I. Rationale: It is important for students to understand what resources were influential on the
outcome of the Revolutionary war. Students must recognize how different their lives would be if
the war had a different outcome. For independent practice, students will be debating who had
better resources for fighting. Giving the students time to work and brainstorm together allows
them to solidify information. When debating, they are essentially reteaching the classroom,
which is an effective way of demonstrating an understanding of information.
IV. Ed. Psych. Consideration
Vygotsky- We chose to consider Vygotsky because of his theory of scaffolding. In
scaffolding, the teacher helps the students function at a level they would not be able to
without the teacher. In this lesson, the teacher’s prior knowledge of the Revolutionary
war and beneficial resources will act as the information the student will understand. The
teacher will assist students in formulating thoughts that will be effective for a debate.
While the students work through the process of generating ideas, the teacher will be
walking around to ensure the students are on the right track.
V. Brain-Considerate Elements
Absence of Threat/Nurturing Reflective Thinking: During the debate, the teacher will
outline key rules. There will be no talking while others are talking and no put-downs. The
teacher will be the moderator during the debate. If students are afraid to speak in class, they will
be given the option to write out their persuasive sentences and hand them in to the teacher.
Meaningful Content: The content used in this lesson will be based off of prior knowledge
the teacher has, teacher resources and the text book used in class.
Choices: During the class, the students will have the opportunity to pick what whether
they want to be on the American or the British side during the debate. The students will also
have the opportunity to either participate verbally in the debate or if they are not comfortable
with speaking in front of the class, they can choose to write their thoughts down on a piece of
paper and then turn it in to the teacher at the end of the debate.
Movement: Before the debate, students will move to corners of the room to brainstorm
arguments. Students will also group desks together facing the other group of desks. During the
debate, students will raise their hand and stand when called on to speak an idea.
Enriched Environment: During the debate the teacher will make sure every student has a
chance to speak and will make sure there are no negative comments about either sides
argument
Collaboration: Before the debate, the students will congregate in groups to formulate
thoughts and ideas for their arguments. The students will have to work together to find a
common theme for their argument as well as a number of individual arguments so that each
student has a chance to speak in the debate.
Adequate Time: The student will be monitor the pace at which students will be given
their response to the class. Before the debate begins, each side will be given 10-15 to
brainstorm and prepare their ideas for the debate. Once the debate begins, each side will be
given 3 minutes to present their opening statements and then each side will be given one
minute to give their ideas and support there positions.
Immediate Feedback: The teacher will be monitoring each side during their debate
preparations to make sure that each side is on task with their arguments. During the debate, the
teacher will make sure that the students’ arguments is relevant to the debate and that each side
will stay on task.
Mastery/Application: Students will demonstrate a mastery level by brainstorming ideas
on their own and argue for their reasoning during the debate. The teacher will assess if the
student has reached mastery level based on the quality of the arguments spoken during the
debate or written on paper.