Evan Shipp
Lesson Plan 1
3/2/11L
Lesson Plan Title: Making Headlines
Concept/Topic to Teach: Main Events Before and During WWII
Standards Addressed: This project will address Social Studies, 9th grade, World
History: 1500 to Present, Standard 14 in the Alabama course of study:
 describe causes and consequences of World War II
 identify turning points of World War II in the European and Pacific Theaters
 depict geographic locations of world events between 1939 and 1945
 identify on a map changes in national borders as a result of World War II
Specific Objectives: Students will learn about major events and turning points
before and during during WWII.
Required Materials: The students will use a powerpoint on the computers in the
computer lab, download newspaper templates from:
http://www.presentationmagazine.com/editable-powerpointnewspapers-407.htm. , book: American History (it is blue), Worksheet
with list of questions; computer lab
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Hold up a newspaper. “Raise your hand if you have
seen one of these before.” Wait for student response. “What is this
called?” Wait for student response. “Correct. This is a newspaper.”
Most of us have read or seen a newspaper at some point. Today, most
people get the news either through the Internet or TV. But in the 1940s,
people read newspapers or listened to the radio to get the news. Today,
we are going back to the 1940s to write our own newspaper telling
about the major events of WWII.”
Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:
1. The students will choose from a list of topics that I have composed from the
book as well other sources.
2. After each student has signed up for a specific topic, I will pass out a
worksheet with the specific questions that are to be answered or discussed
in the newspaper.
3. “You are to write an article as if you were a journalist in the 1940s telling
about the event to people hearing about it for the first time. You will also
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find pictures appropriate for the topic and place them in the template as
well. You may use your book to find information, as well as the internet.
Be sure to include a bibliography page. We will be working in the computer
lab for the next three class meetings. At the end of the first class, you
should have your template chosen, downloaded, and begin adding
information to your article. At the end of the second class, you should have
most of your article written. At the end of the third class meeting, you
should have your article finished, including pictures added, and proofread
your article. You are to email me a copy of your article at the end of each
class period. After finishing the articles, you will each give a 1-3 minute
presentation about you article. We will also have a quiz after everyone has
presented their newspaper article. This information will also pop up on
your chapter test next week.”
4. We will discuss each of the questions that are to be answered and I will
allow for students to ask any questions they may have at this point.
a. Your article must have a relevant title. (Remember, make it
something that would grab the attention of readers at this time.)
b. Describe causes and consequences of World War II.
c. Identify the turning points of World War II in the European and
Pacific Theaters.
d. Depict the geographic locations of world events between 1939 and
1945.
e. Identify, on a map, the changes in national borders as a result of
World War II (*You must include pictures, maps, and other visuals in
your article. Please label these and refer to them throughout the
article.)
f. Remember to email me a copy of your article at the end of each class
period.
5. Next, we will walk down to the computer lab to begin our assignment.
6. Once in the computer lab, using the projector, I will show students how to
open up the internet browser and type in the web address for the
newspaper template.
7. “Before you begin, I would like to remind you to make your article
interesting to read. Think about articles you may read in a newspaper or
sports magazine. Do not overload the reader with boring facts quoted
directly from your book. Put the information in your own words in order to
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make it more of an exciting read. Remember, this was a world war. This
was big news at that point in time.”
8. After choosing a template, the students may begin filling in the information
for their article.
Guided Practice/Monitoring:
When we arrive in the computer lab, I will show students an example
newspaper template the in which they can download the templates. I
will also show a sample article. At this time they will be able to ask any
questions they have about the assignment before starting. The
students will be expected by the end of the first day to have a template
picked out and begin typing their article into the template. The second
day the students will continue typing article. Third day should finish
typing article and insert pictures thus completing the newspaper article.
I will also walk around the computer lab to monitor progress and answer
questions while they are working on the project.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Today, you began creating a newspaper
article including information about World War II. You included
information such as the causes and consequences of World War II, the
turning points of World War II in the European and Pacific Theaters, the
changes in national borders as a result of World War II, and the
geographic locations of world events between 1939 and 1945.
Tomorrow, we will continue our newspaper project.
Assessment Based on Objectives:  The students will be able to describe causes
and consequences of World War II, identify turning points of World War II in the
European and Pacific Theaters, depict geographic locations of world events
between 1939 and 1945, and identify on a map changes in national borders as a
result of World War II with 90% percent accuracy.
(Objective 14)
*Adaptations (For Students with Special Needs): There is a child in my
classroom with a vision impairment. I will assign this student to the
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computer that is specifically for the vision impaired, which has larger
print and a magnification system. Further assistance will be provided as
needed.
Extensions (For Advanced Students): For advanced students, the question set
provided on the handout will be somewhat different. Additional
questions will be included that cause students to think critically.
a. Your article must have a relevant title. (Remember, make it
something that would grab the attention of readers at this time.)
b. Describe causes and consequences of World War II. How will life
change for women, children, men, and the general family structure
as a result of the war? How will the war impact the economy?
c. Identify the turning points of World War II in the European and
Pacific Theaters. Given the knowledge of the outcome of the war,
what strategies would you recommend to improve the outcome of
the war?
d. Depict the geographic locations of world events between 1939 and
1945.
e. Identify, on a map, the changes in national borders as a result of
World War II. “Predict” how these changes will effect the world in
the future (how they have affected our world today) **You must
include pictures, maps, and other visuals in your article. Please label
these and refer to them throughout the article.
f. Remember to email me a copy of your article at the end of each class
period.
Possible Connections to Other Subjects: Since students will be reading in order
to gather information about the topic, comprehension strategies could also be
incorporated in the lesson, as well as during Reading. Also, grammar and
language rules could be taught since the students are writing a newspaper article.
The article could be printed daily and discussed during Language in order to
proofread and make corrections as necessary.
Reflection: This lesson is a fun way to get the students involved with their
learning. Too often, especially in social studies, the students sit and take notes
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while the teacher lectures. With this lesson, the students actually have to go out
and find the material themselves; it is not just handed to them. This lesson also
will build their research skills. It also will help build critical thinking skills because
they will have to find sources and determine if it is reliable source or not. I believe
the students will enjoy this lesson because it gets them out of a lecture type
setting and allows them to interact more with their learning than they can in a
traditional class setting. One problem that I encountered during this lesson was
the overwhelming amount of information the students had to sift through. I
could improve the lesson by finding several sites that students are allowed to
gather information from, which would prevent them from searching aimlessly
throughout the internet for sources. One thing that worked well in this lesson
was the pre-made question and answer sheet. This really kept the students on
track throughout the lesson, and helped guide them in their organization of the
article.
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