Mr.

Taylor Venteicher
Grade Level: 6th Grade (Middle School)
Subject / Content area: Minnesota Studies / Social Studies
Unit of Study: Unit 10: Sodbusters Northern Lights: The Story of Minnesotas Past
Lesson Title: Welcome to Minnesota!
Central Focus for the learning segment:
In this lesson, students will be introduced to a unit-geared project, Welcome to Minnesota. 6th
grade Minnesota Studies students will be tasked to create their own tourist commercial or poster to
reflect the methods and ideals of this growing state during the late 19th century. The state was
abundant with resources and fertile land, but the work wasnt easy and settlers needed to advertise
and attract more helping hands.
Students will create their very own, made-up, Minnesota town to advertise and promote to settlers
(i.e., Venteicher Village, Benson City Bluffs). This project will be completed either through the use of
the iPad Movie Maker, or a colorful, creative poster as students will need to use current technology
to convince viewers and readers that their town is the one to settle in. Using current technology in
the classroom will help engage students, promote familiarity, and develop usage skills.
Content Standard(s): MN Standards or Content Standards (List the number and text of the
standard. If only a portion of a standard is being addressed, then only list the relevant part[s].)
Grade 6 United States History.
Standard 20:
As the United States shifted from its agrarian roots into an industrial and global
power, the rise of big business, urbanization and immigration led to institutionalized
racism, ethnic and class conflict and new efforts at reform. (Development of an
Industrial United States: 1870-1920)
Standard Code 6.4.4.20.2:
Analyze the causes and impact of migration and immigration on Minnesota society
during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. (Development of an Industrial
United States: 1870-1920)
Learning Objectives associated with the content standards:
Students will have the choice to work independently or in groups to be able to create, edit,
and publish a Minnesota own/city Tourist commercial (of at least thirty seconds) or a poster
to present for the class.
Throughout the unit, students will be able to detail and list at least five different reasons as to
why Minnesota saw success, development, and changes during this time period (18701920).
In a short answer response, students will be able to explain how the movement of both new
settlers and current residents of Minnesota helped impact the state; its landscape, and
society itself.
Students will be expected to use proper sentence structure, make little to no spelling and
grammar mistakes, and use complete paragraph form in all written responses (including the
poster).
Instructional Resources and Materials to engage students in learning:
1) The text, Northern Lights, will be used alongside this project and unit as it covers the
changes occurring in Minnesota as the state experienced rapid changes in population,
livelihoods, and landscape (Northern Lights: The Story of Minnesotas Past).
2) Students will use their school-owned iPads to record, edit, and publish their finished
Minnesota City Tourism commercial. Using relevant technology for students while introducing
them to the field of Video Production will serve as a great way to develop lifelong technology

and critical thinking skills. A teacher-constructed sample will be provided as reference,

alongside actual tourism commercials aired today. Minnesota Today, South Dakota,
3) Attracting new settlers and promotion of Minnesota land was primarily done through
advertisements, posters, fliers, and pamphlets. Examples of these will be shown to students
as they are simply taking this idea to the new level and creating an informative, engaging,
and convincing commercial or poster of their own. A print out of the poster shown below will
be provided.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks that support diverse student needs. (Include what
you and students will be doing.): Independent work will start off the class, allowing for students to
build some pre-knowledge before entering the discussion. Lecture/discussion will allow students to
present ideas, answer questions, and learn from not only the text but from their peers as well. A brief
PowerPoint presentation with imagery, as seen above, will allow visual thinkers to develop idea
towards the project and the main concepts.
Differentiation and planned universal supports:
Giving students the choice to not only choose how they wish to conduct their project, through either
video or poster format, but also allowing for the creation of their very own city is intended for
students to feel empowered and confident with their work. The option to work in small groups or
independently will also help steer students into decisions they are more comfortable with (i.e.,
students who prefer to work on a poster alone rather than film a commercial in a group).
To explain this assignment, I will be using both real-life (tourism commercials, advertisements) and
teacher-created examples. Not only will they be able to see and hear what a good project looks like,
they will be able to hold and keep one. As a class, we will model the creation of a city and what it
entails (resources, size, and location).
Language Function students will develop. Additional language demands and language
supports:
Students will be tasked to understand and apply these vocabulary terms throughout the unit and this
project:
Subsistence Farming: The practice of producing enough food to feed ones own family, but

not enough to sell at market.

