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AED 5050: Drama Lesson Plan

Ewa Bieciuk
WSU Fall 2014

Five or more Supporting Materials used in my presentation today:

Example script of an event from Michigan history (not one that can be done by the students).
Rubric for student performances
Sample Props
Hard Copy of Research on the form of drama I have chosen to use (acting/skits).
Hard Copy of background information of child development of third graders.

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Ewa Bieciuk
AED 5050
September 17, 2014

Lesson Plan Title: Important Events Leading to Michigan Statehood

Grade Level : Third Grade
-At the third grade level students are studying the History of Michigan up to statehood. To do this, students will
create a human time-line of important events that led up to the important event of Michigan entering the Union as
th
the 26 state.
-According to CCSS Grade-Level Standard RL.3.1, students will ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. This is highly important in the
creation of a successful and factually correct timeline.
-Drama puts the teacher in the role of supporter in the learning process and the students can take more
responsibility for their own learning (Boudreault).
Boudreault, C. (2010, January). Boudreault - The Benefits of Using Drama in the ESL/EFL Classroom. Retrieved
from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Boudreault-Drama.html
-The human timeline teaching strategy uses movement to help students understand and remember the
chronology of events.
Human Timeline | Facing History and Ourselves. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/foreducators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/human-timeline
Core Subject : Social Studies
GLCEs:
3 H3.0.1 Identify questions historians ask in examining the past in Michigan (e.g., What happened? When did it
happen? Who was involved? How and why did it happen?)
3 H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement,
statehood).
Fine Arts Standards/ Benchmarks:
ART.T.II.3.3 Manipulate simple scenery, costumes, sound, and props in the dramatic process.
ART.T.III.3.2 Analyze elements of dramatic structure for successful classroom dramatization.
What is the Purpose? / How does this Connect/ What is the lessons Goal?
The goal of this lesson is to help students learn cause and effect of events from Michigans history. Students will
use their text, take notes, and chronologically place their events in order on the timeline. They will also act out the
event they are responsible for (whether just using props and body movements or acting out a small verbal skit).
This will help to provide a point of recall for students- acting out the events makes the students think about what
really happened and how it may have caused other events/been caused by past events.

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Teacher Materials: Tape, paper, glue sticks, construction paper, craft sticks, markers, scissors, mystery bag.
Student Materials: Social Studies textbook
List any Classroom Modification/ Pre-Learning Set-up-(moving desks, set-up materials center.)
If there is not a space that runs from one end of the classroom to the other, desks will need to be moved. A long
piece of tape is placed on the floor to serve as the time line. At the end of the time the date of 1837 will be already
marked off and the year written by the mark with tape.
All available materials will be placed on an available surface in the classroom.
Introduction to Students:
Goal:
Students will be able chronologically order 8 of the main events leading up to Michigans statehood.
Purpose:
After reading a chapter about the process of Michigan becoming a state, students will summarize the chapter by
completing this classroom activity.
This activity will be introduced after the chapter and the goal will be written on the board as well as discussed with
the students.
Students, after learning all about Michigan becoming a state, we are going to focus on the main events that
occurred that helped this important occasion occur. We are going to become explorers, Native Americans, and
settlers to recreate these moments.
Procedural Steps- Verbal Instructions to Students
Describe and Model the Activity-step by step from beginning
to end of lesson, using vocabulary from this media unit
Boys and girls, in our Social Studies chapter weve been reading about how our state of Michigan actually became
a state a joined the Union. Throughout the year weve been taking on the roles of historians, which are people who
study history in great detail and question the events that have happened.
As you can see, all your desks have been moved and there is a long line of tape on the floor. Does anyone know
what historians use to put events in order chronologically, which means to order something by when it
happened?
Teacher calls on a student to answer the question. If a student gives the wrong answer, ask another student to
help the previous come up with the correct answer and make sure the first student says the correct answer.
Thats right! As historians, we use timelines to see when events happened, what happened first, last and in
between. This line on the floor is going to represent our timeline. To help us begin, I am going to use tape to mark
off our end-point and focus of the timeline.
Can one of the historians in the class tell me in what year Michigan became a state?
Teacher calls on a student to answer the question. If a student gives the wrong answer, ask another student to
help the previous come up with the correct answer and make sure the first student says the correct answer.
th

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Yes! On January 26 1837, Michigan became the 26 state. Im going to use this tape to mark off and write 1837.
This is going to be the last event on our timeline.

