UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher’s Name: Mr. Geoff Cyr
Grade Level: High School, Grades 11 and 12
Date of Lesson: Lesson 4
Topic: The Progressive Era, 1890-1914
Objectives
Student will understand that the Progressive Era took shape in a variety of different forms at a variety
of different levels.
Student will know: suffrage, trust, progressive income tax, Direct election of Senators, prohibition,
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Tammany Hall, "Boss Tweed," Robert La
Follette, Hiram Johnson, Sherman Antitrust Act, Clayton Antitrust Act, Department of Commerce and
Labor, Hepburn Act, Forest Reserve Act of 1891, Keating-Own Act of 1916, 16th-19th amendments,
Exclusion Act, Interstate Commerce Commission, Federal Reserve Act.
Student will be able to decide how the politics and reforms of Theodore Roosevelt compare with modern
politics and politicians today.
Maine Learning Results Alignment
Maine Learning Results
Social Studies, E. History
Grade 9-Diploma
Progressive Era, 1890-1914
Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in the United States and
World history, including the roots of democratic philosophy, ideals and institutions in the world.
Rationale: The Progressive Era saw a dramatic change in political reform at all levels. This lesson will
ask students to relate these reforms in a modern poltiical perspective, making real-life connections with a
major political era in the past.
Assessment
Formative (Assessment for Learning)
Drafts of Persuasion map and ISP graphic organizers, Inspiration document, student blogs
Summative (Assessment of Learning)
Debate: students will be researching either for or against the following motion: John McCain is a Teddy
Roosevelt Republican. The debate write-up and the debate itself constitute the summative assessment.
Integration
Technology: the teacher will be creating a PowerPoint, Inspiration template, and a class resource webpage
for class. Students will be doing research online and using the Internet to prepare their arguments,
blogging online, and using a teacher-made Inspiration template.
Students will be reading research, writing a follow-up and preparing an argument, and debating other
students. Therefore, this lesson will incorporate Language Arts.
Groupings
Grouping will function in a modified think-pair-share. The teacher will divide the class in half; one half in
favor of the motion and one against. Students will conduct research on their own; this will be done in
class and for homework, if necessary. Students will then get together with their side to share their
information and prepare their arguments. For the share portion of this, students will be debating the other
side.
Differentiated Instruction
Strategies
Verbal, Logical, Interpersonal: Students will be creating arguments and stating their claims against
those of their opponents.
Intrapersonal: Students will be reflecting on their learning experiences and will need to reflect on their
knowledge to make the modern-day connections.
Kinesthetic: Students will be at the front of the room, and may move around as needed while presenting
their arguments.
Naturalist: Students may be arguing whether John McCain is a Theodore Roosevelt Republican in terms
of environmental policy.
Modifications/Accommodations
I will review students' IEPs, 504s or ELLIDEPs and make the appropriate modifications and
accommodations.
Should students be absent from class, they will have full opportunities to get the work turned in on
time. Students are advised to have work for the day(s) they are to miss turned in before-hand, or the
student should see the teacher about working out a plan for getting the work submitted. Students missing
one day of school will have one day after the next class they are present to complete the work due for the
class they missed. Students missing more than one class should see the teacher about working out a plan.
If students do not understand the work, or current circumstances prevent them from completing the work,
they should contact the teacher at school, by email, or by phone beforehand, and the teacher will grant the
extension necessary, or work out a plan for submitting late work. However, if no attempt at contacting the
teacher is made, and/or if the teacher is not notified before-hand of the student's upcoming absence from
school, extensions will not be granted and/or points will be deducting for submitting work late.
Students missing the day of debate are missing an important part of the summative assessment. If
students are to miss this day, they must see the teacher before hand to work out a plan for presenting their
arguments orally to the teacher after school.
For those students without access to a computer or Internet connection, blogs may be written on
paper, and then submitted to the teacher by hand. The teacher may ask the student to post the blog on the
Internet using school computers during class time or before or after school. Plenty of class time for
completion of products will be provided. However, those who are not able to complete the product or
complete their research during class time will need to come in before or after school to do so. The debate
write-up does not need to be typed.
Extensions
Students will be using the following Type II technologies: blogs, Inspiration.
