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One Minute Essays will be given each day after our social studies lesson or activity. The students can perform this orally or they can write down the answers on an index card or piece of paper. The two questions students will answer will be
(1) “What is the big idea you learned in social studies today?” and (2) “ What is the main unanswered question you are leaving class with today in regards to the social studies lesson?”
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Every Friday, Mini-Interviews will take place in the classroom. Either the interview will be with me one-on-one or with a small group of peers. In this interview students will discuss content learned for that week and will talk about themselves as learners during the unit thus far. This interview can help guide students to talking about how the content can be taken and applied to future settings. In addition, students will discuss in the interview what type of method was most effective for them, why it was the most effective, and what they could work on in the future. R, E2
1.
Start off by having your students participate in a voting simulation that gives students a look and feel for what inequality is like (see stage 2 description). Have students discuss feelings about the simulation and ask if they have had any experiences where they felt they or someone else was being treated unfairly.
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2.
Introduce this civics unit to the class. Explain to all the students that we will be learning about the different basic principles/natural rights that U.S. citizens are born with. We will also be learning about the many important citizens who have done a lot to defend our basic rights. Then lastly we will be learning about the holidays we as a nation celebrate to honor those men and women who have fought hard to defend and protect our rights. Point out the essential questions that are posted on the front board and tell students the essential questions will be posted there throughout the unit and for them to be thinking about the “answers” as we go forward with the unit.
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3.
Inform students that throughout this unit they will be reading many different books, listening to audio clips, seeing movies, having classroom visitors/speakers and will also be completing many different assessments along with 3 bigger performance tasks a.k.a. projects... but not to worry them cause they will be fun
(Refer to stage 2 for the three PBE’s) W
4.
Ask students why they think it is important for us to learn about our rights and knowing about people that have worked hard to defend these rights? Allow for some classroom discussion (Refer to THINK, THINK, THINK document for possible answers). W
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

5.
Tell your students that for this unit and assignments we will be creating SMART goals. Since we have practiced goal creating in units prior, briefly describe the process of creating a smart goal again and give the students some time to develop a goal. Provide examples if necessary! W
6.
Gather the class at the rug and make a KWL chart on large chart paper so that everyone in the class can see. Title this KWL chart “ Basic Principles/Natural
Rights. Explain to students that the title refers to rights we as American citizens are born to and that they are also called privileges. Allow for students to pair up with one of two people sitting besides them on the carpet and Think-Pair- Share
(TPS) about what they already know about our American basic principles. When a few minutes have passed, have students share by raising their hand and being called upon. Write answers in “K” column on chart paper. Have students then share what they want to learn and write down answers in “W” column.
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7.
Read the trade book “ Knowing Your Civil Rights” by Christin Ditchfield. Stop to discuss important photographs and the rights mentioned. Refer to Essential
Question #1 (see stage 1 or 2) and ask students how they think they have used their basic rights and the importance having these rights has on their lives. Add information to the “L” column of the KWL chart. E,R
8.
Have students do an illustration prompt in their writing journals. Label one page with the title “Life”, the second page with “Liberty”, the third page with “Pursuit of Happiness, and the fourth with “Equality”. Instruct students to draw under each title a picture of what that word means to them. They can include writing as well
,if that helps them to describe the main idea. When students are finished with their journal illustrations have them trade with a partner for “Gems and Opportunities”
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9.
The students will be taking a small quiz on basic principles of American citizens.
This will include multiple-choice questions and fill in the blank questions.
Examples of questions include :
1.What are the basic principles?
A Pledge to the flag
B Privileges that cannot be taken away*
C Symbols
D Good citizenship
2. How do American citizens get rights or privileges?
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