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Now in this mystery bag, I have 10 slips of paper. Each paper has an important event from Michigan history on it.
All these events occurred before Michigan became a state and we read about all of them in the textbook. We are
going to put these events in order on our tape timeline. You will work in a small group and pick one of these events
out of the mystery bag.
To help us remember these important events, you are going to use your skills as a historian to study the event.
Re-read the chapter using our finger magnify glass to help you read slowly and focus on what youre reading. Stop
to take notes on when it happened (the date), what happened, who was involved, why it happened, and what the
effect of the event where.
After you read and take notes, with your group you will think of a way to act out your event. So for this part youll
switch jobs from historian to actor! Some of you will become French explorers, Native Americans, settlers, or
soldiers. Use the pictures and the information in the book to help your group create any props that you would like
to use. This does not have to be long, but make sure you look at the rubric that Student X will pass out to you in a
minute. The rubric is exactly what I will be using when I grade your groups presentation so make sure you cover all
the points with your group!
All the materials that you need are on the back table. Please make sure to only take what you need and to clean
up any messes.
We will have 25 minutes to read and take notes and 20 minutes to make props. After this you will have to discuss
with your classmates to figure out what year their event occurred in and where you should be on the timeline.
Once you figure out where you should be, send one team member up to the board to get some tape so you can
tape your year on the ground and mark it off on the time line.
Are there any questions? DONT FORGET TO BE ALWAYS CHECKING THE RUBRIC TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE
EVERYTHING!
As students are reading in their groups, the teacher will be walking around to monitor how students are working in
their groups. They should be taking turns reading and taking notes together. As time progresses, teacher will
announce how much time they have left for reading.
Third graders, you should now be ready to start working on your props. Before you go to the table to gather
supplies, make sure you discuss with your group what props you will be making and what supplies you need.
During this time the teacher will be once again walking around and monitoring. Occasionally I will be stopping by
groups to ask what theyre event is, when it happened, and if they have any questions.
Class, are all the groups ready? Do you have your mini-skits, who is doing what role, and props ready? Lets have
one person from each group come up to the line and talk with the other historians about where there event falls
on in the line. Remember, the event happened first goes on this side of the timeline and the event that happened
closest to Michigan becoming a state, goes on this side of the timeline.
During this time the teacher will walk between the students assisting where necessary.
Now before we begin, lets go down the line and listen to the years to make sure everyone is standing in
chronological order.
Good! Now lets begin. The rest of the group, grab your props and any materials you need and stand on the line
by your partner.
During this time, the teacher is to be using the rubric to check off things as the groups act out their event.

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After all students present, as a class we will discuss the events to check for understanding. The students will be
posed with the question, Which event do you think was most important to helping Michigan become a state?.
Students will reply with their answer to this question by writing out their thoughts and defending their reasoning.
This is to be done individually. This final written assignment will be graded by the following points:
*Was one of the 10 events presented listed as the contributing factor to Michigans statehood?
*Was the events importance explained?
*Did the student give their personal opinion/reasoning?
What will you be doing while students are working independently?
I will be walking around and monitoring student work. As they are working I will be approaching the groups and
asking them what they are doing, the importance of this event (which they will have to tell the class), when it
happened, who was involved, and how they plan on acting it out.

Closure-Checking for understanding/Review with students:

The students will line themselves on the floor timeline and write their date on the floor with tape (ex. 1845).
As they present/act out their parts in chronological order (the group that has the first event presents first, and
those that follow), the teacher is to check off things on the rubric accordingly/take notes.
After all students present, as a class we will discuss the events to check for understanding. The students will be
posed with the question, Which event do you think was most important to helping Michigan become a state?.
Students will reply with their answer to this question by writing out their thoughts and defending their reasoning.
Clean-up/Transition to next activity:
The tape timeline can remain on the floor with the tape dates/markers for a period of time (rest of the day or until
the test).
Students will clean up their areas by throwing away scraps and putting supplies back into their place.
After cleaning up students will proceed into the next activity by cleaning up, sitting in their seats, silently reading a
book, and wait for their peers to finish.
Evaluation Procedure:
The students will be individually graded throughout their preparation (working in small groups well and
participating in the work equally), as well as during their mini presentation/skit. The presentations will be a group
grade that will be evaluated via a rubric. Students will have this rubric as they prepare. While they present, the
teaching will be checking off items and making any necessary notes (on things missing or anything done well).
During the final class discussion students will be evaluated on their participation.
The final written assignment in response to the question Which event do you think was most important to helping
Michigan become a state? will be graded by the following points:
*Was one of the 10 events presented listed as the contributing factor to Michigans statehood?
*Was the events importance explained?
*Did the student give their personal opinion/reasoning?

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How did lesson attend to the Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic learner?
Auditory- Students will read the segment of the chapter that applies to their event aloud with their group.
Students will hear their peers acting out an important event from Michigan history.
Visual- Students will read their chapter by following with their finger to help guide their reading and focus. The
timeline out of tape on the floor with the marked off points in history will serve as a visual cue/aid.
Kinesthetic- The students will be created small skits to act out important events in Michigan history. This will
require them to possibly create props, move around, and act like important people.
How did this lesson address cognitive and affective learning?
Cognitive- Students have to think of cause and effect in this lesson. How does the event they are acting out effect
Michigan being a state? How does it cause events after it to occur? Does it? Creating the human timeline provides
them with a point or recall; when doing an assignment/taking a test they can think back to their peers skits/their
own skit and remember that because of the event acted out by Andy, Michelles event occurred.
Affective- Students are required to take the information in their textbook and think of how it may have occurred,
such as what those people may have been thinking or feeling at the moment and think of what they would have
felt like if they were in that situation. This emotional connection is vital for student learning.
What multiple intelligences are addressed in this lesson plan?
Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence (word smart) - using key terms and dates in their skit.
Spatial Intelligence (picture smart) using props in their skits.
Bodily- Kinesthetic (Body smart) acting out the historical events and lining them up chronologically on a timeline.
Interpersonal (People Smart) Working in groups.
Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self Smart) The final written reflection.
Five or more Supporting Materials used in my presentation today:
Example script of an event from Michigan history (not one that can be done by the students).
Rubric for student performances
Sample Props
Hard Copy of Research on the form of drama I have chosen to use (acting/skits).
Hard Copy of background information of child development of third graders.