Market: An area of economic activity in which people buy and sell goods and services.
Markets are where prices are determined.
Diversified Farming: The practice of producing a variety of crops and livestock on one farm.
King Wheat: Name given to Minnesota during the mid-1800s for its expansive and
dominating development of wheat.
James J. Hill: Extremely successful railroad businessman centered in Minnesota.
Promoting: Advertising, discussing, and otherwise trying to sell your idea, area, good, or
trade.
B-Roll: Video Production term given to identify footage used to help viewers visualize what
the audio means and used to primarily help with transitions.
My first period class primarily consists of ELL students, and will likely need more attention brought to
some of these newer terms and the project. To help with this, an additional assistant to my
Cooperating Teacher and myself is present in the room. I will not be recording this class, but to help
deal with these issues, having three adults in the room has proven that a lot more one-on-one
interaction can occur and help get struggling students on track.
Students are also tasked everyday to review unit-vocabulary terms after completion of the BellRinger activity. This is done on their personal iPads on a software called Study Stack, where
students are free to review content and terms at their own pace. In this lesson, being introduced to
this vocabulary briefly and then applying it to the following discussion and project will help students
better solidify understanding of not only the history behind Minnesota's development as a state, but
how their "city/town" can be successful.
**Though not all of these terms will be discussed in my recorded lesson, they are terms that
will be covered throughout the rest of the unit.
Type of Student Assessments and what is being assessed:
Informal Assessment: Students ability to answer questions and respond to discussion
questions when called on is imperative in understanding how they are grasping the content.
Formal Assessment: The end-all assessment is the Welcome to Minnesota project.
Students will be able to refer to the rubric (seen below lesson plan) to determine what is
expected of them and how they can complete this assignment successfully.
Modifications to the Assessments: Students may need to be placed in certain groups for
success, more questions may need to be asked to gauge student understanding, and
additional time may need to be provided.
Evaluation Criteria: An established rubric will be used and distributed to students prior to beginning
the project. This rubric will asses students ability to provide relevant content, show proficiency in
iPad Movie Maker or poster creation, and reveal understanding of resources and their impact on
areas. Refer to below the lesson plan.
Relevant theories and/or research best practices: Giving students choice in their own
assessments is a great way to promote confidence and accountability. With 6th grade students, I
believe they can benefit more from a teacher-led discussion concerning the success of cities and
what kinds of practices Minnesota took during this time period.
Lesson Timeline:
Within the span of a 60 minute class schedule, students will:
(From 0-10 Minutes) Students will enter the classroom, take their seats, and refer to the

PowerPoint to review the learning goal for the day, what they need to write in their
agendas/planners, and what they should begin working on independently.
o The Do Now work will be to read pages 210-215 in Minnesota Northern Lights.
o After completion of reading, students are tasked to open "Schoology", then "Study
Stack", and review vocabulary terms.
o Learning Goal: Analyze the causes and impact of migration and immigration on
Minnesota society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
(From 10-15+ Minutes) After students have finished their assigned reading and have
reviewed vocabulary terms on "Study Stack", attention will directed towards the front to
discuss "Today in History."
o This activity is to connect our modern day to the happenings and events of the past
(i.e., April 20th - The Anniversary of the Columbine School Shootings).
o A few events will be selected, with a focus on those that can connect to ideas of
cities, migration, or development.
o Even if some of these events arent applicable, Today in History allows for open
discussion and time for students to unwind as they finish their Bell-Work.
(From 15+ - 35 Minutes) Following Today in History, a discussion will be held
accompanied by a brief PowerPoint presentation with imagery from late 19th and early 20th
century of Minnesota farming, landscape, and settlements.
o I will cover the central ideas behind Minnesotas success during this time.
Success in the U.S. Dakota War of 1862
Abundance of fertile soil; Sodbusters needed.
Homestead Act, offering land to new settlers.
Wheat, Rivers, Granite, etc.
o EQ: What does your dream city look like?
Students will discuss and identify the kind of city they would like to live in.
What kinds of resources, population, and features does it need to be
successful?
(From 35 - 55 Minutes) After having discussed what is found in a successful city, I will
introduce the Welcome to Minnesota project. Students will be able to choose groups during
this time, and will be given the options between a poster presentation and a brief video
commercial.
o At this time, I will show various examples of what an ideal project looks like and
handout the poster shown above.
o While discussing the idea of a commercial, students will need to understand the
importance of B-Roll and retaining viewers attention.
(From 55 End of Class) Any questions that students have about the project will be
addressed at this time, otherwise, students will be rewarded with a game of Silent Ball if the
class hour has gone well!