Materials, Resources and Technology
 Laptops (or a computer lab)
 Projector
 Internet access
 Microsoft PowerPoint
 Inspiration software
 Persuasion map (attached)
 Assessment introduction (attached)
 Assessment rubrics (attached)
 Inspiration policy comparison template (attached)
 Blog accounts
 Class webpage (resource page for this lesson is attached)
 Video of McCain at the 2008 Republican National Convention (included)
 Transcript for the above video (attached)
 John McCain NYT interview (attached)
 Audio of the John McCain interview (included)
 NYT editorial: John McCain not a Teddy Roosevelt Republican (attached)
 Deck of cards
 Post-it notes
 If webpage no longer available, I have attached paper copies of John McCain's presidential
campaign page
Source for Lesson Plan and Research
Web Resources
Information on Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall:
http://www.albany.edu/~dkw42/tweed.html
http://law.jrank.org/pages/10673/Tammany-Hall.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_M._Tweed&printable=yes
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tammany_Hall&printable=yes
Information on Hiram Johnson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Johnson
Information on the Progressive Party:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Progressive_Party_(United_States,_1912)&printable=yes
Information on Theodore Roosevelt:
http://historicaltextarchive.com/print.php?artid=598
Information on Robert LaFollette:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_M._La_Follette,_Sr.&printable=yes
Sources for John McCain's 2008 presidential platform and NYT interview:
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/cb15a056-ac87-485d-a64d-82989bdc948c.htm
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/read.aspx?guid=2ca6f926-4564-430187cd-a5f35e68c0d4
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/68db8157-d301-4e22-baf7-a70dd8416efa.htm
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/054184f4-6b51-40dd-8964-54fcf66a1e68.htm
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/trade.htm
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/reform.htm
http://archive.johnmccain.com/Issues/JobsforAmerica/workplaceflex.htm
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/hes-no-teddy-roosevelt/?pagemode=print
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/us/politics/13textmccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/09/04/sot.rnc.mccain.entire.part1.cnn?iref=videosearch
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/09/04/sot.rnc.mccain.entire.part2.cnn?iref=videosearch
http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/conventions/videos/transcripts/20080904_MCCAIN_SPEEC
H.html
Textbook resources
Dyer, D., & Brinkley, A. (2000). The reader's companion to the american presidency. New York:
Houghton Mifflin.
Roark, J et al (2007). The american promise. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.
Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale
Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by
providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and
cultural development.
Rationale: This lesson caters to many different ways of learning, with plenty of opportunities for solo and
group work, as well as opportunities to make real-life connections to the world around them.
Beach Ball: The Internet allows students access to many different resources in creating their products,
and students will be able to move desks or tables around to suit their group needs.
Clipboard: Presentation of the material, and use of graphic organizers provide detailed and organized
instruction and assessment. Organization and use of class time, along with the structure and directions for
the debate, will be clearly outlined.
Microscope: Students will be using the Internet to gather the information needed for their debates, and
students will need to engage in higher-level thinking in order to apply their knowledge of the Progressive
Era in a modern context, drawing connections between their own lives and the lives of others. Students
will be engaging in class discussions during presentation of material, and debating based on the material,
and will be working collaboratively during these discussions and in the preparation for the debate.
Puppy: The teacher will work to maintain a comfortable, respectful, and engaging learning atmosphere,
and expects that all students will work to do the same. Teams will need to work together in order to
prepare their arguments and deliver their opinions in a coherent matter.
•
Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students,
curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.
Rationale: This lesson will requirement substantial use of one of the six facets of understanding, and will
require students to develop and practice higher-order thinking skills.
Apply: In this lesson, we will be discussing the political reforms of the Progressive Era, including those
of Theodore Roosevelt, the most recognizable figure from this era. Students will need to use their newlyacquired knowledge and apply it to a modern-day context, in two ways. First, in their blogs, they will be
writing about whether they would vote for Theodore Roosevelt, if he ran for president today. Second, they
will be preparing arguments for a debate on whether John McCain is a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican" as
he proclaimed in 2008.
•
Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate
technology to meet students’ needs.
Rationale: This lesson caters to a multitude of strengths and learning styles that students possess, and
requires the use of technology in order to prepare for their debates.
Verbal, Logical, Interpersonal: Students will be creating arguments and stating their claims against
those of their opponents.
Intrapersonal: Students will be reflecting on their learning experiences and will need to reflect on their
knowledge to make the modern-day connections.
Kinesthetic: Students will be at the front of the room, and may move around as needed while presenting
their arguments.
Naturalist: Students may be arguing whether John McCain is a Theodore Roosevelt Republican in terms
of the environment.
Students will be using Type II technology in the following ways: blogs, Inspiration.
•
Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment
strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.
Rationale: This lesson uses a variety of assessments in order to track student progress and understanding,
check for potential problem areas, and make adjustments as necessary.
Formative (Assessment for Learning)
Drafts of Persuasion map, ISP, and Inspiration graphic organizers, student blogs
Summative (Assessment of Learning)
Debate: students will be researching either for or against the following motion: John McCain is a Teddy
Roosevelt Republican. The debate write-up and the debate itself constitute the summative assessment.
