Lesson Plan #3 Chicago Landmarks

Catalina Davila
2nd Grade

Goals
Illinois Learning Standards
16.B.1a (US): Identify key individuals and events in the development of the local
community (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public buildings).
17.A.1a: Identify physical characteristics of places, both local and global (e.g.,
locations, roads, regions, bodies of water).
18.B.1b: Identify major social institutions in the community.
Instructional Objectives for Lesson
Students will be able to identify Chicago Landmarks.
Students will understand the history of the Chicago Landmarks.
Students will demonstrate comprehension about the history about Chicago
Landmarks.
Students will understand and incorporate new vocabulary in classwork.
Students will practice their oral presentation skills.
Cross Curricular Connections
Students will utilize English, Writing, Art, research, and oral presentation skills, as
well as working in groups.
Materials/Resources:
Computer
Projector
Book: Where is the Sears Tower? By Tad Mitchell and France Mitchell
Mitchell, Tad. (2011). Where is the Sears Tower? Illinois: Self-Published
This book is about a pigeon named Peter who travels to Chicago to meet
his grandfather who lives in the Willis Tower (Sears Tower). On this way to
meet his grandfather he passes city landmarks. Some of the landmarks
that Peter passes are Soldier Field, Shedd Aquarium, Cloud Gate (The
Bean), Chicago River, Art Institute of Chicago.
Web-based: http: Chicago History Website: www.chicagohistory.org
Official Website for Mitchell Book:
http://tadmitchell.com/searstower/educators.html

The Chicago history website gives a seven vocabulary list. These are word
that students will need to know in order to understand the distinct Chicago
Landmarks. This website also help create a memory game. I will only use
some of the descriptions given for Chicago landmarks in order to create a
memory game. The official website for the Where is the Sears Tower?
provides beautiful illustrations of certain Chicago landmarks.
Community: Field Trip to the Willis Tower
Students will go on a class field trip to the Willis Tower. The fieldtrip will
take place after the Chicago Landmark unit is over. Once the students are
at the Willis Tower they will be asked to point out other visible Chicago
landmarks. Then they will need to pick a landmark and in their journal write
two paragraphs about what they know about that specific landmark. After,
as a class we will talk Chicagos history.
Build-Your-Own-Skyline:
http://www.chicagohistory.org/mychicago/03sky.html
Song: Chicago by Frank Sinatra https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NoKn7vkSMBc
PowerPoint
Computer lab

Time
This lesson will encompass approximately five 40-minute class sessions.
Instruction:
Anticipatory Set
- Students will participate in The Chicago Silent Game. The teacher will
put up an image of a Chicago Landmark. If the students know the name of
the landmark then they will simply raise their hand without any talking.
The teacher can then look around to understand how much prior
knowledge the students come into the class with.
- Vocabulary will be introduced.
- The teacher will pass out the memory card game that will also be a
guessing game to show the teacher what the students know and what
needs to be focused on.
- There will be 24 cards; 12 cards will have descriptions of the Chicago
Landmarks and the other 12 cards will have a picture of the Chicago
Landmark.
- Students will take turns as they try to correctly match the description card
with the picture card.
- They will play who rounds. The first round they will be guessing. The
second round when they pick a card with a Chicago Landmark they will
need to give at least two descriptions of the specific landmark.
- There will be an answer key where students will be able to check their
matched cards.
- The teacher will walk around to monitor game.
Vocabulary

landmarks- famous buildings

waterway- a body of water that is used for transport
resident- person who lives in a certain place
Day One
Teacher will go over vocabulary with students.
Then teacher will gather class. The students then be called over to the
reading rug where the teacher will read the book Where is the Sears
Tower? By Tad Mitchell and France Mitchell.
After reading students will be put into their readers theater group and
directions will be given.
Directions:
- Based on the Where is the Sears Tower? book, students will create a
readers theater that will be at three-five minutes long.
- Each group of four students each will be assigned a Chicago Landmark,
which they will need to talk about and include in their readers theatre.
- Each group will have a copy of Where is the Sears Tower? By Tad
Mitchell and France Mitchell.
- Using the appendix from the book, they will gather some information
about their landmark.
- Students will need to pick four characters from the Animals/Insect
section in the appendix. The animals/ insects chosen are
animals/insects that play a role in the book as they help Peter the
pigeon on his way to visit his Grandpa who lives at the Willis Tower.
Day Two
Students will have 15 minutes to continue their research to include in
readers theater.
Students will work with group for the rest of class to get readers theater
complete.
Day Three
Each group will present their readers theater to the class.
The audience will be actively listening; listening with their ears, mind, and
heart.
Day Four
Field Trip to the Willis Tower.
Once back in the classroom, students will reflect in their writing journals
about their new learning about Chicago Landmarks.
Reflection Question:
- What are two things they enjoyed about their field trip to the Willis
Tower?
Day Five
Today students will work quietly for the whole class time.

They will write an essay about the following prompt:

- What have you learned about the Chicago Landmarks? Which
Chicago Landmark is my favorite? Why? Based on the history of
each Chicago Landmark what can this teach us about Chicago as a
city?
Essay should be three to four paragraphs long.
Teacher will collect the essay after the class is over.
Closure
After students have reflected on what they have learned, in a class discussion
teacher will document what the students have learned on a Chicago Skyline
butcher paper. The teacher will ask them to refer back to the Where is the Sears
Tower? book, the classes readers theater, and their writing journal to contribute
to the class discussion.