** Following rubrics created with Rubristar

Making a Poster: Welcome to Minnesota!

Teacher Name: Mr. Venteicher
Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY

Use of Class Time

Used time well during

each class period.
Focused on getting the
project done. Never
distracted others.

Used time well during

each class period.
Usually focused on
getting the project done
and never distracted
others.

Used some of the time

well during each class
period. There was
some focus on getting
the project done but
occasionally distracted
others.

Did not use

class time to
focus on the
project OR
often
distracted
others.

Mechanics

Capitalization and
There is 1 error in
punctuation are correct capitalization or
throughout the poster. punctuation.

There are 2 errors in

capitalization or
punctuation.

There are
more than 2
errors in
capitalization
or
punctuation.

Attractiveness

The poster is
The poster is attractive
exceptionally attractive in terms of design,
in terms of design,
layout and neatness.
layout, and neatness.

The poster is
acceptably attractive
though it may be a bit
messy.

The poster is
distractingly
messy or
very poorly
designed. It
is not
attractive.

Knowledge Gained

Student can accurately

answer all questions
related to facts in the
poster and processes
used to create the
poster.

Student can accurately

answer most questions
related to facts in the
poster and processes
used to create the
poster.

Student can accurately

answer about 75% of
questions related to
facts in the poster and
processes used to
create the poster.

Student
appears to
have
insufficient
knowledge
about the
facts or
processes
used in the
poster.

Graphics - Relevance

All graphics are related

to the topic and make it
easier to understand.
All borrowed graphics
have a source citation.

All graphics are related

to the topic and most
make it easier to
understand. All
borrowed graphics
have a source citation.

All graphics relate to

the topic. Most
borrowed graphics
have a source citation.

Graphics do
not relate to
the topic OR
several
borrowed
graphics do
not have a
source
citation.

Video - Commercial: Welcome to Minnesota!

Teacher Name: Mr. Venteicher
Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY

Videography Clarity

Video did not

rock/shake and the
focus was excellent
throughout.

Video did not

rock/shake and the
focus was excellent
for the majority of
the video.

Video had a little

Problems with
rocking/shaking, but rocking/shaking
the focus was
AND focus.
excellent throughout.

VideographyInterest

Many different
\"takes\", camera
angles, sound
effects, and/or
careful of use of
zoom provided
variety in the video.

Several (3-4)
different \"takes\",
camera angles,
sound effects,
and/or careful of use
of zoom provided
variety in the video.

One or two different Little attempt was

\"takes\", camera
made to provide
angles, sound effects, variety in the video.
and/or careful of use
of zoom provided
variety in the video.

Interest and
Purpose

Video has a clear

and interesting
purpose.

Video is interesting Video is not very

but purpose is
interesting and
somewhat unclear. purpose is somewhat
unclear.

Knowledge

All students showed

excellent knowledge
of content, needing
no cues and
showing no
hesitation in talking
or answering
questions.

All students showed

excellent knowledge
of content, but 1-2
students once
needed note cards to
talk or answer
questions.

Most students
Most students needed
showed excellent
note cards to talk and
knowledge of
to answer questions.
content, but 1-2 often
needed note cards to
talk or answer
questions.

Titles and Credits

All titles and credits

are accurate, legible
and draw the
viewer\'s attention.

Most titles and

credits are accurate,
legible and draw the
viewer\'s attention.

Some titles and

credits are accurate,
legible and draw the
viewer\'s attention.

Video is not
interesting and has
no discernable
purpose.

Few (less than 75%)

titles and credits are
accurate, legible and
draw the viewer\'s
attention.