Teaching and Learning Sequence:
Agenda
Day 1:
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(From Lesson 3) Presentation of products (40-45 minutes)
Break (5 minutes) (Total time so far: 45-50 minutes)
Hook: Students will watch a portion of John McCain's 2008 Republican National Convention
speech (15 minutes)
Introduction of assessment (see attached assessment introduction sheet and rubrics) (10 minutes)
Divide into two sides, one for and one against the motion: have students draw cards from a deck of
playing cards (don't use the whole deck; use as many cards as there are students. Half of the cards
should be odd numbers and half should be even.) Odds are for the motion and evens against. They
may use the rest of the period to either trade cards with other members of the class (as long as half
the class is for and half against) or free write in their journals. Students will put their name and
which side they are on, and hand in to the teacher, who will post on the class wiki.
Day 2:
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Lecture/discussion on political reforms during the Progressive Era (this should be the only day for
this) (50 minutes)
Break (5 minutes) (Total time so far: 55 minutes)
Students will be working on their own to conduct research
Homework: complete research, if necessary, along with a blog entry: If Theodore Roosevelt were
running for president, would you vote for him? Why or why not? What platforms of his do you
support? Oppose?
Day 3
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Students will get into groups (size depends on size of the class). Students will be allowed to
choose their own groups (they must be different from the groups from Lesson 3, however), and the
teacher will facilitate this process, if necessary. Groups will proceed to review and comment on
the blogs of its members (10 minutes).
Students will get into their teams to share their research findings from last class with their teams
(entire class)
At the end of class, every student will submit their ISP chart, persuasion map, and Inspiration
document (complete or incomplete; these may be printed or submitted by email)
o Please note: the Teacher will need to review these the day of the class these maps are
turned in. Students will be encouraged to pick up these graphic organizers before or after
school the next day (if block scheduling).
Homework: 1 page write-up on students' position on the debate
Day 4
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The teacher will hand back the graphic organizers. Students will have 25 minutes to make
adjustments and prepare their arguments for the debate
Debate (30 minutes) (Total time: 55 minutes)
For the beginning of the lesson, the desks/tables will be arranged in a semi-circle, so students can talk to
their peers across the room and next to them, and be able to see the front of the room and talk to the
teacher with ease. For the team portion of this, students may rearrange the desks/tables as they wish. For
the debate, desks/tables will be arranged in two straight lines in opposite sides of the classroom, with one
line for each team.
The Progressive Era was a time of impressive political change at all levels, and it is here where we really
begin to see the efforts of grassroots activists paying off. We see great change at the state level, where
governors like Hiram Johnson of California and "Fighting Bob" La Follette of Wisconsin became key
faces in the movement. We also see a period of great change in the role of the federal government in the
economy and society, especially in contrast to the "Laissez-Faire" attitude of the government during the
Industrial Revolution. The most recognizable figure in all of this is Theodore Roosevelt. In the 2008
presidential campaign (which, given the election of Barack Obama, has special importance among many
young people, even when not old enough to vote), John McCain, in a New York Times interview, claimed
to be a "Teddy Roosevelt Republican." With Internet reserach and a subsequent debate, students will be
exploring the validity of this claim. To get them ready to read up on John McCain, we will begin the
lesson with a snippet of John McCain's acceptance speech from the 2008 Republican National Convention
Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailors: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Verbal, Logical, Naturalist
Like previous lessons, delivery of class content will be done through a variety of means, including class
discussions, exploration through the indepdendent research, and real-life connections through student
blogs. The teacher will facilitate class discussions during presentation of the material, and will be
available to answer student questions during the research and preparation for the debate. The persuasion
map graphic organizer will serve to document student understanding a progress.
Equip, Tailors: Interpersonal, Verbal, Visual, Logical, Intrapersonal
Content Notes: see attached
Students will need to be using higher-order thinking to make real-life connections. They will need to do
this in two ways: through their blogs, where they will be deciding if they would vote for Theodore
Roosevelt if he were a presidential candidate today (and if they were legal enough to vote); and through
the Internet research and debate, where they will be deciding on whether John McCain is really a "Teddy
Roosevelt Republican" as he suggested he was in 2008. Students will need to apply their knowledge of
the Progressive Era in order to do their blogs and their debates. After completing the research, students
will be sharing their ideas and understanding with their fellow team members. They will also be
submitting their persuasion map and ISP graphic organizers to the teacher for prompt feedback.
Explore, Experience, Revise, Rethink, Refine, Tailors: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Verbal, Visual,
Naturalist, Logical
Students will be reflecting through their blogs and through free writing in their journals, along with a selfassessment sheet after the debate. The teacher will provide feedback on submitted work by the next class
period.
Handouts
 Persuasion map (attached)
 Information-Sources-Page graphic organizer (attached)
 Assessment introduction (attached)
 Assessment rubrics (attached)
 Transcript for McCain's 2008 RNC speech (attached)
 John McCain NYT interview (attached)
 NYT editorial: John McCain not a Teddy Roosevelt Republican (attached)
 Resource webpage (attached)
 If webpage no longer available, I have attached paper copies of John McCain's presidential
campaign page
 Inspiration policy comparison template (attached)
Reflection: