Differentiated Instruction &
Understanding By Design
Lesson Plan Format
Title: People of the Revolution
Subject Matter Emphasis and Level: Social Studies/8th Grade
Author: Dianne Selchert
School District: Sanborn Central
Email: [email protected]
Brief Description of the Lesson/Unit:
Students will gather relevant information from four different sources to find out about the
roles of people important in the American Revolution. They will analyze the history of
the time and the lives of those people to conclude why they took the actions they did and
the impact those actions had on society at the time and on today’s society.
SD Content Standards:
Identify key individuals and summarize their roles in the American Revolution, such
as Thomas Jefferson, King George, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Samuel Adams,
and Benjamin Franklin.
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
1. What enduring understandings are desired?
Students will understand that the roles individuals play and the decisions they make
have a direct impact on the future of the world and its cultures.
2. What essential questions will guide this unit and focus
teaching/learning?
What makes people behave the way they do?
How does one’s role in society impact others, or does it?
Why do people follow another’s ideas?
What makes a leader? Is it dangerous to be a leader?
How do people’s actions from the past affect us today?
3. What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of
this unit?
Students will be able to identify and summarize the roles of key individuals in the
American Revolution.
Students will know that decisions made by these key individuals have impacted the
world in which we live.
Students will know why the American Revolution took place.
People will know that disagreements among individuals/groups can result in societal
changes.
Students will know that certain character traits develop leaders.
4. What prior learning, interests, misconceptions, and conceptual
difficulties might be brought to this unit?
Students may believe that the United States, as a country, always existed.
Students may not realize that without the actions of the people being studied, our
lives would be very different from what they are today.
Some students may have advanced knowledge of the American Revolution.
Students may think that the American Revolution is the only revolutionary war that
was fought.
Students may believe that all colonists were Patriots.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
1. What evidence will show that students understand?
Performance Tasks:
Students will create a presentation/exhibit portraying one of the individuals important
in the American Revolution. Presentation will be assessed according to a studentgenerated rubric stating the necessary components.
Other Evidence:
Quizzes, Tests, Prompts, Work Samples (summarized):
Students will be required to locate and use relevant information from 4 different
sources. As students complete the research from each source, they will be
responsible to check in with the facilitator by sharing the relevant information and the
bibliographical citing they will be using from that source.
Unprompted Evidence: (observations, dialogues, etc.)
Facilitator will have dialogues with students to prompt research that will lead them to
discovery of relevant information.
Students will be observed during the research stage to be sure they are on task and on
track with their information.
Student Self-Assessment
Students will have a rubric to guide their work. They will use the rubric to be sure
they have prepared a quality project.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
1. What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip
students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings?
Major Learning Activities:
Introduction of unit
Preparation of student-generated rubric, guided by standards
Use of Encarta Research Organizer
Discovery of materials/sources (textbook, Internet, library books, encyclopedias)
Allow 1 class period per source for information finding.
Allow 2-3 class periods for presentation/exhibit preparation.
Self-assessment according to rubric
Presentations (class time needed depends on number of students in class)
Materials & Resources (technology & print):
Internet
Encyclopedias
U.S. History textbooks
Library books of American Revolutionaries
Encarta Research Organizer
Management:
Class will be working in teams. All members of each team will be responsible for
locating relevant information and properly citing the sources. Teams must be
encouraged to work productively. The group will determine roles of each team
member. Some teams may need assistance in developing individual responsibilities.
Support Services and Special Teacher Notes:
Students who need help reading and writing may need support services. In some
cases, classmates may support team members.
Extensions and Adaptation:
This format may be used for almost any topic in social studies.
Stage 4: Plan Differentiation
2. What differentiated instruction strategies are being used in this
lesson/unit?
Differentiated Process:
Students will choose a person to research based on a library book. Students
themselves will determine which book they want to read, therefore choosing which
person they will be studying.
Differentiated Content:
Library books will consist of books that range in reading difficulty from basic picture
books to high school level reading books.
Differentiated Product:
Students will have the option of determining their own way to present the information
they find, creating a product that is suited to their abilities to prepare and present.