem Puppets.’ (7 minutes)
Classroom Management
-Students will be instructed to work on this project independently
-Multiple biography books and resources will be provided to each table group to ensure
that each student has the information they need and there will be no conflicts over books
-One student from each group/group of desks will gather the materials for students
nearby
Homework: Students will draft their ‘How to Be’ poem at home so that it is ready to be placed
on the paper puppet when they return to class the next day.
Materials Needed
-Colored construction paper
-Colored cardstock paper
-Plain white paper
-Crazy Eyes
-Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
-Popsicle Sticks
-Glue
-Children’s biography books and printed Internet resources
Summary:
At the end of the activity, students will share with each other their Poem projects.
Teacher will review with the students the important information pertaining to the SOL
about these historical figures. (As mentioned in the introduction section
Teacher will hang up students’ poet puppets on the classroom walls
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs/Gifted and Talented
-Students with special needs may be permitted to type their ‘Who I am poem.’ Students
with special needs may also put their poem on a construction piece of paper where they
draw a picture of their historical figure, rather than creating a puppet of their figure.
-These students will receive individual assistance from the teacher outside of the
classroom if need be.
-Students will be allowed to draft 2 ‘How to Be’ poems before they have to produce their
final product.
-Gifted and Talented students will complete the activity as planned, but will be expected to
include 5 extra ‘fun facts’ about the historical VA figure that they choose.
Evaluation A:
-Students will be informally assessed prior to the activity on their knowledge of these VA
historical figures and their contributions to the development of the State and U.S
constitutions. This will be done by an informal raising of hands.
- During the activity, students will be assessed on their participation and focus during the
activity.
-Students will be assessed on their ability to incorporate SOL information as well as at least
3 other interesting facts about their historical figure.
-Students will be assessed on their completion of ‘How to Be’ poem for homework.
Evaluation B
-Teacher will assess the lesson’s strengths and weaknesses (what went well, what didn’t)
-Through the Students’ final product, the teacher will reflect on how well the students
understood the SOL concepts
-Teacher will reflect on whether or not the lesson was conducive for all students, especially
those with special needs.
-Teacher will think of other ways to teach this lesson in the future
-Teacher will give the students a quick mini-quiz/survey on the SOL topic to see if they
further grasped the material after the lesson.
How to Be Poem Example
How to be George Washington:
1). Learn to lead a colony to freedom from British Rule
2). Marry a woman named Martha
3). Grow to be 6ft Tall
4). Become the President of the Constitutional Convention
5). Have your retirement at Mt. Vernon
6). Become the 1st President of an Independent nation
7). Try to get your face to appear on the dollar bill
8). Become an outstanding leader and the ‘Father of the Country.’