Salisbury University
Collaborative/Co-Teaching Daily Lesson Plan
Date: __02-25-13_____________________
Co-Teachers: Carol Chester (mentor) and Harry Suber
Content Area(s): American Government
______________________________________________________________________________
 Lesson Objectives:
Review the merits of a market economy and interact with the causes and implementation of a command economy
in order to have a more complete knowledge of the “spectrum of economies”- a representation of the range of
involvement any government might have with an economy.
 Content Standards Addressed:
MSDE American Government Standard: Economics>4.1.B. “Economic Systems and the Role of Government in
the Economy”>1. a. “…traditional, command, and market economies…”
NCSS Standards: 6) “Power, Authority, and Governance”; 7) “Production, Distribution, and Consumption”
NCCG Standards: I. “What is civic life, politics and government?”; IV. “What is the relationship of the United
States to other nations and to world affairs?”

Circle the Collaborative/Co-teaching Model(s) Used:
Supportive Teaching Y
Alternate Teaching Y
Parallel Teaching N
Team Teaching Y

What is the room arrangement? Will other spaces outside of the classroom (gym) be used? (Draw a
picture of the room arrangement.)
The room is set up in with all desks facing the Smart board, but in an gently sloping curve radiating from the
board, and in rows of two to four.
 What materials do the co-teachers need?
Power Points: “Review of Market Economy”; “The Command Economy is Best!”
Karl Mark “disguise” (fake bushy beard, name tag, Cossack hat)
Marx Pamphlet
Lyric sheet to “The Internationale”
Guided notes sheet: “Types of Economies”

How is student learning assessed by co-teachers? The students are being assessed both at the end of class
and on a future date. In-class assessment is informal. When Mr. Suber returns to the room no longer in
Karl Marx disguise, he asks, “What happened?” Ms. Chester then tells about the Marx appearance, and the
students chime in and discuss what they thought.
The students will also be assessed on the knowledge they gained from this experience with a formal
assessment later in the unit. A multiple choice and essay notebook quiz will be used for this formal
assessment.

What specific supports, aids, or services do select students need? ELL students will have a disadvantage
during certain parts of the lesson, like the Marx lecture, for instance- some of the vocabulary used might be
unfamiliar. However, by providing specific notes post-lecture, the information presented will become clear
and concise.

What does each co-teacher do before, during, and after the lesson? Before the lesson, a scaffold was
created throughout the unit that gave students the tools to understand basic economic terminology and
ideas, such as: supply and demand, public good, and the three questions any economic system must answer.
Only through building this necessary background knowledge could the students fully benefit from the
experience. Co-planning is an essential element of our approach, and this lesson was a product of our usual
collaborative approach.
During the Lesson, each teacher has a specific role to play. Ms. Chester played the role of introducing the
lesson by reiterating the benefits of a market economy, which was discussed the day before. This review
gave Mr. Suber the time to change into the Marx disguise, and a perfect context to launch into the causes
and implementation of a command economy. Mr. Suber gave the command economy lecture and notes as
Karl Marx while Ms. Chester played the role of support. Post-lecture and notes, Ms. Chester re-took the
lead, and showed Marx the failed states his system created through history. A conversation between Ms.
Chester and Karl Marx then occurred, with Marx finally leaving the classroom, accepting the defeat of his
system, but leaving the students with a message about civic participation (“..voting is an essential act for
seeking equity”) Marx leaves and Ms.Chester retakes the lead. Depending on time remaining, notes can be
glued in, or a discussion could ensue after Mr. Suber returns from changing out of the disguise.
After the lesson, Ms. Chester and Mr. Suber discuss its successes and failures. For all classes, the lesson
was consistent, but alterations and suggestions were made during the day to better shape the lesson. Later in
the unit, the students will be assessed with both a multiple choice and essay quiz on the information
presented.
Co-Teacher 1:____Chester_________
What are the specific tasks that I
do before the lesson?
Collaborative planning, power
point design and creation
Co-Teacher 2:______Suber____________________
Collaborative planning, power
point design and creation,
pamphlet design and folding, song
lyric sheet creation, Marx
“disguise” created, rehearse
speech
What are the specific tasks that I
do during the lesson?
Lead teacher during Warm-Up,
Review of Market Economy,
Failures of Command Economy,
Alternate teaching with
conversation with Marx,
discussion with class.
Establish presence in class, excuse
myself, return “disguised” as Karl
Marx, impersonate Marx and
present information on command
economy in several forms, return
to class as Mr. Suber for further
discussion
What are the specific tasks that I
do after the lesson?
Discuss successes and failures of
lesson with co-teacher, assess
student learning informally that
day and formally later in the unit
Discuss successes and failures of
lesson with co-teacher, assess
student learning informally that
day and formally later in the unit
Adapted & modified from A Guide to Co-Teaching: Practical Tips for Facilitating Student Learning, by Richard A. Villa, Jacqueline S. Thousand, &
Ann I. Nevin. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2004.