GRADE 7

Social Studies
Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present
Unit 9: WWII
Friday, March 13

Standard 7-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the

significant political, economic, geographic, scientific, technological, and
cultural changes as well as the advancements that have taken place
throughout the world from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to the present
day.
Enduring Understanding: Although problems rooted in the Middle East
have captured the worlds attention more consistently than the majority of
current issues, other concerns have moved to the forefront as well. To
understand the modern world, the student will
7-6.4 Compare the social, economic, and political opportunities for women in
various nations and societies around the world, including those in developing
and industrialized nations and within societies dominated by religions.
7-6.5: Explain the significance and impact of the information, technological,
and communications revolutions, including the role of television, satellites,
computers and the Internet.

Lesson Objective:
Students will
Evaluate multiple points of view or biases and attribute the
perspectives to the influences of individual experiences, societal
values, and cultural traditions.
Integrate information from a variety of media sources with print or
digital text in an appropriate manner.
Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures;
comparing events that occurred in the past, to events that are
occurring in the present. (i.e. Ferguson vs. Selma)
Summarize non-fiction text in their own words
Interpret/evaluate sources which detail events that are occurring in the
present, in order to form personal opinion.
Materials:

Journals
Smartboard

Flocabulary.com Week in Rap Video

Flocabulary.com Week in Rap lyric analysis and summary of weeks
top current events
Procedures:
1.) Warm Up:
a. Students will begin class with a 4 minute Warm Up activity. As
apart of their daily - routine, students are expected to enter the
classroom, pick up their journals, sit silently,
and begin the Warm
Up that is projected on the SmartBoard.
The Warm Up activity always consists of a brief summary (on
average 2 sentences) of an historical event, which occurred on
the present days date. Students are allotted four minutes to
write the Warm Up in their journal while proceeding to correct all
possible grammatical errors.
b.) The number of grammatical errors will be displayed above the daily
Warm Up in order to indicate when students have corrected all possible
mistakes.
For example, Correct the grammatical errors in the following
statement: there are six grammatical errors.
c.) The timer on the SmartBoard will also be displayed so that students
are aware of how
much time is remaining to complete the Warm Up.
During this time, I will return graded work, and pass out any
worksheets that are required for todays lesson.
Transition: Students will be asked to pass their journals forward, in which
the first student in each row will place the journals back in the appropriate
class bin at the front of the class. Students will be directed to pay attention
to this weeks Week in Rap, found on the Flocabulary website.
2.) Schema Activation: Students will sit quietly and view the brief video,
Week in Rap found on flocabulary.com, which details this weeks main
current events in rap format. Students should have all other materials away
as they view the video.
3.) Further Investigation: Reading of this Week in Raps interactive lyrics,
which detail each current event highlighted.

I will read/summarize each current event one by one. After each

event is read/explained to the class, students will be given the
opportunity to share their opinions, ask questions, and comment.

Depending on the current event, students may be asked a

specific scaffolding question to prompt a class discussion.
The following topics will be discussed:
a.) ISIS- Iraqi army makes effort to reclaim Tikrit from ISIS
b.) Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department/ Protest
resulting in two police officers shot
c.) Anthony Hill- Unarmed black man shot and killed by police in
Chamblee, Georgia
d.) The Gender Gap in Education
e.) Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will stop using
elephants by 2018
f.) Scientists in Ethiopia find evidence of an Ancient human jawbone
g.) Study finds that cockroaches have personality
h.) Scientists discover how chameleons change color
i.) 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday
For all topics- especially those pertaining to racial, and gender inequalities,
students will be encouraged to formulate their own opinions, and understand
the importance of investigating these events as future adults in this country.
Students will be encouraged to discuss these topics at home with their
parents, and to question sources as they investigate.
4.) Student Share: Students will share their own current event.
Students will close the class by volunteering to share the current event
the found this week, and tell the class their opinion of it.
5.) Closing: Students will be instructed on the expectations for the following
weeks current event.
Students will complete all standard requirements for their current
event assignments, with an additional task of providing a brief
explanation of their parent/guardian/family members opinion of
the event.
Students will not only be asked to write a summary of their
family members opinion, but also compare the opinion of their
family member to their own personal opinion.
Students will be instructed to discuss the event/topic with their
parents.