A They have to earn them by being good citizens.
B They have to go to school to get them.
C They are born with them.*
D They have to obey all laws in order to get them.
3. All people are treated ________ under the law (equally)
The quizzes will be taken up and graded by the teacher. The quizzes will then be handed back to students and gone over as a class to erase any misconceptions students may have.
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10. Performance Task #1 (Refer to Stage 2). After this PBE students will fill out a self-assessment and reflection sheet (teacher provided). This reflection will allow students to take responsibility for their own learning. It allows students to describe what they did with this PBE, their likes and dislikes, and what they learned about themselves while completing the Performance Task. E, E2
11. Show class a one-dollar bill and a quarter! Ask the students if they know who the person on the bill and quarter is? Tell them we will be learning about George
Washington and how he fought to defend the rights of American citizens. Start a
KWL chart. Complete the “K” and “L” sections in the same manner you did previously in the unit. H,E
12. Listen to a voice thread on George Washington. Have students take notes in their
Social Studies Journal! For those students who would experience difficulty taking notes on their own, I would provide a fill in the blank worksheet to fill in as they were listening to voice thread. Discuss what the students found interesting in the voice thread and what they had learned about George Washington. Fill in the “L” section of
KWL chart and make sure that students cover what Washington did to defend citizens’ natural rights.
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13. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for George Washington. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students finish this for HW if not finished in class.
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14. Show class a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Ask the students if they know who wrote this document. Explain how Thomas Jefferson wrote this document, which states a citizen’s basic rights. Start a KWL chart as you did with George
Washington. H,E, R
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

15. Read aloud “Thomas Jefferson” by Victoria Sherrow. Complete the “L” section of the KWL chart. Make sure there are several ways listed that Thomas Jefferson helped defend Americans basic rights. E.R
16. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Thomas Jefferson. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students finish this for HW if not finished in class.
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17. Show class a picture of Abraham Lincoln. Ask if they know who it is. Start a
KWL chart for him using same procedures as before. H, E, R
18. Listen to Abraham Lincoln’s voice thread online. Have students take notes.
Discuss interesting and new facts learned and complete the “L” section of KWL chart. E.R
19. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Abe Lincoln. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students finish this for HW if not finished in class. E,R,T
20. Tell class, “ So far we learned about male citizens who have worked hard to defend our natural rights...now its time to talk about a special woman who was very influential in fighting for our rights...This lady is Rosa Parks”. Start a KWL chart and fill in “K” and “W” columns
. H,E,R
21. Read as a class using Round Robin Reading the Interview of Rosa Parks . Answer questions on interview worksheet with a partner. Fill in the “L” column of KWL chart. E,R
22. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Rosa Parks. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. E,R,T
23. For HW: Pick 2 citizens we have learned about thus far and compare and contrast their lives and contributions towards fighting for Americans natural rights. For students who need more assistance a word bank would be provided to help will the process of comparing a contrasting. (Example template below). E,R, T
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

George
Washington
Similarities
Abe
Lincoln
24. Show students pictures of Thurgood Marshall. Ask students what they know about Thurgood Marshall. Write their responses on a KWL chart in the “K” section.
Ask students what they want to learn about Marshall and fill in “W” sectio n. H,E,R
25. Read aloud to class “ A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall” by David A. Adler.
Fill in “L” column of chart after reading and having a class discussion about the book.
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26. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Thurgood Marshall. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students finish this for HW if not finished in class.
E,R,T
27. Play the “I Have a Dream” speech! Ask students if they recognize the voice and/or know who gave this famous speech. Explain that this man is Martin Luther
King Jr. Ask Students about “K” and “W” part of KWL chart and fill in accordingly.
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28. Have the class watch the Brain Pop video on Martin Luther King Jr.. After Video have a class discussion on what they students saw and found interesting. Fill in “L” column of KWL chart. E,R
29. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Martin Luther King Jr. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students finish this for HW if not finished in class . E,R,T
30. Show students pictures of Cesar Chavez. Ask students what they know about
Cesar Chavez and what they want to know about him. Fill in “K” and “W” sections of
KWL chart. H,E,R
31. Show class Discovery Education video on Cesar Chavez. After video put on the board a quote from Cesar Chavez that relates to his contributions of defending
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

