History 420 - Lesson Plan Worksheet (25 points)
This is the first and perhaps most important step in creating an exciting lesson plan. Why - because you will be picking a topic that you will examine throughout the entire course of the semester. So be sure you carefully think about and address the following questions in a typewritten, grammatically correct format.
- Pick your topic after reading through the California Social Science Standards at the grade level in which you are interested and finding an interesting subject that "jumps out" at you from the pages - one about which you have always wanted to learn, but have not had the time to adequately explore and one that will keep you interested and excited as you proceed with this assignment over the entire semester.
- Describe your topic and why it is of particular interest to you.
- List the standard(s) the lesson will meet for whatever grade level you select - 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
- Provide the title, author, and publication date of at least three books that you could use to research this topic. This step will require a visit to the library and look through the stacks for books on your topic and/or an internet search for books on your topic.
- Be sure to pick books that have differing viewpoints on your topic.
- Write a brief (3-4 sentence) description of each book.
- Pick one of these books that you think will be most interesting to read, that will provide you with some different perspectives, and that you believe will give you enough information to begin creating a content rich lesson plan.
- Explain how and why you selected this from your original list of three.
- Find at least one primary source that you would like your students to read to help them understand this topic.
- Briefly explain the content of the source and how you think it will help your students understand this topic.
- Pick a possible theme that you might use in your lesson plan. This theme can be one of the themes we identify in class, or one that you have created. Remember, it must include a message - a a bottom line idea - and a complete sentence.