MSMU Lesson Plan Format for

Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE)

with SIOP Elements

Grade/Class/Subject: 4th grade/Social Studies Teacher: Melissa Secola

Time/Duration of the lesson: 45 min

English Language Proficiency of Students: Proficient

Standards:
History-Social Science
4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of
California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.

4.2.5 Describe the daily lives of the people, native and nonnative, who occupied the presidios, missions,
ranchos, and pueblos.

English Language Development

Collaborative - Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative discussions on a
range of social and academic topics.

Interpretive - Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic contexts

Unit/Theme: California missions

Lesson Topic: Different perspectives during the mission system

Objectives:
Content:
I can identify and analyze both the missionary and Native American perspectives during the mission
system.

Language: I can participate in a discussion. I can listen actively to spoken English.

Key Vocabulary: perspectives, convert, epidemics, neophytes, revolts

Supplementary Materials: Sticky notes, chart paper, markers

Technology in Support of Learning:

I will present my lesson using PowerPoint.

Anticipated Misunderstandings/Difficulties: Students might not understand how good intentions can be
bad. The missionaries believed they could bring “civilization” to the Native Americans, and save their
souls by inculcating Christianity. Many Native Americans, however, were forced to go to the missions
and some were even killed because they did not want to join the mission system. This lesson might be
particularly challenging in a Catholic school setting.
 Element Rationale
Describe what will happen. Why did you choose to do it this way?
Pre-Assessment of Students’ Knowledge or Ability: Using thumbs up/thumbs down is a quick way
In order to assess whether or not students know the to assess the class as a whole. Instructing
meaning of the word perspective, I will instruct them to students to put their thumb close to their chest
put their thumbs up if they are familiar with the word’s will make students feel more comfortable
meaning and to put their thumbs down if they are not. giving an authentic response since their
thumb will not be visible to their peers.
Motivation (Warm-up): Using an illustration or a cartoon can be an
I will project an illustration on the board that depicts two effective way of teaching an abstract concept.
different perspectives/points of view. The top image This may be particularly helpful for students
shows a man on an island. He is looking at a boat in the who are visual learners. Students generally
distance. The caption reads: Boat! The bottom image find think-pair-shares engaging because it
shows the man in the boat looking at the island in the gives them the opportunity to talk to their
distance. The caption reads: “Land!” Students will peers, rather than hearing the teacher lecture.
participate in a think-pair-share in order to discuss the
meaning of the illustration. We will then have a short
group discussion about the illustration and the concept
of perspective.
Presentation (Instruction): Read-alouds are a great strategy for delivering
I will do a read-aloud of the chapter entitled “Impact of more complex content. They help support
the Missions” from our social studies textbook. The English learners and students with special
chapter discusses the perspectives of the missionaries needs because they make input
and the Native Americans. Prior to the read-aloud, I will comprehensible. Pre-teaching vocabulary is
pre-teach vocabulary from the chapter. As we are important because it makes content more
reading, students will use sticky notes to identify the accessible. Students love working with sticky
different perspectives discussed in the chapter. The notes. This strategy allows students to
sticky notes will be two different colors. Each color will actively engage during the read-aloud. Using
represent a different perspective. Students will also label color coding in order to identify the different
the sticky notes. Example: They will label the blue perspectives will help students organize their
sticky notes Native Americans and the yellow sticky thoughts. They will use the information they
notes missionaries. have identified in the practice/application
activity.
Practice/Application: Working in teams allows students to expand
Students will use the information they identified in the their knowledge and make connections by
text (with sticky notes) to complete a T-chart, where sharing their own perspective of the events.
they will contrast the perspectives of the missionaries Students will have the chance to analyze and
and Native Americans. Students will work in teams and organize their ideas by using a T-chart. Doing
create the T-chart on chart paper. After all of the teams a gallery walk is engaging because it gets
have completed their charts, they will do a gallery walk students up and moving. Additionally, they
of all the charts. are able to learn from their peers.
Post-Assessment: This activity assess students’ understanding of
In order to assess whether or not students have achieved both the missionary perspective and the
the objective, they will do an activity called Who Am I? Native American perspective. Students will
I will project information that reflects one of the two enjoy this assessment because, with its fun
perspectives we have been learning about. Students will title, it almost sounds like a game.
have to identify whether the information reflects the
missionary perspective or the Native American
perspective.
Extension:
As an extension, students can write an opinion piece for
a newspaper from the perspectives of a Spanish
missionary and a Native American.
Differentiating Instruction for EL focus student:
An EL student will benefit from working with a peer
tutor who can guide him/her through the lesson.
Providing translations of content vocabulary will help
support an EL student, as will videos that help break
down the content. The class read-aloud, visual aids used
in the PowerPoint, and collaborative discussions will
also support an EL student.
Differentiating Instruction for a focus student with
Special Needs:
Like EL students, students with special needs will
benefit from peer tutors, collaborative discussions,
visual aids, and read-alouds. In addition to showing the
land/boat visual aid, the teacher could give the example
of two children who come in at recess to tell on each
other. Both students have different perspectives of the
same event. Students will special needs may use their
the T-chart to help them with the Who Am I? activity.
By completing this assignment, students will
have the opportunity to understand both
perspectives and develop a personal opinion
about the mission system events.
Most of the time EL students fall behind due
to language barriers. It is important to provide
EL students with enough resources that will
help them grasp the concept. Working with a
partner gives students confidence to ask each
other questions. This method allows students
to gain knowledge from each other. It is
important to define key vocabulary for better
understanding and making connections.
Videos are also a good way for EL students to
help tie their learning together and make the
input comprehensible. Read-alouds help ELs
focus on content, rather than having to
decipher language. The visual aid used in the
warm-up/motivation activity is an effective
way to teach an abstract concept to EL
students.
Students with special needs can benefit from
working with more able peers. Visual aids
and read-alouds can help support
comprehension. Students with special needs
may need more concrete examples when
learning about abstract ideas. Because they
may not be able to retain a vast amount of
information, allowing students to use their
notes can help them identify the different
perspectives discussed in this lesson.
Knowing how to use notes is also a good
study tool.