Role Play & Simulation

Groups will role-play characters from the book Where is the Sears Tower? to
demonstrate understand of their assigned Chicago Landmark. Working in groups
will help them divide the work but will also teach them to work better in groups.
Role play is important because students are able to collaborate with others, are
allowed to be creative and fun thus making learning enjoyable for them.
Assessment Based on Objectives
This lesson includes a variety of methods of assessing.
Students actively listen, participate, and are following directions.
- Were students participating in the class brainstorming? Were
students attentive when listening to the Where is the Sears Tower?
book and to when their peers were presenting their readers theater?
Were students respectful of their peers work? How well did they
follow the teachers directions given? How well were they behaved
on the field trip to the Willis Tower?
Student reflection will be assessed as they are completed.
- How well are they understanding the new material? Are they able to
voice their opinion?
Students working well in their groups.
- Do students come to school ready to learn with their thinking caps
on? Do they help their group with generating ideas? Are all members
of the group being considered? How are they helping their group
understand the assignment?
Students oral presentation.
- Did their groups readers theater follow the directions given? Was
their presentation given loud and clear?
Adaptations and Extensions

Adaptations
For students with social and/or cognitive disabilities in the class, the following
changes can be made:
Allow student(s) to work independently with teacher guidance.
Alter expectations of students participation in whole group discussions.
Extensions
If there are students who are academically advanced, the following extensions
could be made:
Students can read a book about their favorite landmark in the United
States and compare and contrast it with a famous Chicago Landmark.
Comparison and contrasting findings would be demonstrated in twoparagraph assignment.
Students could create their own Chicago Skyline and explain their design
for the new Chicago Skyline.
- http://www.chicagohistory.org/mychicago/03sky.html

Student Participation/Group work Rubric

Attitude/Beha
vior

Focus on
Project and/
or Class Work

Excellent (5)

Good (4)

Fair (3)

Unacceptable
(1)

Student is always
respectful of his
or her self,
others, and
teacher. Student
is engaged in
class on a daily
basis, has a
positive attitude,
and does not
criticize
anyone elses
ideas or work.
Consistently
stays focused on
in-class work and
what needs
to be done. Very
self-directed.

Student is often
respectful of his
or her self,
others, and
teacher.
Student is often
engaged in class
on a daily basis,
has a positive
attitude, and
rarely criticizes
anyone elses
ideas or work.
Focuses on inclass work and
what needs to be
done most of the
time.

Student is often
disrespectful
of his or her self,
others, and
teacher. Student
is rarely engaged
in class, lacks a
positive attitude,
and frequently
criticizes others.

Student is usually
disrespectful of
his or her self,
others, and
teacher. Student
is infrequently
engaged in class,
lacks a positive
attitude, and
consistently
criticizes others.

Focuses on the
task and what
needs to be done
some of the time.
Often must be
reminded by the
teacher about
what needs to
get done.

Rarely focuses on
class work and
what needs to be
done.

Contributions
in Class
or Working
with Others

TimeManagement
(During Group
Projects
and/or
Class
Activities)

Routinely
provides useful
ideas when
participating in
classroom
discussion. A
definite leader
who contributes
positively to the
class and
supports the
efforts of others.
Students feel
safe volunteering
in his/her
presence.

Usually provides
useful ideas
when
participating in
classroom
discussion. A
strong student
who tries hard.
Usually listens to,
shares with, and
supports the
efforts of others.

Never
procrastinates,
routinely uses
time well to
ensure things get
done on time.
Student never
asks to adjust
deadlines.

Sometimes
procrastinates.
Often uses time
well, never
misses
deadlines.

Sometimes
provide useful
ideas when
participating in
classroom
discussion. A
satisfactory
student who does
what is required.
Listens to, shares
with, and
supports the
efforts of others,
but sometimes is
not actively
listening or
responding.
Usually
procrastinates,
does not use
school time
efficiently but
completes
projects by
deadline.

Rarely provides
useful ideas
when
participating in
classroom
discussion. May
refuse to
participate. Often
disrupts or
discourages
others attempts
to participate.

Consistently
procrastinates,
rarely gets work
done by
deadlines, asks
for extensions or
does not submit
work.

Total
Grade: ________ out of 20
Resource:
http://www.madisonpublicschools.org/51620821164827350/lib/516208211648273
50/Class_Participation_Rubric.pdf
Writing Rubric

Criteria

4
3
2
1
Information in logical,
Student presents
Reader has difficulty
Sequence of
Organizatio interesting sequence information in logical
following work
information is
which reader can sequence which reader because student
n
difficult to follow.
follow.
can follow.
jumps around.
Student is
Student does not
Student
uncomfortable with
have grasp of
Student is at ease with
Content
demonstrates full
content and is able information; student
content, but fails to
knowledge (more
to demonstrate basic
cannot answer
Knowledge
elaborate.
than required).
concepts.
questions about
subject.
Presentation has no
Presentation has
Work has four or
Presentation has no
Grammar
more than two
three misspellings more spelling errors
misspellings or
and Spelling grammatical errors. misspellings and/or and/or grammatical and/or grammatical
grammatical errors.
errors.
errors.
Work has three or
Work has one or two four areas that are
Work is Illegible.
Neatness Work is neatly done. areas that are sloppy.
sloppy.

References

Work does not have

Work displays the
the appropriate
correct number of Reference section was
number of required
references, written completed incorrectly.
references.
correctly.

Total

Grade: ________ out of 20

Resource:
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/

Work displays no
references.