citizens rights. “ there has to be someone who is willing to do it, who is willing to take whatever risks are required. I don't think it can be done with money alone. The person has to be dedicated to the task. There has to be some other motivation." Have a class discussion about the quote and what the students get from it. Refer to essential question #2 (see stage #2) and ask students to TPS what would it be like to walk in
Cesar Chavez’s shoes!
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32. Hand out BioCube template and direction sheet (refer to stage 2) and have students complete for Cesar Chavez. For students who need remediation, allow them to draw more pictures on the faces of the cubes then to have to do some much writing with descriptions. Have students do this last BioCube for homework . E,R,T
33. Have students create different memorabilia boxes for the important citizens that were learned about in this unit. Students will tell teacher who they choose so that there is an even distribution of the citizens being represented by the memorabilia boxes. Students should get up in front of the class an do a “ Show and tell” of their artifacts in the box. Students in the class may ask yes or no questions to determine which citizen’s memorabilia box it is. When students think they know whom the memorabilia box represents, they can write the name down on their personal dry erase boards. The nights before this learning tool is presented have students create a journal entry for homework. The journal entries should be based of the prompt: What is the most difficult artifact in your memorabilia box? Express the importance of sharing the artifacts in their box from most difficult to easiest so that the class will not guess who their box represents right off the bat. (Learning tool). E,O
34. Performance Task #2 (Refer to Stage 2). After this PBE students will fill out the self assessment and reflection sheet (teacher provided). This reflection will allow students to take responsibility for their own learning. It allows students to describe what they did with this PBE, their likes and dislikes, and what they learned about themselves while completing the Performance Task. E, E2
35. Tell the students you love holidays especially when a cake is involved, and bring in an American flag themed cake! Ask students “ have you ever seen or made this cake for a particular holiday? Explain to students how you make this cake for 2 national holidays Veterans Day and Memorial Day. H,E,R
36. Review the term national holiday. Explain that national holidays are designated by our government (Congress) to honor events and people of national significance.
Using a calendar, go through each month, and identify the national holidays. Two national holidays voted on by Congress that honor service men and women. Point out
Veterans Day in November on the calendar and talk about how it honors those who have served in the military, and point to Memorial Day at the end of May honors those who have died in wars. E, O
37. Have students do a Think-Pair-Share based on what they know about Veterans
Day and Memorial Day! Have them think about why they believe these national holidays are important and how they and their families choose to celebrate these
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

holiday. R
38. Students will be given the “Baseball Field” Learning Menu .The teacher will explain how the learning menu can be completed throughout the week as the class learns about Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The learning menu will be due by the end of the week. (Refer to “Baseball Field” Learning Menu for details).
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39. Read Veteran’s Day: Remembering Our War Heroes by Elaine Landau. Have a class discussion and complete a word splash wither Veterans Day. This word splash will allow students to get ideas for next activity. E,R
40. Tell students that we will be writing thank you cards to veterans for protecting our natural rights as citizens. Students will be told that they will be taking a field trip to the local Veteran’s hospital to hand deliver these cards. The card writing will help students understand the importance of recognizing Veteran’s Day.( We will be doing rough drafts, editing, and I will give feedback to prepare to do this again with the
PBE #3). E,R,E2
41. Watch History Channel’s video on the History of Memorial Day with your students. Have them record notes during the film. After the film pass out thick cardstock to students. Have them title the paper “Memorial Day”. Instruct students to draw a picture of what memorial day means to them. At the bottom of the illustration, they are to write a sentence or two about why they feel American citizens celebrate
Memorial Day(this is part of essential question #3). E,R
42. Introduce Performance Task #3 (Refer to Stage 2). After this PBE students will fill out the self- assessment and reflection sheet (teacher provided). This reflection will allow students to take responsibility for their own learning. It allows students to describe what they did with this PBE, their likes and dislikes, and what they learned about themselves while completing the Performance Task. E, E2
43. Invite a local veteran into the classroom. Have them share keepsakes (badges of honor, an American flag, uniform, etc..) and some personal stories from times when they fought to protect our rights. Have student ask questions that they had previously developed to the classroom guest. Take a class picture with veteran so students can always remember how important those who have served and those who still serve truly are (post the picture up in the classroom) E,R
44. Because my students love working with technology, I will have them make a wordle for this unit. Included in the wordle is different words that can be related to a topic. Students must include in their wordle, words that answer our essential questions (students can find these essential questions posted at any time on the board in front of the classroom). When all the wordless are completed, we will post them up around the classroom and do a “ Walk and Talk” about what common words we see among the classes wordle’s and how these words help answer our essential questions!
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Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

45. Revisit SMART Goals that were set in the beginning of the unit. Have students write a reflection. In their reflections, have the student answer, “ Do you feel you accomplished your SMART Goal?” “ Why or why not?” “ Give examples?” and “
Can you keep working on this type of goal with other units?”
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46. Have a final wrap up discussion on how things went. Have students give Gem’s and Opportunities for the teacher on things they really liked about the unit and things they think could be improved upon if the unit was to be completed again. Having your students give the teacher gems and opportunities will excite them and have them feel as though they have an important task and are respected for their inputs! R, E2
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2 nd .ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.